Chapter 4
At the very moment Ruwayne was sneaking into Dimitri’s room, complete chaos had broken out at Count Larsel’s estate.
“Does this make any sense?! Tell me, does this make any sense?!”
Count Larsel, whose bald spot had already begun spreading from the back of his head, frantically tore at the hair he usually cherished.
His wife anxiously tried to calm him, constantly watching his mood, clearly frightened by his rage.
“Please calm down, dear.”
“Calm down? How can I possibly calm down? How could the bride have been switched?!”
The Count’s savage glare landed on Linier, who stood silently in the corner of the drawing room, scarcely daring to breathe.
“Do you have any sense at all? Did you really think sending your younger sister in your place was acceptable?”
“I-I’m… sorry. I…”
The Countess immediately joined in.
“You must have manipulated that innocent girl! Did you think this was some amusing prank?”
The Countess called her daughter—whose cruelty had become infamous throughout society—an innocent girl.
“That’s not…”
Linier couldn’t even defend herself.
She simply stood there, crying quietly.
The more she shrank back without protesting, the louder the Count and Countess shouted.
Should I have stopped Ruwayne back then?
Terrified, Linier wondered.
But…
She hadn’t wanted to marry Duke Bluois.
Although the Duke rarely appeared in high society, countless rumors surrounded him.
People claimed that on the battlefield he couldn’t distinguish friend from foe and rampaged like a beast drunk on blood.
Others said he was so cruel and unpredictable that servants frequently died inside the Bluois estate.
Whatever the rumors were…
Not a single one failed to frighten timid Linier.
He must be terrifying.
There had to be a reason so many people repeated the same stories.
Kind-hearted Linier simply couldn’t bring herself to marry such a man.
Enduring abuse and neglect at home was already unbearable.
Marriage had been her final chance to escape that miserable house.
If the place awaiting her after marriage was simply another hell…
She wanted to avoid it.
Above all…
She already loved someone else.
Ruwayne had told her to run away with her lover after they switched places.
But…
Can I really do that?
She couldn’t find the courage.
The world outside the estate was unknown territory to someone as timid as she was.
She needed a long time to gather her resolve before she could muster even a little bravery.
While she hesitated…
The opportunity to escape slipped away.
“I always praised her for charming His Majesty like a sly fox, but now she’s gotten so full of herself that she’s pulling this kind of stunt?! She doesn’t know her place!”
Believing Ruwayne was simply playing another outrageous prank on the Emperor, Count Larsel slammed his fists repeatedly against the table.
Each thunderous bang made Linier flinch violently, tears streaming down her face.
“Do you know how much wealth His Majesty promised Ruwayne? An entire diamond mine! And that’s not all! He even promised her a castle in Elia so she could spend her old age in comfort! Every bit of that property would belong to the Larsel family!”
It was the first time Linier had heard any of this.
Her face turned pale.
Only then did a question occur to her.
Ruwayne always wanted to become the Emperor’s mistress…
So why did she suddenly go to Bluois in my place?
All of that incredible fortune could have been hers.
Wasn’t wealth the thing Ruwayne cared about most?
She couldn’t understand why her usually indifferent younger sister had suddenly changed so completely.
But one thing was obvious.
Their father would never willingly give up such an enormous fortune.
“Linier.”
Count Larsel approached her, his bloodshot eyes blazing.
He seized the trembling Linier as though intending to crush her.
“Go.”
“Bring Ruwayne back.”
“F-Father…”
“If you can’t satisfy His Majesty in her place…”
“…then drag her back here.”
“I don’t care what you have to do.”
The Count practically spat his fury into Linier’s pale face.
“The one who’s marrying that filthy beastman…”
“…is you, Linier.”
“Not Ruwayne.”
And so, at dawn the next morning…
Linier set out for Bluois, intending to switch places with Ruwayne once again.
After spending the night confined to the guest room in the annex, I found myself under the strict supervision of several maids.
They insisted on bathing me thoroughly.
I still had no idea what “scent” they kept talking about.
They’d scrubbed me once before bed to remove it…
And now they were making me bathe again the moment I woke up.
This is uncomfortable.
I knew noblewomen relied on maids even for bathing.
But for someone like me, who wasn’t accustomed to such treatment…
It was unbearably embarrassing.
Once I finished bathing, two maids stood beside me, drying my long hair with a magical device that blew warm air.
While they worked, I awkwardly stared into the mirror.
The face staring back at me still didn’t feel like mine.
Ruwayne was…
Beautiful.
Ridiculously beautiful.
No wonder the Emperor fell in love with her at first sight.
Her vivid scarlet eyes were large and bright.
Her skin was so pale and translucent she resembled a porcelain doll more than a living person.
Even the graceful curve of her full lips…
The perfectly shaped eyebrows…
Everything looked as though it had been painted by an artist.
She doesn’t even seem real.
Perhaps because of that…
I felt strangely detached.
It was like looking at a painting or a fashion photograph rather than a reflection.
Yet whenever I touched my face…
I could feel it.
When the maids finished arranging my hair, soft wine-colored curls cascaded down my back.
Combined with her fair skin, the rich crimson tones made the woman in the mirror breathtaking.
“My lord has sent a dress for you.”
I had been looking through the plain dresses Linier had packed when a maid presented another gown.
It was a sleeveless dress fastened with ribbons rather than buttons, accompanied by a shawl covering the shoulders.
A ready-made garment designed to fit almost anyone without alterations.
Apparently worried I might refuse to wear it, the maid hurriedly explained.
“The dresses you brought may have absorbed your scent. His Grace requests that you wear the one he prepared instead.”
Seriously…
What kind of smell do they think I have?
At this point it almost felt as though he were deliberately finding fault with me.
I was beginning to get irritated.
Still, not wanting to cause trouble, I quietly changed clothes.
“Let’s go.”
“My sister has arrived, hasn’t she?”
I’d told Linier to run away with her lover.
The fact that she’d come to Bluois instead meant she’d failed.
It couldn’t be that she’d been caught while escaping.
The timing didn’t add up.
Ruwayne often stayed out late at night, so nobody would have thought anything unusual if she hadn’t been seen until morning.
Had Linier fled immediately, she should have gained at least a day or two.
Which meant…
She’d probably never even tried.
I even told her where I’d hidden Ruwayne’s jewelry.
I’d thought having money would give even timid Linier enough courage.
Apparently…
I’d been wrong.
Even if she couldn’t completely trust me, she had nothing to lose.
If she stayed…
She’d marry Duke Bluois.
If she ran away and got caught…
The result would still be the same.
Surely even Linier understood that.
I underestimated just how timid she was.
I’d expected things wouldn’t be simple.
Still…
Watching my carefully laid plans unravel so easily left me feeling hopeless.
I had no cards left to play.
My future now depended entirely on whatever decision Duke Bluois made.
Surely…
After seeing my ability…
He won’t simply send me back to the Count’s estate.
Filled with anxiety, I hurried into the main residence’s drawing room.
Linier was waiting for me there.
“R-Ruwayne.”
The moment she saw me, the frightened woman hurriedly stood up.
She looked exhausted after only a single day.
Anyone seeing the scene would have assumed the Duke had thoroughly intimidated her.
Linier kept nervously glancing at him.
Meanwhile, the Duke regarded her with obvious exasperation.
“You didn’t say anything cruel to Linier, did you?”
The Duke looked at me with clear annoyance, crossing one leg over the other.
His expression screamed that he found this entire situation troublesome.
Linier hurriedly whispered,
“N-No, you’ve misunderstood, Ruwayne.”
“He didn’t say a single word.”
“Not a single word?”
She nodded.
“Then why do you look so frightened?”
I wasn’t really expecting an answer.
Someone as timid and gentle as Linier would naturally find this entire situation terrifying.
“Stand up straight.”
“Anyone watching would think you’d committed some terrible crime.”
I simply wanted her to relax a little now that I was here.
At least she wasn’t facing this alone anymore.
“Ruwayne…”
Linier hesitated.
Apparently expecting she wouldn’t be able to express herself properly, Count Larsel’s aide stepped forward instead.
“Miss Ruwayne.”
“The Count requests that you return home.”
Then he turned toward the Duke and bowed apologetically.
“My apologies, Your Grace.”
“Our young ladies have played a rather childish prank.”
“I hope you’ll be generous enough to forgive them.”
I immediately corrected him.
“A prank?”
“Hardly.”
“We’re well past the age where anyone jokes about marriage.”
Linier was twenty-three.
Ruwayne was twenty-one.
As for me…
My real age was twenty-nine.
No matter how you looked at it…
None of us were children playing games.
“Miss Ruwayne.”
The Count’s aide leaned close and whispered,
“What about His Majesty?”
“The Emperor is looking for you.”
“Please tell His Majesty…”
“…that I’m sorry.”
“But I’ve changed my mind.”
“I intend to devote myself to my family now.”
“Miss!”
