The Reason Why the Forsaken Fake Returned Chapter 56

“It’s a ridiculous notion. Even if Count Dwibon is powerful, things won’t go his way in the end.” Viscountess Ilia fluttered her fan and gave a derisive snort.

 

Countess Rodon looked at her, as if something had just occurred to her. “Come to think of it, Viscountess, you said you knew Lady Octavia, didn’t you?”

 

“Yes. I’m from the South as well. We’re friends.”

 

“Oh my, I see. She is truly beautiful. What sort of disposition does she have?”

 

“Miss Griche?”

 

Before the conversation could go on, Shailoh rose to her feet. Three pairs of eyes turned to her as she suddenly stood up.

 

Shailoh excused herself. “I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling very well. Would it be all right if I left first?”

 

“You must be exhausted after finishing your performance.” With a kindly expression, Countess Rodon nodded.

 

When Countess Rodon moved as if to rise and see her out, Shailoh smiled and declined. “It’s all right. Doris is outside too.”

 

“But—”

 

“You even came out to meet me yourself earlier.”

 

“Then please get home safely.”

 

After Shailoh’s repeated, gentle refusals, Countess Rodon finally raised the white flag and sat back down in her chair.

 

“Milady?”

 

The moment she stepped out of the salon, Shailoh’s legs gave out, and she staggered. Doris, who had been waiting, hurried over to support her.

 

“Are you all right? You came out sooner than I expected. You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

 

“I’m not hurt.”

 

“I’ll have the carriage brought around, so would you sit for a moment?”

 

“I will.”

 

Nodding, Shailoh let Doris help her over to a chair in the entrance hall and sat down. She was watching Doris retreating back when someone approached.

 

“Are you all right?”

 

Shailoh thought he might be a servant, but his tone was anything but ordinary. When she turned her head, she saw an unfamiliar man.

 

“And you are…?”

 

He was handsome enough to make her eyes widen. Not only were his clothes of the finest quality, but his hair grew a little long and tied back, and even his eyes were pitch-black. Against his fair skin, his features gave a cold impression.

 

In Shailoh’s mind, the image of the Countess Kalen she had just seen suddenly overlapped with the man before her. It happened the moment she rose to offer a greeting.

 

“Declan Yesiol.”

 

“…”

 

“So you do know who I am.” Smiling faintly, the man stared straight at her face as if studying it. His lips were curved in a smile, but his eyes were cold. It was the look of a pawnbroker weighing whether the item a customer had brought in was truly valuable or not.

 

Feeling uncomfortable, Shailoh almost looked away, then forced herself to meet his gaze. Caleb’s closest friend. A power broker known as a reclusive figure who rarely left his northern territory.

 

Only then did Shailoh notice the two attendants standing behind him. Both were armed. She had never imagined she would run into him so suddenly. Her mouth went dry, and a cold sweat trickled down her back.

 

“Of course I know you.” Facing the duke, who appeared to be the same age as Caleb, Shailoh offered a formal greeting. “It’s an honor to make your acquaintance, Duke Yesiol. My name is Sasha Griche.”

 

She had offered her greeting, but no reply came. The heavy silence made Shailoh swallow dryly. The moment she lifted her slightly bowed head and raised her gaze, she started and stepped back. Declan, his head inclined, was staring straight at her. To dispel the awkward air, Shailoh forced herself to break the silence.

 

“If it’s not rude to ask, may I know what brings you here?”

 

“My sister is here.”

 

“Ah.”

 

Countess Kalen’s face suddenly surfaced in Shailoh’s mind. Hadn’t she heard they were close relatives?

 

“Countess Kalen is inside.”

 

“I’ve already seen her.” His expression was somewhere between pleased and displeased, a subtle mix of both.

 

“Milady.” Just as Shailoh was left at a loss by the strange feeling in the air, Doris, who had briefly stepped away, cut in.

 

“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

 

Letting out a sigh of relief inwardly, Shailoh offered a parting greeting and turned away. The moment she took a single step, something caught her by the ankle.

 

“Miss Griche.”

 

“…”

 

“Please keep it a secret for the time being that you met with me.”

 

Startled, Shailoh whipped around, but he was already walking away.

 

* * *

From beyond the curtain, Caleb watched Albert languidly smoking opium. With his chest almost bare and his back propped against cushions, he looked like he’d been at it for quite some time already.

 

“I’ve thought it over… and I’ll accept your offer. On the condition that you don’t pull any stupid tricks, Brother.”

 

“You were so adamant in refusing before.”

 

Albert, having drawn in a deep lungful of opium, looked arrogantly at his half-brother. The place he’d chosen for their meeting was the same opium den as last time, in its innermost room.

 

“Had a change of heart about something?”

 

“Who knows.”

 

For Caleb, this was a stroke of luck. The fact that Albert had named this place as the rendezvous meant he had no intention of harming him. If any kind of commotion broke out, Albert’s identity would be exposed in no time, and if that happened, a devastating scandal would cling to the man being talked about as the next king.

 

“Seeing what you had your man show me, I couldn’t help but be tempted, Brother.” Albert gave a sly grin and shook a sheaf of papers. They detailed the transfer of several of the trade businesses Baron Cal had owned. “Are your own safety and that woman really so important that you’re willing to hand over prime cuts like this to me?”

 

Caleb shot back. “So in the end, you’re inviting a tiger into your house?”

 

“I’ve thought it over, and that was an overestimation. You’re no different from a kite with its string cut. I’ve got no reason to be afraid of you.”

 

Unlike the first prince, who resembled the king in every respect, the second prince was a fool blinded by love. All Albert had to do was swallow everything Caleb had accomplished in one gulp, use him for a while, and then get rid of him when the time was right. By turning his half-brother’s achievements into his own, he would prove his abilities to his mother, who wanted to seize him and shake him as she pleased.

 

Albert was smiling with naked ambition when the other man’s question spoiled the mood.

 

“Does the queen know?”

 

Albert’s brows twitched up at the jab to his pride. “…There’s no need for Mother to know. I’m the one who’ll be the next king. Even if she’s the queen, she’s nothing but a woman. I’m the one who makes the important decisions.”

 

Caleb said nothing and waited for him to go on.

 

“I’ll officially allow you into the castle. But there are conditions.”

 

“Conditions?”

 

“First, you can’t stay at the castle. You’ll stay where you’ve been living. And second…”

 

Caleb had never had the slightest intention of staying in the castle anyway, where almost everyone was his enemy. He nodded silently, then hesitated at what came next.

 

“When I ask for one thing of yours, you hand it over.”

 

“And what would that be?”

 

“I’ll tell you when the time comes.”

 

“My life?”

 

“That’s not it.”

 

Caleb thought it over for a moment, then nodded.

 

“There’s a royal charity event in three days. Attend it. I’ll introduce you to everyone there.”

 

The moment he heard what he wanted, Caleb rose to his feet and left. Once he was completely gone, only then did the aide, who’d been hiding behind the curtain and listening in, quietly reveal himself.

 

“Will you really not regret this, Your Highness? To officially bring the second prince in…”

 

“He’s a bastard who would’ve forced his way in no matter what I did. This way actually works out better for me. I can restore the face I lost at the last engagement ceremony, and it looks good on the surface, too.”

 

“So… what happened at the engagement ceremony was all for this, then.”

 

At his muttered words, Albert irritably waved a hand. “Call it a last-ditch struggle. I’ll just take everything I need from him and toss him aside. Now get out. And bring in a few decent women.”

 

“Understood.”

 

The aide bowed and turned to leave, but just then a thought flashed through Albert’s mind.

 

“Wait.”

 

“Do you have further orders, Your Highness?”

 

“Caleb, I mean Baron Cal, who was the woman he sponsored again?”

 

“If you mean that woman…” The aide fell silent for a moment, as if searching his memory, then spoke. “Sasha Griche.”

 

“Good… So that’s how it is, huh?” Albert’s eyes gleamed with delight as his mind began to race. Even though he was at a disadvantage, this was his chance to finally wipe that ever-noble look off Caleb’s face. “Then he’ll be bringing that woman to the event too, won’t he?”

 

“Yes. I’ve heard she accompanies him to most functions that require a partner.”

 

Albert grinned so wide it looked like his mouth might split. “I’ve just had a brilliant idea. Prepare a mild drug that won’t draw attention. Something no one will notice.”

 

* * *

Even after returning to the townhouse, Shailoh was still deep in thought.

 

“Doris. If Duke Diponz were to join Caleb’s faction, that would be a huge boost to our strength, wouldn’t it?”

 

“Most likely, yes. But why bring that up all of a sudden? Duke Yesiol’s side has stayed neutral all this time.” Sitting across from her, Doris tilted her head as she continued knitting.

 

Shailoh was silently replaying the chess match she’d had with Caleb the other day. She moved her bishop, then paused with her hand hovering over the board.

 

“It’s just that…”

 

Should she tell Doris that the man who spoke to her earlier today was Duke Yesiol? It would probably be better to speak honestly with Caleb as well. But the duke’s parting words kept nagging at her. Shailoh couldn’t shake her unease or her curiosity about his intent in saying that.

 

In the end, Shailoh evasively answered Doris’s question.