GDTN 16

Chapter  16

Selene covered her mouth with both hands and tried to keep her breathing as quiet as possible. Her heart was beating so fast it felt as if a waterwheel was turning inside her abdomen.

She composed herself and decided to step outside.

‘Let’s just think of it as acting for a moment.’

Steeling her resolve, she went out—but within less than ten minutes, she realized she had already failed.

…It seemed the original Selene had already known Zart.

*****

On the returning carriage, Selene kept her gaze fixed out the window, but all her attention was directed toward Varas sitting across from her.

He stared out the window with his usual expressionless face and cold eyes. She had no way of guessing what he was thinking.

She wondered how severe the crime of impersonating a grand duchess might be.

The empire in the novel felt similar to a medieval nation, and she also knew that Varas had spent an enormous sum of money to “buy” his wife.

Moreover, even though Selene had grown up as an illegitimate child, she had still been registered as a noble lady in her family registry before marriage.

So what if, suddenly and secretly, she had become an unidentified woman?

Especially right after the wedding where she had officially become the Grand Duchess—anyone might suspect a massive conspiracy, an infiltration with ulterior motives.

Would she be tortured deep inside a prison to confess her method of infiltration? Maybe they would even make her drink a truth serum like the ones she had heard about before. After that… wouldn’t her head be cut off?

She stole a glance at Varas. Honestly, it would be better if he just asked her directly who she was. The fact that he was clearly suspicious yet acting normal was even more frightening.

Then she remembered how she had once failed to recognize an old lover. If he had deliberately brought her in front of him, then he must have already suspected something for a while.

Was it really that difficult to maintain a peaceful married life while sharing simple daily routines?

She had thought they had grown a step closer. But maybe he hadn’t.

Anyway.

They said even if you’re caught in a tiger’s den, you can still survive if you stay calm—so she needed to figure out how to behave from now on.

Both Varas and Zart were seasoned knights with real combat experience. There was no way they couldn’t sense what was happening even through a wooden wall.

Still, he had acted as if he hadn’t heard anything outside earlier—she had thought he was being calm, but perhaps he had simply been pretending.

Varas glanced at Selene again as she, who had been nervously watching him the entire ride, finally quieted down.

‘So witches aren’t all bold after all.’

He recalled a witch he once knew. That woman embodied the word “imposing”—as if it existed solely for her.

So he had assumed all witches were like that: confident, arrogant, looking down on the world.

Varas decided to pretend he didn’t know Selene was a witch. He had no other choice. If she suspected that he knew and decided to leave the grand duchy, nothing would be worse.

Now that he knew the seemingly delicate woman was a witch, any plan to lure her into a failed escape and keep her confined was practically impossible.

The premise of that plan depended on her escape failing. If there was even a slight chance of success, it had to be abandoned.

There was too little information about witches. He had no idea what kind of magic or sorcery could hide her tracks.

If, for example, her soul simply left her body and returned to its original form, there would be no way to find her.

He recalled Selene from their first night—following him with darting eyes.

When their eyes first met… when her small hand grabbed his arm… when she shyly thanked him…

All those memories already felt distant.

She had been a beautiful woman from the start, but if “she” disappeared…

Those clear eyes that looked at him, and her occasionally shy, fluttering gestures, would never be seen again.

He needed a plan.

He had to find a way to bind even her soul to his side.

Still, Varas did have a fallback. She must have had a purpose for coming into Selene’s body. He would have to “appropriately” help her achieve it.

If she didn’t run away after a day or two of crying, that was at least reassuring.

Selene, who had been anxiously observing everything, suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

If she could make Varas believe that his wife’s soul hadn’t changed—and that there was no need to search for the real Selene—then she could get through this safely.

If she could make him believe she was the “real Selene,” the problem would be solved.

There was a classic solution often used in her previous world.

Amnesia.

She had no idea when he had begun suspecting her, so it would be safest to say she had no memory starting from the wedding night.

What would Varas’s reaction be?

She ran simulations in her head, anticipating his questions and preparing plausible answers.

After a long time of mental rehearsal, she finally felt calm. She was confident she wouldn’t be exposed.

The preparation was perfect.

Varas noticed that Selene, who had been stealing glances at him, had gone quiet and glanced at her.

She seemed deep in thought. She must have realized she had been exposed and was now planning how to hide her identity.

The sight of the “small, adorable witch” made him curious about what excuse she would come up with.

Her profile, looking out the window, overlapped with the fearless woman from last night—drinking whiskey straight without hesitation.

Was the witch Selene good with alcohol? Her wrist movements while holding the glass had been surprisingly natural.

Thoughts tangled endlessly.

He also remembered her worried expression as she gently tried to stop him from drinking too quickly, her face flushed.

No one worried about Varas Belias. Not even his allies on the battlefield.

‘And yet she worried about alcohol?’

He himself didn’t get drunk easily. Even several bottles of whiskey wouldn’t affect him. She likely didn’t know that.

But somehow, everything she did felt special.

Things that could be dismissed as ignorance became meaningful when she did them.

Varas raised an eyebrow as he watched Selene. Her expression had softened as she finished her thoughts.

Was she satisfied with whatever plan she had come up with?

After a moment, Selene turned away from the window.

“Isn’t the direction back to the manor a bit different?”

Varas replied without even looking outside. He didn’t want to meet her gaze.

“The road for horses and the road for carriages differ. It’s a slight detour, but it won’t take long.”

She nodded as if understanding.

Then she asked again.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

Varas frowned slightly. It wasn’t even a significant question, yet it left him momentarily speechless.

Seeing his expression change, Selene quickly added,

“I thought… you didn’t eat breakfast earlier. I was just wondering if you were hungry.”

Varas looked at her face briefly, then looked away.

“We’ll reach the town soon.”

As he finished speaking, he handed her a basket. It was a snack basket prepared by Zart.

Selene, holding the basket with both arms, widened her eyes, suddenly realizing who the question was actually for.

“Not me—you,” she corrected.

Varas suppressed a dry laugh. He never thought he would meet a woman who asked him whether he was hungry.

He leaned back and crossed his arms.

“I’m fine.”

At that short reply, Selene’s eyes drooped slightly as she murmured,

“Oh… I see.”

She looked down at the snack basket in her arms and sighed inwardly. Now that she had missed the timing to put it down, she didn’t know what to do.

Varas was still watching her as if ready to devour her with his gaze. Eating a cookie under that stare would probably make her collapse from indigestion.

She needed to steer the conversation toward memory loss somehow, but under that cold expression, she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

She thought they had gotten closer after last night. They had eaten together, even drank together.

Maybe she should try drinking with him again. Pretend to be drunk and casually bring up memory loss as if it were a secret.

While she was lost in thought, the carriage began to slow.

Selene lifted her head. Buildings passed by outside the carriage window. It looked like the town Varas had mentioned earlier.

Houses made of pretty stones lined the streets, each with small signs hanging outside.

Selene, who had been sulking, suddenly changed her expression as they entered the town.

But to Varas, her reaction felt strange.

Her wide eyes and slightly parted lips reflected genuine amazement—but it was too much.

The streets of Belias were nothing special. Ordinary buildings, just like any other domain.

Yet she looked around as if she had discovered an elven village, eyes sparkling.

It was as if she were seeing a human settlement for the first time.

He recalled how she had once stared in awe at the cold courtyard and castle walls. Back then, she had seemed unfamiliar with everything.

She couldn’t even walk properly. He had assumed it was because her dress was heavy—but now it made sense. It wasn’t her body.

If she was truly a witch living alone, this might indeed be her first time seeing a town like this.

“Hey.”

Her voice pulled him out of his thoughts. As always, his gaze locked onto her.

Selene had wanted to walk around the streets. It wasn’t far, and she could come back later with Anna, but she didn’t know this place at all.

Once she returned to the castle, she might never get another chance to visit this town.

“Hey.”

She called him again impulsively, turning away from the window.

His gaze was the same as always, but somehow it felt sharper—as if it was silently labeling her as “fake.”

She had intended to ask to walk around here.

But afraid he might refuse, something entirely different came out of her mouth.

“I’m hungry.”