Everyone Realized the Saint Was a Fake, but She Still Thought She Was Fooling Them - Chapter 13

Wallace pushed Lianna into the carriage waiting outside the Lynbrick Duke’s residence and ordered the coachman to take them back to his mansion.

The carriage started moving, but Wallace remained silent.

“……”

He didn’t move at all, making Lianna feel awkward. She nervously glanced downward, sweating as she wished he would say something.

“A-uhm?”

The silence dragged on for so long that Lianna finally spoke up, though she didn’t expect a response. She thought she’d be lucky if he even acknowledged her.

To her surprise, Wallace lifted his gaze and looked at her.

Lianna felt relieved.

“So, does this mean you won’t allow anything dangerous? If that’s the case, I promise I won’t do anything reckless.”

She mumbled, trying to convince him with some random excuse just so she could escape the uncomfortable atmosphere.

“Lianna, it’s not about whether it’s dangerous or not. No matter what happens, I won’t let you handle anything alone.”

Wallace stated clearly.

“Really?”

As she responded, Lianna suddenly realized something.

No one besides Mesha knew about her ‘Night Walks’, so she could just promise here and now that she wouldn’t do anything—and then secretly go out on her own later.

However, completely unaware of Lianna’s sneaky plan, Wallace looked troubled as he spoke.

“I agreed to let you get involved with this issue as a condition of our engagement. But honestly, I don’t want you involved at all… Ernst was stabbed, which means those guys will go that far if necessary. I don’t want you in danger… I’m sorry.”

Hearing his sudden apology, Lianna felt a sharp pang of guilt for her shallow thinking.

Wallace looked genuinely regretful, hanging his head.

“I was happy when you agreed to the engagement, but afterward, I kept worrying. I shouldn’t have proposed like that, not in that way. I want you to stay out of this because it’s dangerous, but I also don’t want to call off our engagement… Ugh, I don’t even know what I’m struggling with anymore!”

“Wait… are you regretting the engagement?”

“I am! I used underhanded tactics to make it happen!”

“Underhanded? I actually thought it was very much like you, Wallace…”

“Huh?”

Wallace’s eyes widened.

“Lianna, what do you think of me?”

Lianna realized she had messed up.

“Well… I mean, you just wanted to get engaged to someone, right? Finding a fiancée while you were back in the country would be a hassle. And with everything happening around Lord Ernst, you didn’t have time for proper matchmaking. So making a deal like that… it was very much like you, Wallace.”

“It wasn’t just anyone!”

Wallace immediately snapped in frustration.

“What? So there was someone you actually wanted to marry? Oh no, I’m sorry! I must have gotten in the way of your search for a fiancée…”

Lianna panicked, thinking she had ruined Wallace’s chances of finding the person he truly wanted.

But Wallace grew furious at her completely off-the-mark assumption.

“No! How did you even come to that conclusion?! I meant you! I thought I already made that clear!”

Lianna blinked in shock.

“You… never said that.”

“Right… Well, remember it now. The truth is, I wanted you, Lianna. I’ve wanted you for a long time. That’s why I feel bad about how this engagement happened. But even so, I don’t want to break it off. I don’t want you involved in Ernst’s situation, but I still don’t want to let you go.”

Wallace seemed determined to tell her everything now.

“……”

Lianna was completely caught off guard by his confession.

“Are you surprised?”

“It’s just… you never acted like that at all.”

“I was completely obvious about it! You’re just too dense!”

Wallace raised his voice in exasperation.

Lianna’s face turned bright red.

Wallace reached out and gently ran his fingers through her hair.

“It’s so soft… I’ve always wanted to touch you like this.”

His hand moved from her hair, grazing the back of her slender neck. Then, as his fingers brushed against her chin and he leaned in closer—

“Wa-wait!”

Lianna quickly lowered her gaze and spoke.

“I-I didn’t mean for things to go this way…”

She tried to explain.

But saying “I didn’t mean it” was such a cruel thing to say.

“Then what did you mean? What kind of intention would make you agree to an engagement with me? Were you so focused on Ernst’s situation that you didn’t even think about it? Or did you assume that once the issue was resolved, I’d just call off the engagement myself? Were you underestimating me?”

Wallace’s voice was tense, and he spoke quickly.

“I-I wasn’t underestimating you… No, maybe I was.”

Overwhelmed by his emotions, Lianna admitted it hesitantly.

Wallace’s expression turned sad.

“I figured. You only saw me as a childhood friend, nothing more. I knew that.”

“If you knew… then why force the engagement?”

“I got tired of waiting. And I don’t have time anymore.”

“…I understand how you feel now. I shouldn’t have treated the engagement so lightly. But even now, when I realize how little I thought it through… do you still want to stay engaged to me?”

Lianna asked carefully.

Wallace was silent for a moment, staring down. Then he lifted his face, looking serious.

“Yeah. I know I forced you into this engagement, but even so, I love you. And I have no intention of ending it. I already knew you weren’t fully committed. I even knew that you have feelings for Ernst.”

“!”

Lianna wanted to cry. She had tried so hard not to let Wallace find out about that.

Seeing her expression shift a hundred different ways, Wallace suddenly laughed.

“Haha. Even so, I still want you, Lianna. And I’m confident I can make you fall for me. You know what? I don’t care anymore—I’ll just go all in. I planned to win you over from the start anyway! Hey, why are you going all quiet now?”

“I just… feel like I’ve been completely tricked into this.”

“Haha, if you want to blame someone, blame Bartlett. This was all his idea.”

Wallace grinned.

“Huh?”

“He knew you wanted to get involved in Ernst’s case. So he said, ‘To keep Yelena from causing trouble, why not propose an engagement?’”

Wallace completely threw Bartlett under the bus.

Lianna’s eyes widened.

“Wait, Bartlett knew you wanted to marry me?”

“Of course. We’ve been friends for a long time. Just like how I know Bartlett actually wanted to marry Celeste.”

Wallace’s expression darkened slightly.

Lianna felt a jolt of surprise.

“What?! But Celeste…”

“Yeah. She’s engaged to Lord Brode Stokely now. Honestly, I think it’s a shame. I’m not planning to break them up or anything, but don’t you think Brode seems suspicious?”

Wallace gave Lianna a meaningful look.

“Huh?”

“Why did he suddenly leave the moment he heard about Ernst being stabbed? If there’s any dirt on him, I’d love to expose it. That way, I can break them up and finally get Bartlett and Celeste together.”

Wallace’s tone was full of determination.

“Wait, wait! What about Celeste’s feelings?! She chose Lord Brode!”

Lianna protested.

Wallace looked serious.

“But what if Lord Brode is actually connected to that fake saintess? Would you still support them?”

“I wouldn’t, but… maybe he has his reasons. Besides, we don’t even have proof that he’s involved.”

“True. But we’ll find it.”

Wallace declared confidently.

Then, his expression darkened again.

“But Lianna…”

She stiffened, sensing his warning.

“Y-yeah. I won’t do anything. I’ll stay out of it.”

“That includes the thing with Lucilda and Yelena’s lover too.”

“Yes, yes, I won’t do anything. I understand.”

Lianne made a careless promise.

But in truth, she had no intention of giving up on her “night stroll.”

“Thank you for understanding!”

Wallace smiled. Then, without warning, he stepped closer, spread his arms, and gently pulled Lianne’s shoulders and waist toward him.

Caught off guard by the sudden embrace, Lianne froze.

Wallace let out a quiet chuckle. Through Lianne’s soft hair, he whispered into her ear,

“I’m glad you understand, my future wife.”