The Reason Why the Forsaken Fake Returned Chapter 104

“…Prince.”

 

It wasn’t just them who were surprised. Queen Ingrid, who had been blinking in disbelief, suddenly stood up. Her hand, which had been poised to point accusingly, slowly lowered as she noticed the murmuring reactions around her.

 

“Who have you brought?”

 

“This is Miss Sasha Griche.”

 

“I don’t recall hearing anything about that.” Queen Ingrid, having composed herself, glanced sideways at Caleb.

 

Caleb, too, seemed surprised, though he tried to maintain a facade of calm. However, his hand, visible under the table, was clenched into a fist so tightly that the veins stood out.

 

“And what about Lady Octavia?” Her icy question, implying a lack of action, made Albert’s lips curl into a smile.

 

“My apologies, but she asked me to convey that she is unwell and unable to attend today.”

 

“…I see.”

 

With many eyes watching, Queen Ingrid suppressed her anger and gestured to the seat beside her. Without hesitation, he ascended the platform where she sat. Queen Ingrid raised an eyebrow at the sight of Shailoh following him.

 

“Your place is with the nobles over there.”

 

Albert was the one who responded to her quiet pressure to leave. “No. While Lady Octavia is unable to fulfill her role, I intend for Miss Shailoh to take her place.”

 

“What did you say?” Queen Ingrid stared silently at her son, unable to believe her ears. Yet Albert showed no intention of retracting his statement.

 

Octavia’s role would be temporarily entrusted to Sasha Griche. The shocking statement caused another stir among the audience. Unfazed, Albert smiled and cut a piece of meat before gently feeding it to Shailoh, further amplifying the murmurs. Eyes filled with shock and curiosity darted between Caleb, Albert, and Shailoh, who sat between the brothers.

 

“That statement will require discussion.” Queen Ingrid fluttered her fan and carefully composed her expression as she covered her mouth.

 

In the chilly atmosphere, as if walking on a path of thorns, it was Caleb who spoke first. “Excuse me, Your Majesty, but I must take my leave.”

 

“If you have matters to attend to, you should go.” Queen Ingrid, as if she had been waiting for this, readily granted permission for him to leave first.

 

After exchanging farewells with the delegation, Caleb exited the hall. Not long after, Shailoh, pretending not to notice the piercing stares fixed on her, rose as well, saying she would step out briefly to take care of something.

 

* * *

The moment Shailoh stepped out of the hall, she scanned her surroundings thoroughly. With most people gathered in the hall, there weren’t many courtiers outside. Only a couple of maids passed by. Once she confirmed there were no prying eyes, she slipped into a secluded hallway.

 

The place Caleb had chosen beforehand as their meeting point was a peculiar gallery lined with portraits stretching endlessly along the walls. A chill crept over her, and Shailoh wrapped her arms around herself when she sensed someone approaching from behind.

 

“There are a lot of portraits, aren’t there?”

 

“There really are.”

 

Even without turning around, Shailoh knew it was Caleb. They had spent too much time together for her not to know. Quietly, she gazed up at the royal figures in the portraits. All of them wore lavish clothing and stared solemnly ahead.

 

“They’re all dead. Everyone depicted here.” Caleb whispered, pointing to a portrait of a delicate and beautiful woman. “This woman was my great-grandaunt. Before her marriage, she took her own life.”

 

“Why?”

 

“She was to be married off in a diplomatic marriage to a distant foreign nation. But she already had a lover and chose death over a loveless marriage. They say she threw herself from the castle tower the night before.”

 

It was a chilling and tragic story. Shailoh quietly looked up at the woman. Her eyes, gazing distantly as though soaked in sorrow, looked somehow mournful and wistful.

 

“Is her grave in the royal mausoleum as well?”

 

“No. According to the devout religion of the royal family, those who commit suicide cannot be buried in the tombs. God won’t accept them.”

 

It was a cold but brutally realistic story. Shailoh listened intently to his words.

 

“Because my great-grandaunt took her own life, her younger sister, who was only fourteen, went in her place. She failed to overcome the endemic disease there and died within two years.”

 

The more she listened, the heavier and sadder her heart became. Turning toward Caleb, Shailoh asked, “Why are you telling me this story?”

 

“Why do you think?”

 

“Are you warning me that even if I run away, the ending will only be terrible anyway?”

 

Caleb didn’t respond to the cold question.

 

“I won’t run away without completing my mission. Not like her.”

 

“That’s a relief, then.” Caleb replied plainly, looking her up and down. “Your outfit is quite something.”

 

“What’s wrong with my outfit?”

 

“Isn’t it a bit too revealing for an occasion like this?” Frowning, he gestured subtly toward the exposed cleavage.

 

Shailoh was momentarily speechless, then smirked sarcastically. “I didn’t realize, considering it’s not much different from the outfits Your Highness prepared for me.”

 

“Albert’s tastes are certainly more defined than mine.”

 

The way his gaze seemed to undress her layer by layer reminded her of the previous nights, making her instinctively step back. Caleb closed the distance leisurely, like a predator stalking its prey, and cornered her against a pillar.

 

“How’s the progress on your task?”

 

At the whispered question, Shailoh replied leisurely. “Since Duke Cornwall brought me here, you must already have some idea. I think I’ve gained some trust, if not his heart.”

 

“That’s good.” Despite his words, Caleb’s sharp gaze swept over her exposed neck and collarbone, checking for any signs of intimacy.

 

Shailoh smirked. “Don’t worry. We haven’t slept together yet.”

 

“Yet?”

 

Although she had no intention of doing so in the future, Caleb didn’t need to know that. It was partly intentional. No matter how much she was just a toy or a pet to him, it would surely wound his pride to see something he once touched being handled by another man, especially his younger brother.

 

“If necessary, I might have to sleep with him. Achieving the objective by any means necessary is Your Highness’s method, isn’t it? I’ve learned a thing or two from watching Your Highness.”

 

“Learned from watching me, huh.”

 

His expressionless gaze turned icy. The intense emotions emanating from his calm, turquoise eyes made Shailoh feel as if she might go blind. Shock, anger, love-hate, contempt. It was she who looked away from the fierce gaze that seemed ready to explode at any moment.

 

Hearing footsteps approaching from a distance, Shailoh whispered to him. “It seems Albert’s servant is out looking for me.”

 

If their secret meeting were discovered now, all her efforts would end in vain.

 

Caleb raised his hand and wrapped it around her neck. “How dare you betray me?”

 

“Ugh.”

 

Instinctively, Shailoh raised her head and grabbed his hand. The hatred flowing from his bloodshot eyes was genuine. The murderous intent was so intense that it made her knees weak.

 

“You’re… the one who abandoned me.” Her voice came out broken as he choked her.

 

Caleb laughed coldly at her retort and whispered chillingly. “I clearly gave you a chance.”

 

“A… chance?”

 

“A chance to stay by my side.”

 

In that instant, memories from before flashed through Shailoh’s mind. The time he’d dragged her to a brothel and forced her to watch a man and woman together. The times he’d pushed her to her absolute limits. Was all of that just to make her beg that she couldn’t do this job?

 

The realization hit her like a spear through the chest. She could feel a bitter wind blowing through the gaping hole left behind. What she felt was emptiness, utter helplessness. And on top of that, a wave of disgust.

 

“That… was never… a chance, cough… at all.”

 

She dug her nails into the hand choking her throat, pressing down hard enough to leave marks. Even so, Caleb didn’t flinch.

 

“You were just… toying with me. Because you always thought I was beneath you… That’s why you could do it. To you, I was nothing but a plaything. At best, no more and no less than a pet…”

 

Tears she thought had long since dried up slid down Shailoh’s cheeks. Even she was startled by them. For the first time, those turquoise eyes wavered. The moment she noticed it, footsteps sounded, and an uninvited guest stepped between the two of them.