HBTF 44

Chapter: 44

Confessing the Past to Her Fiancé

“You’re making it sound so serious—it’s scary.”

Kishin joked, but Classie couldn’t bring herself to laugh along.

She clasped her hands tightly together and hesitated before finally speaking.

“There was a terrible accident once.”

Kishin got up from his desk and came to sit beside Classie on the sofa.

“I think you mentioned once that you got hurt badly as a child. Is it about that?”

His gaze shifted toward Classie’s legs. Remembering how she had fallen from the rope and returned home in Kishin’s arms, Classie quickly nodded.

“Yes. I got injured in that accident. It was a carriage crash. And… my eldest sister died because of it too. Merran’s mother.”

When Classie’s hands trembled on the cushion, Kishin placed his own hand gently over hers.

“That must’ve been hard.”

She appreciated the kindness—but it frightened her. What if, after hearing everything, he withdrew that warm hand?

“It was really hard. I’m the youngest by far, and my parents were diplomats, so my eldest sister basically raised me. But in that trip… I was the only one who survived. I carried a lot of guilt.”

“You have no reason to feel guilty.”

“No, no, you’re wrong.”

Classie shook her head with a sigh. When Kishin looked at her questioningly, she continued.

“My eldest sister said her husband was cheating. He had been dating another woman before marrying her, and even after they got married, he kept seeing that woman.”

As she spoke, Classie realized she wasn’t sure how much she should say, or where to even begin or end.

“It’s not like that’s uncommon among nobles. Most of them marry for political reasons. But my sister… she loved her husband. She couldn’t bear that he had another woman. And then she found out. That woman was pregnant. On top of that, she said it felt like the two of them were scheming something.”

“Were they trying to make your sister take the blame for a divorce?”

“I don’t know. My sister didn’t tell me that much. I was sixteen at the time. Merran was eleven.”

“You were just kids. Not something children should have to hear.”

“Yes. Anyway, we ended up taking a carriage trip together… At least, that’s what we told everyone.”

Classie’s voice grew quieter and quieter.

Until now, she had avoided speaking about that day as much as possible. Some part of her feared that saying it out loud would cause something to go wrong.

And now, nine years later, as she finally brought it up—the memory came back vividly, unfolding before her eyes like it had just happened.

* * *

Classie Was angry.

Even in front of others, her brother-in-law had always acted like he got along well with her sister. And yet behind the scenes, he’d fathered a child out of wedlock?

“Can’t you just get a divorce? You don’t need him. You are going to inherit a title someday and you’ve got plenty of wealth. So why do you have to stay with him?”

“Why should I do him the favor of divorcing him?”

“!”

“If I get divorced, the future marquess won’t be Merran—it’ll be her baby. I will never let that happen.”

Her older sister, who had suggested they take a “carriage trip,” changed the destination midway. What she really wanted was to go to the cursed forest—a place even hardened mercenaries feared to enter.

“They say the black priest or black magician there can make a love potion.”

It seemed her sister was desperate to win her husband’s heart back.

“Sis… I’m scared.”

Classie was terrified. The forest grew darker the deeper they went. The sky overhead passed quickly, the forest below creeping slowly, and her sister’s eyes… they were darker than any of it.

And then—boom!

A loud sound rang out nearby, and the carriage suddenly lurched out of control. The next thing she knew, there was a crashing impact that shook her entire body.

* * *

Kishin gripped her hand firmly. Classie snapped out of her thoughts.

He was looking at her with concern. She forced a smile to show she was okay, then hurried to finish her story.

“When I woke up, I was the only one alive. The coachman, my sister… even the guards were all dead. People found it strange that I survived when not even the adults did.”

“……”

“During the first investigation, the officer asked me what had happened. I said it was a carriage accident. But they insisted my sister didn’t die in that crash. And soon rumors started. That I was lying. That I pushed my sister off a cliff.”

Classie glanced sideways at Kishin.

He was deep in thought—neither angry nor repulsed, but not exactly sympathetic either.

“The investigators were harsh and relentless, but my parents used my injuries as an excuse to keep them away. I was still young, and the doctor confirmed my wounds were severe. Thanks to that, I didn’t have to face them for three months.”

Classie recalled Merran, crying while clutching a doll in her black mourning dress.

“By the time my convalescence ended, the funeral was already over—and so was my reputation. The rumor that I had killed my sister had spread everywhere.”

A heavy sigh escaped from deep within her chest.

Kishin still remained silent.

Classie peeked at him from the side. His expression and silence were just as usual—but she desperately wanted to know what he was thinking.

He had been that way ever since she started telling him about when she woke up. But… he hadn’t pulled his hand away. That gave her a little courage, enough to try explaining herself.

“There were things that made me look suspicious, I won’t deny that. I never told anyone why we went into the cursed forest. But… I had to protect my sister’s honor. Going to see a black magician is forbidden, after all.”

“That’s true.”

“But on the other hand, nobles having lovers is seen as normal. If I had told everyone the whole story, they would’ve blamed my sister for seeking out a black magician, not my brother-in-law for cheating. My parents and I discussed it and decided it was better to keep it secret. Until now, only the three of us knew.”

“I’ll keep it a secret too.”

Unable to bear Kishin’s lukewarm attitude anymore, Classie finally pleaded.

“Lord Kishin, rumors aside, I had nothing to do with my sister’s death. I… I wanted you to hear this. But if you still feel uncomfortable because of it, and if it makes you hate me…”

She trailed off and began removing the ring from her fourth finger. But Kishin quickly grabbed her hand and stopped her.

She looked at him, eyes full of longing.

He shook his head.

“Didn’t we make a promise? That ring will always belong to you.”

Whether it was from being moved or from the unfairness of it all, she couldn’t tell—but her eyes welled with heat.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and Classie leaned her forehead against his shoulder as she asked softly:

“Do you believe me?”

“Of course I do.”

Kishin answered without hesitation.

* * *

Kishin did believe Classie.

About half of it.

After she left, Kishin stood with his hands behind his back, gazing out the window.

Today, his finely honed instincts as an investigator felt more burdensome than helpful.

‘What part did she hide, and why?’

What Classie said sounded truthful. But there was no doubt she had deliberately left something out—something critical.

Even from a logical standpoint, setting aside intuition, there were gaps. Her account skipped over entire steps in the sequence of events.

She claimed she hadn’t told the investigators about the black magician to protect her sister’s reputation—but she told him. That meant she trusted him enough to reveal something she had long kept secret.

And yet, something else was still missing—even from him.

Why?

Was there something even more damaging to her sister’s name than seeking out a black magician?

Or…

A small furrow formed between his neatly shaped brows.

* * *

‘Maybe every man who ever doubted me until now only existed to make today’s moment with Kishin possible.’

The sound of the carriage wheels had never felt so sweet.

On her way back home, Classie was filled with joy. She kept touching her lips, adjusting her gloves, resting her chin and lifting it again—repeating the motions with giddy smiles.

When she arrived, Anna saw her glowing face and laughed, giving her arm a playful nudge.

“Things must’ve gone well, my lady. You left looking so frightened—I was worried sick.”

Classie leaned in and whispered into Anna’s ear.

“I told Lord Kishin about the rumors.”

“What? Why? Why would you bring that up?”

“Because Lord Kishin believes me. Just like Florence did—he believed me right away!”

Classie grabbed Anna’s hands and spun her around like they were dancing at a ball. Pebbles scattered beneath their shoes.

“Lord Kishin really is a wonderful person. Ah! Ah! My lady, slow down! My arm’s going to come off!”

Even while groaning, Anna still matched her steps.

Even after they stopped spinning, Classie’s excitement wouldn’t fade. She grasped both of Anna’s hands tightly and made a vow.

“If there ever comes a day when I start to doubt Lord Kishin, I’ll remember this. I’ll trust him no matter what. I’ll believe him more than my own eyes and ears—just like he believed me today.”

* * *

From that day on, Classie felt closer to Kishin than ever.

He was no longer just a political fiancé or someone she had a fleeting first impression of—she was completely taken with Kishin Hayward as a man.

Even when writing letters, she used to scribble down whatever came to mind and send them off. But now, she would rewrite her words again and again, going through two or three sheets of paper before she was satisfied.

Then one day, as her days continued happily…

A luxurious carriage stopped in front of her home, and a well-dressed couple stepped out.

“Mother! Father!”

The Kalashi couple had come to visit Kishin’s parents.

* * *