I Became the Substitute for the Runaway Heroine - Chapter 49

“What am I going to do…”

Odette’s legs gave out as she collapsed onto the sofa, burying her face in her hands.

“Why did you do it…”

“Huh? D-Do what?”

Emma looked genuinely confused, as if she had no idea what she’d done wrong.

Well, to be fair, Odette had never once said anything negative about Caesar.

Emma simply believed that Caesar had fallen for Odette at first sight and proposed out of love.

‘I can’t blame Emma now.’

Odette should have been more careful. She should have escaped earlier.

Was it already too late?

She sprang to her feet, pacing around the room while biting her nails.

‘Judging by how he acted at the chocolate pastry shop, he probably won’t kill me right away…’

But that didn’t mean Maxcallion and Leorahill were safe.

The very fact that Caesar had summoned them was likely to threaten her.

‘First, I need to get Maxcallion and Leorahill out of Hoan District.’

All she had now were the glass vials containing divine power orbs and her ability to peer into others’ subconscious through dreams.

‘I’ve started to develop foresight, but it’s not useful yet.’

Flashes of the future would appear—but all of them ended with her death or falling into unconsciousness.

‘I need to think. Use my head.’

She bit a hangnail too deeply, drawing a bead of blood.

At that moment, she thought of Eric—draining beast blood for black magic rituals.

‘That’s it! I’ll tell them I’m going to find Andrea.’

Andrea’s corpse must still be in the western annex.

Odette had struggled to locate the annex because Eric had reinforced the barrier again…

‘I just need to swallow all the divine power orbs at once.’

Of course, if she did that, the fact she had been hiding her growing divine power would be exposed.

Her plan to escape might be scrapped before she could even attempt it.

But if it meant ensuring Maxcallion and Leorahill’s safety, she didn’t care.

With icy hands, Odette grasped Emma’s arm.

“Emma, Eric’s still in the main house, right?”

“Yes, as far as I know. Why? What’s going on? You’re scaring me.”

Emma looked close to tears, watching Odette pale and restless with anxiety.

“I can’t tell you right now. Just…”

“…Please, tell me. I’ll do anything.”

“Don’t wake me up until I call for you. Okay?”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll explain everything later. But until I come out of this room—no one… no one can wake me. Please, Emma.”

“Eric, the physician says your recovery is slow because you used your life force. Why waste your vitality on meaningless things? If something were to happen to you, how would I live on?”

Odette watched through a crack in the wardrobe door as Katarina prattled on.

After asking Emma to get her one of Eric’s handkerchiefs, she had fallen asleep—only to wake here.

She had entered Eric’s consciousness through a dream.

Eric, the focus of this dream, lay in bed, turned toward the wall.

Sitting beside him on a chair, Katarina spoke in growing agitation.

“Caesar must have sensed something odd. He wandered the western forest again this morning, just like yesterday.”

“……”

“Maybe because he’s a monster—he seems to sense the energy of black magic. This is bad.”

Odette considered stepping out and trying to reason with Eric herself.

But then—

“Even in death, Andrea torments me. That wretched girl! Her soul deserves to rot in hell!”

Odette shuddered at Katarina’s venom.

Having killed Andrea, she now cursed her without a trace of guilt.

“Eric, Andrea obtained proof that your father killed Dmitri Maes. Yet she still agreed to marry you. She entered this house intending to kill us all—”

“To punish Mother, perhaps I should just die.”

“E-Eric! How can you say that to your mother? You know I’ve lived only for you. Amelia ran away because I loved only you—because I only had eyes for you!”

“That’s how you saw it? From what I saw, Amelia ran away because she had an affair.”

“Hmph! I shouldn’t have brought her up.”

Katarina quickly changed the subject and gripped Eric’s hand.

“You’re all I need.”

“I don’t feel the same.”

When Eric struggled to sit up, Katarina shoved his shoulders down hard.

Gone was the tearful, desperate woman from moments ago—her actions were cold, ruthless.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

Eric collapsed back, weak.

Katarina’s face twisted grotesquely, her fingernails lengthening, her features morphing into something monstrous.

Dear heavens!

Eric must have seen Katarina that way—with the face of a monster.

As Katarina’s body transformed into something grotesque, like a spider, Eric shouted at her.

“You’re a monster!”

“You’re the last person who should say that, draining beast blood as you do. From this moment on, the annex is being shut down. Keep that in mind.”

“What are you talking about?!”

“I told you! Caesar is searching for the annex!”

Katarina stood abruptly, clutching her skirt tightly in both hands.

“We need to destroy the evidence. Setting a fire would be the quickest way. We have to silence the maids working in the annex too. The dead don’t talk, do they?”

“No! Andrea’s there—she’s in the annex!”

Eric tried to scramble out of bed, but Katarina pinned him down completely.

“No matter how tightly you cling to that rotted corpse, Andrea won’t come back to life! Enough! Stop everything right now!”

“Just kill me instead! Let go of me!”

Eric writhed in pain after falling from the bed. Katarina then produced a glass vial and splashed its contents on his face.

“Urgh! Damn it… You used sleeping potion? I will never forgive you. Not until my dying breath—I will curse you!”

With bloodshot eyes, Eric glared at Katarina, seething with rage and hatred.

Just before he succumbed to the effects of the drug, his lips moved faintly.

“Odette… help…”

“Tell me where the annex is, Eric!”

Odette burst out of the wardrobe, shouting.

“Purple nightwood… yellow ribbon… beautiful… please…”

As Eric’s eyes slowly closed, Odette was suddenly jolted awake.

“Haah, haah…”

Panting, Odette rushed to the window.

All she could see of the western forest, where the annex lay, was pitch-black darkness.

She quickly gathered all the glass vials filled with divine power and stuffed them into her bag.

Then, throwing on a hooded cloak, she burst out of her room.

“My lady!”

Emma, who had been dozing off by the door, jumped to her feet in shock.

“Emma, just a moment.”

Odette brushed past her and strode straight toward Caesar, who had just returned.

Perhaps he had been drinking with Count Lowell—his lips were redder than usual.

“…Lord Caesar.”

As Odette stepped in front of him, Caesar turned, seemingly trying to walk past her without a word.

Her heart pounded as if it might explode, her legs trembled, but Odette clenched her eyes shut and spread her arms wide.

“I have something to say.”

“It’s too late.”

Caesar pushed her arms aside and continued walking.

Odette ran after him, grabbing his arm.

“It has to be tonight…”

“Let go.”

As he shook her off, she lost her balance.

Her back slammed into the corridor wall.

Only then did she realize—he had thrown her, and she had crashed against the wall.

When she looked up at Caesar, she trembled as if doused in ice water.

He knows. He knows I met Maxcallion.

Odette immediately dropped to her knees before Caesar.

“I’m sorry.”

“…For what?”

Now was not the time to list her wrongdoings in detail.

There was no chance he’d forgive her just because she confessed everything.

And she had no way of knowing how much he already knew.

“I—I was wrong about everything. It won’t happen again. I swear it.”

“So what exactly are you apologizing for?”

Caesar stared at her coldly, his eyes sharp as blades.

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