“Come on, copy me! ‘Wrong.’”
“…Wrong. I did wrong.”
As if it’s the first time in his life that he has said this, his words come out slowly, repeating after me.
With my arms folded with a stern face, I shout, “Two more times!”
Even though he says it, he has a strange expression on his face.
After that, I plant all the star flowers that have been split into a cross shape then brush off the dirt from my hands.
Mar was right to use his knife. He swung the sword with the force to pluck the flower’s neck, cutting the star flowers neatly in a cross in the middle, as if he had used magic. His technique was more elaborate than when I cut each one with scissors. It seems that he wasn’t lying when he said he was good at cutting.
However, how can you say that you’ll listen to me then do whatever you please? Without explanation too! I was surprised!
When I looked disappointed while saying that, Mar, who tilts his head as if something’s wrong, nods and continuously apologizes.
“That’s enough. You know, umm…thanks to you, I planted it much easier this time.”
It’s true that things went easier thanks to Mar.
I relax my face and says thank you sincerely. I was a little angry at first because he didn’t listen to me and acted his way, but the result was good. There’s no reason to not admit so.
Mar’s eyes, which were dimmed, sparkle again.
I then burst into laughter, pick up the basket and grab his hand.
It’s going to be an exciting dinner! Such a strange way to end the day, cohabitating together.
While preparing dinner, there’s a commotion where the kitchen turns into a scene from Frozen. Mar tears off all the flour bags to show off his knife skills, but that’s a trivial matter, so let’s move on.
That is, of course, because there are other things that are important.
“The thirty-first concubine, Yuri Sina Perilland, has asked the thirtieth concubine, Lydia Odette, for teatime.”
—What the hell is going on here?
—
“Do you like tea?” asks Yuri Sina with a smile.
I take a sip of the colorful tea then put the teacup down before answering with a quick nod. “Of course! It’s fragrant and soft, and it makes me feel good. I really like it.”
Yuri Sina tilts her cup with a smile, looking pleased with my answer. “Oh, it’s the most popular type in Perilland. I’m glad I brought it. I wanted to share it with someone, so I’m glad that it’s you.”
I peep at her, feeling glad inside. The corners of her mouth slightly raises, and her lake blue eyes soften. This is a sign that she’s having a good impression of me, I’m sure. I then take advantage of the moment and speak quietly so that I don’t sound too overeager. “Thank you so much for giving me such a nice welcome. Today must be a special day for the princess, right?”
I should have prepared a gift for you! I shudder, thinking silently.
Then Yuri Sina answers back. “No, it’s not a special day. I just wanted to have tea time with Lady Odette. Please call me Perilland. Now, I’m really just a concubine of the Harron Empire.”
Huh? I quickly nod and smile, but I was wondering inside. We just bumped into each other at the ball, so why did she want to meet me?
“I only know Lady Odette among the concubines. Therefore, I wanted to meet and talk to you when I started my life in the Imperial Palace.”
Yuri Sina, who said so, seems very amiable and sociable.
Well, the only concubine she learned faces of that night were me and Carolyn, who attended the ball. Since Carolyn was heroically sent out that night, maybe I’m the only one left now?
“Oh, I see! I really wanted to see you again, too. Thank you so much for inviting me. In the future, let’s see each other often and get along well.”
Whether the survival senses work instinctively, or whether because Mar and I have been living together for a few days, but flattery keeps flowing out.
Yuri Sina smiles gently at my words and nods her head.
‘Okay, you’re doing great.’
The fact that I became closer to the heroine of the novel makes me want to cry. Ah, maybe there’ll be no such thing as death!
We talk about our first impression of Harron’s empire and how to adapt to the Imperial City.
In the novel, the description that said she was nice and had a good personality was really true. The conversation goes smoothly without interruption. Yuri Sina’s reply with proper wit that makes me unwittingly relax and even laugh, so I’m blurt out. “I’m glad to meet such a congenial person.”
Yuri Sina spoke with such a happy voice.
There seems to be a halo around her. It’s like an angel who assures me, ‘I will surely save you.’
Thank you, unnie!
Suddenly a thought comes to me as I agree along to whatever she’s saying.
What if on the night of the ball, I, not Carolyn, had I been sent off because of an affair? Will Yuri Sina get close to Carolyn, the third concubine, just like me right now?
Hmm, I don’t really remember if Yuri Sina was close to another concubine…
I quickly try to recall the contents of the novel I remembered.
The 31st concubine, Yuri Sina Perilland, the heroine of the novel Toward the Star, was scheduled to capture the male lead, the Emperor, at a welcoming dance.
However, somehow, the Yuri Sina in front of me is staying as the 31st concubine, who is ranked even lower than I am right now.
That’s weird. In the original book, the emperor fell in love with Yuri Sina at a glance.
Then shouldn’t I be the lowest concubine?
Moreover, she quickly became the emperor’s lover, and soon after, she even announced that the Emperor would make her the unprecedented Empress.
Did I remember it incorrectly? If I had known that I would suddenly fall into this novel, I would have memorized the story.
Though, who would have expected this to happen? As I became a supporting, villainous character, I desperately thought that I must survive. I was only focusing on avoiding the Emperor’s gaze.
Therefore, for the past three years, I’ve been struggling to isolate myself that I haven’t had time to remember the details of the novel.
How can I adapt to the fantasy world that I suddenly live in? Because of my last name, I was busy solving everything by myself in a desolate place. Therefore, I naturally forgot about the contents other than the big plot points.
Well, I guess it’s okay because I’m remembering the big developments.
She’ll probably live as the 31st concubine for a while before becoming the empress. The announcement for an empress happens a bit later after the ball, so maybe later, there’ll be one.
Look at me. Their relationship is their business, and I can’t even watch it unfold in the present.
After quickly reviewing the situation so far, I decided.
As I have struggled and lived as a voluntary loner so far, I will surely succeed in living a fine and long life. No matter how much I think about it, my body must have been burned to death at a young age.
Besides, it’s not common to live twice, is it? Get ahold of the chance when I have it!
“Excuse me, Lady Perilland?”
When I called, Yuri Sina, who was drinking tea, she stares at me, blinking her curled eyelashes.
I grin as innocent and as friendly as possible.
The most important thing for a minor supporting actor like me to survive is to target the main character. That means only Yuri Sina, the heroine of this novel, is the key to protecting my life. Before Yuri Sina becomes the Empress, I’ll increase our intimacy to become friends!
“Yes, Lady Odette,” answers Yuri Sina in a coquettish voice as she puts down the teacup.
I’m excited to see how the future will unfold. I then pull out a small box that I had brought with me to Yuri Sina’s Tulip Castle and push it toward her. “This, take it.”
“What’s this?”
Yuri Sina tilts her head and receives the box.
I watch her open the lid and unwrap the handkerchief. I then explain. “Oh, the last time I bumped into you on the balcony, you dropped it before leaving. I was keeping it for you, and remember to bring it before coming here.”
A clear perfume in a glass bottle. The cap is still well closed, but the contents leak because it was cracked when she dropped it. I wrapped it in a handkerchief and put it in a box to stop it, but it seems to leak more in the meantime. When Yuri Sina picked up with her handkerchief, the scent that she smelled the last time comes out stronger.
“Ah.”
Last time I applied a little bit unintentionally, it was just fragrant and nice. If you put a lot on though, it will be too much.
Since I’m a little bit far away, I was fine. Yuri Sina, who smells the strong scent right in front of her nose, opens her eyes wide and opens her mouth a little. Of course, even that’s pretty. Yuri Sina manages to hide her expression like a smart heroine.
Is this the privilege of the novel’s protagonist? Perhaps because I’m giving all my attention to Yuri Sina, I notice her reaction pretty quickly.
It’s almost like I’m the only absolute person that knows the future. Since I entered the novel, I’ve been feeling a little depressed because of how helpless I feel. However, I feel good knowing that I’m the only one who knows things that others do not.
Woo-hoo, by the way, I’m going to get some extra points with this, right?
“This—I was wondering where I lost it.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Should I have brought it sooner? But don’t worry! Though it broke and got on my hands, I wrapped it right away and kept it safe. Haha, it smells so good, but too bad it broke.”
“… …”
What?
I was hoping for a thank you with a bright smile, but what I got is a little subdued. “What…is there a problem?”
What’s with the reaction?
Embarrassed, I asked carefully, looking at her. Suddenly Yuri Sina rises from her chair. I look up at her, and her blue eyes look like they’re on fire.
“I’ve studied the manners of the Harron Empire while in Perilland, but it’s the first time in the history of the Empire that we’ve had so many concubines. So I don’t know what’s most polite between concubines. Please understand that I might be insufficient in manners.”
“What?”
I’m mortified by the sudden solemnity of her voice so I asked, but it’s useless.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Oh, my God, that Yuri Sina of Perilland is on her knees in front of my eyes right now!
“Pe—Lady Perilland! What are you doing?”
Holding her dress open to both sides, Yuri Sina bows politely on bended knees.