The Reason Why the Forsaken Fake Returned Chapter 83

“For now… Alright. I’ll think about it a little more.”

 

Shailoh couldn’t stay long. She looked down at her clenched fist, then got up from her seat. Nox, who had also risen, followed her.

 

“You called a hired carriage, right? I’ll see you off.”

 

“No, it’s okay.”

 

“I want to.”

 

“Really, it’s fine…”

 

Though it was uncomfortable since they had just met, Nox showed no sign of backing down. Eventually, he accompanied her all the way to the carriage.

 

Though Shailoh didn’t particularly wish to, she took his hand and stepped up into the carriage. Having barely eaten properly these past few days, her legs suddenly gave way. A quick hand immediately wrapped around her swaying body and caught her.

 

“T-Thank you.”

 

“More than I expected.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

Shailoh found herself unable to pull away from his gaze, which seemed to be contemplating something deeply. Up close, he was more strikingly handsome than she had thought, with sharp features that seemed more suited to a law enforcement officer than a scholar. As she was about to draw a conclusion, Nox murmured with a resolved expression.

 

“You’re lighter than I expected. Your chest capacity isn’t large either. And yet you had that kind of tone and range.”

 

“…”

 

Instead of responding, Shailoh merely lifted the corners of her mouth and brushed his hand away. Before she could close the carriage door, Nox reiterated his request.

 

“If you change your mind, contact me anytime through Wyson.”

 

“…I will.”

 

* * *

Shailoh sensed that the brief reprieve she had been given was over when she returned to the townhouse after a rare outing. It was after dusk. Upon opening the door, Doris was nowhere to be seen, and a strange feeling prompted her to step inside, where she saw a familiar back in the living room.

 

Unable to move forward or retreat, Shailoh called out to him. “…Your Highness.”

 

Caleb, who had been reading the script she was practicing, turned his head. “You said you’d think about it.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

“I’ve come to hear your answer.”

 

“I’ll think about it.”

 

Shailoh bit her lip. Half of her meant it, but the other half had been said out of stubborn defiance.

 

Caleb wanted her to cling to him, to say she couldn’t do what he asked. After manipulating her enough and frightening her, he had pressed her for the answer he wanted.

 

“I gave you plenty of time.”

 

“…Did I ever really have a choice to begin with?”

 

“Sasha.”

 

At the tremor in her voice, Caleb touched the bridge of her nose. His familiar gesture, which reminded her of better times, made Shailoh freeze like someone bitten by a snake.

 

“If you want, there’s also the option of continuing as we are now. You remain a successful singer, singing prettily at my side. I would support and cherish you without reservation.”

 

His gaze was gentle, and his voice was tender. Even in the candlelight illuminating the room, his platinum hair shone dazzlingly. His turquoise eyes, like a summer lake reflecting lush greenery, and his perfectly sculpted features were unforgettable, like a meticulously painted portrait. It was a face she would remember vividly, as if each detail had been embroidered onto her heart, no matter how much time passed.

 

Though that horrific night had passed, the past kept trying to drag her back like a sudden seizure, and she had to struggle not to be swept away by its current.

 

“…Do you cherish me?”

 

As though she had asked something obvious, Caleb narrowed his eyes slightly and seated her on the couch. “I cherish you. And I want you.” His answer came without the slightest hesitation.

 

Shailoh lifted her bowed head and gave him a radiant smile. “Then make me your queen.”

 

“…What?”

 

“I want to live like Queen Ingrid, the way I saw her at the engagement ceremony. Buried in all kinds of beautiful jewels and intricate lace, living ever so happily.”

 

“Sasha.” His eyebrows, which hadn’t moved an inch, twitched.

 

Shailoh’s gaze swept over his clenched jaw and the veins standing out on the back of his hand. “If Lady Perus is more your type, I can act like her. I can pretend to be innocent and naive, like a lovable girl who knows nothing. If that’s what you prefer.” It was a biting sneer, pure mockery. But the man in front of her was even more ruthless than she was.

 

Caleb let out a short, incredulous laugh and grabbed her chin. “Regrettably, my tastes are more twisted than that. I like you best when you throw little tantrums like this. What shall I do?”

 

“So the seat beside Your Highness already has its owner.”

 

Instead of answering, Caleb just smiled. “Aren’t you a little too old to be throwing tantrums that won’t get you anywhere?”

 

“Your Highness said you didn’t even want the throne. You said that once my revenge was over, once I was cleared of false charges and free, we would go abroad and live together.”

 

“That was a long time ago. Things have changed.”

 

“Weren’t things already decided before that?”

 

Fed up with her repeated demands, Caleb pulled his hand away. “There’s already someone who belongs at my side.”

 

The clear rejection made her eyes burn with heat. Shailoh was grateful her hands were empty. If she’d had a gun, she would have shot him dead and then followed him herself.

 

“…Who is it?” She didn’t want to cry over this hateful man anymore. To hide her shaky breath, Shailoh took a deep breath, pretending to steady herself.

 

Their relationship had already been doomed the night she’d overheard that conversation in his office. He’d called her an object, ordered her to seduce his younger brother. He’d dragged her to a brothel and, despite her protests, had shown her in excruciating detail how to ‘serve’ another man. Even the devil wouldn’t stoop so low. But like a saint, no, like an angel, he’d stolen both her body and her talent, only to trample and tear that heart to pieces with cruel indifference.

 

Shailoh pressed him relentlessly, refusing to let the silence stand. “Tell me. Is it… Octavia?”

 

“Is that what you want?”

 

“I don’t know. If not, is it some other noble lady?”

 

Caleb, who had been silently staring at her, finally parted his lips. “Lady Yesiol.”

 

Shailoh froze instantly. It felt as if all the blood had drained from her body. “…Who?”

 

“You know her. Duke Yesiol’s younger sister.”

 

She could neither speak nor react. Instead, Shailoh hid her trembling hands. …Could he have figured? If he did, since when? Her mind was a tangled mess, like a ball of yarn unraveling in every direction. Her mouth was dry, and her throat felt tight. She blinked, feigning ignorance.

 

“Duke Yesiol… has a younger sister?”

 

“Apparently, when the former Duke Yesiol passed away a few years ago, he confessed. But no one knows where she is, what her name is, or what she looks like.”

 

Relief washed over her, and she could finally breathe again. To hide her emotions, Shailoh pretended to be hurt as she questioned him. “How could you… say you’ll marry a woman whose face and name you don’t even know?”

 

“Because that is the most stable way to join hands with the North!” Caleb explained with a frustrated look, like an adult talking to a naive child. “The southern Duke Perus is unmistakably on Queen Ingrid and Third Prince Albert’s side. Though he doesn’t hold great power in central high society, he commands overwhelming support in the house of nobles and is the most likely candidate to become its next head.”

 

“So what?”

 

“Even though Duke Diponz’s downfall has given me some breathing room, it’s not the time to let my guard down. That’s why I need the North’s support even more.”

 

Thus, marrying Lady Yesiol was inevitable. Being tied to Declen through family would be the most stable and trustworthy alliance. In such a situation, Shailoh was of no help to him. In fact, she was a hindrance. Logic told him to let her go, but he couldn’t.

 

“So you’re telling me to become your concubine.”

 

“It’s common for a king to have multiple wives.”

 

As she listened to Caleb’s dry explanation, she closed her eyes gently.

 

Not even as a courtesy did he say it was a political marriage and that his heart belonged to her. He wasn’t the type to make the cowardly excuses of a man who keeps a concubine while having a wife. That made him even more detestable.

 

“Two wives for a king… So, how is Your Highness’s situation now? Are you satisfied?”

 

Her words struck a nerve, and his gaze turned deadly as it fixed on her. Caleb rummaged through his pockets and tossed something to her. As soon as she saw it, Shailoh’s face twisted in agony.

 

[Give me your cat, Brother.]

 

“Albert says he wants you.”

 

“…So? Did you reply?”

 

“That depends on your answer.”

 

“You bastard!”

 

If not become his concubine, then become a bait.

 

For a fleeting moment, she was startled by the curse that burst from her own lips. But then a blaze surged from her toes to the top of her head, turning her vision red. She lunged at him, grabbed him by the collar, and climbed atop of him. With bloodshot eyes, she hurled curses and wrapped her hands around his throat.