Chapter 1.5

Now, let me recite a spell to bring peace of mind.

“Gu—”

“……?”

“Pra—”

“……?”

“Sha—”

“Ah, Miss?”

“Loui—tton”

“Um……”

“Cha—el”

“What are you saying…?”

The first night at the ducal residence.

Eventually using indigestion as an excuse to skip dinner, I sat on the bed in the room the ducal residence had assigned me and chanted my own Buddhist prayers with a face of enlightenment.

But reciting things I couldn’t even have was pointless. I soon exploded.

“Her—es, Cart—er, Tiff—ny, Arm—ni, Chl—e, Jim—y Ch—o, Yves Saint Laur—ent, Eli—abeth Ar—en! I can’t calm down!”

Watching me fall into a cauldron of madness, the maid trembled and retreated to a corner. She clasped her hands together and looked at me tearfully, but there was no way I had the mental capacity to consider her.

How much time passed like that? After venting my anger alone, I closed my eyes and panted.

“Excuse me?”

“Please… please call me Lilith.”

“Right, pretty name. Come brush my hair for me, will you?”

I flopped down at the vanity.

Anyway, nothing would change. Since nothing would change no matter how much I raged… now I really had no choice but to die.

The female protagonist hasn’t even appeared yet. Sob, I wish there could be a development where I meet her on the street and become friends…Actually, wouldn’t that sort of outcome be pretty okay? In transmigration stories, they usually become friends with the heroine, right?

I bolted upright. But realizing I didn’t know where she was, I deflated again like a punctured balloon.

Lilith glanced at me and carefully swept down my hair.

By the way, she possesses skills worthy of a ducal residence maid. Her hair-handling abilities far surpass Aida’s.

I tried to salvage even a little of my image so far by grabbing the tea on the vanity as politely as possible and speaking.

“Are you perhaps a commoner? Or nobility?”

No matter how much she’s a maid, she’s a ducal residence maid. Thinking she wouldn’t be an ordinary person, I asked, and Lilith glanced at me then quietly answered.

“I’m the youngest daughter of Count Bolton’s family.”

“Cou, cough. Hack.”

“Oh my, Miss, are you alright?”

“No, that’s what I should be say, say… My, My Lady, are, cough, are you alright?”

Wasn’t your pride as a noble scratched? Is your self-respect as an aristocrat still well?

I looked at Lilith with incredulous eyes. When I received the proposal, I certainly didn’t think the maid assigned to me would be insignificant, yet suddenly, she was revealed as a count’s daughter…

Too much, it’s too much!

What is Rubellian thinking, sending a count’s daughter to serve a commoner? I looked at Lilith in disbelief.

“No, um, but why did you come to serve me?”

“His Grace sent me. He said Miss will become the mistress of the ducal residence, so I must serve you well.”

“But why are you using honorifics and such? I was confused…”

“But you will someday become the mistress of the ducal residence…”

“No, I haven’t become that yet, so why are you… I only received a proposal this afternoon…!”

I grabbed the back of my neck in exasperation. Lilith seemed quite surprised by my words and blinked as she spoke.

“But you will become one someday, won’t you?”

“What?”

“Since you will someday, I’m just showing proper respect in advance.”

Then Lilith’s face turned slightly red.

Why is she suddenly blushing? I was startled.

“Um, but why are you being so shy?”

“No, because you’re so pretty.”

“……?”

“Wow, seeing you up close, you’re really pretty.”

“……?”

“I’ve seen many young ladies called pretty, but somehow—Miss seems really, really pretty.”

“Were you perhaps at this afternoon’s tea party together?”

“Ah? Yes, yes.”

You can say I’m pretty after seeing that? This young lady is seriously face-obsessed? I looked at Lilith with a blank face.

But Lilith seemed to remember something with a quite serious face and spoke to me.

“Ah, come to think of it, you shouldn’t carelessly do such behavior as you did this afternoon.”

“I’m aware of that…”

As my voice trailed off remembering this afternoon’s events again, Lilith waved her hands with an apologetic face.

“I wasn’t scolding you. It’s just that such behavior was a bit, um… not quite proper etiquette. How about trying to wipe your hands with a napkin instead of your mouth next time? And using a fork instead of your hands would be even better!”

Lilith carefully continued like someone teaching civilization to a primitive person discovered in the forest for the first time.

Since I couldn’t tell her why I committed such acts, I could only nod helplessly.

“It’s all done. Will you retire early?”

“Ah, yes. I’ll sleep. I’m tired.”

At my words, Lilith smiled gently.

But by now, shouldn’t the maids be deliberately ostracizing and ignoring me, calling me a commoner-born duchess? Why are they all so kind?

I blinked reluctantly and thanked Lilith who was arranging my bedding, then went inside the bed.

“Then please sleep well.”

A count’s daughter is telling me to sleep well. Am I really becoming a duchess? Then what should I do? Gasp, I have to get married! With the mastermind? Then should I have children? But that won’t work—if I die, who will raise my child!

Thinking such thoughts, I sighed deeply. Really complicated.

I couldn’t sleep. Thinking about dying made my blood boil backwards. Eventually I sat up again and gave a long sigh.

Soon my gaze turned toward the window.

Right, a normal person would give up at this point at pretend to run away before getting married, but since I’m not a common-sense person, I might as well try once more.

Having thought this far, I lifted the bedding. I piled cushions inside the blanket and somehow made it look plausible, then opened the window.

“Ah, it’s the 3rd floor of all things.”

I gritted my teeth. But I’m not one to be deterred by this level.

With dozens of escape attempts in history, I’ve already mastered the skill of twisting curtains to climb down.

So I tore the curtains lengthwise—

“Ah, they won’t tear.”

In novels they all tear. Is that skill limited to female protagonists? Is it not allowed for small fry like me?

Eventually I went back to the bed and grabbed the bedding. After rolling it up and setting up various contraptions, this time I had a fairly easy way to get down.

I took a long deep breath. Then soon, I began slowly descending while holding the bedding.

However…

The bedding came undone, perhaps not properly tied to the railing.

There was no cool landing. There was no duke coincidentally passing below.

Thud—!

I rubbed my aching body and quickly looked for a corner of the ducal residence.

Since dog holes would obviously be in too secretive places, the choice was naturally the wall. Right, the wall. The wall, but…

Ugh, but it’s really high.

I took a breath. I think I could climb up if I tried.Don’t you have to give both the long and the short a shot to understand? I smiled and grabbed the iron bars.

What followed was my spectacular pole dancing.

“Ah, did they oil it or something? Why is it so slippery!”

But there was no way I, who had never grabbed iron bars in my life, would suddenly become a climbing god. Eventually I kept climbing and slipping, climbing and slipping repeatedly.

Looking at my hands that had become red and swollen from scraping against the iron bars, I was making a tearful face when suddenly a voice came from behind.

“What are you doing?”

“……!”

“Dancing in the middle of the night?”

No way.

I slowly turned my head. Turning my head so slowly that I wondered if there might actually be a creaking sound, and there, sure enough—Rubellian was standing.

The moment I saw him, my hands gripping the bars dropped.

“Why are your hands so scraped up? What are you doing, leaving the perfectly good front gate…”

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“You’re doing this on purpose! You actually know, don’t you? What I’m trying to do!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about… Lady?”

Unable to hold back the surging tears, I burst into wailing and ended up sitting down on the ground.

“Waaaah.”

“E-Evangeline? Why are you crying? Are you hurt somewhere?”

My heart hurts, you bastard.

“Is there something you don’t like?”

“There is, hic. Please, please let me go.”

“……”

“Please exit from my life, then I won’t cry.”

Sniffling, I wiped my tears. I was frustrated and flabbergasted, wondering if twisting the original story could lead to such a huge outcome, and so annoyed by this world’s cruel rules that I eventually broke down into tears.

No. I’m not trying to destroy the world or anything. I didn’t want to be the only one bound by the original story, so why is this happening? They say some people twist the story just by breathing, other people… sob transmigration seniors, I’m sorry for not taking you seriously.

I only now realize that things in the world don’t go as I want. I’m sorry for grumbling and calling it frustrating nonsense while reading novels. Sisters, please give me some wisdom…

“Let’s go inside for now.”

“Can’t I not go in? Can’t you just let me go?”

“That would be difficult.”

“Hey! I’m not the only XX chromosome in the world!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I need you.”

“Can’t you just marry my father? I’m willing to help make it work. It’s a big problem, but since I graduated law school and passed the bar exam in one go, I understand the law well. If we push for legal changes, could we not find a way?”

“Are you sick somewhere?”

“Let go of this! You evil feudal aristocratic force that hinders social development!”

Looking at me now spouting random nonsense, Rubellian made quite pitying eyes. And rightfully so, since how could this person understand what I was saying?

Eventually he sighed deeply and lifted me from the ground.

“Get up for now.”

“I won’t get up! I won’t get up until you say you’ll cancel the marriage!”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t get up, but there’s an earthworm trying to crawl up your dress right now.”

What does that matter? You’re scarier!—I was about to shout when I stopped at the word earthworm.

Glancing down near my knees, I noticed a tiny earthworm climbing my leg like it was scaling Everest. Soon the earthworm that made eye contact with me wiggled as a greeting—

“Kyaaaah—!”

Instantly getting goosebumps all over, I jumped up and shook my dress.

“Earth, earth, earthworm!”

“Yes, an earthworm. But are you scared of it or do you like it?”

“No, who likes earthworms—!”

Since childhood, I’ve been most afraid of multi-legged insects. At the same time, I disliked legless reptiles even more. I’m not sure if earthworms are reptiles or not, but seeing that wiggling creature trying to look cute gave me goosebumps.

Eventually escaping from the spot and rushing toward Rubellian, I quickly shouted.

“I didn’t get any on other places, right? There are no earthworms anywhere else, right?”

“There aren’t, but…”

“Ugh, this is driving me crazy. Dirty.”

“……”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

At my words while brushing off my dress, Rubellian looked at me intently.

He was making a face that seemed to ask about the whereabouts of my conscience, with eyes that seemed to say “How could an earthworm be dirtier than you?” Seeing that, I flinched and muttered quietly.

“No, well, I dislike dirty things…”

“……”

“But normally people don’t find their own things dirty, right?”

“……”

“Ah, is that not the case?”

Maybe not. Your own stuff isn’t usually all dirty. Honestly, sucking my own finger—what’s the problem? Okay, fine, maybe it is a problem. That was too much, even for me. Of course, there was a reason behind it.

Eventually under Rubellian’s gaze, I had a time of self-reflection. But perhaps understanding my appearance differently, Rubellian extended his hand and said.

“Let’s go inside for now. It’s cold here, so you’ll easily catch a cold.”

“It’s okay. I’m not that frail.”

Of course, my body was aching a bit from jumping down from the 3rd floor and excitedly pole dancing on iron bars.

Rubellian sighed deeply at me and continued.

“I didn’t bring a coat to put over you.”

“When did I ever leave you a coat?”

“You seemed to have caught the flu last time too.”

“That was because I…”

“Because?”

I almost said it was because I took an ice-cold shower, and swallowed my words.

“I, I just happened to catch it.”

I bit my lips tightly. Honestly, if I go in like this, there’s no chance of escape ever again. It’s clear by now that this man won’t let me go.

I looked at Rubellian with a frown. Even this last escape opportunity flew away like this, and I became a helpless little bird caught in this person’s trap. Little bird, damn bird, little bastard. Just to be clear, I’m definitely not cursing while seizing this chance.

“But why exactly did you come here?”

“I went to ask if there was anything uncomfortable, but you weren’t there.”

“What were you going to do by opening an unmarried woman’s door?”

I stepped back cautiously while looking at Rubellian with suspicious eyes. But he answered without a trace of grievance or excuse.

“I didn’t go in. I told Lilith, who I attached as your maid, to go in and check instead.”

“Hmm…”

“And I’m not so low as to lay hands on someone lacking.”

“Who’s lacking?”

At Rubellian’s words, I widened my eyes. Who’s lacking? No matter what, I’m within the range of normal people.

But even at my words, Rubellian just avoided eye contact and sighed long without any particular response.

Watching him, I carefully asked.

“Just to be sure, did you really make a deal with my father?”

Now having no more will to resist, when I asked like that, a strange smile appeared on Rubellian’s lips. Somehow that smile seemed like he had expected me to ask that, making me feel bad.

But Rubellian hardened his face again as if nothing had happened and said.

“Why do you think that?”

“Why would a noble blue-blood with intact limbs and even a title want to marry me? It’s one of two things. Either you fell for my beauty or fell for my father’s wealth.”

“Wealth…”

“Seeing you immediately skip beauty, is there really something on my father’s side?”

At my question, Rubellian calmly stared at me. Since the cola had already spilled and would remain sticky even if cleaned up, there was no reason for me to act shy.

And if it really was about father, then even if I wore hanbok and sang Let It Go in the imperial garden, this person would obviously marry me anyway.

So I decided to target my father now. More precisely, the relationship between Rubellian and father.

As I stared directly at Rubellian and silence flowed, he sighed lightly.

“Yes, there is.”

“……I knew it!”

You bad people! If you had told me quickly, I wouldn’t have done such things!

Ah, no, I probably would have done it anyway. Having thought that far, I carefully asked Rubellian.

“What is it? Is it money by any chance?”

I didn’t think the ducal residence would lack money, but anyway, it was true that my father had a lot of money, and since money is better the more you have, it wasn’t actually an absurd hypothesis.

But at my words, Rubellian looked at me with quite incredulous eyes.

“Would the ducal residence lack that much money?”

Ah, right, he was nobility. Those evil groups who live by collecting taxes from land and inheritance.

If money isn’t the purpose… I rolled my eyes. Could it be related to what he’s going to do in the future? Right, that’s it! So this person isn’t just pretending to be affectionate with me—they’re doing this deliberately. 

My father knows what Rubellian intends. And me, of course!

“Did you promise to make me empress?”

At the words that suddenly slipped out of my mouth, Rubellian looked surprised. Seeing him raise his eyebrows, I inwardly rejoiced. Right, this is it.

“You made a deal with my father, didn’t you? Now you’ll overthrow His Majesty, and when you become emperor… mmph!”

As I spoke to him excitedly, Rubellian quickly raised his hand to cover my mouth. Seeing his face, which had been utterly relaxed until just now, hardened frighteningly, I finally knew I had hit the mark properly.

Soon Rubellian made eye contact with me. He seemed to think for a moment about what to say, then lowered his voice threateningly and growled.

“Watch your words.”

“Mmph. Thith ith dangerouth.”

“It would be good to stay out of this relationship. It’s a bit too much for you to handle.”

“No, I don’t want to thtay out!”

“What are you saying?”

“Thith ith dangerouth for you!”

“I can’t hear you well.”

“Thith ith dangerouth for you! You! You fool!”

“What?”

“Am I thome kind of idiot?”

“This bastard isn’t an idiot—is that what you said?”

“Jutht let go if you want to lithen!”

Argh! Who do you think is an idiot! If you want to hear, let go of my mouth! Let go, let go, let go!

This person is doing this on purpose, right? How does he understand so well only when I’m cursing at him?

Eventually I felt like my blood pressure was piercing through the top of my head and all my strength drained away as I panted.

How much time passed like that? When I became a bit quieter, Rubellian spoke again.

“Don’t carelessly say such dangerous words anymore.”

“I underthtand!”

Fortunately, this time he seemed to understand my words as Rubellian let go of his hand.

After momentarily resting my lips that had instantly had a hot kiss with the cold night air, I spoke to Rubellian.

“So that thing, can’t I give it? You know, what my father offered in exchange for marrying me.”

“No.”

“Is it an object?”

“I said you don’t need to know.”

“Can’t you tell me that much, being so petty?”

“If it’s an object, it’s an object, and if not, it’s not.”

At his words, I sighed deeply. Damn, things really aren’t working out.From the beginning, it’s impossible in this state. Father’s frantic efforts to make me empress will lead this person to marry me just to obtain that.

That is to say, I absolutely had to marry this man.

Original story, original story, that damn original story! Why is it so hard to twist? In novels, everything went easily! No, logically, those sisters were trying to follow the original but ended up twisting the whole original… Ah, wait.

I stared at Rubellian. Could it be…

I took a long breath at the hypothesis that suddenly popped up in my head.

Now, history exists to give experience to future humans. If I accept the lessons of those many transmigration seniors, what I did after transmigrating into this world greatly goes against their life philosophy…!

Is that really it? Is that it?

I opened my eyes wide as if I had gained some great enlightenment. Looking at most transmigration stories, the method of twisting the original after entering the original story was very simple.

Namely, struggling desperately not to break the original story.

Could it be that my rebellion against the original story actually helped it unfold as it was meant to? Or maybe, since I haven’t even entered the original story yet, things just aren’t supposed to go my way?

Then, after joining the original story, if I avoid breaking it like the other transmigrated women do, maybe it’ll just make everything work out!

“Why that expression?”

I stared at Rubellian. It wasn’t a completely unreliable story. Having come to this point, thinking I should try somehow, I curled up the corners of my mouth.

“It’s nothing. Thinking about it, marriage might be okay.”

“Suddenly?”

“Yes, as empress!”

Actually it wasn’t for that reason, but it didn’t matter if it looked that way. I smiled brightly to look like a stupid woman coveting the empress position.

Looking at me like that, Rubellian made a somewhat uncomfortable face and asked.

“Could it be that you proposed to the crown prince not because you liked him, but because of the empress position…”

“That’s my dark past! If you want to marry me, don’t you dare mention the word ‘emperor’ or ‘crown prince’ around me ever again!”

I was horrified at Rubellian’s words, not knowing what kind of misunderstanding he was having.

At my outcry, Rubellian tilted his head then soon nodded as if he didn’t want to think deeply about it.

“Then don’t do such things anymore.”

“Understood. I won’t do it.”

Even without saying so, there was absolutely no reason to do such things in the future. Thinking that, I sighed deeply and was about to move my feet when Rubellian suddenly extended his hand.

“Then let’s go inside.”

“I don’t need an escort.”

“Your ankle is sprained.”

Huh, how did he know? I widened my eyes.

Falling from the 3rd floor and being fine only happens in Hollywood movies, and it was fortunate that only my leg was slightly sprained. I don’t know how he knew, but anyway, since it was true that walking alone was difficult, I grabbed his hand readily.

Soon, watching his retreating figure as he took me to my room and left, I resolved to become a member of the original story protection squad from now on.

* * *

And the next morning.

What awaited me when I left the ducal residence under the farewell of the ducal residence and returned home was my father and mother’s wide-open mouths.

At my father’s face that was so predictably materialistic that I was amazed at how consistently someone could be like that, I couldn’t help but make a sour face.

“Well done, my daughter!”

Father laughed heartily and patted my shoulder. Flabbergasted, I quickly entered my room with words about being tired.

Soon, Aida, who greeted me with an even happier face than them, made a fuss.

“Miss, Miss, it worked out so well! A proposal, a proposal!”

“Stop it.”

“Why, now Miss will become a duchess too! You’ll become nobility.”

I’ll die twice being some duchess once. I held my head and closed my eyes tightly.

Yesterday’s events wouldn’t leave my mind. Looking back after some time, I wonder why I did such crazy things, and seeing how things turned out, I realize why fate is so frightening.

“This is forced…”

In the midst of it all, I was frustrated that my life was too forced. No matter how everyone’s life is said to be like a novel, my life is completely tragic!

“No, how do I get caught every time I try to escape? Did that person attach a location tracker to my body? Are we conjoined twins or what!”

“What?”

“Now I can’t even escape.”

Since Rubellian proposing to me has now become a foregone conclusion, if I run away, not only our house but probably even the ducal residence will come to catch me.

Whether knowing my heart or not, Aida kept chattering.

“It’s so romantic. Love between a commoner and a duke, this is definitely a fairy tale.”

“Fairy tale?”

“Yes! A fairy tale with a prince on a white horse! Of course His Grace isn’t a prince, but still!”

From Aida’s sparkling eyes flowed the innocence of a girl her age, but I could never smile.

“Aida, that’s not it.”

“What? What’s not?”

“The prince on a white horse, that’s not it.”

“Why not?”

“There’s no law that says the one on a white horse must be a prince.”

Getting up from bed and sighing deeply enough to make the ground cave in, I ruffled my hair. And I spoke to Aida who was sending questioning looks.

“The one on the white horse could be Tang Sanzang.”

The kidnapping specialist of Journey to the West, the one who’s always getting rescued by Sun Wukong.

There’s no rule that the person on a white horse has to be a prince. Just like our dad, who drives a Ferrari but wasn’t the director in any drama.

Not understanding my words, Aida tilted her head, but leaving her behind, I sat in front of the vanity.

Now the only thing left to do is really enter the original story. And this time I will definitely twist and mess up the original story.

Thinking that, I smiled confidently once more.

Right, am I not the incarnation of persistence and stubbornness? Wasn’t I the one who left home and passed the bar exam in one shot, saying I’d put our whole family who committed various acts and lorded over others while living luxuriously into prison? What’s impossible for someone like me!

And some time later.

In my fifth year of transmigration, just one week before entering the original story, the Florence ducal residence officially sent me a marriage proposal.

But the next day, receiving a sudden summons from the crown prince, I couldn’t help but make a blank expression.

What’s this? Are the effects of conforming to the original story already appearing? Is the male protagonist falling for me? Have I become the protagonist?

But I didn’t do anything?