Hiding the Fact That We Are Dating From the Amnesiac Villain - Chapter 11

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 11
Inside the resplendent Banquet Hall.
‘Wow.’
The deep navy ceiling was densely studded with golden star patterns.
Hundreds of crystal chandeliers poured forth their light, and beneath them the marble floor gleamed like a mirror.
“…Would the Grand Duke naturally be here as well?”
Freena glanced at the servant who had come with her.
“This is a banquet held for the Grand Duke himself—surely you don’t expect us to celebrate without the guest of honor?”
His expression asked why she would pose such an obvious question.
Well, I suppose that’s true.
“Do you happen to know where he is?”
“If even they don’t know and are asking, how would a mere servant like me know?”
Why do you keep saying things that are absolutely right?
Freena fell silent, having nothing to say in return.
I wanted to avoid crossing paths with Decklin Caesar by even a hair’s breadth. Of course, even if I happened to brush past him, why would the Empire’s hero spare a glance for a mere Imperial Kitchen worker?
Yet now that I knew of the bloody future ahead, I didn’t even want to go near that place.
“Why are you so late!”
As I entered the Banquet Hall through the Servant Passage, an attendant approached me.
“There’s no time. Just set it on the table and go.”
Freena nodded and set down the food. My only thought was to escape this place quickly.
Freena glanced around the Banquet Hall.
The black hair and crimson eyes that Decklin Caesar was famous for…were nowhere to be seen.
…Good. Let me leave quickly.
Suddenly.
Someone grabbed my shoulder and stopped me.
“Ah, you there. Perfect timing. Since I’m busy, take this directly to the Guest Room where Count Seiton is staying.”
Count Seiton?
The attendant handed Freena a small silver box.
My heart sank in an instant.
‘He’s the very mastermind behind the assassination attempt on Decklin!’
I really didn’t want to do this.
Why did such a situation have to fall upon me?
“…Is Count Seiton in the Guest Room right now?”
“There’s been no word yet that he’s gone to the Guest Room. So hurry and leave it while the room is empty.”
That was fortunate then.
I would set it down as quickly as possible without encountering him.
In the novel, Count Seiton was a contemptible wretch who didn’t hesitate to wield the whip on servants if his mood was displeased.
…It was best to avoid meeting him at all costs.
Freena walked swiftly across the red carpet the attendant had indicated.
Fortunately, the Guest Room was completely empty.
‘Thank goodness. Thank goodness indeed.’
Freena turned to slip hastily from the corridor, relief flooding through her.
That was when it happened.
Footsteps echoed. There seemed to be about four of them.
“Y-Your Grace…!”
What? Freena’s breath caught.
“P-Please, just reconsider this once!”
A desperate, pleading voice drifted from not far away.
‘Decklin Caesar must be here!’
Freena quickly hid behind a pillar. For reasons she couldn’t explain, she felt compelled to conceal herself.
“It’s unjust! Count Seiton is truly innocent! Embezzling war funds for the Religious Order? We would never do such a thing…!”
“Enough! His Grace wishes to rest. Do not commit further discourtesy.”
“B-But….”
“Have you forgotten that today is the triumph? If you truly wish to honor His Grace, then withdrawing now is the proper course for a vassal.”
“How dare an Aide like you interfere!”
“Draven, if the Count takes even one step closer, draw your blade immediately.”
She had overheard a conversation she should never have heard.
‘Draven?’
The name the Aide had called was somehow familiar. She felt certain she’d heard it before….
Then it came to her.
The knight who gets assassinated instead of Decklin by Count Seiton!
From the voices, it seemed there were about four people.
Count Seiton pleading, the Aide blocking him, and the knight protecting Decklin.
And finally… Decklin himself, maintaining silence.
“I-I shall return another time, Your Grace.”
Fortunately for all involved, Count Seiton abandoned his appeal and beat a hasty retreat.
Freena remained hidden behind the pillar, waiting for them to vanish completely.
But then….
‘W-Who’s coming now?’
From the footsteps, it sounded like one person.
Freena suddenly became acutely aware of her location. The corridor was lined with Guest Rooms.
“Enough! His Grace wishes to rest.”
So Decklin was coming to rest….
‘This is bad….’
If he discovered she had overheard that conversation, he would certainly not be pleased.
But it was already too late to dash away, and there was no crevice small enough to slip into. Her only option was to remain motionless behind the pillar.
Freena clung to hope.
She was at the far end of the corridor. It seemed unlikely that Decklin would venture all the way here when his own Guest Room was nearby.
Creak—
Sure enough, the sound of a door opening came immediately.
‘I’m alive….’
Relief washed over me, and my legs nearly gave way beneath me.
“But how long do you plan to hide there?”
I’d been discovered.
My heart plummeted.
I thought I’d hidden well, but then I remembered—Decklin Caesar was the Empire’s greatest swordsman. He was exceptionally skilled at sensing presences.
He might have known from the start.
‘What, what do I do?’
…Wait, hold on. Why does that voice sound familiar?
“Did you enjoy hearing all those interesting stories from your hiding spot?”
The footsteps resumed, moving toward Freena.
“Dragging you out would look bad for both of us. Why don’t you come out on your own?”
It was a threat—come out now or die.
Freena finally stepped away from the pillar, tears brimming in her eyes.
And then I saw.
Hugho’s face.
‘Huh…?’
Jet-black hair contrasting with porcelain-white skin. Eyes as crimson as rubies. And beneath them, a seductive beauty mark.
Not Decklin Caesar… Hugho?
‘Why is Hugho here?!’
Freena’s mouth fell open in shock.
Yet Hugho seemed equally surprised, one eyebrow arching upward.
“I said we’d meet again next time, but not like this.”
He spoke to her with an air of astonishment.
“Miss Renia Felt.”
When Hugho spoke the false name she’d given him, Freena’s shoulders trembled involuntarily.
But something felt wrong.
Just moments ago, Decklin Caesar had been approaching the Guest Room to rest.
‘The only person who should come here is Decklin. So why is Hugho…’
Freena’s thoughts were cut short by Hugho’s next words.
“Isn’t this what people call stalking?”
Freena’s mind went blank.
“Are you following me around?”
“…?”
“And eavesdropping on conversations. That’s quite a nasty habit, Miss Felt.”
“…No, wait, I wasn’t eavesdropping—”
Stalking, he said.
“So you’re not?”
“Of, of course not.”
What kind of thing was he saying.
Yet Hugho was gazing at Freena with suspicion written across his face.
‘I’m not the suspicious one here—you are!’
In that moment, a chilling premonition washed over me.
How had Hugho appeared at the very place where Count Seiton and Decklin Caesar had been engaged in such a fierce battle of wits just moments before?
Could Hugho’s true identity possibly be….

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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