Life as a Tower Maid: Locked up with the Prince - Chapter 176

Chapter 176

Translator: Yonnee

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“Before she wrote the contract, what did she say to you, Your Majesty?”

Shubert asked astutely.

If Albert started to doubt Rosé’s identity ever since I brought up the contract with him, then it must have been because my actions were contradicting Rosé’s past actions.

Schubert seemed to be curious about that.

“She said that she was very, delightfully happy to be living with me.”

Albert said this with a calm tone, but I felt chills running down my back the moment I heard it.

Immediately after saying such a thing, that person suddenly changed and was saying the opposite thing. It’s inevitably going to raise suspicions if that person says they want to leave.

“The way she looked at me changed as well. Her attitude, the cadence in her words, even the lilting of her voice. She changed so much that it’s difficult to believe that it’s the same person.”

It seemed like I was unable to estimate just how sensitive Albert was to changes in people.

Pausing, he stared into the air for a moment. It felt like he was talking directly to me now.

“Anyway, it didn’t feel like she was harboring resentful feelings against me, so I decided to use her.”

These words scared me now.

You… You really were trying to fool me.

Right after I transmigrated, he repeatedly said that I like him, that I didn’t want any skinship between us—and it’s all because of an ulterior motive.

During those early days, I kept repeating a mantra to myself. Don’t fall for him. Don’t fall for him. And in the end, it seemed like I was right to do so.

I felt a little upset now, for some reason.

“But then, I fell for you.”

Albert whispered under his breath, loud enough for only me to hear. He smiled ever so beautifully—it was my favorite sincere smile.

“I couldn’t help but fall for you.”

As he murmured, his eyes became unfocused for a moment.

Perhaps he was thinking about the moments we spent together.

It’s not so difficult to realize that his affectionate gaze right now was for me.

Hearing him say that he couldn’t help but fall for me, I felt my feelings soar.

All that time, I just acted like I always, and it was enough to move Albert’s heart.

I was just myself, and Albert started to love me.

I knew he meant every word now, but I’ve never heard him say any of this to me.

Maybe that’s why my mind kept being bombarded with questions.

I want to talk to him. I want to apologize. I want to ask him.

I want to know more details about what it is about me that he loves.

The feelings that started to bloom in such a short period of time was this much, and it was enough for him to try for my sake.

I didn’t know about any of this.

I want to apologize, to say sorry for not trusting his feelings for me. I’m a coward, so I needed time.

But unlike Albert, who was conveying the magnitude of his feelings to me, there was nothing I could do.

I couldn’t speak. I had never felt more frustrated in my entire life until now.

“And when she was under the hex’s effects, I became convinced that she was not Rosé Artius. I thought that she’d personally tell me when the time came.”

Every single thing he was saying now surprised me.

Now I knew that I was so obvious about not being comfortable with this topic.

I was so indecisive about telling the truth because I was worried about his reaction once he’d find out that I was someone else. Yet he saw through me each and every time.

“Then, Your Majesty, her soul disappeared and the original Rosé Artius returned.”

Albert nodded when Liam pointed it out.

“I don’t know exactly where Jung-in’s soul is, but this dragon cub that she’s still alive somewhere.”

“Can her soul last long?”

Schubert asked curiously.

“No, a soul that does not have a body to tether it cannot live long. The same was true with Rosé Artius. I think that’s the reason why she put a hex on Jung-in to drive her soul out.”

“…How can we help?”

“We must find a way to extricate Rosé Artius’ soul from her body with as little damage as possible.”

Albert’s eyes flashed bright red, as vivid as blood.

“And the moment Jung-in’s soul returns to that body, we need to kill the soul of Rosé Artius.”

The tone of his voice shifted to a merciless sneer as he spoke of killing her.

In a way, it was an inevitable ending for Rosé. Because she was a dark mage.

No one questioned this.

“Then, sire, another thing that we need to do is to find out more about her. We’ll dig into her background and find enough evidence to undeniably reveal her identity as a dark mage. At the moment, there is no evidence that she is one.”

Going with the flow of the conversation, Schubert suggested this without skipping a beat.

In response, Albert nodded.

“Right, Mercy took a pledge as well.”

Ruffling his hair, Schubert sighed. Then he raised his head and looked Albert in the eye.

Determination evident on his features, Schubert immediately nodded.

“I understand. I’ll have to finish this as soon as possible, I shall leave first.”

“Thank you, as always.”

“It is for Your Majesty.”

With a smile now, Schubert glanced once at Blanc, then he left the room right away. The footsteps going down the hallway sounded as if he was practically flying away.

Liam stood in the same spot without saying a word. His expression returned to the same brusque demeanor he always carried himself with, and he stared at Albert.

The duke’s eyes looked different compared to the baron’s. They were as cold as an arrow that could pierce through everything.

After letting out a short exhale, Liam opened his lips and spoke with a heavy tone.

“You’ve become quite emotional, sire.”

“Human beings are inherently emotional. I’m admittedly the odd one out for being so rational all this time.”

Saying this calmly, Albert laughed.

“This is normal.”