/
Her misunderstanding was perhaps inevitable.
Since everyone believed that the “Black Moon” was the culprit.
And because Killian had never explained himself to clear up the misunderstanding.
It wasn’t Sophia’s fault that she feared him.
He knew that in his head.
But for some reason, there was a burning heat boiling inside his chest.
The fact that she misunderstood him, and the situation where he couldn’t offer any explanation, tormented him.
That’s why he said it.
“I’ll promise not to kill you. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my fiancĂ©e.”
As if venting his anger at the fear in her eyes, objecting to her cunning, or perhaps succumbing to his instincts, he kissed her lips.
He felt like he couldn’t let her go without releasing the boiling passion inside him.
The calm waters that had always been there were now rough waves, stirred by Sophia’s presence.
And he realized.
‘Even if the end were to come someday, I wouldn’t be able to kill you.’ (T/L: awww)
No matter how well you cut me from the other side.
Even if you were to be the one to kill me.
It was a devastating and miserable realization.
Translator: HaileyFranchette. Read on moonlight novels only
* * *
The next day, Sophia woke up with a headache.
The sunlight was streaming through the curtains, and the clock showed that it was almost eleven o’clock.
“Ugh
”
Sophia groaned, clutching her throbbing forehead, feeling as if her insides were tangled and her body was heavy.
The sensation she felt was one she hadn’t experienced in a long time
 a hangover?
She tried to recall how much alcohol she had consumed last night, counting the sips she had during the meal.
She had only taken a few sips of wine at the gathering with Mikhail, and then

As she traced back her memories, the events of the previous night started to come back to her in fragments.
And when she reached the memory of what happened last night, her eyes widened in realization.
“Gasp!”
Everything came flooding back.
She had blurted out slurred nonsense while being drunk, Mikhail laughed as he left the ball, being supported by Killian as they made their way to the room. She remembered it all.
And the kiss with Killian
!
“Am I going crazy? Nooo!”
The unbroken film of memories replayed the passionate kiss they had shared, and a rush of heat flushed her face.
A kiss, so intense and passionate!
Despite the headache from the hangover, the memories of the previous night came back vividly.
The intense gaze in his eyes

In front of Killian’s incredibly handsome face, Sophia felt utterly defenceless.
Moreover, his tongue was so tantalizing.
Like a serpent tempting people to eat the forbidden fruit, they blindfolded people and seduced them with the most enchanting language in the world.
In her foolishness, Sophia Fraus fell head over heels for his advances.
‘Aren’t you supposed to keep your distance from Killian?’
Sophia scolded herself, slapping her own cheek in frustration.
She had promised herself to stay away from him, to create some distance, and yet, within just a few days, she found herself falling into his trap again.
She wished the film of memories had simply been erased, but every detail was vividly intact.
His words, his gaze, and the sensations of his lips – all of it remained etched in her mind.
“Why did you drink? Are you in your right mind, you idiot?!”
Having grown up watching her father misbehave after drinking, she knew well enough that alcohol was the root of all evils, an arch-enemy to be avoided at all costs. And yet, she had indulged, and now she regretted it deeply.
Sophia blamed herself and clenched her head as if wanting to tear her hair out in frustration.
Drinking and causing a disturbance around her was one of the things she disliked the most.
“But seriously, how can someone get drunk without even drinking a glass of wine?!”
No matter how bad she was at drinking, this was just too much.
It’s t like her face turned red after just one glass of wine, and she had never seen anyone get so intoxicated from one glass.
Is this what they call the clichĂ© of ‘getting drunk and making a one-night mistake’?
Did she give up her alcohol-digesting enzymes just for the sake of that cliché?
Is her liver, okay?
“Ugh, damn it. My stomach feels even worse after getting excited.”
To think that all this trouble was caused by just one glass of wine, made her feel incredibly weak.
She desperately needed a hangover cure.
If only she had some refreshing, hot bean sprout rice soup or something.
Sophia forced herself to get up, despite feeling heavy and lethargic.
‘Still, it’s a relief that I could sleep in a bit longer.’
Since Killian would have already left for the military police, there shouldn’t be any chance of running into him.
Sophie washed up and went outside to eat something. But then

“Sophia.”
“Ah
!”
As she was descending the stairs, she heard a familiar voice from behind.
Sophia turned around slowly, feeling like a malfunctioning robot.
As expected, it was Killian.
“Y-Your Grace
? Why are you here at this hour
?”
Despite hoping and wishing not to run into each other today, Killian, who used to leave for work at dawn every day, was now standing here. Sophia couldn’t tell if this was a clichĂ© or Murphy’s Law.
( T/L : Murphy’s Law; a supposed law of nature, expressed in various humorous popular sayings, to the effect that anything that can go wrong will go wrong.)
Killian was standing a few steps above her on the staircase, making him appear even taller than usual.
“I had some business and stopped by for a moment. But about last night
”
“Ah! Yesterday! Oh no, what should I do? My head feels like it’s splitting, and I can’t remember a thing.”
Before Killian could bring up last night’s events, Sophia cut him off.
She remembered everything but pretended not to. She acted as if she didn’t recall anything at all.
In response, Killian’s eyebrows twitched.
“You don’t remember?”
“No, not at all. I’m feeling so queasy because of this hangover
 Did I make any mistakes or anything yesterday?”
Sophia lightly touched her forehead, pretending to be clueless.
Killian gazed down at her with an awkward smile, trying to read her expressionless face.
“There were no mistakes.”
“I’m relieved to hear that.”
As expected, Killian was embarrassed about yesterday’s incident, so it’s clear that he’s trying to pretend he doesn’t know That’s for sure

“There were none, no ‘mistakes.'”
Killian emphasized the word ‘mistakes’ as he spoke.
Sophia’s expression, which was about to show relief, froze in place.
“Yes
?”
As Killian looked down at her with narrowed eyes, Sophia’s pupils couldn’t hide her bewilderment and trembled.
There were no mistakes.
If it wasn’t a mistake, then
?
“You really don’t remember? You didn’t even finish a glass of wine?”
His questioning eyes and polished black shoes took one step down the staircase, closing the gap between them in an instant, even though it was just one-step difference.
“Really, I don’t remember.”
“Is that so?”
As Sophia protested, he took another step down the stairs, getting even closer.
He came closer again.
Her heart pounded. From closer, she noticed his particularly reddish lips.
Moderately plump, pretty, moist, and warm

‘No, stop it. What are you looking at, Sophia!’
She barely tore her gaze away from his lips and turned her head.
However, the memories from yesterday unfolded in her mind, starting from his lips.
If this continued, her unintentional mistake could turn into an intentional act, and coincidences might become fate.
“I, well, my headache is severe, so I’ll be going now!”
In moments like this, a quick escape was the best option.
Sophia turned away from Kilian approaching her and quickly ran up the stairs.
But then suddenly, he grabbed her arm.
She shuddered in surprise, and Kilian looked at her reaction with a keen gaze.
“Why, why are you
?”
“Weren’t you on your way down the stairs?”
He wasn’t going to let any small detail slide.
“Well, I thought I left something upstairs.”
Sophia clumsily made an excuse, and Killian just nodded calmly, maintaining eye contact.
“I see.”
Eventually, Killian released her, seemingly satisfied with her answer.
“Please be careful on your way!”
Sophia left him behind and hurriedly went up to her room.
She closed the door firmly and leaned against it with a thud.
“What should I do
?”
She clutched her pounding heart.
Even though she had read everything about him in the original novel, her heart kept wavering, and her emotions were in turmoil whenever she saw him.
She had never thought of living with a murderer, but this damn novel world was turning her into a strange person.
The thought of getting into serious trouble crossed her mind, and Sophia splashed her face with cold water, trying to calm herself down.
“This won’t do. If I stay in this house any longer, I might completely fall for Kilian!”
With determination, she ruffled her damp hair.
“I can’t let that happen.”
* * *
Translator: HaileyFranchette. Read on moonlight novels only
After spring training, the Ruchtainer Knights Templar had some free time.
Since the winter, there have been no border issues, and there has been no need to deploy to other countries.
With the warming weather, the Ruchtainer enjoyed a period of peace, and they took this opportunity to conduct an overall reorganization.
They needed to refurbish and reinforce the weapons that were damaged and broken during the previous winter.
Because of this task, Ian and Benedict were currently outside dealing with the delivery of weapons to the knights.
When their work was almost done, Benedict suddenly seemed to recall something and snapped his fingers.
“Oh right, the friendly match we proposed last time! I tried asking the military police force about it, and it seems they agreed to it!”
Ian was taken aback by the sudden change in topic.
“The friendly match with the police force! I suggested it just in case and made the proposal, but the military police agreed!”
Benedict nodded while guarding the carriage carrying the weapons.
Ian’s eyes widened in surprise.
To be continued