🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 23
Are You Heidi Eliana?
Heidi came to see Levelia on impulse.
What she had gone through the previous night was something she should’ve never had to experience.
She couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning from frustration and nightmares — all because of Levelia.
Worse, what had only been a curiosity about Delphian’s feelings began turning into suspicion after that terrible dream.
Heidi believed everything that had happened was Levelia’s fault.
If not for her… if Levelia hadn’t whispered like a devil, Heidi would still be the beloved, beautiful young lady everyone adored.
And she wouldn’t have been treated with such contempt by Crocan Piace — who had mistaken her for Levelia.
But even if she tried to forgive all of that, what truly pushed Heidi to visit was the one thing Crocan said to her the night before:
“This is your only chance to seduce that dim-witted crown prince.”
That single sentence kept echoing in her mind, even after the moon set and the sun rose.
So the moment morning came, Heidi rushed to the Piace estate.
She wanted to ask Levelia to her face.
Why did you give me that strange potion? Why whisper to me to change dresses?
Was it all just so you could steal Delphian away from me?
She glared at the fragrant tea and pastries the servants had set in front of her.
If Levelia admitted it — that she did it all to take Delphian — Heidi knew she would never forgive her.
No one takes what’s mine. Ever.
Especially not when it comes to Delphian.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and the drawing room door opened.
Heidi took a deep breath and hardened her heart.
“Ah…!”
Just as she raised her chin to appear confident, she saw who had entered — and jumped to her feet.
The man who had shaken her to the core the previous night now approached with a calm expression.
“I was actually just thinking I should come find you myself.”
“Thanks for saving me the trouble.”
His cold black eyes stared right at her, unreadable.
Heidi clenched her trembling hands into her dress to stop them from shaking.
“I-It’s… been a while.”
“Marquis Piace.”
Remembering the snake-like look in his eyes from the night before made her stomach turn.
She debated turning around and leaving — but then he said,
“I don’t think it’s been that long.”
“If I recall correctly, didn’t we meet just last night in the lounge?”
Her heart thudded like a drum.
Crocan leaned in with a whisper.
“Or should I say… Heidi Eliana pretending to be Levelia Piace?”
Heidi’s face went pale as a sheet.
“Are you really Heidi Eliana?”
Karlier waited quietly, eyes fixed on her with an unreadable gaze.
His silence felt like a blade, and her palms were drenched in sweat.
Her mouth was dry. Her heart thundered in her chest.
Trying to keep calm, she looked him straight in the eyes.
“I… I don’t understand why one question like that makes Your Grace think I don’t love the crown prince.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
She kept speaking, pretending not to notice.
“I wouldn’t want anyone to come into danger because of me. Especially not him.”
Karlier didn’t look convinced. And she couldn’t blame him.
If she really loved Delphian, she’d never wish for him to come — even if she knew he was the main character in the original story.
“You’re the only one who doesn’t see how unbelievable your words sound.”
She turned away from his sarcastic voice.
Truthfully, once things started to go according to plan, the one person she felt most guilty toward was him.
She knew what fate awaited him, and yet… she was using him.
“Anyway, like I said before — whether or not he comes has nothing to do with my wishes.”
Karlier frowned, as if confused.
She met his gaze and spoke slowly.
“His Highness will come.”
“Just like in fairy tales — where the prince comes to rescue the princess.”
“Just like how the sun rises in the morning, and the moon appears at night.”
“This is just how things are meant to unfold. That’s why I believe it.”
Of course, that all depended on the novel not deviating too far — and her plan staying intact.
She tried to push away the worst-case scenarios swirling in her mind.
I’ve come too far to turn back now. It’s already begun.
All she could do was hope that the story didn’t bend too far — and survive long enough, keeping Karlier calm, until Delphian arrived.
Surprisingly, having made peace with that made her feel a little better.
Karlier, who had been listening quietly, let a slow smirk rise on his lips.
“If things really unfold like a storybook, then there’s only one ending.”
“…What?”
“If Delphian Zeros is the brave prince coming to save the kidnapped princess…”
His eyes briefly flashed with something dangerous before it vanished like a mirage.
“Then the villain fated to die by his righteous hand… must be me.”
She looked at his smiling face and thought:
There’s no way I’ll survive this just by keeping him calm until Delphian arrives.
“Go immediately to Halta, the tavern in Adeli’s back alley. Find someone named Des in the basement.”
“Offer him any amount of money. Tell him to hunt down and kill the spy Esperos placed in the Eliana estate. No matter what — that man must die.”
Crocan remembered the orders he’d just given Damon as he watched the young man leave the mansion.
He then looked back toward Heidi, who still seemed flustered by his sudden appearance.
“I… I don’t understand what you’re saying, Your Grace.”
Her eyes darted nervously.
“I just wanted to talk to Lady Levelia. I didn’t mean to come unannounced — we must have missed each other.”
“If she’s not here, and you’re meeting me instead, then I’ll just reschedule…”
“What did you just say?”
“…Excuse me?”
Her voice wavered under the sharpness of his tone.
Crocan sat opposite her and looked her in the eye.
“Are you saying you know how to contact my daughter — the one who vanished after the ball last night?”
Vanished?
Heidi couldn’t tell if he was joking… or dead serious.
Her insides twisted. She bit her lip and watched his face closely.
Crocan calmly picked up the teacup in front of him and said,
“You should sit down. It’ll be easier to talk that way.”
