Everyone Realized the Saint Was a Fake, but She Still Thought She Was Fooling Them - Chapter 14

Lianne, after hearing Wallace’s confession, knew this wasn’t something she could keep from her best friend. So, she went to visit Celeste.

“Celeste, I… I think I got engaged to Wallace.”

Lianne spoke hesitantly.

“Huh? What? When did this happen? Lord Ernst… oh, right, he already has a fiancée. But wait, what is Wallace even doing? What’s going on? And this happened recently, right? When?”

Celeste was clearly surprised. More than anything, she seemed bothered by the fact that she hadn’t known about it.

Even though Lianne was involved, she still hadn’t fully processed everything. Being bombarded with so many questions made it hard to answer.

“The word ‘engagement’ first came up last week.”

“Huh? So it’s just a verbal agreement for now? What did your parents, Duke and Duchess Gruber, say?”

“I haven’t told them yet… But I think Wallace’s family, the Duke of Kianan, will probably make a formal proposal…”

Lianne fidgeted as she spoke.

Celeste sighed in disbelief.

“Huh? Then that doesn’t count as an engagement. And why did this even come up in the first place?”

“Well… when I heard about Lord Ernst’s situation, they told me that since I have feelings for him, getting involved would cause trouble with Lady Yelena. So, they said I should get engaged to Wallace to make it look like I’ve moved on…”

“Hah. What is that? So, a fake engagement?”

Celeste spoke bluntly.

“…That was the plan, but yesterday, Wallace told me he wouldn’t call it off.”

“Huh? Were you tricked?”

Celeste was getting angry at Wallace’s sneaky tactics. Of course, Lianne was also too embarrassed to properly explain Wallace’s true feelings.

“Ah, but… he does seem to realize that himself… and he’s… reflecting on it…”

Seeing Celeste’s rising frustration, Lianne hurriedly tried to defend Wallace.

“Hmm, well, Wallace did say he needed to find a wife while he was back in the country. But picking someone so close to him? And tricking her into it?”

Celeste wondered if that was even acceptable.

“Actually… he said he’s liked me for a long time.”

Lianne found it hard to say, but she forced herself to admit it.

“What?”

“Oh, so you didn’t notice either, Celeste?”

“Notice? I mean, you were always focused on Lord Ernst. I thought it was pointless, but I still only saw you and him. Wallace… liked you this whole time?”

Celeste realized how oblivious she had been. She was so surprised to hear it from Lianne.

It was no wonder she had also failed to notice Bartlett’s feelings.

“I was shocked by his sudden confession, too. What do you think?”

“Well, it depends on how you feel, doesn’t it? You were always looking at Lord Ernst. Can you suddenly catch up to the idea of being engaged to Wallace? He’s our friend, and I know he’s not a bad guy, so honestly, he’s a much better option than Lord Ernst, who is completely out of reach. But… the way he tricked you into it…”

“That was Bartlett’s idea.”

“Bartlett’s!?”

Celeste’s eyes immediately flared with anger.

“That guy? I can’t believe he would suggest such a sneaky plan to his friend!”

Celeste always got a little worked up when it came to Bartlett. Deep down, she must have been aware of her own feelings for him, which made her reactions sharper.

Lianne, remembering how Wallace had told her that Bartlett had feelings for Celeste, gave a slightly awkward smile and softly defended him, saying, “It’s not as bad as you think.”

“But what about Lord Ernst?” Celeste asked as if confirming.

Lianne shrugged.

“He already has Lady Yelena as his fiancée. There’s no place for me there. I’m okay with that. It’s just… Wallace’s confession caught me off guard.”

“Yeah, it surprised me, too.”

“Right? I never thought he liked me. I mean, I was engaged to the Crown Prince this whole time. And when that fell through, Lord Ernst was the one who worried about me, and I started admiring him. But I never hid that from Wallace, so…”

Lianne wondered—why her?

“I see.”

“And then, on top of that, Saint Lucilda gave me baseless accusations, and now everyone in the royal court treats me like an outcast. Is Wallace really okay with that?”

Lianne lacked confidence and wanted Celeste’s honest opinion.

“If Wallace is fine with it, then it’s not a problem. He even schemed with Bartlett about it. The real issue is his father, the Duke of Kianan. What does he know? Whether he approves or not is what matters.”

“Oh, right. If the Duke of Kianan doesn’t agree, then this engagement won’t happen.”

“Wait, Lianne… Did you just look disappointed?”

“Huh? Celeste, no, not really…”

Lianne blushed.

To be honest, ever since Wallace had confessed, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him.

“You don’t have to hide it. You’re okay with Wallace, aren’t you?”

“If you ask me that… yes. He’s my first love, actually. But after losing my engagement with the Crown Prince, and with Lord Ernst already having a fiancée, and being falsely accused by Saint Lucilda, I thought I would never get married.”

Lianne spoke shyly.

“Yeah, and that made you cling to Lord Ernst even more.”

Celeste nodded knowingly.

“Hey! Don’t say it like that!”

“But when Wallace said he’d marry you, you started seeing a different future, didn’t you? It’s different from just clinging to Lord Ernst. Wallace gives you a sense of security, like he’ll lead you forward.”

Celeste suddenly spoke with warmth and understanding.

That was what Lianne liked about her.

Celeste had a sharp tongue, but she always knew when to be kind.

Just then, a voice spoke up from behind them.

“A feeling of clinging to Lord Ernst?”

It was Celeste’s fiancé, Brode.

“Lord Brode! Why are you here?”

Celeste jumped in surprise.

“Ah, well, I left early the other day, and I felt bad about it. So I came to apologize.”

Brode scratched his head, looking sheepish.

“Oh, I see. Wait… how much did you hear? About Lord Ernst and all…”

Celeste hesitated, worried about what he might have overheard.

“Yeah. So, Lady Lianne has feelings for Lord Ernst?”

Brode briefly smirked before quickly masking it with a neutral expression.

Then, as if trying to be understanding, he said,

“Lord Ernst has expressed concern over Saint Lucilda being called a saint. He’s also openly stated that Lady Lianne would have been a more suitable fiancée for the Crown Prince. Given that, I suppose Lady Lianne naturally came to trust him.”

“Uh…”

Celeste’s mind raced, trying to figure out how to respond.

Brode made a thoughtful expression.

“But I didn’t realize Lord Ernst and Lady Lianne were so close. Maybe Lady Yelena had her doubts about Lord Ernst because of jealousy?”

At that moment, Lianne realized the situation was getting dangerous.

If people believed she had romantic feelings for Lord Ernst while opposing Lucilda, it would justify Lady Yelena’s suspicions. Worse, it would frame Ernst as the villain before they could do anything against Lucilda.

Wallace and Bartlett had been right.

Lianne steeled herself and lifted her gaze.

“Are you misunderstanding something, Lord Brode? I was just telling Celeste how I feel triumphant over Lord Ernst. He always spoke as if I’d never find a husband, and it frustrated me. But now, I’m engaged to Wallace, so he can’t say that anymore.”

“Huh? What?”

Brode was caught off guard by the unexpected twist in the conversation.

Celeste, on the other hand, was wide-eyed at Lianne’s sudden improvisation.

“Oh, I-I see. So, Lady Lianna and Lord Ernst are enemies? Ah, but Lord Wallace was Lord Ernst’s ally, wasn’t he?”

Brode murmured to himself, trying to organize his confused thoughts.

Lianna quickly shook her head.

“No. I dislike Lord Ernst, so Wallace won’t truly cooperate with him anymore.”

Brode had looked displeased before, but when he heard that Wallace and Ernst might have a falling out, he suddenly leaned forward with interest.

“Oh! So Lord Ernst will be left without allies?”

“Could you not say it in such a nasty way? Wallace still intends to help him. I just find it unpleasant. And this is a secret, alright? I’m only telling you because you’re Celeste’s fiancé. You absolutely must not tell anyone.”

Lianna said this while pretending to be indifferent, but she was sure that Brode would tell someone. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have spoken in a way that so clearly favored Yelena.

Brode gave a thin smile, as if he had just heard something valuable. He seemed to believe Lianna’s words.

From the beginning, he had considered Lianna to be an insignificant noble lady. The idea that she might have noticed something about Saint Lucilda’s and Yelena’s schemes had never even crossed his mind.

Brode smirked.

“In that case, should I tell you something that would put Lord Ernst at a disadvantage? Something that might make Lord Wallace lose faith in him?”

“Oh, you’d share such a thing? I love stories like that. Badmouthing Lord Ernst? I’d welcome it. This tea party is about to get very entertaining, isn’t it, Celeste?”

As Lianna continued her act, making sure not to give Yelena any excuses, she suddenly realized that she might have stumbled upon something else entirely.

Lord Brode… does he know something?