Chapter 48

“I’ll escort you inside.”

“No, you knights stay outside. I haven’t committed a capital offense, so anyone with sense wouldn’t harm me here.“

“The room is soundproof, making it difficult to detect any disturbance inside. It’s safer if we accompany you.”

“Is that a suggestion or an order? Would you say the same thing if my brother were here instead of me? I appreciate your concern for my safety, but there’s no need to lecture me while protecting me.”

Her sharp tone reflected her heightened sensitivity. The hesitant knight stepped aside, bowing deeply.

“Please forgive my rudeness, my lady. After you conclude your business, I will accept whatever punishment you deem fit.“

“You may enter if I don’t come out in ten minutes. Consider that your penalty.”

The knight opened the door, and Bleria stepped inside. The door shut with a thud, cutting her off from the outside world.

Mixel Luke’s crimson eyes had already approached the door, meeting hers directly. His casual posture—sitting on the table and sipping wine—irritated her.

Bleria spoke.

“How uncooperative must you have been to remain here after four days?“

“It’s not me who’s been uncooperative—it’s Heaven. I’ve repeatedly said I’d cooperate with the investigation once I apologized to you.“

“An apology…”

Bleria tilted her head back, exhaling as she gazed at the ceiling. Then, crossing her arms, she lowered her gaze back to him.

“What exactly are you apologizing for this time?“

“Wouldn’t it be more fitting to have this conversation up close?“

“...”

“I don’t intend to harm you. I’ve already fallen out of favor with Her Grace. If I push things further, I might lose my head.”

Mixel Luke chuckled, but Bleria stood her ground without responding. With a resigned sigh, he tossed a letter onto the table.

“I picked this up the last time you offered me a ride in your carriage. After reading it, I realized it wasn’t meant for me.“

“Heaven didn’t search you?“

“They wouldn’t dare; I’m still a nobleman.”

When Bleria stepped forward, Mixel Luke adjusted his posture and sat properly in a chair. She approached the table, grabbed the letter, and threw it into the fireplace. As the bright flames consumed it, he let out a hollow laugh.

“You didn’t even read it?“

“Because I don’t need to.“

“You might regret that.“

“Well, it’s burned now, so what’s the point?”

As she sat across from him, her voice was devoid of emotion. Her apathy wasn’t feigned; it was genuine. At this point, she had no interest in letters meant to provoke her.

However, Mixel Luke seemed displeased by her indifference.

“I know you’re an impostor.”

Such a bold statement left no room for doubt.

“That’s what it said in the unsigned letter,“ he added, studying her intently as though searching for a reaction.

Had this been another time—before she knew Mixel Luke had brought Eos Liche—she might have been startled. Instead, she replied coldly.

“So, you commissioned a fake portrait of me as a child and forged a pendant?“

“Why act as though you don’t know who’s behind the forgeries?“

“I came here to hear an apology. Is this how the Count of Dice apologizes?“

“You didn’t seem satisfied with kindness, so I thought I’d try a different approach. Are you angry now?”

Mixel Luke tilted his head slightly as if reenacting their previous encounter in front of the temple. He had no intention of striking her or escalating further, but his calm demeanor made her irritation flare.

“You’d better hit me. I’m about to say something you won’t like.“

Wasn’t everything so far bad enough?

Her scalp tightened as she brushed back her loose hair, a reminder of the unsettling dream she’d had earlier, deepening her unease.

Mixel Luke began talking again, unprompted.

“I think the letter was correct. You can’t recall events from your childhood; your past as a commoner has been meticulously erased, and even the midwife who raised you and those around her died under suspicious circumstances. It’s all too convenient.“

“You’ve invested too much in some random letter. Why not subscribe to a gossip column instead?“

“What if the letter’s claims aren’t all there is? What if I have more reasons, knew you longer than you realize, and have been suspicious of you for some time?“

“Another claim that you knew me… how tiresome.”

Bleria trailed off, not because she was shocked or caught off guard but because it was exhausting to hear the same accusations again. She resented how powerless she felt, forced to listen to such nonsense.

She rubbed her face as if pressing down her frustration. Mixel Luke wasn’t Gopher Allnight, the Duke of Heaven, Harriet, Damian, or even the Duchess of Allnight herself.

He wasn’t someone she needed to impress.

Then why does he keep provoking me?

He had mocked her, brought Eos Liche into the picture, slandered Gopher, hurt him, and meddled in Heaven’s investigation, prying where he shouldn’t.

Maintaining her composure and acting with noble restraint in front of this man felt utterly pointless.

She couldn’t bear it anymore.

Mixel Luke grinned, baring his teeth.

“Your expression suits you. After all, when you’re angry, you should show it.”

Bleria glared at Mixel Luke in silence.

“The Allnight intelligence division—it’s mine now. Thanks to that, I’ve learned a lot. About you too, probably more than Gopher knows.“

“...”

“When I was framed and exiled abroad, I was given the division. Gopher would be the only candidate left if they got rid of me. Her Grace entrusted me with the most critical matters because she feared power would fall into his hands before she formally passed on the title. After all, I’d never flatter Gopher, even in death.“

“That’s unfortunate. You’ll have to step down from that precious position when Gopher becomes the duke.“

“Exactly. And that means your time is running out as well.”

Bleria curled her lips into a mocking smile.

“Did Gopher write a formal resolution somewhere, declaring he’d harm me if he becomes the duke?“

“Do you really think he’ll leave you alone? Wouldn’t it be more realistic to assume you’d be cast aside when rumors of your fraudulence hit the public?“

“Don’t be absurd. That won’t happen.“

“Why not? Because you’re convinced you’re the real one?“

“Yes, because I am Bleria Heaven!”

Bleria slammed her hand onto the table, shouting. She hadn’t meant to, but she didn’t regret it. Her trembling hand, pressed to her furrowed brow, betrayed her anger.

“What exactly are you trying to accomplish here? You’re spreading the impostor narrative, yet you pretend to act in my interest. Does it make you feel righteous?“

“I bear you no ill will. I even broke my arm on your behalf—what could I gain from that?“

“Then what? Do you pity me?“

“Yes, I pity you.“

“Hah.“

“I pity you for being bound to a man who mocked you by giving your name to a mongrel, all because you were born to a commoner mother.”

Mixel Luke’s tone softened as if trying to console her, but it only heightened her disgust.

“I have a general idea of how you became Bleria Heaven. It wasn’t even a position you wanted. Why not leave it all behind and run away? I’ll help you. I can arrange a fake corpse on my own.”

It was insufferable to leave everything behind, to run away, and to endure his condescending attitude. She clenched her fists tightly.

Help her escape? Why? To make Eos Liche the true heir?

The more he tried to lure her, the clearer it became—Eos Liche wasn’t the real one.

She wasn’t real.

Damian had saved Eos from trauma. The duke’s collapse had been a coincidence. There was no way the real Bleria would have a scar from being stabbed. Eos was a fraud. She had to be.

Bleria glared at Mixel Luke with eyes blazing.

“Even if you label me an impostor and ruin my engagement, it doesn’t mean Gopher won’t become the duke. In the end, he’ll rule Allnight and have your head. Instead of trying to sway me, you should focus on finding a way to save yourself.“

“So you’re determined to live and die as a fraud?“

“I trust Gopher, not you. He doesn’t lie to me.“

“And what if it was Gopher Allnight who handed that pendant?”

Such a ridiculous claim made her scoff. Just as Gopher had said, this man was paranoid to the point of insanity.

Bleria responded immediately.

“That’s your doing, isn’t it? To gauge my reaction—“

“If I wanted to test you, I’d have shown it to you directly. Eos lost the pendant while dancing with Gopher. Shall I share more? The sudden visit to meet your old nursemaid—that was Gopher’s suggestion, wasn’t it?”

Was he referring to the day she handed over the real Bleria’s pendant when Gopher had given her documents on Bleria Heaven? He’d merely suggested she confirm her doubts herself.

But why does that matter?

“A few days before that, one of his subordinates interrogated your nursemaid, asking what she knew about Bleria Heaven.”