My Sweet Deceiver - Chapter 84

The time Tehez was alone was so lonely that she sometimes talked to herself. She, of course, had no answer coming back.

 

They left Dennis alone in the Prince’s palace. He was placated with pleasant words, but he was not allowed to go out, nor allowed anyone to enter his room.

 

Confinement.

 

Dennis was confinement in the Prince’s palace.

 

When he knew there was a woman beyond that palace and the current moment, his feelings were as different as heaven and earth. He was left alone. That fact was clear.

 

Similarly, in the main palace, the King and people were probably trapped, but the fact that Tehez was not there made Dennis feel overwhelmed. He felt like he was left alone in this world.

 

His body kept sinking down, and his nerves became more and more sensitive. It had been several days since he had slept properly. Was it because there was no one to comfort him?

 

It was in stark contrast to him falling asleep peacefully without any worries with her.

 

His consolation was absent.

 

Time passed slowly, and his mind was clouded. But he didn’t bother to express himself.

 

Instead, he pretended to be perfectly fine. By revealing his condition, he did not want to give excuses to the unscrupulous. Even now, like a herd of hounds out there, they would be waiting for him to collapse. Their goal was probably to make him listen to their demands with his weakened mind.

 

Dennis firmly held onto his emotions. Then, he tried to get some rest again.

 

But the familiar ceiling he had seen for weeks and the stuffy air made his efforts futile.

 

All sorts of unpleasant thoughts occupied his mind.

 

The place where he lay as though something was biting his back became uncomfortable. Dennis got up from the bed and went to the window.

 

At dawn, snow was falling in Lubern. There was a lot of snow that fell silently.

 

Tired eyes. He looked out the window with an insensitive face.

 

A dawn that hasn’t even dawned. There was nothing in his field of vision. A face I miss, a person I want to see. All I could see was my eyes.

 

He put his hand on his windowpane. Then he looked at the frost on the windows melting lukewarmly with his body heat. His hands were cold. He removed his cold hands, took a cigar from the box, and lit it.

 

His fingers trembled as he held his cigar and grabbed it with his other hand.

 

Everything was back to the starting point. It was a situation where he felt utterly powerless.

 

He didn’t doubt it.

 

The woman must have escaped safely.

 

She must have.

 

Dennis sucked on his cigar until his cheeks hollowed. It was a thing he loved so much, but he couldn’t feel the scent today, perhaps because he was nervous. Eventually, he just held the cigar still until it became too hot to hold in his hand.

 

Hope is fragile, so if you hold it in your heart, it will wither away.

 

So he decided to be decisive. He asserted firmly. The woman was not injured or in pain. She was staying in a safe place.

 

Although sometimes there was a moment when it was necessary even if you had baseless beliefs. Like those who seek God. Even if they have never seen God, they believe in Him.

 

And he, too, decided to pray on the subject of unbelievers. Because he wanted to have something to rely on, somewhere to place his hopes.

 

He was sure she’ll be safe, but he was not strong enough to hold on to his weak assurances alone.

 

He has lived his whole life as evidence of being denied by God. His mother’s life and the trajectory he lived were like that.

 

‘Oh God, who has never granted my wish. If you are watching, if you can hear me now, I beg of you, this time, please grant me my wish.’

 

‘I hope that woman is alive.’

 

He put his trembling fingertips together and pretended to pray. Then he looked vacantly as if looking at someone he thought might have heard. His palace had not even a relic as small as a fingernail. Still, he pretended to be devoted and faithful.

 

Smoke was still rising from the cigar in his hand.

 

He decided to assume that someone would have heard.

 

‘Even though God has never listened to me before, if He exists… If He does, then maybe this one time, shouldn’t He grant my wish?’

 

He convinced himself in his heart.

 

Then he even thought of throwing tantrums like a child.

 

‘Wasn’t your child quite faithful even after going through everything?’

 

Dennis referred to his deceased mother; he choked up thinking about her.

 

‘If not for her, then even on behalf of your loyal servant, who never betrayed you. She worshipped you with all her heart.’

 

‘If my faith is not enough to be granted, then at least look at my mother who never abandoned you until she was killed by the King…’

 

Dennis felt silly about his whimsical thoughts. Even so, he stroked the tattoo of deception engraved on his chest. He decided to act as if he had never turned a blind eye to God.

 

It was his speciality to act convincingly without a hint of sincerity. So he pretended to be chaste, like a priest who never betrayed. He decided to forcefully calm the rising anxiety.

 

They surely would have informed him if the group that imprisoned Dennis had found the runaway Tehez. To blackmail him.

 

Henry, who became the chief commander of the rebels, knew that Dennis wanted to live alone with Tehez in a quiet place. So, he locked Dennis up, taking advantage of that wish.

 

However, even after several days, the rebel group hadn’t said a word to Dennis. That meant they hadn’t found Tehez yet.

 

He shook his head and tried to think of something pleasant.

 

‘The rose garden I promised to go to with Tehez in the spring, I have to go to her favourite villa again in the summer, and I have to do more things that I haven’t been able to do in the future…’

 

He chuckled.

 

The escalating anxiety somewhat subsided just by thinking of her. Life returned to his faded green eyes that had lost vitality.

 

He sat at his desk and lit a cigar again, looking out the window.

 

The smoke filled the air in an instant, making everything beyond it appear hazy.

 

It seems that a certain shape can be glimpsed through the hazy smoke. Golden hair fluttered like silk in the air.

 

He watched with his eyes wide open so as not to miss the afterimage.

 

As if everything he needed was right in front of his eyes.

 

The cigar turned into ashes, and the smoke dispersed into the air. And with that, his illusions also faded. It disappeared as if it never existed in the first place.

 

He lay down again, unable to sleep.

 

His consolation was absent.

 

* * *

 

Having obtained the information that the Second Prince was in Riyol, Giselle had just arrived at Riyol Station by train.

 

Perhaps because of Anghel’s sudden change of attitude, Giselle kept an eye on Anghel throughout the train ride.

 

The southern tourist city of Riyol still had a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere, probably because the rebels hadn’t reached there.

 

As Giselle got off the train, a gentle breeze brushed her cheeks.

 

Anghel stood beside her without hiding his face, which was in stark contrast to his usual behaviour of sneaking around at night or covering his face.

 

With his large build exuding an intimidating aura, Anghel looked like someone who made a living doing illegal things.

 

The two went straight to the mansion where Fabrice was staying.

 

When we arrived in front of the mansion, Anghel went ahead and knocked on the door. A maid peeked her face through the crack in the open door.

 

“Who are you.”

 

“The queen-to-be has personally come to see you.”

 

“What?”

 

With her bewildered face, the maid gave a gaze to Giselle, who stood behind Anghel, then lowered her head as her eyes met hers.

 

“Yes, it’s me.”

 

Giselle said in a haughty voice. Then the maid opened the door that had been closed.

 

“Please come inside first.”

 

The mansion was strangely quiet. The maid led Giselle and Anghel to the tearoom, brewing them some tea.

 

If Fabrice was in this mansion, there was no way it would be this quiet. Giselle felt certain as she asked.

 

“Is he out somewhere?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Giselle felt a sense of déjà vu at the words of the maid, who answered after a while.

 

“Surely… he didn’t disappear, did he?”

 

The maid looked surprised by Giselle-s question.

 

“It’s been about five days since His Highness didn’t come back.”

 

“…Huh?”

 

Giselle had her head pounding. She had to look for the man again in this situation. This was really troublesome.

 

Seeing that Giselle looked displeased, the maid bowed and added an excuse.

 

“Oh, he’s probably at a nearby hotel.”

 

“Hotel?”

 

Giselle’s voice rose in her reply.

 

Did she mean that he was playing around with other women?

 

“Not something else. His Highness might be staying there because of playing card games outside and not coming back.”

 

When the maid gave her another excuse, Giselle sighed and answered.

 

“I’ll go out.”

 

“I’ll go out and look for him,” said Anghel as Giselle sat there with an irritated face.

 

“Okay. As long as you put your life on the line, I don’t care what you do. Bring him back in front of me.”

 

“Yes. I understand. Miss.”

 

After Anghel left, Giselle started biting her nails again. They had already wasted a lot of time getting here. She needed to find the Prince quickly and head back to the capital.

 

And that evening.

 

While waiting for the news Anghel would bring, Giselle changed out of her clothes and had dinner. If she found the Second Prince, she planned to negotiate with the King or the rebels to return to the original state.

 

If money was an issue, she had her father’s bank to rely on, so she wasn’t too worried. She was confident.

 

She thought that even if the police investigated her father, it would be quickly resolved once they found the Second Prince.

 

Giselle stroked her empty stomach. It had been quite a while since she falsely informed the King that she was pregnant, so the next time she met the King, she should act like she was heavily pregnant. She had been thinking about that.

 

Then Anghel came into the dining hall, where she was without a sound.

 

“Welcome back.”

 

As he walked in, it meant he had gathered some news.

 

Giselle greeted Anghel with a smile.

 

However, Anghel didn’t say anything and just handed her an envelope. What Giselle opened her envelope with a puzzled look on her face and took out was a single official document. The name written at the top of the document was ‘Death Certificate.’

 

Giselle hurriedly checked the name written on the death certificate. Instead of a name, it said ‘Unidentified Individual’ in the name section.

 

Giselle furrowed her brows and asked him, “What is this?”

 

“It’s a death certificate of an unidentified individual.”

 

“Why are you showing this to me?”

 

“It seems like the Prince has passed away.”

 

“What did you say?”

 

Anghel repeated the same words with no expression on his face.

 

“It seems like the Prince has passed away.”

 

(To be continued in the next episode)