novelraw Chapter 186: Blurred Lines
Chapter 186: Blurred Lines
**Roughly a month later**
Time seemed to crawl as I lived each day with an uneasy feeling inside of me. Roughly a month had passed and my father’s intensive campaign was coming to an end, and yet, there was no further news from the palace regarding the king’s health condition or his abdication. I scoffed to myself when I recalled my words of warning to Bradon earlier on during the campaign. I had told him not to feed me with false hope and it truly felt like I was indeed hanging on to that false hope.
The sudden change in the king’s health condition and Bradon’s suggestion that the crown prince may be crowned earlier than expected truly gave me hope that the direction of the tides may have changed in my favor. However, even after a month, nothing seemed to have changed.
Did the king get better?
I didn’t know what to make of the absolute silence from the palace and all I could assume was that the king was still sick but there was nothing else noteworthy to update the public. Things were not moving as fast as I thought they would. Traveling on campaign tours kept us busy and I found myself spending more time with Bradon. Perhaps it was because he was supposed to be acting as Anthony that made Bradon come across as much kinder and easier to relate to.
“You should go to bed early tonight. We’re leaving this place so early in the morning,” he advised.
When he reached out his hands to massage my shoulders softly, I found my body naturally receiving his touch. I found it very surprising at first to see him act so caring and considerate, but it didn’t take so long for me to get used to this side of him. Traveling on the road and stopping at hotels became the norm for the many trips that we went on. We traveled by car to nearby cities and took flights to further destinations within the country.
“Are you leaving already?” I asked as I turned to face him.
“I’ll be back by morning,” he replied emotionlessly.
The cold and detached way that he spoke to me and the sudden shift in the air around him as his hands dropped away from my shoulders told me that the ‘night version’ of Bradon had taken over. I used to believe that I had gotten used to seeing Bradon flawlessly impersonate his younger brother and then revert to his old self but that wasn’t at all the case. The month that had passed forced us to spend a lot of time together during the day and that meant that I was frequently exposed to Bradon’s version of Anthony.
During the day, he made me feel like I was really spending time with Anthony. Everything he said and did troubled and soothed my heart at the same time. At first I felt on edge and couldn’t stop suspecting what kind of trick he was going to pull on me. We were constantly being watched by so many people, so it didn’t take long for the stress and fatigue of playing Diana in response to his Anthony to catch up to me.
Then at night, more often than not, Bradon would disappear after pretending to go to bed with me. He never told me where he was going, and I never asked. Since he was glued my by side pretty much all throughout the day, it was no wonder that he had to do his work as Bradon at night. I went to sleep alone while trusting that he would be there to greet me the moment that I opened my eyes.
“Good morning, Dahlia...” Bradon greeted me with the same basic words that I had gotten used to.
“Good morning...” I murmured in reply.
His hair was still damp and I could smell the fresh and clean smell of soap on his skin. It was always like this whenever I woke up. Bradon would be lying on his side next to me on the bed as if he had been watching me sleep. His face would be the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes and his hair would always be damp and he would smell so fresh and clean. It was clear that he had just stepped out of the shower not so long ago.
The way my heart leapt suddenly in my chest as his face approached mine was a sign that I hadn’t gotten completley used to this. As always, Bradon placed a morning kiss softly on my forehead. That kiss seemed to mark the start of a new day for us. Although I knew that we were alone and I fully realized that there was no need for him to do any of this, I coudn’t find it in me to protest against his actions. Instead, I offered a smile while I tried to push away the disturbing thoughts that threatened to enter my head.
Where does he go every night?
Who does he meet?
Why does he always have to shower before I see him the following morning?
What is he hiding from me?
...
Being on the campaign tour meant that I couldn’t avoid meeting my parents, especially my father. Although it was clear that we both didn’t want to speak with each other, sometimes it was unavoidable. Having to act as Diana was one thing, but having to act as that man’s favorite loving daughter was quite another. It made me feel sick to the stomach and my head throbbed with nausea.
“Diana, there’s supposed to be a nice cafe over there. Shall we go get some coffee or maybe some tea?” Bradon asked me invitingly as he took my hand into his and interlaced his fingers with mine.
The smile he showed me was unfairly warm and loving. I didn’t care about tea or coffee but I felt thankful for the excuse that he was giving me to get away. Whenever there was a period of free time where we could get away, Bradon would come up with something to whisk me away.
–To be continued...