Chapter 260
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
“Killian, why would I ever want to hurt you?”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into my embrace.
“Killian… I don’t care if you’re not acting like yourself right now. Just tell me what’s going on. Please…”
He took a deep breath, almost as if inhaling my scent, and burrowed deeper into my arms, his voice trembling on the verge of tears.
“How could I ever let you go…”
Is he thinking of giving up and returning me to my family?
‘No—maybe he’s planning to turn himself in after sending me away. Or even… worse, to end everything.’
A chill ran through my heart and I held him even tighter.
“I can’t let you go either. Even if you’re caught and thrown in jail, I’m not leaving you. So please, don’t give up—”
Killian suddenly looked up at me, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of hope in eyes that had only known despair.
“Dana, you promised me.”
“What promise?”
“You said you’d go to hell with me.”
“….”
His bringing that up out of nowhere filled me with dread. But as I watched his head sink, hope sliding back into despair, I nodded, unable to bear it. The next moment, Killian clung to my waist desperately, searching my eyes.
“You meant it, didn’t you?”
“…Of course I did.”
“And you still mean it now?”
What I thought was hope in his eyes now looked almost feverish, wild.
‘If I say yes, is he going to ask me to die with him?’
It was frightening, but I couldn’t refuse that desperate gaze, and so I nodded again. Killian showered me with kisses, then got up and crossed to the window, shutting it tight against the summer heat.
‘…Why?’
Now he walked past me to the table, picking up his bag and for a second, my heart dropped at the memory that he kept a gun inside.
‘Is he really going to die—?’
“Killian! Wait—”
“Let’s go out.”
“…What?”
“It’s too nice outside to waste the day indoors.”
Without another word, Killian placed a straw hat on my head and led me out of the inn. We headed into a bustling part of town.
“Is there anything you want to eat?”
Is he just trying to make sure I eat lunch? For the first time in days, I felt a flicker of hope that maybe he was coming back to himself.
“I’m fine with anything.”
It didn’t matter what I ate. What mattered was seeing Killian become his reliable self again.
Since I said anything was fine, he brought me to the largest bakery in the area. It was lunch hour, and the place was so packed that it looked hard to even step inside.
“You go ahead. You know what I like.”
So I let Killian go in alone and waited for him under the shade of a tree by the street.
Ding! I was absent-mindedly watching the bakery when a cheerful chime from next door caught my attention. Stylishly dressed women came out of the building, all smiles, followed by a servant carrying boxes tied with elegant ribbons.
‘A dress shop…’
Turning back, I couldn’t help but notice a dress on display in the window. A light summer dress, delicately embroidered, almost like angel’s wings or a butterfly’s.
‘The skirt’s so short it shows your ankles… Kind of bold, isn’t it?’
Back in Eishenthal, even in summer, everyone wore long skirts that hid their ankles. Maybe fashion changed while I was tucked away in the mountains, or maybe this was just how things were in Falkland. Here, women wore ankle-baring skirts as if it was nothing.
‘But it really is pretty… Looks cool, too…’
At first, it seemed strange, but the more I looked, the more interested I became.
‘Should I try it on? I do need new clothes anyway…’
But the moment I saw the price tag, the thought vanished. As much as I wanted it, it was out of reach, and I forced myself to turn away from the shop window.
“Do you like it?”
Killian had come out with lunch and caught me staring.
“I think it would look beautiful on you.”
He started toward the shop, but I quickly grabbed his arm.
“No, I don’t like it at all.”
“Is it the price? We do have enough for that.”
“But if we buy it, we’ll have nothing left.”
“It’s fine. We can sell the gun, or the ring.”
“I said I don’t want it! I think it’s ugly. I was just staring at it because it’s so ugly.”
The truth was, it wasn’t just about the money. Killian always tried to give me everything, even if it meant spending his very last coin.
He was the same as ever today, but something about it filled me with dread.
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