The Reason Why the Forsaken Fake Returned Chapter 82

More than angry, he was simply dumbfounded. Albert’s face flushed red, then pale, and he clenched his fists so tight it felt like the blood couldn’t circulate. “I can’t believe this. What the hell are you saying? Do you honestly think that makes any sense?”

 

“I’m just as absurdly taken aback. I’ve no idea when she supposedly grew close to the second prince.”

 

“How have you been educating your niece all this time, Duke?”

 

Duke Perus pressed hard at his temples, as if just thinking about it gave him a headache too, and answered coldly. “Of course, it’s my fault for raising Octavia so freely. As Your Highness said, it’s utterly absurd. I scared her half to death, telling her not to even dare think of such a thing, and had her confined to her room before coming here.”

 

“As you should. An unruly colt has to be broken in properly from the very start.”

 

Duke Perus shot him a look that clearly said, ‘You’re hardly in a position to say that,’ then shook his head. “But Your Highness is certainly not blameless in this matter either.”

 

“Blameless?”

 

“What were you doing while all of this was brewing? How many times have you met Octavia in that period? Once before the engagement ceremony, that’s all, isn’t it?”

 

On that point, even if he had ten mouths, Albert would have nothing to say. Having become as mute as tongue-tied, he changed the subject. “First of all, make sure the servants keep their mouths tightly shut, Duke.”

 

“Of course. If this story leaks, it won’t do either of us any good.” Letting out a heavy sigh, Duke Perus pulled a cigar from his breast pocket with nervous fingers and put it between his lips. “I don’t know if you’re aware, but the second prince has been repeatedly coming to seek an audience with His Majesty.”

 

Lately, Albert had thrown politics and everything else to the wind and devoted himself solely to gambling. Hearing this for the first time, his attention snapped into focus. “Why? It’s not as though there are many hours in a day when His Majesty is in his right mind.”

 

“His Majesty’s condition worsens by the day. I imagine he intends to secure a will in advance. Whatever anyone says, he’s the eldest legitimate son.”

 

Ever since the first prince and the late queen had died one after another under suspicious circumstances, more and more eyes had turned to Ingrid. No one said it loud, but everyone knew she was behind those two consecutive deaths.

 

“Had he kept his identity hidden and then been discovered, he could have been eliminated without anyone noticing. That’s why the second prince used his head. The moment he hinted, through Count Dwibon, that he would return publicly, he knew all eyes would be on him. Even if Her Majesty and Your Highness don’t lift a finger, should anything happen to the second prince, nine out of ten people would assume it was the doing of the two of you.”

 

He hated to admit it, but it was true. Albert’s mouth twisted as if he’d swallowed something bitter.

 

Duke Perus drove the nail in. “I’ve always wondered. Why did Your Highness formally introduce the second prince at Her Majesty’s charity event? Especially after what happened at the engagement ceremony.”

 

Albert readily admitted it. The star of that engagement ceremony hadn’t been him or Octavia, but Caleb. At the time, he’d only been flustered and furious. But as time passed, he found it, in a way, increasingly amusing, enough to make him take back his belief that Caleb resembled his eldest brother in nothing but looks.

 

“He approached me openly at an unexpected time and place. If you had been in my position, Duke, what would you have done?”

 

“…”

 

“He said he wanted peace. Rather than sit back and watch him come at me again by some other means, I decided it was better to pretend to be magnanimous and accept.”

 

Whether he had misjudged the incident at his engagement ceremony or not, the Caleb he met again was a fool, hopelessly infatuated with a woman. Carefully omitting the part about the transaction, Albert rose from his seat. “Until Mother finds a ‘natural way,’ all I can do is keep him in check.”

 

He couldn’t understand why Duke Perus was so worked up. Albert felt no impatience or anxiety whatsoever. Time was on his side anyway. If things continued as they were, the old man clinging stubbornly to the throne would die soon enough, and under Duke Perus’s leadership, he would secure a majority of votes in the noble families and ascend the throne without incident. That future was crystal clear.

 

“Don’t let your guard down. He’s no ordinary man. Haven’t you seen what he did to Duke Diponz? He used his woman to bring about his complete downfall.”

 

“Ah, that really did give me the chills.”

 

During the trial that would be talked about for years to come, he, too, had been present. Concealing his identity, he sat among the audience. No one had recognized him.

 

“As evidence, I submit the written confession of the doctor who performed the autopsy on the leader of the Grid Merchant Guild. The poison used to kill both the guild leader and Baroness Boris, and Claire Diponz’s statement that this poison can only be obtained from the duchess’s family estate. In addition…”

 

“…”

 

“I accuse the duke of massacring the gypsy troupe that had cared for Claire Diponz.”

 

It had been a situation where a single word or action could cost one’s life. Recalling the way she had spoken boldly before countless gazes fixed upon her, addressing a mortal enemy bristling with killing intent, Albert felt a chill run down the back of his neck, along with a surge of excitement.

 

“But Duke, do you truly think that woman was merely a puppet? She seemed too remarkable for that.”

 

“Your Highness.” Duke Perus, catching the dangerous note in his interest, drew his brows together in a silent warning, but Albert, oblivious, went on talking.

 

“Duke, aside from official occasions, Caleb has no opportunity to encounter Octavia. She must’ve just seen his face once and fallen for him. She’s a greenhouse-raised young lady who knows nothing of the world.”

 

And yet, for such a trivial reason, Octavia said she wished to marry Caleb rather than her own fiancée. How immature and thoughtless she must be? On the other hand, that woman… As Albert recalled how she had desperately struggled to escape from him in the library, he could have taken her right there.

 

“Wait… I can… have her?” Murmuring aloud the thought he’d just dragged up from the back of his mind, Albert sucked in a sharp breath as a memory flashed through him like lightning. “Back then…”

 

It was when he had made a deal to invite Caleb to a royal event in exchange for taking over his business. Along with the condition that Caleb wouldn’t stay in the royal castle, there had been one more term that Albert had laid down.

 

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

 

“Haha!”

 

If he made Caleb hand over the woman he was so obsessed with, the one he guarded like a treasure, what kind of face would he make? The moment Albert pictured that handsome face stained with defeat and humiliation, a sharp thrill ran through him and his heart began to pound with anticipation.

 

“I’ll wait for the right moment.”

 

“Your Highness.” Startled, Duke Perus grabbed Albert, who was suddenly trying to leave the parlor while muttering incomprehensible words. “Be cautious again and again. If anything seems strange, don’t overlook it. You must examine it thoroughly.”

 

“Do I look like a child to you? I had no idea you were such a worrier, Duke.”

 

The business Albert had taken over from Caleb was a gold mine, allowing him to quietly build a massive slush fund on the side. As for gambling, no one had introduced it to him or held out a hand inviting him to join. He’d taken an interest first, out of curiosity. So there was no way it was a trap.

 

“Your Highness is still a hot-blooded young man. At times, it is necessary to restrain that impetuousness.”

 

Normally, Albert would have snapped, demanding to know if the duke was treating him like a kid, but right now, he could hardly be bothered.

 

“Something urgent has come up. I’m sorry after you’ve come all this way, but please have a safe trip back.”

 

Albert waved his hand in dismissal and bolted out of the room before Duke Perus could hear an answer. A gaze clouded with worry followed his retreating back.

 

* * *

After parting with the words that she would think about it, a week passed. Shailoh shut herself inside her residence, devoting herself to the script. She could deliver the regular lines well enough. The problem was the singing.

 

“Cough…”

 

“Milady, how about stopping here for today? You’ve pushed yourself far too hard…”

 

Even if it wasn’t exactly singing, any sound with rhythm was the same. It felt as though she had been flung far away from the talent she had only just discovered. As though she had been cast aside.

 

“…It seems it won’t work today either.” Setting the script down, Shailoh ended up raising the white flag again for the day. “If this keeps up, I’ll have to cancel the performance. It’s not like I can just put a stand-in singer on stage in my place.”

 

“I suppose… you’re right.” Doris nodded obediently and held out a cup of hot herbal tea she’d just brewed.