I Pretended To Be Dead And Ran Away - Chapter 46

Ianathas, when called by Felix, headed to the bedroom with mixed feelings, thinking that his lord had already noticed.

The event he had both anticipated and dreaded was now at hand.

His lord would surely realize that Reniel, coming from an orphanage, couldn’t possibly have a younger sister.

Then he expected him to suspect that the woman he saw on the third floor that day might be Reniel herself.

Of course, these two points alone wouldn’t be enough to conclude that Reniel was the Duchess of Nirnberg with purification abilities, but he still hoped his lord would discover her true identity.

If that happened and Reniel, the Duchess of Nirnberg, was killed, her power of magic purification would be absorbed, and Felix, who had been living an unstable and difficult life, would find freedom.

But on the other hand, he also hoped he wouldn’t notice.

Ianathas often found himself caught up in Reniel’s charm and doing favors for her.

He even found himself agreeing to her demands that sounded like orders without realizing it.

As someone who trained female assassins, Ianathas knew this wasn’t just smooth talking, but an incredible ability.

He felt a sense of regret about Reniel’s talent on a human level.

Moreover, he could confidently say that Reniel’s beauty was unparalleled among all the people he had seen in his life.

Even when she disguised herself as a man, her radiance didn’t diminish at all.

So much so that he couldn’t even recall the beautiful women he had encountered in bedrooms before.

And then there was that unique scent of a magic purifier.

“……”

Ianathas felt his body react dangerously every time he recalled that scent.

His lord must have been enchanted by this as well.

‘I like you, Master.’

Apart from all that, Reniel was quite a pure person. And he could see that Felix had gradually started to rely on her.

Ianathas was Felix’s right-hand man.

He was a trusted subordinate who handled the casino business, which had the largest share among Felix’s businesses.

From what he had observed of Felix so far, he seemed more machine than human.

‘It’s strange. I thought I’d be happy if I killed my father.’

‘…My lord.’

‘I’m not happy at all. It just feels dirty.’

Ianathas thought that the starting point of his lord’s breakdown was when he assassinated the previous duke.

Since then, Felix had been extremely unstable.

He prospered the family, expanded the business, earned enormous funds, and gained the trust of the imperial family.

If combined with the hidden funds and forces underground, it was enough to stage a coup.

And even though its substance was greatly faded, he acted as if he had to grasp even that, seeking revenge on the empress who had assassinated his mother.

Nevertheless, Felix couldn’t find stability and always felt uneasy and weary of life.

‘What would happen if I were assassinated?’

‘I’m here to prevent that from happening.’

Ianathas suddenly recalled Felix saying that to him with a bored expression.

That’s why, even though he didn’t want to properly see Reniel’s value.

‘That’s quite an interesting creature.’

‘Are you referring to Head Assistant Reniel?’

‘Yes. Like a rabbit. No, a hamster perhaps.’

Because of the way his lord often relaxed when talking about her.

Knock knock.

“You called for me.”

Ianathas was constantly confused.

While his head told him it was right to plot Reniel’s death, his heart hoped that Felix would find stability by keeping Reniel by his side.

Because it was Felix who had saved him from the gutter.

Because it was Felix who had saved his life numerous times and rescued him.

“Come in.”

Click.

As Ianathas entered the room, Felix was quietly seething with anger, holding a bright red card.

“Is this Rosalind’s doing?”

Rosalind was the name of the top manager of the jewelry store operated by the Le Pelique duchy, where the two had just visited.

She was Felix’s person who had been around almost as long as Ianathas, working as the general manager of the jewelry workshop during the day.

“Yes.”

Seeing the lip print on the edge of the card, his face involuntarily wrinkled with physiological disgust.

“Reniel should be from an orphanage.”

“…Yes.”

“She has a younger sister?”

Ianathas couldn’t answer.

Now he should tell the truth.

That Reniel was deceiving his lord. That she was actually a woman. That she had entered with a fake identity to bewitch his lord!

However, Ianathas still only moved his lips without saying anything.

“She can’t be her real sister.”

“……”

“Tell Rosalind not to approach that side. It would be troublesome for Reniel.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Ianathas said so and bowed his head.

“You may go now.”

“…My lord?”

“What?”

“Is that all?”

Felix looked at Ianathas as if to say, what do you mean?

“What else is there?”

“Head Assistant Reniel is from an orphanage. She said she lived alone, so it’s impossible for her to have a younger sister. But someone claiming to be Reniel’s younger sister came with me to the jewelry store. In this situation, aren’t you going to ask me anything?”

Ianathas was dropping all the clues. Now Felix just needed to understand them.

Although the ring incident was something hard for an ordinary person to imagine, he should be able to figure it out roughly.

“Perhaps they’re family who were separated and reunited. I think there must be a reason she didn’t tell me.”

“…My lord?”

“I don’t want to make things difficult for her.”

Felix had become quite gentle.

And somehow, he seemed to understand why Reniel hadn’t told him about having a younger sister. If they even looked alike, she would want to say even less.

‘She stole something important then.’

He thought that woman he saw in his dream might be Reniel’s younger sister. If so, it made some sense that she had entered this mansion.

She might have come to see her brother.

Of course, it was clearly an unauthorized act, but that much was okay. After all, even assassins came and went here.

If she had grown up abandoned in an orphanage and then accidentally found out she had a real sibling, she would want to avoid losing them even more.

And.

‘Why? If I were a woman, would you think I’m the Duchess of Nirnberg and try to kill me?’

Recalling what Reniel had said in the bedroom then, she must have thought her younger sister was in danger.

And every time they spent time together in bed, he must have frightened Reniel even more.

Felix felt strange.

To think Reniel had a younger sister. Considering how he had been disappointed that Reniel wasn’t a woman, it would be natural to want to bring her in.

But now that he heard about the younger sister, he didn’t feel particularly interested.

“Aren’t you going to bring her in? Wouldn’t it be better to have Reniel’s younger sister who is weaker and easier to handle than Head Assistant Reniel?”

When Ianathas asked in disbelief, Felix answered without even realizing it.

“I’m disappointed that Reniel isn’t a woman, not that I’m lacking a woman.”

Felix organized his thoughts as he said this.

He really was just disappointed that Reniel’s body wasn’t female, but the fact that Reniel had a younger sister didn’t evoke any particular thoughts.

Even if they looked alike, they wouldn’t be the same person after all.

“You may withdraw now. It’s about time for Reniel to arrive.”

“…Yes.”

Although Ianathas was very confused, his body had already retreated following his lord’s order.

As he looked back several times, Felix tore the card to shreds and threw it into the fireplace.

Although it was still early summer, the fire had already been lit, perhaps because the room was a bit chilly as evening approached.

“Ah, Ianathas.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Ianathas, who was about to leave the room, turned back to his lord, once again filled with hope.

His heart started pounding. He was anticipating in his mind what kind of order his lord would give.

He must have decided that it was right to eliminate Reniel.

“Clean up the room.”

“…Pardon?”

“I said clean up my room. I can’t do it neatly myself.”

But Felix just said that and gestured with his chin as if that was the end of his request.

“…Yes, my lord.”

Even as he wondered what this was all about, Ianathas’s body was already cleaning the room according to Felix’s order.

****

“Master.”

It was just as Reniel was about to knock on the door saying that.

Slam!

“You’re late.”

Felix opened the door. Reniel took his naturally outstretched hand and smiled brightly.

She was still afraid of Felix, but that would end today.

She planned to inherit the wealth she had saved so far through the bank under her female identity.

Although the inheritance tax was regrettable, she thought it wasn’t a large amount if considered as the cost of laundering her identity.

And now she could live her own life, deviating from the original story.

Reniel wanted to live as a woman from now on.

Perhaps because of the clothes Ianathas had bought her, that desire seemed to grow stronger.

“Did you wait long?”

“Yes.”

Felix was still frightening, but thinking that everything would soon be over, he only looked beautiful now.

Then she pulled his arm with a willing heart.

With her strength, she could never forcibly turn his body, but he turned in her direction as soon as she applied force.

“I’m in such a good mood right now.”

She acted as if she was saying a final farewell to Felix.

After this night, she would say goodbye to him too.

Seeing Reniel’s bright appearance, Felix felt a warm emotion, as if a new sprout had grown on the ruins that had collapsed in one corner of his heart.

He pulled Reniel’s body close and leaned in with his lips.