Chapter : 01
“Daughter, please prove that my choice was right.”
It was a very sudden thing to say. But Diana could guess what the unspoken meaning behind those words was.
The weight on her shoulder felt quite heavy. The grip holding her was so rough that it felt like it might pierce through her fragile skin.
“Yes, Father. I will remember it.”
But pain was nothing to her. Diana showed no sign of it and instead gave a gentle, clear smile.
“Do not forget that I took you in for this very day.”
“I always keep it in my heart.”
“Please, fulfill your father’s wish.”
“I swear that I will.”
The father who was known for doting on his daughter was now stiff and rough. His expression and tone toward her were completely different from usual.
To others, it would seem confusing—but to Diana, it was all too familiar. Every time the Count dealt with her privately, he always changed his behavior.
It was a cruel truth that made her feel bitter.
“Daughter, say your name.”
It was a question the Count always asked at the end of their conversations. It was almost like a ritual, and Diana always gave the same answer.
But today was strange. Her lips would not open.
“You must not hesitate. Daughter.”
A solemn voice urged her to answer.
If she hesitated again, there would surely be consequences next time.
The purple eyes trembling beneath her thick lashes slowly calmed. She gently clenched her fist and spoke.
“Lilian Mernard. The only daughter of our family, and the one destined to become the lady of the Valencia ducal house.”
“My lovely daughter…”
A warm voice wrapped around her. It carried the great emotion called love, trembling like gentle waves.
Beyond the Count’s gaze toward Diana, warmth could be seen.
It didn’t take long for Diana to realize who that warmth truly belonged to.
“Yes, my kind father.”
Her tongue felt dry… then bitter.
Before she could even understand why, she was pulled into the Count’s arms.
“I love you.”
“……”
“I truly love you.”
The hand on her back trembled slightly. It wasn’t from anger, but from being overwhelmed by a pure and sincere emotion—love.
Diana found it strange, even admirable, that someone so cold could become this soft.
“…Me too. I love you very much, Father.”
If he could be this kind, why couldn’t he show even a little of that kindness to her?
Why was none of it meant for Diana?
“My lady, it is time to go!”
A loud voice and the ringing of a bell broke her thoughts.
“Go now, daughter.”
The Count pushed her away with a hand that was no longer gentle. Perhaps this time, he was treating her as Diana.
Diana turned forward without replying. Right now, she felt like she couldn’t properly play the role of a substitute in front of him.
“You look very beautiful today, my lady!”
“Thank you for saying that, Phil.”
Still, in front of others, she continued to act as Lilian.
With the coachman’s escort, Diana stepped into the carriage.
Soon, with the sound of bells, the carriage began to move. The scenery outside the window slowly started to change.
First, she saw the lily garden built for Lilian. It was said that Lilian loved lilies the most because they shared her name.
But every time Diana smelled their scent, she would get a terrible headache. Still, because her sister liked them, she always had to stay near them.
Next, a finely carved statue passed by. It was a gift for Lilian’s sixteenth birthday, made with her as the model.
“…Ugh.”
Diana, who had been staring blankly out the window, lowered her head, unable to hold back the nausea rising inside her.
Even this was a trace of Lilian.
Lilian, who had a weak body, often used carriages. And because of that, Diana had no choice but to do the same, even though it didn’t suit her.
Only after hitting her chest several times did the dizziness fade.
To cool her heated body, she leaned her face against the window. The cold surface touched her skin, and something familiar came into view.
「MERNARD」
The crooked letters on the sign looked cute—it was something young Lilian had made as a gift for her parents.
Like this, traces of Lilian were everywhere in the mansion. All of them were proof that she had once been deeply loved.
‘Sister was like that… unlike me.’
To Diana, Lilian Mernard was someone she could neither reach nor truly become.
She had admired her countless times… and also envied her.
And she had wondered—what kind of person was she, to be loved so much?
‘Yes… unlike me.’
But all of it was useless.
From the beginning, there was no love left for Diana. No matter how hard she struggled, her situation would never change.
‘Can I really imitate someone like her?’
Diana could not fully understand Lilian’s life. She had never lived like her, so pretending was difficult.
Even in the Count’s household, there had been several moments where her identity was almost exposed. But the servants loved Lilian too much to suspect anything.
However, the ducal house would be different.
There would be no mercy in a relationship based only on contract. Even the smallest mistake would create suspicion.
“I can do it.”
But she had to.
“I can deceive them.”
She had to do it—for herself.
“Just until the heroine returns. I only need to endure until then.”
There was one truth that even Count Mernard, who knew everything about her, did not know.
That Diana was trapped inside a novel she had read in her previous life.
Because of that, she knew everything about this world—its story and its future.
According to the novel, Diana was the twin sister who would act as a substitute for the heroine, Lilian Mernard.
And later, when Lilian—who was thought to be dead—returned, Diana would meet a tragic end.
“…I don’t want to die.”
That was her destined fate.
And also the future she wanted to change.
Diana had no memories of her childhood.
When she suddenly opened her eyes, she found herself alone in a shabby room.
Her mind was completely blank. There was nothing that could explain her situation.
The only things she knew were her name—Diana—and that she was six years old.
She had no memories, yet she had been left in the slums. Though she tried to deny her miserable fate, she slowly adapted to reality like any living creature.
Then one day, when Diana was seventeen, a man dressed in fine clothes—completely out of place in the slums—came to her house and said:
‘Come with me, daughter.’
‘Who are you?’
‘I am your lost father.’
It was the first ray of light in her life.
A family—something she had always looked at with envy—had come to her.
It must have been her wish coming true after all her prayers.
With no reason to hesitate, Diana immediately accepted his offer. And so, she left the filthy slums.
‘My lost daughter has returned. Our Lilian has come back!’
When she was introduced as Lilian Mernard in the mansion, she simply thought she had another name.
‘She suffered a head injury. Unfortunately, it seems she has lost all her memories.’
It was true that she had lost her memories—but only those before the age of six.
Yet the man who called himself her father spoke as if she had lost her entire life’s memories.
As if her life in the slums had never existed.
‘There is much to teach her again. We do not have much time, so I ask everyone in the mansion to help Lilian adapt again.’
The Count spoke as if Diana had always lived there.
As she felt confused, a strong pressure gripped her small hand. At the same time, the Count’s cold gaze fell upon her.
It was a silent command to stay quiet.
Frightened, Diana obeyed.
After everyone left and only the two of them remained, she finally asked:
‘Who is Lilian?’
‘My daughter.’
‘Then… am I not your daughter?’
‘…You are also my precious daughter.’
It was only for a moment, but the Count hesitated before answering.
At that moment, Diana understood.
He had not brought her here because he missed her.
That realization shattered her expectations.
Her chest ached. Her body stiffened. A strange pain rose in her throat.
Her eyes burned, but she forced herself not to cry—for the sake of her small pride.
‘Then what do you want from me?’
Her voice trembled as she swallowed her tears.
She was afraid he might see her weakness, yet at the same time, she hoped he would notice.
After all, she was his daughter too.
Even a little pity would have been enough.
‘Please… can you pretend to be my daughter?’
But reality was always cruel.
The selfish Count only cared about his own feelings, pushing Diana’s well-being aside.
‘…Alright.’
Diana hated the Count, who cried fake tears.
But the warmth of his hand holding hers felt too good to let go.
Even though she was the one who truly wanted to cry.
And that sad truth—
The Count would never know.
