I Became the Substitute for the Runaway Heroine - Chapter 76

When Odette bowed her head, Helena jumped back as if there were no need for such a gesture.

“As I said before, you do not need to feel sorry at all, young lady. It is just that the Marquis is normally such a piece of trash, ahem! I mean, he usually does not act quite that recklessly.”

Originally, the Marquis of Belmonte had been diligent and upright enough to earn the favor of the strict Dowager Marchioness. However, for some time now, he had begun acting unpredictably. Helena admitted she never imagined he would go as far as to lay a hand on a guest visiting the Dowager Marchioness.

Helena continued her explanation. “The point at which the Marquis changed, appearing as if he had become a completely different person, was right around the time the war ended.”

“I find it hard to believe he was ever a good person.”

After accidentally letting her true thoughts slip, Odette waved her hands in surprise. “No, that is not what I meant…”

“We also wondered if his soul had been swapped. We suspect it might be due to the pressure of not being able to protect his title as Marquis.”

The Dowager Marchioness had once had a brilliant and beautiful only daughter. As the pride of Belmonte and the sole bearer of the direct bloodline, she was meant to inherit the family legacy. However, she chose to marry a nobleman of the Empire instead. This was despite the Empire being the very entity that had brought down the Principality of Belmonte.

Having chosen love and driven a stake through the Dowager Marchioness’s heart, one would have hoped she lived a happy life. But after years of no contact, the only letter the Dowager Marchioness received from her daughter was an invitation to her funeral.

“Shortly after that, the man who was the Dowager Marchioness’s son-in-law also passed away. The Dowager Marchioness wished to take in her orphaned grandson, but for various reasons, she was unable to bring him here to Belmonte. It was a truly tragic affair.”

“Then the current Marquis must be from a collateral branch of the family.”

“Yes. The Dowager Marchioness adopted a descendant from a collateral line and bestowed the title of Marquis upon him. He was a kind-hearted and truly good man back then…”

Because the Marquis had been causing so much trouble lately, the Dowager Marchioness could no longer stand by. She had personally traveled to the West to meet her biological grandson, who had returned from the war, in hopes of establishing a new successor.

At those words, Odette clapped her hands, her eyes sparkling. “So that is why she went to Raon Town?”

“Precisely. I heard she met you there when you were in a difficult situation. Apparently, some Imperial bastard had blockaded the city. The Dowager Marchioness was extremely displeased, saying the Empire has clearly gone mad.”

So that is why she helped me. It was out of her distaste for the Imperial nobility.

For some reason, Helena continued to describe the Dowager Marchioness’s biological grandson to Odette.

“The grandson visited the Dowager Marchioness a few days ago. It seems his arrival made the current Marquis feel even more cornered.”

Helena described her first impression of the grandson quite simply. “He did not seem human.”

That is exactly how I felt when I first saw Caesar.

Was there another god of beauty besides Caesar? Then again, in this vast world, there was no guarantee that there was only one handsome man. Just as Odette tried to reassure herself with that thought, an ominous piece of news reached her ears.

“He performed such great deeds in the war that he is set to receive a Dukedom from the Empire.”

Odette felt her heart drop. Surely not! It cannot be. She had to be sure, so she asked, “Is it common for the Empire to grant the title of Duke? Someone I know is also about to become a Duke.”

Helena tilted her head. “I do not think they just hand those out to anyone.”

“Right… I suppose not.”

Her heart began to race. She recalled the two great horned deer, the symbol and divine beast of the Belmonte family. The image of Caesar walking between those two statues suddenly made everything feel certain.

“By any chance… what is that grandson’s name?”

“It is Caesar Mais.”

This is madness! After all that running, I ended up at Caesar’s grandmother’s house! Am I even in my right mind?

Odette broke into a cold sweat and slowly stood up. “Well, then… goodbye.”

“Pardon? Where are you going?”

“I just realized there is somewhere I urgently need to be.”

“You would leave even your maid and your companions behind?”

Unfortunately, Emma, Jacques, Jaina, and Vera were all out in the city. Should she hide by the front gate and bolt the moment they returned? Odette gripped her skirts, pacing restlessly before looking at Helena.

“Does… the Dowager Marchioness’s grandson visit often?”

“This was his first visit, and he likely won’t be back for a while.”

Can I breathe a sigh of relief, then? In the original story, there was not a single line written about Caesar’s maternal family. She hadn’t even known they existed. Since they lived like strangers, surely he wouldn’t come back.

But why did he come here in the first place? There had to be a reason why Caesar visited a family he had never exchanged letters with. What could it be?

Caesar’s ultimate goal was revenge. With Count Anderson’s suicide, the Emperor’s faction must have taken a massive hit. In the process of investigating the Count’s crimes, evidence linking him to influential figures in the Emperor’s faction might have surfaced.

Public sympathy will also give Caesar power.

The image that followed Caesar was one of peerless strength. How could anyone not feel pity knowing that strength was forged through surviving the Count’s abuse? Therefore, the Emperor, who had granted the Count guardianship over Caesar, might also become a target of public criticism.

Did he ask the Dowager Marchioness to help him overthrow the Emperor? Since Belmonte was hostile toward the Imperial family, it was a possibility. Perhaps that was the discussion Caesar came to have.

But Helena said Caesar wouldn’t be coming back. That likely meant he had been flatly rejected.

Caesar has too much pride to come back after being rejected.

Odette relaxed her tensed shoulders and offered a soft smile. “Then I shall stay under your care until Her Highness the Princess arrives.”

“The Princess is expected to arrive in two days. Also, about that…” Helena moistened her lips before continuing. “The Marquis, perhaps feeling his position is insecure, seems to have made a secret pact with the Emperor. He is trying to gain power through a marriage alliance.”

That was strange. The Marquis of Belmonte had spoken as if he had no interest in marrying Trisha.

“What misunderstanding? Go tell the Princess. Tell her not to even dream of marrying me just because she has the title of Princess.”

Oh, heavens. It seemed the person the Marquis actually wanted to marry was Esmeralda, the daughter of the current Empress. He must have been furious when the Emperor pushed for a marriage with Trisha instead. Trisha held no power in the Imperial family. She was the daughter the Emperor had when he was still a prince, far down the line of succession.

How dare he think Trisha is not good enough for him.

Even if just for Trisha’s sake, Odette was against this marriage. “Helena, I suspect there is a reason you are explaining the internal situation of the Belmonte family to me in such detail.”

Odette looked at Helena as if telling her to stop beating around the bush. Helena let out a faint sigh.

“If the Marquis proceeds with this marriage to the Princess, it will put the Dowager Marchioness in a difficult position. The Marquis is taking the side of the Empire.”

So she wants me to ruin the marriage? Odette immediately guessed Helena’s intentions.

“If the Princess finds out that the Marquis tried to do something untoward to me, wouldn’t that nullify the marriage?”

As if she had been waiting for those words, Helena grabbed Odette’s hand. “Would you please do that for us?”

“Yes, I will.”

Trisha was arriving in two days. I will stay for two days and then run. Surely Caesar wouldn’t return in that time.

“Lord Caesar Mais is unlikely to visit the mansion anytime soon, but he asked to be notified in advance should he ever decide to come.”

After receiving Helena’s report, Isabelle poured hot water into her rose tea. Steam carrying the scent of roses drifted up toward her nose. Drinking rose tea after dinner usually melted away the day’s fatigue.

However, the shadow cast over Isabelle’s face did not disappear today.

Gawain has changed far too much.

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