I Became the Heroine’s Stand-in - Chapter 90

As Diana tasted the biscuit, she was so startled that she dropped the remaining half onto the floor. The half-eaten biscuit crumbled in her mouth, clenched in shock.

Choking on the sudden question, she reached hastily for her tea to quench her parched throat.

“No, that question’s too obvious. Let me rephrase. How was it?”

“What on earth are you talking about…?”

“You’re married, so you must’ve spent the wedding night together. And judging by how well you two get along, I’m sure you’ve enjoyed yourselves since.”

If Diana Valencia placed even slightly less importance on propriety—or had even a sliver less patience—she might have spat her tea right into Melinne’s face.

It was painful to look at her friend’s face, filled with impure curiosity. That all-too-familiar expression reminded her of that day’s memory.

The looks of the servants who had gazed at her the morning after their wedding night.

I didn’t! I didn’t do anything! None of that happened! Even if it had, it was only because I had to—so why are you all looking at me like that?!

…It had taken all her strength not to scream those words out loud.

Now, it was happening again. Only this time, Melinne was asking directly, making it even more embarrassing. She couldn’t say nothing had happened—but being assumed guilty was just as unpleasant.

Diana turned her head, trying to escape the burden of that probing gaze.

“Why are you bringing up such indecent things all of a sudden…?”

“Indecent? What’s with this modesty all of a sudden? You weren’t shy about sharing all sorts of stories back then.”

Melinne gave her a teasing scolding, tapping Diana’s shoulder as if to jog her memory.

She seemed to be referring to conversations she’d had with Lillian.

…What in the world did the two of them talk about?

The Lillian Diana had read about in the book was shy and innocent—a pure heroine untouched by the world.

Melinne’s boldness was one thing, but the thought of Lillian’s supposed behavior was even more shocking.

With Melinne’s relentless prodding, Diana wasn’t just stunned—her mind was utterly lost, like a child gone missing.

“Remember now? No backing out. So come on, spill it to your dear sister here.”

Melinne drummed her fingers on the table impatiently.

Until she said she wasn’t the one who had the conversation, she had no way to deny it.

In the end, Diana had no choice but to set aside her embarrassment and play along.

“What exactly do you want to know? Ask me directly.”

“How did it feel? You told me before that you were scared, but also kind of looking forward to it.”

“…I did?”

“Yep. You even said he was totally your type.”

Diana decided not to ask anything further.

She had no desire to hear more. Especially not if it involved Lillian.

“…Well, I was trembling endlessly.”

Since her friend was so desperate to know, she chose to describe how she had felt that day instead.

The day she resolved to reveal her true identity. That day, everything depended on Ersivan’s mood, on how he’d judged her character up until then. She believed her entire future would be decided in that moment.

“I kept reflecting on the path I’d taken to get there—what my past had been like. Everything from before flashed before my eyes like a panorama.”

“Are you saying you were going to your death or something?”

“It was the most important day of my life.”

Diana shrugged lightly.

Yes, she truly had thought she was going to die. He hadn’t even intended to kill her—but she didn’t know that at the time.

“Enough of that. This is boring.”

“What were you expecting?”

“I was hoping to tease you out of jealousy. If you’d said it was disappointing, I’d have run straight to His Grace and tattled.”

“…Are you feeling all right?”

Even though Melinne loved to joke, she was rarely this over-the-top. Diana, worried her friend’s circuits had shorted somehow, reached out to feel her forehead.

“I’m fine.”

“Then why are you acting so out of character…?”

“Jealousy is a scary thing. It cuts off reason and warps everything in sight.”

Melinne had seen plenty of couples held together by mere paper threads, but couples as well-matched as the Duke and Duchess of Valencia were rare.

And to top it off—they were both beautiful. Rather than believing in coincidences, she might as well believe in destiny.

Melinne, a devoted reader of romance novels, was practically dying of envy at the sight of Lillian and Ersivan’s relationship.

One day, she too would likely marry for political convenience, like other nobles. But there was no way her marriage would be as happy as theirs.

That’s why, even knowing her beloved friend would be embarrassed, she fired off such bold questions.

Her sweet friend was too kind to refuse and would do her best to answer everything.

Still… I didn’t expect her to fall for that ridiculous bluff.

Melinne hadn’t thought Diana would so easily believe her hastily made-up lie.

Lillian did have a poor memory, but still—how could she believe she’d said something she hadn’t? Surely, she knew she wasn’t the type to have such a bold conversation.

Did she just go along with it, pretending not to know?

In any case, for someone who was her friend, Diana was far too soft-hearted—it was almost a flaw.

Yet, Melinne’s heart swelled with emotion, and her fondness for Diana only grew stronger.

Springing up from her seat, she soon returned with a luxurious tin.

Inside were imported biscuits, painstakingly procured by the Jans couple. They had gifted them to Melinne as a congratulatory present, instructing her to serve them only to close patrons or important guests.

She had been told repeatedly to ration them carefully, given how rare they were, but she didn’t feel guilty at all.

If not for her beloved friend, who else would be worthy of such special treatment?

Of course, Diana’s husband had said he would return with dessert, so it might be wise to stop here.

“Hmph, who cares.”

A person’s stomach—especially when it came to dessert—had no limits.

Without a trace of hesitation, Melinne gave the tin a firm shake. The once-empty plate was soon filled with an array of pastries practically shouting, “We’re expensive!”

“This much? His Grace is going to bring back something to eat later too.”

“Just eat. These are tastier anyway. Oh—and the clover-shaped ones with the chocolate chips? Those are the best.”

To refuse someone’s sincerity was the height of rudeness. Diana didn’t refuse twice—she reached out right away.

She’d wondered why picky Melinne had praised them so generously, but the moment the biscuit touched her tongue, she understood—it was nothing short of heavenly.

The chilled chocolate melted the instant it met her tongue, blending perfectly with the rich, buttery biscuit to deliver layer upon layer of sweetness.

Eating something delicious always lifted one’s mood. Her hands couldn’t help flailing in the air with joy.

Her mind, clogged with stress these past few days, slowly began to clear.

<Try that one too.>

“What?”

<The green biscuit.>

Out of nowhere, a voice urged her to try something else.

Obediently, she grabbed the biscuit in question and took a bite. The crisp texture and the sweet milk flavor mingled with the slightly bitter green tea, creating a dazzling combination.

“It’s so good…!”

She couldn’t help but exclaim in delight.

“What should I try next…”

<How about that one?>

“This one? Or… that one?”

As she chatted happily with the voice, Diana suddenly felt her scalp flush with heat. Alarmed, she lifted her head.

Melinne was staring at her with a look of utter disbelief, as though she’d just witnessed something deeply disturbing.

“Lilli… Who on earth are you talking to?”

She’d made a huge mistake.

Diana’s gaze flicked to the pendant around her neck. The gemstone attached to it shimmered faintly, visible only to her eyes.

The spirit had gone completely silent after Ersivan’s accident. After that, with so many crises crashing over her, she’d completely forgotten about its existence.

To make matters worse, the spirit’s husky voice sounded eerily similar to Melinne’s.

“What do you mean?”

“…What do you mean, ‘what do you mean’?”

Diana played dumb, feigning confusion.

But that only seemed to make things worse—Melinne’s face turned pale. She recoiled so far into the couch that the back cushions visibly dipped.

‘How do I even explain this?’

I visited the temple before my wedding, and the gods gave me a gift!

Honestly, it wasn’t completely impossible to tell her the truth.

‘But I can’t say it!’

It was forbidden to reveal such information to the outside world—so she couldn’t utter a word.

Being mistaken for a lunatic was more than she could bear.

Determined to put out the immediate fire, Diana did her best to dodge the issue.

“I was just talking to myself. Why?”

“You clearly asked something out loud. That’s not really talking to yourself…”

“Wasn’t I just wondering what to eat?”

“No, you definitely weren’t! I’m sure of it!”

“Maybe I was just too tired and babbled nonsense. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

Diana, usually flawless in her acting, tried her best to sound nonchalant—but Melinne wasn’t easily convinced.

“You said things were calmer now, right? Maybe you should visit the temple again—what if something strange has possessed you?”

“You’re overreacting. I’m just tired, that’s all.”

“Let’s just go see the priest you usually visited. What if this happens again? What if you keep hearing or seeing weird things? That’s terrifying!”

Melinne was clearly worried, unable to let it go. She clung to Diana, urging her repeatedly for an answer.

“…You’re saying I visited a priest? That I saw or heard something strange?”

Now Diana was the one confused. Melinne’s words were completely unexpected.

She’d never heard from her parents that Lillian had visited the temple—or that she’d seen or heard anything unusual.

Even in the original story, no such event ever took place.

Thinking Melinne might be confusing her with someone else, Diana tried to confirm it, but Melinne only became more exasperated, scolding her for not remembering such an important thing.

“You told me yourself, remember? That you heard the voice of a god! That it sounded like whispers of the future—and you even wondered if you were possessed by a demon!”

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