UDBUL CH 19

Chapter 19

‘Did he believe me? He must’ve, right?’

Her testimony, acting, and even the setup had no flaws. But whenever Riana stood in front of that man’s blue eyes, she felt like all her lies could be seen through.

Or maybe… he already had seen through them.

“You should get treated.”

To her surprise, his voice was gentle and kind.

He leaned closer to look at her wound, then quickly stepped back to give her space.

“You must’ve been really frightened.”

Riana could feel his gaze still lingering on her as she replied.

“I’m fine. I fainted, so I don’t even remember much.”

She brushed her hair back. His blue eyes followed the motion.

Her hair, which had been done up nicely for the ball, was now messy from being dragged away and detained. She hadn’t fixed it, so it still looked rough.

She tucked the loose strands behind her ear—revealing the side where her earring had gone missing.

“…Ahem.”

Finally realizing how bad she looked, Riana gave an awkward little cough.

She started brushing dust off her dress, but since the fabric was torn, it only made it more noticeable rather than helping.

Every time she moved, more damage became visible—bruises peeking out from under her gloves, a broken shoe heel sticking out beneath her dress.

Killian’s expression subtly shifted as he took it all in.

‘Anyone would think I’d been kidnapped and tortured.’

Riana gave a small awkward smile and tried to speak.

“Don’t worry. Really, I’m—huh?”

A tear that had been clinging to her eye suddenly rolled down her cheek. She looked surprised, quickly lifting her gloved hand to wipe it away.

“I’m sorry. It just slipped out.”

Her voice trembled. It was an amazing performance.

“It’s not your fault.”

Killian’s deep voice suddenly shifted direction—to the jail cell.

“I’ll make sure they pay for what they’ve done.”

Kim hesitantly asked,

“What exactly do you mean by… take care of them?”

“Report them.”

“…You’re really reporting them?”

Killian didn’t even blink. He clearly had no intention of changing his mind.

Even Kim, who always followed the Duke’s orders without question, hesitated this time.

“Sir, I know Miss Riana was hurt, but… you understand, don’t you?”

He glanced at Riana, lowered his voice, and whispered.

“This is about illegal human experiments. If we officially get involved, it’ll be a huge mess.”

Think about it: A smuggler from the merchant group brought in a dangerous creature, and the noble Killian Droche discovered it and reported it.

—That should’ve been the full story.

But the reality was different.

“Right now, we’re the ones who’ve fed, housed, and hidden a smuggled test subject… If this leaks, it won’t matter what the truth is. People will rip us apart.”

While Kim pleaded, Killian just looked down at him blankly—completely indifferent.

Nervous, Kim started sweating and spoke even faster.

“Wouldn’t it be better to pressure the merchant group’s leader instead? If this goes public, they’ll be in big trouble too. Since it was their people committing the crime, we could demand favorable terms in exchange for not reporting—”

“Kim.”

Killian tilted his head and cut him off softly.

“Someone got hurt.”

“Huh? I mean, when have you ever cared about things like that…?”

He turned to glance at Riana, who had been quietly leaning against the wall, listening.

Killian met her eyes, then smiled warmly and patted Kim’s shoulder.

“Try having a little compassion, Kim.”

Kim’s face froze in shock.

“Sometimes that matters more than profit. Don’t you think?”

“…”

Kim looked completely betrayed, like he’d suddenly become the villain in the room.

Killian’s eyes grew cold again as he walked back toward the prison. His voice now sounded calm—almost lazy.

“Report it to the Magic Association. Those guilty must pay for their crimes.”

When they left the underground prison, the night had already fallen over the Duke’s castle.

Even the servants had gone to bed after cleaning up the ballroom. The streets were silent except for the quiet footsteps of three people.

“Um… Miss Riana?”

Kim spoke to her cautiously.

“I want to apologize for earlier. I was too focused on the company and didn’t consider your feelings.”

Riana waved her hand dismissively.

“It’s okay. I understand.”

She wasn’t totally innocent either, so she didn’t feel hurt by his actions. Let’s just say everyone was a bit selfish today.

“By the way, what exactly is the Magic Association?”

Kim raised his eyebrows at her unexpected question.

“The Magic Association?”

“Yeah. You said earlier that you’re reporting to them instead of the royal family. I’ve never heard of them before.”

Kim nodded as if it made sense and answered,

“They’re completely separate from normal people, but to magic-users, they’re like a second government. When it comes to magic, they even have more authority than kings or national laws.”

“Oh… I see.”

Riana nodded, not thinking too deeply.

Kim, however, explained more in a slightly serious tone.

“And the one thing they absolutely hate the most… is human experimentation. Things are going to get noisy after this. You should prepare yourse—”

“Miss Riana isn’t involved.”

Killian interrupted from ahead.

“She’ll be treated as completely unrelated. I’ll say I found the scene alone.”

“…”

Kim went silent. Riana, on the other hand, stared suspiciously at the back of Killian’s head.

‘Why is he protecting me so much?’

What kind of bet was this, that he’d go this far?

The Isolation Tower that night was the same as usual.

Killian, focused as always. Riana, sitting quietly in the maid’s room.

But there was one difference—Killian wasn’t focusing on work anymore. His attention was on Riana.

“Do you need anything else? Tea?”

“That’s the maid’s job, not the Duke’s.”

Riana replied with a sour tone.

She was sitting on the bed in the maid’s room but didn’t feel comfortable enough to lie down yet.

“Everything in this castle belongs to me.”

Standing beside her, Killian smiled and looked down at her gently.

“Well, maybe so…”

“That means anyone who dares harm you in my home will pay the price.”

He smoothly continued the topic.

“If you’re disappointed I didn’t punish them myself—”

Before he could finish, Riana quickly waved her hands.

“No, no. I’m sure you handled it well.”

Disappointed? More like, she thought he went overboard.

Just like Kim said, the smart thing for the Duke would be to quietly cover this up. And Killian Droche definitely wasn’t dumb.

‘So why did he pretend to care and insist on reporting it?’

It probably meant he saw an even bigger gain from doing it this way. Killian was cold and calculating. He wouldn’t report it out of simple kindness.

With a sweet, unreadable smile, Killian said,

“Thank you for trusting me.”

Riana couldn’t stop wondering.

‘Seriously, what is this bet? What’s on the line that makes him act like this?’

Just then, he handed her a small round bottle.

“Apply this to your wounds. You’ll be healed without a trace by morning.”

“Oh.”

No matter what his motive was, she appreciated the gesture.

“Thank you.”

“Get a good rest tonight. It’s been a long day.”

Killian suddenly moved closer. She felt his warmth near her cheek.

Chup.

Riana realized a moment later—it was his lips brushing her forehead.

“Forget about the bad things.”

He whispered softly, then left.

Click. The door closed, and the room was filled with warm candlelight and his lingering scent.

Except for the gentle kiss, everything else felt distant—like a dream or magic.

“…He really is a powerful magician.”

She mumbled to herself before finally lying down to sleep.

Back in his office, Killian picked a fine sheet of paper and began writing with thick ink.

The letter was addressed to Ivan Malroev, who was currently staying at the guest castle.

‘He probably already heard most of it from Kim.’

Killian’s hand paused as he thought of something. His eyes softened.

Then, with elegant handwriting, he wrote the name of a certain woman.

“Miss Riana, who first discovered the scene, was injured and is currently receiving treatment.”

He had promised to protect her from being involved in the official report.

But this was a different matter.

“As the Duke’s household, we cannot overlook this situation and plan to handle it seriously. Therefore, we request the cooperation of your merchant group.”

Killian folded the letter and gave it to the raven waiting by the window—Malroev’s bird.

It flew toward the guest castle with a flap of its wings.

Not long after, the bird returned and tapped at the window.