Chapter 20
Helion’s deceptively innocent face flushed at my blunt words. It was a look that screamed, ‘I don’t know anything.’ That only fueled my anger further, and I punched him in the chest, a solid thud echoing in the room.
“What were you planning to do with me?”
“What?”
“Succubus’s blood. Is it true? Were you fighting to drink succubus’s blood, too?”
“.…”
“Ha… I can’t believe this.”
I buried my face in my hands, letting out a deep, frustrated sigh. Helion watched me cautiously.
“I know you’re angry. But I… we…”
“If you know I’m angry, then be quiet! What am I to you, anyway? How could you even think of doing something like that?”
His hesitant attempts at an explanation only made my simmering fury boil over. My voice raw, I grabbed him by the collar and shook him.
“How could you do this to me after all this time! What did you take me for?”
Helion, passively letting himself be shaken, suddenly hardened his gaze.
“What about you?”
“What?”
“What did you take me for?”
His expression shifted, as if he’d donned a new mask. His long fingers wrapped around my wrist.
“You weren’t exactly innocent with me either. Didn’t you have your own motives?”
“W-what are you talking about?”
“Just as you had ulterior motives with us, can’t I have other feelings for you? If I’m not a pawn on your chessboard, do I even mean anything to you?”
His sardonic retort pricked at something deep inside me. My stunned silence only made his eyes waver again.
“Lina… I… You didn’t see me that way, but I… from the beginning, I…”
His trembling gaze drew closer. His warm breath tickled my skin. His earnest expression stirred a forgotten sense of guilt.
Me befriending the male leads had been purely for my survival. Genuine affection and friendship had blossomed along the way, but until this day, I hadn’t forgotten my original goal.
Could they have been completely oblivious to my intentions? Those clever men? Impossible. They must have known, on some level, that I had another agenda.
Yet, they kept me close. Just like me, they must have had their own reasons. Did I have any right to condemn them for it?
Lost in this turbulent conflict, I couldn’t bring myself to push Helion away. For a fleeting moment, a playful smile touched his lips. A soft kiss landed on the bridge of my nose. Smooch!
Bang! The securely closed door burst open with a deafening crash.
“Couldn’t even wait a moment before dragging another man in? Looks like the paternity test will need more than three, maybe even four or five people present!”
Clovis, barging in without a knock, ranted with a mouth that seemed to have risen straight from hell.
***
Clovis Chamber Rubelon.
The Crown Prince and legitimate heir to the Rubelon Empire, he prided himself on his rational and composed demeanor. Promised the throne from birth, he was remarkably gifted, never complaining throughout his rigorous education.
Despite the minor inconvenience of constant monster appearances, the imperial power remained absolute, and the empire was strong. There had been a brief incident in his childhood where the princess was kidnapped by a faction plotting against the imperial family, but thanks to a brilliant attending priest, she was swiftly returned, and laughter once again filled the palace halls.
The Emperor was wise and just. The Empress was benevolent and warm. The Princess was lovely and beautiful.
It was a picture-perfect, fairytale-like imperial family, the epitome of a blessed life.
And yet…
When had it started? When had a common orphan girl begun to irritate him like a hangnail in his otherwise flawless existence?
At first, he had felt nothing but gratitude for the girl who helped find his precious sister. She had politely refused lavish gifts or rewards, instead requesting access to the imperial library. He found it intriguing how such a small girl, barely able to carry a few books, diligently visited the library day after day, compiling information on monsters, claiming it was something someone had to do for the empire’s future.
Was it when she began to blossom into womanhood, her figure becoming difficult to conceal beneath her voluminous priestly robes? Or was it when his heart skipped a beat upon seeing her face adorned with playful makeup, applied by Hestia while she slept?
One thing was certain: the moment he saw her undressed, bathing in his private chambers, his heart was irrevocably lost. The sight of her small, rounded shoulders, the glimpse of her snow-white skin beneath the priestly garments, ignited a fire within the young prince.
His confused, fog-like emotions crystallized in that instant, but that was all. Clovis twisted his attraction to the common orphan into a p*rverse form of denial. He taunted and ridiculed her, and she, startled and wide-eyed, began to avoid him.
He thought that would create the distance he desired, but he would find himself drawn back to her, his mouth spewing only the cruelest words. Hestia scolded him, asking why he was so mean to Adelina.
Why?
‘Because even the kindest, most beautiful words wouldn’t change a thing.’
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