Kiana Married Life (Patreon)

Chapter 33: A Conversation

Standing on the second-floor balcony, Rita gazed at the colorful high-rise buildings outside and the unending stream of vehicles on the city roads.

The cold night breeze helped to slightly calm her restless heart from earlier in the day.

“Sigh…” she exhaled softly, leaning against the railing.

Today had been, without a doubt, the most chaotic day for her emotions in her entire life.

Covering her chest with her hand, she couldn't stop replaying that unintentional comment from Durandal in her mind.

“Captain? Xiang Lai?” In just a few short days since meeting him, Rita found that the man's presence had unconsciously taken over her thoughts.

After spending an entire afternoon in deep reflection, she was shocked to realize something surprising: when it came to emotional importance, even her most trusted companion, Miss Durandal, and Otto, the Overseer, had been relegated to a secondary tier.

“Does that ‘Captain’ truly possess some kind of charm?” she wondered, equally surprised at how familiar the nickname Kiana used for the man sounded to her.

Even though she had no memory of him and today was supposedly their first encounter, their cooperation over the past few days and Kiana’s casual reference to him both felt incredibly natural, almost as if they'd known each other for years.

Thinking back on how seamlessly they had worked together in the kitchen, a ridiculous and absurd thought surfaced in her mind: Could it be that, like Kiana, I’m also suffering from some sort of psychological disorder, imagining an alternate world?

It felt as though a vital piece of a puzzle was missing, leaving a hollow void in her heart that nothing could fill.

Perfectionists often tend to obsess over even the smallest imperfections, unwilling to let them go until they’ve unraveled the mystery.

Unfortunately, this obsessive pursuit can lead them into mental dead ends, where they spiral deeper and deeper into their own thoughts.

As she lifted her head to look at the magnificent night view, an inexplicable sense of detachment and unreality washed over her. The scene before her eyes seemed strangely illusory.

“Rita, so you were here?”

A familiar voice suddenly broke the silence, pulling Rita out of her spiraling thoughts.

“Miss Durandal?” Rita turned around slowly, seeing Durandal, her head glistening with sweat, wearing a tracksuit after finishing her evening run.

Noticing the dazed and slightly evasive expression on her vice-captain’s face, Durandal immediately understood what was going on.

“You’re overthinking things, aren’t you?” she said, her tone matter-of-fact.

“...” The two women locked eyes in silence for a moment, but ultimately, Rita was the first to look away, unable to withstand Durandal’s resolute gaze.

“Nothing can escape you, Miss Durandal,” she muttered, brushing her hair behind her ear.

“Here, have a beer.”

It was only then that Rita noticed the two cold beers in Durandal’s hands, condensation forming on the glass bottles.

“Miss Durandal, drinking something cold like this right after intense exercise isn’t great for your health,” she said, though she took the beer without hesitation, opening it and tilting her head back to take large gulps.

The bitter liquid flowed down her throat into her stomach, and soon, a light blush crept onto her cheeks as the alcohol took mild effect. Rita downed more than half the bottle in one go.

“You’re still troubled by what happened during the day, aren’t you?” Durandal remarked, glancing down at the street.

Following Durandal’s gaze, Rita saw Xiang Lai walking with Kiana, carefully supporting her.

From their vantage point on the second floor, the two women could see a red-haired man and a white-haired girl walking closely together, occasionally sharing soft laughter.

Kiana leaned her head against Xiang Lai’s shoulder, creating a scene that anyone would describe as a picture-perfect couple.

Yet, instead of feeling happy at the sight, Rita felt something entirely different—jealousy.

Like the inexplicable sense of familiarity from before, this surge of jealousy baffled her.

In her mind’s eye, she inexplicably envisioned herself standing beside that red-haired man instead.

Shaking her head, she chastised herself for having such thoughts.

Though nominally a maid, Rita held a position of high authority in Schicksal, answering only to a handful of individuals.

Over the years, she had witnessed countless people treat love and marriage as commodities, bartering emotions for personal gain.

She had also seen many stories of undying devotion, some so corny they bordered on the ridiculous. Among them, none were more famous than the tragic romance of Otto and Lady Kallen—two people clearly in love with each other, yet forced apart by circumstance, resulting in two decades of ongoing romantic drama that had become the favorite gossip topic among Schicksal staff.

So why was she feeling this way today?

After all, the person down there was none other than Miss Durandal’s younger sister. If Durandal found out that she harbored jealousy toward her sister and had certain… unusual feelings toward her sister’s husband...

But just as these thoughts began to plague her further, Rita heard the sound of metal warping.

Startled, she looked over and saw that Durandal had crushed her empty beer bottle with sheer force.

Her other hand gripped the metal railing tightly, causing it to bend under her immense strength, emitting a nerve-wracking creaking noise.

Down below, the two people in question seemed to have noticed the women on the balcony.

Xiang Lai waved at them in a friendly manner, while Kiana, standing slightly behind him, gave them a radiant smile.

She then wrapped her arms tightly around Xiang Lai, as if wanting to meld her entire being into him.

Though Kiana’s smile was bright and cheerful, Rita could detect a faint hint of smugness in her eyes.

It was as if she was flaunting her relationship, showing off that they were already married—or perhaps even expecting a child.

The look in Kiana’s eyes made Rita’s anger rise steadily.