I Became the Substitute for the Runaway Heroine - Chapter 88

“Lady Odette!”

While Caesar was away for a moment, Aden approached her, his eyes rimmed with red.

“I have no words to express how I feel about seeing you again like this.”

“Sir Aden.”

Odette, who had been sitting by the inn window jotting down notes, turned to look at him. Her face brightened; the very person she needed to talk to had appeared.

“I’m actually quite glad to see you again, Sir Aden.”

“Truly?”

“Of course. You were always on my side. Would you like to sit for a moment?”

Odette poured him a cup of tea and offered him the seat opposite her. Aden stole a quick glance at the door before sitting down hurriedly. He seemed eager to be of some help to her before Caesar returned.

“There have been… significant upheavals since you disappeared, My Lady. I thought you ought to know.”

“I was curious about that myself. I was just writing down some questions.”

Odette showed the paper she had been working on to Aden. He scanned it quickly and nodded, acknowledging that her curiosity was well-founded.

“Rather than me speaking at random, it would be better if you asked your questions directly.”

“Shall we do that then?”

Odette glanced at her notes and read the first item.

“Is it true that Count Anderson committed suicide?”

After reading the question, she added a brief explanation. “I heard a rumor shortly after leaving the Hoan district that the Count had taken his own life. I found it hard to believe.”

“It was murder, staged as suicide.”

Odette sighed as she wrote ‘Murder’ next to the first item. “I thought so. The Count was never the type of person to take his own life.”

If he met a wild beast in the mountains, the Count was the kind of man who would throw his wife and children to the wolves just to save his own skin.

“Who do you think killed him?”

“It could have been the Emperor’s faction trying to cut ties, or perhaps the Countess took matters into her own hands. The Count had to die for his past atrocities to be buried with him.”

Aden continued his explanation. The Anderson family’s honor had been dragged through the mud and they were effectively ousted from high society, yet they had managed to preserve the title and the house. Though they had to sell off their prime lands and mines to pay Caesar’s alimony, they still retained a significant portion of their wealth.

‘From Caesar’s perspective, that couldn’t have been a very satisfying revenge,’ Odette thought. He likely wanted to excise the entire Anderson name from the Empire.

She moved on to the second item. “What happened to Eric Anderson? Since the Count is dead, the head of the house position must be vacant.”

“…Eric Anderson suffered a mental breakdown and went missing during a landslide while being moved to a monastery for recovery.”

It sounds more like he faked a disappearance to vanish, she mused. The part about a mental breakdown didn’t make sense either; Eric had seemed perfectly fine before she left.

‘Wait… was he?’

Memories of wounds unrelated to the injuries he sustained when Caesar threw him out of the greenhouse came back to her. When she had entered Eric’s subconscious through her dreams, she had seen burn-like scars on the back of his hands and ears. She remembered Countess Katharina worrying about why his health was deteriorating.

‘It must be a side effect of dark magic.’

But then, a thought struck her. The Count was dead, and Eric was missing. Amelia had run away, and no one knew her whereabouts.

“Wait, then who inherits the Earldom?”

“…One could search for a successor among the distant relatives, but is there a need? There is, after all, an adopted daughter.”

“M-me?” Odette pointed to herself, her eyes wide.

“Yes. In the Empire, under certain circumstances, an unmarried woman can temporarily inherit a title.”

An unmarried woman—meaning Odette—would hold the title temporarily until she married and had children; one of those children would then officially inherit the title.

“Oh, I’m not sure I’m interested in that.”

“My Lord wasn’t particularly fond of the idea either. However, it is the easiest way to erase the Anderson name from history.”

Aden watched her reaction carefully before continuing. “It means House Maise effectively absorbs the Earldom through their own bloodline.”

“Y-you mean, if I have Lord Caesar’s child?”

“Precisely.”

Odette felt a cold sweat run down her spine and shivered.

‘It’s okay. I won’t end up tied to a bedpost.’

As long as Caesar didn’t become a Hero, he couldn’t suppress her by force. No matter how powerful a knight he was, he couldn’t wave his hand and level a city like she could. It was impossible unless she willed it.

‘Well, he did promise not to force a kiss on me, either.’

Odette wiped her damp palms and glanced at the final item on her list.

“I’m curious about the two sons of Viscount Sachsen. Are they safe?”

“The young masters of House Sachsen are safe.”

Why was he stuttering over something so simple? Still, Aden wasn’t the type to lie, so Odette gave him a relieved smile.

“That’s all then. Those were all my questions.”

Aden looked as if he wanted to say more, his lips trembling slightly, but he eventually just offered a gentle smile.

“I see. Oh, and Emma and Jacques have been sent back to the capital.”

“So they were caught after all?”

She had hoped at least those two would escape successfully, which was why she hadn’t dared ask earlier. Seeing her look dejected, Aden spoke up to reassure her.

“Do not worry; they won’t face severe punishment.”

“But why were they sent to the capital?”

“They need to go to the capital townhouse ahead of time to prepare for your wedding to My Lord.”

Ha, the wedding!

Odette pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling dizzy. Well, at least Emma and Jacques are safe. She prayed that while they weren’t exactly prisoners of war, they wouldn’t suffer too much in the capital.

In the evening, Golden, who had been out with Caesar, returned and knocked on Odette’s door.

“Lady Odette, My Lord has requested that I escort you to the Castle of Count Roberto.”

“Count Roberto’s house?”

The name sounded familiar, and Odette tilted her head.

“Count Roberto is the Lord of Napolitan.”

“Ah! I remember now.”

It came back to her. The guests who used to visit Viscount Sachsen had often mentioned Count Roberto. They had gossiped that House Roberto was even more staunchly anti-Imperial than House Belmonte.

‘They used to say Count Roberto’s house had to be crushed for the Southerners to fall in line.’

Thinking back, that would have been a disaster. Count Roberto and his knights were the ones fending off the pirates that plagued the Southern coast. That meant the Empire was happy to collect taxes but had no interest in the South’s security. It was a “fend for yourselves” policy against pirate raids.

Perhaps that was why there was a saying: If you travel South, don’t act like an Imperial in Count Roberto’s territory. All you’ll get in return is a fist.

‘Still, it’s not good for Caesar to be associating with Count Roberto.’

Count Anderson, a key figure in the Emperor’s faction, had just “committed suicide.” The Emperor’s faction would undoubtedly harbor a grudge against Caesar. If word reached them that Caesar was mingling with Count Roberto essentially the leader of the anti-Imperial movement—he would be caught in a very troublesome political web.

But what could she do? Caesar was calling for her.

Judging by the expression on the strategist Golden’s face, he didn’t seem particularly concerned. Odette stood up and asked, “I should know what kind of gathering it is so I can prepare. I assume this will be my first time appearing publicly by Lord Caesar’s side.”

Golden beamed, as if he deeply appreciated her strategic thinking. “Spoken like a true strategist yourself. In fact, Count Roberto has already sent maids to assist you.”

As Golden stepped back from the doorway, two middle-aged women entered. They were followed by two servants carrying chests containing a dress, shoes, and accessories.

‘It seems this isn’t just a casual cup of tea.’

The number of people and the items brought to dress her made that clear.

“It is an honor to serve you,” one of the maids said with a respectful bow.

“I’ll leave it to you, then.”

The outfit the servants brought was a light chiffon dress, a style favored by Southerners. It was a yellow dress embroidered with daffodils. She had to sit patiently for a long time as they styled her hair into an intricate, high-braided updo.

By the time she was fully prepared, the sun was beginning to set.

‘I’m actually quite nervous, knowing this is my first time showing my face at an official event.’

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