Please Be A Traitor - Chapter 48

“Let go.”

In a low tone, Karpel threatened me.

I could sense his rejection, as if he couldn’t bear being touched by me, and I couldn’t sense any affection from him that was left for me.

However, if he really didn’t want to be touched, he could just shake my hand away. And yet Karpel didn’t do so.

He merely glanced down at his hand, which I was holding, calmly. He was merely waiting for me to let go of my hand on my own, as if he could never get away from me by shaking my hand.

He’d always been like this. Always.

He refused me and pushed me away, but in the end stayed with me.

And that was the reason why I always mistakenly thought that he was always caring about me.

‘However…… Are those truly my misunderstandings? Even when Krenberia is an enemy to Karpel?’

I tightened my grip on Karpel’s hand as if to affirm it.

“Karpel.”

“What?”

“Shake my hand off if you don’t like it.”

It wasn’t like I asked him to do something difficult but instead of trying to shake off my hand, he only said ‘let go’ with a straight face.

“Does what you’re doing now imply that you’ve chosen to protect me?”

“Is it not because you despise me that you treat me so coldly?”

He made no attempt to refute it.

His eyes widened, as if he had been caught in the act of hiding something.

Oh, my goodness.

He should have treated me more coldly if he truly despised me and truly wanted to end our engagement.

It’s not like he stayed with me because he was caught in some type of trap.

If he really wanted it, he should have thrown me out and even spit on me.

“You know…… I decided to be engaged to you in order to protect you.”

“……it will only end with us being destroyed together.”

It seemed like he, treating me coldly to protect me, was real.

“You could never defend me with such a means, Karpel.”

“It’s something I……”

As he spoke, Karpel frowned.

His face was flushed, as if he was saying to himself, ‘you’ll be safe if you let me go.’

I drew Karpel’s hand in closer.

Then it caused Karpel to get closer to me.

I could barely reach Karpel’s ear by lifting my heel, even with his head bent down.

I whispered in his ear as I lifted my hand.

“He is also targeting Krenberia.”

Karpel was taken aback when he heard my words.

He was so taken aback that he looked embarrassed.

Was it really that unexpected?

Karpel looked stunned and hardened when I told him the truth, so I took a step back and grabbed the fan from his hands.

Karpel rubbed his ear gently.

Perhaps he was trying to confirm the truth of what he had just heard.

After a little pause. His gold eyes shifted to face me.

And I added, as if to guarantee him that what he had heard was true.

“I mean, it’s pointless.”

Karpel made a frowning expression.

I felt as if his golden eyes, which were fixed on me, were scolding me.

“Do not do something like this.”

“What did I do?”

“……”

Was he telling me not to mention the Emperor’s aim of Krenberia?

That is, however, the truth.

The Emperor was a person who killed his own brother so that he could ascend to the throne. So it was conceivable for such a person to slaughter his wife’s family.

I stared at Karpel puzzled, but he pointed to the mansion with his finger.

“Go in and sleep.”

“You might not believe me, but what I just stated is the……”

“Go in.”

“……”

Ugh, come on. How can he be so bossy?

To treat me coldly yet to protect me is such a stupidity. He simply despised me and treated me rudely. He regarded me as if I were something disgusting and filthy.

As you wish, Sire. The disgusting will get into the mansion right now!

But how did he know it was a letter that was embroidered on the fan?

As one could expect of the ultimate boss. He is indeed very outstanding.

* * * * *

When she was told to go in, Inaila raised her eyebrows.

She turned and entered the mansion with a pout on her lips.

Karpel stroked his ears again, where Inaila’s breath had blown, while staring at her back. As a result, he discovered that his ears were still itching.

‘She’s getting cuter as time goes by.’

Karpel was surprised to discover Inaila refusing his escort this morning.

She never attempted to go alone.

Karpel was usually escorting her, even to the tea party, which was solely for ladies.

And Inaila’s behavior, which appeared to be an attempt to distance herself from Karpel, distressed him.

That’s why, the last time Inaila and Shabelle Float out to watch a play, he followed her without recognizing it. And it was the same today.

He invaded the Villa on the guise of coming to see Inaila’s reaction to the fan Duke Krenberia had prepared.

But Inaila went about her business as normal, completely ignorant to Karpel’s absences.

Karpel felt a breach in his heart as he stared at Inaila like way, as if something was leaking out.

That’s why he felt weak when Inaila smiled and thanked him.

Inaila’s smile carefully blocked the broken part of Karpel’s heart and filled the empty inside with warmth. He felt better. As a result, he leaned in closer to her.

Karpel fought to soothe his pounding heart.

But no matter how hard he tried, Inaila’s warmth was too much for him. Her warmth made him feel like his insides were burned.

Karpel stayed still for a long time. He had a hard time calming down his pounding heart before he came to his senses. And he began to comprehend what Inaila had said to him, which had lingered in his mind.

‘She said that my way to protect her was wrong…… and that Krenberia is also his target.’ 

Only the Emperor had the power to enforce Krenberia.

‘But the Empress was Krenberia’s……’

Karpel had chills for a brief period.

The Empress who was adored by a ruthless and self-centered Emperor.

The Emperor solely favored the Empress even after ascending to the throne. He didn’t even bother having concubines.

‘The Empress is favored by the Emperor?’

Karpel’s attention then wandered to the Empress, who was said to be favored by the Emperor. It seemed unthinkable that an Emperor who favored his Empress would commit atrocities against his wife’s family.

But the more he thought about it, the more odds he noticed.

The Empress’s father, the former Duke of Krenberia, died abruptly after supporting the present Emperor and joining the revolt.

Inaila’s mother, the Duchess of Krenberia, was likewise a strong lady.

Nevertheless, she died suddenly of an illness.

However, in order to impress the Emperor who just ascended to the throne by force, no one could pay attention to the misfortunes that Duke Krenberia encountered.

Marianne Krenberia Iverox, who would eventually become Empress, couldn’t afford to grieve her father’s death and instead chose to celebrate the Emperor’s coronation.

Because the time was overlapping at the moment, no one could afford to be baffled by the Empress’s attitude.

‘However, eliminating the family’s head does not guarantee the Emperor will be able to destroy Krenberia.’

When Inaila and Karpel were engaged, though, Krenberia began to shake.

And things weren’t looking good for Elysium, the kingdom of forest elves. To the point that Salik, an Imperial Palace sage scholar, became a private tutor for the Duke’s daughter.

It was the Emperor who caused the current crisis with Elysium, since he was the one who breached an agreement between two countries and prohibited wheat export to Elysium.

Flames were spreading around Krenberia.

No one would guess that what happened in Krenberia was related to the Emperor now that Krenberia had become the Emperor’s right hand, along with the Empress, who was also from Krenberia.

Karpel remembered how the Emperor laughed at Inaila and himself six years ago.

‘I thought he was only laughing at me……’

The Emperor may have anticipated that Inaila and Karpel’s relationship would sway Krenberia at the time.

‘In the end…… is it because of me?’

As he started to think like that, Karpel’s eyes sank gloomily.

9. A fool for his daughter. A fool for his sister. A fool, period.

After a quick stroll, I conducted weight training in my room today.

As soon as I finished the 30 minutes of training, I looked for the butler.

“Did you call me, My Lady?”

“Yes. Today, I’d like to personally prepare my father’s morning tea.”

“Indeed, My Lady. I’m certain the master will be delighted.”

I went to my father’s office after making the tea.

My father was still in his pajamas, while looking at the documents, smiled brightly like a child as soon as he made eye contact with me as I entered his office.

“Ina.”

“Ah, Daddy. Please stay still. I’ll bring it to you.”

I rushed up to him, figuring he would throw away the paperwork and instead come to me.

My father hugged me and seated me on his lap after that.

I was worried about spilling the tea on the barrow tray, so I walked slowly.

Fortunately, the tea was just slightly shaky but unharmed, so I placed it on the tidy area of the desk.

“What brought my precious daughter here?”