Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Deal
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The carriage raced along busily. Carnivella gazed at the checkpoint coming into view. She handed over her identification, and it passed without issue.
‘Now what?’
She had rushed to the capital, but she had no legal way to enter the palace. Sneaking in while avoiding all those people was impossible, and unlike the last banquet, she didn’t have an official identity, leaving her in a bind.
‘If only I could run into him by chance...’
The moment she turned to look behind her with that thought, she froze. Really? She’d only just thought it, and here he was?
It was Lainen! Even though he had changed his appearance to avoid drawing attention, she recognized him instantly.
“......Ah.”
She couldn’t close her mouth at the sight of his black hair, now dull and frizzy, or the lifeless glint in his golden eyes. And when she saw how gaunt he had become overall, a gasp escaped her lips.
“You......”
The man who had taught her her ‘first’ had lost all traces of his former self. Any urge to question him vanished. She wanted to ask what he had been doing all this time to end up this emaciated.
But then, he strode toward her. And just like that, he pulled her into an embrace. She stiffened in shock.
“It’s not a dream... you’re really here......”
“......”
She couldn’t say a word. She stood frozen in that position for a long while, moved by how carefully and reverently he held her, as if she were the most precious treasure in the world, stroking her hair.
* * *
Lainen’s heart was in turmoil. What if he just sat around doing nothing and she left for good?
He replayed his memories with her. He wandered tirelessly through all the places they had visited together. Street vendors, food stalls, the theater—he revisited them all, reliving those happy moments over and over.
Under Kashan’s lead, a new team was being assembled to track her down. They were scouting her likely routes. Still, he felt endless anxiety.
His footsteps halted. It was the boutique where he’d first had her dress fitted.
Ding!
He stepped inside. The place was still filled with countless dresses, the atmosphere as bright as ever. Yet he felt something missing.
He knew what that emptiness was. It was just the void left by her absence, since he had come here with her.
‘Don’t do this. I’ll go find her again soon. I’ll definitely track her down then.’
With that thought, he stepped back out and wandered aimlessly once more. He watched the common folk enjoying themselves. It had been so much fun back then.
As he thought that, he realized too much time had passed and shook his head. That was when he spotted her—the figure he could never forget. Her hair was shorter than before, catching his eye.
She looked completely different from their first meeting, dressed like a traveler with a whole new air about her. But he knew at a glance. He wondered if it was a dream.
“......”
He clamped his mouth shut. He was afraid this moment might just be a dream. Then, she spotted him and spoke.
“You......”
Seeing her like that, he finally knew for sure. This wasn’t a dream. He walked straight to her, pulled her into his arms, and whispered.
“It’s not a dream... you’re really here......”
Lainen first led Carnivella to Kashan’s mansion. Staying out in the open felt too risky, and bringing her to the palace posed the problem of what to say.
Kashan, who had been sunk into a rare deep sleep after so long, felt the bed shift and opened his eyes.
“Hm......?”
“Wake up.”
“I wanna sleep more......”
Lainen smacked the still-groggy Kashan hard on the back.
“Ow!”
“Snap out of it.”
“What’s your deal, smacking me like that out of nowhere!”
Kashan flared up at the sudden violence on top of his boss barging into his home. Lainen gave a slightly sheepish smile at his rough reaction.
“No need for the second pursuit team.”
“What are you talking about?”
Just yesterday, Lainen had been hounding him about when it would be ready, so Kashan wondered if he’d finally lost it. But then his eyes fell on a stranger.
“Who......?”
“My fiancée.”
“What?”
“My fiancée.”
“Oh... right.”
Kashan eyed Carnivella appraisingly. What was so special about this woman that the playboy had gone to such lengths? But he didn’t sense anything particular from her.
Carnivella picked up on the subtle hostility from Kashan’s gaze and sighed inwardly. Everyone she’d met so far had been the same, so it was nothing new.
“I have some things to discuss, so could you give us the room?”
Still, she had a lot to hear from him, and since fate had brought them together again, she figured she might as well get his help. Someone with Lainen’s power could easily uncover the truth she sought.
“Yeah, get out.”
“Hey, this is my house, you know?”
Kashan was dumbfounded by Lainen’s brazenness. The guy who’d looked half-dead yesterday was positively blooming now. He clicked his tongue at Lainen’s beaming face and slammed the door shut behind him.
Bang!
“So, we have a lot to talk about, don’t we?”
She was glad to see him again. The feelings she’d thought had cooled with time reignited the moment they reunited. She even thought it might be nice to stay by his side like this.
But there were things she had to address. She hardened her expression, crossed her arms, and spoke.
“Explain exactly what happened. Make it convincing enough for me to buy it.”
He told her everything that had happened to him since she left. How he’d fallen lovesick, how he’d colluded with the temple to fake the oracle. And how the emperor had approved it all.
She felt sorry for all the commoners dragged into this because of her personal affairs. And utterly absurd.
What? Faking an oracle just to find one person? Isn’t this straight-up insane?
“......”
“And I already know you’re Princess Carnivella of Rasoni Kingdom. They sent an official letter requesting cooperation in finding you.”
Her expression stiffened, and seeing her shock, he sighed. As expected, she hadn’t known.
“I don’t know why you fled that kingdom. Personal reasons are probably the main factor, but given the circumstances, I felt the need to protect you.”
“You must have seen that letter while searching for me...... Thank you for that, at least.”
Until now, she hadn’t questioned it, but Rasoni’s pursuit was the issue. The Muila family weren’t fools; if she vanished, they’d scour the continent. No matter how much she faked her trail, it would eventually unravel.
“Don’t say that. I’d endure anything to be with you.”
She was stunned. And it felt utterly strange. No one in her life had ever said anything like that to her.
Her childhood had been happy. It was always full of people, her mother showered her with love, and her father was gentle. But then the incident that changed her entire life happened. Her mother died, and she herself nearly did.
While she lay at death’s door, the Muila family usurped the throne and tormented her instead, while her so-called father stood by. The kind servants began looking down on her, and the nobles who had been her solid support turned their backs.
She ended up thoroughly isolated, with only Lucamin—her teacher and father figure—by her side. And now even he was gone. They’d promised to meet again someday, but for now, she had to stand alone.
Yet this cold-hearted beauty had tracked her down, even willing to face divine punishment.
“Ahahaha.”
The passion she’d thought was just a fleeting spark burned as strong as ever. Unlike her, who believed it had died out, it had only raged on in him. And from that, she felt a strange thrill. Their flames hadn’t gone out, and his love hit her deeply.
This blatant expression of love was new to her. Such enormous obsession—what else could it be? Most would hate it, but she liked it. No one had ever loved her this much, so the feeling was utterly foreign.
It filled her with a sense of completeness. She couldn’t help but like this man who saw her as a whole person.
Of course, his reckless actions had nearly put them both in danger.
“So now that you’ve found me, what’s your plan going forward?”
“I trust you remember what I said last time.”
Of course she did. His proposal to become his bride. She nodded.
“The only excuse I have to bring you to the palace and protect you is marriage.”
True enough, there was no other way. She had the fake ID the kid made, but it was forged. It had worked so far, but with more people learning her true identity, it was bound to fall apart eventually.
“Then let’s make a deal.”
“Tell me.”
Fortunately, he didn’t argue. She began laying out her thoughts.
“This whole mess has made me realize a lot. How much you want me, and how much more dangerous my situation is than I thought.”
He nodded. She took a deep breath and held up three fingers.
“So, I want to propose three conditions, with marriage as the premise.”
“A deal?”
“Yes. There are things I absolutely must do, and I’d like your help with them.”
“Go ahead.”
“First, handle the oracle and erase the existence of ‘Carnivella’ and ‘Maria’ entirely. From today, my name is ‘Lucia.’”
Lucia was Lucamin’s sister’s name. Hearing it, he’d instantly know where Carnivella was—and that she was alive.
Because his sister had died six years ago.
And for her, making ‘Princess Carnivella of Rasoni’ a dead woman was ideal. With Rasoni sending cooperation letters to find her, the fake trail she and Lucamin created was under suspicion.
“And?”
“Second, keep the marriage secret. If the first condition works, I can’t be exposed.”
He chuckled inwardly. Easy enough. He’d do anything for their marriage.
“And the last?”
“Finally, find the person who killed my mother. That’s my ultimate goal.”
His face darkened instantly. Find her mother’s killer? The fire six years ago was infamous across the continent—not for the queen’s tragic death, but because they never caught the culprits.
A massive incident, yet no witnesses, no identities uncovered. The crime of the century.
Lainen sensed it would be a headache. But with Erical, it wouldn’t be an issue. He nodded.
“I’ll make it happen. In return, I’d like you to hear me out too.”
“Got it. What is it?”
“Promise you’ll ‘never’ leave my side.”
His expression as he said it was chillingly terrifying.