episode_0036

It was unprecedented.

The banquet welcoming the ambassador of a nation coming to an end due to the disruption caused by the sole noble lady of the country. It was so embarrassing that even King Eorren himself visited to offer an apology.

Of course, Duke Lufenterr expressed his sincere apologies as well. Thanks to that, the dignity of the Lufenterr family was beyond words. For a dozen years, the entire family seemed to be in turmoil over the scandal that would be talked about for years to come.

Rumors were spreading without basis about the Lufenterr noble lady. The moment she woke up was three days after the banquet had been interrupted.

“Will you accept the invitation?”

Handing over the invitation from Duke Lufenterr, the man bowed his head. The person delivering the invitation was none other than the second prince of the kingdom, Luca Eorren. It seemed like it was not a usual intimate relationship, considering he was entrusted with a simple errand for the noble lady.

“I will go.”

“Yes? … Oh, yes!”

The second prince, who was trying to come up with dozens of excuses for a single invitation, suddenly regained his composure.

Celine let out a sigh as she looked at Luca.

“I’m not particularly sorry about the incident that led to the interruption of the banquet. It’s much more burdensome to see people bowing their heads so easily, especially two princes.”

“I see.”

“If you’re a royal family member, please be careful not to act recklessly.”

“Haha, I just bowed my head to repay the favor to Lady Lufenterr, not a big deal.”

Although he seemed superficial, he seemed to have his own concerns.

Anyway, now that the noble lady had awakened, indulgence was a luxury. Celine and I made the necessary preparations and immediately boarded the carriage arranged by the second prince.

Soon, inside the running carriage, Celine spoke up.

“Was the noble lady originally ill? I heard she was a famous figure with enough influence to shake the entire kingdom…”

“Her achievements seem remarkable. The Lufenterr family was practically a fallen one, but she managed to revive it in just 10 years…”

In reality, I couldn’t properly revive the Eleonotte Viscount family of Estiel. It was full of questions how the noble lady managed to save the Lufenterr family.

“I heard she’s also skilled in handling firearms. It’s hard to believe that a strong person like her would have a seizure at a banquet. Even if she swallowed poison, it wouldn’t have that effect.”

“Usually, swallowing poison would have that effect…”

Celine sometimes tries to impose her standards on others. I hope she realizes that not everyone can be a superhuman like her.

“Really, she’s such a mysterious person.”

“Hmm…”

I sighed as I reflected on that time. No matter how much I looked back, the noble lady’s final appearance was unclear to me.

‘If I didn’t see it wrong, the Lufenterr noble lady was definitely…’

She locked eyes with me as the incident unfolded. So, was I also the target of the outburst she had while collapsing?

[Wh-what…! What did you bring here!?]

[Why, how, is this person…!!! Groan…?!]

It was as if she knew my true identity.

I understand being hated by the people of the Empire because I am a child of the enemy. But for a noble lady from another country to harbor such hatred was unnatural. And the fact that she could see through my disguise was even more unsettling.

‘Whatever happens, I hope Celine remains safe from harm.’

I hope it’s just unnecessary worry.

The vast estate soon came into view.

The carriage carrying us entered the mansion owned by Duke Lufenterr.

Dark clouds began to fill the sky as if brewing a storm.

◇

Knock, knock.

The second prince knocked on the door of the princess’s chamber. A faint voice from inside granted him entry.

As the second prince entered the princess’s chamber, he spoke with joy.

“Kanarin. Her Highness the Princess has arrived. The one you’ve been searching for.”

“Ah…”

The princess, in a weak voice, raised her upper body from the bed.

Her complexion was pale, a stark appearance that could not be disguised as mere illness.

After apologizing for her poor condition, the princess requested forgiveness for receiving an esteemed guest while lying in bed.

“Don’t worry about it. If you’re unwell, you should rest.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

After the princess’s formalities, silence fell. In the midst of the silence where no one dared to speak, the princess finally parted her lips.

“Luka. I apologize, but could you entertain the Princess’s attendant in my place?”

It was a request to have a private conversation with Serin. The second prince was about to agree immediately, but Serin adamantly expressed her opposition.

“I’m sorry, but if it’s something my people shouldn’t hear, then I don’t want to hear it either.”

“I don’t think so, Your Highness.”

“If that’s the case, could you lean in closer to listen? If you still feel the same, I won’t insist further.”

With the princess’s confident response, Serin’s resistance wavered.

“Um… alright then.”

Maintaining a skeptical attitude, Serin slowly sat on the edge of the princess’s bed. And the princess confidently whispered in Serin’s ear.

Gasp!

Serin’s entire body jolted as if startled. The subtle animosity that had been lingering dissipated, and with eyes filled with emotion, she stared at the princess.

“Um… Lian?”

Serin looked at me apologetically, clasping her hands together.

“I’m really sorry… but could you spend some time with the second prince for a moment? Please.”

She seemed willing to accept if I insisted on staying. Serin’s lukewarm kindness always made me feel special.

Therefore, I hoped for Serin to become more assertive.

“Serin. Strictly speaking, I am a guard employed by the royal family. There’s no need for you to make such a request to me. Unless it’s completely unrelated to my duties, I will follow your orders.”

“But I don’t want to order you, Lian. You’re my person, no matter what anyone says.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Feeling the sincerity in Serin’s words, a strange sensation tugged at my heart. I didn’t want to display any inappropriate behavior in front of the two ladies, so I bid farewell.

“We’ll meet again after this conversation.”

“Yes. See you soon, Lian.”

As I took a step back, the second prince guided me out. Until the bedroom door closed and the fading chatter became distant, I tried to forget the lingering resonance in my heart.

◇

I was relieved.

I was relieved that my mental cultivation had reached a certain level, and I was relieved that the days I had spent as a pawn to my father were not in vain.

I almost collapsed in front of Lachelt, trying to reject him subtly like the princess. Especially with excuses like feeling uncomfortable in the mask, I could have easily caused a scene and destroyed the mansion.

But the princess’s calm response had its reasons.

The princess asked me to listen carefully, and I willingly agreed. And so, the whispered verse she spoke to me was…

[East Sea~ Mount Baekdu is so dry and parched…]

… it was the national anthem.

It was the national anthem of my past life’s country, South Korea.

In an instant, my guard was lowered, and I easily understood the reason why the princess wanted to introduce me to Rahilte and the two princes. No, I empathized with her.

A moment later, as Rahilte and the two princes’ figures grew distant, I hurriedly spoke.

“What?! Who are you! Are you also a transmigrator?!”

“To cut to the chase, yes.”

“Korean?”

“I was a college student who loved seolleongtang.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

Sometimes I vaguely speculated.

Among the endless population in this world, was I the only transmigrator, I wondered.

But there was no one touting their modern genius, and I dismissed any lingering doubts, thinking that I was the sole beneficiary of this miracle. But to think that there was another transmigrator right next door! That was truly a case of the darkest hour being just before dawn.

“Wow… I’m so glad… really…”

“I’m glad too. I was worried until I was absolutely sure… It’s fortunate.”

“By any chance, how old are you?”

“Oh, are you doing the typical Korean thing of asking someone’s age right off the bat? It’s been a while, so this is also nice.”

The princess answered in her still subdued voice.

“I’m twenty-three years old. The same age as in my past life.”

“I’m nineteen in this life and was twenty in my past life. Can I call you unni?”

“Wouldn’t that be inappropriate in others’ eyes?”

“What does it matter? We’re going to get along like sisters with the princess and the princess consort.”

“Hehe, I guess you’re right.”

She didn’t seem to mind. The slightly awkward beauty from before now appeared as a graceful and elegant dragon. Is this the essence of a Korean person?

“Your Korean name was Narin, right? I don’t know your last name though.”

“How did you know?”

“Hehe, let’s drop the formalities.”

“Uh, how did you know?”

“I just did. From experience…”

“Then is your name Serin?”

“Did I give it away? It was Han Serin. My name.”

“I was Hana Rin. It’s quite a coincidence, isn’t it? Seeing it like this.”

“It really is.”

Bound by the commonality of being transmigrators and even sharing the same nationality, the speed at which intimacy grew was at LTE levels. Knowing we were kindred spirits made me feel like I had gained a welcoming older sister…

Just that fact alone made me so happy.

“Narin unni. By any chance, did you also get hit by a reincarnation truck?”

“No, I was a terminally ill patient and ended up transmigrating into the last web novel I read.”

“What was the title?”

“Um… I think it was ‘Becoming the Mother of a Baby God’.”

“Oh, I was planning to read that.”

It was a romance novel that had been adapted into a webtoon. I hadn’t read it myself, but I heard it was quite popular due to the cute illustrations.

“So did you transmigrate into the female lead?”

“No, I transmigrated into an extra character who barely had their family name mentioned.”

“Wow… so you gained fame in the kingdom just based on your knowledge of the original work?”

“Well… um…”

Narin unni hesitated in her response. It seemed like my guess was off.

Eventually, she pursed her lips and in a hesitant voice, she murmured.

“It was forced, I had no choice…”

“What do you mean?”

“Um, before I answer that in detail, can I ask you something first?”

“Oh, of course!”

Narin unni cleared her throat.

“Do you know who the man accompanying Serin as her guard is?”

“I know. You’re a fan of ‘The Child of Ruin,’ right? Have you read ‘Taming the Child of Ruin’ as well?”

“I wonder… Did you happen to finish that novel?”

“No, I was far from finishing it when I got hit by a reincarnation truck. Why? Have you read it all?”

“Not at all. I haven’t read it, but I know the gist of the story.”

“You haven’t read it but you know the story?”

I cocked my head at the contradictory statement. Narin suddenly paused, then revealed a harsh truth to me.

“Well… it was infamous among webnovel readers for having one of the worst endings… So even though I don’t know the details, I know how it ends.”

“Worst ending? What are you talking about!”

It was none other than my husband’s work!

…

……

‘Oh, could it be?’

Could that bastard Lasher’s novel, which was about the female lead from the start, not have been a disaster from the beginning?

And even the daughter of the previous male and female leads was the main villain?

Moreover, I was the most loyal follower of that nonsense?

I remembered. It was a novel that clung desperately to the happiness of Rahilt.

I admit it. It was indeed a disaster.

But what was the ending like…

“Umm… what? What happened to our Lian…?”

“Lian? Is that his nickname or something?”

“Anyway, what happened to him?”

I leaned forward urgently, my body tense. Yet hesitation lingered on her lips.

“Narin!”

“Well, actually…”

The conclusion that Narin hesitantly uttered next was truly devastating.

“It’s a world-ending ending… Rahilt, the Child of Ruin, goes mad and destroys everything in a cataclysmic ending…”

“W-what!? What are you saying right now…!!!”

…

I struggled to hold back my collapsing body, only able to stare helplessly at the culprit who had just provided a major spoiler.