The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 152
A major commotion erupted within the Duke of Apharantes’ household. Not only did Cayden Cairoze storm into the duke’s mansion, but the true gender of Hedonia was revealed.
Opinions were divided among the people, given that his gender had been concealed from the start. Most questioned how the Duke of Apharantes could allow such a deception, but this sentiment quickly changed.
Hedonia exposed all the vile acts committed by Robert Apharantes.
Not only did he brainwash Guides and manipulate them to his liking, but he also went as far as attempting murder through a cursed doll, after finding a stand-in for Hedonia.
Hedonia, addressing the long-delayed issue, firmly stated that he and Robert were on entirely different sides and that he had been used by him.
The support from Shaelock, Pheon, and Esban further strengthened his position.
Hedonia’s appearance before the public also played a significant role.
Anyone who saw Hedonia even once could not help but listen to him.
Caught in the desire to see his face again, it seemed as if everything Hedonia said was true.
Ignoring his words was impossible.
The Emperor, quickly abandoning Robert Apharantes, sided with Hedonia. As befitted an emperor, he was sensitive to public sentiment and quick to judge the situation.
Robert Apharantes was handed over to Cayden Cairoze.
Hedonia, having preserved only a part of Robert’s mind, delivered him to Cayden.
He knew that living under Cayden’s rule would be a greater revenge.
Robert Apharantes had always looked down on him.
Sometimes, he would visit Robert in his underground prison.
Every time, he begged for death, but Hedonia didn’t bat an eye.
The time when he could have died had passed. Life was now Robert Apharantes’ choice.
He had to live with his choices.
To maintain Robert’s mental state, Hedonia’s power was continuously required.
Thus, the collaboration between the House of Apharantes and the House of Cairoze continued.
The Apharantes family started supporting Guides. Unlike before, this public support was transparent enough for others to know the ongoing progress.
Hedonia was meticulously preparing to welcome Karina.
Of course, even amidst these developments, dungeons kept appearing.
Hedonia honed his abilities as an Esper.
He grew more adept at controlling his power with each passing day.
However, even as he wandered through dungeons as an Esper, the incidents of Espers going missing became more frequent.
Hedonia discussed improving the treatment of Espers with Shaelock and other current Espers, but…
No one could determine if the current situation was merely a coincidence of unfortunate events or part of someone’s conspiracy.
* * *
I had been unconscious for a full two weeks.
Two weeks… No matter how long I sleep, of course, I can’t sleep for more than a day.
‘It’s all because of that Esper.’
I gritted my teeth in frustration.
At least the good thing was that my body was in good condition when I woke up.
I heard that Shaelock had sent a healing mage while I was asleep. However, I never saw her face.
Maybe she sent the healer out of guilt for not being able to save me.
Hedonia also didn’t come to see me, and Pheon, who seemed to visit frequently, was absent too. Esban, on the other hand, was unsurprising since our relationship had ended cleanly from the start.
‘They all acted like they would still see me after the stand-in role ended.’
But I did receive one final letter.
Hedonia, who had been impossible to see, informed me that his awakening had ended safely.
He explained important information. His revenge seemed to have been completed well… and he thanked me for playing the role of his stand-in all this time. He mentioned that he had retrieved the cursed doll and intended to use it to expose Robert’s crimes.
‘Though I wanted to be the one to reveal them.’
It was disappointing that everything seemed to have concluded while I was asleep.
He said we should meet later… but I didn’t get to see anyone except my own employees.
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t hurt. But since I didn’t have high expectations to begin with, the disappointment wasn’t overwhelming.
…No, to be honest, it did hurt a little.
I must have unknowingly had expectations for the Espers.
‘It’s a good thing I didn’t let myself expect too much.’
From the beginning, it was right not to be greedy.
It was time to return to the start.
But at least I still had this mansion.
The delivery service was almost as fast as Xpang, making it convenient to use.
However, the deliveries only brought the items I ordered and didn’t convey any news from the outside.
Maybe they didn’t want to provide information for free.
Understanding that the world operates on capitalism, I accepted it.
The stand-in was over, and the world continued to turn.
Now, I could live as myself.
There was no need to dye my hair or eyes, nor to analyze and mimic the speech and actions of someone else.
Since I had been alone from the beginning, living alone quickly became familiar again.
Most importantly, this place was incredibly comfortable for me.
Even though Robert had been dealt with, I didn’t feel the urge to go outside, so I spent my days at the mansion.
One day, I played by the seaside; another day, I spent time in the library.
I tried picking up various hobbies. I painted pictures I had never drawn before or ordered food from the chef that I had never tasted. These became small parts of my newfound happiness.
The tumultuous days spent playing a stand-in role and exploring dungeons felt like a dream.
The feeling of longing was brief, and I became accustomed to living a simple life.
…Until this day.
