Chapter 94
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Chapter 94
7. Between Friendship and Love
"I... that is to say..."
Frozen like someone struck by lightning, I came to my senses a beat too late and opened my mouth.
"Lahedis..."
I had unconsciously used the formal address, but now I corrected myself.
"Wait, you're really... Rachel?"
Lahedis didn't answer, but his gaze—steady and unflinching—bore a striking resemblance.
To the eyes of the Rachel I had known as a child.
'Why didn't I realize this sooner?'
That face, blurred by years of memory, suddenly became vivid once more.
Now that I thought about it, there had been countless hints that these two were the same person.
The similar features, the comparable names, the personalities that seemed different yet subtly alike.
And yet I had never once considered that Lahedis was Rachel...
'Realistically, who would have imagined that my childhood friend, whom I believed to be a girl, was actually a boy?'
Moreover, knowing the original story, Rachel was supposed to be a villainess!
Overlaying the Rachel of my memories with the Lahedis standing before me now, I gently withdrew my hand from his grasp and stepped back.
'I thought I'd be delighted to see Rachel again after ten years.'
My imagined reunion had certainly been like that.
But my feelings now...
A subtle sense of betrayal at having been deceived all this time.
Combined with the peculiar sense of loss at having lost a same-sex friend, I was simply overwhelmed with confusion.
The Crown Prince's marriage proposal, the contract marriage—all those troubles that had tormented me until moments ago were completely forgotten.
'So... should I treat this person as Rachel, or as Lahedis?'
It was Lahedis's voice that pulled me from my frozen thoughts.
"Vivian."
He rubbed his forehead with a soft sigh and continued.
"I'm sorry for deceiving you. I should have told you sooner, but the circumstances..."
In his eyes, the sharp edge from moments before had vanished, leaving only remorse.
He reached out to take my hand again, but without thinking, I gently evaded it.
His hand, finding nowhere to go, hesitated in the empty air.
I avoided those eyes—familiar yet strange—and fumbled for words.
"I... I think I need some time to sort through my thoughts."
I had unconsciously spoken to him with formal politeness, but I corrected myself belatedly.
"...No, I think I do."
"Vivian."
"I'm going to head out first..."
And with that, I fled the scene.
My mind still reeling in confusion, my heart churning with turmoil.
* * *
It had been several days since that night.
I still hadn't recovered from the shock of that evening.
'Lahedis and Rachel are the same person...!'
My mind understood that the two were one and the same, yet my heart still refused to accept it.
I lay listlessly on my bed, turning over the memories of that night, when a surge of betrayal I couldn't suppress made me bolt upright.
"How could you deceive me for so long like that?!"
And so perfectly, no less!
Yet on the other hand, I could understand Lahedis's position—the need to conceal his identity.
'The Emperor forced him to become officially dead to the world, so of course he'd want to hide his identity as much as possible.'
The more certain the deception, the better—which meant deceiving even his allies.
And I was counted among those allies...
'Yes, it's a matter of life and death. I understand. I do understand, but...'
Was I truly so untrustworthy?
He watched from beside me how desperately I longed to see him.
'He could have at least told me.'
A tender ache bloomed within me at the thought of his impossible position.
Yet alongside that understanding, a bittersweet disappointment persisted—that he couldn't have confided in me alone.
"Sigh... In any case, the Art Museum's opening ceremony is in two days. What am I going to do?"
Lahedis had suggested I choose him as my contractual marriage partner, but that was impossible.
'Not when Lahedis has gone to such lengths to hide his identity all this time.'
Now that I thought about it, I finally understood why Lahedis never attended the Hunting Festival or Imperial Palace galas.
When I worked in my Aunt's Study, the Emperor was frequently away on hunts, so Lahedis must have moved freely through the Imperial Palace then.
'I can't put him in danger because of my problems.'
There was only one solution.
* * *
The day of the opening ceremony.
Though more than an hour remained before the official ceremony began at noon, the Art Museum was already teeming with crowds.
Watching the throng of people, I frowned slightly.
'Hmm, I should have arrived earlier.'
But having come this far, there was no turning back now.
As the carriage came to a complete stop, the man sitting across from me descended first and extended his hand to me.
Alphonse—a man from the Kingdom whom I'd hastily hired from the Guild yesterday.
'I don't like presenting another man as my lover while my heart belongs to someone else...'
But it was necessary to protect Lahedis.
"Thank you."
I took his hand naturally, just as I'd planned during the entire carriage ride, and stepped down.
Then I scanned the area around the Art Museum with sharp, hawk-like eyes.
'Hmm, as expected, the Imperial Family's carriage hasn't arrived yet.'
The ceremony begins at noon.
Allen, who would arrive to deliver the opening remarks on behalf of the Imperial Family in the Emperor's stead, would likely time his arrival accordingly.
My plan was to arrive before the opening ceremony, tour the Art Museum, show Alphonse and myself to the nobility, and then
return to the Estate before encountering Allen.
The more I faced Allen and endured his interrogation, the higher the probability this charade would be exposed.
'The nobility who see Alphonse and me together will relay our relationship to Allen.'
It was just as I hurried to enter the Art Museum.
"My, the Marquis Lowswide's daughter?"
A noblewoman whose face I remembered from the Imperial Palace banquet happened to greet me.
"Hello, Harper Countess's Daughter."
"The opening ceremony is at noon, yet you've arrived early?"
"This is my first time visiting the Art Museum. I wanted to come early and look around when it's quiet, but it seems many others had the same idea."
"How interesting—so did I, for the very same reason."
Even as the Countess's Daughter spoke with me, her eyes kept glancing sideways at Alphonse beside me.
It seemed her true purpose in greeting me was not me at all, but Alphonse.
Not only the Countess's Daughter, but the surrounding nobility also felt their breath held as they focused intently on our conversation.
'They must be curious about the man who dared refuse the Crown Prince and promised his future.'
It was tragedy for me, but for them, merely delicious gossip from High Society.
The Countess's Daughter, as if representing everyone's curiosity, gazed at Alphonse and asked carefully.
"But who is the gentleman beside you?"
Finally, she'd taken the bait.
I smiled with satisfaction and introduced Alphonse as if I'd been waiting for this moment.
"Ah, he's my lover. Allow me to introduce you, Alphonse. This is the esteemed daughter of the Harper Countess."
"A pleasure to meet you, Harper Countess's Daughter. I've heard that the Harper family has long been renowned for their discerning eye in the arts, having discovered many celebrated artists across generations. It appears this generation's daughter has inherited that refined taste."
"I'm hardly worthy of such praise—it's embarrassing, really. But are you perhaps from the Kingdom? Your accent is rather distinctive."
"That's right. Being from the Kingdom, my speech is still clumsy."
"Yet your vocabulary is quite remarkable for someone still learning."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with the Countess's Daughter, her curiosity apparently satisfied, she quietly withdrew.
'Now she'll go tell the other nobility about us.'
Having completed my first mission, I entered the Art Museum with Alphonse.
As we admired the artworks, we linked arms and engaged in tender conversation—to all observers, the perfect portrayal of lovers.
Before long, it was 11:40.
Twenty minutes before the opening ceremony would begin.
'If I'm to avoid encountering Allen, I should leave soon.'
I exchanged greetings with the nobility we passed, making my way with Alphonse toward the Art Museum's entrance.
It was just as we arrived at the entrance.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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