Dare to Lie [Novel] Chapter 3 – A Fortuitous Misunderstanding

Since the face I had applied makeup to the most was my own, Rosaline always ended up looking a bit like me whenever I did her face. We weren't twins, but we looked similar enough that people would believe we were sisters.

‘Stop thinking such unlucky thoughts.’

Finally, I put on my newly purchased shoes.

It was my first time wearing shoes that fit so perfectly. I hadn't realized how comfortable shoes could be when they weren't loose or pinching.

The finishing touch was a necklace I had swiped from Rosaline’s jewelry box. I’d stolen a thin gold chain when I was packing to come to Herona, thinking it was a good opportunity. Selling it wouldn't have come close to paying off my debt, so I just hung it around my neck.

‘Now, shall I go out and have a wonderful day?’

Dressed like a noble lady, I returned my inn key and walked down the street, swinging my new little bag back and forth.

I could feel the way people looked at me had changed.

Perhaps because none of this felt real, I felt like the leading lady on a grand stage, just as I had always imagined.

I used to dream of a future where the audience chanted my name and threw flowers, and I would pick one up and give a graceful bow.

‘When I first arrived in Herona, I thought that dream was right in front of me….’

It seemed the finale of this play wouldn't be quite so grand.

After a brief moment of self-pity over my wretched fate, I ate delicious cake at a fancy tea house, read a book on a lawn, and took a stroll along the river.

Why did the pleasant hours pass so quickly?

Finally, I entered an elegant restaurant and ordered the ‘Chef’s Recommendation.’ I let out a small chuckle as I tasted the wonderful food set before me.

What was the name of this dish? I couldn't even remember.

But I doubted I would ever forget this incredible taste, even after I died.

I turned my head to look at the clock.

It was 5:30 PM. I had only an hour and a half left before I had to return to the holding cell.

My plan for afterward was to buy a bottle of strong liquor from the shop down the street, down it in one go, and then jump off a bridge to my death. I didn't think I’d be pressed for time even if I lingered a bit longer.

But then, people began to stir.

‘What’s going on?’

Everyone was whispering and looking outside, so I craned my neck. In the distance, I saw black smoke rising.

Well, it wasn't something a woman who was going to die in ninety minutes needed to worry about.

It was just as I was tilting my cup back and forth, debating whether or not to drink the coffee the waiter had brought.

Police officers suddenly burst in. After asking the owner for his cooperation, they scanned the room as if looking for someone. My body seemed to freeze under their sharp gazes.

‘Surely they haven't come to catch me already? I still have time left…?’

But as if mocking my hopes, they spotted me and headed straight for my table. Seeing them look back and forth between me and a paper in their hands, I realized it must be one of those sketches I’d heard about.

I felt like the world was going dark. Being dragged away from here would be the worst possible ending! I shouldn't have dawdled!

The man who looked like the most senior officer among them reached me and spoke.

…Who?

I didn't know how to react and just blinked. He continued with a grim expression.

A shrill voice escaped me before I could stop it.

That’s not what I was asking, you idiot!

If the Tesis family is all dead, why did you come looking for me?

Wait. He definitely just asked if I was Rosaline….

As I was sensing the strangeness of the situation, another officer, looking somber, tried to soothe me in a low voice.

In that moment, my mind snapped into focus.

For some reason, these people were mistaking me for Rosaline.

So, if I became Rosaline Tesis, and the dead Rosaline became Emma Hampton… then I wouldn't have to pay the debt? I wouldn't have to die!

When the dying coachman at the scene of the fire mistook me for Rosaline, I realized that the God who had been persecuting me all this time had finally reached out a hand.

Delirious from the pain of his burns, he called me Rosaline because of my identical hair color and somewhat similar appearance.

And Count Brow, who appeared shortly after, had apparently never looked closely at Rosaline either, as he didn't hesitate to call me by her name.

Thanks to that, the police didn't suspect a thing. I, who had planned to run away as soon as the coast was clear, had unexpectedly become a noblewoman.

‘To think I’d get to enjoy such luxury in my life!’

Since the fire, I had been staying under the care of the Count Brow family.

The room was magnificent, the servants treated me with respect, and everywhere I looked was so beautiful it was almost overwhelming.

But the best part, above all else, was the food. To be able to eat meat whenever I wanted—it felt like I was in heaven!

‘I have to leave some of this on purpose? What a waste.’

I wanted to lick the plate clean, but I barely managed to set my fork down for fear of blowing my cover.

Just then, Count Brow spoke to me. He was supposedly Rosaline’s first cousin once removed, a term I had only learned after coming here.

Isn't a seventh-degree relative basically a stranger?

Rosaline had bragged so much about the Tesis family being vassals of the House of Brow that I’d thought they were actually close relatives.

It had been twenty days since the townhouse fire and fifteen days since the funeral.

Count Brow apparently thought that was a sufficient mourning period and was now pressuring me to jump into the marriage market.

The only reason Rosaline Tesis was in Herona, the capital of the Kingdom of Darka, was for marriage. It was a ‘marriage trade’ where her baronial title could be exchanged for the wealth of a suitor's family, or perhaps even greater gains.

The moment I forgot that purpose, it would only be a matter of time before this kind-looking distant relative turned his back on me.

‘Even so. I’d probably cry for a month if a pet dog died, yet he expects me to get over my parents' deaths in twenty days.’

It seemed a seventh-degree relative really was just a stranger.

However, I had no right to refuse. Even if I were to run away eventually, for now, I had to do as they wished and ensure my safety as much as possible.

The Countess Brow, sitting beside him, chimed in as well.

I really didn't know where the nobles' sense of morality began or ended. One moment they were acting all noble and virtuous, and the next, they were telling me to be practical.

I suppose they could say that because it wasn't their own tragedy.

Since we were talking about being practical, I decided I should get something out of them too.

The Countess looked flustered and called for the head maid even though we were in the middle of a meal.

She gave me a smile and said she would provide me with several outfits today.

In truth, they had already provided me with indoor dresses, simple day dresses, and the black mourning dresses. They were clothes that had belonged to their daughter, who was now married and living elsewhere.

I’d expected them to pass down her ball gowns as well, but perhaps because of what they’d just said, they were going to buy me new ones.

‘They must be determined to make a tidy profit from my marriage.’