I Became the Substitute for the Runaway Heroine

“What the hell is going on?”

Odette had no idea how she had ended up here or what was happening.

As she looked around, she realized her hair and clothes were drenched. Rain poured relentlessly from the dark, overcast night sky.

“Did they throw me out onto a terrace in the rain to die?”

And yet, strangely, her body felt light. Considering she had been beaten and choked unconscious by the Count, she found it hard to believe she wasn’t in pain.

“This is really strange.”

A chill ran down her spine as the cold night breeze swept over her.

She figured it would be best to get out of the rain first.

Just as she was about to step inside, she spotted Count Anderson and Jovern through the glass window, deep in conversation.

“Those bastards!”

Curious about what kind of scheme they were plotting, she strained her ears to listen.

The Count’s voice was clear.

“Caesar has arrived in the capital. If he attends the victory celebration and gets caught up in a scandal with one of the noble ladies, I could use it as grounds to demand a divorce. But instead, he’s heading straight back to his territory. Tsk!”

Count Anderson’s daughter, Amelia, was already married to Caesar.

And yet, she had an affair and ran away while still legally his wife.

Even though their marriage had been nothing more than a formality, and they had been apart for seven years, she had gone about it in the worst possible way.

Caesar, who had spent years at war, was finally returning home!

“She could have at least told me before she ran away. If she had, I would’ve been the first to escape.”

Odette listened closely again.

“This is a disaster. Count Maes’s army is infamous for its speed. They’ll arrive at the estate soon. You must kill the maid and hold a funeral immediately.”

“Is that really the best option? Killing a mere maid isn’t even worth contemplating, but…”

The Count took a sip of his drink and furrowed his brows deeply.

“Sooner or later, the rumors about Amelia’s pregnancy will spread.”

What?

Pregnancy?

Amelia was pregnant?

“So that’s why the Count wasn’t actively searching for Amelia and instead took it out on me.”

Even if he did find Amelia and bring her back, there was no way she could continue her marriage with Caesar.

As her belly grew, it would become clear that she had been unfaithful.

Caesar would undoubtedly file for divorce and demand a massive settlement.

That would tarnish the family’s reputation.

So the Count planned to kill Odette, who shared Amelia’s golden hair and green eyes, and hold a funeral for her in Amelia’s place.

But now he was hesitating, afraid that rumors about Amelia’s affair might spread anyway.

“Go ahead and hesitate all you want. I’ll be long gone by then.”

Odette slowly crept toward the terrace railing.

“Rather than killing the maid, wouldn’t it be better to disguise her as Amelia and send her to Caesar?”

She froze in place at the Count’s words.

What did he just say?

They wanted to trick Caesar, the returning war hero?

“They must be insane.”

If she got caught in such a scheme, she would suffer a fate far worse than death.

Her hands trembled as she hurriedly climbed down the tree to escape.

But then—

“Ack!”

Her rain-soaked fingers slipped.

She was falling!

“Odette, are you awake?”

Emma’s brown eyes were staring down at her.

“E-Emma?”

Emma was a fellow maid at the Count’s estate and shared a room with Odette.

Tears welled up in Emma’s eyes as she looked at her with concern.

“Yes, it’s me! Oh my god, look at your swollen face.”

Blinking, Odette tried to focus her vision and glanced around.

The only light came from the candle Emma held, leaving the rest of the room in complete darkness.

Even so, she could tell where she was.

Through the gaps in the iron bars, she could see torture devices.

This was the underground prison of the Count’s estate—where they kept high criminals.

“So… standing on the rainy terrace was just a dream?”

But could she really call it a dream?

She could still feel the cold rain soaking her hair and the chilling wind against her skin.

It had felt so real, as if she had truly experienced it.

What if her soul had left her body, wandered to the terrace, and overheard the Count and the butler’s conversation?

“It sounds ridiculous… but I need to check.”

Odette lifted her gaze to Emma.

“Emma, you’re the Madam’s personal maid, aren’t you?”

“Uh… yeah. Why?”

“I feel like you might know something. Tell me… Did Lady Amelia run away because she was pregnant?”

She had only thrown out the question on a whim, but Emma’s eyes widened in shock.

“H-How did you know?! I just found out myself when I discovered the letter she left behind!”

I knew it! It wasn’t just a dream.

A prophetic dream? A lucid dream?

Odette licked her dry lips and leaned closer to Emma.

“What did the letter say?”

“She said never to look for her. That for the sake of her baby, she would rather die than ever return.”

“…….”

“Madam sent people to investigate and found out that the young lady went to the Kingdom of Dekan. The baby’s father must be from there.”

The Kingdom of Dekan.

A land of countless islands in the southern empire, home to powerful mages.

Odette recalled Amelia once chattering about how flowers bloomed there all year round.

She had no actual memory of having that conversation with Amelia—yet it felt as though she had lived through it.

“What is this? Did I see that in a dream too?”

As Odette lost herself in thought, Emma suddenly burst into tears.

“Oh, Odette, what are we going to do? If they try to kill you and hold a funeral in the young lady’s name, I’ll tell Count Maes everything! Then the master won’t be able to escape Caesar’s wrath.”

“Emma, don’t cry.”

Odette took the handkerchief in her hand and gently wiped Emma’s tears.

“Odette, where did you get the butler’s handkerchief?”

“The butler’s…? Ack! Gross!”

She must have grabbed it instinctively when Count Anderson was choking her—Jovern had been standing right beside him with that handkerchief tucked in his vest.

Just as she threw it away in disgust—

Clang.

The heavy lock on the underground prison clicked open, and the sound of approaching footsteps echoed down the corridor.

“Someone’s coming. Emma, run.”

“Okay.”

Emma quickly extinguished the candle, slipped outside the cell, and hid in the shadows.

A separate light approached, revealing Jovern as he stepped in front of the bars.

“Lucky for you, Odette. The master has decided to send you to Count Maes instead of the young lady.”

His vest—missing the handkerchief that should have been there—was exactly as she had seen in her dream.

“So it really wasn’t just a dream.”

She could gain information through her dreams.

And if it wasn’t a one-time thing…

“Isn’t this an incredible ability?”

If she could uncover Jovern’s weaknesses or expose the Count’s crimes, she might just be able to save herself.

Or better yet—make them regret everything they had done to her, bringing them to their knees in despair.

Jovern turned to the guards and barked,

“Drag her out!”

Odette’s arms were seized, and she was forcefully escorted to Amelia’s room.

There, the head maid personally bathed her and dressed her in an elegant gown before giving her a crash course on noble etiquette.

A few days passed.

Unlike usual, the head maid spent the early morning meticulously preparing Odette.

Then, Count Anderson himself entered the room, his expression dark and brooding.

“Caesar Maes is a monster. They say he tears apart beasts and foreigners with his bare hands. If he finds out you’re an imposter, he will kill you in the most gruesome way imaginable. The only way for you to survive is to pretend to be my daughter, Amelia.”

Odette was dragged away and shoved into a carriage.

“Mary?”

Inside, sitting across from her, was her longtime friend, Mary.

Odette’s eyes filled with tears of relief.

“Mary, please help me. When the carriage slows down, just close the door after I jump out.”

“Ugh, you fool. Just stay put.”

Mary sighed and, instead of helping, tied Odette’s wrist to her own.

“Do you think just anyone gets to be a noblewoman’s stand-in? If it were me, I would’ve jumped at the opportunity.”

“We can’t fool Caesar Maes. He’ll figure it out in no time.”

“Then don’t let him find out. If you pull this off, both of us survive.”

They say people who know you best are the scariest.

Mary proved to be an exceptional guard—she never took her eyes off Odette, not even for a moment, ensuring she had no chance to escape.

“What do I do? Running away is impossible.”

For hours, she sat there trembling, clutching her skirt in sheer terror at the thought of being dragged before Caesar Maes.

Then—

As the carriage entered a narrow pass between two cliffs—

“Rockslide!”

The startled horses reared up, the carriage swaying violently.

The sudden jolt sent a heavy trunk crashing down from the overhead shelf—

—straight toward Odette’s head.