It wasn’t difficult to estimate Clive’s arrival.
The bustling sound of footsteps suddenly became quiet.
Eirene took all the water she was provided for four days to the washbasin twice, so she used it sparingly, but she ran out of water quickly.
Having confirmed the existence of God, she prayed earnestly.
Please open the door to the basement room.
Or maybe move Betty’s heart so she doesn’t accidentally lock her out.
Eirene, who was waiting at the door, heard footsteps rushing outside.
Clive has arrived.
Did God hear my prayers?
She tried not to have unreasonable expectations.
She carefully pushed the door open.
“Uh?”
It opened.
The door was unlocked, and she fell to the ground.
Anxiety and nervousness, excitement and joy.
Eirene’s heart raced with many emotions.
She wasn’t afraid to get caught.
Not even when she was full of emotion.
She had to appear in front of Clive at the most important moment.
There was no one in the hall when she opened the door.
She could see all the servants lining up from a large window.
Clive’s head was also visible.
Eirene hurriedly approached the front door and opened the door quietly but confidently.
Their eyes met.
His handsome face still emanated coldness.
It would be difficult to give an unlikable impression with such a good face.
Surprisingly, for a moment, he greeted her with his eyes full of wonder.
Clive’s lip lifted slowly.
He gave a brief greeting to the Count and his wife and went straight to Eirene.
“I can finally see my fiancée’s face properly.”
My fiancée.
The faces of the count and his wife turned to contemplation.
Eirene barely held back the excitement from laughing.
She certainly liked this more than when she was killed.
As she looked at Clive standing in front of her, Eirene confirmed that her plan had worked out correctly.
In the past, when she killed everyone, and only she was left alive, Clive saw her and called her Aishe.
She doesn’t know what happened, but it was obvious that he thought Eirene was Aishe.
She wasn’t in a hurry to find out why.
It was more important that he thought she was Aishe.
The married couple, even the servants, let out a small cry of surprise at the unexpected appearance.
One of the servants pointed to Eirene and almost called her name.
But at the piercing gaze of the Count, she covered her mouth.
They were frozen like statues, unable to move from their places.
“Are you still unwell? You have a bad complexion.”
Countess Phineos quickly climbed the stairs and pushed Eirene inside.
“She had a little fever in the morning, so I told her to prepare slowly… … Time… I didn’t know that so much time had passed. It seems that Aishe was happy to hear the news of your arrival and just came down. She’s also.. No matter how happy she is.”
Ho-ho-ho, the Countess approached Eirene with a forced smile.
She grabbed her arm and took her to the nearest tea room.
“How did you get out of the basement? Why are you so clean?”
The countess looked at her over and over again from head to toe in disbelief.
She realized she wasn’t in a dirty state.
What happened? She couldn’t bathe.
Eirene is also confused, knowing that it was all fake.
“Ah, cleanliness is not a problem.”
The countess shook her head, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes tightly.
She seemed to be contemplating how to deal with what had just happened.
And it didn’t take her long to think about what to do.
She grabbed Eirene’s arms, stared at her with her eyes wide open.
“You are Aishe from now on. You had a cold for two months and your recovery was slow. I will tell the Grand Duke you’re resting, so only attend the dinner. You shouldn’t talk to your Highness. Okay?”
“Why am I Aishe?”
“You don’t need to know that. Did you understand me?”
The Countess shook Eirene’s arm. She immediately broke into a cold sweat.
“Yes. I understand.”
Eirene nodded.
She decided to act obediently.
It’s quite interesting to watch them panic in unexpected situations.
The Countess called Betty in and quietly whispered an order.
Betty quickly stood in front of Eirene.
“Lady. You have to go up.”
The words go up were unfamiliar to her, yet she followed quietly.
On the other hand, Clive and Count Phineos were talking in the hall.
It seemed that he was explaining the situation, and Eirene, who was passing by, stood between the two of them.
She turned her back to the Countess and looked at Clive.
“I’m sorry. It’s my fault for taking care of my health despite knowing that Your Highness was coming today. Please don’t blame my parents. I will see you in the evening after resting.”
Everyone who was there was shocked.
Was it too much? Opps, I wanted to do it. But it was too late.
So, she pretended to be the heroine in a novel.
She said goodbye to Clive with the most delicate look and gestures, and she turned around.
* * * * * * * * *
Betty guided Eirene to the guest room.
As soon as she entered the room, she opened the window, while Betty lit the fireplace.
“Lady! What are you doing! I’m trying to warm up the room, why did you open the window?”
Betty was more irritated than usual.
“How did you get out? I put the padlock on it, I even checked it! When the Grand Duke leaves, the Countess is going to kill me!”
She stamped her feet on the ground and started crying.
As expected, Betty is too nice.
If it was another maid, they would have plucked her hair out, and scratched her neck or arm.
“It’s not your fault. I came out on my own.”
“The Countess will trust you.”
Betty snorted and sat down in front of the fireplace again.
Eirene sat on the window seat and sniffed the air. The wind was cold, but it didn’t matter.
It’s different from the humid air in the basement room.
She felt the clean air pass through her brain, heart, lungs, and blood vessels.
The first sunlight she saw was so dazzling that she couldn’t open her eyes properly.
She closed her eyes and felt the warmth of the sun shining down on her.
If it weren’t for the books and her imagination, the world outside might have been terrifying.
She always pictured it in her head and tried to figure out what it felt like.
And it was much better in reality.
Suddenly, she got angry.
They did the impossible for her not to enjoy what she truly deserved.
She suppressed her boiling rage.
Eirene couldn’t do what she wanted to do right now.
She told Betty while sitting down in the window seat.
“Bring me some food.”
Betty’s eyes widened and distorted as she lit and cleaned the fireplace.
She had the look of a crazy person.
However, it was understandable.
The first daughter of the Phineos never asked for anything.
She was simply satisfied with what she was given and adapted to the given situation.
I was pathetic.
Eirene rebuked herself for acting like an idiot in the past and continued to say.
“I don’t know what the situation is, but the Grand Duke thinks I am Aishe. There’s a dinner party tonight, so cheer up by then, shall we? Even if I say no to my Mother, I have no choice but to go.”
“I’ll ask them.”
“And prepare a dress. I won’t be the only one to be insulted if I go out in this outfit in front of the Grand Duke.”
“Let me ask that too. But, lady, when did you wash?”
Eirene didn’t answer.
She didn’t know what was going on, so she had nothing to say.
Like the basement door that had been left unlocked or her clean appearance.
She believed it was God who had heard her prayers.
* * * * * * * * *
Betty got frustrated because Eirene didn’t answer.
She left the room, and Eirene looked around the moment she was left alone.
She thought that if she had lived and died in this room, she wouldn’t have killed everyone.
The guest room was incomparable to the basement.
Eirene approached the fireplace and felt warmer energy than the sun.
The softness of the bed was also different.
If I slept in this bed, I would have a good dream.
Eirene stood in front of the window to breathe fresh air again.
How long has it been since I closed my eyes and enjoyed the air?
BANG!
The door was opened violently, and Aishe stormed in.
It was the first time Eirene had seen her like that.
However, she knew what Aishe was going to do. She was familiar with it.
SLAP!
She slapped Eirene on the cheek without mercy.
Fortunately, her entire palm couldn’t reach her face because Aishe was smaller than her.
“Are you crazy?”
Aishe grabbed her by the neck.
Eirene’s body trembled with how strong she was.
“Why did you show up? The Grand Duke is mistaking you for me!”
So this is Aishe’s true form.
Her kind little sister changed as she got older.
Although her annoyance and irritation grew worse, she didn’t forget to treat Eirene as her older sister all the time.
“You!”
It was the first time Aishe had spoken to her like that.
She would have been hurt in the past, but she already knew everything, so she didn’t care anymore.
Aishe must have pretended to treat her like an older sister because she needed something from her.
Eirene remembered the words Aishe whispered to her in the past.
Like a kind older sister, she calmly replied with an apologetic expression.
“I’m curious too. Why did he mistake me for you? He has never seen me.”
Aishe’s eyes twitched and her lips closed.
She was just staring at her.
Clearly, she knew why.
I already knew it had something to do with the portraits, but what the heck?
Aishe had been staring at her for a long time.
Her trembling fists stopped, and she took a short breath and lifted her chin.
“Sorry, sister. I must have lost my mind because I was so surprised.”
Aishe regained her composure, smiled softly, and turned around.
As she was about to leave the room, the Countess came in.
“Eirene, I will explain to you after the grand duke is gone. As I said before, you… … .”
Countess Phineos’s face, who was suppressing her anger, turned red.
“You have to act like Aishe. You have to do it well.”
“Mother!”
Aishe furiously called out to her mother.
“My sister is replacing me?”
“Ah, Aishe. My dear daughter, you should understand. You know very well that’s the way things are and there is nothing we can do about it.”
“I don’t like it! Did Mother go crazy too? How could you say that?”
Listening to their conversation, Eirene felt confused. Aishe, who grew up lovingly, could say such a thing to the Countess.
She was very different from herself. She was always happy with even the smallest attention.
The Countess’ face hardened. Still, her eyes were full of love.
“Calm down, Aishe. It depends on the life and death of our family. You’re old enough to figure out what’s going on, right? How long are you going to act like a child?”
“Mother… … … .”
“Go out and go to your bedroom. You must not go out until the Grand Duke has gone.”
“Mother… … .”
Tears flowed over Aishe’s pretty face, but the Countess didn’t back down.
Aishe realized that her tricks could no longer work. She left the room stamping her feet.
Countess Phineos looked painfully at the door.
Maybe it’s because she’s the person Eirene once called mother. She felt betrayed and hated her to the point of killing her.
It wasn’t just anger. She knew what she was hiding.
Eirene thought of her birth mother, whom she had never seen before.
Thinking of her family, who died unfairly because of them, she put aside the strange feelings.
“Eirene, can you do it?”
It was a soft tone in contrast to her bloody eyes.
“Can I do it?”
“Every time Aishe meets the Grand Duke, she doesn’t talk much. It will be hard to notice. So, don’t even talk to him.”
“But… … How can I be an Aishe? I can’t.”
Eirene shook her head.
The Countess Phineos, who didn’t know that she was doing it on purpose, held Eirene’s hand tightly.
“Did you hear what I said to Aishe? It depends on the life or death of the family. Our lives depend on you.”
The Countess spoke to her in a very warm tone that she had not heard for years.
Eirene pretended to ponder once more, then nodded.
* * * * * * * * *
Betty scratched the back of her head as she watched Eirene eat until the last bite.
She helped Eirene bathe a while ago. She was so clean.
The maid had the absurd idea that she had been turned into someone else.
But the skinny body proved it was her.
Her face is clearly Eirene’s.
Today has happened a series of surprises.
The Countess gathered all the servants, ordering from this time onward to call Eirene ‘Aishe’.
The real Aishe was considered a non-existent person and guards were also placed in her bedroom to prevent her from coming out.
Three people, including the butler and Betty, decided to serve dinner tonight, probably because a mistake could be made with a large number of people.
Eirene had been eating and sleeping better than usual.
Betty woke her up.
And started to dress her up.
Betty admired Eirene’s hair as she brushed it.
She remembered her black hair wasn’t like this before. It was soft as it was made of velvet.
Betty thought something was wrong with her head, so she tried to concentrate on her job from all the questions.
She didn’t have a dress for Eirene.
She was going to choose one of Aishe’s dresses but chose the more youthful dress from Countess Phineos’ wardrobe due to the height difference.
After finishing Eirene’s makeup, Betty didn’t know if she had good skills or if Eirene was initially beautiful.
She looked mysterious, her pale skin contrasted with her black hair.
Was her original eye color like that?
Her deep purple eyes were as clear as a child’s.
Eirene was skinny, but if she gained weight, she would be as beautiful as Aishe.
Suddenly, Betty got confused.
Although she didn’t know anything, she had a feeling.
There’s going to be a cataclysmic event, so she has to pick a side.
It wasn’t easy to make a decision, but she decided to look at both sides for the time being.
“Lady, it’s all done. You can go out now.”
Betty bent down until her head touched the floor.
