Chapter 177 177. Kidnapping, Part XIII

Translator: Khan

Editor: Aelryinth

Killian’s callous response gave Julietta pause. She took a deep breath to rouse her courage and looked up at Killian. "I sincerely appreciate your forgiveness for my sin."

"Sin...? What sin are you talking about?" Killian’s head tilted to one side, as if he had no idea what Julietta was talking about.

"Well, that’s what I told you in your lounge. I replaced Princess Kiellini..."

"Princess, I don’t know what you’re talking about. If that happened in the lounge, are you talking about unraveling that weird corset? I tried to forget about it for fear that the Princess might be ashamed, but she reminds me of it on purpose."

Julietta chose to talk more carefully to see Killian speaking in such an unctuous manner again. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for saying that you would forget without any punishment." Julietta held the hem of her dress in her hands, bent her knees and bowed politely.

"Get up. Even if I say I can’t remember, there’s something you want to say, so let’s hear it."

Killian went to a table by the window, pulled the chair back, and looked at Julietta. As Killian waited for her to sit down, Julietta hesitated, not sure if she should sit first.

"Sit down. There are only two of us anyway, so get the complicated manners off your mind."

Killian stepped around the table and sat down across from her, as Julietta was unable to keep the Prince waiting, and quickly sat down in a chair.

"What do you want to say?"

"... The Duke of Kiellini is trying to kill me. Since I made my debut safely, I think he’s trying to get rid of me for fear of later troubles."

Julietta was slightly embarrassed by Killian’s lack of response at her words. It would be easier to speak if there was a response, but she was disappointed to see him sitting with his lips pressed together. After all, it had nothing to do with the Prince, so there was no reason to react, but she guessed she was relying on him without realizing it.

In fact, she was excited and moved by his coming here late at night because he was worried about her. She was also grateful for his calm, which clearly contained consideration. However, the current calm of the Prince confused her. She’d rather grab his neck and shake it and say, ’Do you like me? I don’t hate you either,’ she even wanted to try the old-fashioned method. She peeked at Killian, who waiting for her next words.

Julietta thought she’d rather have been a concubine before. If she had been, she wouldn’t have had to go through something like this today. She was awakened by the wild thought.

’Hold on, Julietta. He can have many concubines; rather, he is a royal family of a polygamic society. Do you think you’ll ever be able to live with a man who will have another woman? Moreover, he doesn’t even think about it. Are you indulging in a flight of fantasy?’

She slapped herself on the cheek in shame. She had forgotten that she had once worked as a bedroom maid for the Prince. She was just busy paying attention to the fact that the Prince might bring in another woman in the future.

"What are you doing?" Killian looked at Julietta unwillingly as she suddenly slapped herself in the face.

"Oh! I’m sorry, Your Highness. I’ve been organizing what I want to say."

Looking at the Prince’s suspicious eyes, as if she was a mad cow, Julietta put her brain to work again. ’Yes, if I keep poking on the persimmon of not being able to eat, it will explode and I can eat it. I could hold it in my hands, right?’

Julietta decided to make some modifications to her marriage contract. She never wanted to go through anything like today again. "Now that the Duke of Kiellini is going to kill me, I won’t be the only one in danger."

Duke Kiellini, who was locked in a separate house and watched every day, couldn’t have done this. Killian thought it was Francis’s work, but he didn’t reveal it. He noticed that Julietta was trying to choose him.

"So?" Killian replied in an uninterested way.

"I’d like to give you a suggestion. Why don’t you have Princess Kiellini in front of you as a Queen? Then Julietta will naturally follow as a concubine. You said in the lounge at the debut party that the family of Kiellini will help you."

When Killian didn’t respond much to her words, Julietta added with slight hesitation. "Of, of course, because of my status, you would be very upset and angry..."

"It doesn’t matter."

"Yes?"

Her attempt to say what it was like to have a contract marriage scheduled to end because her status would be unpleasant was blocked by Killian.

"I don’t care about your identity. I offered you the post of concubine, of course because I liked you. However, because of my status, I couldn’t afford to have you as a Queen since you are a maid. I decided to become an Emperor, and no matter who I am, I can’t have an Empress who was a maid. That’s why I offered you to make you a concubine, and I offered Princess Kiellini a Queen seat for the purpose of strictly mutual benefits."

"Well, then, please marry me!" Unlike her earlier attempt to make a deal, Julietta virtually shouted it now.

Killian asked, "Marriage? Are you proposing to me now?"

Maribel told her that her status was not important, but when she tried to tell the Prince, she was afraid that he would get angry. However, when the Prince said, "I don’t care about your status," she smiled in great joy.

"Yes, I’m proposing."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Killian managed to grasp the tip of his mouth before he smiled too widely at the thought of finally succeeding. In the lounge, Julietta had a hard-line attitude, so he thought he’d take a step back. It was because he was in a hurry and he thinks could turn out wrong that he’d stopped. He thought he’d revise the plan and approach her again, but he didn’t have to.

But that wasn’t enough. He wanted those lovely smiles and sparkling green eyes directed only at him. All Killian wanted was her heart, not her empty shell, so he purposely hardened his face.

Killian wanted to make Julietta think she was married to him by her own decisions. Although she had no choice but to choose him, it had to be a reflection of her own will.

"Why are you trying to marry me? Is it because of the Duke?"

"Yes, Your Highness. I need your power. I don’t think it’s a bad deal, because you need the background of Princess Kiellini, so you offered me the seat of a Queen."

Killian’s mouth went up crookedly. "Deal... Why should I get caught up in such a nuisance? I can overlook that you’ve done such a huge thing, but telling me to step in on the fraud is an issue that you could be punished with right away as the desecration of the royal family," Killian purposely spoke coldly, glaring at Julietta.

Julietta replied strongly, meeting his gaze. "You may feel uncomfortable that I’m going to push the real princess out and take her place. But since my life is at stake, I have to stake everything on what you called a fraud."

"You have to bet everything?"

"Yes. You may say that I would rather run away. That’s what I’ve been thinking about. But I got greedy. I don’t want to run all my life. If the Duke of Kiellini hadn’t threatened me, and gave the reward he promised me, I would have been able to grapple with the greed that had risen. But I don’t want to. He’s the one who betrayed my faith first."

It was okay to say that she should continue to live in the same way, hiding herself like before, if she could live with her favorite people in this dressing shop that she received as her paycheck. However, the Duke and his daughter tried to take away even the dream that she was risking her life for, and it wasn’t enough to kill, they had sent the terrible guy to ruin her.

It wouldn’t be so bad if she would ruin them in return. No, she had to do it even if it was a bad thing, because she wanted to be happy now. Julietta clutched the two hands she held together under the table even more tightly.