I Became the Substitute for the Runaway Heroine - Chapter 80

‘I should tell her to go back to Caesar now.’

Trisha couldn’t bring herself to utter the words. Thinking of telling Odette not to make Caesar cry made her heart ache as if it were being torn apart. Yet, she knew she had to convince Odette if she ever wanted to look Caesar in the eye again.

‘It would be too hollow and miserable if even my friendship with Caesar shattered.’

She had harbored a one-sided love for Caesar for seven long years. He had already been married when they first met. Even though it was a political arrangement forced by adults, she had suffered from the guilt of harboring dark desires for a married man.

If Caesar’s wife had been a kind, thoughtful person, it might have been easier for Trisha to move on. But his wife, Amelia, hadn’t cared whether her husband lived or died. Seeing her fail to send even a single letter of concern while he was away at war had made Trisha furious.

Perhaps that was why her longing for him grew so intense.

‘I thought if he ever got a divorce, I might finally have a chance.’

But then Caesar met Odette and fell in love. Now, Trisha’s own feelings no longer mattered. She had to help the person she loved get what he wanted—even if that meant capturing another woman and bringing her back to him.

However, those thoughts were shattered by a single question from Odette.

“If another person says they love me, must I show them the ‘courtesy’ of giving them time for a formal breakup too?”

“Another person?”

“I mean, if there isn’t just one, but several, you’re saying I should give them all an equal amount of time to say goodbye.”

“But… surely you didn’t hold an engagement ceremony and promise to marry all of them, did you?”

“My engagement to Lord Caesar was a transaction. And now, that transaction is over.”

Odette did not love Caesar. Confirming this fact only plunged Trisha into a deeper sorrow.

Caesar is suffering through a one-sided love. He had closed his heart to everyone for so long, only to end up just like her—agonizing over a love that could never be fulfilled. She knew exactly how painful that path was.

Odette continued, “And you cannot force your feelings onto another person. That is what true love is, isn’t it?”

Trisha thought of her own love. She had struggled to the point of death to hide it from Caesar, and even after he found out, she had never demanded he accept her heart. Hearing Odette describe that as ‘true love’ brought a sudden, hot rush of tears to Trisha’s eyes.

“Caesar was right. You really are impossible to hate.”

As Trisha buried her face in her hands and sobbed, Odette gently patted her shoulder. Perhaps it was because she was finally releasing emotions she had suppressed for years, but the more she cried, the lighter her chest felt. It was truly a strange sensation.

“So, after going through all that effort to escape, you came to the Belmonte estate specifically to find me?”

A short while later, Trisha finally managed to calm herself. In the meantime, Odette calmly explained everything that had happened. As Trisha listened to the journey of the escape, her ears perked up at the name ‘Demuna.’

“Wait!” Trisha asked with a hardened expression. “The rift from the North appeared in the heart of the Empire? Was the earthquake in the capital related to the rift as well?”

“Yes. To seal the rift in Demuna, they built a massive furnace and poured molten gold into it. But the furnace exploded.”

Odette attributed the collapse of every building in Demuna to the furnace explosion.

“These are magic stones left behind after the monsters were burned away.”

When Odette had poured her divine power into the rift, the monsters had exploded, scattering fragments. She pulled a few shimmering, jewel-like shards from a leather pouch to show her.

“It was a tentacle monster, then.”

“That’s right.”

“Those are not easy to deal with…”

Trisha was visibly shaken. It made sense; as a reward for her contributions to the war, the Emperor had promised Trisha a title and an estate in the heart of the Empire. It was the territory right next to Demuna—the place where a tentacle monster had just appeared.

‘He’s basically telling me to die while trying to stop the rift if it expands.’

Of course, selling her off into marriage to the Marquis of Belmonte came first. Sensing the Emperor’s malice, Trisha clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. He might have pushed her this far, but she would never accept this marriage quietly.

“Hearing your story, it seems my own war is just beginning. Why do you want to help me?”

“I like you, Your Highness.”

“Wh-then, could it be…!”

“No, no. I like men. Specifically, pretty men. Except for Caesar Maise.”

Trisha watched Odette intently as she stuttered through her flustered excuse.

“Tell me… how is it possible not to like Caesar?”

“I found him quite unpleasant.”

“Ah, well. I suppose he can be like that sometimes. He’s a bit too full of himself.”

“He’s far too aware of how talented he is.”

“That did get annoying occasionally.”

“Exactly!”

Before they knew it, the two were chatting away just as they had back at the boutique.

Watching Odette board the Grand Dowager’s carriage, Caesar clicked his tongue softly.

‘She’s certainly giving her the royal treatment.’

The Grand Dowager had kicked him out heartlessly, yet she had provided her personal carriage for Odette. He couldn’t fathom how Odette had managed to win over the prickly old woman.

It grated on his nerves. He wanted to be the one who treated Odette best; he wanted to be the one who spent the most money on her. Only then would she regret leaving him. But for some reason, she looked far happier now than she ever had with him.

Now that she held the Saint’s Staff, Odette could control her divine power. With a bit of practice, she could hide it even from the High Priest. This meant he was no longer a necessity to her.

‘Then what about me?’

Because she said she wanted to be a Duchess, he had requested to move up the title investiture ceremony. Because she asked for a castle in the North, he had met with architects and started the construction plans. Every time he received word about land surveys, hiring laborers, or purchasing materials, his heart felt a little more hollow. He had dreamed of a future where they lived as Duke and Duchess in that Northern castle.

All of that had vanished like smoke.

‘What do I do now?’

Now that the Count was dead, should he just take the Emperor’s head—Odette’s biological father? Would that bring him satisfaction?

“Heh… hehehe.”

A weak, hollow laugh escaped his dry lips.

“My Lord.”

“Don’t say a word. I won’t answer.”

Caesar lowered his telescope and turned away. He felt like he had lost a battle. His mouth tasted bitter, and his head throbbed. Not long ago, life had been good. He was expanding his power by pressuring the Count, and his engagement ceremony was approaching.

He was confident he could swallow the Empire whole. He felt he could achieve anything he desired, and he didn’t even feel tired after a full day on horseback. And…

When he returned at dawn after finishing his work and saw Odette sleeping in his bed, he had felt a strange, unfamiliar sense of peace.

I survived, and finally, days like this have come. I’ve met my destiny. My trials are over.

He had tried to ‘test’ Odette because he was terrified that peace might break.

He shouldn’t have done it. Even if she looked at someone else, he should have just kept her by his side. Even if she liked that bastard Maxcallion in her heart, he should have just pretended not to know.

‘No!’

He knew he could never have endured that. He would have done even crazier things to possess not just her body, but her entire heart. He would have obsessed over her, constantly doubting and testing her. He would have been the only one swept away, boiling with jealousy and rage…

And in the end, he still would have been abandoned. Because Odette did not love him.

‘Then, do I love Odette?’

A sharp pain, like his heart being squeezed, made Caesar gasp for air.

“I see. That’s what it was.”

As Caesar chuckled like a madman and muttered to himself, his subordinates, including Aden, exchanged worried glances and frowned.

“My Lord, perhaps you should get some sleep. I mean, if a person doesn’t sleep for days, they’re bound to fall ill.”

“Aden, do I look like a madman to you?”

“…”

“I feel like one, too.”

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