I Became the Heroine’s Stand-in

“I am Lillian Mernard. Thank you for inviting me to such an esteemed place.”

“I am Ersivan Valencia. It is truly a pleasure to welcome a lady as distinguished as yourself.”

After the brief exchange of introductions, they continued with idle conversation, discussing trivial matters.

Soon after, Ersivan offered to give Diana a tour of the estate.

“I shall have a carriage prepared.”

“…A carriage?”

“It would be too strenuous for you to walk. I would hate to see such delicate feet suffer any harm.”

At his suggestion, Diana secretly grimaced.

She had just spent hours traveling by carriage, and now, another ride?

Still, there was some relief—it was an open carriage, allowing fresh air to flow freely.

As they rode, she listened as Ersivan spoke of his family’s origins and history.

Since House Valencia was only a little over a decade old, the story was short-lived.

**”And so, my goal is to elevate this house to prominence as swiftly as possible.

After all, I committed the grave sin of abandoning the throne.

I must prove to my parents that my decision was not in vain.”**

His voice carried a hint of amusement, as if he found it ironic to speak of the Emperor and Empress with such reverence.

Diana knew the truth the Empire’s people did not.

House Valencia had been founded by the former crown prince, Ersivan Daemonhart, after he renounced his claim to the throne.

At the time, the Empire had whispered that their prince had gone mad.

But the truth was far more sinister.

His mother—the former Empress—had been betrayed and deposed due to a scheme orchestrated by the current Empress.

Her only child, Prince Ersivan Daemonhart, had been left alone in the Imperial Palace, mourning his mother’s disgrace.

Less than a year later, the Emperor remarried.

The newly crowned Empress brought her own son, Prince Kain Daemonhart, into the palace.

Even after securing her position, she remained unsatisfied.

Her own son was not the heir to the throne.

And so, she schemed.

“My dear child… If only you weren’t here, my son could rule the world.”

One fateful night, nine-year-old Ersivan was taken from his bed by an unfamiliar servant.

And with that, his tragic fate was sealed.

The young prince was kidnapped, whisked away from the Imperial Palace, and hidden away in an isolated prison.

For an entire year, he was held captive, forced to endure solitude and fear.

“My son! You have returned!”

“…Ersivan!”

When he finally returned home at the age of ten, the palace was in turmoil.

The Empress’s influence had only grown stronger in his absence.

Fearing for his life, Ersivan made a choice.

“Father, Mother—I renounce my claim to the throne.”

His voice, steady and unwavering, did not belong to a child.

And so, he walked away from his destiny.

“To fear death at the hands of your own parents… how wretched.”

For a brief moment, Diana felt an unexpected sense of kinship with him.

The Empress had failed in her attempt to eliminate Ersivan.

Meanwhile, the Count would succeed in getting rid of Diana.

The difference between them…

Was simply the fate of a protagonist versus an expendable extra.

“But I do hope that my goal… will become our goal.”

“…Our goal?”

“That was a request for Lady Mernard’s assistance.”

Ersivan’s voice grew softer, more persuasive.

“The Mernard family’s help…”

Diana knew exactly what he meant.

Ersivan had proposed to Lillian when he was only fifteen—before he even came of age.

His engagement had been purely strategic.

The Count had misunderstood his intentions, but Diana knew the truth.

His true goal was revenge.

Ersivan did not seek assistance.

He sought the downfall of House Mernard.

The Count had conspired with the Empress.

He had played a role in Ersivan’s kidnapping.

Even the Imperial family, wary of Ersivan’s growing power, had encouraged the alliance between House Mernard and House Valencia.

The Count had no choice but to accept the engagement.

Of course, the Mernard family stood to gain from the union.

The wealth and prestige they would acquire from the marriage were substantial.

They had no reason to object.

“It’s all a lie…”

Diana unknowingly murmured her thoughts aloud.

She immediately clamped her mouth shut, but it was too late.

“Why do you think it is a lie?”

Though his voice was still laced with amusement, there was a faint hint of suspicion beneath his words.

Fortunately, this was something she could handle.

She quickly scrambled for an explanation.

**”I was simply wondering if I could truly be of any help to Your Highness.

I am merely a Count’s daughter, after all.”**

The last syllable never left her lips.

Her breath hitched.

Because in that moment—

Ersivan touched her cheek.

His fingers, featherlight, brushed against her skin before trailing through the strands of her pale golden hair.

Should she ask what he meant by this?

Should she dare to exhale the breath caught in her lungs?

She found no answers to either question.

Her lashes fluttered.

**”You are far too modest, my lady.

There is no possibility that you will be of no help to me.”**

“…”

**”I do not keep useless people by my side.

That makes me sound terribly cunning, does it not?”**

His lips curled into a smile, elegant yet merciless.

**”But rest assured, my lady.

You will be of great use to me.”**

His face was beautiful.

But beneath the smile, there was only death.

“Yes… I will be useful.

Because I will die for you one day.”

Diana smiled.

It was her role, her destiny.

At that moment, Ersivan withdrew his hand.

Diana followed the movement, her gaze trailing after him.

And at the end of that gaze—

Stood the grand Valencia estate.

“We have arrived.”

As if he had anticipated her gaze all along.

It was only then that Diana noticed the carriage had come to a stop.

Ersivan had already stepped out, extending his hand to escort her.

As she descended, a familiar floral scent drifted through the air, carried by the wind.

A dull ache bloomed in her head. She instinctively lifted her gaze.

**”Count Mernard mentioned that this was your favorite flower, my lady.

So, I had them planted for you.”**

A lily garden, vast and in full bloom.

Had Lillian seen this, she would have been moved to tears.

“Such a… breathtakingly thoughtful gesture.”

Diana feigned excitement, quickening her steps as she entered the garden.

The headache from the carriage ride had only just begun to subside, and now, this?

Lilies.

Another ordeal.

She clenched her fists, forcing herself to endure.

**”Isn’t it romantic?

A lady who loves lilies—Lillian.

Such a fitting pair.”**

Ersivan followed her into the garden, offering her two lilies.

They were only two flowers, and yet the scent was so overwhelming, she found it difficult to breathe.

“You seem unwell.”

**”…No, not at all.

It’s simply so wonderful that I don’t know how to properly react.”**

His gaze flickered with a hint of curiosity.

Too perceptive for his own good.

Diana, desperate to avoid inhaling more of the scent, slowly moved her hands away from her waist.

Yet, just as she reached out, the two lilies brushed against her nose, their fragrance hitting her in full force.

The moment she took in a breath, her headache flared violently.

She stumbled, her balance lost.

The flowers slipped from her grasp.

**She should have known better.

She should have stopped trying to endure it.**

She braced herself for the impact.

But instead of falling, she felt a force pulling her back upward.

Ersivan had caught her wrist, effortlessly pulling her toward him.

Thrown off balance, Diana instinctively leaned against him.

A foreign scent enveloped her.

Sharp yet clean.

Familiar, though she couldn’t quite place why.

“…”

Diana did not immediately lift her head.

No—she couldn’t.

Something inside her screamed in warning.

“Do not meet his eyes.

If you do, he will see through you.

He will unravel every deceit and hesitation.”**

Her instincts begged her to remain still.

“…Thank you.”

Only after she had calmed herself did she murmur her gratitude.

Thankfully, she still had enough composure left to force a smile.

Ersivan merely shrugged before retrieving the fallen lilies, handing them back to her.

Diana accepted them but did not dare bring them close to her face again.

Instead, she idly traced the petals, pretending to admire them.

“That reminds me, I have been meaning to ask you something.”

“Yes? Please, go ahead.”

“Do you have any siblings, my lady?”

“…Pardon?”

It was an unexpected question.

To most, it might have seemed like a harmless inquiry.

But to Diana—it struck a nerve.

‘Why is he asking this now?’

It was impossible for him not to know the family structure of his own betrothed.

So why was he bringing it up?

He must have had a reason—he was testing the waters.

‘At the very least, he isn’t suspicious. Not yet.’

In the original novel, Ersivan had never doubted Diana’s identity.

Nothing had changed in the story yet.

And the truth about the hidden twin had been kept an absolute secret.

There was no way for an outsider to deduce it.

With a composed smile, Diana answered.

**”Unfortunately, I am an only child.

I have always wished for siblings, though.”**

**”As have I.

I particularly wished for an elder brother.

Being an only child is rather lonely, is it not?”**

His face remained calm, but his voice had dropped to a lower register, tinged with an unexpected sadness.

It carried sincerity.

Perhaps because the words were spoken so casually, they cut all the deeper.

If Ersivan had been born with an elder brother, he would have naturally been pushed aside in the battle for the throne.

There would have been two heirs, making it impossible for the Empress to target them both.

In such a scenario, he might have been safe.

“Did you ever wish for a particular type of sibling, my lady?”

His voice had returned to its usual elegant, composed tone.

Diana glanced at him, only to see that he remained perfectly poised and unreadable.

Had she been the only one drawn into the conversation?

For a fleeting moment, she felt self-conscious.

**”…If I had to choose, I would have wanted an elder sister.

She would have been wiser than me.

She would have treated our parents with more kindness than I ever could.”**

“I see.”

Despite having asked the question himself, Ersivan showed no particular reaction to her answer.

He simply nodded, as if her response held no real significance to him.

As if it hadn’t interested him in the first place.

And yet—

His next words sent a chill down her spine.

“If I may offer my own opinion…

I believe a twin sister would have suited you quite well, my lady.”

What.

Diana’s breath stilled.

Her heart thudded once, sharply, before resuming its pace.

Had she heard him wrong?

Her mind raced.

She had not influenced the story yet.

There was no way he could know.

Then why, Why would he say that?

She carefully lifted her gaze, forcing herself to meet his eyes.

But there was nothing out of place.

Ersivan looked just as he always had—composed, elegant, unreadable.

A man speaking idle musings.

And yet—

Diana knew.

He never said anything without reason.

The game had just begun.