Chapter 65

“When fox hunting.”

“When the fox hunting?”

“…won’t you attend?”

“Should I attend?”

“If you’re not busy. Your Highness the First Prince promised to give me the fox statue.”

Valery thought she was deceiving him again. Even so, he still liked her.

“…I’m different from my mother.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like you said, I came back to avoid doing anything dangerous. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have appeared in front of Your Highness.”

Of course, he thought it was a trick. The one who confessed was him, so she was using that.

“On fox hunting day, please come to me.”

“…”

“I have something I want to tell you that day.”

But that day she seemed really desperate, so Valery had no choice but to trust her again.

Valery changed his route, finished his work in advance, and sent an empty carriage to the place where he was supposed to go on the day he left the palace. However, the carriage, which he was supposed to be in there, was half damaged and couldn’t return.

Bella was struggling for a guy like him. He couldn’t put her in danger anymore after he knew it. If he could, he wanted to get her out of the danger. She seemed to be walking on a tightrope alone.

“Please… stop it.”

He remembered her mumbling pitifully the night before. And he confided the secrets.

“What do you mean…”

Joanne was shocked. Slowly his face became more and more shocked, and soon he realized it was related to the person Valery had been with since a few days ago. Joanne’s eyes widened.

“Then… she saved Your Highness?”

“That’s right. For that reason alone, I have a duty to protect her.”

Joanne was about to say something, but ended up closing his mouth. Valery knew at first glance what he was trying to say. He wanted to oppose their relationship. After hearing all the story, there was no way he wouldn’t oppose it.

“So you have to help me.”

Even if it was dangerous.

Originally, Valery’s life would have been cut off in the north that winter. There was nothing he couldn’t do for her favorite and beloved person, who saved him again and again.  

“…I will take your orders.” Joanne finished answering.

* * *

“It’s lame.”

Back at the mansion, Blake Ariandel was busy looking around. Ian was keeping an eye on her to see if she would do anything suspicious, but Blake Ariandel was just focused on looking around.

I sat on the sofa whether she knew about it or not. Originally, I was thinking of relaxing after coming back to the mansion. I thought it would be really nice to sleep like a rat and wake up tomorrow morning. However, it couldn’t happen now. Since Valery had been safely sent back, it was time to find out her reason to come here.

Blake Ariandel looked at every nook and cranny of the mansion, and soon grabbed the handrail of the stairs going up to the second floor.

“That’s enough.” I stopped her. Getting up from my seat, I approached her.

“Isn’t this my mansion?”

“That’s the case if your father didn’t take the money.”

“Ah, I see.”

With her chin raised, she pressed her chin with her fingers, seeming to be lost in thought. She then came down as she had been stepping on the stairs and approached me.

“Then Sister can take me there. I have something to do on the second floor.”

“I can’t because I’m staying there. If you really need it, tell your father about it and come back. I don’t know if that will happen though.”

“You’re too much for living with my name.”

“Your father is the one who is responsible for that.”

I could see her face more closely as she stood completely in front of me. Her large eyes, light double eyelids, and plump cheeks gave her a gentle-looking impression. If it weren’t for her red hair and red eyes, she would have been called the gentlest person in this empire.

Her skin was as white as snow. Her skin was thin, revealing blue veins on her neck and chin. She had rather pale lips. Maybe it was because of her intense red hair and eyes or because she looked pale which made her seem fragile and weak. But her bold voice that came out of her mouth showed that she wasn’t that fragile.

Even though the weather was rather warm, I could see a blue dress in layers that came up to her neck. But what did she believe in to come here alone?

“I guess you came alone without an escort. How fearless.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Why can’t I threaten someone who is trying to threaten me?”

“Are you trying to kill me?” Blake Ariandel snorted.

“Do you think I can’t do that?”

With me smiling, she flinched and stiffened her expression. For a moment I saw her gazing at Ian, but she soon relaxed as if something was about to happen.

“Actually, I came because I wanted to ask you something.”

“Then after asking me, can’t you leave?”

Blake Ariandel came one step closer to me. Then she came close to my ear and whispered softly. “You stole my necklace on purpose.”

I stayed still for a moment, then let out a smirk. “You’re not a fool.”

I thought she had come on her own, so I checked her beforehand. Now, the reason she came and the reason I wanted matched.

The ‘my necklace’ that Blake Ariandel was talking about was Riventel’s red tears. I stole it when I attended my first banquet at the capital. That was why the real owner of Riventel’s red tears came to me.

“As expected, it was you.” Her voice changed completely. It was a voice that softened hostility.

Thinking it was just my feeling, I turned around and called Ian. “Ian, stay here and let me know if my mother or Sir Shubart comes.”

“Are you going to the second floor?”

“Yes, it won’t be long.”

I walked past her and took the stairs to the second floor.

However, it was already too late. How long time had been passed? Originally, I intended to leave my traces so that she would find me. My plan was to join hands with the real Blake Ariandel. That was my plan until Valery noticed my presence. On top of that, time had passed too much, and I already joined hands with Shale and Madame in the meantime.

There were many things I have solved alone. So I gave up that plan.

“Don’t you think it’s too late?” I asked as I stepped up to the second floor hallway.

“If you had used an easier mother, I wouldn’t be this late. I also had a situation too. But how could you treat me like this?”

“I’ve never dealt with this before.”

I turned around and headed back to my room. As soon as I opened the door and entered, I opened the bottom drawer and took out a spacious jewelry box.

Blake Ariandel said as she entered my room, “I will close the door.”

Then she closed the door without listening to my answer. There was even the sound of the door being locked.

I held out the box of Rinvetel’s red tears to her as I was trying to give it back. This was because my plan had already changed several times and there was no reason for me to join hands with her.

Blake Ariandel, who received the box from me, opened the lid, and her face brightened for a moment.

“But how did you know this and steal it? I designed and commissioned it myself. The craftsman said he had a heavy mouth, but was that true?”

“If you came here to find this, take it with you and leave. I don’t leave any scratch.”

“Leave? I asked you how you found this.” Blake Ariandel asked as if she was dumbfounded.

“Because I knew your existence before you knew me.”

“…”

“You probably knew my existence because of this. Is that answering your question?”

“What kind of—”

“Take it. If you want anything else, go find your father, not me. Whether you become the crown princess or receive billions money, that would be part of the deal your father made.”

“So Sister is not guilty of anything?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Blake Ariandel alternately looked at me with the trinket box she was holding, perhaps speechless. After a while, she talked as if she had made up her mind on something.  “I’m sorry, but I have to say what I have to say.”

The words she said didn’t hurt me at all. This was because I noticed her voice was shaking little by little. Either it came from excitement, anger, or fear.

“Go ahead.”

More than anything else, I felt very dirty as a fake pretending to be the real in front of the real, regardless of all the reasons. So I wanted her to leave immediately. I even hated myself for feeling this was even though I was the one who chose to be Blake Ariandel. Even though there were other candidates, I chose her anyway.

Blake Ariandel suddenly unbuttoned the collar of her thick dress and began to take off her dress layer by layer.