CHAPTER~02
The Fake Lady
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The train emerged from the long, dark tunnel.
As light poured into the carriage, the girl blinked and looked out the window, where the vague silhouette of a great city began to appear.
Lucerne.
The capital of the Harrington Kingdom, its most prosperous city—and the place Yvonne was heading to.
Yvonne took in a deep breath as the landscape drew closer.
“Are you very nervous, my lady?”
“…Ah.”
At the maid’s question from across the seat, Yvonne realized her hands were trembling slightly.
But what startled her more was how rough and cracked her hands were—hands far too coarse for someone of noble birth.
She quickly clasped them together, hiding them from view.
Thinking she had upset her mistress, the maid hurried to amend her words.
“I just thought you seemed anxious… I’m sorry, I spoke out of turn.”
“No, Cindy. You’re right. I guess I’m nervous. It’s my first time returning to the capital since I was a child.”
“If that’s all, then don’t worry! I know the capital like the back of my hand. Just give me a few days, and you’ll be as comfortable as if you lived there all your life!”
Cindy had come all the way from the duchy to assist Yvonne in the capital.
They’d only met yesterday, yet the maid was already friendly and talkative.
Yvonne gave her a faint, bitter smile.
If her problem were as simple as Cindy believed, a few days would have been enough to solve it.
But Yvonne’s nervousness came from something far more serious—
Because she wasn’t the real Yvonne Leroy, the only daughter of the Duke of Leroy.
She was Adele, a commoner.
And until she found her missing mother, she would have to deceive everyone in the capital—including the maid sitting before her.
This dangerous and audacious deception had started with Adele’s father.
He had been a gambler—a man who squandered every coin he earned and even stole the money meant for his sick wife’s medicine.
When he finally died, Adele had felt relief.
She thought her suffering was over.
She had no idea her father had left behind a mountain of debt.
“If you pretend to be my dead daughter for the rest of your life, I’ll forgive your father’s debt.
On one condition—
you must never see your mother again.”
The Duke of Leroy, who had recently lost his only child, needed a replacement—someone he could use for a political marriage.
And Adele had no way to repay the debt her father had left behind.
She had begged him to spare her—pleaded that she couldn’t leave her ill mother alone.
The duke had left, seemingly dissatisfied… and for a time, life had returned to normal.
Until her mother disappeared.
“Your mother accepted my offer.
It seems she’s not as foolish as you.”
Her mother had handed Adele over to the duke and vanished.
She must have believed that a noble life would be better for her daughter than a poor one.
But Adele couldn’t forgive that choice.
Still—
“Which do you think will happen first?
I find you, or I kill your mother?”
The cold touch of a gun’s muzzle against her forehead…
The metallic click of a trigger being pulled back…
Yvonne shut her eyes tightly, trying to erase the memory.
Her lashes trembled, her dark eyes filled with suppressed fear.
The real Lady Yvonne was on her way to the capital for her fiancé’s father’s funeral.
But Adele, the false Yvonne, had a different purpose.
“Mother…”
She had to find her before the wedding—and escape.
Until then, she had to play the part of the fake lady flawlessly.
Because if her true identity was ever discovered, the duke—who knew her mother’s whereabouts—would never let either of them live.
A knock at the door broke her heavy thoughts.
“We’ll be arriving in Lucerne soon, my lady. Please prepare to disembark.”
“Thank you.”
Yvonne checked her appearance one last time before the train came to a halt.
By the time she was ready, the carriage had stopped completely.
An elderly man approached as she stepped onto the platform.
He bowed politely, with attendants lined up behind him.
“You must be tired from your long journey, my lady.”
Yvonne didn’t recognize any of them, but she could easily guess—they were people of the Leroy household.
People she had to deceive.
The high-collared dress felt suffocating around her throat.
She reached up, fiddling with the top button, but couldn’t bring herself to undo it.
Outside, the drizzle that had begun earlier had turned into a steady downpour.
The platform was bustling with carriages and people hurrying through the rain.
The attendants began loading luggage into a waiting carriage despite the weather.
Cindy turned to Yvonne, a bit flustered.
“My lady, would you prefer to wait inside the carriage? Or would you rather stay here until we finish?”
“I’ll help you.”
“Pardon?”
The words slipped out before Yvonne could stop herself.
Cindy blinked, surprised, and looked at her mistress.
Yvonne realized how strange that must have sounded—
No true noble lady would ever offer to help carry luggage.
> “Oh no, I couldn’t possibly let you do that! Your delicate hands are already so rough. Thank you for the thought, my lady.”
Cindy’s gaze lingered on Yvonne’s calloused fingers, puzzled.
Yvonne’s heart thumped uneasily, as if her lie had been exposed.
Fortunately, the maid didn’t dwell on it and hurried away with the trunks.
Watching them, Yvonne pressed her lips together.
“Be careful. Even small mistakes can lead to suspicion.”
The thought echoed in her mind.
She was shivering before long—the rain-soaked wind bit through her thin dress.
She rubbed her arms for warmth when a calm, low voice spoke from behind her.
“Quite a heavy rain for spring, isn’t it?”
She turned toward the sound.
A tall man stood nearby, the rain falling softly around him.
Even with her gaze raised, his Adam’s apple was the first thing she noticed.
Then his sharp jawline, clean features, and nose straight as a blade——and finally, eyes like frozen blue water, piercing and cold.
Her breath caught.
Under the gray rain, the man looked like he had stepped out of a painting.
“It’s rather chilly today.”
She wondered if he was talking to himself—until he turned his head and met her eyes.
“Would you like to borrow this?”
Before she could look away, their gazes locked–her trembling brown eyes meeting his deep, unreadable blue ones.
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