Chapter 21: The Grave Evidence

Raphael’s POV:

When my footsteps paused feeling the unexpectedly familiar scent from her, Kara seemed to notice my arrival now and looked a bit startled. Her calm expression turned a little perplexed when she murmured, “R-Raphael, when did you come here?”

I hadn’t expected the rapid change of her expression which seemed as if she was uneasy around me.

However, I tried my best to hold my pent-up concerns inside and moved a few steps closer, gazing intensely into her, “Kara, are you alright? Where did you go last night? I went looking for you in the hut but I didn’t find you there…and the door knob was also broken. What happened there?”

She winced from my questions, as I could see her anxiously swirling her eyeballs. I was hoping she would confess the truth before me, regarding what happened when she accompanied Arnold to his room.

But she chose to put a forged smile instead while responding to me, “Since it was too cold outside, t-that’s why I secretly came inside the manor by picking the lock of the backyard door. I know I shouldn’t have done that, but I was almost frozen and starving…”

What the hell? Why was she lying to me? Why would she choose to avoid telling me the deal between her and Arnold? Doesn’t she have the slightest bit of faith in me?

As those questions struck my head, I saw small sweatdrops accumulate on her forehead, as if she was a bit anxious. Trying to keep my calm before her, I asked, “Then, was there any injury in the process? Were you alright, Kara?”

“Oh, y-yes! I am fine…completely!” She again lied, widening her forged smile which further escalated my concerns. I knew after she was drugged by such a potent aphrodisiac, there was no way she would have been okay!

But feeling a bit irked by her lame excuses, I grunted at her, “Then, why are you coming from the direction of my Dad’s room? What business did you have with him?”

Suddenly I saw the drastic change in her expression, which turned pale and apprehensive, as if all the blood from her face had drained out! Out of concern, when I tried to move close to touch her by the shoulder, she quickly retreated back, as if she was drawing a boundary in between us.

“Um, I-I had accidentally fallen asleep in the 3rd-floor storeroom, a-and…Master happened to find me there. B-But he was generous and didn’t punish me again. Rather, he has decided to let me stay inside the manor from now…”

When I heard her quick answer, a surge of deep anxiety flared inside me! Co-incidentally I remembered Lady Mila’s words again, where she had mentioned someone seeing Father carried an unconscious woman wrapped in a blanket into his room! Could it be… No…This can never happen! I must be overthinking now…

But when my mind was already shaken up by those thoughts, the scarf covering her neck suddenly slipped down on the floor. She hurriedly bent down to pick it up, however, my eyes couldn’t help but fall on the grave evidence this time!

On the left side of her neck, there was a big bite mark, along with a few red hickeys gathered around there. And when that mark was exposed before me, I vividly sensed a whiff of my father’s pheromone coming from that mark!

As a beta myself, I knew it was the Alpha’s way of putting deep marks on the ones they have claimed as if it was some kind of warning for others to back off.

While my mother was still alive, I never happened to see my father bothering to stay beside her for more than a few minutes. But now, he has shamelessly mated with this girl who’s around my age? To the point of leaving those shameless hickleys on her, my blood boiled when I thought they just had a wild night yesterday!

But shouldn’t she feel disgusted to be claimed by a man of about her father’s age? Why was she being so calm?

The anger and pain of betrayal from both of them blurred my senses as I grabbed Kara’s hand and lifted it up to look for more marks.

Indeed my suspicion was true, there were bite marks also left on her hands, and it had swollen to the point that it seemed as if my Dad had basically devoured her!

“How could you lie to me!?” Frustrated, and outraged, I lashed out at Kara when she forcibly unleashed her hand from me. While she gazed at me scaredly, I shrieked at her, “Why didn’t you run away last night instead of foolishly following Arnold here? He had already broken the door-knob, you could’ve fuckin’ escaped and no one would have bothered to look for you, stupid! Why did you come here!? Tell me, why!?”

“R-Raphael…I…I…” I could read the astonished look washed over her as if she was terribly stunned learning that I was aware of the truth. She didn’t oppose a word but stood still while wrapping the scarf around her to cover those marks.

Before I could say a word she pleaded, “I…am sorry, but I have to go and see head maid Martha now…I…I will come and see you later… P-Please excuse me…”

As soon as I heard her footsteps behind drift away from me, I clenched my fist and gritted my jaws, throwing a heavy punch against the wall! I was feeling nauseous, with tears brimming on my eyes as I gazed at the closed door of my Dad’s bedroom.

How? Just how could he do such a disgusting thing to Kara when she was already drugged? trusted him…I thought my father would never drift away from his morals, at least not after my mother’s death. But…he proved me pathetically wrong!

But…how am I supposed to forgive him anymore? I don’t understand what I am feeling now…is it the pain from the betrayal…or my furious jealousy towards Dad?