Chapter 33
It had been a long time since he’d last seen her.
When Adelaide came out to greet him, she looked noticeably thinner. It seemed that she had suffered quite a bit from the punishment he had given her.
“Adelaide.”
Calling her name gently, Killian offered a soft smile. Adelaide stared at him as though trying to memorize his face, then smiled back.
‘Honestly… it’ll only be half a year at most.’
Why did it feel like she was leaving forever?
Elise, who had come to utterly despise Killian, had even suggested Adelaide stay with them until they returned home.
But Adelaide had refused. She’d brushed it off by saying she didn’t want to give gossipers another excuse to trouble her parents, but deep down, Killian himself had been part of the reason.
‘It’s just because it’s the first time.’
Adelaide murmured to herself.
At some point, Killian had become someone whose presence felt natural, someone she simply expected to be there. She had made up her mind to leave, but she still wasn’t ready to be apart from him for that long.
Even if it was only half a year. It would be her first time being separated from him at all.
That must be why she felt so sentimental and so achingly attached. She tried hard to calm the restless feelings rising in her chest.
“Welcome, Killi.”
“Sorry. I’ve been really busy lately.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m just glad you came. Let’s go upstairs, I’ve prepared some tea.”
With that, Adelaide turned and began walking.
Unaware of what he was about to hear, Killian followed her without suspicion.
It was the calm before the storm.
* * *
“…What?”
Killian doubted his own ears.
The rose tea was fragrant, and unlike last time, no one interrupted his quiet moment together with Adelaide.
If not for what Adelaide said as soon as he took a sip, it would have been a perfectly pleasant afternoon.
“What did you say?”
He asked again, trying to stay composed. But his brows were already furrowed, and an edge of tension crept into his voice. Adelaide hesitated, That was enough to snap Killian’s restraint.
“I said—say it again!”
“I said I’m going to Clayton with my brother. It’ll be hard to see each other for a while… Is that really something to get so angry about?”
She had expected he might be upset. But Killian knew her situation better than anyone. His sudden outburst left her speechless.
“You never said anything about this.”
Even while he had been neglecting Adelaide, every detail of her life had reached him. Her daily conversations, her letters with Elise Winterbloom, everything had been monitored.
And yet, there hadn’t been a single sign of this.
“Since when were you planning this? This isn’t something you decide overnight.”
The words came out like a growl through clenched teeth. His eyes burned with anger as he stared her down.
“…A month ago.”
“So it started when that Winterbloom woman began sneaking in and out like a rat. Right?”
The woman Roem had chosen as his bride.
Startled by his crude words, Adelaide stared at him in shock.
“Killi. what’s wrong with you?”
“Don’t go.”
“…What are you talking about? I’m leaving at dawn tomorrow—”
“I said, don’t go.”
His eyes were bloodshot.
Something unfamiliar and violent surged up inside him. Even he didn’t understand why he was so angry.
Was it because she was leaving? Because she had hidden it from him? Or—
Then, suddenly, he understood.
For years, he had suppressed her freedom. And yet he had always been certain of one thing. That it was simply possessiveness. That even without all of this, Adelaide would never leave him.
Because he had shaped her that way carefully.
Friendship. Affection. He couldn’t define exactly what she felt for him, but it didn’t matter. He had believed without question that she could never leave him.
Because to her, he was special.
And yet, that had all been his arrogance. It wasn’t just that she could leave.
She already had. She had prepared everything. The undeniable reality of Adelaide leaving him struck him like a blow.
“Don’t go. Please… I’m asking you.”
Killian clenched his teeth, forcing down the surge of betrayal clawing at his chest. Right now, nothing mattered more than stopping her from leaving.
“Killian… I can’t. Everything’s already been arranged.”
Adelaide’s eyes softened with helplessness.
For a fleeting moment, Killian wanted to restrain her and lock her down completely. If he used his authority as Crown Prince, he could do it.
Not just stop her preparations, he could even turn back a ship that had already set sail.
But he held himself back. Because he wanted to see it. He wanted her to choose to stay by his side of her own will.
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