The Reason Why the Forsaken Fake Returned Chapter 70

“Ha… Eric.” With an exasperated sigh, Caleb rummaged through his desk drawer and pulled out a cigar. “I don’t know what you’re misunderstanding, but Sasha Griche means nothing to me. She’s just a useful pawn.”

 

“Even though the way you look at her is different?”

 

Caleb, who was lighting the end of the cigar with a match from a matchbox, let out a small laugh. “It’s all an act. It can’t possibly be genuine.”

 

“Can you… swear on that?”

 

“I swear. Sasha Griche was brought in just to be used. Once she’s no longer needed, she’ll be discarded.”

 

At those final words, Shailoh sank down, unable to hold herself up.

 

“Fine… I’ll trust you. What you need now isn’t a mere singer, but the daughter of someone powerful. As long as you understand that.” Eric, having calmed down, suddenly noticed the open door. “It was open.” Frowning, he approached the door slowly and flung it open.

 

“…Is anyone there?”

 

“No… I felt like someone was watching.” Was it just his imagination? Eric tilted his head in confusion before turning around. “Then let’s continue our discussion, Your Highness.”

 

* * *

“Milady?”

 

Contrary to her earlier words about quickly visiting a café, Shailoh returned late at night, looking as if she’d seen a ghost. Doris, who had been anxiously pacing, was startled by her expression.

“What happened? Are you unwell? You weren’t at the café, so I was just about to inform His Highness.”

 

“No, you can’t!” Shailoh shouted, grabbing Doris’s arm.

 

Overwhelmed by Shailoh’s desperate expression, Doris nodded hesitantly, and only then did Shailoh release her grip. She then went upstairs, as if in a trance, and began packing her things.

 

“Milady? What’s going on? Why are you packing all of a sudden?”

 

“I don’t want to stay here. I need to leave.”

 

“What?”

 

The look in her eyes as she muttered was anything but normal.

 

Doris, feeling a chill, tried her best to stop her, but it was no use. “I don’t know what happened, but please calm down! Where do you plan to go at this late hour without any escort?”

 

“I don’t need one.” Shailoh coldly shook off Doris’s clinging arm, grabbed a few clothes, and left the townhouse.

 

“I’ll go with you!”

 

“Doris.”

 

Only after the panicked Doris climbed into the hired carriage with her did Shailoh turn to look at her.

 

“I plan to be alone for a while.”

 

“No! It’s dangerous.” In tears, Doris clutched Shailoh’s arm and pleaded.

 

At that moment, Shailoh’s eyes regained their clarity. “Doris, trust me.”

 

“Milady!”

 

In the midst of Doris’s hesitation, Shailoh gently pushed her out of the carriage. As soon as Doris was out, the door closed, and the carriage started moving.

 

“Miladyyy!”

 

Watching the helpless Doris, Shailoh clutched her luggage with trembling hands. After taking a deep breath, she told the coachman her destination.

 

“Please take me to the Dorin Inn.”

 

“It’s quite far… but understood.” The coachman answered politely and began to pick up speed.

 

A wave of nausea hit, and Shailoh felt like she was going to retch. It was as if someone was stabbing her heart with sharp glass shards. Her throat ached, and her vision blurred.

 

“I want to kill him… I want to die…” Shailoh bent over as if collapsing, covering her face with both hands. Her chest burned like a raging fire, yet her head felt as cold as if drenched in icy water.

 

Was it all a lie? Those eyes, that touch, everything was a lie? She wanted to deny it, to believe she had heard wrong, seen wrong. But…

 

“Sasha Griche was brought in just to be used. Once she’s no longer needed, she’ll be discarded.”

 

The words that pierced her heart like a dagger were undoubtedly spoken by Caleb.

 

“We’re almost there, Miss.”

 

The carriage, which had been racing out of the capital for quite some time, slowed to a stop just as dawn was breaking. Shailoh, who had dozed off for a moment, lifted her heavy eyelids. Thinking they had arrived, she raised her head, but it was clearly not the destination. They had entered a dark and eerie alley.

 

Shailoh looked around slowly and questioned. “…Where is this? Where are you taking me?”

 

But there was no answer. Just as Shailoh took a deep breath and counted to three in her mind, ready to leap out of the carriage, the door on the opposite side swung open, and a cold gun barrel was pointed at her.

 

“See, you should be more careful at times like this.”

 

“…Evan!”

 

Just as Shailoh, eyes blazing, was about to act, the opposite door opened again, and a sharp sting struck the back of her neck. Her consciousness faded away.

 

* * *

Shailoh opened her eyes again three days after the incident. In that time, the world had changed once more.

 

<Lord Evan Dipon Arrested in the Act of Kidnapping and Assaulting Sasha Griche!>

 

The shocking headline on the front page of the daily newspaper was strong enough to shake the capital once again. The image of Sasha Griche, painted as a villainess, was thrown into chaos, and people were confused about which information to trust amid the turmoil.

 

Doris, delighted by the sudden reversal of public opinion, sliced some fruit and fed it to Shailoh. “People’s hearts are so fickle, aren’t they?”

 

“…Indeed.”

 

“No matter how influential Duke West is, it’s not easy to escape one caught in the act. You’ve turned the tables in your favor.”

 

Though she didn’t want to speak, Shailoh eventually chewed and swallowed another piece of apple under Doris’s persistent urging.

 

“Even if it turned out well in the end… your actions that day were too reckless. It was nothing short of a miracle. What if something had gone terribly wrong?”

 

“Doris, I knew Evan would try to harm me no matter what.”

 

“What?” Doris stared at her, doubting what she had just heard.

 

“And I was certain that His Highness would come to rescue me.”

 

Amidst the swirling betrayal and anger, a plan emerged in her mind like a revelation. In truth, it was half impulse. This incident was a trap for Evan Diponz and a test for Caleb. She was curious about her worth to Caleb. She thought he would take the risk to rescue her, and her assumption was correct. It was surprising how quickly he found her and how desperate he seemed upon discovering her…

 

“First, I had to shatter people’s trust and image of Evan Diponz and the Diponz family. Even the most steadfast trust and reverence can crumble with the slightest crack.”

 

“Milady.”

 

“More importantly, once Evan Diponz was caught, he couldn’t do anything. In the meantime, there are a few things that need to be done. We’ve bought some time.”

 

“Milady!”

 

As Shailoh muttered the next steps to herself, Doris grabbed her cheeks.

 

“Doris?”

 

“No matter the reason, it seems to me that you risked your life. That’s why he got caught up in it. Promise me you won’t do anything so reckless again.”

 

“What?”

 

“I don’t know why you’ve changed, but you seem unstable right now. Something must have happened that day you said you were going to the café, right?”

 

Instead of answering, Shailoh averted her gaze.

 

Doris, watching her with a heavy look, let out a low sigh. “Alright, if it’s hard to talk about now, you don’t have to. But promise me you won’t use yourself as bait for dangerous schemes like this again.” It was clear Doris wouldn’t let go without a promise.

 

Hesitating, Shailoh finally surrendered to the unwavering look in Doris’s eyes. “Alright…”

 

“Good.” Only after hearing her agreement did Doris release Shailoh, smiling gently. “So, what’s the next plan?”

 

“If you promise to keep it a secret, I’ll tell you.”

 

“I’ll keep it a secret.”

 

“Actually, three years ago, the leader of the Grid Merchant Guild left something for me before he died.”

 

“Left something?”

 

“It’s what Olivier has been searching for. The secret ledger of the Diponz family. The real ledger detailing tax evasion and smuggled goods.”

 

“What?” Doris’s mouth fell open, blinking in disbelief.

 

Anticipating her reaction, Shailoh calmly finished speaking. “I’ve asked someone to look for it. We just need to buy time until it’s found.”

 

Tarnishing something pristine is difficult, but delivering a fatal blow to already tarnished honor is easier.

 

“And one more thing.”

 

Shailoh quietly smiled and began to share her thought-out plan. Doris listened intently, surprised.