Chapter 2
The spires of Viclus Castle loomed high, as if piercing a sky choked with dark clouds, their presence both imposing and menacing.
To Alisiya, who had spent all twenty-two years of her life in a remote mountain village, the Duke of Viclus’s castle felt overwhelming in both scale and grandeur.
Intricate sculptures adorned every corner of the structure, and magnificent windows filled with elaborate rose motifs lined the walls.
And towering above it all were the two great spires that unified the castle’s splendor into something truly oppressive.
This was the only noble estate Alisiya had ever seen in her life.
Even then, her first visit had been twelve years ago. Still, she was certain that a castle of this magnitude was far from common.
The carriage carrying Alisiya made its way toward the secluded rear of the castle.
As soon as it came to a halt, a voice called out to guide her.
It was the blond knight she had seen earlier that day.
“This way.”
Alisiya glanced briefly at him before heading in the direction he indicated.
She had no desire to be looked down upon by someone from the ducal household.
Though she had been born of the Duke’s blood, he was nothing more than a stranger to her.
At the end of the day, she was simply the daughter of Rozen, an herbalist from the mountain village of Maeve.
As she walked through the servants’ passage connected to the back gate, a memory suddenly surfaced.
The first time she had come to this castle.
She must have been ten.
Back then, too, Alisiya had been brought here by the castle’s servants—kidnapped, in truth.
Just like today.
The woman who had secretly taken her in the dead of night, like a rat slipping unseen through the dark, had been the Duchess and her daughter.
They had tested her on a whim—and just as carelessly, they had locked her away in the underground.
At the unpleasant memory, Alisiya let out a bitter smile.
This time didn’t seem like it would bring anything good either.
When the knight stopped walking, Alisiya finally lifted her gaze to examine the place before her.
A door lavishly decorated with rose patterns stood ahead. The maid waiting in front of it exchanged a glance with the knight.
“The Duke is waiting.”
With those words, the door opened, revealing the Duke’s reception room.
At the center sat Duke Spencer Viclus, his red hair neatly slicked back.
Beside him stood the Duchess, her thin frame and severe expression giving her a sharp, unforgiving air, and next to her—
A young woman with the same red hair as Alisiya.
Helena Viclus, the Duke’s daughter, one year younger than her.
“….”
For a moment, Alisiya silently observed her half-sister.
Red hair. Green eyes. And a height unusually tall for a woman.
At a glance, Helena possessed a physique not unlike her own.
But unlike Alisiya, whose body had been tempered by years of gathering herbs in the mountains and fields, Helena looked pale and frail, with hardly any flesh on her bones.
And judging by her expression, she had inherited her mother’s sharp, irritable temperament as well.
Why would they summon someone they’ve always treated as a thorn in their side…?
The Duke’s gaze moved slowly from Alisiya’s head to her toes, examining her in detail.
There was something unsettling about it—an intent she couldn’t read, yet one that made her uneasy.
Helena spoke first, her voice tense and laced with impatience.
“Father, this is impossible. How could someone as lowly as a commoner take my place? No matter how much she learns, she can’t replicate the refinement and etiquette I’ve cultivated for over twenty years. And bloodline is something that can’t be changed. The only thing she shares with me is the hair and eyes she inherited from you.”
“……”
“Father!”
At Helena’s urging, the Duchess gently soothed her daughter.
Her snake-like eyes swept over Alisiya as a faint smile curled on her lips.
“There’s no need for perfection. We only need to deceive people for a short while. It’s not as if she’ll truly become a noble lady.”
“……”
A substitute? Me, in Helena’s place? Why?
Alisiya couldn’t make sense of their conversation.
This was the most powerful ducal house in the Empire.
The Viclus family was one of the founding families of the Empire and a prestigious lineage that had produced empresses for generations.
Even Alisiya, a mere commoner, knew how formidable their name was.
A house so powerful that even the Imperial family could not treat it lightly.
So why would such a family need a substitute for their daughter?
Sensing her confusion, Duke Viclus spoke decisively.
“The Adrian family has requested a marriage alliance.”
“….”
At the name Adrian, Alisiya’s breath caught for a moment.
If there were two great noble houses in the Tyron Empire, they were the Duchy of Viclus and the Duchy of Adrian.
Both were founding families of the Empire—and long-standing rivals.
Viclus had built its influence through generations of ties to the Imperial family, while Adrian had stood as a counterbalance against them.
So why would Adrian now propose a marriage alliance with Viclus?
“Alisiya, you will go to Adrian.”
“…They wouldn’t want an illegitimate child from a ducal house. That makes no sense.”
Her voice trembled as the future crashed over her like a tidal wave.
Me, a commoner, going to Adrian?
It was absurd.
As fear and confusion gripped her, the Duke spoke again, his words no less incomprehensible than before.
“You will not go as an illegitimate child. You will go under the name of Viclus.”
“My lord, what do you—”
“Under Helena’s name.”
“…What?”
For a moment, Alisiya was rendered speechless.
Go to the Adrian family as Helena? Why?
As she stared blankly at the Duke, unable to comprehend, he began to explain his plan.
“Karl Adrian, the young head of the Adrian family, has requested a marriage alliance several times over the past few years. As you know, Viclus has produced empresses for generations. Helena was originally intended to marry Crown Prince Stephan… but the prince is only twelve. Far too young.”
The Duke shook his head dismissively.
“Of course, a younger prince would be easier to control… but Adrian is tempting as well. The Imperial family is already in Viclus’s grasp. If we secure Adrian too, the entire Tyron Empire will fall under Viclus control. That is why Helena will be sent to Adrian.”
A future tied to the Empire’s political currents—something Alisiya had never imagined—now loomed before her.
Her heart began to race.
Deceive a ducal house? A mere commoner like me could never do that.
If discovered, she would undoubtedly lose her head.
“But there are those who oppose an alliance between Viclus and Adrian,” the Duke continued. “We have received intelligence that they are planning to assassinate Helena.”
“….”
“That is why you must go.”
“….”
“If you can withstand the assassination attempts, we will be able to identify and eliminate those behind them. Until then, you will act as her substitute.”
He spoke as if it were simple.
But it was anything but.
“…This is impossible! How could I possibly deceive a duke?”
Alisiya protested desperately.
But Duke Viclus dismissed her words as though they were of no consequence.
Her fear meant nothing to him.
“There is no need to deceive them. They will be informed of the plan.”
“…What?”
The Duke of Adrian would know they were sending a fake?
As Alisiya struggled to process this, Helena spoke coldly.
“Exactly. He wants me safe. He will agree to our proposal to use a substitute. It doesn’t matter that you are not truly a daughter of Viclus, nor that you are a nameless commoner. You don’t need to deceive him. You only need to deceive the assassins in my place.”
“…Then that means…”
Alisiya felt her heart sink.
If she understood correctly, she was being sent to her death.
If she survived the assassins, it would be fortunate. If she died, it would simply be unfortunate.
She would not even be protected as a noble bride—just a disposable stand-in from a remote village.
She hadn’t expected anything good when she was brought to Viclus Castle.
But this was far worse than anything she had imagined.
Even Helena, standing before her, looked as though she would gladly see her dead.
And the Duke, who did not even regard her as a daughter, was no one she could rely on.
The thought of her mother, Rozen, alone and ill at home, made her vision swim.
Shaking her head, Alisiya resisted.
“…No. I can’t do this. Call it a substitute if you like, but this is a position where I could die, isn’t it?”
The Duke did not react much to her words. He simply looked at her steadily, as if acknowledging that death was indeed a possibility.
Despair began to take hold—her words would not change anything.
Still, she forced herself to speak.
“I’m already promised to someone. Whether it’s a substitute or not, a marriage vow before God is sacred. I can’t commit such a sacrilege.”
Her words came faster, betraying her growing panic.
“And I have a family to support. As you know, my mother has no husband. I have a duty to care for her. If you have any conscience at all, my lord, you cannot ask this of me. I—”
“Alisiya.”
The Duke cut her off.
His gaze was colder than ever, devoid of warmth as he looked down at her.
“Did it sound like I was making a proposal?”
His words fell, sharp and frigid.
