When Clive and Aishe went on dates, she wouldn’t let him hold her hand let alone a kiss.
Even at the engagement ceremony, she postponed the kiss until the wedding.
But the woman in front of him suddenly showed her face and allowed him to touch her.
It was a sudden change.
Although Clive stopped touching her, Aishe also tried to touch him.
Even if she had changed, the change was a lot.
Clive was suspicious, but he couldn’t imagine it was someone else.
Who would dare to deceive the Grand Duke?
He heard a subtly different voice.
The real Aishe’s voice was higher, and the Aishe from the Phineos’ mansion was lower.
If he hadn’t listened carefully, it would have been difficult for him to tell the difference.
Clive noticed something else.
Fragrance.
This woman didn’t smell like the usual sweet candy scent.
She had a subtle scent, but Clive didn’t know what it was.
Clive thought it was someone else, but he wasn’t sure.
He found out her schedule and went to the dressing store.
He noticed the engagement ring wasn’t on her finger and the thickness of her finger didn’t match the Aishe from the engagement ceremony.
He was 99% sure that the real Aishe was from the Vikes family who was wearing the ring, and the last 1% is the talk of what he experienced on the battlefield.
Eirene got caught.
Her dark purple eyes trembled slightly, but she quickly regained stability.
Her confused expression also calmed down.
The woman, who had been contemplating for a moment, got up from her seat and greeted him politely.
“My regards, Grand Duke. I’m Eirene Phineos.”
“I have never heard of Count Phineos having a daughter by that name.”
“That’s right. You couldn’t have heard of me. I am the hidden daughter.”
Hidden daughter.
The unexpected answer piqued Clive’s interest.
“I don’t know how to start.”
“No matter what you say, I will understand you, so you can speak freely.”
“Honestly, you may not believe me.”
“I will be the judge after hearing it .”
Before she confessed, she looked directly into Clive’s eyes.
* * * * * * * * * *
Eirene began to speak slowly, contemplating how much she should say.
He already knew who she was, so it was impossible to lie to him.
There was also a slight expectation that he might be able to help her.
Eirene said she was raised for the real Aishe’s sake.
Due to her divine powers, she had been imprisoned in the basement all her life and was left to die when she became useless.
She came out of there because she wanted to live.
That was the reason why she decided to replace Aishe for some time that day.
Eirene also said that Miss Vikes was the real Aishe.
That’s all for now.
She didn’t say that she had killed everyone in Phineos’ manor, or that she came back to life.
Clive wouldn’t believe it anyway.
He was sitting next to her with his hand on his chin.
As soon as she finished talking, he asked.
“Why did they send me your portrait?”
“They said they made a mistake sending it.”
“No. They would never make that mistake.”
Eirene agreed to that.
“The Countess said you liked my portrait so much, she couldn’t bear, to tell the truth.”
“It’s true that I liked the portrait.”
Clive looked straight ahead and muttered.
“So every time Aishe meets me, she hides her face so that she won’t be found out that it’s not you. What the hell are they thinking?”
Eirene had no idea of the Count’s intentions either.
What will Clive do in the end, after finding out everything?
“We’ll figure it out later.”
Clive turned his head towards her and narrowed his eyes.
“Why are you telling me everything?”
“You knew everything, so how can I lie?”
“Are you asking me for help?”
“A little.”
“Hmm. I am not a very reliable person.”
“It looks like it.”
The answer came out of nowhere, but it was too late to take it back.
“Is there anyone else who isn’t afraid to say that out loud?”
“I’m sorry.”
“What are you even sorry about? Alright. How can I help?”
Eirene was surprised.
How can you help me so easily? Without even checking?
“Do you believe me?”
“No. The days we spent together are too few to believe you.”
“Then why are you going to help me?”
“I will help you, and you can help me. You and Aishe have indeed changed, so there is a certain level of trust.”
She never thought of helping Clive.
It’s embarrassing that he found out her identity, but hearing about helping each other gave her a headache.
“I want to know more about Count Phineos, more precisely about the Phineos family. For the time being, you must not let others discover that you’re the fake Aishe, and I’ll just pretend that you’re Aishe.”
Eirene realized that the only reason Clive got engaged to Aishe was that he wanted to find out about the Phineos Family.
“Is that all?”
“I’ll take care of the rest. If you succeed with your objective, I will give you what you want.”
“How can I trust your promise after your purpose has been accomplished?”
“Oh, this. I didn’t think of that. It must be hard for you to believe me.”
“If you help me, I will do it too. It may be difficult, but please love me. Whether as Aishe or Eirene.”
Clive turned around and leaned back.
He touched his temple with his index finger, and his lip moved up slowly.
He looked just like that time.
The same look when he found her on that fateful day.
The god of death is in the form of a snake.
Eirene smiled sadly, she had forgotten about it.
She recalled the past.
The ambiance became cold and heavy.
But soon the mood changed again, Clive said curiously.
“Do you want me to love you?”
“Just pretend you love me. Maybe your Highness loves Aishe.”
Eirene asked for confirmation.
“You know I don’t but you still asked.”
He was already looking through Eirene’s mind.
“If I pretend to love you, is it revenge for Aishe?”
“It’s just a joke.”
“I guess Aishe likes me a lot.”
“You know it and you still keep asking.”
Clive got up and held out his hand to Eirene.
“I’m glad my partner isn’t boring.”
She hesitated whether to hold his hand or not and finally took it.
It’s the hand Eirene has to hold now.
“Then, when I cross the door, I will become your lover.”
Eirene’s hand became invisible by the large hand.
She could fully feel his fleshy palms.
* * * * * * * * *
Clive preferred Eirene’s hand.
He doesn’t have a good memory of the few times he held Aishe’s clingy hand.
What Eirene said didn’t make sense, and at the same time, it did.
He was well aware that humans are beings that turn into monsters out of their own greed.
Sacrificing someone else’s daughter for their own daughter shouldn’t have happened.
Above all, Eirene’s portrait was indeed sent from the beginning and both of them had changed.
She didn’t explain it in detail, but he could tell by looking at her hands, the humiliation and pain she was going through.
Her pale, expressionless face and her low, calm voice made her look tired.
Fortunately, her vivid eyes showed her will to come to life.
He would support her if the revenge was against Count Phineos and his wife, and not Aishe.
Eirene squeezed his hand and stood up.
She put on her shoes and smiled for him to see.
Her smile soon disappeared.
Why did she stop smiling? Is it because she is going through a hard time?
He wanted to grab her cheeks and pull them.
“Thank you for your care.”
A calm voice lingered in his ears.
It’s not a particularly good voice, but it sounded like a very small echo and then it faded away.
He felt strange, his heart was filled with indescribable feelings.
Is it because she is different from other women?
Women showed two different looks in front of Clive.
Either they try to look good to catch his eyes, or they run away because they’re afraid.
Eirene was neither. She looked indifferently at him.
“Now let’s go out.”
Clive followed Eirene while holding her hand.
In that brief moment, Clive felt something possess him.
* * * * * * * * * *
When Clive opened the door, he ran into Yulik.
As Yulik held a box, he smiled at a startled Eirene.
“I am Yulik, the Grand Duke’s assistant.”
Eirene had seen Yulik wearing glasses before she died.
He must be Clive’s aide.
Yulik’s eyes were markedly different from the past.
He seemed gentle enough unlike that time in the past when he looked at her with coldness and disgust.
Although he was curious, he knew how far he could go as his aide, so he disappeared after greeting.
“I got it in a hurry, so I’ll understand if you don’t like it.”
Clive put the box down.
He opened the lid, and a pair of shoes were inside.
“It’s made of soft sheepskin, so it’s less irritating.”
She had no idea that it was a very thoughtful gift.
Eirene was grateful, but she felt even more burdened.
Even though Clive knew about her identity, she didn’t know why he prepared in advance.
What a kind person!
Clive looked at her and saw that she couldn’t take her shoes off. He took Eirene’s shoes off himself.
“Uh? uh. I’m alright.”
Eirene struggled to keep her foot in the shoe, but his strength was stronger.
“You asked me to pretend to love you. Is it that kind of concept where I have to pretend to hang myself because I love you? ”
“It’s not that, but I was hoping that others would see us as lovers who love each other.”
“Then it seems right to kiss my cheek because you’re happy to receive the shoes.”
“That’s right, but… … .”
It was true, so she couldn’t refute it.
Eirene did as Clive told her.
With new shoes on both of her feet, Clive stood up and said.
“Move them around.”
It’s less painful.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
If I’m embarrassed and hesitant about this kind of thing, I will not be able to get revenge in the future.
Eirene, feeling the need to think and act boldly, gently grabbed Clive’s arm.
She raised her heels and her head, but she couldn’t reach his cheeks.
She whined she couldn’t do it again.
“What are you doing?”
Clive frowned.
“You told me to kiss you on your cheek.”
“Ahhh… That.”
He leaned towards Eirene and adjusted the height.
She intended to kiss his cheek just for a moment.
When she tried to put her lips together and kiss him, suddenly Clive turned his face, and it was his lips that she kissed and not his cheek.
Eirene stepped back as soon as she touched his lips.
Her face seemed to be burning with fever.
“What did you do?”
“A kiss on the cheek is so childish. You’re going to kiss me anyway, but we have to practice beforehand, right?”
He cracked a smile.
Clive laughed and held out his arm towards Eirene, who was looking at him in a daze.
“Now let’s go.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Clive told the coachman to go slowly as he was taking Eirene home by carriage.
He suggested riding a horse, but Eirene refused, arguing that it was more frightening.
Clive knocked on the carriage’s window.
The window opened, and Eirene’s face was barely visible.
“What’s going on?”
“This is it, you don’t know anything about dating, so I have to teach you from the beginning. You can’t dryly say goodbye to your lover.”
“Are you asking me for a farewell kiss?”
Eirene pulled her head back.
“No, kiss me next time. I just want you to get home safely today.”
“Yes. Your Highness, please return home safely too.”
The window was closed before he could answer.
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She’s so cold-hearted.
After telling the coach that it was okay to go, Yulik turned around and stood next to Clive.
Clive watched until the carriage disappeared.
He took out a cigar, put it in his mouth, and then took it out.
“Why did I do that?”