I Became the Heroine’s Stand-in - Chapter 52

 

Her mind went blank.

Diana felt as though she were drowning in darkness, lost in the void of her own thoughts.

Why… No, how?

How did he know?

Why was he so certain that she was Diana?

She had been so sure that the moment Lillian declared her dead, Ersivan would have no reason to question it.

That was the natural reaction.

Even the most paranoid of men wouldn’t suspect that a dead girl could be standing right before them, alive and well.

Besides—

Diana never existed on any records.

She had no legal identity, no family name, no paper trail.

There was no evidence to find—nothing to trace her back.

Stay calm.

Finally, she forced herself to think rationally.

So he had figured it out sooner than she expected.

But in the end, she had always planned to tell him tonight.

It didn’t change anything.

She wouldn’t get many chances to ask him questions.

If she wanted answers, she had to prioritize.

“When did you…”

“When did I find out?”

His tone was too casual, as if he had no intention of answering properly.

And sure enough—

He dragged it out, letting a soft hum escape, deliberately stalling.

Diana realized she wasn’t going to get a straight answer.

Which meant she had to figure it out herself.

Suspicious moments…

There were too many to count.

He had always been suspicious—too composed, too certain.

“I can understand anything, as long as it’s not that.”

“Lily, you know… I am not so heartless as to refuse to understand my own wife.”

He wasn’t the kind of man to make blind promises.

And yet—

He had assured her without hesitation.

“Are you really planning to use your wish on this?”

He had known exactly when she would use it.

Perhaps it was a lucky guess—but his eyes had held certainty.

Like a lawyer who had just found the final piece of evidence to win a case.

“…Hah.”

Diana let out a short, breathless laugh, staring at him in disbelief.

“You didn’t figure it out today.”

“I won’t bother denying it.”

“Then why did you go through with the marriage?”

Her fingers tightened around his shirt, her grip climbing toward his collar.

Ersivan entertained the ridiculous thought that he wouldn’t mind if she actually grabbed him by the throat.

“There was no reason to call it off,” he said simply.

“Even if you weren’t Lillian, this marriage still benefits me.”

That was a lie.

There were no benefits—not to him.

But if he didn’t say that, someone would only overthink and panic unnecessarily.

“But you know who I am!”

“And?”

“I have no standing, no recognition. I don’t even have a legal name—I’m no one.”

Her voice wavered.

It was humiliating—admitting her pathetic state in front of a man who might very well be her enemy.

“Because you’re an imperial twin?”

Because she was born a disgrace—someone who should never have existed.

Her pride refused to let her speak.

She merely nodded stiffly.

Ersivan exhaled.

“Then tell me—what makes Lillian any different?”

“You were born together, you share the same blood, the same mother.”

“Yet only one was chosen, and the other was cast aside.”

“The difference,” he said quietly, “is who was selected, and who was not.”

Diana could never understand it.

As infants, they would have been identical.

Same face. Same body.

They wouldn’t have personalities or talents yet—nothing that could distinguish one over the other.

Then why?

Why had Lillian been chosen, and she had been discarded?

The answer was buried in the books she had read.

To House Mernard, the child who emerged first was the victor.

A ten-month-long battle, decided in mere minutes.

“Then I must seem unworthy to you as well,” she murmured.

“Because I am also one of the unselected.”

“…”

“Isn’t that right?”

Diana shook her head.

Ersivan met her gaze directly.

“Then tell me,” he challenged.

“What makes us different?”

Our fates are different.

She wanted to say it.

To tell him—

That she did not have his strength, his ambition, his power.

That she lacked the will to climb to the top of the world.

But sometimes, words weren’t necessary.

Her expression alone must have given it away.

Because Ersivan sighed.

“This is a useless debate,” he finally said.

Diana agreed.

They had too many things to deal with tonight.

Wasting time on this argument was pointless.

“So,” she said, changing the subject, “how much do you know?”

“What?”

“If you know who I am, then what else?”

“Because you don’t seem like someone who would just accept this without a reason.”

The moonlight caught the curve of his smile, making it seem almost innocent.

But Diana knew better.

That smile was the same as death itself.

If he knew everything, then—

Her past, her future, the truth behind her existence—

Everything she had read in that book.

She couldn’t afford to reveal it.

If she did, he would demand to know how she knew.

And she would have no answer.

So instead, she asked,

“…What do you plan to do with me?”

“Do with you?”

Ersivan tilted his head slightly.

“I haven’t given it much thought.”

He smiled again.

But there was nothing innocent about it this time.

“I assumed we’d just continue as we are.”

Diana’s hands curled into fists.

“I know my place,” she said quietly.

“I’m not here to ask for more than I deserve.”

“All I want is safety.”

“That’s all.”

“To hold onto this insignificant life and survive.”

“When you say it like that, it almost sounds as if I plan to harm you.”

Ersivan’s words were meant to be playful, but to Diana, it was one of many possibilities she had already considered.

For all she knew, he truly might.

Diana had no idea how Ersivan felt about her.

Her own emotions were one thing—but his?

Completely unreadable.

That was why she had no choice but to be cautious—

To convince him before it was too late.

“You really think that?”

Ersivan’s expression twisted in disbelief at her silence.

“How many things in this world can one truly be certain of?”

Then—

His voice dropped lower.

The sudden shift sent a chill down her spine.

Slowly, he moved closer.

His hand rose, trailing up from her chest, fingers brushing lightly over her bare throat.

Then, with deliberate ease, he cupped her chin.

Calloused fingers—hardened from years of swordsmanship—grazed against her lips.

“So,” he murmured,

“Was your plan to hold my weakness over me?”

His movements were too intimate, too sensual—but his voice remained steady, smooth as if they were simply engaged in casual conversation.

Diana stiffened.

Even this—

Even her plan had been seen through.

That’s why he had asked, ‘How much do you know?’

He had already figured it out.

“…A weakness?”

Ersivan smiled.

“I’m curious—”

“Which of my weaknesses did you hope to use?”

“Because even I think I have far too many.”

Diana hesitated.

Not just because she felt pity—

But because if she revealed everything, she would have nothing left to bargain with.

If he decided to kill her, nothing could stop him.

Even if House Mernard protested, Ersivan had enough evidence to turn the blame onto them instead.

He could expose the truth—that they had arranged a fake marriage.

That would ruin them.

And if that happened, House Mernard would want her dead even more than he did.

A different executioner, but the same fate.

“Why so silent?”

His voice was mocking, eyes watching her intently.

Ersivan released her at last, but the tremor lingering in her body remained.

A shiver started from the crown of her head, traveling down her spine, settling deep in her bones.

Even where her thighs brushed against his, she could feel it.

Just a thin layer of fabric between them, yet the heat of his skin was palpable.

To any onlooker, it might have seemed intimate—

Yet neither of them felt even a flicker of desire.

Ersivan lowered his gaze, chuckling softly.

“Honestly,” he mused,

“The idea is laughable.”

“…”

“A fragile thing like you, trying to threaten me?”

His words struck something deep inside her.

Diana had spent her entire life bowing to survive.

But this time—

She couldn’t stay silent.

“No,” she said firmly.

“Who says I can’t?”

She moved before she could stop herself.

Sitting up abruptly, she grabbed his wrist, using the momentum to throw him off balance.

Ersivan’s body tilted backward, landing against the plush rug.

Gold hair cascaded over her shoulders, strands brushing against his cheek as she leaned over him.

The scent of sweetened oil lingered in the air.

Ersivan hated sweet things—and yet, for a fleeting moment, he wanted to taste the fragrance on her skin.

“A proposal,” she whispered.

Her lips parted, breathing uneven—

Her chest rising and falling as she tried to steady herself.

Ersivan didn’t even blink.

His crimson eyes remained locked onto her, unwavering.

“Let’s make a contract, Evan.”

A laugh threatened to spill from his lips.

But he swallowed it down.

Because he knew—

That not everything in this world could be hidden.

Love, a sneeze, a secret—

All could betray their owner.

Unless—

You were determined enough to keep it buried.

“Define ‘contract,’” he said smoothly.

Diana swallowed.

And suddenly, she saw it clearly— Reality.

This was absurd.

She knew this was a foolish proposal.

He had no reason to accept.

But like a fool, she still clung to hope— She still dared to ask for everything.

“I won’t reveal your secrets,” she said.

“I’ll take them to my grave.”

“In return—”

“You protect my life.”

It was shameless.

A one-sided deal, where only she had anything to gain.

Even if he wanted to keep an eye on her, there were countless better ways.

If she showed any sign of betrayal, he could dispose of her immediately.

She was offering nothing of worth.

There was no reason for him to accept.

Yet—

“Alright.”

He did.

Diana’s eyes widened.

For a split second, she forgot how to breathe.

Ersivan’s lips curled into a slow smile.

“I suppose that means I’ll have to keep you under close watch from now on.”

She had no idea— That someone of his caliber would never have fallen so easily.

That he had already predicted she would make this offer— And played along, waiting for her to say the words herself.

That the contract she sought for protection would someday. Become the very chain that bound her to him forever.