Chapter 62
Alexander was reading a book at the café he often visited.
He was in a good mood.
His silver hair, uncovered by a hood, shone white in the sunlight.
His clear features stood out.
He was handsome enough to draw attention.
That was why he had always hidden his face.
But now, he didn’t need to anymore.
He no longer had to avoid the sunlight or hide in the shadows.
He could openly reveal his identity, enter high society, and make his name known.
He had waited so long for this moment.
And now, it was finally close.
As he thought that, Lucy came to mind.
Lucy Adelstein.
For some reason, she often came to his thoughts.
While reading.
While drinking tea.
She appeared in his mind again and again.
At first, he never expected to become this interested in her.
She was a discarded princess—someone he never planned to get involved with.
At first, he was only curious about the woman who stayed by Bartholomew’s side.
But when he actually met Lucy, she had a strange charm.
She made people want to know her more.
Especially her smile.
Lucy smiled brightly in front of Bartholomew, but she never showed Alexander such a sincere smile.
It felt like a challenge.
Alexander wanted to see Lucy smile brightly at him.
That was why he arranged meetings with her and talked to her on purpose.
But maybe because of the wall he had built, Lucy also kept her own distance.
They called each other friends, but they never truly shared their hearts.
Alexander wanted to break that wall.
And this time, he decided not to keep a wall between them anymore.
The next time they met, he planned to reveal his family background.
What kind of reaction would Lucy have?
If he stopped hiding himself, would Lucy open her heart too?
Alexander looked forward to that moment.
As his thoughts of Lucy deepened, his smile grew wider.
Just then, a man appeared silently and sat across from him.
The man wore his hood low, hiding most of his face.
Alexander frowned slightly and looked at him.
As soon as the man appeared, Alexander became aware of his surroundings.
He put his hood back on and spoke coldly.
“What were you thinking, meeting me in public?”
“It’s an emergency.”
“An emergency?”
The crease between Alexander’s brows deepened.
“Duke Faraday is dead.”
Clatter!
Alexander’s body jolted.
He almost jumped to his feet.
Aware of the people around him, he clenched his fists tightly.
“Don’t joke around. My father is dead?”
“Bartholomew killed him.”
Alexander couldn’t believe his ears.
He let out a hollow laugh.
It made no sense.
Bartholomew killed his father?
His father’s loyal dog biting its master?
Alexander still couldn’t grasp the situation.
The man in front of him forced him to face reality.
“The Imperial Palace is investigating Duke Faraday’s death.”
Only then did anger slowly rise within Alexander.
Anger toward Bartholomew, who killed his father.
That anger acted like a shield, protecting his mind from collapsing under grief.
“Bartholomew reported it himself to the palace.”
“Reported what?”
“The experiments he has been conducting all this time.”
Alexander’s eyes widened.
“How could that bastard do something like that? Did someone help him?”
The man shook his head.
“This is not the time for that. You need to hide.”
“Hide again?”
“If you’re discovered, your life will be in danger.”
Alexander was left speechless.
The sunlight that felt warm just moments ago now felt suffocating.
All joy was gone.
It felt as if the sky had turned white.
“There’s no time. Follow me for now. You must escape before the palace begins a full investigation.”
The man stood up first.
Alexander clenched his teeth.
His fists tightened on the table, his knuckles turning white.
After forcing his anger down, he slowly stood.
Pulling his hood low, he followed the man with hurried steps.
His purple eyes had turned cold.
High society was thrown into chaos.
It was because of the sudden death of Duke Faraday.
Before long, an official announcement was made.
They said he died of a heart attack.
Most people believed it.
But Lucy did not.
She knew who had killed Duke Faraday.
“Then what were those knights who came that day?”
Lucy was confused.
The Imperial Knights had clearly investigated, so why would they release a false statement?
She didn’t know whether to feel relieved or worried.
At least, it seemed Bartholomew would not be punished for killing Duke Faraday.
But she couldn’t understand why the royal family was covering up his crime.
“What is really going on?”
Lucy felt frustrated.
But there was nothing she could do.
Going to the emperor and bringing up Duke Faraday’s death would be foolish.
Bartholomew had already said Lucy was not involved, and she didn’t want to draw suspicion to herself.
Since she knew nothing, there was nothing she could act on.
“What happened to Bartholomew?”
Since the palace declared Duke Faraday’s death as illness-related, Bartholomew’s crime was erased.
Would Bartholomew really become the heir of the Faraday family now?
“I need to meet Bartholomew.”
He was the only one who could answer her questions.
After thinking it over, Lucy got ready to go out.
Bartholomew might still be at the palace, but she headed to the mansion anyway.
She planned to wait there until he returned.
No matter how long it took—until she could meet him.
Lucy rushed out after getting ready, then froze in surprise.
Bartholomew was entering the yard of the annex.
“Bartholomew!”
Lucy called out to him.
When Bartholomew saw her, he smiled.
Lucy felt strange.
Since killing Duke Faraday, Bartholomew had been smiling more often.
The way he looked at her with warm eyes felt unfamiliar.
The man who had always been blunt suddenly changed overnight, and Lucy couldn’t adjust.
She didn’t know.
Bartholomew had always wanted to smile at her like this.
He had wanted to stop putting up walls and show her his true feelings.
“Lucy.”
Bartholomew called her softly.
As if nothing had happened.
As if he had simply come because the weather was nice.
But Lucy couldn’t act the same way.
“What on earth is going on?”
She questioned him sharply.
There was so much she wanted to ask.
Understanding her feelings, Bartholomew spoke.
“The palace wants to bury this incident.”
“Like nothing ever happened?”
Bartholomew nodded.
“So, Lucy, you shouldn’t think about it anymore either.”
“I saw it with my own eyes. I was there. How can I just forget it?”
Bartholomew frowned slightly.
“It was my mistake.”
“What was?”
“I shouldn’t have shown you something so ugly.”
“……”
“But I couldn’t endure it any longer.”
What couldn’t he endure?
“Lucy. I did all of this because of you.”
