Thank You For The Confinement, Grand Duke! - Chapter 77.2

For the first time in a while, I was alone with Frii, and we were lounging on the bed together. At first, when Frii was placed on the bed, it would dig around like it was burrowing under the blankets or hop around, but after it had been stepped on by accident and got hurt, it no longer jumped when I was around.

Instead, it now came near my hands and lay down as if asking for me to pet it. I gently scratched under Frii’s neck, and it closed its eyes with a contented sigh.

“Enfrise has been so sexy lately, it’s hurting my heart. What should I do, Frii?”

“….”

“Should I just pounce on him?”

“Ppi—!“

I must have put too much pressure in my hand without realizing it because Frii suddenly jumped away. I was startled, too, and reached my hand out toward Frii.

“Are you okay?!”

“Ppi!“

Although it didn’t threaten me, it lightly bit my finger as if protesting. The sharpness of its teeth made me recall what had just happened.

It felt like being bitten by a vampire. Usually, vampires could use skills like enthrallment or charm, making their prey unable to resist before feeding on them. It felt as if something like that was in play, and I couldn’t move a muscle.

If I had pushed him away, Enfrise would have backed off quietly.

I raised my hand and gently touched where he had bitten me earlier. It was likely healed by now, but I still felt a slight tingling. My face flushed a little, and I felt an odd sensation.

“…Frii.”

As I reached for it, Frii crawled up my arm and sat back on my shoulder. Did I get red? Was it protecting me because it thought I had a wound?

“We’re leaving this mansion, Frii.”

“Ppi?“

“We’re going to a bigger mansion.”

I gently tickled its forehead, and Frii closed its eyes again. It seemed like it had completely forgotten about its earlier irritation.

It was so cute that I couldn’t help but smile.

“To be honest, I don’t really want to go.”

Even though my lack of common sense wouldn’t be a problem here, it would be different there. In addition, even if there wasn’t one, if a qualified doctor examined me, they might figure out that I wasn’t suffering from memory loss.

There have been too many suspicious actions on my part until now.

Memory loss was different for everyone, but still… I was scared of when I’d be caught lying. The main reason I didn’t want to leave this mansion was because of that. What if I meet a survivor of the Rivette family? Wouldn’t people who used to know Chaperil recognize me and think something was off?

…What if Enfrise realized I wasn’t Chaperil?

“….”

The hand that had been gently petting Frii fell to the bed.

Was that why I’ve been hesitating all this time? I had accepted that I had to live as Chaperil. This world was my reality, and I was going to live and die here.

And then there was my rational attraction to Enfrise.

However, Enfrise didn’t know. He still believed that I was Chaperil, and he would never find out the truth. Even if someone else came to think that I wasn’t Chaperil, he would believe that I was just a similar person. However, Enfrise, the one who saved me from the Rivette mansion and kept me captive, knew the truth.

That this body was undeniably Chaperil.

He would never imagine that the essence inside me has changed. He believed that the Chaperil who loved him was the same Chaperil he knew.

He believed the one he loved was Chaperil.

…Without ever knowing that I wasn’t Chaperil, but Suhee.

“…Frii.”

“Ppi—?“

Lying was truly painful.

I wanted to touch Enfrise, to get closer to him, to do those things with him, but I kept holding myself back, thinking it wasn’t possible. Even though our hearts were connected, I couldn’t ask for everything.

It was because of guilt.

The guilt of deceiving Enfrise.

“Should I tell him?”

Would he believe me if I told him? No, he would believe. It was Enfrise.

But after that, would he still love me?

Chaperil was the flower of the social world, a popular figure even called a saint. She was beautiful, lovely, and graceful.

Suhee was someone who had never been loved by anyone. While my friends showed affection, it was probably closer to pity. No one would love someone as clumsy, awkward, and foolish as me.

Suhee could never replace Chaperil. She could never be loved by Enfrise.

So, I… I had to live my life watching Enfrise love Chaperil from the closest place. If I were to be with him physically, it would definitely be.

…Not me, but Chaperil.

“What do you think, Frii?”

“Ppi.”

Would I ever be able to become the real Chaperil in his eyes? Would I forget the twenty-five years I lived as Suhee and become the Chaperil of this world, the one Enfrise loves?

No, but for sure…

‘When that time comes.’

He’d be tormented by the thought that the Chaperil he first loved wasn’t me.

“I’m sorry for asking such a difficult question.”

I gently stroked Frii’s back as I thought.

The female leads of possession stories were truly amazing. Of course, most of them struggled for survival and got involved with the male lead, so they probably didn’t have the luxury to think such unnecessary thoughts.

I let out a small sigh as I thought about it.