Chapter 153

 

Iona momentarily thought her ears had deceived her.

 

Or perhaps he had mistakenly misspoken.

 

Iona waited for Leroy to correct her misunderstanding, but he remained silent, offering only a faint smile.

 

The nonchalant attitude, which didn’t match his earlier statement, made the situation feel even less real.

 

Iona asked in a daze.

 

“…What did you just say? I mean…”

 

“I’m telling you this in advance because I thought you might be startled to hear about their disappearance later.”

 

Leroy added in a soft voice.

 

It was only then that Iona realized she hadn’t misheard him.

 

Not knowing how to react, Iona could only stare blankly at Leroy.

 

She couldn’t tell what kind of expression she had on her face right now.

 

It was probably quite a foolish one, no doubt.

 

“I don’t plan on publicly announcing their deaths. I’ll make it look like they escaped with valuables to avoid their confinement. For a while, I’ll let some stories of their sightings abroad circulate. There might be a brief stir, but it will soon be forgotten if there’s no tangible evidence.”

 

Leroy calmly continued to explain, as if to soothe her shock.

 

Though his explanation was mainly about the aftermath, Leroy was essentially speaking of Yvonne and Nils’ deaths.

 

There was no need to explicitly ask who had dealt with them.

 

If it wasn’t something he had done, there would be no reason to fabricate their disappearance like this.

 

Despite her confusion, only one thought filled Iona’s mind.

 

‘Why?’

 

“Why did you do it?”

 

Iona barely managed to ask.

 

She couldn’t understand why he had gone to such lengths for her personal grudges.

 

This was a problem Iona had to handle herself.

 

Not because she wanted to, but because she was the only one who could do it.

 

Unable to hide her bewilderment, Iona asked again.

 

“Did Nils or Yvonne do something that warranted such measures?”

 

Worried that they might have done something to Leroy without her knowing, Iona grew anxious.

 

She didn’t want to trouble her husband, who had generously overlooked her status as an illegitimate child, with family-related issues.

 

She thought they had developed enough of a bond to honestly discuss such matters, but Leroy couldn’t meet her eyes, looking away.

 

He answered hesitantly, uncharacteristically.

 

“...It was a personal vendetta.”

 

“I’m asking why you needed to take out that vendetta.”

 

Iona responded with a serious expression.

 

Contrary to her intention of confirming her half-siblings’ wrongdoings, it seemed Leroy had taken her questioning in a different direction.

 

After a moment of rubbing his neck, he pulled up the corners of his mouth slightly and asked.

 

“Are you disappointed that I’m a more narrow-minded man than you thought?”

 

At this point, Iona vaguely realized that they had been talking past each other.

 

And she also seemed to understand, at least a little, what Leroy was thinking right now.

 

Iona’s eyes widened slightly.

 

“Don’t tell me... it was because of me?”

 

“If it was presumptuous, I apologize. After all, I ended up taking your revenge.”

 

“Why are you apologizing for that? Killing people isn’t exactly an enjoyable task...”

 

Iona trailed off, dazed.

 

The reason Iona had planned to quietly deal with Nils and Yvonne by sending them to the estate was to avoid drawing attention.

 

No, even if others didn’t know, she wanted to inform Leroy of their deaths in the least disruptive way possible.

 

Since he knew how she had taken over the family, he could easily guess who had killed her half-siblings.

 

Although he claimed to be her deep understanding confidant, she didn’t want to show him the image of herself plotting her family’s deaths.

 

Iona was aware that such actions typically left a heartless impression on others.

 

And no one would want to reveal that side to their spouse. Anyone would feel the same, not just her.

 

But to think he had unknowingly planned all the cleanup himself.

 

It was hard to grasp the reality that he had dirtied his hands in her place.

 

Not knowing what to say, Iona hesitated, and he spoke first with a heavy tone.

 

“You asked me not to imagine how you lived, but I couldn’t help but be concerned.”

 

“....”

 

“I didn’t want you to spend any more time troubled because of them. I didn’t want to leave the last moments of your enemies as another source of distress for someone who has already suffered enough. More than anything...”

 

Leroy paused.

 

He seemed to be weighing whether what he was about to say was appropriate.

 

After a not-so-short moment of contemplation, he spoke, almost sighing.

 

“I couldn’t stand it.”

 

“...”

 

“The earlier explanation might have just been a plausible excuse for my actions. I didn’t want to keep alive those who did such things to you. That’s my honest feeling.”

 

Leroy, having poured out his true feelings, closed his eyes with an expression of weary resignation.

 

As Iona quietly watched him, she suddenly realized something.

 

His kindness in not wanting to see her suffer any more,

 

His rage on her behalf,

 

The long and painful deliberations he endured for her...

 

All stemmed from his deep care for her.

 

‘If I reach out now, can I kiss him?’

 

A sudden, audacious desire surged within her.

 

Iona had always considered herself unworthy of him and had tried to suppress her desire for him.

 

Even so, if he said it was okay, she wanted to stand by his side.

 

No, she had never intended to let him go from the start, which was why she had shamelessly proposed marriage and pushed it forward.

 

And so, they had come this far, building a different kind of relationship and time together.

 

They were already each other’s spouses.

 

Perhaps, if she just mustered a little more courage and took a step forward, she could cross the line between them...

 

Iona stood up and slowly approached him.

 

As she reached out and gently cupped Leroy’s face, he opened his closed eyes.

 

The long eyelashes that had cast shadows below his eyes slowly lifted, revealing his gray pupils.

 

In a low, husky voice, he asked.

 

“Aren’t you angry?”

 

“…Why would I be angry? You’re worrying too much.”

 

“Well, it seems that upsetting you is something I’m afraid of.”

 

Leroy answered nonchalantly.

 

On the other hand, Iona felt as if her heart had plummeted to the ground.

 

She wasn’t usually one to get nervous, yet she could feel sweat forming on her back.

 

Iona hesitated for a moment, unable to speak.

 

All she had to do was honestly tell him that she liked him. What was she so afraid of that made her hesitate like this?

 

She wasn’t standing in the middle of a life-and-death battlefield, nor was she stranded in some unknown remote place.

 

It was just a simple situation that required a single word, yet Iona couldn’t move her tongue.

 

Had Leroy also sensed her hesitation?

 

He looked up at Iona with curious eyes and leaned his cheek deeper into her hand.

 

Iona felt her mind going blank.

 

She couldn’t even remember why she had approached him in the first place.

 

The silence was stretching unnaturally long.

 

Unable to bear the situation any longer, Iona hastily asked,

 

“Can I kiss you?”

 

Leroy paused briefly before smiling softly and asking,

 

“Is it a reward?”

 

“No… because I want to.”

 

Iona answered, looking into his eyes like someone in a trance.

 

For Iona, kissing was a rather useful escape.

 

At least in the moments when she was kissing him, she didn’t have to say anything, and she could bask in the illusion that they were truly connected.

 

Her claim of liking kisses wasn’t a lie. She couldn’t admit that the reason she liked them was because of this.

 

‘After the kiss… I’ll tell him.’

 

Iona made a firm resolution within herself, giving herself a brief reprieve.

 

If she could feel his warmth while they embraced, she felt she could muster the courage to confess her feelings.

 

As if urging her to move, Leroy wrapped his hand around her waist, gently pulling her closer.

 

As Iona swept her fallen hair back and leaned towards him, there was a knock on the door from outside.

--- End Of The Chapter ----

 

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