Chapter 2.4
Ah, I’m nervous. In all the time I’ve lived after being possessed, have I ever been this on edge? I took deep breaths and sighed. Setting aside everything else, my heart was pounding at the thought of seeing the female lead with my own eyes.
In my memory, the female protagonist Rachel was truly a girl born with a tragic fate.
The original story begins with the female protagonist’s stepmother and her family selling her to a pot-bellied theater owner in the theater district. To escape from the theater owner who mistreated her, Rachel accidentally uses the ‘Power of the Goddess.’
However, the biggest problem here was that this country had long held a prophecy that ‘one who possesses the Power of the Goddess will bring about the empire’s destruction.’
And that was the reason Rachel faced ostracism and bullying after entering the imperial palace.
Since Rubellian had entered the audience chamber, I sat alone in the reception room drinking tea and clenched both hands into fists.
Nothing else matters. The first cliché of possession stories: strive to protect the love between the female and male protagonists. This seems like something I don’t need to intervene in.
The second cliché of possession stories: supporting characters with terminal lives must absolutely become friends with the protagonist!
So now all that’s left is to meet the female lead and cheer her on like a cheesy sidekick.
Once Rubellian comes out, I should whine to meet the female protagonist. If he doesn’t listen, I can make a fuss somehow.
While drawing such beautiful big picture plans for my future, suddenly the door burst open.
“Stay inside.”
At the extremely cold voice, I looked up.
Standing there after opening the door was none other than an imperial knight, who had given orders with an utterly arrogant expression, but upon seeing me inside, quickly changed his expression.
“Duchess Florence, I apologize. I didn’t know you were here…”
“It’s fine.”
His behavior was quite improper for imperial etiquette, but I casually accepted his apology.
The knight spoke with a grim face to someone outside.
“Since Duchess Florence is inside, we’ll need to change rooms.”
“…?”
“Excuse me, Duchess.”
“Wait a moment.”
Something felt strange, so I put down my teacup. I’m the big shot of this area. The tingling at the back of my head meant I was getting close to the original story.
I deliberately acted noble and stopped the knight.
“What’s the matter?”
“Ah, I apologize, Duchess. We’ve brought the holder of the ‘Power of the Goddess’ that manifested in the theater district this morning.”
“…!”
As soon as the knight finished speaking, I shot up from my seat. How could this be! Do I really have some kind of radar attached to me?
“But what are you doing? Tell them to come in quickly!”
Using honorifics and moving my bottom to a corner of the sofa so there wouldn’t be a lack of space, I shouted urgently.
At my reaction, the knight made a troubled expression, then said quietly.
“But she’s rather dangerous…”
“You brought her to the reception room already!”
The ‘Power of the Goddess’ is simply put, ‘holy power.’ But due to the prophecy, it was considered the devil’s power that would destroy the empire.
Since it didn’t make sense to put the holder of holy power in prison, they seemed to have brought her to the reception room.
Of course, for me it was a great opportunity.
The knight hesitated for a moment, then gestured reluctantly as if he had no choice. A silhouette appeared at the slightly opened doorway.
How could this be—it’s really Rachel, it’s really Rachel!
Just as described in the novel, the girl with a pale face, subtle silver hair, and purple eyes was dirty but her beauty still shone through, and as if proving her tragic fate, she had wounds.
I covered my mouth with both hands and couldn’t continue speaking. This is what seeing the real thing is like. Is this a dream or reality? Hallelujah—awesome, amazing, let it go, kyaaaah!
“I apologize, Duchess. For having you stay together like this…”
“What’s there to apologize for?”
You’re more of a nuisance to me. I want to be alone with the female lead, so get lost.
Rachel, who had entered the room hesitantly, soon looked up. For a moment, suppressing the urge to call her ‘sister,’ she glanced at me nervously.
Ah, heartbreaking… why are you so mindful of me?
“Sit here.”
I spoke while pointing to the sofa for Rachel. At that moment, she nodded and bowed deeply.
“Thank you. I… Duchess.”
No, sister. Sob sob, don’t call me that. I have a primitive desire to be friends with you deep down.
But suppressing my excitement, I asked quietly.
“Your name?”
“It’s Rachel, Duchess.”
“Is that so? It’s a pretty name. I’m called Evangeline. Please call me Eve comfortably.”
“Um, Duchess… it’s dangerous, so please don’t come close…”
The knight tried to stop me from showing interest in Rachel, but she had no reason to harm me.
“It’s fine. Rachel? Would you like to eat this?”
Food is the best for making friends. Thinking that and offering cookies, suddenly Rachel burst into tears.
…?
Why, why is she crying? Why cry? Did I make her cry? Why cry? It’s not like I told her to drink poison, so why is she shedding tears like this? I was horrified.
“No, why, why are you crying?”
Too flustered, I quickly put down the cookie and grabbed her hand.
At that moment—
Crackle—
Some unknown force repelled my hand.
Is this the ‘Power of the Goddess’? Just as I was calmly admiring this, it happened.
“Eve! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Suddenly the door opened and Rubellian burst in with numerous nobles trailing behind him.
What, what? What’s with this sudden entrance?
I blinked with wide eyes. However, somehow understanding my reaction, Rubellian grabbed my hand with a pale face.
Like an overprotective parent shouting ‘Don’t play with that kid!’ he quickly pulled me into his arms, then grimaced seeing my fingertips that had been slightly darkened by Rachel.
Among the nobles who had come in chattering, sighs erupted.
“How could this be! For the Duchess to be harmed!”
“Are you alright, Duchess?”
“Duchess, shouldn’t we call a physician quickly?”
…When did these people ever worry about me like this? Weren’t these the same people who were badmouthing me behind my back until recently, calling me a terrible hybrid and whatnot?
With disbelief, I gave them a hard look, noticing Rubellian restlessly clutching my hand in his arms.
No, why is he acting like this too…
Too flustered to look up at him, Rubellian spoke coldly.
“Call a physician.”
“…”
“Quickly!”
Huh, wasn’t Rubellian supposed to be pretending to be gentle and mild? Is it okay to reveal his personality like this?
Before I could be flustered by his completely different reaction from what I expected, someone quickly ran out.
I watched this blankly, then flinched at his coldly frozen gaze.
“Your Grace.”
“…Why?”
“Why are you doing that? It’s scary.”
At this, Rubellian kissed my fingertips with a much gentler face.
Had he not realized the expression he was making? When his face softened like a mask at my words calling it scary, I felt an odd sensation.
Uh… was he such a kind person?
That’s when it happened.
“I’m sorry.”
A tearful voice came from in front.
Ah, come to think of it, Rachel was still in the room, right?
At her sincere apology, I curled up the corners of my mouth and shook my head.
However, the scolding came from an unexpected place.
“You witch-like wench! How dare you injure the Duchess and still claim to be innocent?!”
A middle-aged man with a mustache like Uncle Pring shouted loudly. At this, Rachel shrank back and bowed her head deeply.
Why are they doing that to a child who’s already scared? When did the nobles here ever care about me? It’s obvious. Those in power often prove their worth by stepping on those beneath them.
And now, to them, this devil-like girl who might destroy the empire at any time is more annoying than a wench who seduced a noble despite being a commoner to rise in status.
Ah, this is too unpleasant.
“Your Grace, you must immediately imprison this wench who dared to injure the Duchess!”
“That’s right. We must quickly tell His Highness the Crown Prince…”
“Stop.”
“We don’t know when she might awaken again. We must kill her quickly!”
“I said stop.”
“…Duchess?”
“I said to stop. Didn’t you hear me?”
It was a frozen tone that made me wonder if I’d ever spoken in such a cold voice since my possession.
The nobles, startled by a mere commoner girl, flinched involuntarily, their pride deeply wounded as they wore expressions of displeasure.
However, what they hadn’t expected was that I, who had been giggling like a screw was loose, was in a position to command them.
“I’m the one who got hurt, so why are you making such a fuss?”
“Duchess, we’re worried about your safety…”
“Before marriage, didn’t you go around talking about how vulgar and extravagant a wench I was?”
“That was…”
“You scratched up my heart, and now you want to eliminate a weak person because my finger got slightly hurt, you hypocritical bastards.”
Rubellian’s gaze turned to me for a moment. But I continued speaking regardless.
“If you just want to eliminate her, say so. Why are you making a fuss saying she hurt me? If you’re so desperate to kill this person, shall I tell you one method?”
“What…”
“You die.”
“…”
“Imperial Law No. 4, Article 103, Paragraph 2. Anyone without a title who kills someone with a title shall be sentenced to death. The title holders referred to here mean those who possess the title of baronet or higher and their direct descendants, excluding the imperial family.”
“…”
“Since this person dared to kill a noble, we’ll strictly punish her under imperial law, so you can die peacefully at this person’s hands. Sir.”
I smiled brightly after finishing my words.
The room instantly froze. They seemed to be seriously pondering what my words meant, but what was there to ponder? I was really telling him to go die.
I admitted my logic was nearly forced, but wasn’t it outrageous? The culprits were these very people, not strangers.
“Your Grace, the Duchess is injured!”
Then suddenly the reception room door opened and a court physician who came running frantically looked at me. He seemed flustered by the cold atmosphere in the reception room, looking around briefly before approaching me.
“Um, Duchess, it’s my first time meeting you. I’m Vector.”
“Ah, it’s nothing serious, I got slightly burned… Your Grace, please let go of my hand.”
“Are you okay? Will there be scars, or are you badly hurt?”
“It’s just a minor burn. I’ll put some ointment on it, and it should heal in a few days.”
See, it’s fine.
I pouted and tapped Rubellian’s shoulder. It meant why was he making such a fuss, but however Rubellian took it, he suddenly hugged my waist tighter.
Once the doctor finished applying ointment to my fingertips and withdrew, the room fell silent again, save for a noble who, watching the others, wore a displeased expression. He looked at Rachel once, then said to Rubellian.
“Regardless, you must imprison this person, Your Grace.”
This seems a little dangerous?
In the original story, Rachel doesn’t get imprisoned. So as a member of the original story protection squad, I had a duty to protect the original story, even though my motives are impure.
Thinking that, Uncle Pring—I decided to just call him that—spoke.
“And Duchess, I’m sorry but political matters aren’t resolved just because you feel pity.”
So he’s telling me to get lost if I don’t know politics.
Ridiculous. It’s me, not someone else! Getting lectured by such a guy that I don’t know politics?
Wow, I’m speechless—my nose is stuffed up, and my pores feel clogged too. How did other dimension travelers and possessed girls live with such frustration?
At his words, I snorted and turned my head toward Rubellian.
“Your Grace, are you really going to put her in prison? Actually, I was the one who touched her first just now.”
Just try putting her in. You’ll have to use separate rooms starting from the second night of marriage. Though nothing will happen, I’ll clearly show you what being abandoned means—I stared intently at Rubellian with this written on my face.
Looking at my face once and Rachel once, he slowly opened his mouth.
“First, let’s put this person in solitary confinement.”
“Your Grace!”
“His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince haven’t given orders yet. Do you gentlemen want to be above the imperial name?”
As his gaze fell like frost, the nobles instantly shut their mouths.
Eventually, receiving their resentful gazes, I slightly curved my eyes and laughed cheerfully while saying to Rubellian.
“Your Grace, did you finish your business?”
“Not yet, I think I’ll have to wait longer.”
“Then that’s perfect, I’ll go home first.”
I’ve seen the female protagonist, so this should be good enough, right? Thinking that and glancing at Rachel, she was staring at me with tearful eyes.
…Mmm, I think I was too nice to her.
“Thank you, Duchess.”
Rachel bowed deeply to me in gratitude and left the room.
On the other hand, I stuck my tongue out at the nobles who were grumbling as they left the room and stretched.
“Ugh, troublemakers.”
“Hmm…”
“I’ve never seen people more troublesome than me in all my life.”
“Do you have the self-awareness that you’re troublesome?”
Rubellian stared at me with a face full of shock. Yet beneath that oddly staged expression, a faint smile played so I could tell he was clearly teasing me.
“But when did you memorize imperial law?”
“Ah—”
“Before, there was a time.”
Was there really nothing to do after possessing? I thought about getting a different job and standing on my own, wondering if it would change the original plot. Naturally, I realized it was useless.
“How on earth did you memorize it?”
“Just, time and effort and a bit of talent? And I didn’t memorize everything by heart. I just remembered the important parts.”
At my words, Rubellian made a strange expression. He seemed to think about something, then shook his head and spoke.
“With such a good head, why on earth…”
“…Why on earth?”
“Never mind.”
“What do you mean never mind? You just clicked your tongue and, and, huh? You looked at me with incredulous eyes.”
Feeling absurd at his blatant tongue-clicking, suddenly he changed the subject.
“Anyway, it would be important to urgently handle that person.”
“Can’t we just leave her alone?”
“The imperial family will have to manage her for now…”
Rubellian glanced at me.
“Since she attacked you too.”
What? Wait?
Sensing something strange in his words, I blinked.
According to the plan, I die at the end from Rachel’s sword, and the reason is that Rubellian tormented Rachel quite a bit. I’m trying to become close with Rachel to somehow dissuade that, but perhaps now…
“Co-could it be you’re thinking about how to punish Rachel now?”
“Anyway, since she harmed you, appropriate measures must be taken.”
At Rubellian’s words, I realized what it felt like for the sky to fall and screamed. Looking at his retreating figure as he walked out of the room, I recalled what I had just done.
So I tried to protect the female protagonist, but that actually became more reason for Rubellian to punish Rachel?
…?
Th-this feels forced. It’s like someone’s plot to deliberately drag me into misery!
“What are you doing?”
Then I heard Rubellian’s voice.
But I, already at the edge of collapsing, could only stand there in dismay.
In the end, I didn’t regain my senses until Rubellian personally dragged me to the carriage and escorted me inside. Watching him signal for me to be careful in the shaking carriage, I wondered—
should I just quietly die on my own?
Wouldn’t that be better than being stabbed?
