Chapter 170: Chapter 86.2

she even bought a ticket to find a house for herena. contrary to her initial commitment, yernia didn’t want to connect herena with cassian.

yernia was worried that cassian might already have a crush on herena so she had to stop that.

yernia shook her head sadly.

“i plan to make it hard for him to see another woman. i’m looking for a place for her because i don’t want her to stay here.”

“you seem more determined than i thought.” miya said.

the more yernia interfered between cassian and herena, the faster she would die. at least, cassian didn’t hate her yet. in the original novel, cassian hated yernia to the bone but this time, it was different. perhaps, he hadn’t fallen in love with herena yet? she was eager to hope not.

after finishing yernia’s makeup, miya clapped her hands. “good. you should go with the marquis, my lady. go on a date and capture his heart.”

“how can i——- never mind, he won’t go with me.”

“did nothing really happen between the two of you on the battlefield?”

honestly, a lot of things had happened between her and cassian. the most special memory among them was spending the night with him. yernia suppressed the urge to cover her face with her hands in chagrin. “there was.”

“see? it’s not impossible.”

“it’s just a part of guidance and above all, he’s an adult. i’m the only woman around him and we’re already married. perhaps, that’s why.”

“that’s what you think. aren’t you curious about what the marquis is thinking?”

yes. she was curious about it. what did he mean when he told her a few days ago that she was feigning ignorance?

“miya, what if you’re in my shoes? what if cassian says that everything that happened between us was just guidance and there was no emotions involved?”

“…….”

“i would feel miserable.”

miya, who was staring at yernia, hugged her tightly. she felt emotional when she smelled her familiar scent, missing her friend’s embrace.

“do as you please, young lady.”

“i want to but can i really do that?”

“i will always support you on whatever you decide.”

as tears blurred her vision, yernia guessed that she really wanted to hear that. yernia opened her eyes wide so as not to cry.

***

yernia, who was thinking about going out alone, ran into cassian, who just left the palace to return to the mansion. when cassian asked where she was headed to, yernia impulsively suggested that they go out together. she thought he would reject her again but surprisingly, cassian seemed surprised of the invitation and said yes in an instant.

“are you sure you want to go with me, cassian?”

“why would i refuse your invitation?”

“you said you’d keep your distance from me.”

“ah.”

“you’re not going to say that you forgot, are you? you’re really———”

“i didn’t forget.”

wasn’t he supposed to distance himself from her like he planned to?

his recent choice made her curious.

while reading her expression, cassian took her hand and started moving.

“i asked his majesty and his royal militia to kill me if i turn rogue.”

yernia stopped walking at the unexpected answer and cassian pulled her hand as if urging her to move but yernia didn’t.

“why did you ask such a favor?”

“i’m afraid of killing you.” that rendered her speechless. “it’s the only way i can relax.”

although cassian was being thoughtful for her sake, yernia was upset. nevertheless, she tried her best to respect his decision.

“it’s nothing to worry about. if i keep guiding you, you’ll be fine.”

“if that is the case, i won’t leave you alone in bed every night.”

yernia, who was walking to the carriage again, snapped at cassian. “did you forget that we’re outside?”

the mansion had countless employees and the servants might hear them from the garden. yernia looked around in a hurry.

“why? do you want to stay with me in bed? shall we go back?”

“are you crazy? what if someone else hears you?”

“don’t worry about anything.”

“think about other people, too. how much would you hate to hear a story you don’t even want to know?”

cassian smiled at yernia’s flushed cheeks. he didn’t say anything much, but she felt like she was the only one who cared.

“then i’ll whisper it to you next time. as you say, i should think of others.”

when she was about to get on the carriage, yernia stiffened because of cassian, who lowered his head and brushed his lips against the shell of her ears.

“shall we… not go out?”

cassian was a dangerous temptation.