Chapter 139 – What Does That Make Me, the One Who Brought You Here?

Startled by her fiancé’s sudden remark, Evelyn frowned faintly and poked him in the side with her finger.

“That wasn’t funny at all.”

Axion, who was unbothered by her scolding, wore a languid smile as he countered.

“Well, does it seem like a joke to you?”

“….”

There he goes again, leaving her with nothing to say. Narrowing her eyes at him, Evelyn gave a firm shake of her head and quickened her pace. Seemingly amused, the man let out a quiet chuckle and followed at her heels.

But just as they drew near their destination, Axion’s expression shifted, the laughter fading as his features hardened.

‘What’s wrong with him all of a sudden?’

Perplexed by the sobriety on his face, Evelyn let her gaze follow the direction of his eyes. Then, catching sight of Khalid standing before the drawing room doors, she drew in a sharp breath. The Duke of Rikeran, already striding toward them, curved his lips into a graceful smile as he offered his greeting.

“You must be weary from such a long journey.”

She returned the courtesy to the master of the house, who had extended the invitation to her and her fiancé.

“Thank you for inviting us, Your Grace.”

“I only hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

Khalid replied, concern flickering in his tone. His golden hair was slightly disheveled, as though he had hurried straight here after concluding his meeting.

‘He didn’t have to hurry like that.’

An unexpected pang of guilt stirred within her. Evelyn lifted a hand, meaning to wave away his concern, but her fiancé’s voice cut in first.

“It’s quite alright. It only allowed me more time to spend with my beloved.”

“….?”

At Axion’s way of speaking, which cut across the flow of conversation, she felt the stirrings of another headache.

‘And if he says such things, what does that make me, the one who brought him here?’

To Khalid, they must look like a pair who had come all the way to his estate simply to enjoy a lover’s tryst. Casting her fiancé a sidelong glance that was more exasperated than angry, Evelyn let her gaze slip toward the male lead.

Khalid, however, only wore a faint smile as he answered with unhurried ease.

“Is that so? Then I’m glad the lady wasn’t left in solitude.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened in surprise.

Wow, someone who could so smoothly parry Axion’s words.

She almost wanted to applaud. The meaning behind his words was no different from saying, ‘It wasn’t you I invited, but Lady Inevasel.’ For an instant, it seemed as though sparks leapt between the two men. Maybe it was because, just as in the original story, the relationship between the two male leads was far from cordial.

A chill seemed to settle in the air around them.

Turning Khalid’s words over in his mind, Axion cast a sidelong glance at his fiancée before replying with calm indifference.

“I felt it far too uneasy to let her come alone.”

What nonsense. Since when did he ever worry about others like that?

Evelyn nearly let out a hollow laugh but forced it back, swallowing her protest as she silently observed the scene unfold.

At that moment, Axion stepped closer to Khalid.

Her eyes wavered in disarray at her fiancé’s sudden movement. On the other hand, Khalid, wearing a guarded expression as though questioning his intent, calmly asked.

“Is there something you wish to say?”

Axion’s lips curved faintly, and he extended an arm. With a steady hand, he reached up and deliberately smoothed back the strands of golden hair that had fallen loose over the Duke of Rikeran’s brow.

“It seems that you require rather a great deal of tending, Your Grace.”

“….!”

The unexpected touch left Khalid’s features momentarily rigid. Evelyn, no less startled, blinked slowly with eyes widened in surprise.

What’s gotten into him all of a sudden…?

For a moment, she was beginning to worry if the genre had suddenly shifted without her noticing. Axion, meanwhile, wiped his hand with a handkerchief before curling his lips into a cool, detached smile.

“I’ll see to it that Evelyn is well looked after, so you need not trouble yourself.”

On the surface, it might have sounded like a courteous remark, but in truth, it carried all the weight of a warning. It was as if he were saying, ‘Mind your own affairs and tend to yourself.’