Hiding the Fact That We Are Dating From the Amnesiac Villain - Chapter 28

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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 28
His determination to settle in this place appeared formidable.
‘I need to send him away before the Priest returns….’
Suddenly, such futile thoughts crossed my mind.
If only the man standing before me now were Hugho. If only he were Declin from those days when he played the affectionate lover.
‘It would have been so easy to cast him out.’
A single, simple word would have resolved this vexing situation cleanly.
For instance.
“Your Excellency, the truth is… I rode in the carriage for so long on the way here that I’ve become terribly motion sick.”
Hugho would never have left her alone if she were suffering, her complexion turning pale.
He was the type to summon a physician at the slightest provocation.
But regrettably, all of that was merely performance, and Declin is not Hugho.
“I’ve heard that if there’s a physical ailment right before the sacred measurement, it can affect the results as well.”
Freena steadied herself against the wall, deliberately swaying.
“Is that… truly the case?”
She gazed at Declin with such apparent concern.
At that moment, Declin rose from his seat and closed the distance between them.
‘Why, why is he approaching?’
In my panic, my body was about to collapse to the floor when—
A firm arm wrapped around Freena’s waist and arm.
“Are you alright, Freena?”
The voice pouring down from above was low and glacial.
Despite the warmth of his body pressed against hers, his crimson eyes tracing her complexion were sharp as a blade’s edge.
I must continue the act.
“…Ah, it hurts so much, Your Excellency.”
“….”
Freena gently pushed against his arm to evade his persistent gaze. Then, feigning pain, she let out an intentional whimper.
Though she no longer attempted to play the affectionate lover as before, it was abundantly clear that this suspicious man wanted to see the accurate results of the sacred verification.
So he would not allow Freena to suffer.
“…Does it hurt terribly?”
Declin appeared to examine Freena’s condition with unexpected seriousness.
How desperately he wanted the sacred measurement.
Tsk. Freena clicked her tongue inwardly.
“Is there perhaps a medicinal herb in the Temple that could settle my unsettled stomach?”
Thanks to her earnest performance, her eyes had grown moist. Freena gazed at Declin with a pitiful expression.
Please, just leave.
Yet Declin did not release the moaning Freena immediately.
Instead, his large hand cradled her pale cheek, and his calloused thumb slowly traced the corner of her eye.
“…Your Excellency?”
Could he have seen through me?
My heart pounded with anxiety.
In that moment, Declin’s hand slowly withdrew.
“I’ll have a Priest brought here.”
Declin finally left!
‘Now is my chance.’
The moment the door closed, I pressed my hand against the measuring device.
I had to finish before the Priest and Declin returned.
A faint light began to seep from my hand as it touched the sacred relic. With such meager divine power, drastically altering the relic’s rank would be impossible.
‘But…’
I had to diminish its verification capability enough that my bloodline couldn’t be discerned.
Yet I couldn’t reduce it too much, or the Priests would notice.
Beads of perspiration formed on my brow.
‘Ah. This is exhausting.’
It wasn’t quite as demanding as resonating with the Caesar ring, but this was still a third-rank sacred relic.
Moreover, manipulating the relic’s rank consumed far more energy than reading its memories.
‘I have to see this through.’
Finally, I succeeded in lowering the sacred relic’s rank.
“Gasp…”
‘In an hour, the relic will regain its original power.’
I hadn’t inflicted permanent damage. I couldn’t afford to give them reason to suspect I was mad.
So as long as the examination was completed within that time, it would be fine. I was catching my breath heavily, my legs having given out beneath me, when—
The door burst open.
I swallowed the ragged breath I’d been releasing and hastily steadied myself against the wall.
‘Did he see?’
Declin returned with the Priest.
My heart raced at the thought that my lingering presence near the measuring device might have looked suspicious.
“Is my return so startling?”
“…I was merely surprised by your sudden entrance.”
“You haven’t done anything wrong, have you?”
Yes, I have…
Tampering with the Grand Temple’s sacred relic’s abilities was a grave crime.
“But Miss Freena, you seem to be in worse condition than before.”
Declin approached until he stood directly before me.
Like a thief whose feet itch with guilt, I lowered my head to hide my trembling gaze.
In that instant, a gloved hand grasped my chin and lifted it.
“You seem prone to severe motion sickness.”
Perhaps because my complexion had turned corpse-pale during his absence, Declin’s brow furrowed slightly.
‘Does he think I’m struggling with the measurement?’
“Miss Freena, there’s no need to push yourself. If it’s truly difficult, we can conduct the measurement another time.”
What?
It was something the man who had obsessed over her measurement and brought her here had said.
“No, it’s fine, Your Excellency.”
Freena pushed Declin away and created distance between them.
Was he suddenly suggesting we postpone because he feared the accurate measurement wouldn’t appear?
That couldn’t happen.
Why would I have gone through such trouble manipulating the sacred artifact!
“Sister, are you alright?”
That’s when I noticed the medicinal herbs in the Priest’s hand.
“You’re sweating so profusely… I’ve brought some medicinal herbs, so you should be fine. Here, take this—”
Freena hastily chewed and swallowed the herbs the Priest offered her.
When she choked and coughed several times, I felt a pitying gaze from above looking down at me.
…Well, at least it went down smoothly, right?
“Priest, please begin the verification now.”
Freena spoke without even glancing at Declin. I could feel a sharp gaze piercing my back.
“Ahem. Understood. Let’s begin the measurement. Just place your hand here.”
* * *
“The examination results are in.”
Fortunately, the measurement finished quickly. Given how expensive the measuring apparatus was, the results came back just as fast.
‘This is exhausting.’
Freena was so drained that her mind felt somewhat vacant.
Between the sacred artifact resonance and the measurement, my body felt like it wouldn’t survive.
In truth, if I’d possessed just a bit more sacred power, the resonance wouldn’t have been this taxing.
Accomplishing something grand with meager sacred power naturally drained me completely.
“What are the results?”
Declin, who had been leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, approached with interest in Freena’s rank.
Why on earth was he so interested in my examination results….
“Seventh rank.”
As expected.
I’d already been measured in Orbannon before. Of course, the measuring instrument didn’t function properly then either.
‘Mother had arranged things beforehand to prevent my resonance ability from being discovered.’
Back then, Mother had bribed the Priest.
If it had been a measurement of direct family members, it would have been impossible, but since Freena was a bastard, no one paid attention, making it feasible.
So Freena had already roughly anticipated the examination results.
But Declin.
“…Seventh rank, you say?”
…He seemed somewhat shocked?
Did he really expect first rank to appear?
“Merely?”
He really did think I’d be first rank.
Why such a misunderstanding?
I swear, Freena had not committed rank fraud.
There was no reason to fabricate such a trivial rank.
Declin’s gaze swept slowly down Freena’s pallid face before he turned toward the Priest standing beside him.
“Perhaps there’s a malfunction with the Temple’s measurement device?”
“…I apologize, Your Excellency, but the device functions perfectly. The young lady is… truly rank 7.”
“Rank 7 is nearly equivalent to an ordinary person’s level, is it not?”
“It is somewhat higher than ordinary.”
Yes. I’m not quite that low.
Declin’s eyes transformed as he regarded Freena—as though he were gazing upon some worthless pebble discarded on the roadside.
Though, to be fair, he’d always looked at me that way….
‘So it’s possible to become even more insignificant than this?’
Freena had discovered a new truth.
“In other words, Miss Freena’s talent is utterly mediocre, correct?”
Did you really have to phrase it that way?
“Y-Your Excellency, as I mentioned before, I am merely an ordinary Worker who lives hand to mouth. That is why I have been too occupied to complete my Sacred registration….”
That was when it happened.
The table upon which the measurement device rested began to tremble violently.
What, what is this? There’s no earthquake, so why is it shaking!
As expected.
Declin’s broad shoulders, braced against the table, were quivering noticeably.
‘…Could he possibly be angry?’
Because I’m a useless rank 7?
No, but then why are you so concerned with my rank in the first place….
Just as I was quietly attempting to retreat, sensing that Declin was far more furious than I’d anticipated—
“Ahahaha!”
Declin suddenly burst into laughter like a madman.
Both Freena and the high Priest standing beside her froze in absolute shock.
‘What on earth is he laughing about all of a sudden?’
…It was terrifying.
Could it be that what I’d possessed was not a romance novel but a horror story?
The terror did not end there.
Crack—
The table that Declin had been gripping began to splinter under the strain.
Freena’s eyes darted urgently toward the Priest.
‘Is this right?’
That was the desperate plea in her gaze—do something to stop him.
Yet the Priest himself remained frozen, utterly powerless to act.
‘So he still hasn’t learned to control his strength.’
He broke all sorts of things even during our courtship.
I thought Freena’s nagging had finally corrected this habit, but he’s still like this?
So this is what they mean by “old habits die hard.”
Declin was inherently a being of monstrous, overwhelming power. The source of that strength was the authority of the Evil God.
Whenever his emotions spiraled beyond his control, he would act like this.
Crack!
The table shattered completely in that instant.
‘Stop destroying things, you madman….’

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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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