Chapter 345
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
Only then did I finally learn what had been printed in the newspapers everyone had tried so hard to keep from me.
The Fallen Hero Swears Loyalty to the Enemy
How a Patriot Became a Traitor
He volunteered for a mission even the army opposed, only to be captured by the enemy’s command and betray his country to save his own life. That betrayal did not stop there.
He handed over military intelligence to the enemy, currying favor with their leadership and rising to the position of press secretary to the Highland prime minister. He even contributed without hesitation to the killing of his own countrymen, boosting enemy morale by writing speeches and military anthems.
The press spun fiction upon fiction, turning Killian into a shameless opportunist—someone blinded by ambition, loyal to the enemy, and complicit in the massacre of his own people.
They went even further, clamoring for his medals and knighthood to be stripped away.
Reading columns that criticized the relevant ministries for ‘dragging their feet’ simply because they had issued a neutral statement—saying such matters would be decided after the final verdict—made me feel sick.
There was no precedent for this, yet the writers acted as though restraint itself were a crime.
‘Why are they tearing him apart so relentlessly?’
The tone was excessively emotional, as if they harbored a personal grudge against Killian.
What was truly strange, though, was that despite freely inventing details to fill every gap in the story, the press avoided mentioning one crucial fact. Something Killian, the Marquis, and I all knew perfectly well.
That the speech printed in the official gazette had actually been a love letter addressed to me.
That wasn’t the only omission. Come to think of it, my name appeared nowhere at all. And yet I was the person most deeply entangled in this affair. Without me, none of it could be fully explained.
‘This too must be the Marquis’s doing.’
The more I learned, the more I wanted to kill him. If killing him would free Killian, I would have done it without hesitation.
“There’s no way to save him…”
“If the Father would actively deny the charges, there may still be a way out, but…”
Lady Ackroyd and the lawyer spoke in equally grim tones. Apparently, Killian had neither confessed nor denied the accusations, he had simply remained silent.
“Why won’t he deny them?”
“He refuses to say.”
“Of course. When something truly bothers him, he’s been like that since he was a child, he shuts his mouth completely.”
“That can’t be the reason.”
“At least it’s a relief that he hasn’t admitted guilt.”
Aside from the letters, there was no concrete evidence. Even the military prosecutors found it difficult to prove the charges on that basis alone, which was why they were pressuring Killian to sign a written confession. Fortunately, he had refused that as well.
“What about my testimony? I’m the only one who knows how the love letters he wrote to me turned into speeches. I’ll testify on his behalf.”
Lady Ackroyd visibly brightened, and even the lawyer looked hopeful. But after a moment of thought, his expression turned doubtful.
“Even if you testify to deny the charges… if the Father himself contradicts Madam’s statement—”
“Miss Loveridge. Not madam.”
“Ah—yes. Miss Loveridge. If the Father denies your testimony, it won’t have much effect.”
“So in the end, we have to change Killian’s mind.”
“That’s correct.”
“Please tell him that I want to see him.”
I already knew he had refused visits from both his mother and his lawyer. But if he knew I wanted to see him, I thought he might agree.
And that evening…
“When I told him that Miss Loveridge wished to meet him, the Father asked to see me.”
The lawyer brought the news.
“So, what did Killian say?”
I had thought it would be good news.
“He asked whether you needed something from him.”
“…And what did you say?”
“I told him there was no such reason. He said that was fine, and left.”
“Why are you so dense? You should have said I was pregnant—that I was carrying his child!”
He had been asking whether I was seeking him out because I was expecting. And the lawyer had answered no. Having to rely on someone who didn’t fully understand our situation and watching what might have been my last precious chance slip away like that drove me mad.
After that, I requested a visit every single day. Killian never once agreed to see me.
“I think he’s really angry with me…”
After a full week of rejection, the shock left me bedridden. Lady Ackroyd came to see me and clicked her tongue.
“You have no idea how stubborn that boy is.”
Stubborn?
From what Killian himself had told me and from everything I had observed, Lady Ackroyd knew far less about her son than she thought. I dismissed the remark.
“When Killian was ten, he wouldn’t speak at all. We were terribly worried, and a doctor gave us a prescription.”
A prescription?
“He said we were to give him nothing—no water, no food—until he clearly said what he wanted.”
“Wasn’t he a quack?”
“A quack? He was a professor at the same medical school as your father.”
“Still… starving a child? That’s cruel. You didn’t actually follow that advice, did you?”
“You’ll understand once you become a parent. When you’re desperate, you’ll try anything.”
So she truly had instructed the servants to give Killian nothing—until he opened his mouth and spoke.
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