I Became the Substitute for the Runaway Heroine - Chapter 51

“Ah!”

Jacques, who had been walking ahead, suddenly ducked down.

Startled, Odette dropped flat to the ground.

“What is it?”

“I hear someone. Not far from here.”

With only a crescent moon in the sky, the eerie atmosphere felt even more intense.

Beyond the rustling of branches in the wind, the crunch of leaves underfoot echoed eerily through the quiet forest.

The presence that had been approaching slowly moved away.

“They passed us by. I think it was the night patrol.”

According to Jacques, the guards made rounds at set times, including areas around the estate and nearby woods.

They resumed walking in the opposite direction of the vanished footsteps.

The deeper they went into the forest, the more it felt like being pulled into a swamp.

After walking for some time—

‘We must be close to the barrier.’

Odette could sense the oppressive energy of black magic radiating from the barrier.

“Jacques, stop here.”

“Do you sense something?”

“Yes.”

As Odette released divine power from her fingertips, the space around them rippled.

“Purple nightwood… yellow ribbon… beautiful…”

Recalling Eric’s words from the dream, Odette scanned her surroundings.

‘It’s too dark… I can’t see a thing.’

There was no way a tree called “purple nightwood” actually existed—

“Oh my God!”

It had been a spell.

Suddenly, the landscape warped—trees shifted, and the ground heaved beneath them.

“W-What is this?”

Jacques caught her arm to steady her, glancing around in disbelief.

“It was a spell to open the barrier. Look—there’s a path.”

The same path she had seen when she first met Eric stretched deep into the forest.

“This way.”

As they walked along the narrow trail, Jacques suddenly stopped and pulled Odette behind a tree.

Another presence was drawing closer from within the forest.

“This way!”

Jacques wrapped his arm around her shoulders, hiding them both.

A tall man, his hood pulled low, strode past and quickly vanished down the path.

At the trail’s end, he chanted a spell—and disappeared through the space beyond.

“That was Gallerwin.”

“Katarina’s lover, right?”

“Yes, that’s him.”

“He’s going to start the fire. That’s why he’s heading to the annex now.”

Odette recited a spell to break the second barrier, then took a vial from her bag.

Jacques stared at the orb glowing mysteriously in the darkness.

“W-What is that?”

“My power. I’m about to get stronger.”

Odette opened the vial and swallowed the divine power orb.

The future she had foreseen—her own body, limp as a corpse—flashed in her mind.

The clothes she wore in that vision… they were the same as now.

‘I thought it was a green dress…’

But it had been a white dress, stained green by grass and mud.

She glanced down at the green stains on her skirt and bodice, then swallowed the last orb from the final vial.

In that moment—

Flash!

Brilliant light poured from her head to her toes.

Caesar stepped out of the bathroom after a shower.

The wine he had shared with Baron Lowell was wearing off already.

He had drunk until he could feel it rising to his throat, hoping to stay numb—but his body was quickly returning to normal.

He wished he could get so drunk he’d lose consciousness.

Especially tonight.

‘Why the hell do I care?’

What did it matter if Odette liked that bastard?

She was already in his hands.

He had no intention of ever letting her go.

Then why did it feel like his chest was being ripped apart?

At first, he was furious that she had betrayed him.

But now—beyond betrayal or revenge— He was simply in agony.

When Odette knelt before him, begging to save Maxcallion, rage had nearly burst from his chest.

When she offered to take that bastard’s punishment in his place, he’d hated even her.

“Should I just kill them all?”

Running a rough hand through his hair, Caesar suddenly felt Odette’s divine power explode—and raced to the terrace.

He stared at the dark forest, eyes trembling.

“Aden. Go to the room next door—check if Odette is there. Report back.”

Aden left, only to return quickly.

“She’s gone, my lord.”

“Odette used her divine power! This time… I think she’s awakened.”

“…What?!”

‘It looked so small, like a cottage—but it was just far away.’

Even after crossing the barrier, the annex hadn’t been visible.

After trekking through the forest for some time, a faint light finally came into view.

A luxurious single-story residence appeared between the trees.

“It’s larger than I thought.”

Odette crouched behind some shrubs, eyes fixed on the entrance.

Two guards stood watch at the front.

A tall man in a hood, holding a torch, seemed to be giving them orders.

It was dark, but inside the annex, she could see maids lined up and being led somewhere.

A man herding them like livestock barked out harshly.

“Get into the basement! Move!”

Odette’s heart pounded.

“They’re locking the maids up. Once they’re all inside… they’ll set it on fire. Jacques, you can fight, right? You’re Count Caesar Maes’ man.”

“Of course. My lord himself acknowledged the speed and strength of my sword.”

“Then I’m counting on you.”

With those words, Odette broke from cover and sprinted toward the annex.

“Lady Odette!”

Jacques was stunned, watching her charge at the guards.

But then—what on earth?!

Boom!

A dazzling burst of light exploded from Odette, and the two guards at the entrance were thrown back violently.

“My lord!”

Caesar raced through the forest, chasing after the steadily growing surge of Odette’s divine power.

Aden and several knights followed close behind.

“What?!”

“Look over there!”

As Caesar focused solely on running, Aden pointed up at the night sky.

A column of flame was rising. The wind, blowing in the opposite direction, had spared them the smoke—but not the sight.

“The annex.”

When Jacques had revealed its existence, Caesar had ordered it found at all costs.

But whenever he approached the barrier, it absorbed the black magic—and his body would be contaminated all over again.

After spending so much effort purifying himself, he’d delayed dealing with the annex.

He hadn’t imagined the delay would lead to something this horrific.

‘Did she melt the barrier with divine power?’

No—it didn’t feel like that.

The boundary where black magic had once lingered was open.

“Odette… did she open the barrier?”

“Why would she go there?”

Caesar’s heart thudded—hard, and not in a good way.

Not even in battle with monsters or foreign invaders had he felt fear like this.

“My lord!”

Golden and Euroin galloped up, leading a spare horse.

Whoosh! Caesar leapt onto the moving horse and charged like a storm.

Before long, they reached the wooden annex, now belching thick smoke into the night sky.

Flames raged, devouring the house.

But there was no sign of Odette anywhere.

“Who goes there?!”

Unfamiliar men drew their swords.

“Odette!”

Caesar cut down the attackers one by one, scanning the surroundings.

Soon, Aden and the knights arrived, swiftly eliminating the rest.

Then—maids, who had been hiding in the underbrush, began to emerge, trembling.

“Sir knight… sob… please help us. The young lady who saved us—she’s trapped in the fire!”

Caesar’s blood turned cold.

“The young lady… was she blonde?”

“Yes! Blonde, with emerald eyes.”

“…Ah, no. No!”

The annex was now engulfed in flames, burning as one giant inferno.

“She went into the basement—but the ceiling collapsed!”

“There’s a passage to the basement through the back door! This way, please—hurry!”

One of the maids tugged Caesar, urging him toward the back.

Crash! Suddenly, a man burst through the window, clutching a woman in his arms.

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