The Reason Why the Forsaken Fake Returned Chapter 108

“Miss, are you here?” Jonathan whispered as he glanced around the dimly lit room. “There’s no one here but me. If you’ve mistaken the room, I can show you the way.” He said this while checking both under and on top of each bed. “Miss?”

 

“Enough.” As Jonathan checked under the last bed, Albert’s cold voice cut through the air. “There’s no one here, is there?”

 

“T-That’s, Your Highness…” Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, Jonathan turned to offer an explanation. But Albert was already gone. “Your Highness!” Sensing trouble, Jonathan quickly followed after him.

 

As the door closed again, a sigh of relief escaped from the seemingly empty room. “I almost got caught…” Shailoh, who had been hiding behind the door, let out a breath, feeling the weight lift from her chest. It had been a perilous moment.

 

While searching the room, she had faintly heard the door opening and sensed someone’s presence. The instant she realized it had been a test, her vision nearly went blank. If she had been discovered, there would have been no guarantee of her life. She had briefly considered hiding under a bed, but decided it would be too obvious. In the end, she had hidden behind the door. It had been the right choice. Remembering how Jonathan had searched each bed as though determined not to miss even a single mouse, her back stiffened and a chill ran down her spine.

 

“There’s no time.”

 

Anxious, Shailoh carefully searched the room once more. However, despite the suspicious circumstances, it seemed as if the room had already been cleaned, as there was nothing that could serve as a clue.

 

“I didn’t come all this way just to leave empty-handed.”

 

Judging from Jonathan’s excessive reaction, there was definitely something in this room. If necessary, she would have to go downstairs quickly and pretend she had merely been examining another room.

 

Shailoh desperately searched, even reaching inside the pillows. It was then.

 

“Why are we being told to clean this place again?”

 

The sound of a door bursting open in the card game room was followed by voices. Instinctively, Shailoh ducked under the bed.

 

“I know, right? We’ve cleaned it several times already.”

 

The voices of what seemed to be two maids echoed through the wall. There was a brief silence, as if they were cleaning. Just as Shailoh was about to awkwardly rise from under the bed, an intriguing conversation caught her ear.

 

“Ah, right. Have you seen the ghost?”

 

“Ghost? What ghost?”

 

“You haven’t seen it yet, huh? Everyone’s been talking about it lately.”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“You know the woman who died in the room next door a while ago? Overdosed on drugs.”

 

Holding her breath, Shailoh slowly pressed her ear against the door.

 

“Ah, that woman.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“She was unlucky. There are plenty of women who come here hoping to turn their lives around,”

 

“It’s not always like that. Some were sold here because of their father’s debts. That woman was one of them.”

 

“Maybe she’s wandering around the mansion because she died with a grudge. They probably never even found her body. It was likely sunk in the lake over there.”

 

“Hey… let’s stop with the scary stories. It’s giving me chills.”

 

Shailoh, who had been leaning closer to the door, accidentally knocked over the candle on the table beside it. The sound of the candle falling was followed by a tense silence that filled the air. She squeezed her eyes shut, thinking she was doomed. But just then, a shrill scream and the sound of footsteps retreating could be heard.

 

“Aaaah!”

 

“Help me!”

 

The door slammed shut with a loud bang. Perhaps because of the ghost story they had just been discussing, the two terrified maids had fled the room.

 

Before anyone else could see her, Shailoh quickly slipped out after them.

 

* * *

Fortunately, the kitchen was nearby, allowing Shailoh to dispel any lingering suspicions Albert had. When she explained that she had been wandering around the villa alone, gotten hungry, and gone looking for a snack, Albert quickly let his guard down.

 

“I should have prepared something in advance.”

 

“It’s fine. I had an apple here. I didn’t see any maids, so I ended up coming all the way to the kitchen.” Shaking her head, Shailoh took another bite of the apple before offering the other side to Albert. When he looked at her as if asking what she was doing, she smiled. “Have some. Aren’t you hungry, Your Highness?”

 

“I’ve never eaten something someone else has bitten into.”

 

“That’s good. Then I’ll be the first woman.”

 

“What?” Albert, momentarily taken aback by the bold joke, soon let out a low chuckle. Instead of taking the apple, he leaned down and took a bite from the apple Shailoh was holding. As the juice trickled from his lips, Shailoh reached out to wipe it away.

 

When Shailoh licked the juice from her fingers, she saw his Adam’s apple bob. Suppressing a smile, Shailoh pulled his arm and hugged it. “The villa is interesting, but since we came all the way into the mountains, I’d like to see some nature.”

 

“Nature?”

 

“Yes. A flower garden or something.”

 

“There’s nothing like that. But…” Albert stared at her as though entranced. After seemingly considering something, he raised the corners of his mouth. “There is a small lake.”

 

“Really? Is there a bot there too?” Pretending it was the first time she had heard of it, Shailoh widened her eyes and beamed excitedly.

 

“It’s just a rowboat, but it’s more than enough for two people.”

 

“I really want to ride it. I love boats.” As if she had never been acting like a temptress moments earlier, Shailoh bounced excitedly like an innocent child and wrapped her arms around Albert’s neck. The lingering disgust still made her stomach churn, but she had grown somewhat accustomed to it.

 

“Alright. But in return…” Albert quietly pulled her close by the waist and lightly stroked down her back with meaningful intent.

 

Smiling with her eyes, Shailoh loosened her arms. “That depends on how beautiful the scenery is.”

 

At her first sign of yielding, Albert’s eyes lit up. Seeing the greed in his gaze, Shailoh clenched and unclenched her fists behind her back.

 

At last, this dreadful performance had reached its climax. This level of revulsion was easy enough to endure if it were for the sake of finally bringing this matter to an end.

 

* * *

The lake hidden within the forest was even more beautiful than she had expected. The emerald waves shimmered, reflecting the lush greenery, casting a mysterious hue.

 

Sitting in the gently rocking boat, Shailoh suddenly thought of the Kildare Barony from years ago. The lake there had felt much the same. Perhaps memory had embellished it, but in her recollection, it had been even more beautiful than this one. Yet she could no longer admire such scenery with the same innocence. Too much had changed. And many of those changes could never be undone. Perhaps the lake in Kildare contained a corpse or two beneath its waters as well.

 

Thinking bitterly, Shailoh stretched out a hand and brushed the water’s surface.

 

“So, what do you think?” Albert waited openly for her reaction, clearly expecting a reward.

 

Shailoh smiled brightly and gave him the answer he wanted. “Oh my, it’s truly wonderful, Your Highness. I’ve never seen a place like this before!” Clapping her hands, she gazed at the lake with apparent fascination. “How many people know about a place this beautiful? One? Two?”

 

What she really meant was how many accomplices helped dispose of the bodies? But Albert seemed to interpret it differently and burst out laughing.

 

“I’ve never brought another woman here. No one but you.”

 

Living women, that is. Swallowing those words, Shailoh put on a touched expression. “Really, Your Highness?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Pleased by her reaction, Albert shrugged and casually set down the oars before moving closer to her. Feeling cornered, Shailoh could only sit and watch him approach. He toyed with her hair using his lips before asking softly, “Are you completely mine now?”

 

“Of course, Your Highness. I was yours from the moment I sought you out on my own.” Biting the tender flesh inside her mouth, Shailoh caught his hand and pressed it against her cheek before it could wander lower.

 

Albert watched her with entranced eyes. Though she sometimes acted aloof, she always ended up clinging to him like a tongue inside one’s mouth. A crooked smile spread across his face. “But sometimes you act as though you’re playing with me.”

 

“How could I do such a disrespectful thing? It’s a misunderstanding.” Shaking her head, Shailoh pouted. “Things obtained too easily quickly lose their value. I learned that from… what happened before. I simply dislike being discarded so easily.”

 

“I won’t discard you.” Albert swallowed hard and replied immediately.

 

Pretending to be shaken, Shailoh tightened her grip on his hand. “…Is that a promise?”

 

“It is. I’m going to cast Octavia aside and keep you by my side. Though making you the queen would be difficult.”

 

Either way, the two brothers had both effectively said they wanted her as their mistress. Suppressing a sneer, Shailoh nodded as though overwhelmed with emotion.