I Was a Substitute - Chapter 13

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*TL: I apologize in advance. The conversation in this chapter is confusing. I really had no idea who did the talking.*

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“You’re thin. You need to gain some weight.”

 

I never thought anything would go back and forth between us, but what I said was just too plain.

 

It didn’t seem like something one should be saying to her newly married husband by any stretch of the imagination.

 

The thought flashed through my mind, and I finally regained my stability.

 

It was thanks to the tasteless look on his face that I lost interest as well.

 

“You have such a great body. It’s so perfect that I don’t have to point it out.”

 

“…”

 

“I’ll take it as a compliment.”

 

“How can you say that?”

 

“…You were the first one to evaluate my body.”

 

I nodded lightly.

 

Blush looked at me and frowned.

 

“I didn’t assess it.”

 

“Doesn’t that depend on how the person listening accepts it?”

 

“…”

 

“Or if the other person had a convincing excuse.”

 

I crossed my arms and glared at Blush.

 

Blush stared back at me, and immediately sighed.

 

“It’s because of the cold.”

 

“The cold? Why are you suddenly talking about the cold?”

 

“It’s just that I understand why you’re so cold. The skinnier you’re, the colder you’ll be.”

 

“……… Is that so?”

 

Blush substituted a nod for a reply.

 

I sighed briefly as I stared at the man who resembled a beast.

 

It hadn’t been a pleasant first encounter, frankly, and it hadn’t been very long, so it was difficult to define perfectly what kind of person Blush was at the moment.

 

But I felt like I knew this one thing for sure.

 

“I’ve been thinking about it. Have you ever thought of yourself as a person who is easily misunderstood?”

 

Blush spat.

 

“You’re surprisingly kind, aren’t you? My wife seems to have forgotten about the scar on her palm, and the owner of the coat you borrowed until you got to the castle is the same person.”

 

In retrospect, it wasn’t so surprising, since it was obvious just by looking at Brach’s attitude toward Malaz.

 

Brach was a man of sure hedges.

 

He was generous to his own people, but unforgiving to those who were not.

 

The compassion that Brach showed me was a rebuttal to the fact that I had come within his hedge.

 

I was very happy about that fact.

 

It was something I had to force myself to stir up, but in any case, I had made my place.

 

“Why are you smiling all of a sudden?

 

“I want to get to know you.”

 

“Huh?”

 

If you have a strong desire to own something, it also means that you won’t easily let go of it once you’ve grasped it.

 

As long as I can prove my worth, Blush will not abandon me.

 

“I don’t know what my wife is thinking.”

 

“I told you. I want us to get along with each other.”

 

I’ve been betrayed by someone, but in the end I’m looking for someone again.

 

The contradiction was so strange that I couldn’t help but find it funny.

 

I needed this person.

 

I wanted him to see that I was a useful being, not just Tiodurop’s Young Lady.

 

***

 

“I prepared it in a hurry and it’s not very good.”

 

“No, this looks good enough. I’ll eat it.”

 

“I’m glad you said that. I’ll wait outside while you two eat, so please ring the bell if you need anything. Have a good meal.”

 

Aiden bowed his head and backed away.

 

Now there were only two people left in the dining room, me and Blush.

 

“Let’s eat.”

 

“You should eat while it’s still hot. It would be a shame if the food got cold.”

 

The food served was simple, not match for the position of an Archduke.

 

A plain soup before the meal, followed by a steak with a glass of wine, was all that was served.

 

But I wasn’t going to complain.

 

After I had emptied all the soup, I lifted my knife to cut the steak that was prepared next.

 

“…”

 

I ate the soup with no problem and didn’t think anything of the steak, but when I finally put it in my mouth, I felt nauseous.

 

The steak was thick and meaty.

 

I glanced sideways at Blush as I put the meat in my mouth.

 

He was eating the steak without a care in the world.

 

I forced myself to chew and swallow the meat, then lifted the glass.

 

Then I immediately regretted it.

 

Unlike the sweet smell of honey, the alcohol in my mouth was too strong.

 

I only took a sip, but my throat was burning.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“No, nothing.”

 

I smiled and picked up the meat with my fork.

 

A second piece of steak filled my mouth, but this time I swallowed it.

 

I didn’t want to look strange.

 

I had to be the perfect hostess of Mona Chareuteu now.

 

“It’s delicious. I enjoyed the meal thanks to you.”

 

The meal was over when all the plates were empty.

 

I put down my fork and wiped my mouth with a napkin.

 

The food I forced down my throat was not that unbearable.

 

“Now that we’re full, let’s get down to business.”

 

“You have a short temper.”

 

“It’s not like you’re buying time anyway. I didn’t make a deal with my wife as a joke.”

 

Blush mumbleed as he filled his empty glass.

 

Perhaps he had a strong alcohol tolerance, but he looked the same as always even as he drained his glass in rapid succession.

 

“What do you plan to do now?”

 

“I’m still thinking about it.”

 

“Don’t forget that my wife told me she would show me something great when she came to Mona Chareuteu.”

 

Blush warned firmly.

 

“Of course. That’s an important part of our agreement.”

 

I held out my glass to Blush.

 

But he did not fill my glass.

 

“I’ll ask you again. What are you thinking about?”

 

There’s no way I could get away without giving him an answer.

 

I clicked my tongue and leaned back in my chair.

 

“I’ve been thinking about the possibility of Mona Chareuteu.”

 

“And did you find it?”

 

I wondered if it was a subject he liked, interest glinting in his red eyes.

 

“Yes and no.”

 

“What does that mean?”

 

The space between Blush’s eyebrows visibly narrowed.

 

He didn’t like my vague answer.

 

“It means I’m still considering it.”

 

I nodded lightly.

 

“It’s because there’s so little information about Monarchart that’s been known to the outside world. I need more information about Mona Chareuteu.”

 

“So you are more vulnerable to seeing the future?”

 

“All I can see is a big future.”

 

I had prepared this kind of excuse in advance.

 

I smiled nonchalantly.

 

“I understand how you feel, but please don’t be too hasty. Honestly, we’ve only been in the castle for less than a day, haven’t we?”

 

“So when can we expect to see those amazing results?”

 

Blush’s eyes narrowed.

 

“With your help, we’ll know sooner.”

 

I shook the glass lightly in a playful way.

 

The golden surface of the glass glistened under the lights.

 

“In return, you’ll have to show me some decent results.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You answered fast.”

 

“Because I’m confident.”

 

I stared straight into Blush’s eyes.

 

The wine in my stomach was still as hot as if it was on fire.

 

But that sensation wasn’t necessarily bad.

 

The heat that started in my stomach made me forget even the cold.

 

“What is it that you need from me?”

 

“I would like to use your library.”

 

“Sure.”

 

“Give me a person who’s born and raised in Mona Chareuteu, and familiar with the situation here.”

 

“That’s a blatant request.”

 

Brach clucked his tongue as he realized my purpose.

 

I shrugged nonchalantly.

 

“Information is the basis of everything.”

 

“Alright. I’ll help you as much as I can, since I’ve decided to trust you once anyway. It’s not difficult, I’ll take care of it right away.”

 

I was satisfied with his simple reply and it seemed that he would do what I asked him to do next.

 

“While you’re at it, I’d like you to look for someone as well, is that possible?”

 

“…”

 

“Please help me, if you believe me.”

 

I smiled, baring my teeth proudly.

 

Perhaps because of the wine, I smiled and felt comfortable.

 

I was sure he would do me another favor.

 

“All right. Let’s do that too. Who are you looking for?”

 

“His name is Flen Geotal. Until recently, he was a promising young man in the upper class of Titiana.”

 

“The ‘until recently’ part is what’s bugging me.”

 

“He’s dead. He was attacked.”

 

I wrapped the glass in my hands. The woman reflected in the glass was smiling at me.

 

“You want me to find his body?”

 

“He’s the one who took care of Young Lady Tiodurop’s situation for the past five years.”

 

“And he got killed because?”

 

“Because it had to be sorted out in order for the current Young Lady to be created.” (*It meant that people who knew about the fake one (supposedly our FL) had to die so no one would know the truth about her. So the Duke could bring his ‘real’ daughter home without scandal.)

 

There was no silence as perfect as death. I closed my eyes for a moment.

 

The taste of alcohol in my mouth was unusually bitter