The Reason Why the Forsaken Fake Returned Chapter 86

Inside the rattling carriage, Caleb, who was reading the newspaper, suddenly spoke. “A man I’ve never seen before.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Nox Wyvern.”

 

“This is only the second time I’ve seen him too. I stopped by Mr. Wyson’s office to discuss something related to the performance and ran into him there.” Shailoh answered nonchalantly and looked out the carriage window, watching the passersby quickly go by. Most of them were people heading home late at night. Thinking of Nox and his sister, she suddenly felt envious of having a home and family to return to.

 

“Is there anyone else?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I mean your male acquaintances.”

 

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Shailoh slowly turned her head. His tone was as usual, but with the newspaper still open, it was hard to see his expression.

 

“…Why are you suddenly curious?”

 

Surely it wasn’t jealousy. Even if it felt unpleasant for his ‘possession’ to temporarily be in someone else’s hands, it wasn’t something to be jealous about. She asked out of genuine curiosity about his intent.

 

Caleb, who had been silent, folded the newspaper in half. “I’m just trying to know in advance if there might be any troublesome matters later.”

 

“I don’t know what kind of trouble you mean, but aside from a few people in the performance industry, I don’t have many male acquaintances. And I’m not that close to them.”

 

To begin with, Shailoh had no intention of forming any special relationships anymore. One bone-deep betrayal had been more than enough.

 

“By the way, can I take a break tomorrow?”

 

“Why?”

 

“Dressing up and meeting people every night like this is exhausting. I need some time to rest.”

 

Instead of answering, Caleb nodded.

 

Just then, the carriage arrived at Shailoh’s townhouse. With his help, she got out and went inside without looking back. Caleb watched until the light in her room turned on, then got back into the carriage. All the way back, the image of her smiling at Nox Wyvern lingered in his mind. The moment he witnessed that smile, an unfamiliar pain, as if someone was squeezing his heart, overwhelmed him.

 

Has she ever smiled like that? When was the last time she smiled at him like that?

 

It felt as if a precious treasure that belonged only to him had been taken away and given to someone else. A wave of deprivation, emptiness, and anger washed over him. But those were feelings he shouldn’t have.

 

Without even washing up, Caleb returned home to find Eric waiting in the office. Dispensing with unnecessary formalities and greetings, Eric immediately reported. “It seems Duke Perus is trying to hasten the marriage between Octavia and Albert.”

 

“Why? They’re already engaged, so the marriage is practically a done deal. Wasn’t it the duke who confined Octavia Perus to prevent her from appearing as Albert’s partner?”

 

“I don’t know. However, in Queen Ingrid’s case, she probably wants the wedding to coincide with the coronation. That’s why there’s a first crack between the two allies.”

 

“Anyway, it’s good news for us.” Caleb loosened his tie with one hand and rotated his stiff neck as he sat in the buffalo leather chair. “How’s the investigation into Queen Ingrid’s slush fund going?”

 

“It’s strange. A large sum of money has been flowing into a bank in the west. It’s been happening for almost ten years.”

 

“Ten years?”

 

“Yes. The slush fund has been transferred under various borrowed names into several accounts at that bank.”

 

“That’s definitely suspicious. It could just be a matter of borrowing names, but we should dig deeper just in case.”

 

“Understood.” Eric nodded and suddenly dropped the formal tone. “Caleb.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Remember? I mentioned it was odd before. That she didn’t defend the Diponz family, which had been her left hand. Even though there were irrefutable pieces of evidence that surfaced unexpectedly during the trial, the unanimous vote in the House of Nobles was strange.”

 

“True. No matter how much trust they’d lost, it was once a family she wielded as her left arm.”

 

Yet, strangely, the downfall of the Diponz family proceeded smoothly without a single opposing vote. At the time, he had thought the queen had no choice but to remain neutral out of necessity, mindful of public opinion. But looked at it differently… what if she had abandoned something small rather than something large?

 

“Ten years ago, wasn’t that when His Majesty’s condition started to noticeably deteriorate?”

 

“…”

 

Caleb, trying to grasp the elusive decisive factor in his mind, pulled out a random piece of paper and began jotting down major events from the past ten years.

 

“It’s true. If at that time… she had truly begun tampering with Father’s medicine in earnest…”

 

The quill snapped under the pressure of his hand.

 

Eric, covering his mouth with one hand, paced the room and muttered. “If she failed, it would have been extremely dangerous for the queen. If that were discovered, it would be the end. Not just her life, but her maternal relatives and entire family would face execution.”

 

“If I were the queen, thinking from her perspective…” Caleb, deep in thought, rubbed his chin and suddenly stood up. “I’d prepare a private army. In case of an emergency, I’d need to assemble the strongest elite soldiers to swiftly seize the castle. Those accounts were for funding a private army.”

 

“If that’s true, and it’s been maintained until now…” Eric, shocked, was unable to finish his sentence and stood frozen.

 

“In case of emergency, she plans to raise that private army and overthrow everything. That’s why she’s been so composed…”

 

It felt like finally confronting an enemy that had been shrouded in mist.

 

“I’ll inform Father immediately.” As soon as they exchanged glances, Eric rushed out without even a farewell.

 

* * *

Perhaps because she had asked for a break the day before, Shailoh enjoyed a rare rest. From morning onward, she wasn’t dragged about by seamstresses to change into multiple evening dresses, nor did she have to select template designs and fabrics or have her measurements taken. She felt a long-forgotten sense of freedom.

 

“No wonder you look happy. It’s been nearly a month, hasn’t it? Since you’ve had a day to do absolutely nothing like this.”

 

“Since the performance has been postponed indefinitely, I don’t really have anything to do now.”

 

Shailoh stretched leisurely above her head as she enjoyed a late brunch. The table was set with delicious-looking dishes: a soft-poached egg on pancakes topped with seasonal fruit, and a fragrant cup of black tea.

 

“How did you know I like this?”

 

“Milady, have I served you for only a year or two? I just never had the chance to make it for you myself.”

 

“What do you mean by no chance?” Shailoh paused, a piece of fruit cut with her knife halfway to her mouth.

 

“Well, on your days off, His Highness would either buy it for you or, more recently, make it for you himself, right?” Pouring tea into the empty cup, Doris chattered on. “Even during the three years when you were honing your talents as a singer, whenever your efforts didn’t yield results, His Highness would give me money to take you out for something delicious. You didn’t know that, did you?”

 

“…Did he really?”

 

“Yes. He asked me not to mention it to you, but since it’s all in the past now, I thought I’d tell you. You two look really good together these days.”

 

Instead of replying, Shailoh took a sip of her tea. It should have tasted sweet, but for some reason, it left a bitter aftertaste.

 

Doris didn’t know that Caleb had used her, nor that their relationship had essentially fallen apart. Shailoh didn’t want the tender-hearted Doris to be hurt or become self-conscious.

 

“Still, Milady, you know you can’t let your guard down just because you’ve caught the fish, right? You need to feed and take care of it from time to time. Otherwise, some sly fox might snatch it away.” Unaware of Shailoh’s complicated thoughts, Doris offered her advice with a cute smile.

 

Shailoh chuckled, brushing away her musings. “I didn’t know you were such an expert on relationships, Doris.”

 

“I may not have experience, but I know the theory inside out. Just leave it to me.” Doris flexed her arm as if to show off muscles she didn’t have, making Shailoh burst into laughter again.

 

“Shall we go for a walk later?”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah. It’s stifling here. We can take a stroll around the park and have a nice dinner. Maybe even check out some clothes in the shops.”

 

“Milady, do you know how long I’ve been waiting to hear you say that?” Though invisible, Doris’s tail seemed to be wagging with excitement.

 

Their outing together after so long was delightful. Even though Shailoh wore her hat pulled down low, a few people recognized her and asked for autographs, briefly interrupting their flow, but not enough to spoil the mood.