The Reason Why the Forsaken Fake Returned Chapter 67

“What do you mean by that?”

 

“That’s exactly what I said. If she’s got even a drop of northern blood in her, then I’m responsible for that.”

 

“That’s your only reason?” Suspicion darkened Caleb’s gaze, as if he were trying to see what else was hiding underneath. But no matter how hard he stared, he couldn’t read a thing. Declan Yesiol was that kind of man by nature.

 

“If she wants to leave, it is the condition. If you don’t agree to this condition, I can’t take your side.” Even in an atmosphere that would’ve made most people shrink back, Declan spoke steadily.

 

Caleb clenched his fist, glaring at the man whose schemes he couldn’t fathom, then came to a decision. “…Fine.”

 

There was no way she would leave him of her own accord anyway. Not unless he threw her away first. To Shailoh, he was no different from faith itself. A god might abandon a believer, but a believer never abandons their god first.

 

* * *

The guest who had appeared out of nowhere disappeared just as abruptly. By the time Shailoh had read nearly half of Wyson’s script, Caleb knocked on her door.

 

“Sasha.”

 

“Caleb.” Shailoh closed the script and turned her head to look at him.

 

At some point, Caleb had gotten changed. He was dressed to go out.

 

“Want to go out for a change?” he suggested.

 

“Won’t people… see us?”

 

“We’ll go somewhere where there aren’t many people.”

 

The place he took her to was a quiet riverside. Sunlight shattered across the calm surface of the river, glittering like splinters of broken glass. The two of them sat facing each other in a little boat with no ferryman. The riverbank was wide, and the boats that passed now and then kept such a generous distance that it was hard to make out who was on board.

 

Basking in the warm, gentle spring sun, Shailoh reached out and stroked the water. The river, lukewarm from the light, curled around her fingers in a soft current. A tall, dense forest wrapped around the long river. Birds took off all at once, wings beating with a flurry of sound as the trees swayed with a soft, rushing roar.

 

“Sasha.”

 

Caleb, who had been rowing, quietly watched her hand. Her fingers were long and beautiful, far too fine for anyone to believe she’d been born in the slums. Shailoh, who had been soaking in the peace with her eyes closed, turned to face him. Caleb was looking at her with a smile of his own.

 

“You look like you’re in a good mood,” he said.

 

“Yeah. It’s so calm, it feels really nice. It reminds me of the old days, too.”

 

“Whenever you were sulking, I used to bring you here.”

 

Shailoh ducked her head shyly and nodded. “I loved it back then, too. My heart was pounding so hard I honestly wondered if there was something wrong with it.”

 

At her plain, guileless answer, Caleb’s eyes flickered for a moment. “Sasha… since when have you liked me?”

 

“That’s not the kind of question you usually ask.”

 

“Just answer me.”

 

“If I think about it…” Shailoh cast her eyes upward, then gazed off into the distance as if looking back on some faraway past. “I think it started at the lake.”

 

“Back then?”

 

“That was the loneliest, hardest time of my life. And that’s when you showed up.” She reached toward her chest and fiddled with the Rosario she always wore under her clothes like a treasure. “…What was your mother like?” For some reason, she felt like he might tell her today.

 

At her careful question, Caleb looked away from her. Shailoh bit her lower lip and clutched at her skirt.

 

“We can talk about something else…”

 

“She was a quiet woman.”

 

His voice was so soft you’d miss it if you weren’t listening to it. But Shailoh lifted her bowed head and looked at him. It felt as if even the birds in the sky had stopped mid-flight, as if the current itself had gone still. As if time had stopped, and in that eternity, there were only the two of them.

 

“She was full of love,” he went on.

 

“…”

 

“My brother was the spitting image of her, and he was perfect in every way. I admired him, and I trailed after him everywhere like a little colt.”

 

The image of him as a boy rose so easily in her mind that Shailoh’s lips curved up without thinking. “I can’t quite picture it, but I bet the two of you were wonderful to look at.”

 

“We were,” he agreed.

 

Caleb nodded and reached out to smooth back a loose strand of her hair. It was a small gesture, but full of affection. Feeling his touch, Shailoh closed her eyes. But the warmth that had been spreading through her chest went cold at the words that followed.

 

“But they’re both dead.”

 

“…”

 

“I don’t much like talking about the dead.” He ended the story with a picture-perfect smile. His tone was as gentle as always, but there was a chill in it somewhere.

 

While Shailoh hesitated, trying to think of another topic, Caleb abruptly changed the subject in a heavy voice. “There’s something I need to apologize to you for… They’ll probably question you about what happened yesterday. If I had my way, I’d just kill Albert.”

 

Instead of answering, Shailoh only nodded, her expression saying she understood. It wasn’t that she felt no bitterness, but there was nothing to be done. This wasn’t a fairy-tale world.

 

“When it comes to this matter, I’ll make sure he pays for it later.”

 

“I believe you.”

 

A gentle breeze wrapped around her and slipped past. Shailoh prayed that this wind would stay with them for a long, long time.

 

* * *

However, her wish was shattered the moment they returned to the townhouse. As soon as she stepped down from the carriage, Jenine was waiting for her, face tight with anxiety.

 

“Miss!”

 

“Jenine?”

 

“Have you seen this?”

 

“What are you talking about all of a sudden…” Startled, Shailoh took the special edition Jenine was holding out. As her eyes ran over the bold headline splashed across the front, her expression went cold. “Sasha Griche, two-timing two brothers?”

 

Her head spun, and her legs gave out. As she was about to collapse, Caleb caught her from behind and looked at Jenine with a grave expression.

 

“Since when? Since when has this kind of ridiculous special edition been going around?”

 

“Since this morning! Every paper is screaming about this scandal.” Jenine’s reply came out in a trembling voice.

 

A headache crashed over Shailoh, and she squeezed her eyes shut. “Do you think this is the third prince’s doing?”

 

“I doubt it. If he’s not careful, it could blow up into his own scandal. He has no reason to stick his neck out and start something like this himself…”

 

“Then…”

 

Evan Diponz’s face suddenly flashed through her mind, then vanished.

 

“For now, let’s not jump to conclusions. I’ll check it out myself.”

 

<The Capital’s Worst Villainess, Sasha Griche. Toying with Two Brothers in the Palm of Her Hand!>

<A Wanton Woman, Sasha Griche, Two-Timing Her Way Through the Royal Family!>

<Does Her Remains Silent Mean She Isn’t Denying It?>

 

“How the hell do they twist no response into agreement?” Doris exploded, crumpling the paper and pitching it straight into the trash. “Milady was simply the victim!”

 

“That’s not how people are going to see it.” Rubbing both temples with her fingers, Shailoh answered quietly.

 

The media’s influence was overwhelming. Shailoh’s shows, which had been riding high, were canceled one after another, and the theaters were packed with people demanding refunds.

 

“Dirty woman!”

 

“She ruins men!”

 

Some people spat on the ground when they saw her on the street, and even the heavily guarded townhouse was now and then pelted with rotten eggs thrown at the door or windows.

 

“That’s what I’m saying. How can the public be like this? They used to scream themselves hoarse for your songs!”

 

“The more people there were cheering for me, the more people there must’ve been who hated me. They’ll think some young woman who suddenly showed up and made a name for herself is getting too big for her britches.”

 

“What about putting out a statement saying it isn’t true?”

 

“I shouldn’t make any rash moves. Even if I did put out a statement, it would just sound like a lie. People only see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear.”

 

“So you’re saying all we can do is wait and hope time fixes it.”

 

“His Highness keeps going around saying it isn’t true, but… everyone just says he’s lying for my sake. Albert’s side has kept their mouths shut.” Waiting for them to admit that he had drugged her and tried to rape her was a fantasy with no chance of coming true.

 

Shailoh let out a heavy sigh and opened the eyes she’d squeezed shut. When she stood and reached for her coat, Doris, startled, jumped up and blocked the door. “Where are you going in the middle of all this!”

 

“If I hide, people will just say I went into hiding because I’ve got something to feel guilty about. It’s better to keep doing my work and wait.”

 

“But—!” Doris was about to argue again, but her expression softened as she took in Shailoh’s appearance.

 

Shoulders drooping, Shailoh gave her a faint, weary smile. “I’m only going to a café to read Mr. Wyson’s script.”

 

“Fine. I’ll go with you.”

 

“If you come, it’ll just make me more recognizable. Don’t worry. I’m only going to a café nearby, and then I’ll come right back.”

 

“Then at least wear a hat so you don’t stand out, and sit all the way off to the side.”

 

“Okay.” Shailoh smiled at Doris, who was fussing over her like a nanny as she settled the hat on her head and lectured her, then slipped past her, opened the door, and went out.