The argument didn’t last long. Surprisingly, he willingly extended the deadline. The important part wasn’t the deadline; it was the threat to expose her sins once the promise was over.
After granting her request, Aloken pondered alone. He, of course, intended to kill Fanora even if she came to give him the real Europa. Since he was child, he had been a person who easily get bored with anything, and these days, he even revealed that he didn’t find hunting fun anymore. What weight is there on the oath of love such a person spit out?
I’m finally going to chance my fiancée. What should I do with Vasago?
After witnessing Fanora’s painful appearance, Aloken’s interest in her rapidly diminished. His mind was already filled with thoughts of accepting a new fiancée from another family.
Two weeks…
On the other hand, Fanora had other thoughts in her mind.
Will I be able to make up my mind in two weeks?
The reason Fanora asked for more time wasn’t to help Aloken to get Europe. She really just needed time to calm herself down.
To think I had to silenced the person I even thought of getting married to. One side of her mind throbbed at that thought. She lowered her head sadly. Aloken examined her face and left the room, leaving the soldiers near the bedroom to act as watchers.
“…”
It would be for the next two weeks. To think that she had to spent that long time under such stinging eyes. Fanora glanced at the watchman who entered the room with dry eyes.
“…You asked me to make you my first love.”
Tears kept coming out as she stayed still. I thought I could finally live for tomorrow…
In her mind, there was no longer any determination to become a duchess. If he had indeed lied, she had promised herself that she would punch him in the face right away.
Love was a thicker shackle than anything else, no matter who it came from.
* * *
If Aloken had pretended until the end, would she have believed him in the end? This was the first thought that came to mind of Fanora, who rose from her bed.
“…”
It was at the dark night. Confined in the honeymoon room of the Jalier mansion, Fanora murmured, staring at the locked door. “This is a nightmare.”
Even though she had never fallen asleep, her mind was hazy. It was as if she had been led by the devil into a convincingly bad dream. As such, she had no sense of reality in the misfortunes she faced.
“I didn’t come here hoping this would happen.”
Yes, she didn’t expect to be like this. She had lived in deep anxiety all this time. What if she had been deceived like Vasago? What if she’s later betrayed by Aloken and stabbed by his sword? As she thought of those thoughts one by one, her whole body was in pain, and she struggled to find relief as soon as possible.
“Ah…”
But eventually the situation came to the worst form she had ever imagined.
Fanora was lost in thought as she lowered her eyes to the spacious bed Aloken had said he had prepared for their honeymoon.
“That’s why.”
Aloken’s lines in both novel and real-life dates were so similar that she compared it to each other after spending time in Leblanc street following the incident with Naverius. She experienced deja vu when comparing the novel she read while they were dating to the events that occurred afterwards. There was a moment when she laughed at him, saying how he used the same lines to woo woman in the novel. But it wasn’t a moment to laugh at.
Even though Vasago and herself was completely different person, Aloken pursed them with the exact same gestures of affection. Perhaps the novel had been warning of the danger from a long time ago.
“That’s why. So…”
Sweating like rain, she stared at the empty ceiling with a drenched look. Fanora couldn’t help but repeatedly bring up and regret the past, even though dwelling on the past was only self-destructive.
Fanora thought that if he didn’t turn to Vasago, his fateful lover, he would fell in love with her. But she had been mistaken. Aloken’s sweetly memorized confessions weren’t out of love; they were borrowed words without sincerity. Other than that, she would probably find many more strange things. There were too many things she had never doubted because she was blinded by love.
Now, in Fanora’s eyes, the hell that had filled her surroundings was beginning to become apparent.
“You’re going to take away Europe? What is this all about… How can all this be…”
Her anxiety eventually became a reality. She knew Aloken doesn’t love her…
“…”
Perhaps she herself expected this ending to some extent. From the moment she saw the death of Vasago in the novel.
Is it rather fortunate it turns out like this?
She exhaled and laid her eyes down in a quiet manner.
In any case, it was never possible to prove the perfect innocence from the beginning. I just saw a murder in ‘Dangerous Love’. The evidence Vasago brought is far from solid proof of Aloken’s infidelity.
Along with her busy gaze, her thoughts flowed calmly.
That’s why I made up my mind even before I came here. If there’s no result even after asking Aloken, let’s provoke him by pretending to have the holy relic. Right, since the trust was broken anyway, I would have kept trying to check on him.
The bed, which was too wide to be used alone, caught her attention. Fanora swept down the quilt embroidery from the couple’s bed where she was sitting, and soon put strength into her grasp and crumpled everything.
Ah, I’m really glad I got a confession before I waste my time getting my hands dirty. Now, as she had made up her mind just like when the contractual relationship first began, she had to deal with her partner somehow.
Strangely, however, Fanora could not do anything. Even planning to overthrow a powerful duke who influenced the royal succession, she wouldn’t have enough time and means to do it right away. Even if she tried her best, she couldn’t come up with any revenge plan. No, not even revenge plan, she couldn’t muster any desire of vengeance against Aloken.
“…”
It was difficult for Fanora to accept that she had just been betrayed by him. Right now, all she could do was sitting upright on this bed. I have no strength in my body…
The moment she shed tears without knowing the meaning. There was a knock on the wooden door. The person in the room didn’t answer to come in, but the wooden door opened wide to welcome the outsider regardless of Fanora’s will. It was Aloken, the owner of the mansion, who entered the bedroom.
“You’re not sleeping. I can’t believe you’re up this late.”
“…!”
“Are you nervous because it’s your first time sleeping at someone else’s house?”
The man, who has black hair that resembled Fanora, but has sharp and light straight hair unlike her, greeted her with a contrasting atmosphere. He was the one who imprisoned her in here, but his attitude didn’t show so.
“…”
Fanora remained silent, frozen by his appearance. As she stared at him in silence, Aloken laughed and then, with a graceful gesture, he locked the door again.
“No matter how nervous you are, you should have dinner first. It’s not like I’m starving you to death. Why did you throw away the food the servant brough to here?”
“…”
“Do you like the room? Oh, look at my mind. How can you like it when you sitting around all the day being watched by an old man?”
“…”
“Butler, I’ll put on another watchman at night, so you can leave now.”
While Fanora bowed her head, a rattling sound was heard. Aloken drove the old butler out of the room, sat down on the antique sofa in front of the fireplace.
When the butler left, there were only two people left in the room. But Fanora still showed no action. It was not a situation where she could move recklessly anyway. As Aloken entered the room, she had already a soldier in the hallway through the slightly open door.
“Why did you come here?”
“What?”
“After saying something like that… how can you show your face?”
She crouched down on the edge of the bed, barely uttering the first word. Then Aloken tapped his beloved cane on his palm. Even though it was a simple question, he seemed lost in thought.
“Well, I originally came because I wanted to see your face, but…”
Aloken did not finish the sentence and blurred the end of the sentence. This could have been seen as romantic, but if you look at the person who spoke it, you could see he came to witness her in pain.,
“Come to think of it, we lacked a conversation. Don’t you think so? Fanora.”
Aloken fiddled with the handle of the cane. Then the gold section, which was thought to be fixed, turned clockwise.
“So while you’re here, I want you to finish talking about the day.”
In time, he pulled out his half-round cane head. At the same time, what was revealed was a thin and sharp blade hidden in the body of the staff. Fanora shrank as she saw the sword body gleaming in the firelight.
Have he always brought a long sword? He wore it casually even at noble salons and banquets.
But nothing else grand has happened. Aloken took drawn sword in his hand and took out a few items from a drawer next to the fireplace. Cloves, abrasives, dry cloth… It wasn’t difficult to predict what would happen next.
Aloken arranged the things he had prepared on the round table, sat down on the sofa, and began to work on the sword.
“…”
How many seconds has it been since the man started wiping his sword in front of the fire in the fireplace. Soon, his amber eyes, which resembled a fox, glanced to his side.
“I was too much earlier.”
“Yes?”
“I mean grabbing your hair. It must have hurt a lot.”
“…”
“But you kept lying in front of me. If you know something about the holy relic, you only need to tell me, but you cried and glossed it over when I already did my best for you. Of course, I was annoyed because you avoided it like that.”
“…”
“You still don’t think about talking about Europa?”
At his words, Fanora remained silent. Aloken sighed a little and turned his gaze back toward the blade of the sword. “When you asked me to be your fiancé, you were very ambitious. When did you became so stiff?”
“You…”
“Fanora, if you don’t reveal the information within the deadline, you will be thrown into prison. In other words, you can live as before if you offer the holy relic only within that time. If only you give up your pointless stubbornness, everything will not change.”
“…”
“Even if the source of your information is a king somewhere, what’s the use of not being able to save you right now? If you’d rather be loyal, just stick to me.”
His appearance of the day when he threatened her with violence was nowhere to be found. He stepped back and tried to conciliate. However, Fanora’s attitude was tough.
“I have nothing to say. There’s no grand scheme or hidden plan. However, now that I know what you want, I’ll find out something within two weeks, even if I have to pour all my fortune for it.”
Fanora spoke in a quiet tone, so as not to offend Aloken as much as possible. But all her efforts went in vain. The man’s expression turned cold as he listened quietly to Fanora’s words.
“I see. So is this what you think?”
The argument didn’t last long. Surprisingly, he willingly extended the deadline. The important part wasn’t the deadline; it was the threat to expose her sins once the promise was over.
After granting her request, Aloken pondered alone. He, of course, intended to kill Fanora even if she came to give him the real Europa. Since he was child, he had been a person who easily get bored with anything, and these days, he even revealed that he didn’t find hunting fun anymore. What weight is there on the oath of love such a person spit out?
I’m finally going to chance my fiancée. What should I do with Vasago?
After witnessing Fanora’s painful appearance, Aloken’s interest in her rapidly diminished. His mind was already filled with thoughts of accepting a new fiancée from another family.
Two weeks…
On the other hand, Fanora had other thoughts in her mind.
Will I be able to make up my mind in two weeks?
The reason Fanora asked for more time wasn’t to help Aloken to get Europe. She really just needed time to calm herself down.
To think I had to silenced the person I even thought of getting married to. One side of her mind throbbed at that thought. She lowered her head sadly. Aloken examined her face and left the room, leaving the soldiers near the bedroom to act as watchers.
“…”
It would be for the next two weeks. To think that she had to spent that long time under such stinging eyes. Fanora glanced at the watchman who entered the room with dry eyes.
“…You asked me to make you my first love.”
Tears kept coming out as she stayed still. I thought I could finally live for tomorrow…
In her mind, there was no longer any determination to become a duchess. If he had indeed lied, she had promised herself that she would punch him in the face right away.
Love was a thicker shackle than anything else, no matter who it came from.
* * *
If Aloken had pretended until the end, would she have believed him in the end? This was the first thought that came to mind of Fanora, who rose from her bed.
“…”
It was at the dark night. Confined in the honeymoon room of the Jalier mansion, Fanora murmured, staring at the locked door. “This is a nightmare.”
Even though she had never fallen asleep, her mind was hazy. It was as if she had been led by the devil into a convincingly bad dream. As such, she had no sense of reality in the misfortunes she faced.
“I didn’t come here hoping this would happen.”
Yes, she didn’t expect to be like this. She had lived in deep anxiety all this time. What if she had been deceived like Vasago? What if she’s later betrayed by Aloken and stabbed by his sword? As she thought of those thoughts one by one, her whole body was in pain, and she struggled to find relief as soon as possible.
“Ah…”
But eventually the situation came to the worst form she had ever imagined.
Fanora was lost in thought as she lowered her eyes to the spacious bed Aloken had said he had prepared for their honeymoon.
“That’s why.”
Aloken’s lines in both novel and real-life dates were so similar that she compared it to each other after spending time in Leblanc street following the incident with Naverius. She experienced deja vu when comparing the novel she read while they were dating to the events that occurred afterwards. There was a moment when she laughed at him, saying how he used the same lines to woo woman in the novel. But it wasn’t a moment to laugh at.
Even though Vasago and herself was completely different person, Aloken pursed them with the exact same gestures of affection. Perhaps the novel had been warning of the danger from a long time ago.
“That’s why. So…”
Sweating like rain, she stared at the empty ceiling with a drenched look. Fanora couldn’t help but repeatedly bring up and regret the past, even though dwelling on the past was only self-destructive.
Fanora thought that if he didn’t turn to Vasago, his fateful lover, he would fell in love with her. But she had been mistaken. Aloken’s sweetly memorized confessions weren’t out of love; they were borrowed words without sincerity. Other than that, she would probably find many more strange things. There were too many things she had never doubted because she was blinded by love.
Now, in Fanora’s eyes, the hell that had filled her surroundings was beginning to become apparent.
“You’re going to take away Europe? What is this all about… How can all this be…”
Her anxiety eventually became a reality. She knew Aloken doesn’t love her…
“…”
Perhaps she herself expected this ending to some extent. From the moment she saw the death of Vasago in the novel.
Is it rather fortunate it turns out like this?
She exhaled and laid her eyes down in a quiet manner.
In any case, it was never possible to prove the perfect innocence from the beginning. I just saw a murder in ‘Dangerous Love’. The evidence Vasago brought is far from solid proof of Aloken’s infidelity.
Along with her busy gaze, her thoughts flowed calmly.
That’s why I made up my mind even before I came here. If there’s no result even after asking Aloken, let’s provoke him by pretending to have the holy relic. Right, since the trust was broken anyway, I would have kept trying to check on him.
The bed, which was too wide to be used alone, caught her attention. Fanora swept down the quilt embroidery from the couple’s bed where she was sitting, and soon put strength into her grasp and crumpled everything.
Ah, I’m really glad I got a confession before I waste my time getting my hands dirty. Now, as she had made up her mind just like when the contractual relationship first began, she had to deal with her partner somehow.
Strangely, however, Fanora could not do anything. Even planning to overthrow a powerful duke who influenced the royal succession, she wouldn’t have enough time and means to do it right away. Even if she tried her best, she couldn’t come up with any revenge plan. No, not even revenge plan, she couldn’t muster any desire of vengeance against Aloken.
“…”
It was difficult for Fanora to accept that she had just been betrayed by him. Right now, all she could do was sitting upright on this bed. I have no strength in my body…
The moment she shed tears without knowing the meaning. There was a knock on the wooden door. The person in the room didn’t answer to come in, but the wooden door opened wide to welcome the outsider regardless of Fanora’s will. It was Aloken, the owner of the mansion, who entered the bedroom.
“You’re not sleeping. I can’t believe you’re up this late.”
“…!”
“Are you nervous because it’s your first time sleeping at someone else’s house?”
The man, who has black hair that resembled Fanora, but has sharp and light straight hair unlike her, greeted her with a contrasting atmosphere. He was the one who imprisoned her in here, but his attitude didn’t show so.
“…”
Fanora remained silent, frozen by his appearance. As she stared at him in silence, Aloken laughed and then, with a graceful gesture, he locked the door again.
“No matter how nervous you are, you should have dinner first. It’s not like I’m starving you to death. Why did you throw away the food the servant brough to here?”
“…”
“Do you like the room? Oh, look at my mind. How can you like it when you sitting around all the day being watched by an old man?”
“…”
“Butler, I’ll put on another watchman at night, so you can leave now.”
While Fanora bowed her head, a rattling sound was heard. Aloken drove the old butler out of the room, sat down on the antique sofa in front of the fireplace.
When the butler left, there were only two people left in the room. But Fanora still showed no action. It was not a situation where she could move recklessly anyway. As Aloken entered the room, she had already a soldier in the hallway through the slightly open door.
“Why did you come here?”
“What?”
“After saying something like that… how can you show your face?”
She crouched down on the edge of the bed, barely uttering the first word. Then Aloken tapped his beloved cane on his palm. Even though it was a simple question, he seemed lost in thought.
“Well, I originally came because I wanted to see your face, but…”
Aloken did not finish the sentence and blurred the end of the sentence. This could have been seen as romantic, but if you look at the person who spoke it, you could see he came to witness her in pain.,
“Come to think of it, we lacked a conversation. Don’t you think so? Fanora.”
Aloken fiddled with the handle of the cane. Then the gold section, which was thought to be fixed, turned clockwise.
“So while you’re here, I want you to finish talking about the day.”
In time, he pulled out his half-round cane head. At the same time, what was revealed was a thin and sharp blade hidden in the body of the staff. Fanora shrank as she saw the sword body gleaming in the firelight.
Have he always brought a long sword? He wore it casually even at noble salons and banquets.
But nothing else grand has happened. Aloken took drawn sword in his hand and took out a few items from a drawer next to the fireplace. Cloves, abrasives, dry cloth… It wasn’t difficult to predict what would happen next.
Aloken arranged the things he had prepared on the round table, sat down on the sofa, and began to work on the sword.
“…”
How many seconds has it been since the man started wiping his sword in front of the fire in the fireplace. Soon, his amber eyes, which resembled a fox, glanced to his side.
“I was too much earlier.”
“Yes?”
“I mean grabbing your hair. It must have hurt a lot.”
“…”
“But you kept lying in front of me. If you know something about the holy relic, you only need to tell me, but you cried and glossed it over when I already did my best for you. Of course, I was annoyed because you avoided it like that.”
“…”
“You still don’t think about talking about Europa?”
At his words, Fanora remained silent. Aloken sighed a little and turned his gaze back toward the blade of the sword. “When you asked me to be your fiancé, you were very ambitious. When did you became so stiff?”
“You…”
“Fanora, if you don’t reveal the information within the deadline, you will be thrown into prison. In other words, you can live as before if you offer the holy relic only within that time. If only you give up your pointless stubbornness, everything will not change.”
“…”
“Even if the source of your information is a king somewhere, what’s the use of not being able to save you right now? If you’d rather be loyal, just stick to me.”
His appearance of the day when he threatened her with violence was nowhere to be found. He stepped back and tried to conciliate. However, Fanora’s attitude was tough.
“I have nothing to say. There’s no grand scheme or hidden plan. However, now that I know what you want, I’ll find out something within two weeks, even if I have to pour all my fortune for it.”
Fanora spoke in a quiet tone, so as not to offend Aloken as much as possible. But all her efforts went in vain. The man’s expression turned cold as he listened quietly to Fanora’s words.
“I see. So is this what you think?”
