I Became the Substitute for the Runaway Heroine

While Odette lay in bed, groaning in pain, the mansion underwent a drastic transformation—or so the maids whispered.

They said that Caesar had interrogated the butler, Derrick, and the head maid, Anna.

“The crimes he uncovered were too many to count.”

Embezzlement, misappropriation, and bribery spanning seven years.

Not only that, but they had also falsely accused Caesar’s true vassals, condemning them to unjust imprisonment and stripping them of everything, leaving them to perish in the streets.

Some even claimed they had committed murder without hesitation.

A second round of interrogations was underway to weed out Derrick and Anna’s subordinates, casting a chilling atmosphere over the mansion.

“I never imagined my words could wield such power.”

The bigger problem was that, without even realizing it, Odette had become Caesar’s trusted informant.

“Are they putting me on too high a pedestal?”

Of course, if they truly cared for her, they would have put her in a carriage and sent her far away.

But the fact that they kept her here and treated her well meant she still had some use to them.

“Swapping out the count’s daughter for a mere maid—there’s no better excuse to bring him down.”

Not only would it utterly destroy the count’s reputation, but it could also drive a wedge between him and the emperor.

“Madam, if you have no strength to lift your spoon, shall I feed you?”

“Ah, no, that’s not necessary.”

Odette shook her hands in refusal as the maid, polite to the point of absurdity, looked at her with sincere concern.

“Please, speak casually, madam. Otherwise, we’ll all be in danger.”

“I-In danger?”

“Yes, if you feel even the slightest discomfort, not just me, but my entire family could—”

The maid trailed off, her voice trembling with unspoken fear.

Tears glistened in her eyes.

“She’s just like me.”

A fragile existence, with no guarantee of tomorrow.

Fine. If I’m going to die anyway, I might as well eat well before I go.

Resolving herself, Odette picked up her spoon, but just as she was about to take a bite, the door swung open.

“My beloved wife.”

Caesar strode in with his long legs, closing the distance in mere seconds.

Now fully adjusted to peacetime after returning from war, he had abandoned his leather trousers in favor of noble attire.

Dressed in beige slacks and a crisp white dress shirt, he exuded an effortless grandeur.

The closer he got, the faster her heart pounded.

It was as if something invisible wrapped around her, tightening with every step he took.

“Did you sleep well? I didn’t. I couldn’t, because I wanted to hold you.”

He placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Ugh!”

The moment his lips brushed her skin, an unfamiliar shiver raced down her spine.

A chill crept along her back, her face flushed crimson, and a strange tingling sensation coiled in her lower belly.

Heat began to flicker deep within her, spreading outward.

Odette clutched her chest, gasping for breath.

But before she could fully grasp what was happening, his lips captured hers.

And in an instant, every sensation vanished.

No, it wasn’t gone—Caesar had devoured it all.

Only when he finally pulled away, leaving just enough strength in her to stay upright, did he smirk.

“Delicious.”

“You lunatic.”

Caesar, who rarely showed surprise, blinked, his pupils dilating in shock.

Realization struck Odette like lightning.

“Did I just curse at him?”

A terrifying vision of her head rolling to the floor flashed in her mind.

Panicked, she clasped her hands together and began frantically begging for mercy.

“I-I apologize! What I meant was… your kiss is so unbelievably good that it’s driving me insane—no, wait, I must have gone momentarily mad!”

She rubbed her palms together so quickly that even a fly couldn’t have matched her speed.

Despite the growing heat of friction on her hands, she didn’t dare stop.

“As long as you understand.”

“Does that mean you forgive me? Thank you! I will do my utmost—”

“…Your utmost?”

She had to choose her words carefully.

If she swore undying loyalty here, the story’s genre might shift to something far more scandalous.

“…My utmost to be your faithful supporter.”

“You don’t have to go that far.”

His delight was evident as he pulled her into his lap, settling her onto his muscular thigh.

“Hngh!”

Even through the thin fabric of her dress, she could feel his solid frame pressing against her.

The heat pooling in her stomach intensified, curling her toes.

An unbearable tingling sensation coursed through her, making her hips instinctively shift.

“What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable?”

His warm breath tickled her ear, making every hair on her body stand on end.

“N-No! It’s like… like sitting on a cloud….”

Just then, she noticed something—a smear of crimson staining his sleeve.

Her entire body stiffened.

She trembled, but before she could react further, Caesar pulled her even closer.

“You noticed?”

“Of course. You look… truly magnificent.”

“You seem determined to entertain me. I couldn’t just take without giving, so I’ve prepared a gift for you.”

“A g-gift?”

A permit for an outing, perhaps. Or even a travel pass beyond the empire.

Better yet, complete freedom would be ideal.

Caesar took her hand and placed a dagger in it before speaking again.

“You will personally kill the maid who poisoned you.”

Odette bit her lip hard, gripping the cold, unyielding hilt of the dagger in silent torment.

“How is this a gift? Waaaah.”

“What do I do?!”

She stood face to face with Mary, her gray bobbed hair disheveled, crouching in the underground prison.

Either Odette would kill Mary, or Odette would be killed for disobeying Caesar’s order.

Only one of them would walk out of this prison alive.

“This isn’t a dark romance—it’s a survival story.”

Tightening her grip on the dagger, Odette swallowed hard.

Caesar was standing guard outside the prison corridor. Escape wasn’t an option.

Please, just take this dagger and end your own life, Mary.

After all, Caesar had no intention of sparing her.

Clearing her throat, Odette addressed Mary.

“Why did you do it? The moment you decided to kill me, did you not realize this was how your life would end?”

“Damn it. If I had known the poison would spread so fast, I would’ve run away immediately.”

There was no trace of guilt or remorse in Mary’s expression.

Cold detachment settled in Odette’s heart.

“How did I ever consider her a friend?”

She had transferred from the Sachsen Viscounty to the Count’s estate at Mary’s suggestion.

With the viscounty’s financial decline worsening by the day, staying there had not been an option.

And rather than working in an unfamiliar household, she had thought it better to go where she at least knew someone.

But sometimes, it would have been better to never have known certain people at all.

Mary was one of them.

“I hated you, Odette.”

“…That’s what I should be saying.”

“How laughable. You considered me a friend. Do you know? I hated you more than insects.”

“…….”

“I wanted to kill you for a long time—ever since you seduced the youngest master while constantly luring the second master.”

Mary had harbored an unrequited love for Maxcallion, the second son of the Sachsen family.

But Maxcallion had always been kind to Odette, his youngest brother’s personal maid.

And that was enough for Mary to resort to poison?

The sheer absurdity of it made Odette feel sick.

“I thought she was my friend? I really have no eye for people.”

Her voice turned as cold as her gaze.

“The second young master doesn’t even remember you. Oh, wait—he might recall a gray-haired maid who used to leer at him with disgusting eyes.”

“No! Noooooo! Aaaahhh!”

Mary screamed, lunging at Odette.

The iron chains around her ankle clanked noisily, reverberating through the prison.

The tip of the dagger nearly grazed her.

“Hngh!”

The blade pierced Mary’s chest, and crimson blood spurted out.

Odette gasped in shock and dropped the dagger.

Mary, however, snatched it up and rushed at her.

“Die, die! Odette!”

The dagger streaked toward Odette’s throat.

Just then, a gust of air stirred—a large hand suddenly covered Odette’s eyes from behind.

At the same time, the sickening sound of metal slicing through flesh filled the space.

“Close your eyes.”

It was Caesar.

Warm, sticky droplets splattered against her hair and face.

The sharp scent of blood overwhelmed her senses.

“Ugh…! T-That woman is an imposter! She’s not Lady Amelia—she’s a lowly maid named Odette!”

Even in death, Mary’s final wish was Odette’s ruin.

“No, she’s not. I say she’s real.”

The sound of Caesar’s sword slicing through the air was followed by a dull thud—Mary crumpling to the ground like a discarded rag doll.

“Hrk…!”

A choked sob escaped Odette’s lips.

Caesar turned to her, his gaze unreadable.

Even now, he was impossibly beautiful.

“Tsk.”

In the flickering candlelight, his golden eyes were devoid of emotion, as though he hadn’t just cut down a person moments ago.

“My precious wife has been sullied by filthy blood. Stay still—I’ll clean it for you.”

His touch was slow, deliberate, as he wiped her cheek with his fingers.

The gentleness made it all the more terrifying.

He acted as if he would never harm her.

But Odette knew—if the situation ever changed, she would end up just like Mary.

She shut her eyes tightly.