It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 83

I took out the transparent Motus from my bosom. Before Rui could react, two people wrapped in a halo of light appeared.

“Y-you are…?”

Rui recognized their faces and gasped. Perlo ignored Rui’s reaction and strode toward her.

“She’s the maid?”

“Yes. Looks like she’s carrying a piece of Motus in her bosom.”

At Marian’s words, Perlo closed his eyes and focused. Then he suddenly opened them wide.

“Oh! I can definitely smell it.”

“Impressive. The scent is different from the original Motus and so faint that most wouldn’t notice.”

“I told you—I have a pretty good nose. Now that I think about it, it smells similar to Arne… not exactly the same, but close.”

Perlo then pointed his nose toward me. Come to think of it, he had once said I gave off a strange scent. I was about to ask again when Rui shouted.

“What’s going on? How did Perlo Shanaire and the Fourth Concubine appear here?”

Marian turned to Rui.

“I figured you wouldn’t speak willingly. Sorry for the surprise, but you hold the key, so we had no choice. Show us the transparent stone in your bosom and reveal the truth. It’s wrong to manipulate a soul who knows nothing—like Arne here, though that’s not her real name.”

Rui didn’t ask what she meant. She simply trembled all over, pale and shaken.

“Tell us what you know. If you won’t speak, we’ll have to use force.”

Rui’s lips remained sealed. Marian, arms crossed, lowered her gaze.

“Hmph. I’ll secure the transparent stone first.”

Marian slowly approached Rui. Rui collapsed weakly to the floor and clasped her arms together. Marian politely reached into Rui’s bosom.

Surprisingly, Rui didn’t resist. Marian took the pouch from Rui’s bosom and walked over to me. She opened it in front of me. Inside was a transparent piece of Motus.

Rui’s lie was undeniable. She had carried that Motus while pretending not to know.

“Rui, why did you lie?”

I asked quietly. Rui kept her head down.

“Hmm? Why did you lie?”

I asked again. Rui didn’t lift her head. I clenched my fist.

“Where does the lie begin? You even lied about my relationship with Giskal! Was it all a lie from the start?”

Rui had stayed by my side since the days I suffered from fever. She was the one who spent the most time with me in this world. So I trusted her.

But now…

Rui’s shoulders trembled. She was crying. Crying without telling the truth. I suddenly realized something. I steadied my trembling lips.

“You knew?”

Rui didn’t ask what I meant. Though surprised by Perlo and Marian’s sudden appearance, she showed no confusion at Marian’s unbelievable claims.

That I wasn’t Arne. That I was a soul who knew nothing.

Those should’ve been the most confusing words—but she didn’t question them.

“You knew I wasn’t Arne from the beginning. You kept deceiving me!”

Rui lifted her head.

“Your Highness!”

It was a familiar sound. Rui always called me that—“Your Highness.”

It made sense. This world had ranks and titles. But Rui insisted on calling me “Your Highness.” Even at the Edelheit mansion, where everyone else called me “Lady Arne,” Rui never did.

Because she knew I wasn’t Arne. That’s why she never used that name.

My head spun. I staggered, unable to even grab the table. Rui rushed to support me, but I instinctively pushed her away. I’d rather fall than accept her help.

Maybe my emotions showed on my face. Rui, pushed away, fell backward and looked up at me with wounded eyes.

Who was really hurt here?

If Rui knew, then maybe—maybe Giscal knew too.

He knew and still deceived me.

“Giscal knew too, didn’t he?”

Rui didn’t deny it. My legs gave out.

“Hey? You okay?”

Perlo ran over and barely caught my waist.

“I get how you feel, but don’t get too worked up. Do you know what your face looks like right now? You could die if you’re not careful.”

I touched my face with both hands. Sharp eyes, smooth cheeks, stiff lips.

My face—but not my face. It was terrifying. There was only one way to escape this fear.

“Die? Haha, that’d be great! If I die, I can escape this annoying world!”

I laughed. Loudly, to chase away the fear. I had once prepared myself—before the wolf.

I was just doing now what I couldn’t do then.

“No!”

Someone screamed. Rui clung to my leg, shaking her head.

“You mustn’t. Please don’t.”

She was desperate. So much so that I couldn’t push her away again. Marian also reached out her hands to calm me.

“She’s right. Lady Arne, dying won’t send you back. You’ll just die in this world.”

Perlo guided me to a chair. He gently patted my back, helping me breathe slowly. Rui knelt at my feet and asked:

“Do you want to know everything?”

I looked down at her silently.

“Now that those who tried to protect Your Highness are gone, can’t you just enjoy the good things in this world? I’ll try harder.”

Rui looked at me pleadingly, tears still in her eyes. She reached out as if I were her last hope.

Why did Rui see hope in me? I meant nothing to her. I slapped her hand away.

“I don’t need it. I just want the truth.”

“Even if that truth hurts you?”

“That’s for me to decide. I’m done being manipulated without knowing anything.”

Rui’s arm dropped weakly. Her limp arm looked like a withered tree branch. Her face was dry and cracked like bark as she moved her lips.

“Understood. Then I’ll tell you at the place where it all began.”

The place where everything began was the Edelheit mansion. When Rui said we needed to move there to talk with others, Perlo frowned.

“Sounds like a lot of people are involved.”

“Not really. Just those who know the truth. Me, Butler Ortrang, the one who crafted this transparent stone, and the Marquis of Edelheit.”

Rui finally said Giskal’s name. His name rang louder than the others. My heart pounded with the certainty of truth.

Rui placed the transparent Motus piece in the center of the table. Just touching it would transport us to where Giscal was—and finally reveal the truth. Perlo reached out first.

“If you’ve decided, let’s go. I’m dying to know.”

Marian also reached out, urging Rui.

“We’ll be in trouble if the person who can explain everything doesn’t show up.”

Marian forcibly grabbed Rui’s hand and pulled her toward the Motus. Rui didn’t resist. I was the only one who hadn’t reached out yet.

I looked around my room—no, Arne’s room. Over time, my tastes had shaped it, but Arne’s traces remained.

The curtains were new, but the bed behind them was Arne’s choice. The sofa was custom-made for my reading hobby, but the table beside it was Arne’s. The ornate jewelry box once held Arne’s jewels, now mostly empty because I sold them at auction. And the bare wall once held a grand mirror.

I remembered seeing Arne’s reflection in that mirror for the first time. Her beauty was striking—but unfamiliar. Uncannily unfamiliar. That shock and fear… maybe it was caused by the people I trusted and relied on. Not divine will or random chance.

I reached out. As I did, I picked up the red Motus Erich had returned. I didn’t know why.

A light of indescribable color burst from the transparent stone. Beyond the light stood Giscal.

Giscal was startled to see the four of us appear, but when he met Rui’s eyes, he bit his lip—hard enough to bleed.

The door opened and Parsen rushed in, followed by Butler Ortrang. The sudden reunion caused a stir. Even in the chaos, I couldn’t stop staring at Giscal’s wounded lips.

“It’s been a while, Marquis Edelheit.”

Marian stepped forward first. She greeted Giscal lightly and then walked toward someone else.

“And this person… looks familiar too.”

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