I Became the Heroine’s Stand-in - Chapter 64

Ersivan remained unconscious until the evening.

By then, it had been nearly six hours since the incident.

At Diana’s persistent request to return home, an imperial mage transported all members of House Valencia back through teleportation.

Hyde, having already been informed of the situation, insisted that he could not stand to see both the Duke and Duchess bedridden at the same time. He strongly urged Diana to rest.

She had tried to sleep, dozing in and out of consciousness, but by the time morning arrived, there was still no good news.

At dawn, Cardel came to visit the estate.

“You look like you’re about to drop dead.”

Ersivan was the one lying unconscious in bed, yet Diana was the one who looked as pale as a corpse.

Hearing the casual remark, Diana, who had been half-lost in thought, jolted upright and asked in alarm,

“Is His Highness in critical condition?”

“…No, that’s not what I meant. But honestly, shouldn’t you get some rest? At this rate, you’ll collapse before he even wakes up.”

If anything happened to Diana, and he had simply stood by and watched, Cardel would be the one in danger next.

He didn’t say it outright, but he hoped the perceptive woman would catch on.

“Oh, actually, I was going to ask if you could watch over him for a bit.”

“Now that’s a good idea. Go ahead and—”

“I need to go somewhere.”

Whatever appreciation he had felt immediately vanished.

Was she seriously planning to go out in this condition?

If Ersivan found out, he wouldn’t just slit his own throat—he’d probably ban her from setting foot in the ducal estate for a year.

“That’s not happening.”

“It’s urgent. I can’t delay it.”

“At least tell me where you’re going.”

“The capital, just for a short while…”

“The capital?”

“…There’s something I need to do in secret. And it has to be today.”

If Ersivan suspected anything, he would never allow her to act on her own.

If she wanted to leave the estate, she would either have to take him with her or endure being followed by his knights.

Under such tight surveillance, finding Lillian would be nearly impossible.

But Diana had to find her—no matter the risk.

Because the future kept changing.

This, in itself, was an incredible stroke of fortune.

But now, she had a new goal.

“I have to find my sister. She needs to be by his side.”

The story was beginning to fracture.

The once-clear future of Ersivan and Lillian had become uncertain.

If the timeline had already shifted, there was a chance that Lillian’s eventual return—meant to happen after the wedding—would never come to pass.

Perhaps she would never return at all.

Or perhaps, by the time she did, it would be far too late.

The latter was preferable, but as long as the future remained unclear, Diana would continue to be plagued by unease.

Just yesterday, hadn’t a major event already deviated from the original course?

“It’s strange, isn’t it? The way Mother takes such an interest in my wife… I can’t help but be suspicious.”

She shuddered at the memory of Ersivan swallowing the poison.

Even now, just recalling it sent a tingling sensation down her fingertips, twisting her stomach into painful knots and making her feel nauseous.

“If my future is changing… that means someone else’s future is changing, too.”

It was such an obvious truth, yet she had only realized it now.

And there was no way she could explain it to Cardel.

Frustrated beyond measure, Diana struggled to find a way to persuade him.

Cardel, listening with interest, finally muttered,

“So, this is something he can’t find out about.”

Even in this situation, he was looking for his own benefit.

Should she call him brilliant or simply too calculating for his own good?

“What, are you sneaking off to meet a secret lover?”

“That’s… absurd.”

“Well, it would be a bold move, madam. But you do realize that would split your life in two, right?”

He didn’t specify whose life would be split in two, and the ambiguity only made Diana more nervous.

But the truth was, it wouldn’t be the cheating duchess who suffered the most—it would be the poor fool caught up in the affair.

“I trust you’ll keep this a secret.”

“Just don’t get caught. If you do, I’ll be in trouble too.”

There was no harm in showing a little mercy from time to time—especially when it meant he could subtly get back at Ersivan in the process.

“So, about that… could you help me?”

“You’ve gotten quite shameless, haven’t you?”

“Well, since you’ve already agreed to help, I’d rather you go all the way.”

She flashed a mischievous grin, tilting her lips in a way that might have been irritating if it weren’t so endearing.

For a moment, she looked like nothing more than a playful young girl.

“…Fine. Where do you need to go?”

“The marketplace near the clock tower in the capital.”

Cardel nodded as if mentally marking the location.

“Get moving, then.” He urged her.

But just as she turned to leave, Diana held up a single finger.

“Oh, one more thing.”

“I knew there was a reason you called this ‘cooperation.’ You’re really going to make full use of me, aren’t you?”

“I was wondering… could you disguise me a little?”

The capital was a bustling place.

There was always a chance someone might recognize her.

It was unlikely in the marketplace, where mostly commoners gathered, but the possibility couldn’t be ignored.

Her hair and eye color were particularly distinctive.

A slight change would make it much harder for people to recognize her at a glance.

Of course, her appearance wouldn’t match what the merchants remembered of Lillian, but hair dye was becoming increasingly popular even among commoners.

No one would think twice about it.

And the average person wouldn’t remember someone’s exact eye color anyway.

“So… how would you like to change it?”

“So….”

Diana began describing the appearance she had taken on when she and Ersivan had once ventured into the villages surrounding the ducal territory.

It was a look completely opposite to her current one.

Her golden hair, as if kissed by sunlight, had turned into the deep black of the midnight sky. And the warm radiance of her eyes had lost its place, swirling chaotically as they took on a new color.

Diana chattered excitedly, reminiscing about the transformation.

Meanwhile, Cardel’s expression darkened.

His blue eyes, which had been fixed on her, shifted toward the unconscious patient lying in bed.

Then, as if he had just overheard something he shouldn’t have, he let out a long, weary sigh, filled with exasperation.

Diana immediately grew anxious.

Had she asked for too much?

She was just about to suggest that she could simply wear a deep-brimmed hat when Cardel suddenly reached out toward her face.

A familiar, cool sensation washed over her, just like when Ersivan had altered her appearance before.

Even without a mirror, she knew Cardel had changed her features just as she had requested.

“Go.”

“…Cardel?”

“Be back as soon as possible. If he wakes up and finds you gone, our dear duke might just lose his mind.”

A portal to the location Cardel had marked opened before her.

There was no telling when Ersivan might regain consciousness.

Every second counted.

So, setting aside her lingering curiosity, Diana stepped through without hesitation.

Diana arrived at the clock tower and began scanning her surroundings.

“Oh dear, young lady, how could you be so forgetful? It wasn’t behind the tower, but around it! You asked for a safe and clean place, so I sent you there instead.”

Because this was a well-known landmark, most of the nearby inns were indeed well-maintained.

The merchant had likely pointed her to an alley but hadn’t specified a particular inn.

“Now… I just have to find my sister.”

The moment she thought about it, her head began to ache.

There were far too many inns to check one by one.

Aside from the sheer time it would take, innkeepers often spoke with one another.

If Diana went around asking too many questions, word would spread, and people would surely grow suspicious.

And if someone became wary enough to call the city guards, things could take a disastrous turn.

Instead of blindly searching every inn, she needed to narrow down the possibilities.

The fewer, the better.

“Think, Diana.”

Where would Lillian Mernard have gone?

For starters, it wouldn’t be anywhere near a tavern.

Not only would it be too noisy, but for someone wandering alone for the first time, such a place would only add to her fear.

For the same reason, it likely wouldn’t be in an isolated alley.

As she wandered the streets, Diana noticed a few signs marked with distinct symbols.

On the bottom right of certain inn signs, there were either a “♂” or “♀” symbol.

This likely meant that these inns only accommodated guests of a specific gender.

She deliberately entered an inn with a “♂” symbol on the sign.

Predictably, the moment the innkeeper saw her, he bluntly stated,

“We don’t take female guests.”

“She wouldn’t have chosen a mixed-gender inn either.”

Diana had never seen Lillian before, but assuming she looked exactly like her, she must have attracted quite a bit of attention from men.

Lillian was well aware of this fact.

She would have chosen an inn where she could stay without worry—most likely a women-only establishment.

Most inns catered to couples or families, so places that exclusively accepted female guests were rare.

By narrowing it down to only those inns, the number of potential locations dwindled to less than five.

“Not a bad deduction, if I do say so myself!”

Feeling rather proud, Diana confidently set off to visit each location.

By the time she entered the third inn, she finally found someone who recognized her.

“Oh, of course I remember you, miss.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You looked like a noblewoman, but you asked for the cheapest room we had.”

“Haha, I was really short on money at the time.”

Lillian, requesting the cheapest room?

Diana nearly gasped in disbelief.

She had grown up in the slums, so even a modest room seemed like a luxury to her.

But for Lillian, who had spent her entire life as a noble, staying in such conditions must have been absolute misery.

“But why are you asking now?”

“Well, my longtime partner suddenly accused me of cheating on him with another man. No matter how much I denied it, he wouldn’t believe me. I figured if I showed him proof, he’d finally come to his senses.”

“Tch, why waste your time with a man who doesn’t even trust you? I mean, seriously! A guy like that should be grateful a woman like you even gave him a chance!”

The innkeeper scoffed, launching into a passionate rant about the untrustworthy nature of men she had never even met.

“So, do you need a receipt or something?”

“Could you write down the exact check-in and check-out times as well?”

“That’s easy enough. Sure.”

“That would be a huge help.”

The innkeeper accepted Diana’s thanks without much thought and rummaged through a ledger.

It seemed she kept a daily record of guests.

On a piece of paper bearing the inn’s name, she wrote down Lillian’s check-in and check-out dates and times.

Then, to certify the document’s authenticity, she signed it before handing it over.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you for your kindness. I’ll be sure to visit again.”

“Yeah, and next time, ditch that loser. I’ll introduce you to my son. Not to brag, but he’s quite the looker.”

“I’ll consider it.”

Diana chuckled softly.

Her beauty certainly helped, but there was something about her smile that naturally put people at ease.

Even the gruff innkeeper, who had remained indifferent until now, softened as she pointed at Diana’s hair.

“Your new hair color suits you. Looks completely natural.”

“Good to know my money was well spent.”

With a playful grin, Diana stepped out of the inn.

She carefully examined the checkout time listed on the receipt.

Then, without hesitation, she headed straight for the train station.

Support I Became the Heroine’s Stand-in