My Fiancée Hates Me
Chapter 72: The Devil’s Whisper

Kaya Ouchi leaned in towards Prince Erik and seemed to whisper something in his ear. She had used her hand to cover her lips, making it difficult to read her lips. "That makes me uneasy..."

"What does?" Vance asked.

"She said something that was able to stir him up from his facial expression. Prince Erik's smile is a bit more forced than usual..."

They soon made their way across the floor and into deserted halls. Kaya Ouchi seemed to be leading the way with Prince Erik in tow.

"Where are they moving?" Vance asked.

"...They are looking for a place to be alone."

"Alone? Why would His Highness agree to follow her?" Vance asked.

"She probably blackmailed him with some news or is using bait to lure him somewhere private...She will seduce him by using her body when they are alone," I surmised. "How do you know that?" Vance asked.

"...In our first lives, she told me about her plan to seduce Prince Erik...His Highness when they were alone. I got in the way, so she failed. Even with you...Even you were seduced by her, were you not? I do not believe that you were willing to let her replace you in our meeting without special favors," I said coldly.

"I did not touch her," Vance said.

"She had bruises on her neck...Are you saying that they were not from you?" I asked.

"...They were not from me. You have my word," Vance said.

Vance did not touch her...

She had a weapon... Did she sleep with a guard so that she could slip in a weapon?

"I am sorry for misunderstanding you all this time, Vance..."

It was wrong of me to just assume things without asking him. He was someone very loyal to Erik and thought kindly of me even if it was momentarily during our first lives.

"It is fine. I understand how you could have misunderstood me," Vance said.

I walked ahead by myself. I suddenly encountered one of the assailants. He tried to put a wet odd smelling cloth over my face.

Vance pushed me aside and attacked the assailant.

"Vance!"

"Do not worry about me. Just go!" Vance said as he held the assailant off.

Kaya Ouchi led Prince Erik to an empty servant's room. All servants were to be attending the kitchen and dance hall. She was going to seduce him there!

Prince Erik is free to choose whoever he wants as long as they truly love him.

If Kaya Ouchi really loved Prince Erik, who would I be to stand in her way?

However, she never loved him...She never even thought of him as a person. All she wants is a throne to sit on and a life of luxury.

I cannot stand her!

I jumped out from behind a pillar and grabbed Prince Erik's wrist and ran with him.

"Arielle Maddox!" Kaya Ouchi screamed at me.

I looked back for a moment and saw her face get increasingly wrinkled with anger.

"Arielle? Is that really you?" he asked as his hand moved to mine.

"...I am very sorry, Your Highness. I do not have time to speak right now," I said urgently.

"I would like to speak to you now," he said as he stopped in place.

"We really must get moving," I urged him as I pulled at him.

"How urgent could it be when we are talking?" Prince Erik asked.

This person is being more ridiculous than usual....

I pulled him into a nearby supply closet and closed the door shut.

"Let's talk then... Why did you follow her there?" I asked as I slammed him against the wall.

"Usually...it is the man that does that, right?"

"Talk," I ordered.

"She said that you were being held captive by her men and that she would release you after we would do it once," Prince Erik said.

Why would he go this far for my sake?

No matter how hard I push him away, he keeps coming back and trying to protect me.

"She is the type to poke holes in rubbers...I had hoped you would not fall prey to such cheap antics," I said as I pulled my wig off. "She has a group of associates that are gathering up young women from the party and storing them in a storage room nearby. She probably planned to set me up as the mastermind while she does you in with her body in another location. It is likely that she would have the men kidnap me and place me in a room with circumstantial evidence and further convict me that way."

Prince Erik grabbed me by my shoulders and slammed me against the wall.

"...If I just do her once, you will never have to continue running around like this," Prince Erik said.

"It will not be the last you see of her," I said as I grabbed his collar. "Do not mind me either...As I have said multiple times before, I will not come to love you. The more you do things to get my attention like this, the more I come to dislike you."

I released him and pushed him away.

"...Why help me at all?" Prince Erik asked.

"...I hate her. If I do not have you on my side, it will be more difficult to take her down. You will be my truth and truly release me from her clutches. It really is all your fault for favoring me that I am being put in such predicaments," I said as I clenched my fists tightly.

"You hate the fact that I favor you, but you continue to ask for my help...What is with that?"

"I just want you to correct your mistakes and stop favoring me. Someone who can love you will appear one day..."

That's right...Prince Erik is a Crown Prince. Women are just lining up to see him. I am but one chapter of his life.

"That person cannot be you?" he asked as he caressed my cheek.

"I..."

"There is a woman's voice coming from here!" a man yelled.

This is not the time to be swooning.

"It will be bad for them to replace us..." I said as I quickly shifted gears and slapped his hand aside. "Kaya Ouchi will definitely try to create a scandal with you and force you to marry her to save your reputation or at least try to ruin mine."

I moved him aside and bent over towards a wall.

"W-What are you doing?" he asked with a nervous tone.

"Just a bit..."

I followed my hand along the wall and found the slightly protruding brick and pushed it in slightly. I grabbed Prince Erik's wrist and pulled him towards me as the wall rotated. We finally made it to the other side of the wall.

"...There is no one here," the people on the other side of the wall said.

I lit a match and grabbed a lit lantern by my feet.

"How do you know of the secret passageways?" Prince Erik asked me.

I cannot hide my knowledge of the Royal Castle's inner workings for too long. I feel stubborn about not letting him know everything. If he did, he would surely feel guilty towards me.

"It just happened..."

I need to gather evidence against Kaya Ouchi. At this rate, she might say that the men were acting on my orders and have everyone follow through with her plans.

We walked around the corridor for a bit longer. I followed along the path in my head and found markers that would lead us to the greenhouse.

"...How do you know your way around these halls?" he inquired again with an even more demanding tone.

Ah, how many excuses can I come up with in a short time frame?

Probably not one of those excuses are one that I can use to put a wool over this person's honest eyes...