CH 69

Who is the Fake Bride? (11)

Lucy soon followed before she started frowning slightly. It was due to the fact that she had been dissatisfied with the Emperor’s sudden mien, which was walking ahead first without even considering the Empress at all.

“What’s wrong with His Majesty? It’s a little different than usual…… Don’t you think he’s acting too cold, Head Maid? He doesn’t seem to be considerate of the Empress as well. Is he already tired of the Empress…?”

At that moment, Silloa began to open her mouth while she was entering as she was left with Lucy.

“Did you forget, Silloa, that I told you to watch your mouth in the Palace?”

Lucy, who felt like she was suddenly caught, scolded Silloa with a more stern look for no apparent reason. Silloa then pouted before she soon gave a shrug.

Lucy sighed when she saw that and looked forward once again. There was a lot of distance between the Emperor and the Empress. The distance seemed to have widened so much while she had stopped just for a moment when rebuking Silloa.

Lucy instantly hurried her steps. Silloa and other maids soon followed to increase their walking speed as well.

There was such a commotion in the background, but Kergel didn’t even care about that. No, it had become too complicated for him to care about any of that.

‘Obviously, this woman is a totally different person.’

Kergel was certain of the fact even when he still couldn’t organize his complicated mind at present.

—someone else.

He murmured silently and repeatedly deep within himself.

He didn’t know what the hell was this all about. He couldn’t even understand everything with his own reasoning as well.

However, it was clear that this woman, who happened to be breathing hard while following him, had not been his companion, ‘Erita’ herself.

It was an instinctive sensation that had been rather hard to explain.

Did he manifest his ability that enabled him to recognize his own companion?

Still, he had never seen the ability to recognize companions in this manner reported in the records.

So, this must have been just his own personal feeling instead. There was no such reason and not a single explanation at all.

In a way, it was such an absurd thought too.

“……”

At that moment, Kergel suddenly stopped walking. However, Erita didn’t notice that Kergel had stopped as she rushed to follow him in order to keep up with him, but the hem of her dress got wrapped around her leg and she fell down at once.

“Oh my—”

“Empress!”

Erita had fallen forward right in front of Kergel’s eyes. Nevertheless, he didn’t even reach out and just looked down at her instead.

He didn’t think of reaching out to her even while the maids were already rushing towards her.

“……”

Kergel merely stared at the woman who looked like ‘Erita’ as she got up with the help of Lucy and the rest of the maids.

Of course, his excellent motor vision would have detected it well enough to instantly grab a hold of her even before she could fall. But Kergel just didn’t want to do that.

There was no kindness to give out to a ‘fake’ who was obviously pretending to be his companion.

‘…but I’ll just see what’s going on.’

Although it suited his personality to act on impulse and at will, this was still a time to be cautious.

Above all else, as the Emperor, this position was actually telling him that he should act cautiously right now.

A fake who had been pretending to be a companion instead of one’s very own was not a matter to be solved on its own just like that.

In other words, the Empress of Seroif had been ‘changed’ within the Imperial Palace itself. Besides, it was during no one had ever noticed.

He looked at Lucy, the Head Maid, who seemed busy checking to see if the ‘fake’s’ hand or leg was even hurt.

“……It’s amazing.”

Kergel laughed in vain and muttered in such a low voice that no one could even hear.

How could no one notice it?

No, it could be since they look very much alike. But couldn’t they at least doubt it anyway?

It appeared just like that in every way that was entirely different from ‘Erita’……

“Your Majesty…”

Then, Erita opened her mouth to Kergel with tears in her eyes. It was with a voice and expression that made it nearly impossible not to know that she pretended to be all vulnerable.

“…Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

“How can I not hurt at all? Here, this is what the wound looks like.”

Erita said it repeatedly in a tearful tone while putting out her palms in front of Kergel’s eyes.

‘If anyone hears this, they’d think it’s such a big wound.’

He didn’t feel much when he saw the rawness on her palm. It was funny to call it a wound just due to a few drops of blood.

Well… if it was the real ‘Erita’, then things might have changed a little.

“I’ll call for the doctor and tell them to treat you. I’m afraid we’ll have to end the walk here. It’s going to be impossible to keep on going for a walk when you’re all hurt like this.”

“What? Oh no, that…… That’s not true…….”

Erita stammered at Kergel’s words. But before she could even finish, Kergel had already turned away.

“Your Majesty!”

“Oh, My Lord—why……”

She could hear the ladies whispering. Erita bit her lips tightly and shot a look at the back of the man who was simply moving away from her.

“Empress…”

Lucy was about to call out to the Empress, but she hurriedly kept her mouth shut. For some reason, it was due to the fact  that her eyes had looked unusually strong.

‘I must be mistaken. I must have only been mistaken.’

Nevertheless, Lucy shook her head as she thought that it was only her illusion. She had never assumed that it had been anyone else, so it was only natural for her to also think of it so.