Chapter 159
When Phil said he knew who Kama had imprinted, I was filled with hope that we’d finally catch the culprit.
However, sadly, that hope quickly evaporated.
Phil had forgotten the name Kama had told him. I tried bringing up Chloe Dorian, but he couldn’t recall it either.
“Well, it seems similar, but…”
During our conversation, Helios’s gaze lingered on the back of my head.
“Is that woman bothering you that much?”
“She’s the only thing the victims have in common.”
I avoided his gaze by referencing what he had investigated.
“Mm, is that so?”
That was as far as it went.
Helios didn’t press further and leaned back on the sofa.
“What, no matter how small, do you remember?”
He looked at Phil with eyes full of expectation.
Phil hesitated, then mentioned there had been a letter from Kama at his house, suggesting we visit there to check.
We rushed to Phil’s house, only to find it had already burned down long ago.
Nothing was ever simple.
“Stop worrying about it,” Helios said.
He placed his chin on the top of my head.
He’d gone out on an urgent matter since returning to the palace, but had returned at night.
“I’m not worried,” I said.
“Your face says otherwise. It screams ‘I’m conflicted.'”
I turned around to face him and took a step back. Helios gave me a displeased look as I slipped away from his embrace.
“Shouldn’t we take care of Kama’s funeral? His friend has shown up, after all.”
“That friend hasn’t had the courage to step forward.”
Phil, after witnessing Kama’s death, felt like someone was chasing him. As a result, he had been living like a mole, only moving around at night.
“Do you think Phil is crazy?”
“No. I think it’s possible, though.”
“But you said Kama was the one who was mad.”
“That’s because Phil was trembling with fear. It seemed like he was scared he might be controlled and die too. For him, it would almost be a relief if Kama was simply mad.”
So, Helios had been trying to show some consideration for Phil.
The problem is that he went too far.
“Fear without form makes people make mistakes. If that man Phil starts going around saying Kama was controlled by some unknown force, it’ll cause serious trouble.”
“Right. The Temple might step in. They could start another witch hunt, claiming it’s justified, and persecute innocent people.”
So it wasn’t concern for Phil — it was worry about how complicated things could get.
“You’re right. This is a bigger case than we thought, Rienna. And dangerous, too. That’s why…”
Helios began cautiously.
I raised my eyebrows.
“Don’t tell me you want me to stay out of this? Kama was my friend!”
I quickly added, in case he asked since when.
“Since the moment we first met. And I’m the one who said something felt off about this case. Your Highness, you know how capable I am.”
“Rienna, calm down.”
Helios gripped my shoulders. I huffed sharply through my nose and glared up at him.
I’d seen too many women pushed aside from important matters just because they were women, because they were considered weak.
I didn’t want to be like that. I was stronger than people thought. Smarter, too.
“Rienna, what I’m trying to say is…”
Helios gave me a gentle smile, the kind meant to soothe.
It was picture-perfect, but I turned my head away.
I had made up my mind. I wouldn’t fall for his pretty face — not this time.
“It’s not that I want you to back off because it’s dangerous, it’s just I thought we could, you know, do it a bit more often…”
Helios leaned in. He whispered into my ear.
“So you can hold up better in emergency situations.”
My face flushed in an instant.
I was embarrassed for jumping to conclusions, for getting flustered so quickly, and even more so for immediately understanding exactly what he meant.
“Speaking of which, I just met with the Emperor. He said he wants to see your face before the engagement ceremony.”
Even while my thoughts had been elsewhere, Helios had been steadily pushing the engagement forward.
Technically, this was my responsibility, not his…
“Demyr is handling the other preparations, so all you need to do is show your face to the Emperor. No pressure.”
Helios said it lightly, but I didn’t feel light at all hearing it.
