Be Fascinated

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Chapter 15

“Did you find her?”

“Yes.”

“Where in the world?!”

Irik exclaimed. The workers hesitated.

“That is… We tracked down the last boutique she went to.”

“Then?”

Irik’s face hardened. They looked at each other’s faces. They were hesitating whether or not to say this.

“A carriage went and took her away.”

“Carriage? Which family?”

As expected, it was a noble family that was protecting Philia.

“That is…”

“Say it!”

“That is…”

It’s not unusual to have a bit of greed. Irik threw the bag of gold coins into the man’s arms. Then the hesitation disappeared in his eyes.

“It seems to have been the Crown Prince’s.”

“Haa…”

Irik was not shocked. Instead, he remained in deep thought.

It was no surprise. The anxiety he had in his heart just became a reality.

“So, did they go to the Imperial Palace?”

“Probably…”

“Alright. Go back.”

The workers bowed their heads and went back. Irik clenched his teeth. He threw the vase that was on the table. A large crash resounded as the vase broke.

“That guy…”

After all, what he saw was not in vain. It wasn’t just a brief glance at Philia. How many men covet the saint Philia.

“May God curse you.”

Even though Philia wasn’t a real saint, she was a girl who had been raised with great care in the temple. Even if the oracle was manipulated, this fact did not change. What a pure, clean child she was.

“Philia.”

Irik thought of Philia’s smiling face.

‘Brother Irik.’

He missed Philia’s figure. Whenever she did her prayers, she did not know how reverent and beautiful she was. And when she finished her prayers, how dazzling her smile was when she made eye contact with him…

“Philia… I miss you.”

Irik thought of Philia. Irik hated the real saint, Bianca. She was filled with earthly stains on her. Unlike Philia, who could only think of prayers and memorizing the scripture, all Bianca did was sway the believers and try to win over Irik.

God made a mistake. Irik clenched his teeth.

Irik called the priest and sent him a letter telling that he was going to the Imperial Palace. If he would get the chance to meet Philia, he would explain the circumstances to her.

That kind child would understand. He would sincerely apologize, and from now on, he would take care of her, not that prince.

Irik’s heart was pounding.

In the space he had arranged for her, Philia would be in his care. She would wait for him and smile as she was glad to welcome him back.

For some reason, the more he remembered Philia’s pitiful figure, the tighter his heart became.
As if he just ‘anticipated’ that life.

Irik, realizing that thought, hurriedly shook his head.

 

* * * 

“Miss, you look good.”

At Paula’s kind words, Philia smiled.

“Do I look like that?”

“Yes.”

Philia turned her head shyly and looked at the mirror. It was as if a completely different person was standing in the mirror.

Her dress was different from the white, gray, or dark-colored dress that she usually wore. It was the first time she knew she looked good in a gold outfit.

Around her slender neck was a modest diamond necklace. The necklace was in the form of a single necklace in several rows, with a large jewel the size of a thumb in the center. Then, around it, small jewels were hung from a thin chain like stars scattered around it, giving it an elegant air. Earrings of the same design were hung over her ears.

That day since she heard Claude’s confession, Philia started opening up. When Philia smiled brightly, Claude was also delighted. Seeing him like that, Philia was happy. It was a chain of joy.

And so they became lovers.

Claude openly brought many things for Philia. Beautiful tea, beautiful flowers, beautiful clothes, beautiful jewelry.

The things that were so colorful and pretty that made her eyes widen. Claude took it all in stride and offered her more.

Philia was burdened with the gifts. She thought it wasn’t like her to be so appreciative of material things, but it felt good to see it nonetheless. Because she knew how big his heart was.

“Is the Crown Prince not coming today?”

“It seems so.”

Philia looked disappointed.

“If you like him that much, why did you run away last time?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I almost would have died.”

In Paula’s words, Philia bowed her head in shame. Philia could hear her joking tone, but what Paula said was true.

That day Philia fled, Claude nearly killed Paula. The only reason she could live was that Philia was looking for her.

‘Where is Paula?’

It really was just that.

Paula now knew how she would treat this woman. She even knew what the prince wanted. Paula was obligated to make sure Philia was never bored.

And it had to be another reason to be able to stay here. The fact that she had just given her a scolding like that was quite intentional.

“Are you bored?”

“No.”

“If you are bored, please tell me. I’ll go out with you.”

“It’s really okay.”

Of course, when Philia went out, everyone would have to move along with, and this made things even more cumbersome for the employees. But Paula would be terrified if Philia is tormented by boredom. In a very cruel way that Philia would not notice.

Paula was afraid of Philia’s very existence. However, she also thought she was pitiful on the other hand. She did not know about Philia’s origins, but she probably grew up as pretty as a flower in a greenhouse.

So, even though she ran away, the only place she went was the clothing store. If she truly wanted to escape, she had to run until the bitter end. But then she thought she could get a job instead, that’s why her attempt to run away failed. She was really naive.

“Were you scolded a lot?”

Philia asked worriedly. Paula smiled at her and shook her head.

“I’m sorry, I was a nuisance.”

It was a sincere apology. No matter how fearful she was, the sincere apology moved Paula’s heart. So Paula asked cautiously.

“May I know where came from?”

At Paula’s question, Philia widened her eyes. She hesitated, as if perplexed. Paula realized that she had made a mistake.

“I… I come from a place not too far from here.”

Philia’s face turned gloomy.

“I got kicked out.”

Philia gripped the hem of her skirt. Paula said affectionately.

“It must have been very difficult.”

“Yes.”

“But you are okay now, right? Because His Highness is with you.”

“Yes.”

Paula smiled brightly. And Philia said with a rare expression.

“And it’s nice to meet Paula. So…”

“…….”

“Paula is like a mother.”

When Philia looked at her with a smile, Paula felt a little guilty. She had heard that Philia’s parents were dead. Even this poor little girl, who didn’t give up her side at first, ended up giving her heart like this. Paula is also a puppet of the prince.

 

* * * 

Claude looked at the paperwork carefully and smiled. The results were satisfactory.

Should he remove them or not, or rather, to use him for a pathetic purpose. This came across his mind. It was quite a tempting idea. But he changed his mind because he came up with a very simple method.

“He’ll be useful.”

“Will it be okay?”

Claude nodded his head at the servant’s words. It was his brother who he thought he would get rid of. A prince who was treated coldly because he had no ability. After being humiliated by Kshamil, a country founded by an uneducated savage, both the Emperor and the Empress trembled, loathing him and treating him as a non-existent child.

“Carlos.”

He thought Carlos was someone with no special abilities, but he was secretly gathering strength. It was so clear what he was aiming for, so Claude thought of getting rid of him. The reason was simple. Because he dared to covet what was his.

Had it not been for Philia, Carlos would have been removed in the near future.

“Marriage.”

The corner of Claude’s lips curved up. He hated everything about marriage. However, the more he thought about it, the more he was pleased that what Philia wanted with him was ‘marriage’.

Originally, he planned to appoint Carlos as his successor without getting married even after ascending to the throne. Unless, of course, Carlos wasn’t aiming for his place.

However, he changed his mind.

Claude knew he was born to become Emperor. As such, the throne was, of course, his.

He had no sense of responsibility to lead this country. However, Claude was born as the next Emperor, and relinquishing the position meant his defeat. And with his defeat, he would lose his life.

This was the purpose of his life. Because of that, even if it bothered him, the throne was his.

“…Yes, he’s useful.”

Thanks to Carlos’ unexpected abilities and Philia’s cute plea, he was able to think differently. He had a very interesting idea. At the same time, he imagined being able to screw over his disgusting father and his annoying mother.

“Your Highness!”

“What’s going on?”

“The high priest asks for an audience.”

High Priest? Claude’s eyes narrowed. The servant hesitated at the gaze to tell him the reason. Then a loud voice was heard.

“Philia! Where are you?!”

Claude remembered the voice. In the end, that dimwit seemed to have caught wind.

——

Translator’s Note:
The ‘Carlos’ mentioned here is the ML of another novel titled, ‘Be Indulged’
But it seems like the timeline of Be Fascinated is set to be before the events of Be Indulged because in this book, Carlos has yet to become Emperor.

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