Be Fascinated - Chapter 20

But how could she leave? She couldn’t leave him now. The knights were waiting outside the bookstore. Didn’t she already know how frightening Claude was when she had left the house the other day?

A gentle confinement.

It was only then that Philia began to see her situation properly. She doesn’t know where the truth is.

She had been living as a saint, so unaccustomed to abundance that she didn’t even notice that it was strange.

“How… I will find a way.”

“…….”

“The succession ceremony will be held soon and he will be busy when he ascends to the throne.”

“Succession ceremony…?”

Philia asked. Irik had a shocked expression on his face.

“Oh my God, Philia. Haven’t you heard that the Emperor will soon return to the arms of God?”

“…I didn’t know it was so imminent.”

“The Crown Prince is really just toying with you. If he valued you, he should have told you that he would soon be crowned as the next Emperor.”

It was the right thing to say. Tears welled up in Philia’s eyes.

“After taking the throne, of course, he wouldn’t have told you about your treatment.”

“……”

“Once he enters the palace, it gets harder for you to get out. You have to get out before then.”

“I see.”

Philia’s voice was trembling. She looked at Irik. Irik was looking at her with pity.

It’s not that she wasn’t hesitant to go towards Irik, who poured out hurtful words. But he was the only one she could trust.

“I want to go out. Please let me get out.”

If Claude was only toying with her, Claude could not be forgiven as he had taken her entire life as a saint, only to get her in his grasp.

* 

Fortunately, Claude was still only sending letters until now. Philia wrote a letter to Claude and at the same time wrote a letter to Irik, which she handed over to the bird he sent.

She still couldn’t believe everything. Could it be that Irik was angry and told a lie? Or maybe there was some misunderstanding?

If Irik’s words were true, she would be just a victim of betrayal and ridicule of that man. Not wanting this to be her fate, Philia continued to deny and doubt.

But the truth was cruel.

It wasn’t the evidence that she asked Irik for, but Philia had also found evidence that changed her mind.

As she exchanged letters with Irik, she was pretending to be sensitive and prickly. She acted impatiently as if she was waiting for Claude, and from time to time she had the habit of burning the letters herself.

It was a front to dispose of Irik’s letter. No one could stop Philia from acting like this.

That day, she had a lot of letters to burn, so Philia headed to the incinerator herself. As they said that Philia became sensitive and acted on her own, people didn’t interfere with her going out to the garden. They only kept her on the watch lest she might escape.

There was a sharp smell from the incinerator as if the embers had remained from night to dawn.

She found something glimmering in the blackened ashes. She hesitated, then reached out and grabbed it. Her hands were black, but it didn’t matter.

The silvery thing was still warm. If it is a material without soot on fire…

A name plate carried by paladins. They were all blessed with holy water so that they did not burn. Philia stared intently at it. No matter how she looked at it, it was really a nameplate.

Why are the temple items here? Philia’s hand was trembling.

She stroked it carefully. The moment she saw the name engraved in one of the corners, she covered her mouth with her hand.

“Lo… gan…”

The paladin Logan’s nameplate was in the incinerator. Why was this here?

As Irik said, Logan and Claude were connected. He even tried to dispose of that evidence in the mansion where she was.

It wasn’t the evidence that Irik found and brought out, it was the evidence that Philia found by chance. Philia had to admit it, that Irik was right.

And with this, her heart shattered to pieces.

* * * 

Claude came in the evening a few days later. When Claude came by, Philia was taking a walk in the night, she ran to him and embraced him.

“Claude!”

Claude grabbed her by the waist and brought her up to meet his eyes. His warm eyes looked into hers.

“Philia.”

He looked like a sweet lover. Philia stroked Claude’s cheek.

“Your cheeks are too skinny.”

“I had a lot of work to do.”

“Are you still busy?”

“Hmm. Not much time left.”

“How much?”

“A week or so?”

When Philia made a disappointed expression, Claude set Philia down and said,

“Hold on a little bit. We can be together.”

“Alright.”

Philia smiled broadly. Claude, who had not seen her after a long time, did not notice that she was exaggerating, nor did he notice the strange sense of incongruity with her.

“Come have dinner.”

Philia took Claude’s hand. Claude shook his head.

“I can’t stay long.”

“Are you that busy? Then why did you come?”

“I want to see your face.”

Philia widened her eyes, her gaze perplexed as she looked at him. Claude reached out his arms and hugged her.

“I think I can live now.”

“…….”

“You are so stiff when I hold you.”

“That’s because you suddenly hugged me.”

Claude felt a great sense of satisfaction at the small warmth in his arms. His broad palms brushed her cheeks.

“I think it’s you who’s skinny.”

He carefully lifted her chin and stroked Philia’s lips. Before the kiss, a peculiar strange atmosphere surrounded the two of them.

Philia saw Claude’s face tinged with lust. If he kissed her here, he would suckle her lips and swallow them. He’d open her body like that, and she would get drunk in the feeling once more.

“Here?”

Philia smiled and turned her head in embarrassment. She said, frowning.

“No, I don’t want to. Just hold me like this.”

“If you wish.”

Claude hugged Philia. It was chilly at night, but Claude’s arms were hot. Philia was about to suffocate from the heat.

“Your Highness.”

“Huh?”

“Why do you like me?”

Philia asked again. Claude thought it’s because Philia was nervous, so he said.

“I just…”

“…….”

“I just want to have you.”

“You want to have me?”

“Yes, it’s just that I desire you like crazy.”

Claude gave the same answer again.

“Why do you want me?”

“Because you stood out.”

“…….”

Instead of answering, Philia dug deeper into his arms. Because she didn’t want to show her face.

Why would this person miss even the last chance she gave him?

* * * 

“Hurry up, Philia!”

Philia nodded her head at Irik’s words. Was she discovered? Her heart was pounding. She looked around the theater. The play will still be showing.

Inside the theater, escorts could not be placed separately. The seat that Philia had reserved was reserved for only the highest-ranking VIPs, so there was no one.

Having quickly changed into clothes that Irik had prepared for her, Philia disguised herself as the staff and managed to get out of the theater safely.

Until the end of the screening, please.

Philia begged and begged. After changing the clothes several times, Philia escaped from the capital. Seeing that the gates had not been sealed, she still felt as if she had not been uncovered.

“Thank God.”

Philia was relieved. After that, she changed her clothes three times outside the capital, and in two full days on the horse, she was able to move to the place Irik had arranged.

It was a religious village where temples were the mainstay.

“Alright, Philia. You are free to live here as you please.”

Philia saw the house that Irik had provided. The house was certainly not comparable to Claude’s mansion, but it was small and cozy.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes.”

Philia smiled. In fact, her heart was still racing unsteadily.

“The Emperor’s succession ceremony is around the corner.”

“Is His Majesty that serious?”

“I called the Great Temple. The funeral is being prepared.”

“Then…”

“The state funeral will be proclaimed by the time we leave. Traffic will be stalled for a week.”

“Will he come after me?”

“At this point, you mean moving the army to pursue us? Even though he is a prince, he will see the eyes of the mother who is his support base. The Empress is famous for her cruel personality, so does he want to stand out from her?”

“…….”

“Even if he moves, he would move on a small scale. It won’t be easy to find you. I made people with similar faces move at the same time. Traces will disappear, and tracking you will be difficult.”

Irik was cautious. In that short time, he seemed to have thought about how to escape and how to outrun the chase.

“Thank you.”

“…….”

“Thank you so much, Brother Irik.”

Philia said with sincerity. Irik’s eyes widened as he looked at Philia. The only person Philia depended on became him.

His anger against her was long gone. How could he hate her and be so angry with her? Besides, he’s the only one the poor kid can rely on now.

Irik smiled softly, trying to ignore the chilling ecstasy.

“Because you are the saint.”