Chapter 136: Side Story- A Silent Competition (8)

Keirsey felt her heart sway in an instant—but at the same time, fear crept in.

Susan seemed to overestimate her. Maybe it seemed simple from Susan’s point of view... but to Keirsey, who was still painfully inexperienced, it was overwhelming.

Several days in a row, she said. Even one day would be agonizing. How was that even possible?

But Susan was quick-witted.

This used to be the territory of pain before it became Mels’ domain.

Holding onto a tavern in the middle of a crime-ridden neighborhood hadn’t been mere luck.

Reading Keirsey’s emotions like a book, Susan spoke softly, soothing her.

“Lady Mels, just listen. All it takes is patience. Everything else is easy.”

“…Patience…”

Keirsey couldn’t quite grasp what kind of patience Susan meant, but she slowly nodded.

This was advice coming from an expert.

If she mastered it, she could finally get ahead of other women—especially her sister, Asena.

Besides, Susan said it was the current trend.

No matter how much Asena studied, trends weren’t something you could learn from books.

Keirsey would do anything—anything—to be the one most loved by Cayden.

“Please teach me,” she said firmly.

Susan nodded, leaned in, and began to whisper the method to her.

At first, Keirsey’s determined face held steady, but as she listened longer...and longer, her cheeks gradually turned crimson.

Susan spent a long time explaining every minute detail to her.

By the time they were done, Keirsey had her head lowered, biting her lip.

Her expression was a complex mix—part embarrassment, part happiness, part anxiety, part anticipation.

“…It… it sounds too hard to endure…”

Keirsey whispered.

****

When Keirsey returned to the estate, she found Cayden pacing anxiously in the square before the fortress.

At his side were the soldiers who had gone out searching for her.

“Keirsey!”

As soon as Cayden spotted her, he rushed over in a frantic sprint.

Keirsey hadn’t yet figured out what expression she should make when facing him.

On the way back, she had been so caught up replaying Susan’s instructions in her mind that she forgot to prepare for this moment.

Startled, she froze as Cayden approached and gently cupped her face.

“Hup…!”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“…Huh?”

Cayden’s face was filled with worry, guilt, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility.

It had only been a single day since they last saw each other, but somehow, it felt like they were reuniting after a long separation.

Keirsey didn’t understand why her heart ached so much just seeing him.

Still, she steeled herself.

She observed his face and decided how she needed to act.

Keirsey had already confessed once before—she wasn’t as pure as Cayden believed her to be.

If it meant being loved by him, she was willing to do anything.

…Though she had learned to moderate herself a little better now, she felt this was a situation she could afford to take advantage of.

After all, Susan had said Cayden’s desire would be just as important for what she planned to do.

“…Hmph.”

Keirsey turned her head slightly, pretending to sulk.

She already knew her sneaking out to the city had been reckless.

She knew she had made a mistake.

Yet she hadn’t been able to stop herself.

She brushed his hands away and began walking toward the garden.

But all her attention was focused behind her—on Cayden.

He had to follow.

Nervously, anxiously, Keirsey walked slowly.

If he got fed up with her antics and turned away... she was ready to throw pride aside and grab his pant leg if she had to.

Luckily, Cayden followed.

“…Keirsey. Can we talk?”

“……Hmph.”

Of course, Keirsey had her reasons, too.

Cayden had gone too far last night.

Just thinking about it still left her heart heavy.

She wasn’t completely without grievances to air.

Without answering him, Keirsey kept walking deeper into the garden.

It was the wrong thing to be thinking, but… somehow, the fact that Cayden was chasing after her, trying to comfort her, made her feel strangely happy.

It felt as if he was clinging to her.

Once they reached a secluded spot where they were truly alone, Keirsey turned to face him.

“……”

But when she tried to bring up all the resentments she had bottled up since last night, the emotions started flooding back.

Now that it was just the two of them, she couldn’t help but want to whine a little.

How could she be so one-dimensional?

Even Keirsey herself was a little stunned.

“…Oppa, do you love me?”

Unable to hold back her emotions any longer, Keirsey asked.

This wasn’t a game anymore.

It wasn’t an act.

Her true feelings were spilling out.

“…I love you.”

“Then why does it feel like you hate me?”

“……”

“Why do you do everything with unnie, but always push me aside? Why do I always come second to her?”

Before she realized it, Cayden had pulled her into his arms.

Burying her face against his chest, Keirsey let out the words she’d been holding in.

“…You said we’d do it later. But why do you hug Unnie right away? Why don’t you push her away like you do with me?”

“…I’m sorry. It’s not because I don’t like you.”

“…Liar. Tell me the truth. You don’t like me, do you?”

If he really answered that he didn’t like her—

Keirsey felt certain she would start crying uncontrollably.

She wasn’t asking because she wanted to hear it.

She was begging him to deny it.

“…No. It’s not like that. Not at all.”

“…I’m trying too. I love you too. But why does it always feel like you’re just going through the motions when it’s with me?”

As Keirsey spoke, she could clearly feel the heavy, pent-up knots in her chest unraveling.

It wasn’t just that she hated being pushed aside.

What hurt even more was being treated like a consolation prize.

It felt like—since he had already done these things for Asena—he was now reluctantly doing the same for her because she was her twin.

It was like inheriting Asena’s hand-me-downs.

If it was something he had already given to Asena, it no longer felt sincere when it came to her.

Keirsey didn’t want Cayden to express love to her because he had done so for Asena.

She wanted to be loved first—wanted Asena to be the afterthought, not her.

Cayden only held her tighter and whispered softly into her ear.

“…This time, it’s my fault. I crossed the line even by my own standards. But please believe me. It was never because I didn’t love you.”

Keirsey swallowed down her lingering hurt.

The real conversation was about to begin.

“…Can you prove it?”

“…What?”

“That you love me…”

Keirsey lifted her head from his chest, gazing up at him with trembling, vulnerable eyes—without even realizing it herself.

“…Will you prove it to me? For me…?”

Cayden looked down at Keirsey for a long moment.

Then he bent down and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.

-Smooch.

“…Of course, Keirsey.”

He smiled at her as if he were handling the most precious treasure in the world—and made a quiet promise.

****

After that, Keirsey asked me for just one thing.

For the next five days, she wanted me to listen carefully to whatever she asked.

If there was something I really didn’t want to do, I could refuse—but she hoped I would agree to everything, if possible.

It wasn’t a problem for me.

Just like I had predicted, a relationship with Asena after she caught me sleeping with Judy, I had already expected that once Keirsey caught me with Asena, she and I would eventually end up like this too.

I had braced myself to go all the way—past the point of no return.

There was no request Keirsey could make that I couldn’t accept.

...Well, unless she suddenly reverted to her wicked side and asked for something insane, like having sex in front of everyone.

As I organized paperwork with Daisy, I tried to calm the complicated mess of my thoughts.

Lately, everything seemed to be accelerating.

It wasn’t that I disliked it, but adapting to the rapidly shifting relationships was overwhelming.

Since it was all new to me, figuring out how to maintain the right distance going forward also left me tangled up in thought.

Maybe sensing my turmoil, Daisy came to stand quietly beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

Was she trying to give me a massage like she used to?

I smiled and reached up to grasp her hand gently—

But then Daisy spoke.

“…There’s something on your neck.”

“......”

My body stiffened instantly.

On my neck, there were still the marks left behind by Asena last night—the faint bite marks and kiss marks.

In the rush of hearing that Keirsey had gone missing this morning, I had completely forgotten to cover them up.

Even if it was just a kiss mark, Daisy wouldn’t have missed it.

But bite marks?

There was no way she wouldn’t recognize what they meant.

Seeing the flustered look on my face probably confirmed everything for her.

“…Hmm.”

Without another word, Daisy returned to her desk and resumed sorting papers.

Even though I hadn’t technically done anything wrong to her, I kept glancing over anxiously, watching her reaction.

-Knock knock knock-

Just as I was barely managing to endure the awkward atmosphere, salvation came.

“C-come in!”

Without even thinking about who it might be, I gave permission to enter.

Soon, Keirsey appeared—looking almost like a maid—as she pushed a cart of food into the room.

“…Keirsey?”

“Oppa, I made lunch. I’d really like you to eat it.”

I blinked, quietly impressed.

Was this part of the “requests” she had mentioned?

Asking me to eat something she had cooked?

Rather than feeling burdened, I was actually grateful.

Keirsey’s innocence was almost overwhelming.

She lifted the silver lid covering the plate to reveal the meal she had prepared.

“......?”

What lay beneath was… a rather strange assortment of foods.

It was a stretch to even call it a “dish.”

It looked more like a collection of random ingredients thrown together.

Eel—something you rarely saw.

Chives—only grown in the North.

Oysters, fatty duck meat, and even raw garlic.

It took a long moment for me to realize what all these foods had in common.

“.......”

Every single one of them…

Were famous for being stamina foods.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

I turned to look at Keirsey’s face.

“…I really hope you enjoy it.”

Behind her innocent smile, I could now glimpse it for the first time—

The flickering shadows of a hidden desire.

--- End Of The Chapter ---

 

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