I Became the Heroine’s Stand-in - Chapter 91

“So, I introduced you to a priest I knew, and you two used to talk often, remember?”

Melinne kept throwing out words that Diana simply couldn’t make sense of.

Diana looked at her with clear confusion written on her face.

Melinne clutched her chest, frustrated that Diana didn’t remember something so important. Her exasperated sigh followed close behind.

“You said you heard stories about the future. Though, in the end, none of it came true.”

“……”

“Oh wait, one thing did—you said you’d marry His Grace.”

With each new piece of information, Diana’s shock only deepened. Neither the count and countess nor the original story had ever revealed such details about Lillian.

‘She heard the voice of a god, and it even told her the future…?’

It was a stunning revelation.

Not knowing the full situation, Diana couldn’t offer a response. Any careless reaction could only draw more suspicion.

Seeing her uncharacteristically quiet, Melinne seemed to think Diana had finally remembered everything and eagerly continued recounting the past.

“You threw such a fit about not wanting to get married. I honestly thought you’d become a nun or something. I’m just glad things turned out well.”

“…A nun?”

“Yeah! You talked about it so much. ‘Maybe I should just run away for good’—remember?”

As Diana tried to nod along to ease the tension, something in the conversation set off an internal alarm.

Confiding in Melinne about such thoughts meant Lillian had long been planning to run away.

But this was completely different from the story Diana knew.

“Lillian Mernard was always perfect. Of course, becoming perfect took immense effort, regardless of time or place.
She never truly wished for such perfection, but her parents were different. Their obsession with making her the best bound her tightly.
She knew well that it was because they loved her. And she hated that—hated the truth that, in the end, she was a victim without a perpetrator.
She hated noble life. As their only daughter, she had endured endless pressure.
‘I’ll leave.’
So, for the first time, she ran away from home—faking her death.”

After wandering through the Empire, Lillian eventually returned to the capital and learned that her fiancé, Ersivan Valencia, had safely married.

Surprisingly, his bride was Lillian Mernard. Another version of herself, now living under the name Valencia, with an unknown identity.

Rushing back to the estate to understand what had happened—that was where the original story ended.

As described, Lillian’s departure had been impulsive. She may have thought through the timing or her destination, but even that had been a sudden decision.

But now it seemed Lillian had shown signs of unrest to her close friend well before leaving…

Lillian’s behavior didn’t make sense—it was inconsistent with everything in the story.

Even Diana, who had been a side character, couldn’t escape the pull of the original plot. And yet, the main character herself had deviated from it?

Unless Diana’s meddling had caused changes, none of this should have happened. But this had occurred long before any such interference.

Everything had been unfolding exactly as it should, with no external influence.

Or so she had thought—assuming, of course, that no one else had interfered with the past the way Diana had.

<The gods must have called her.>

The pendant shimmered again. The spirit, who had been silent and unmoved even while Diana was being suspected, had suddenly returned, peeking in.

<She realized something changed. Just now.>

It felt like being dropped into a world she didn’t understand. This chaotic situation, where nothing made sense, left her feeling utterly alone.

For now, she decided to set aside the deep thoughts. Steadying her nerves, she slipped back into her usual composure and casually asked:

“What was the priest’s name again?”

“Seriously? After all the times we saw him together, you forget after just a few months?”

“His baptismal name was a bit tricky.”

“…It was Father Carvelion. Don’t forget it again. You said he saved your life.”

His name wasn’t something used in daily life, so forgetting it wasn’t all that strange. Melinne, convinced by the plausible excuse, was once again fooled without much resistance.

After that, their conversation meandered into light, trivial chatter without much substance.

By the time they had emptied the plate of high-end biscuits, the bell above the salon’s entrance chimed, announcing someone’s arrival.

“Were you two enjoying yourselves?”

It was Ersivan.

The sky beyond the window was tinged red with sunset. He had left when the sky was still bright and clear, yet returned only after it had nearly grown dark.

He was holding a brightly wrapped box in one hand.

It was from a newly opened patisserie, known for its delicious treats and growing popularity.

Diana had considered visiting it with him today, but the shop was on the opposite side of town from Melinne’s salon, so she hadn’t dared suggest it.

Having heard her mutter softly in disappointment, he must’ve picked up on it and gone to buy them.

“Judging by the mood, perhaps I should have returned even later.”

Ersivan looked at Diana and Melinne seated so close together and acted as if he were ready to turn around and leave immediately.

Afraid he might truly leave, Diana sprang up from her seat.

She reached up to help him remove his hat, smoothing out the slight crease before hanging it neatly on the coat rack.

Diana gave him a little tilt of her chin, signaling him to follow. As she walked ahead, occasionally glancing back at him, she seemed utterly adorable. Even the small sway of her tiny hands with each step made his heart stir.

If only no one was watching—he would have reached out and held her hand without hesitation.

After leaving the salon, the two of them were walking through an alley on their way to the opera house.

As she looked down at the ground while walking, Diana noticed the shopping bags in both of Ersivan’s hands. With a slightly concerned look, she glanced between the bags and Ersivan.

“Didn’t we spend a bit too much today?”

“A few dresses are hardly enough to make me impoverished.”

His clean, decisive answer was enough to make her regret even asking. Of course—the House of Valencia wouldn’t flinch over the purchase of a few dresses.

However, the dresses in those shopping bags weren’t everything Ersivan had bought today.

‘Are you really buying all of these?’
‘Yes. Please have them delivered to our estate.’
‘All of them? …Thank you so much!’
‘It’s thanks to the beauty of your salon’s designs.’

Even Melinne, the owner of the salon, had looked flustered.

Ersivan had said he wanted to browse the dresses, but then began selecting everything he thought would suit Diana and placing them on the counter one by one.

What was both unfair and amazing was that everything he picked matched Diana’s tastes perfectly. It was the first time she’d met someone who understood her preferences better than she did.

Before they left, Melinne had whispered that today marked the highest sales in the salon’s history. In fact, the total exceeded several times the monthly average.

“So this is what it means to have a good friend. You’re the best, my lovely Lilli!”

Diana couldn’t help but smile at the memory of Melinne giving her a big thumbs-up as they left.

“So, did you enjoy your time with your friend today?”

“Hmm, just… it was fine.”

Just fine.

A phrase Diana often used—not particularly bad, but not quite good enough to be satisfying either.

Ersivan had come to interpret this ambiguous response as, “It was pleasant, but something felt off.”

This time, he figured it was no different.

He glanced at Diana, who had fallen into a somber silence, and gave a faint smile. At some point, she had stopped trying to hide her emotions.

“Is your reaction so mixed because Lady Jans was your sister’s close friend?”

“…That’s about half of it.”

Ersivan had forced her to admit something she’d been reluctant to face. Only then did Diana realize the reason for the heavy weight she’d been feeling in her chest.

It was the same discomfort she’d felt back at the Mernard estate.

“It’s just… it’s hard to deal with people who knew my sister. I know the real reason they’re being kind to me, and being on the receiving end of that—it’s overwhelming.”

Diana had also extended kindness to others and given them heartfelt consideration. Because of that, she now understood the true value of a noble heart.

Maybe that’s why she found it so difficult to associate with those who had known Lillian. They were kind to her only because they believed she was Lillian.

Of course, it wasn’t much different in the Valencia estate. But at least she had formed those relationships herself, not as someone’s replacement.

It was only her assumption, but she believed they cared for and admired Diana—and that was why she could continue living harmoniously with them.

“Then don’t see them anymore. Just cut them off.”

Though not an easy task, Ersivan spoke as if it were the simplest thing in the world. Strangely, when he said it like that, it did seem entirely possible.

“…Do you think I can?”

“You’re not living your sister’s life for her, so why should it matter?”

As Diana carefully examined his words, she suddenly noticed something odd—and fell into thought.

Right now, she was living as Lillian Valencia’s replacement. Yet here he was saying she wasn’t living her sister’s life, as if it were nothing.

It was a blatant contradiction.

She wanted to ask him why—why he could say that so confidently.

But before she could speak, Ersivan cut in just a moment ahead of her.

“Live however you want. Forget about Lillian if you wish. Follow the current, let things flow naturally—like the dawn that comes after darkness. Just live the life you desire.”

His words always needed to be thought over twice before they made sense.

But this time, no matter how many times she turned them over in her mind—three times, four times—she couldn’t grasp their full meaning. Her narrow perspective kept reaching the same conclusion.

It was as if he was saying, one day, she could truly live as Diana Valencia.

Not as a lonely outsider in the Empire—but just as she was now, sustaining this life. Not as Lillian Valencia, but as Diana Valencia.

It truly, truly felt like that was exactly what he meant.

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