The Reason Why the Forsaken Fake Returned Chapter 134

From that day on, Kianan and Shailoh went out of their way to be seen together. As they gradually spent more time together, strange rumors began circulating through the castle just as planned.

 

“Sir Kianan and the lady?”

 

“I’m telling you. They’ve been spending time together lately, and apparently they often talk out in the inner courtyard even at night.”

 

“Oh my. Just the two of them?”

 

“Of course Rose will be there. But the atmosphere between them is so subtle.”

 

“If it’s Sir Kianan, I’m all for it. The young lady will have to marry eventually. If it’s him, she won’t have to move far away. Plus, His Grace knows him well, so it seems fine.”

 

“That’s true, but Sir Kianan’s status is an issue. Besides, he’s an outsider. Wouldn’t it be better if she married a man from the north?”

 

“Is there even a man in the north who would suit the lady? All the young lords who are vassals are already married with children.”

 

“That’s true. If the young lady had grown up here, she’d probably already be married to one of them by now and living well with children.”

 

“Even so, no matter how you look at it, an outsider is a bit…”

 

While the people were engaged in a heated debate with lowered voices as if sharing secrets, a sudden roar thundered above their heads.

 

“What on earth are you doing right now? Standing around flapping your tongues instead of working!”

 

“Bu-Butler!”

 

“Get back to work this instant! If I catch you slacking off again, I won’t let it slide.”

 

With a furious face, Rohan glared at each maid. Terrified by his cold gaze, they sprang up and scattered.

 

Only after he had driven them all back to their posts did Rohan click his tongue and leave. The place he headed for was none other than the duke’s study. After knocking with a tense face, he carefully opened the door as soon as permission was granted. Stepping inside, he bowed respectfully. “Your Grace.”

 

“Rohan.” Declen set down his quill and looked over at his butler. “What is it?”

 

“I beg your pardon for disturbing you while you’re working.”

 

“There’s nothing to apologize for.” Sensing something odd in Rohan’s unusually grave expression, Declen rose from his desk and went to sit on the couch. “Sit.”

 

At the gesture inviting him to take a seat, Rohan approached hesitantly and sat opposite his lord.

 

Rubbing his neck, which was stiff from work, Declen broke the silence first with a gentle tone. “You’ve aged quite a bit.”

 

“You have too, Your Grace… Though when I first met you, I was already an old man with white hair.”

 

“Was that so? Even so, you seemed much more energetic back then than you do now.”

 

“One can’t hold back the flow of time.”

 

Rohan was a loyal vassal who had served two generations of Duke Yesiol, and a living history of the north. By birth, he was the youngest son of a minor lord with no titles to his name, and even now his status was merely that of a butler. Yet everyone respected him and followed most of his words without complaint. Having known him since childhood, Declen also entrusted most castle management affairs entirely to Rohan.

 

“You need to live a long, healthy life, Rohan. Without you, there is no one to manage the affairs of this vast castle.”

 

At the quiet yet affectionate words, Rohan smiled bashfully. “Why would there be no one? We now have the lady.”

 

When a lord had no wife or daughter, it was common for their adult sister to take charge of the household. Until now, there hadn’t even been that, so Rohan, as butler, had shouldered it all alone. But now there was Shailoh. For Rohan, whose eyes and ears were failing with age, her arrival was a timely helping hand.

 

“She learns quickly and is adept at handling finances. Teach her one thing, and she’ll soon work out five more on her own.”

 

At his fond praise, Declen smiled in satisfaction. “Of course. Shailoh is brilliant. She learns everything quickly, though she still needs time to catch up to you.”

 

“That’s true. Besides, once marriage proposals begin to come and go, she will be busy preparing for them.”

 

The cozy atmosphere froze instantly at that gentle remark.

 

Declen frowned, caught off guard. “What do you mean? Marriage proposals?”

 

Seeing him react even more sharply than expected, Rohan swallowed dryly. It seemed the duke hadn’t yet heard the strange rumors circulating through the castle.

 

“The young lady is already past the usual age for marriage, is she not? I assumed that before long, proposals would naturally begin to come in.”

 

“That may be, but if Shailoh doesn’t want it, I have no intention of sending her anywhere.” Declen spoke with finality, his tone firm as iron, then pressed on, his voice hard. “Or did you come to bring that up again?”

 

It was a familiar topic. As time passed and Declen grew older, Rohan kept bringing up marriage and pressing him on the matter. In ability, character, and loyalty, Rohan was flawless, but that one point was a constant irritation. No matter how long he had worked in the castle or how closely he had served the ducal house, he was not a family elder. He was only the butler. Declen’s father had died long ago, and Declen himself was long past the age where he could be scolded about marriage.

 

“It’s useless to beat around the bush. I believe I told you I have no intention of getting married.”

 

Proposals had constantly poured in from the past until now, but with the exception of one attempt, he had never even spared a glance at any of them.

 

“That’s not it. I merely wished to speak regarding the lady’s marriage.”

 

“Her marriage?”

 

“I would like to hear your thoughts on what you intend to do.”

 

The king seemed to be taking a great interest in the young lady. It was understandable to some extent. After all, she was his close friend’s younger sister, and currently one and only ‘Lady Yesiol.’ Keeping her by his side would certainly be politically beneficial.

 

In Rohan’s opinion, having the young lady become queen would not be bad for the north either. They had lived independently until now, but the world was changing by the day.

 

Queen Ingrid, who had thought she could enjoy and monopolize her authority forever, had fallen from power. Her son had been purged as well. All at the hands of the second prince, who had left the kingdom long ago under the pretext of recuperation. And that second prince became a king now.

 

In a kingdom changing this quickly, they couldn’t remain shut away in the north forever. The Yesiol family had no influence whatsoever in the central government, so they needed someone who could serve as a bridge. However…

 

Rohan let out a silent sigh and spoke heavily. “You have absolutely no intention of sending the young lady to the capital, do you?”

 

“Because she doesn’t want that.”

 

There was no need for Declen to divulge every detail of their relationship to Rohan. After giving that brief answer, Declen stood from his seat. As he walked back toward his desk, Rohan quickly made another suggestion.

 

“Then at the very least, I think it would be wise to start looking into marriage prospects from now on.”

 

“What? Did you not hear what I just said? If she doesn’t want it, I said I won’t send her anywhere.”

 

“I’m saying this because it seems she already has somewhere she wants to go.”

 

Declen stopped dead. Then he turned around, creaking like a hinge that hadn’t seen oil in years. “What do you mean?”

 

Rohan held his breath. Under that cold gaze, he felt as if he might freeze solid.

 

“Speak, Rohan.”

 

“…The young lady has recently grown close to Sir Kianan at a remarkable pace.”

 

“With Kianan?”

 

It was an unexpected combination, someone Declen had never considered a possibility.

 

Raising an eyebrow, Declen pressed him. “Since when?”

 

“I don’t know the details myself. I heard it hasn’t been long.”

 

Declen fell silent for a moment, seemingly thinking. Then he sat down in his chair and picked up his quill. “There’s nothing strange about that. Kianan is my close aide, and Shailoh is my younger sister. It’s only natural that the two would grow close.” But the next moment, his hand that had been turning through the documents stopped completely.

 

“Even to the point of taking walks together in the inner courtyard in the dark of night?”

 

“The two of them…” Snap. With his entire body rigid, Declen broke the quill into two. “Are they really that close?”

 

“More than a few people have seen them. The whole castle is buzzing with talk of it. Though they seem to be whispering about it secretly.”

 

“…”

 

Declen froze in shock. It was something he had never imagined, not even in his dreams. Kianan and Shailoh. Along with shock, confusion, and worry, a surge of indignation rose in him.

 

“I can just ask the people involved myself.”

 

“That means—”

 

A cold voice cut Rohan off.

 

“Bring the two of them here at once.”