Chapter 170

After just barely kicking Edward out of the room, Yelena turned to Kaywhin. Her face was on fire.

"...Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't kick him out for that reason."

"I know." Kaywhin laughed softly.

"..."

Yelena felt the urge to make Edward's misunderstanding come true upon seeing Kaywhin laugh so purely. But since she knew it would never happen, she quickly gave up.

Yelena cleared her throat and changed the subject.

"Ahem. About before... When you appeared in the dressing room."

"..."

"I was really glad to see you then. And you were really charismatic."

"Of course you're always... um, charismatic... but you were especially so back there. And uh, it seemed like there was a light shining behind you?"

"..."

"So what I'm trying to say is, thank you for saving me..."

She was looking down as she mumbled, but she mustered up some courage to look up slightly. What she saw surprised her.

"Kaywhin?"

Her husband's expression was dark. He didn't look like someone who was being complimented.

"Why the long face?"

It was a roundabout way of asking if there were any problems.

"I have regrets," Kaywhin said.

"Regrets? What regrets?"

"I shouldn't have sent you to the capital alone."

"...You didn't send me alone. The three knights and Black Tower Owner were with me."

"I should have been by your side."

"So you're saying that it's your fault that I was attacked today?"

Kaywhin didn't answer. But Yelena already knew that sometimes his silence meant his affirmation.

Dumbfounded, she opened her mouth to speak but forced herself to shut it.

"Kaywhin..."

"..."

"Listen carefully. Don't think anything weird and don't blame yourself. You have no responsibility for what happened today. In fact, you're the one who saved me."

"..."

"Understood?"

He didn't look like he understood at all.

Ah, that stubbornness. Yelena swallowed down a sigh. She spoke again after some careful thought.

"Very well. How about this?"

"...?"

"Do you remember when we went to the festival?"

"I remember."

"Back then, there was a commotion and a lot of people were gathered around. Do you remember when some man called my name? Because of that, people recognized you and started whispering."

"..."

"That was my fault."

"What?"

Kaywhin looked at Yelena as if he was asking what she was talking about.

"If I hadn't taken you to the festival in the first place, you wouldn't have been on display for everyone to see. It was all my fault."

"That's preposterous. How could that have been your fault? To take the blame for an unforeseen event..."

"That's what I'm saying."

She interrupted him, looking him in the eyes.

"Did you know that I was going to be attacked? And did you send me to the capital knowing that I would be? No, you didn't."

"..."

"Then don't say anything like you should have been prepared for the slightest chance that I would be attacked. There will be an end to this if you think like that."

If Kaywhin thought like that, then from now on, everything would be his fault, from Yelena getting a stomach ache from eating bad food to tripping by accident and scratching her knees. Yelena shook her head at the thought, knowing that he really would blame himself for those things.

"Anyhow, from now on, don't say weird things like it's your fault or that you have regrets. If you do it again..."

"..."

If he did it again?

She was supposed to make a threat, but nothing came to mind. She racked her brain and suddenly said, "I'll sleep in my own room."

'I blew it,' she thought to herself afterward.

It's not like they did anything while sharing a bed. It wasn't much of a threat if all they did was sleep peacefully.

But surprisingly, he flinched.

"...I'll be careful."

It worked. The "threat" was effective.

Yelena blinked and gazed at Kaywhin.

"..."

"..."

An ambiguous silence fell upon them.

***

Kaywhin's sudden appearance in the dressing room was the result of the joint effort of Liliana and Edward.

Liliana and Edward had planned this the day before.

First, Liliana would take Yelena shopping, buying time. Meanwhile, Sidrion would go to the fief to pick up Kaywhin. Then, they would meet Edward at the capital and Edward would take Kaywhin to the designated rendezvous point, the dressing room.

'I see.'