I Became the Heroine’s Stand-in - Chapter 101

“It’s written all over your face, so there is no use denying it.”

“…I know he is someone I shouldn’t harbor such feelings for, but unworthily, I do love him.”

Realizing she had no way to back out, she admitted it faster than expected. Despite her tone reaching a level of hollow resignation, her face was still flushed as if it might explode.

Love is a sentiment that can often feel embarrassing to a girl experiencing it for the first time. However, to an outsider’s eye, Diana was excessively conscious of her emotions—almost like someone who had committed a crime that shouldn’t have been done.

“You’re acting as if you’re ashamed of liking that guy.”

“…That is.”

“I don’t think he’s such a bad catch, though.”

Kardel deliberately spoke off-point to test her. As expected, a reaction came from Diana immediately.

“…I have never once thought of something so trivial.”

“Then why are you hesitating so much?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m saying, if your feelings have grown so large that you can’t even hide them from a third party, why haven’t you told the person himself?”

Thanks to Kardel’s words, Diana was able to view her emotions objectively for the first time. When she first realized her feelings, her affection hadn’t been that deep. She thought it would fade with time, but instead, it only swelled—to the point where she could no longer deceive those around her. Now, it was only a matter of time before Ersivan noticed.

Or perhaps, he already knew.

The reason she hid it so desperately was because, as she had resolved before, the time was not yet right.

“I don’t think we are a good match.”

“Not a good match?”

“…Well, at least not right now.”

The vow she had made back at the Count’s estate. Diana Valencia could not guarantee his happiness like someone else could, so she would wait until he had overcome all hardships and adversity. Kardel had no way of knowing this, but that was the meaning behind her ‘at least not right now.’

“Could it be… because you aren’t the real Lillian?”

“It’s not strictly that, but you’re roughly corr… Pardon?”

Out of nowhere, a bizarre question ambushed her. Diana, who was on the verge of agreeing, turned her head in shock. Kardel looked equally surprised and froze. Once he fully grasped the situation, he began to bite his lip nervously.

“What do you mean by that?”

The question was too massive to be dismissed as a simple slip of the tongue. Diana ignored the wave of bewilderment and reached under the blanket, quietly grasping the dagger Ersivan had given her.

“I asked you what you meant by that, Kardel.”

She tried to sound confident, but her voice and pupils were faintly trembling. Faced with elements he could no longer ignore, Kardel finally decided to play all the cards he held.

“Forget it. You know exactly what I mean.”

“…”

“You should be asking how much I know.”

He swept his hair back from his forehead and let out a deep sigh. He wondered how to phrase things logically enough to avoid the suspicion of this incredibly distrustful woman.

“…You can assume I know pretty much everything.”

The answer was to speak bluntly.

“For the record, that guy didn’t leak anything. I figured it out on my own.”

“I know well that he isn’t the type of person to reveal such things recklessly.”

Diana did not doubt Ersivan for a second. Even in her panic, she trusted him so much that the thought of him betraying her never crossed her mind. And that was the problem. If Ersivan hadn’t leaked it, where on earth did Kardel get such precious information?

“Then who did you hear it from?”

“…That is.”

“My parents? Or did the Imperial Family notice and order you to monitor me? If not that, then…!”

Various assumptions flooded her mind. Her body began to shake from the sudden anxiety. Her arm, clutching Kardel’s sleeve, trembled weakly like a fallen leaf in the wind.

“Calm down. Calm down.”

The voice calling to her was unusually steady. The playfulness was gone, replaced by a deep calm.

“Everything I’m about to tell you is taboo.”

“…”

“So, can you swear not to tell anyone?”

Diana didn’t answer Kardel’s question; she only gave a silent, heavy nod.

“As the books say, I was a priest in the past. You knew that, right?”

It was a detail from Kardel’s biography. A large part of why he was so admired was his past—the fact that he, once a representative of the gods, now possessed magic power that contradicted divine power. Diana nodded again.

“A representative of the gods can see a person’s vessel.”

“A vessel?”

“It means I can see the soul. I borrow the Eyes of God.”

If one can see the soul, then even if the physical appearance is identical, one would have no choice but to realize the truth.

“…But the priest I met at the temple before the wedding didn’t say anything.”

“Most simple tasks like weddings are handled by beginners. The priest you met must have been a trainee. Unless someone is exceptionally skilled, they don’t gain the right to borrow the Eyes of God.”

“Then, Lord Kardel, have you been borrowing the Eyes of God this whole time?”

“Well, something like that. The One above likes me quite a bit.”

To be honest, Diana couldn’t fully believe Kardel’s words. Eyes of God, souls—none of this had even been mentioned in the original novel. But he was the person Ersivan trusted and followed. He was the only person that Ersivan, who didn’t trust people lightly, kept close. Furthermore, Diana owed Kardel many small debts.

Would such a person really be loyal to the Mernard Countship or the Imperial Family, betraying her and Ersivan?

In the midst of her rising anxiety, the pendant glowed.

<No, please trust him.>

It was the voice of the spirit that had consistently helped her. Diana unconsciously squeezed the pendant. A warm breeze flowed from it, and the spirit’s voice spoke once more.

Since even the spirit guaranteed it, she decided to refrain from further anxious speculation.

“His Grace…”

“For the record, he doesn’t know that I know your identity. I didn’t bother telling him.”

While it wouldn’t have been a huge issue if Ersivan knew, the fact that he didn’t was a relief. As the tension eased, a wave of thirst hit her. When Diana reached toward the desk, Kardel took the hint and handed her a cup.

She noticed her coat wasn’t hanging on the rack. After looking around, she asked Kardel about its whereabouts.

“Ah. Right. Have you seen my coat?”

“The one you were wearing that day?”

When Diana confirmed it, the coat was handed to her.

“Thank you.”

She immediately fumbled through the right pocket. Once her hand caught the note, she pulled it out and unfolded it.

“There must be something very important written on that paper.”

“In its own way.”

As Diana continued to read the note, she suddenly flinched. It might have been an overreaction, but Kardel spoke as if the note was familiar to him.

“By any chance, did you read the contents?”

“Me? Of course not. But that guy was reading it.”

Thud.

Diana, who had been reading the note with her knees pulled up, let her arm drop. The note fell onto her lap. Kardel, feeling a chill, turned his head to find Diana staring intently at him.

“…W-What?”

“His Grace read this?”

“Uh… did he? Maybe not… Hmm, I must have been confused…”

Ah, his mouth was really a problem today. Was that something he wasn’t supposed to say? Kardel wanted to smack his own meddlesome mouth—better yet, he wanted to rip it off. He tried his best to make an excuse, but his acting was so poor it didn’t stand a chance.

He must know.

Inside the note were the names of regions Diana had found on the map—places where she suspected Lillian might be living. It wouldn’t be a big problem if someone who didn’t know anything saw it, but Ersivan was different.

…Someone read it.

There were traces that someone had accessed the information she had gathered while tracking Lillian. And it hadn’t taken her long to find a suspect. Just in case, she had sprayed a specific scented oil on the box, and the scent lingering on Ersivan’s fingertips had been identical. Since lilies were flowers that could no longer be found in the manor after the garden was closed, she had intentionally used an oil that smelled of lilies. Unless it was a coincidence, the one who read it was definitely Ersivan.

This time, too…

She didn’t know why Ersivan had peeked at information regarding Lillian. The same was true this time. She picked the paper up from her lap and checked the contents again.

Thank goodness. I’m glad I took precautions.

She let out a sigh of relief. It was a close call. Predicting that the note might be discovered by others, Diana had deliberately not written the actual names of the locations. Five regions were mentioned on the note. Only by taking the first letter of each and comparing them would the hidden location name be revealed.

It’s such a simple trick; he’ll surely figure it out soon.

Even if he didn’t know right now, it was only a matter of time before he sensed something was wrong and succeeded in deducing the truth. If that was the case, she had to move one step faster than her opponent.

“Kardel. When will His Grace return?”

“…Eh?”

“I know you’re in contact with him.”

How did she know that? Kardel’s hand, which had been fiddling with a communication device, twitched.

“…He’ll probably be back in five days.”

A simple piece of information like that shouldn’t be a problem to reveal, he thought. Kardel answered hesitantly.

Five days.

She looked at Kardel, then at the note. Exchanging unreadable glances, Diana soon began counting on her fingers, calculating something.

If this person helps me.

Five days wasn’t a long time, but with an ally, it would be enough to find Lillian. The key was whether Kardel would help.

Since the spirit had gone so far as to guarantee it, surely, he wouldn’t coldly refuse? She made up her mind and clenched her fist. Then, she raised her head and looked Kardel straight in the eye.

“Will you help me, Kardel?”

The time had come. The time to find Diana’s sister, whom she had buried deep in her heart: Lillian Mernard.

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