CH 26

The Fate of the Fugitive and the Truth About the Jewels

She would’ve been told in advance what to do in the absence of the Marshal and his wife and wouldn’t have carelessly approached the embassy in Rai.

The foolish Rosa tricked him into a terrible mistake.

He didn’t feel much remorse for what he had done, but he had a grudge against Rosa. After all, as a man, wasn’t it natural to want to be close to a beautiful woman? The Crown Prince too wouldn’t have been so angry if Rosa hadn’t said all those stupid things.

Before long, Falco began to hold a faint expectation.

‘I wonder if they will hide me if I go to Lucrezia’s place.’

If he asked her to forgive him, she would probably listen to him. She always did. She had also turned a blind eye to his affair with Rosa.

Besides, he heard that she was forced to marry a man who was known as the Ugly Duke.

The imagination that Falco’s visit would be surprisingly pleasant comforted him as he endured his incubation activities in a harsh environment.

He was determined to save up some money and get a fake passport. He would cross the border to see Lucrezia.

That thought was the only thing that kept Falco going.

But the newspaper he got today―

[I can no longer call him the Ugly Duke. As soon as he appeared at the party, he charmed not only the ladies and gentlemen but also many impressionable daughters with his handsome face. His gentlemanly manner, his lively eyes, and his graceful manner of speaking had no resemblance to what they used to be.]

“A lie. It’s a lie….”

A storm rumbled in his head. Lucrezia was supposed to be living in disappointment, having been forced to marry an ugly man.

The reunion with Falco should’ve made her happy.

The newspaper spelled it out.

[It was the devoted love of a beautiful girl that brought him back to his true form. The lovely young lady seems to be descended from the Illuminati royal family.]

Who was it, Falco wanted to say.

A plain, boring girl who never smiled.

The white-haired young lady who always looked at Falco blankly with dark, dull eyes. Wasn’t that Lucrezia?

Only Falco should’ve known about her hidden beauty.

And her devoted personality.

It was all Falco’s.

And yet.

Falco wandered the harbor feeling torn.

Lucrezia, who had been the only support he had ever known, was now far away.

Would he have to live the rest of his life as a wanted man, a day laborer?

Knowing that the hard labor would continue, something inside Falco broke.

***

“Ramilio-sama. A suspicious beggar was reportedly acting up at the gate. He seemed to call himself Falco, the son of a marshal of the Illuminati.”

Ramilio listened without stopping his writing, but when he heard the name of the suspicious person, he stood up.

“….. Did he really say his name was Falco? He wanted to see Lucrezia?”

“Yes. I threatened him with a sword earlier and turned him away, but I thought I’d better tell you just in case.”

Ramilio knew that this was the name of Lucrezia’s former fiancé. She had mentioned it while informing him about the political situation in the Illuminati.

“I hope you’re safe, Falco-sama.”

Ramilio remembered feeling an indescribable pang in his chest.

After all, wasn’t she being two-timed with her sister? So why worry about him?

Isn’t there a scripture that said, “Cursed is the man who sleeps with his wife’s sister?”

Cheating wasn’t acceptable, but it was even worse to cheat with one’s brother or sister-in-law.

“It’s a nuisance to have him roaming around the territory.”

There was a risk that he might harm Lucrezia.

“Find and capture him. Then, send him back to his parents or something…. What, are you dissatisfied with my decision?”

Bosco asked hesitantly.

“But….. would Lucrezia-sama have the same opinion?”

She would definitely ask him to help Falco.

Knowing it, Ramilio made his decision immediately.

“You needn’t ask her. Don’t let her know anything.”

Bosco backed down this time and left the room.

Later that day, the Illuminati’s political situation was further aggravated by the disposition at that time.

The Marshal and his wife were accused of harboring their son and were forced to resign from their position.

They fled the country together, taking Falco with them. Since then, their whereabouts were unknown.

The Kingdom of Rai moved at the opportune moment.

They declared war against the Illuminati.

***

The time went back to shortly before the start of the war between the Illuminati and Rai.

Rosa and her father, Prince Antonio, also saw a newspaper with the headline “Beauty and the Beast.”

“My sister’s a beautiful woman…. Pfft, that’s ridiculous.”

Rosa snickered.

“They probably paid some newspaper reporter to write the article. It sounds like the kind of thing a lowly rich man would think of.”

Her father also laughed and threw the newspaper out of the carriage window.

“So, Dad, what are we going to do now?”

“First of all, we need money. You have the jewels that Lucrezia left behind. If we sell them, we should have enough to live on for the rest of our lives.”

“You’re going to sell it…..”

When Rosa balked, feeling it was a bit of a waste, her father laughed.

“If you find a good man somewhere and marry him, they will come back soon.”

“You’re right.”

After all, Rosa was known as the “Rosebud Princess” even in the capital city, so he was sure anyone would be delighted if they went to the countryside.

Visiting a reputable pawn shop, Rosa and her father brought the hundred or so pieces of jewelry they had acquired from her sister to the counter.

The pawnshop owner squinted his monocle and scrutinized the jewelry for a moment.

“It’s a very good quality imitation jewelry.”

Rosa and her father were astonished.

“It can’t be! Even the certificate of delivery is here.”

“No, it is glass. It’s really exquisite, though. Even if the king were to wear it, he wouldn’t know it was an imitation. However, it has no value as jewelry. If you’re willing, I can lend you about ten gold coins for all of them.”

The bag of gold coins was sadly light.

Rosa and her father were left on the street with ten gold coins in their hands.

“Hey, Dad, that’s not what you told me!”

“That can’t be true! Surely that girl had real jewels! That thing’s grandfather commissioned a world-class jeweler to make it…..!”

Rosa remembered her sister’s attitude when she departed.

“By all means. Please take good care of them.”

The reason she was so relaxed was probably because she knew that all she had at her parents’ house were imitations.

“She probably knew from the beginning that all she had at home were knockoffs…..”

“I’m sure that’s true. She must have left it with the agent who manages her property. Goddamn it!”

“So that means if we go to sister’s place, the real thing will be there, right?”

“Oh…”

Rosa grinned.

“Hey, Dad. Shall we go and see the rumored “Beauty and the Beast”?”

“We’ll probably just get turned away at the gate… No, but wait?”

Prince Antonio had an epiphany.