IMCUV | 003

Chapter 3

Who could it be at this hour?

Bang bang bang bang!

Ugh, they’re going to break the already rickety door!

Spurred by the impatient knocking, Dayna jumped up from her seat. Feeling a sudden urgency, she grabbed Stella’s shawl from nearby, draped it over herself, and raised her voice at the front door.

“Who’s there?”

“I’m from the Betelgeuse family! Please open the door quickly!”

An urgent voice responded immediately.

The Betelgeuse family… Why does that sound familiar?

Still groggy from sleep, her memory was hazy.

Then, the man’s voice rose again.

“Someone’s injured! Hurry!”

Someone’s injured?

Startled, Dayna flung open the door without thinking. A fierce snowstorm swept in, revealing a young man carrying another on his back. Breathing heavily, the man stepped closer and asked, “I’m terribly sorry for the late hour. May we come inside?”

“Y-Yes, we have an empty room…”

“Thank you.”

As she opened the door wider, the man gave a quick nod and strode into the mansion. The person on his back was limp, unconscious.

Frowning at the sight of the man’s soaked black hair, Dayna wondered, How did he get hurt like this?

Wait a second. Someone visiting the Viviwood mansion at this time…

A strange sense of déjà vu hit her.

“We ran into an avalanche on the way here,” the man explained. “The snow piled up on the slope above came crashing down on the horse the Duke was riding. He hasn’t regained consciousness since being buried.”

Snapped out of her thoughts by his words, Dayna quickly turned.

“Oh! Yes, come this way!”

She hurriedly led them to an empty room on the second floor. The man laid the Duke on the bed and spoke again.

“Please call for a doctor!”

“With this much snow, it’s hard to get anyone here. As you know, our mansion is far from the village…”

At her words, the man glanced at the window. Seeing the relentless snowstorm, he let out a troubled sigh.

“This is bad.”

“We should warm his frozen body first. I’ll get hot water and more thick blankets, so please stay here!”

Touching the Duke’s ice-cold cheek, Dayna stood up.

“We should change his wet clothes too, but there aren’t any men’s clothes in this mansion…”

“I have some spare clothing that should work.”

“Oh, that’ll do then.”

Dayna rushed out of the room, heading to the kitchen to boil water in a large kettle and then to the linen closet to grab thick blankets.

When she returned, the Duke was already in dry clothes. The man attending him hurried over to take the blankets from her.

“Here, let me take those. I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s a relief the Duke doesn’t seem too badly hurt. Warming him up and keeping his temperature stable should help him come around soon.”

“Thank you.”

After covering the still-unconscious Duke with the fresh blankets, the man turned to Dayna and bowed again.

“My apologies for the late introduction. I’m Clian Hertus, aide to Duke Betelgeuse.”

“Oh, I’m…”

“I know who you are.”

“What?”

How does he know me?

Puzzled, Dayna looked at him, but Clian, who had introduced himself, wore a confident expression, as if certain of something.

He glanced around the well-maintained but visibly worn room and muttered softly, “They say the family has fallen on hard times, but to think you’d be here all alone without even a single servant…”

Huh? Something’s off.

Dayna blinked at Clian.

Is he… mistaking me for Stella?

It made sense,she was wearing one of Stella’s few remaining expensive, elegant shawls. She raised a hand to clarify.

“Um, I’m sorry, but I’m not Stella Viviwood…”

Clian turned to meet her gaze. At that moment, the past few weeks flashed through her mind,specifically, all the effort she’d put into hiding the fact that Stella was no longer at the Viviwood mansion.

Wait a second. Do I really need to tell these people that Stella’s not here?

They’d leave once the Duke woke up anyway. And since they seemed to mistake her for Stella, they likely didn’t know what she looked like.

Rather than risk spreading bad rumors about the Viviwood heiress abandoning her mansion, it seemed better to briefly impersonate Stella and show the world that the Viviwood estate was still standing strong. That was the best way to protect the mansion for Stella!

So, right now, I am Stella Viviwood!

“…I mean, that’s right!”

Finishing her mental calculations, Dayna quickly lowered her hand and exclaimed.

Clian blinked at her, staring.

Her tone had somehow turned into that of a dramatic TV show host unmasking a guest.

“…Yes, I know.”

“Right.”

Embarrassed, Dayna nodded.

“Was there some business you had with my mansion from the start?”

“Yes. Our Duke came to speak directly with Lady Viviwood. We ran into the avalanche while climbing the narrow forest path.”

“Oh…”

That was actually a relief.

It was far better to act as the lady of the house for visitors with business for Stella Viviwood than to admit she was absent!

“What business do you have with me?”

Dayna asked promptly, hoping to hear their purpose and send them on their way before they realized she wasn’t the real Stella.

But at her casual question, Clian’s expression hardened. He awkwardly averted his gaze, clenching and unclenching his fists, fidgeting like a nervous puppy facing a big task.

What’s with that face? Is it something hard to say directly?

“W-Well, it’s…”

“Then I’ll hear it from the Duke himself later. Oh! The water should be ready. I’ll go get some hot water.”

Seeing Clian’s expression, Dayna quickly changed the subject. At her words, he moved.

“I’ll get it. Please tell me where the kitchen is.”

“Oh, no, I can…”

Wait. I’m supposed to be a noble lady. Would it look too much like a maid if I do it?

“Alright, go ahead. The kitchen’s on the west side of the first floor.”

Clian nodded and left the room.

* * *

Left alone, Dayna glanced around the quiet room before creeping toward the bed.

Looking down at the Duke, lying still with his eyes closed as if asleep, she couldn’t help but let her jaw drop slightly.

Wow…

She hadn’t noticed earlier, too busy settling him into bed and worrying about his temperature, but now she saw he was strikingly handsome.

Soft black hair falling over his forehead, thick eyebrows, perfectly balanced eyes beneath, a sharp nose, full lips, and a sleek, chiseled jawline…

He exuded an untouchable nobility, yet there was a serene, almost languid air about him.

With looks like that, he must have had some role in the original novel…

Suddenly, a critical realization hit her. Wait. He said the Betelgeuse family, didn’t he? The Duke of Betelgeuse…

“…Knox Betelgeuse?”

Without thinking, Dayna shouted his name and quickly clapped both hands over her mouth.

This man, lying on the bed, is the young Duke of Betelgeuse, Knox Betelgeuse…? Oh no! How am I only realizing this now?

Wide-eyed, she scanned the man on the bed from head to toe.

If her thinking was correct, this man was none other than the male lead of the original novel ICLBV.

This is bad!

Recalling the original story, there was only one reason Knox Betelgeuse would visit the Viviwood mansion at this point.

This guy’s here to divorce Stella!