I Don't Want To Be Loved

Chapter 168: Striking Red Hair

She wanted to honestly let out the words that the sole reason she’s pushing him away was not that she didn’t like him, but the memories of her past still haunted her to this day.

But she couldn’t…

It was an unbelievable claim, and even if Igor believed in it, it’d not solve the situation for she had already believed that she was not meant to be with Igor.

Perhaps it would have been better if she didn’t have the memories of her past. Thinking so, Rihannan smiled bitterly. Maybe she’d not fear the unknown nor the future she knew would happen… and maybe… she’d not push him away like this either.

Rihannan grabbed the blanket sitting next to the couch and spread it on top of him. The temperature of the room was too cold to leave him without warmth.

That’s right…

She’s only making sure his cold doesn’t worsen…

This was the only reason, the justification she made in her mind as she walked back to her room and quietly closed the door.

***

Basil stared at the king’s face with a wildly blank expression.

Igor had been at the rock bottom of hell these days, but today, for odd reasons, he wore a happy and elated look, which was rare. Those purple eyes kept staring at the blanket folded neatly on the table, lips smiling uncontrollably.

“…Did Her Majesty leave that here for you?”

Igor nodded happily. “That’s right. When I woke up after sleeping yesterday, I found the blanket on my shoulders.”

“Her Majesty’s so caring. Usually… when a husband and wife have a fight, the wife wouldn’t even bother to see a hair of her husband, yet here is our queen caring for you this whole—”

Basil coughed, quickly shutting his lips noticing Igor’s deathly glare. Clearing his throat, he poured a new set of tea on Igor’s empty cup.

“Oh yes, by the way, there was some progress we found while investigating the hunting ground incident.”

Igor immediately lifted his head.

“Well, do go on,” Igor said lowly.

“It was about the smell of mint. As mints aren’t often used as perfumes, I thought that perhaps the reason why the scent of mint permeated on their body was that they often worked with medicine that involves mint as the main active ingredient.”

Basil spread his hands proudly.

“Therefore, I looked into finding the nobles that had recently used medicine that contains mint or is suffering from a sickness that requires the use of mint for treatment. And though the medicine is used to treat ailments universally, the range of people using the medicine regularly shouldn’t be far in between.”

Igor tapped his finger on the table. “So there’s a high probability that the culprit is among those people.”

Basil nodded vigorously. “Yes. And when I looked into Count Clovis’ recent doings, he didn’t seem the least bit suspicious at all. However, it’s rumored that he recently brought in a mistress.”

“Mistress?” asked Igor, brows furrowed.

“Yes. Though she is Viscount Olbach’s wife, she is the mistress of Count Clovis. She seems to be of peasant background. Aside from her name, we weren’t able to find any particular details about her nor her alibi. If you wish, we can continue investigating.”

Igor shook his head. “There’s no need. I don’t care about the love affairs of a noble’s wife and their mistresses.”

“But Your Majesty, there is one thing to note about this woman.”

“What is it?”

“Viscount Olbach suffers from serious arthritis and often uses mint as medicine for his ailing pains. He’s aged quite a bit, after all.”

Understanding what Basil meant, Igor’s brows tightened.

“…You mean to say that the scent could have attached to her since she’s married to him? Did she make an appearance at the hunting grounds?”

“Her name was not on the list. However, it was somewhat strange after investigating it a bit more. There was someone who claimed that they saw her at the hunting grounds. In truth, because she has a humble background, no one really knows much of her, but many claim that they would never forget her striking appearance.”

“What do you mean when you say her appearance is striking?”

“That she is an extremely beautiful woman, Your Majesty. They say that anyone who sees her is immediately struck by her beauty. They mention her red shining hair and red flaming eyes that were so captivating they found it hard to look away. Well, though she’s a peasant, but because of those striking features… she was able to become a count’s mistress and a wife of a viscount.”