Hiding the Fact That We Are Dating From the Amnesiac Villain - Chapter 18

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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 18
* * *
Chirp, chirp, chirp.
Birds sang their morning chorus on this warm day.
I rose from bed with my hair splayed in every direction.
“Ugh….”
Something extraordinary had happened last night. My head felt foggy.
‘Hugho is Declin….’
And now Declin suspects me.
This has to be a dream, right?
Please….
Had there ever been a moment in my life more hopeless than this?
Looking back, even our first meeting was strange.
Hugho and I first met at a shabby Temple.
It was a place where the poor came to receive free bread….
So why did Declin come there….
‘He approached me intentionally, knowing who I was!’
Because he knew I was a bastard child of House Orbannon, one of the Ten Great Families.
…A house he would later seek to destroy.
‘How long has it been since I cut ties with that place….’
I lived in House Orbannon until I was sixteen years old.
To Orbannon, who valued honor above all else, I was an eyesore, and when I left the family, they showed relief rather than sorrow.
Why had I never doubted Hugho’s sincerity?
“I fell for you at first sight. I cannot exist without you….”
“…But you can exist without me.”
His trembling eyelashes and flushed cheeks seemed so genuine. Impossible not to believe.
‘…Acting of that caliber—no wonder the protagonist was fooled multiple times.’
Yet for some reason, the Declin of the past had clearly felt I was necessary.
‘What happened to that bastard in the original story?’
Since it was merely a passing line, I had no precise information.
But knowing Declin’s nature, he likely killed me.
Fortunately, Declin lost his memories and doesn’t remember me now, but I don’t know when those memories might return.
‘So what about my escape plan?’
As things stand, there’s a high chance it won’t proceed smoothly.
No, this won’t do….
I just need to endure one more year….
Just until my siblings graduate….
My mind growing distant, I looked at the nightstand beside my bed.
There lay the ring Hugho had given me before leaving.
I carefully picked up the ring.
‘This ring….’
It looked like an ancient antique.
Sharp, thorn-like patterns coiled densely across the darkened, oxidized metal base.
My gaze lingered on the ring for a long moment.
A particular ring described in the original work came to mind.
‘…No, surely not.’
An unsettling suspicion flashed through my thoughts, but I dismissed it.
There’s no way Decklin gave me a family heirloom of the Caesar Family.
What kind of object was that, anyway?
It was something as precious as Decklin’s own life.
The source of his most formidable power, and the very thing that caused the protagonist Havel to die endlessly….
It couldn’t be.
…It has to be anything but that, please.
* * *
A thousand years ago, the Emperor personally bestowed divine relics upon the Ten Great Families who had founded the empire alongside him.
‘One of them is the Caesar Family heirloom.’
The ten sacred relics each possessed different abilities.
The Caesar Family heirloom was a terrifying object that dominated the human body and suppressed one’s actions.
There’s no way Decklin would have given me such a ring….
Yet for some reason, an uneasy feeling settled over me.
‘…For now, I’ll just keep as quiet as possible.’
My behavior in the Banquet Hall was certainly enough to arouse Decklin’s suspicion.
So I could only hope that Decklin would forget about my existence….
Fortunately, several days passed peacefully as I wished.
“Freena, what are you doing?”
A colleague from Daisy Hall approached me.
Reading the newspaper.
Decklin would never let this slide so easily, yet there was nothing in the newspaper about Count Seiton.
I searched through the newspaper thoroughly to see if there was anything related to Caesar….
[Where has Caesar’s attention turned? All eyes on the rare relic at the upcoming auction, the ‘Tracking Orb’!]
‘…This man Decklin really is patient.’
I was dying of anxiety, yet he was showing interest in the Tracking Orb instead.
‘But Decklin covets the Tracking Orb?’
Does he want to find something?
From what I remembered, the Tracking Orb was dreadfully expensive and single-use.
Even though it was a high-ranking relic that could find almost any lost object….
‘Right. Poor value for money.’
Who would be foolish enough to lose a high-ranking relic in the first place?
“Ahem, Freena.”
As it approached lunchtime, the Head Chef came toward me.
“Freena, the 3rd Knight Order has group training scheduled for today. Since they said they don’t have time to come all the way to Daisy Hall for meals, we’ve decided to deliver the food there ourselves.”
“Then shall I take it and distribute it to them?”
“Yes. I’ve loaded it well onto the cart, so go quickly and return.”
Freena pulled the food-laden cart away from Daisy Hall, following the Head Chef’s instructions.
Her mind still lingered on events from days past.
Since nothing had happened so far, it seemed fortunately to have passed without incident… but.
‘I don’t know when or how Declin will come looking for me.’
I could only hope the matter would quietly fade away, but if it didn’t…
My ominous thoughts shattered at the sharp metallic ring that struck my ears.
Clang—!
In the sprawling Training Ground, the Knights were engaged in fierce combat. Savage blades clashed terrifyingly through the air.
By the time I arrived at the Training Ground, I had been lost in thought.
Now that I thought about it, the 3rd Knight Order was…
My gaze fell upon a man with hair as white as snow.
Standing bathed in the pouring sunlight, his pristine white hair gleamed with an almost painful brightness.
“Havel wins!”
It was where the protagonist Havel was.
Despite sweat beading at his brow and dripping to his chin, there was no sign of fatigue from the sparring match in him.
A stark contrast to his opponent, who lay sprawled in the dirt.
Was the protagonist truly exceptional from the very beginning?
I gasped softly in admiration when our eyes met in the void.
The moment our gazes locked, Havel’s amethyst eyes trembled visibly.
“Hello, Havel.”
I merely waved my hand gently.
Immediately, he closed the distance with long strides, but after only a few steps, he began to run.
‘So… so fast…’
Whether he felt the distance was too great or feared I might not wait, his urgency was unmistakable.
Soon the man came to a halt before me.
“Sister, what brings you here…?”
Havel’s breathing, which had been steady even after finishing his sparring, suddenly became ragged.
“Did you come personally to see me?”
As our eyes met, Havel’s cheeks flushed deeply.
For some reason, it seemed as though a white tail was wagging excitedly behind him.
“Aren’t you exhausted? You should have come slowly, Havel. You must be tired from training.”
“Sister would be waiting for me—how could I afford to be leisurely?”
“You were worried about me? You’re such a good boy, Havel.”
Then whistles sounded from all around.
“Hey, Havel! Go for it!”
“Yeah! Make some real progress now!”
The Knights were watching them from all directions.
“What are you all saying right now—”
“Come on! A man getting all bashful? We’re cheering for your passionate youth!”
Havel didn’t know what to do with himself.
‘You’ve got good instincts.’
It seemed that seeing the usually stoic Havel so flustered had only made them more eager to tease him further.
How cruel, truly.
“Knights, please stop teasing him.”
“Ah, what harsh words did we say? Listen, Freena! Don’t be like that—why don’t you give our Havel a real chance? This fellow is far more impressive than he looks, and solid as they come!”
What was there to give a chance to?
“It seems you’re all not very hungry, I take it.”
“Huh?”
“In that case, I’ll be taking my leave—”
“Wait, Freena! We were wrong! Don’t go!”
“We were wrong! We’ll starve! Please, just leave the cart!”
The knights who had spotted the cart behind Freena pleaded pitifully.
A wise choice. Hunger demands humility.
Freena turned back around.
“…So you’ve come to distribute food.”
Havel muttered with an expression of profound disappointment, his face drooping like a dejected puppy, regret dripping from every feature.
Was he still not hungry enough?

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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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