The Reason Why the Forsaken Fake Returned Chapter 124

Death was right in front of him. In an instant, Kianan’s life flashed before his eyes. He could almost hear the pounding of his own heart, loud and clear.

 

“W-Who are you?”

 

“Someone you don’t need to know about.”

 

The next moment, the man who had growled the words brought the edge of his hand down on the back of Kianan’s neck.

 

“Sleep tight.”

 

“Ugh!”

 

Before Kianan could even resist, his body went rigid, then he lost consciousness. Caleb caught him before he hit the floor, lowered him without a sound, and hid the limp body behind a pillar. As he propped the unconscious man up against the pillar, a voice came from the direction he’d been watching.

 

“Rose, didn’t it sound like something came from over there just now?”

 

At the familiar voice, Caleb’s heart clenched. Before he knew it, his hand had flown to the left side of his chest. If he ever faced her again, he’d planned to wrap his hands around her throat. He’d planned to show her exactly who he was and then snap her neck and kill her… But the moment he spotted Shailoh, half-hidden in the shadows, holding her breath as she looked his way, every thought and resolution melted away like snow, leaving only instinct and raw emotion.

 

Beautiful strawberry-blond hair and vivid blue eyes. Fair skin, a small face where every feature was finely set. The face he’d hunted for even in his dreams was more beautiful, more ethereal than he remembered. So much to the point it was impossible to believe she was the woman who’d left behind that letter full of curses and run away.

 

Even after Caleb ascended the throne and was buried in affairs of state, he’d searched for her with eyes blazing. He sent people to comb the entire kingdom, and even dispatched agents abroad. If the slightest lead surfaced, he rushed there, no matter what he was in the middle of or how many hours of sleep he’d had. After one fruitless chase after another, his failures and frustration piled up until he could no longer sleep or eat properly.

 

[Duke Yesiol has brought a woman to the North, and the local people gave her a grand welcome.]

 

Then, by sheer chance, word came from a spy he’d planted in the North. The moment Caleb received it, he mounted a horse at once. He’d come all the way here himself despite Eric’s desperate objections. There was no shortage of important matters he’d put off in order to head north.

 

The days when he’d scoffed at kings who ruined their countries over a single woman, calling them idiots, felt like some distant past life now, without realizing that he himself would become one of those fools.

 

Caleb had been stumbling through the fog like a madman. But when he finally realized the woman right in front of his eyes had been living well, a rush of conflicting emotions surged up inside him. He couldn’t tell if it was excitement or rage. He didn’t even know if his heart was pounding this hard from hatred, or from something else entirely.

 

While Caleb was clenching his fist so hard the veins stood out on the back of his hand, struggling with the chaos inside him, Rose’s voice drifted over from beyond the pillar that hid him.

 

“I don’t think anyone’s there.”

 

“Still, I’m sure I felt someone. I should go in now.”

 

Perhaps instinctively feeling something ominous, Shailoh, who had sensed a presence that even her guard hadn’t noticed, rose to her feet to leave. The moment Caleb unconsciously took a step toward her, Rose’s voice cut in.

 

“Already? It’s been so long since you came out. Then I’ll go take a look.”

 

“It’s dangerous.”

 

“It’s fine. You’ve got a guard right next to you, Milady.”

 

Smiling brightly to reassure Shailoh, Rose walked toward where Caleb was hiding. Caleb exchanged a look with his own guard, who was concealed behind another pillar, already prepared to use force if it came to that.

 

In that brief instant, Caleb ran through a plan in his head. He’d knock Rose out the same way he had the man from earlier. Then when Shailoh’s guard rushed over, he’d take care of him too. After that, he’d use the unconscious Rose as a hostage and lock Shailoh back in his arms. It was still a long way till dawn. If he moved quickly, he’d have more than enough time to get her into a carriage and out of here. He finished his calculations and held his breath, pressing himself flat against the pillar as he silently counted to three.

 

“Meow.”

 

Just as Rose stepped into his reach, an uninvited guest appeared and slipped between them.

 

“Oh my.”

 

A cat, who must have climbed up at some point, leaped lightly down from the roof, stretched long, then rubbed its face against Rose’s leg.

 

“Nana! It was you.” Letting out a sigh of relief, as if she already knew the cat, Rose scooped up the affectionate creature. “Seriously, you scared me. How did you even get up there? It’s pretty high.”

 

“Meoow.” The cat licked its paw, gave a long yawn, then nestled its face comfortably against Rose’s chest.

 

Rose let out a half-exasperated laugh at the utterly carefree sight and stroked the cat’s head. “I couldn’t find you all day, you know. Your owner, the head chef, was worried sick about you.”

 

The cat only let out another long cry and calmly set about grooming itself again.

 

“Rose?”

 

“Don’t worry, Milady. It was just a cat.” Turning back, Rose held out the cat in her arms to show Shailoh, then retraced her steps and returned to her.

 

“A cat?”

 

“Yes. The one the head chef keeps. Of course, they don’t let it set foot in the kitchen.”

 

“As if I’d ever complain about that.” Shailoh let out a low laugh at the explanation Rose added just in case, and reached out to pet the cat. While she did, her guard approached and offered a cautious suggestion.

 

“Milady, the night air is getting a bit chilly. It would be best to go inside.”

 

“You’re right. I’m starting to feel sleepy anyway.” Shailoh nodded without protest and slowly walked away with Rose at her side.

 

Ignoring his subordinate’s persistent looks, silently asking if they should launch a surprise attack, Caleb fixed his gaze on the two figures growing smaller in the distance. This was his chance. Hadn’t he been waiting and watching for it? Right now, he could walk over, snatch her up, and take her away. But, strangely, he couldn’t so much as twitch a fingertip. Because Shailoh’s face, as she looked at the cat cradled in the maid’s arms, felt like that of a stranger. Was she ever a woman who could smile like that? That bright, that happy?

 

Suddenly, the face of the eighteen-year-old girl he’d long since buried in the back of his memory flickered before his eyes. Back when she’d been young and unguarded, maybe she had smiled like that. But later, she’d lost that smile. Even when she smiled, her eyes were blank, or her lips curved with a weary, resigned sort of smile.

 

“Since when?”

 

Caleb tried to trace it back until she vanished completely from sight, but no particular moment came to mind. Still, one thing was certain. Shailoh had once been a woman who could smile like that. The realization pierced his chest like a bolt of lightning and stole his breath. Pain crashed over him, as if someone had wrapped a hand around his heart and was squeezing.

 

“Your Majesty!” Startled by the way Caleb clutched at the pillar for support, his guard rushed over. “Are you alright?”

 

“I’m fine.” Shrugging off the helping hand, Caleb scrubbed a hand over his face. “Anyway, I just wasted a perfect opportunity.”

 

“There will be another chance.”

 

It was a good thing he had gotten acquainted with Rose, who was closest to Shailoh. As they grew closer, he’d be able to pick up, from the little things she let slip, the patterns of Shailoh’s movements and where she tended to go.

 

“Yeah. You’re right.” Caleb nodded, steadying himself. Now that he knew Shailoh took walks here in the evening, there would be plenty of chances from now on. “The problem is this man.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

His cool gaze shifted to the man slumped unconscious against the pillar.

 

“He didn’t see my face, but what should we do with him?”

 

“I’ll—” The guard, answering Caleb’s muttered question, reached for the sword at his hip.

 

Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps made both men turn almost at the same time, bracing themselves.

 

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty.”

 

The air, taut as if blades might clash at any moment, went slack in an instant. Signaling his guard to sheathe his sword, Caleb gave a brief nod to the man approaching.

 

“It has, Declen.”

 

Expressionless, as though he had been watching for some time already, Declen turned his gaze toward the unconscious Kianan. “It seems there’s a great deal Your Majesty and I need to say to each other, but may I take my aide first?”

 

“Go ahead.”

 

As soon as Caleb nodded, the guard who’d come with Declen hoisted Kianan onto his back and carried him off. Once he’d confirmed with his own eyes that his aide was unharmed, Declen spoke in an even tone.

 

“Then allow me to escort you upstairs.”

 

* * *

The parlor, befitting an old castle that had stood for over a hundred years, was spacious and steeped in antique elegance. The tapestries hanging here and there on the walls blended in as if they’d been made for the room. Caleb let his gaze sweep once around the space that only those granted permission could enter, then sat on the couch with his long legs crossed. He got straight to the point.

 

“Since when did you know it was me?”

 

“I heard there was a baron’s guard getting close to Rose. Just in case, I ordered a thorough investigation.”

 

“And you kept it secret even from your aide.”

 

“It was only a vague suspicion.” Replying evenly, Declen then continued with a resolute expression. “Your Majesty. This may be disrespectful, but may I speak to you as I did when we were friends?” His tone remained polite, but his eyes burned like glowing embers.

 

Caleb studied him in silence, then gave a small nod. “Very well.”

 

“Then, Caleb.” The moment permission was granted, Declen dropped the formalities and returned to the face of a friend rather than a subordinate. “First of all, congratulations on your ascension. It was something you desired for so long, and now you’ve achieved it.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

“I feel sorry that I couldn’t be of much help.”

 

“No. The fact that you remained where you were was enough support. By not standing with Queen Ingrid, you were effectively supporting me. Regardless of what you truly felt.” His voice was calm, but there was a subtle barb in it.

 

Pretending not to notice, Declen continued the conversation naturally. “Now that you’ve ascended the throne, I suppose it’s time for you to take a queen.”

 

“That’s why I’m here.” Caleb nodded, then finally shattered the fragile peace that had continued between them as precariously as walking a tightrope. “Declen. I want to take your sister, Shailoh, as my wife.”

 

Crack. The glass in Declen’s hand shattered in his grip.