Fakes Don’t Want To Be Real Chapter 12

Chapter 12

 

“Lady Lillian was here just moments ago. She said Lady Psychke had promised to arrange a meeting, but since there was no sign of that happening, she came to see me herself. Is that true?”

“No. I never made such a promise.”

 

The blatant falsehood left her momentarily speechless, but she soon regained her composure and replied evenly.

 

“I only said that Lady Lillian wished to meet you and that I would ask for your opinion. That was all.”

“Haah.”

 

Verndia lowered his gaze slightly and muttered something under his breath, too quiet to hear. Judging by his expression, rough breathing, and the occasional word that slipped out, he seemed to be cursing Lillian.

Psychke’s eyes fell on the teapot and the two teacups set neatly on the table.

 

‘So, that’s why Melissa was stalling.’

 

Having grasped the situation, Psychke let out a shallow sigh and took the seat across from him.

Still bristling with anger, Verndia ground out a warning.

 

“I’ll say this again. I have no intention whatsoever of becoming engaged to Lady Lillian. If she brings it up again, tell her to wake up from that dream.”

“Couldn’t you tell her yourself, Duke?”

“I already have.”

 

In many ways, he truly was an extraordinary man.

 

“In any case, that’s not why I came here.”

 

His long fingers curled around the handle of the teacup. Red lips brushed the rim, his throat bobbing as he swallowed.

After moistening his mouth with the now-cool tea, Verndia spoke again. Though he had changed the subject, his mood still seemed oddly sour.

 

“I heard you’re meeting Lia tomorrow.”

 

Lia, the ice mage from the Magic Association.

How did he know that? Psychke was about to ask, but he spoke first.

 

“Why are you meeting her?”

“Before that, may I ask how you found out?”

 

Psychke’s voice cooled noticeably. The thought that she might have been followed put her on edge.

As if he understood her reaction, Verndia tilted his head slightly and explained calmly.

 

“I had business at the Association. That’s when I learned you already had an appointment. One of the mages mentioned it.”

 

Psychke pressed her lips together.

Normally, the identity of a mage’s client was never disclosed, but perhaps rumors that her relationship with Verndia was amicable had made them careless. Though unpleasant, as she had nothing to hide, she chose not to pursue it further.

 

“I intended to consult her about the northern monsters. I had something to ask.”

“Are you serious about asking an ice mage about the northern monsters?”

 

The man who clearly hadn’t expected her to answer so readily now looked unsettled.

She had planned to bring it up after hearing the mage’s advice, but since things had come to this, Psychke decided it was better to explain now. She laid out everything, about the monsters’ traits and about moonstone, without omission.

 

“… That is all I have to say. I am conveying this in the name of Silkisia, so you may trust it.”

 

When her long explanation ended, Verndia, momentarily stunned, took his turn to speak.

 

“How did you know they were weak to cold?”

“I read it in my family’s records.”

 

In the southern part of the Empire, Silkisia territory was riddled with dungeons. That was precisely why Silkisia had become renowned for its swordsmanship.

To prepare for potential monster outbreaks and minimize damage, the family had long conducted extensive dungeon research.

Those findings were considered proprietary knowledge and were never shared with other houses.

For that reason, the words of Psychke Silkisia carried considerable credibility and knowing this, the Duke’s expression brightened.

 

“So that’s why they kept reviving.”

“Yes. They likely grew stronger by feeding on warmth. That’s why we need to wound them using moonstone. It won’t be easy against high-ranking monsters, but since they’re vulnerable to cold, even a small injury should slow them down.”

 

Moonstone was a mineral that accelerated the corrosion of iron.

In ordinary combat, it would never be used, but when all that mattered was inflicting a wound, there was no better option.

Verndia mentally tallied how much moonstone he could procure at once from his mana stone mines, while also envisioning how the flow of battle would change.

 

“If we could lower the temperature directly instead of waiting for them to slow down, ah. So that’s it?”

 

At last, understanding why Psychke wanted to meet Lia, Verndia’s gaze shifted.

He felt belatedly apologetic for having jumped to conclusions.

 

Psychke nodded, “Yes. However, this method won’t be enough to deal with Asum. Because…”

 

She went on to explain, step by step, the characteristics of the mage-type monster while Verndia watched her with an unfamiliar look.

Though they had signed a contract, he hadn’t truly expected much.

The head of Silkisia detested Lestir.

Not only had he refused to help mobilize the Imperial Knights, he hadn’t even shared information about monster traits. That was why Verndia felt genuinely grateful to Psychke for defying her family head and offering this knowledge.

And it made him begin to truly wonder why she wanted the annulment so badly.

 

“- So I intend to ask the mage whether there’s a way to draw Asum’s attention.”

 

The moment she finished speaking, Verndia abruptly changed the topic.

 

“Lady Psychke. You’re helping me in order to expedite the annulment, correct? More precisely, to remove the engagement ring.”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“Why do you want it removed?”

 

Caught off guard, Psychke couldn’t answer immediately. It was the first time he had shown her such straightforward interest rather than focusing solely on Lestir.

Mistaking her hesitation for something else, Verndia tapped lightly on the armrest and pressed on.

 

“The fact that you’ve said nothing until now suggests there’s nothing wrong with the ring itself… Do you have a lover?”

“That’s not it.”

“You can be honest. It’s not like we’re truly that kind of couple.”

“It really isn’t. It’s a personal matter unrelated to romance.”

 

The resolve in her eyes told him she was telling the truth.

Still, Verndia pretended otherwise, propping his chin on his hand and letting out a soft, amused laugh. The curve of his attractive eyes narrowed slightly.

 

“I don’t believe you.”

 

He decided to accept Isolet’s hypothesis that perhaps Psychke was simply sick of him and wanted the engagement annulled.

The excuse about removing the ring might merely be something she’d chosen because she couldn’t say that outright. Yet his curiously wasn’t satiated.

The Psychke he had known was not a woman who would defy her family over a mere personal matter rather a woman who would sacrifice everything for her house.

So why had her values changed overnight?

He was deeply curious.

And once something piqued his interest, Verndia was the sort who had to see it through to the end.

 

“You don’t have to believe me.”

 

Since it didn’t matter what he thought, Psychke replied with almost chilling finality.

Verndia studied his fiancée, whose thoughts he could not read at all.

Having inherited his title at a young age after the previous Duke and Duchess of Lestir died in an accident, he was well accustomed to dealing with people.

Even so, Psychke struck him as an exceptionally strange woman.

 

‘She doesn’t seem foolish, as the rumors say. Then why is she hiding it?’

 

It hadn’t been long since their engagement.

Braced against a union with a hostile house, he suddenly realized something others had missed.

Psychke Silkisia was not foolish. On the contrary, she was clever enough to steer others’ evaluations in whatever direction she wished.

The problem was that the direction she chose was negative.

 

‘Why?’

 

To be honest, Verndia was interested in her. She was a type of person he had never encountered before, and that intrigued him.

But as she seemed to try too hard to draw his attention, he had deliberately distanced himself, wary that someone so intelligent must have ulterior motives behind such foolish behavior.

Yet now, he looked down at the pale hand pouring tea into his cup.

Now he knew that beneath the gloves that hid them were a swordsman’s hands.

That realization alone was a small but fresh shock.

The annulment, swordsmanship, moonstone, and her knowledge of monsters…

Those small shocks, piling up in a short span of time, sent ripples through a heart that had long been still. His faltering curiosity fed on them and swelled like a rolling snowball.

 

“You’re quite cold, you know. We are engaged, at least in name.”

 

The faint smile on his red lips deepened.

To his own surprise, he felt impatient because he couldn’t grasp what was truly going on in her mind.

 

“Well then. Since I’m already here, let me make a request.”

“Go ahead.”

“Tomorrow, let’s go to the Magic Association together. You’re going for Lestir’s sake, aren’t you? It wouldn’t sit right for the party concerned to stay away.”

 

He could practically hear his aide’s anguished cries, ‘What if people discovered that Lestir, master of flames, couldn’t control its own fire?’ but he ignore them.

That wasn’t what mattered right now.

 

“As you wish.”

 

Verndia stared intently at the woman who answered without expression, as though he might see through her if he looked hard enough. He was always curious about her thoughts.

Never in his life had he felt this level of interest in another person, simply as one human being to another.

And Psychke, for her part, could not understand the sudden change in him.

 

‘What is he doing?’

 

His violet eyes that were usually so cool now burned fiercely and Psychke could only look away at such a pressure from him that was overwhelming.

 

TL: Hello guys~ thank you for reading and tell me your thoughts down the comments!