Chapter 91
For a moment, not only I, but Kallion as well, froze in place.
Seeing me frozen from sheer shock, Layla began shedding tears.
“M-Madam. I’m truly sorry. Lord Kallion told me to take him to where Madam was immediately, and I think I lost my head for a moment. Please forgive me. Forgive…”
Her hair was disheveled from being slapped, her calves were black and bruised to a pulp, and her entire body trembled.
To anyone watching, she looked exactly like a frail servant being abused by the lady of the house.
I was left speechless at the way she revealed this completely different side of herself, almost as though she had been waiting for me to confront her.
“Layla, what on earth…”
Just as I was about to question her about this absurd situation, Kallion coldly stepped in front of me.
He stood firmly in front of Layla like a knight protecting her and glared at me murderously.
Right.
To him, I was probably nothing more and nothing less than the daughter of an enemy house who coveted his dead mother’s room, and a selfish, cruel woman who relieved her stress by beating her secretary.
Even from my perspective, that was the only way the situation could look.
“I assigned Layla to help you manage the estate. Is this how you’ve been treating her?”
I didn’t even have the will to defend myself.
Layla, who would go so far as to hurt her own body to put me in a difficult position.
And Kallion, who trusted Layla without the slightest doubt.
They were equally horrible to me.
With a listless expression, I weakly turned away.
I had no energy left to argue.
He grabbed my wrist again.
“We’re not finished talking.”
“Let go of me.”
“Explain this situation properly before you leave.”
At his threatening growl, I turned toward him weakly.
“I didn’t do it.”
“What?”
“Her legs. I’m saying I didn’t do that.”
Kallion’s expression changed strangely.
Then he frowned as though he simply couldn’t understand.
Watching him, I let out a hollow, mocking laugh.
“You won’t believe me even if I tell you, so what exactly do you want me to say?”
With that, I met his eyes with an utterly exhausted expression.
“Just believe whatever you want.”
His body stiffened slightly at the complete lack of will in my eyes, and the strength in his grip loosened.
I didn’t miss the opportunity and pulled my wrist free.
Then I trudged down the corridor like a ghost.
* * *
After summoning the family physician to his office and having Layla’s legs treated, Kallion stared out the window in confusion for a long while.
No matter that she came from an enemy house, Juliana had fulfilled her responsibilities in managing the estate until now.
Even after being given the authority of the lady of the house, she had never indulged in luxuries beyond her fixed personal allowance like other noblewomen did.
If anything, she never bought anything carelessly or spent money on herself, as though she had neither desire nor ambition.
As though everything used in this estate were meaningless to her…
He couldn’t understand why a woman like that would covet his mother’s room.
And and even if Layla was a servant of the enemy house’s estate, he also found it hard to believe that Juliana was the one who had left her in that state.
According to the head butler’s reports, Juliana was generous enough to consider the servants’ convenience and cherished her personal maid Kate almost like family.
Seeing Layla’s condition, which completely contradicted those reports, only confused him more.
Had Juliana been tormenting Layla because she suspected something between him and Layla?
But then another contradiction arose.
Layla had clearly explained that Juliana knew the room belonged to his mother and coveted it.
‘I entered because the owner of the room invited me.’
Yet Juliana had spoken as though someone else had invited her.
The more he tried to piece everything together, the more contradictions he found.
If this had been him two months ago, he would have believed Layla without hesitation.
And without even thinking about it, he would have suspected Juliana as the cause of all this trouble.
But ever since Juliana became the lady of the house, Layla had been making strangely uncharacteristic mistakes.
Even so, to believe Layla had orchestrated all of this…
He had known Layla for more than ten years.
She had been like a younger sister to him since she was a little girl.
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