The Reason Why the Forsaken Fake Returned Chapter 140

Only after a brief moment of freezing in place did Shailoh part her lips.

 

“How presumptuous.”

 

Though she flinched slightly at those eyes that looked at her as if she were the only thing left in the world, she could not hand over the upper hand again like this. She was sick and tired of being dragged around. She had been pushed around enough.

 

While Caleb hesitated at the words he had never once heard in his life, Shailoh continued, enunciating every word clearly. “Even if food is given, it is the master who decides when and how to give it.”

 

Silence fell once more.

 

After quietly digesting her words, Caleb replied softly. “So you mean for me to wait.”

 

“You may leave now.”

 

Waving her hand dismissively, Shailoh rubbed the back of her neck with a weary face. Just when she thought he would get up and walk out, Caleb circled around behind her. Surprise registered on Shailoh’s face. Just as she was about to turn her head, a pair of large hands began to massage her shoulders.

 

“…What are you doing right now?” Regaining her composure, Shailoh asked in a low, cold voice.

 

Caleb paid no heed and continued kneading her shoulders. “You looked tired.”

 

“Did I ask you to do this?”

 

“Isn’t a reasonable level of tact a virtue in a subordinate?”

 

Shailoh was about to say something and retort, but she stopped completely.

 

A subordinate. Hearing him use a word that lowered himself felt strange and foreign. Caleb was a man born more noble than anyone else in the world. Though he had once suffered adversity, he was a man who had risen again to reclaim his place like the protagonist of a grand epic. People held him in awe and respect. His followers, in particular, were willing to lay down their lives at a single word from him.

 

Hearing such a man call himself her subordinate right in front of her stirred a complex emotion. Rather than a thrill, it felt as though she were sitting in a seat she didn’t belong in. The satisfaction she had felt when he bowed his head to her was gradually turning into a peculiar sense of guilt the more he dutifully obeyed her every word.

 

Trying her best to shake off the uncomfortable feeling, Shailoh eventually brushed his hands away. “That’s enough now. Leave.”

 

“I will bring Doris.”

 

“…What?” At his sudden words, Shailoh’s eyes widened. She turned around. “What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

 

“I will bring Doris here. If you do as I said.”

 

That meant if she took on the role of the ‘goddess’ at the festival, he would bring Doris to her.

 

“…Is she doing well?”

 

At the thought of Doris’s face, which had crossed her mind from time to time, Shailoh gave up on standing up and sat back down. Leaning down, Caleb whispered into her ear.

 

“Even if I tell you, you won’t believe me anyway. It would be better for you to see her with your own two eyes.”

 

“…Why?” Hot breath brushed her ear, rekindling a strange sensation she had forgotten. Clenching her teeth, Shailoh pressed him for an answer. “Why do you want me to dress up like that so badly?”

 

The answer came back calmly.

 

“Because you want it. And because I want to see you like that, too.”

 

“I—!” Unable to hold back, Shailoh snapped up from her seat and whipped around. But the moment their eyes met, she lost her train of thought under those turquoise eyes, staring intently as if peering straight into her heart. She felt humiliated, as though her inner feelings had been exposed to this man of all people.

 

“You shine brightest when you are the center of people’s gaze. Though, of course, you shine more than enough right now as well.” Reaching out, Caleb gently stroked the ends of her hair.

 

Biting her lip, Shailoh pointed toward the door. “Get out.”

 

“…”

 

“Get out. Right now.”

 

At the repeated command, Caleb gave a slight nod instead of a verbal answer, opened the door, and stepped out. Yet, Shailoh knew all too well that he wouldn’t go far and would remain standing guard right outside the door.

 

* * *

The moment Shailoh announced she would play the role of the goddess for the festival, things moved at breakneck speed. Her measurements were taken immediately, and several seamstresses gathered to start making the outfit and accessories she would wear on the day of the festival.

 

“You made such a wonderful decision to change your mind, Milady! It suits you so well!”

 

“We’re still only at the stage of draping the fabric, though.”

 

“I can already envision it even before it’s finished!”

 

“Don’t exaggerate.”

 

Letting out a soft chuckle, Shailoh looked at herself reflected in the mirror. The garment currently draped over her clothes for a moment was one of the outfits the seamstresses were working on. A style said to have been worn by ancient nobles. Since it was a robe made from a single piece of cloth wrapped around the body, the shoulder section was fixed with a brooch before being tied into place. The dress, falling in elegant pleats, was simple yet instantly eye-catching.

 

“I’m being completely honest. Out of all the outfits, this one is my absolute favorite.”

 

“Is that so?” Glancing at Rose, who was speaking with her hands clasped together, Shailoh nodded. “Me too. Simple and elegant is actually much more effective than overly extravagant at times.”

 

It was the same on stage. Sometimes, rather than using all sorts of special effects, staging a single beam of light coming down through the darkness with a spotlight was far more effective.

 

“You’ll board the flower palanquin wearing this dress. Then, as you complete a loop around the outer castle, you just need to sprinkle holy water over the people’s heads and bless them.”

 

Knowing it was a simple yet crucial role, Shailoh was inwardly nervous. It was a one-of-a-kind festival in the North. An important celebration that had never been omitted even once every three years. The people of the fief firmly believed that their fortune for the next three years depended on the success or failure of this festival. Rose, standing before her, was no exception.

 

“…What if an accident happens midway through?”

 

“Milady! That could never happen! It mustn’t happen either!” At the topic Shailoh tentatively brought up, Rose practically leaped as if she had been burned.

 

“Right?”

 

“Of course. Such a thing could never happen. It has never happened before, either.” Emphasizing the point multiple times, Rose then took her hands. “Milady. I won’t be able to stay by your side on that day. I can’t get in the way of the palanquin bearers, after all.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Since it’s your first time taking on this role, I know you must be worried and nervous, but please believe in yourself that you will do wonderfully. Just as I believe in you.”

 

“…Thank you.” Faced with such unwavering faith, Shailoh offered an awkward smile.

 

Just then, the other maidservants who had been attending to her for a while began to step back one by one. Wondering what was going on, Shailoh turned her head to see Declen watching her, having entered soundlessly at some point.

 

“You’ve been quite busy, Shailoh.”

 

“Brother.” Smiling brightly, Shailoh offered Declen a seat.

 

As Rose ushered all the other maids out of the room and stepped away, saying she would fetch some refreshments, the brother and sister found themselves face-to-face, alone for the first time in a long while.

 

“His Highness was standing outside.”

 

“Yes. There were only women in the room, after all.”

 

To be precise, it wasn’t for Caleb’s sake, but for the sake of the other maids who felt uncomfortable around him. Aside from Shailoh herself, Rose, Declen, and Kianan, who was currently away on an assignment, no one knew Caleb’s true identity. Rohan seemed to have guessed it to an extent, but he didn’t show it outwardly. Because of this, the castle folk merely viewed Caleb as a watcher left behind by the king through the Baron. But due to an inexplicable, overwhelming presence, everyone kept their distance, watching him from three or four steps back.

 

“Anyway, what brings you here?”

 

“Can I not visit my own sister as I please?”

 

“That’s…”

 

“I’m joking.” Chuckling softly at Shailoh’s flustered reaction, Declen leaned back comfortably against the couch’s backrest and changed the subject. “I just came by because I was curious about how you were doing.”

 

“I see.”

 

“That aside, I’m curious as to why you changed your mind. I believe your stance at first was that you wouldn’t do it.”

 

At the calm question, Shailoh averted her gaze. “…Just because. I felt like giving it a try for some reason.”

 

It was partly because Shailoh wanted to see Doris, and partly because she inwardly wanted to do it. And though she didn’t know the exact reason, she had a strong premonition that playing the goddess in this festival would be both her first and last time doing so. Whatever the reason might be.

 

“There are only three days left until the festival.”

 

Realizing how quickly time had flown by, Shailoh turned her eyes toward the window. The cold, gusty wind had gradually given way to weather that felt a bit warmer under the midday sunlight.

 

“The weather will be clear on the day of the festival. It always has been.”

 

“I hope so. And…” Pausing for a moment, Shailoh brought up a topic she had kept quiet about until now. “Will Sir Kianan be coming that day as well?”

 

“Most likely.” Nodding, Declen affirmed. “Were you worried?”

 

She wanted to say yes, but for some reason, she felt conscious of Caleb standing outside the door. Lowering her voice, Shailoh answered quietly. “It wouldn’t do for him to miss such an important festival that only happens once every three years because of me.”

 

After remaining silent for a brief moment, Declen spoke softly. “Kianan is currently over the Sigurd Plateau.”

 

“…The plateau?”

 

When Shailoh tilted her head at the unexpected location, Declen’s expression grew serious.

 

“Bandits often cross the mountain range, looking for a chance to invade the territory. Hearing news that they have gathered near the plateau this time, I dispatched him there to scout the area.”