Fakes Don’t Want To Be Real – Chapter 27

Author: Lioness Editor: Lioness

Chapter 27

“What?”

“Well, it’s just, uh…”

Isolet had tried to stop him in a hurry, but words failed him. He groaned inwardly.

Why am I stuck with this—!?

Just a few hours ago, he had been rubbing his bloodshot eyes, searching for something that would appeal to noble ladies. He had barely finished casting a few spells and was about to rest when Verndia suddenly burst into the room.

He’d issued a bizarre order: He had urgent business and was leaving, but in the meantime, Isolet was to assist the princess.

‘Me?’

‘If not you, then who else?’

Isolet had no reply.

Assisting a guest sounded innocent enough, but in reality, it amounted to attending to her every need. He wanted to point out the absurdity, but Verndia looked entirely oblivious to anything amiss.

So Isolet stayed silent, thinking,

‘Our master is really head over heels in this impossible crush.’

That, he could accept.

What he couldn’t understand was why he was handling even this.

Shouldn’t he the one to stop her from leaving?

“Uh… well, it’s just—”

Feeling wronged, Isolet cursed Verndia inwardly and tried to come up with a plausible excuse.

He had no authority to ask her to stay, and yet he couldn’t simply let her go with Verndia glaring in anger. He should have quit long ago, but the lure of money had kept him.

Frustrated, he decided to mix a bit of truth with a bit of fiction.

“I know some suitable places for the princess to stay. Would it be alright if I guided her there? The duke specifically warned that she shouldn’t be lodged in a shabby place.”

It was his best compromise: follow her will while fulfilling the order to assist.

“Very well.”

Why was he so concerned for her? Psychke wondered. She accepted the offer, reasoning that Verndia likely wanted to avoid having his fiancée stay somewhere shabby.

By now, the afternoon sun was dipping low.

“I didn’t expect it to be this impossible.”

Psychke and Isolet were sitting in a café, tending to their sore feet. Exaggerating slightly, they had visited nearly every inn in the capital.

Of course, they had skipped the run-down or unsafe ones, but astonishingly, not a single room was available and Psychke felt disheartened.

Watching her, Isolet felt a quiet relief.

“It must be because of the prince’s coming-of-age ceremony. People are even traveling from other countries to attend.”

Verndia, whose love life could hardly be described as romantic, had fallen for a crush and on his fiancée, no less, who he would soon be forced to break off with. There were plenty of villas in the outskirts of the capital; if rooms were unavailable, he could have simply arranged one. That he hadn’t suggested it indicated he wanted to be with the princess.

If even one room had been free, Psychke imagined Verndia would have scolded her for leaving, and she shivered at the thought.

With a sigh of disappointment, she changed the subject.

“Once the prince’s coming-of-age ceremony concludes, the duke will return north, yes?”

“Yes, probably. I’ll have to see things through there. I heard you, my lady, has lent great aid. Thank you.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“When the territory stabilizes, I’ll formally invite you. Everyone will be pleased if you visit.”

By then, she would already be formally broken off as fiancée. Going north would be difficult for her by nature. Still, she politely replied, “Yes, I will,” and lowered her gaze gracefully.

Just then,

“—See? So, my lady, don’t cry. Take your time and tell your story.”

“Sniff… sniff… Lady Hilvia—”

“It’s just the two of us here. Look, see? Anti-eavesdropping magic is in place. So speak freely. What has Lady Psychke done, anyway?”

The café they were in was a place where each table was separated by a curtain.

Furthermore, each table had an eavesdropping ban magic stone, making it a place where nobles often gathered to share secrets.

That’s why Psychke and Isolet had come here, but suddenly, they could clearly hear Hilvia and Lillian’s conversation from the side.

Without a word, the two fell silent. Then, they nodded to the magic stone on the table and spoke quietly.

‘I wonder if the magic stone is broken?’

‘Or maybe they forgot to recharge their mana at the shop.’

Their meaningful gazes tangled in the air.

They exchanged their thoughts quietly, holding their breath. Then they listened intently to the conversation at the next table.

Lilian, stammering intermittently as if holding back tears, began to cry.

“Psychke left the house yesterday.”

She recounted how, the night before, Psychke had slipped away, evading her guards. Upon her return, she had snapped at her worried family and dashed out of the house.

And lastly,

“My father was so shocked he collapsed. My brother and Lenox abandoned everything to search for Psychke.”

Verndia wasn’t mentioned at all.

Still, Isolet, piecing together the unfolding drama between the families, couldn’t remain silent. Psychke let out a bitter smile, realizing how rumors about her were being twisted.

Hilvia sneered, “Isn’t she insane?”

From Lillian’s biased account, it was a natural reaction.

“No, and the duke too. Why is he still keeping that misbehaving adopted girl in the house?”

“I… I really don’t know. I must be at fault…”

“That’s impossible!”

Already harboring ill feelings toward Psychke, Hilvia enthusiastically defended Lillian.

“That fake must have tricked everyone else.”

“Psychke wouldn’t do that.”

“Ugh, the lady is too naive. That’s why Duke Verndia keeps the engagement.”

Hilvia fanned herself vigorously, as if to calm her excitement.

Then, snapping the fan shut, she declared confidently: “It’s better this way. Once they know of her misdeeds, the duke will fully detach himself. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she can’t hold her head up in public.”

Isolet gaped.

If Verndia learned of this, the House of Eslant would not escape unscathed.

Still, he checked Psychke’s reaction first. Surprisingly, she wasn’t upset rather calm, aand even nonchalant.

He still offered comfort, “You needn’t worry. I will inform the duke on your behalf.”

“No, it’s fine.”

It wasn’t lip service, she truly meant it. Her reputation couldn’t fall any further. And since she had no intention of attending the prince’s ceremony, she wouldn’t hear any slander directly.

Psychke smiled faintly but Isolet thought that smile looked terribly sad.

At that moment, Hilvia, who had vowed to humiliate Psychke, changed the subject.

“By the way, does anyone in the Silkisia family have teal eyes? A man with a sharp expression?”

“No, I don’t recall any among the relatives. Why?”

“Oh, I went somewhere, and he glared at me like he wanted to kill me.”

Hilvia concealed the exact location, it wasn’t something she wanted to boast about.

“I really thought I was going to die. I couldn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure if he was from Silkisia.”

“Quite the ordeal.”

Lillian patted her gently, her voice soft, understanding, and pure.

Encouraged, Hilvia went on, even without being asked:

“When the subject of Leas came up, I said, ‘If you’re going to die, die properly. Why do that?’ And he just glared at me. I hadn’t even said anything wrong.”

“Leas?”

The Leas incident, where the crown princess almost died, had been largely hidden to avoid public unrest. Lillian, unaware of it, asked eagerly.

“Who is that?”

“Oh, you didn’t know?”

Hilvia excitedly recounted the Leas incident. Psychke listened quietly, lips sealed.

Even though she already knew the details, hearing it again was strange.

When it came to the part about the emperor reviving the family using a branch line, Psychke murmured inwardly:

‘I don’t know if that family’s luck is good or bad.’

Everyone involved had likely died, but the family name survived. It was impossible to tell if it was a good thing or bad.

As Hilvia’s tale neared its end, she suddenly lowered her voice.

“This is a secret, though.”

“Hmm?”