《I Was A Supporting Character》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 ¨C The World is Turned Upside Down (1) TL/Editor: Alcatraz/Latte My name is Bianca Uranos. Two years have passed since my debutante in high society, the coming-of-age ceremony¡ªmy 20th birthday. I am the only daughter of Count Uranos, who is well known as a prestigious noble of the Solar Empire. My personality? I think it¡¯s quite good. I am not sure of what others think of me. But I tend to be a bit bold and straight-forward, maybe that¡¯s the reason why I¡¯ve accumulated hate from some girls in the society. Of course, the feelings are mutual. My appearance? Heh. What should I say? My hair was woven from the black heavens, fine strands of spacetime and starlight. There is no one here that does not admire my beautiful black locks. Furthermore, no one could resist my enchanting eyes. My orbs were violet, glowing and unique in its own beauty. To put it simply, I am confident of my appearance. Both of my beloved parents are living happily as well. My tutor has assured me of my mastery over various liberal arts and etiquettes. It was the least I can do as part of the nobility. Intellectually speaking, there¡¯s no big difference between me and an academy graduate. As for why I am introducing myself, I must first explain. I have lived as Bianca Uranos for 20 years. I have no doubts about my life and identity. That is¡­ until I met this mad woman with dark hair and dark eyes standing right in front of me! My hand, under the weight of the parasol, trembled greatly upon hearing her nonsense. What kind of gibberish was this woman spouting? ¡°Hey! So, you¡¯re Bianca Uranos! My God, even though I¡¯m the one who made you, you really are gorgeous! A masterpiece!¡± The woman circled me for a long time, as she sang praises over my looks. If this was a simple compliment, I could easily overlook it, however such words were no compliment. ¡°¡­What do you mean you made me?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m an author! Well, I did roughly describe you in my story, but you¡¯re prettier than I imagined!¡± As usual, after having a tea party with the noble ladies of my age, I was taking a leisurely walk in the midst of the spring breeze. Suddenly, I heard someone calling me, ¡°Isn¡¯t that Bianca?¡± I don¡¯t know who she was, but she obviously recognized me, so I kept my silence and observed her cautiously. What did she say? She¡¯s an author? ¡°You said you¡¯re a ¡®author¡¯? You? Are you referring to an author who writes stories?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯m the author of this world, the one who made you!¡± ¡°Shut your nonsense!¡± It was the loudest voice I ever used in my life. Everyone, not only this ¡®author¡¯ in front of me, but even the bystander, were stunned into silence. ¡°Ah¡­.¡± The ¡®author¡¯ in front of me gave me an apologetic expression. I laid down the parasol in my grasp, but my hand still pointed toward her. ¡°I¡¯ve been the only daughter of Count Uranos for 20 years! My parents are the one who gave birth to me! How impudent of you to claim that you¡¯ve made me?¡± ¡°Well, if you calm down. I¡¯ll tell you what I meant.¡± ¡°If you were me, would you be able to calm down? Would you be able to get a hold of yourself if a mad woman suddenly shows up and tells you she¡¯s the author of this world?!¡± My words came to a stop after I poured out my vexation. The ¡®author¡¯ nodded as she muttered with a moderate expression, ¡°Well, is it really that surprising? It¡¯s not as if I¡¯m changing any major plot in the story¡­¡± ¡°What are you saying? I don¡¯t understand.¡± The ¡®author¡¯ replied with a carefree smile and a playful tone. ¡°If I tell you, you¡¯ll think I¡¯m lying to you.¡± ¡°..¡­.¡± I couldn¡¯t fathom what this ¡®author¡¯s¡¯ motive, nonetheless my gut feeling told me that she wasn¡¯t lying. ¡°¡­I won¡¯t reprove you, so tell me.¡± The ¡®author¡¯ let out a laugh at my answer. ¡°It¡¯s going to be time consuming, so shall we search for a place to rest? Oh, we can go to the Aphrodite teahouse! Wow, I know I wrote it down, but I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going to visit it!¡± My favorite teahouse, Aphrodite. How did she know that? However, whether she reads my mind or not, her steps came to a halt before she glanced back at me and spoke with a reminiscing tone. ¡°It¡¯s your regular tea house! From your seating arrangement, you can frequently see Ares Jupiter entering the wine bar across the street¡­.¡± I feel light-headed at her words. It was supposed to be a secret that no one knows! The fact that I have a crush on Lord Ares Jupiter! ¡°Who are you?¡± I stopped, nailed to the spot and asked her. However, she still remains nonchalant. It¡¯s really annoying. ¡°I will explain everything to you, but first, let¡¯s go to the teahouse.¡± I unconsciously followed her, as if I was possessed. She seems to know everything about me. Even the feelings I¡¯ve kept hidden from everyone. She takes the lead confidently, as if she knew the exact way to the teahouse. ¡®How could this be?¡¯ I thought to myself as I followed her blankly. Only then did I notice her attire. She was wearing an uncommon dress that was distinct from the trends today. The fabric was peculiar as well and it had a design that emphasized practicality. ¡°That outfit¡­¡± For me, who never missed any of the fashion trends, that dress was unfamiliar. Maybe I should call my exclusive designer, Mrs. Nicks, to recreate it. When I unconsciously muttered my thoughts, the ¡®author¡¯ paused and asked anxiously. ¡°Ah, does this dress look out of the place? I¡¯ve tried to choose something as similar as possible to the current trends of this world.¡± ¡°This world¡­?¡± ¡°Whew, if I explain it to you right now it will take a long time. I¡¯ll tell you all at once when we arrived, so let¡¯s go to the teahouse first. I¡¯m craving for a drink.¡± Before long, I entered Aphrodite, still trailing behind the mysterious woman. Numerous questions occupied my heart. The ¡®author¡¯ seemed to know me very well. As soon as we entered Aphrodite, she headed towards the window on the second floor, my usual seat. ¡°Is it right here? Your favourite seat.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Huff,¡± the ¡®author¡¯ exhales. I sit across from her awkwardly. Out of habit, I peeked at the wine bar, Dionysus, from the corner of the window. ¡°I¡¯m the one who named that wine bar as well. In the world where I came from, the name means ¡®the God of Liquor¡¯.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked the ¡®author¡¯ coldly. She looked at me sheepishly and continued to speak in a relaxed manner. ¡°Yes, yes. Maybe it¡¯s better to start with what you¡¯re curious about? As I said before, I am a ¡®author¡¯. This world is my novel.¡± This world which I lived in, this empire, was all a figment of her imagination? ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t write this world to its minute details. But, the important plots in this novel are being carried out as I wrote it. For example¡­¡± Her relaxed expression turned into a thoughtful one, as if something had piqued her interest. ¡°You fell in love at first sight when you saw Ares Jupiter at your debutante.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Indescribable shock was written all over my face. She knew my secret! Was she telling the truth? Was the land I¡¯m treading on merely a fantasy written on a piece of paper?! ¡°And I know what will happen in the future.¡± ¡°What will happen in the future¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, because this novel is the work that I¡¯ve perfectly planned. The ending was also decided by me.¡± Her words disorient me. This world was organized by her? So what was the meaning of the life that I¡¯ve been through? What were these emotions I possessed? What were all these moments in my life? Weren¡¯t they all meaningless after all? The ¡®author¡¯ stared at my ashen face and clicked her tongue. ¡°Tsk, even if I tell you the truth, it¡¯s useless.¡± ¡°You¡­.¡± ¡°?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you, aren¡¯t you aware of how shocking the things you said just now are?¡± ¡°Is it so shocking?¡± I couldn¡¯t stand her thoughtlessness and stood up. ¡°Because of your nonsense just now, my existence, the land where I stand, this world, all feels foreign! Who in the world am I? What about my family? Are you saying that my whole life was just a lie? That it was just a world written on a piece of paper!¡± The ¡®author¡¯ paused for a good second and a close look at me. ¡°I am only a ¡®author¡¯, and not an omnipotent god. I didn¡¯t design the lives of everyone here. I simply said that everyone is living in the world I¡¯ve built.¡± My mind was in utter confusion. So, if this ¡®author¡¯ did not make everything, how much of it was under her control and how much of it was autonomous? I decided to ask the most important question. ¡°Then, does my life fall within the bounds you created?¡± I didn¡¯t know about the others. However, the most important thing to me was my life. The ¡®author¡¯ replied with a light smile. ¡°Of course! Because you are a very important person in my novel!¡± I didn¡¯t know if I should be happy or sad, but there was a more important problem. So, did she mean that all my life went according to the ¡®author¡¯s¡¯ will? When I was born, how I grew up, and what I learned?! And did it mean that the sentiments I¡¯ve felt were all under the ¡®author¡¯s¡¯ plans? It was absurd. I thought I was in control of my life. I thought that I could decide my future. I¡­ I thought the affection I held towards Ares Jupiter stemmed from my own feelings. Wasn¡¯t it all meaningless? All this time, I was simply a puppet of the ¡®author¡¯. Tears filled quickly as my eyes became hot. I didn¡¯t want to admit it. My life, which I have lived so far, was not mine. I lost sight of what to say and plunged into my seat. I didn¡¯t want to think about it anymore. I didn¡¯t even know what to do. The ¡®author¡¯ spoke as if she was trying to comfort me. ¡°I didn¡¯t write every moment of your life. What I¡¯ve written is the kind of family you are born into, your personality, who you will love, and your ending.¡± I quietly raised my head. What she wrote were actually the most important things that defined me. When I fell asleep and woke up, what I ate every evening. In what way did they not constitute my identity? She created me. ¡°So my existence is completely made as you¡¯ve designed?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Answer me!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Then, you mean that the feeling I held towards Lord Ares Jupiter is because of you?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s right.¡± I laughed in a dull motion. Tears streamed down my cheeks, yet I only managed to let out a self-deprecating laughter. My heart was empty. What was the purpose of my life? Why did the ¡®author¡¯ make me? ¡°Why did you make me? Why did you make me fall in love with Lord Ares Jupiter?¡± The moment I asked this question, the ¡®author¡¯s¡¯ expression immediately turned grim. She seemed to be having a difficult time telling me the truth. ¡°Tell me. What role do I play in your novel? Why did you say I hold an important position?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± The ¡®author¡¯ stared at me for a while. Moments later, she forced herself to speak and uttered the harsh truth. ¡°Because you are a supporting character¡­ Or rather, you are the antagonist of the story. The villainess.¡± Chapter 2 Chapter 2 ¨C The World is Turned Upside Down (2) TL/Editor: Alcatraz/Latte ¡°¡­What did you say?¡± ¡°As I told you before, you are not the main character of my novel. You are the villainess who interferes with the relationship of the male and female protagonists.¡± ¡­I am the ¡®villain¡¯, the role that interferes with the main couple. I burst into laughter as I heard her witless claim. It was ridiculous. Still, I attempted to reason with the ¡®author¡¯. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that my personality isn¡¯t everyone¡¯s cup of tea. But I¡¯ve never had any wicked intentions. I know that some people are jealous of me, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ve done bad things. You of all people should know.¡± The ¡®author¡¯ nodded in agreement with me. ¡°Yes. However, the current you is still nothing but a child.¡± The current me? So she meant that I would become a vile, horrible villain in the future? As if she had just read my mind, the ¡®author¡¯ smiled meaningfully and answered, ¡°Yes, according to my novel, you will become a villain in the future.¡± I¡¯m going to become a villain? I¡¯m going to be the person who harasses the protagonists of this novel? But when I thought about it, there¡¯s something odd about the ¡®author¡¯s¡¯ words. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t told me, I would have done everything according to the novel you wrote. Now that you¡¯ve told me, what will happen if I don¡¯t become the ¡®villain¡¯?¡± The ¡®author¡¯ observed me. ¡°You¡¯re sharp! Well, since I¡¯ve let you know the story in advance, I reckon you will strive to become a better person.¡± ¡°Then the story will be different from your novel.¡± The ¡®author¡¯ nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes. It will be somewhat different from the original plot. Even I don¡¯t know how great the changes will be.¡± Confusion filled my mind. Why was she deliberately twisting the world she created? ¡°What¡¯s your purpose? Why are you telling me this?¡± The ¡®author¡¯s¡¯ expression was extremely calm. Behind her calm demeanor and curious eyes. It was as though she was intrigued by the result of her experiment. ¡°I am curious though. How much are you able to alter the plot? Though, no matter how different the story will be, it will eventually arrive at the same ending. ¡± ¡°If the storyline is different, why would the ending stay the same?¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s what the contract stated.¡± She uttered another foreign word. ¡®Contract¡¯, what did that mean? The ¡®author¡¯ sighed and spoke. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you how I got into this world. I signed a contract with a ¡®powerful person¡¯ with some supernatural ability. When I said that I wanted to leave the world I lived in, they asked where I would like to live in, so I said that I wanted to go into the novel I wrote.¡± In a word, this ¡®author¡¯ came from a world higher than the world I lived in. The ¡®author¡¯ continues, ¡°I wrote a novel about a world, which I thought to be the most perfect and wonderful world. And so I thought going into my novel would make my life more enjoyable.¡± Sensing the lamenting undertone within the ¡®author¡¯s¡¯ words, I cut her off, ¡°Then why would you say that the ending will stay the same even when I¡¯ve intervened with the plot?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s because it¡¯s my request to that ¡®powerful person¡¯. Since it is the world I¡¯ve created, I wanted the important ¡®pillars¡¯ of the world to take place.¡± She picked up her teacup, took a sip, before she finally continued. ¡°So, no matter how you try to adapt, the male and female protagonists¡¯ happy ending, the important ¡®pillars¡¯ in this world, will come true. Because that¡¯s the ending of my novel.¡± The term ¡®pillars¡¯ in the novel is probably referring to the major events that make up most of the story. After analyzing her answer, I asked cautiously. ¡°However, if I don¡¯t become the antagonist of your story, as one of the important characters in your story, won¡¯t my choices affect the storyline?¡± ¡°Well, even if you change it, it doesn¡¯t matter since the important thing is that the male and female protagonists have a good and happy ending. You are merely a supporting character.¡± Huh, she¡¯s not wrong¡­ I¡¯m so grateful that I¡¯m a supporting actor. So was she saying that it¡¯s okay for me to live my own life? After all, it didn¡¯t matter how I live my life, my fate was sealed. However, one question remained. ¡°But why did you approach me? Why didn¡¯t you go to the main characters? Don¡¯t you hate the villain?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m the one who made you so vicious, that¡¯s why I kind of felt sorry for you.¡± Well, I had a choice now. Even if I had lived under the ¡®author¡¯s¡¯ control, from now on, I would be able to live a life of my own volition. Perhaps I¡¯m being too agreeable, that¡¯s why she scrutinized me even more. My gut feeling told me that something was wrong. ¡°¡­So why did you approach me?¡± It was the same question as before, however we both know that the question had a different meaning. My intuition told me that the answer was correlated to my destiny. Not surprisingly, the author revealed the truth with an apologetic face. ¡°Because you are going to die in my novel.¡± Oh, this was hilarious. Me? Dead? My face must¡¯ve shown clear amusement, since the ¡®author¡¯s¡¯ expression changed abruptly. ¡°I¡¯m not kidding.¡± ¡°Ahahaha, that¡¯s right. So, you mean I¡¯m going to die soon?¡± ¡°Yes. Your death is one of the important ¡®pillars¡¯ in this novel, there¡¯s a big chance that it will happen.¡± ¡°Will? So you¡¯re not sure?¡± ¡°Some of the storyline won¡¯t go according to the novels, but the important ones will. Since I want the major plot to follow the original novel.¡± My laughter finally disappeared upon hearing her explanation. ¡°You made this world, right? So you are the reason I¡¯m going to die?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°¡­What? Why? Why do you have to kill me?!¡± If a passerby heard my words, they might think that there was an assassination attempt. However, in my desperation, I no longer care about passerbys. Thus, I blurted out the question without any filter. The ¡®author¡¯ replied self-assuredly. ¡°My novel is perfect. I don¡¯t want my novel to change. The world in this novel is the world I wanted and dreamed of. I made it the way I wanted!¡± She claimed without any sense of shame. ¡°So the important parts of the story cannot be changed.¡± ¡°But I will change it!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be able to. If the ¡®powerful person¡¯ fulfills my contract properly, the ending will come true as I wish.¡± What¡¯s with her carefree tone? How could she control my life like that? I shout at her angrily, ¡°I won¡¯t die! You¡¯ve told me about my death, I¡¯ll definitely live on!¡± However, the ¡®author¡¯ responded profoundly without raising a single eyebrow. ¡°Do as you wish. But you¡¯re going to die anyway. That¡¯s why I told you the truth readily.¡± ¡°Anyway, all the people in this world will die someday. You just have your death included as an important point in my novel. And I chose you to be experimented with, I want to see how much you can change this story.¡± ¡°You said you created the perfect world, so why do you want to do this experiment?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s entertaining.¡± The answer was simple. However, despite the simplicity of it, she still convinced me so easily. The motive behind someone¡¯s action didn¡¯t necessarily have to be grand. Something very trivial can sometimes be someone¡¯s driving force. Nonetheless, the wave of sadness that came with truth is unavoidable. In the end, I am just a tool for this ¡®author¡¯. My life, the life I¡¯ve lived so proudly as a noble, was merely a make-believe. My purpose was to be sacrificed for the entertainment of the ¡®author¡¯. As silence fell, the ¡®author¡¯ began to comfort me. ¡°Think about it in a more positive outlook. You know your end is not far away, so you can live without any regrets. You can do whatever you want to do before you meet your end.¡± I see. It was similar to those people who try to fulfill all their desires on their verge of death. So this is the feeling of people who were on their deathbed. The ¡®author¡¯ continued, ¡°Anyway, since my novel has a perfect ending. I was intrigued whether my involvement in it was going to alter it. To influence the story, I thought it would be best to involve a character with certain influence within my novel.¡± ¡°And that character is me¡­.¡± I give up. The ending had already been decided anyway, so what was the use of her telling me all of this? How would these even be of help to me? I smiled as the ¡®author¡¯ stared at me, wondering the reason behind my humor. ¡°Why are you smiling?¡± ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t it funny? No matter how hard I try, the world won¡¯t change. What am I supposed to do then?¡± However, the ¡®author¡¯ replied calmly. ¡°Did you think you could change the world? Whatever you do, the world won¡¯t change. Whether you attempt to change the future or not, it¡¯s your choice. However, even if you do, this world will progress as it should. If I were you I¡¯d leave some meaningful legacy behind.¡± ¡°You are so cruel.¡± With my mental capacity strained, that¡¯s the only reply I managed to muster. Yet, she lightly shrugged it off, as if nothing was wrong. ¡°You aren¡¯t entirely wrong. I am a ¡®author¡¯, and I can write novels at my own will.¡± I let out an exasperated sigh. In any case, now I understood the outline of my life. To sum it up, I am the supporting actor of this world. I had no power to change this world. Whatever I did, the world wouldn¡¯t change. Regardless of whether I become a villain or not, the male and female protagonists would achieve their happy ending. And, I would die soon. I would be leaving this world. Soon, my death would be due, and I am going to die¡­. My heart that was beating violently sank in peace. Understanding the end, it felt like that I had finally resigned to my fate, I asked the ¡®author¡¯ in a calm manner. ¡°When and how do I die?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that! It¡¯ll be a spoiler!¡± The ¡®author¡¯ refused me vehemently. It was the first time I had ever heard of such a word. ¡°Spo-¡­ pardon?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a word we use in my world. It means if I tell you an important part of the story in advance, the story becomes uninteresting.¡± This woman was driving me crazy. Was she saying that she wouldn¡¯t tell me the most important information about my life? The moment she saw my flabbergasted expression, the ¡®author¡¯ replied apologetically. ¡°All I can tell you is that you will die in the middle of this novel. The epilogue is the happy ending of the male and female protagonists, which means you will die before that. Of course I know when and how you die, since I wrote the novel, however I¡¯m not going to tell you.¡± She had told me a lot of ridiculous things today. This ¡®author¡¯ was really an annoying one. She wouldn¡¯t even tell me the most important details, wasn¡¯t this too much?! Though, I also thought that it was better. If I knew of my death exactly as it was, the days I go through would become less meaningful. The less I know, the more rewarding and beautiful my life will be. ¡°¡­ I must say thank you. You made it possible to end my life without regrets.¡± ¡°I did? Well, I guess so.¡± The ¡®author¡¯ replied indifferently. However, as this ¡®author¡¯s¡¯ creation, what could I say? If she commanded me to die, what could I do other than abiding to her commands? Comfort comes as the reality sinks in. In the end, I decided to ask something that had been gnawing at the back of my mind. ¡°Then can I ask this?¡± ¡°What do you want to ask?¡± ¡°In this world, who are the protagonists?¡± Chapter 3 Chapter 3 ¨C The World is Turned Upside Down (3) TL/Editor: Alcatraz/Latte The ¡®author¡¯ was fazed. My nerves were as tight as violin strings as I could feel the knots in my stomach. ¡°Who are the protagonists? Even if I were to know about it, I wouldn¡¯t change a thing. So please tell me.¡± ¡°Are you certain?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The ¡®author¡¯ stared at me cautiously, nonetheless she contemplated my answer. She looked straight at me to decide which decisions would be the best. ¡°The male protagonist is Ares Jupiter,¡± she answered. My mind was blank. The truth came like a bolt of lightning. Ares Jupiter, the man I had an unrequited love for three years. He¡¯s the male protagonist? Doesn¡¯t this mean that my feelings will never be reciprocated as my role is nothing more than a mere supporting character¡­? The calm within the sea of my heart began to flare up. Tears welled up within the orb of my eyes before they slid down to my cheeks. ¡°So, I¡¯ll never be with him in this world?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Is that the reason I became a villain? Because I was jealous of the heroine who¡¯s with him.¡± ¡°Right. You are going to turn evil from being blinded by love.¡± Another word I didn¡¯t understand popped up, but I didn¡¯t even bother. ¡°Then, will I suffer to get over this unrequited love all my life?¡± The ¡®author¡¯ nodded as she affirmed my conjecture. ¡°According to my original novel, due to your unrequited love, you will not be able to tolerate Ares Jupiter¡¯s relationship with the female protagonist and interfere with their relationship. Eventually, Ares noticed your feelings, but that doesn¡¯t justify the vile things you¡¯ve done to the heroine.¡± I laughed. This was hilarious. My life was no different than a cheap soap opera. I resigned myself to my fate before I managed to plead the ¡®author¡¯. ¡°Can¡¯t you revise the contents of the novel? I won¡¯t ask you to alter my death, but can¡¯t you at least release me from this love?¡± I plead earnestly. It was agonizing to know that my feelings won¡¯t ever come true. Unfortunately, she shook her head vehemently as she refused my appeal. Rough words slipped out, destroying my noble bearing, however I can¡¯t help myself. I have already mustered enough sanity into facing this situation. ¡°No. This novel is mine. I wrote it perfectly the way I wanted it. Novels are only interesting if there are conflicts. If you have an unrequited love for him, the female protagonist would have some adversities before reaching her happy ending. If there is no antagonist in the story, then everything would be boring. That is what I made you for.¡± ¡°But, I¡¯m not going to be the villainess! The male and female protagonists will be fine either way, everything I do won¡¯t even disrupt their happy ending!¡± ¡°Even if you beg me, it¡¯s impossible.¡± Disappointment wasn¡¯t enough to describe my feelings. Why was she, the ¡®author¡¯ of this novel, saying that it was impossible to revise her novel? ¡°Why? It¡¯s your novel.¡± ¡°Since I have entered this world. I am now a part of this world. To revise the story, I have to go back to the original world.¡± ¡°Then go back, fix it, and come back in.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t work that way! The ¡®powerful man¡¯ said he would only grant my wish once. And I gave myself, who was in the original dimension, in exchange to enter this world. So I can¡¯t go back.¡± I opened my mouth to the unexpected turn. ¡°Are you saying that you are dead in your original dimension?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know my current situation because I can¡¯t check it. But the thing is, I¡¯m not in that dimension and I can¡¯t go back there.¡± One problem keeps appearing after the other. In short, it was impossible for her to go back to the original world and revise the contents. Thus, my fate is fixed. My feelings will forever remain unrequited. ¡°I¡¯m going crazy.¡± The ¡®author¡¯ patted me gently and said, ¡°Just live your life to the fullest. Sorry for making it hard. Still, now that you know of the truth, at least you won¡¯t leave this world as a memory of a villain.¡± ¡°¡­Yes. Thank you very much,¡± I replied soulessly. ¡®The writer¡¯ asked me. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about who the heroine is?¡± I laughed dully. No matter what happened, Lord Ares Jupiter won¡¯t fall for me. I wasn¡¯t even minorly interested to know his relationship with the female protagonist. ¡°I¡¯m not curious. I¡¯m not going to end up with Lord Jupiter anyway.¡± ¡°But how about you decide after you listen to me? Whether you will interfere with their relationship or not.¡± I looked at the ¡®author¡¯ with a befuddled expression. ¡°Is her identity that important? Who is the heroine?¡± ¡°¡­Leah Saturnos.¡± ¡°!¡± My body perked up hearing the familiar name. The female protagonist was the Baron¡¯s daughter, Leah Saturnos, the one who just made her debutante in high society last week? It was her coming-of-age ceremony and 18th birthday if I wasn¡¯t mistaken. I felt nauseous. ¡°T-the young lady who¡¯s clueless of the world is the female protagonist? Are you certain that she is the one destined to be with Lord Ares Jupiter?!¡± The eyes of the ¡®author¡¯ sparkled with interest. ¡°What do you think? Did you change your mind? Do you want to be a villain? Do you think she doesn¡¯t deserve Ares Jupiter?¡± Once again, my dull laugh resounded. Oh, how many more times must I feel this stubborn aching in my heart? ¡°No, I won¡¯t interfere with them.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± The ¡®author¡¯ clicked her tongue as if she was regretting her decision. Seems like she was eager to watch the drama unfold, however I won¡¯t do what she wants. I took another sip leisurely. I was curious as to how she would react to my opinion. I told her with a deep tone, which hid the laughter I held in. ¡°Rather, I think I¡¯ll cheer them on. I hope that their relationship will bloom smoothly with my help.¡± ¡°OMG!¡± She let out another strange word. Her reaction was not within my prediction. She inquired with me, ¡°What¡¯s your purpose? Why do you want to help the guy you like get along with other girls? Have you gone mad?¡± I answered calmly, ¡°That¡¯s a great question. Why would I do that? That¡¯s¡­.¡± I wanted to say, ¡®Of course, I just wanted to mess with you¡¯, but that reason was too petty of me. I finally decided to tell her a more noble reason, ¡°I want to help them so that love will sprout as Ares comforts the pitiful Leah!¡± ¡°If he wants to be happy, he¡¯ll get along with the woman he loves. As far as I know, Lady Leah Saturnos is an impossibly cheerful lady, sometimes she doesn¡¯t even notice her surroundings and has a simple appearance. How can she stand in this cunning social world?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t the novels lead to the same ending even if I intervene anyway?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The ¡®author¡¯ was dumbstruck from my reply. Seeing her tongue-tied appearance, a strange sense of victory enveloped me. I continued in a reassuring tone, ¡°I won¡¯t meddle too much. I can¡¯t play any major role in their relationship either way since I¡¯m just a side character.¡± ¡°¡­Alright.¡± I smiled sweetly at her, who was still staring at me with a lost expression. She gave me a shot, so this is what I¡¯ll do. The ¡®author¡¯ asked, observing me with her chin resting on her hand, ¡°Are you curious about anything else?¡± I thought for a moment, yet shook my head with a content smile. ¡°No. For now, I already know most of the things that I need to know. If I have any questions, I¡¯ll ask you later.¡± ¡°Do you expect me to answer more that easily?¡± Her unexpected answer stunned me. ¡°Does this mean we will never encounter each other anymore?¡± ¡°Why do you think so?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious how the story is going to progress?¡± ¡°I can know that without having to meet you. However, if you want to see me, I¡¯ll show up sometimes at this tea house, in this place.¡± I was relieved. Unknowingly, I seem to have recognized and accepted this ¡®author¡¯ as the creator of this world. When I found out that she wouldn¡¯t disappear, I felt unconsciously relieved. ¡°You don¡¯t plan on telling me when you¡¯ll come?¡± ¡°I will come whenever I want to.¡± I laughed. ¡°I must be very lucky to have met you. Well, I guess this is goodbye for now.¡± The ¡®author¡¯ looked at me curiously. ¡°You seem to have a stronger mental fortitude than I expected. I didn¡¯t even describe this personality in my novel.¡± I spoke to the ¡®author¡¯ in a guiding tone. ¡°You are not an almighty ¡®God¡¯. In the parts you didn¡¯t describe, my life was formed out of my own will, some of my personality must have been partly developed there. It¡¯s arrogant of you to think that you know everything.¡± ¡°Yes, you aren¡¯t entirely wrong.¡± Unexpectedly, she readily admitted her shortcomings. She emptied her teacup before getting up. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go first. Nice to meet you, Bianca.¡± I smiled at her and responded, ¡°It was nice meeting you as well. Oh and¡­ can I just call you ¡®author¡¯?¡± She giggled and laughed. ¡°Alright. You may call me ¡®author¡¯.¡± I decided to honor the creator of my world with this nickname. ¡°Alright, ¡®author¡¯. Till we meet again.¡± ¡°Haha! Bye!¡± The ¡®author¡¯ smiled cheerfully and left. Standing by the side of my usual seat, I looked at the path she took as she walked away, waving her hand, with a smiley face. At her fading back, I fell into a chair with a vacant expression. My head dropped listlessly. The truth about this world I¡¯ve learned weighed tremendously on my back. Everything that made me, Bianca Uranos, was created by the intention of the ¡®author¡¯. To act as a supporting character of this thorough novel. Even this affection for Lord Ares Jupiter was created by the ¡®author¡¯, so it wasn¡¯t genuine. I felt wetness on the back of my hand as I inadvertently rubbed my face. Without knowing, tears were dripping down my face. It¡¯s not ¡®real¡¯, but why was I so apprehensive? It was just a forged emotion anyway, but¡­ why was I holding on to it so much? I sighed heavily. All sorts of thoughts rallied in my heart. Moments later, I decided to forget about them. My love for Lord Jupiter wasn¡¯t my own either way, why should I hold on to it when it will bring me so much pain? It felt as if I was temporarily released from my heart ache. I¡¯ve longed for my affection to be requited. Unfortunately, after knowing the truth about this world, it seemed ridiculous to have regrets about my unrequited love. I peeked out of my window. Is this a twisted fate? Outside, Lord Ares Jupiter could be seen entering the wine bar Dionysus. I looked at him and muttered quietly in my heart. Goodbye. My first and last love. Ares Jupiter was the same age as me, our birth dates only differed for a few days. He is the heir to the Duke of Jupiter, a prestigious noble with a long history. A man who has a sincere personality and gentle manners. Nonetheless, even without all these titles upon him, I fell in love with him at the first sight. Just looking at him once was enough to leave butterflies in my stomach. Maybe his brilliant appearance was the cause. However, even without his rank and status, he still piqued my interest. As he was a good-natured man himself. I didn¡¯t know that this feeling would last for more than two years. At this point, I couldn¡¯t say that I fell in love with only his appearance, I had fallen for his entire existence. He was courteous to women, but never to the point of being affectionate or seductive. All the young adolescents of my age were anxious and tried countlessly to make him set his gaze at one of them. I didn¡¯t want to dip into the muddy water, and so I faked my disinterest. I maintained my noble and high facade. It¡¯s all about my pride and self-esteem. I didn¡¯t want to admit that I had fallen in love so easily, so I pretended as if I wasn¡¯t attracted to him. My feelings weren¡¯t real anyway. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 TL/Editor: Alcatraz/Latte The next morning, I felt renewed. Even though it was the same as everyday, I felt different today. It¡¯s probably because of my current mindset. Actually, it was. I knew that even if I didn¡¯t meet the ¡®author¡¯, I would eventually meet my end one day. Nonetheless, I lived my life normally like how I used to¡ªas though my death was still far away. Honestly. I¡¯ve almost forgotten about the topic of death itself! But frankly, I felt like a fool. As long as a person lives, they are going to die one day, nothing should¡¯ve changed despite knowing that it would come sooner. Maybe I did live carelessly before¡­ I came down to the dining room and had my usual breakfast with my parents. Now, even these trivial routines felt precious. I was a fool. To think that I spent these treasured times recklessly and take them for granted¡­ I laughed and went along with the conversation. I thought I had behaved normally, yet my father questioned my behavior. ¡°Bianca. Are you okay?¡± My heart was pounding against my ribcage. Was I acting that differently than I usually was? I was trying to behave normally. I just wanted to treasure every moment, but was I being too obvious? I struggled to manage my expression straight as I fumbled for an answer. ¡°What do you mean, father? It¡¯s just because I¡¯m feeling a bit better today. I¡¯m excited for the upcoming spring.¡± My father eyed me suspiciously, however he stopped asking any more questions. Now, let¡¯s not go overboard. I should behave as usual. Calmly, like how I used to be. Back in my room, I was preparing to go out to the salon, where the young ladies of my age gathered. Did you know how strenuous it was to maintain my position as the flower of society? There were many places where I had to show your face, and there were many places to attend to. Everyday, my schedule was filled to the brim. Maybe it was better to spend my time quietly as my death¡¯s approaching, but I was a social butterfly. If I wanted to live my life as myself, I was better off mingling with people. My exclusive maid, Miranda, stood beside the dressing table and asked in an accustomed pompous tone, ¡°How should I do your hair today, miss?¡± What kind of hairstyle do I want today? I pondered for a while, but to no avail. Then, I remembered that Miranda was always posted on the latest trends and fashion. Thus, she should be able to style my hair perfectly without having me make a decision for myself. ¡°You may do whatever you want.¡± Miranda¡¯s face frowned. Is this request too much of a burden to her? ¡°Then, I¡¯ll let it down naturally and brush it.¡± This¡­ I told her to do whatever she wanted, maybe she thought it meant I wasn¡¯t not going to do anything¡­ Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°Alright. Great.¡± Her expression turned odd as if she just saw a ghost. I raised my brows, inquiring about her actions. However, she immediately shook her head and started brushing my ebony-like hair gently. My eyes closed instinctively at the therapeutic combing. With my eyes closed, I thought of Miranda¡¯s preferences. Miranda is a year younger than me. She had started working as a maid early to help with the living expenses of her family. It¡¯s been her third year since she became my exclusive maid, and she was the maid I took as soon as I debuted in the social world. She was quite a snob, but I think it couldn¡¯t be helped. She was born in a poor family and since she was a child, she had been working on all kinds of chores to earn her living expenses, maybe money was her favorite thing. It was evident that her salary from the count could cover most of her living fees. Though, I had never seen her buy something for herself. She looks as though everything around her was cumbersome, but in truth, she has greater potential to see things far differently than many other people. I asked her candidly, there¡¯s a high-chance she will not respond truthfully. It would be nice to do something for her before my death. ¡­Should I just go for it either way? ¡°Miranda, is there anything you want to buy? Talk about it before I change my mind. I will buy you anything you want.¡± As expected, Miranda¡¯s look through the mirror. From her expression, it was evident that she was startled by my sudden question. Nevertheless, her hand didn¡¯t stop combing. ¡°I do not know, miss. I¡¯ve never thought about it.¡± ¡°Do you? Hmm, alright then.¡± Miranda asked, staring at me through the mirror. ¡°You¡¯re being unusual today, miss. What happened?¡± Sigh. I was really bad at this. My father caught me before, and now Miranda too? ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s the spring breeze. So tell me your answer. Just entertain me.¡± Miranda, looking at me dubiously, before she finally answered. ¡°¡­I want to try on an evening gown.¡± My expression turned vague for a second. I, who was by her side, didn¡¯t even notice that she was a girl my age. Seeing myself, dressed up gorgeously and attending a party, I wondered how much she had longed for it. My eyes were getting hot from contained tears, before I managed to reply with a cheerful voice. ¡°Good. Then when we go out, we should stop by the dress shop.¡± You can buy advanced chapter here Chapter 5 TL/Editor: Alcatraz/Latte Episode 5 ¨C How To Live as a Supporting Actor With an Impending Death (2) Miranda immediately changed her expression. ¡°It was a joke, miss. I have my own dress. An evening gown is too cumbersome. I¡¯d rather sell lace on it.¡± I can hang all the accessories in my jewelry box if I say so, it won¡¯t be inside. I silently ignored Miranda¡¯s words and spoke to her again, ¡°Well, let¡¯s get ready to head out.¡± Looking at Miranda¡¯s astonished expression, I closed my eyes again. God knows, this may be my first and last gift to her, I will give her the best gift. As promised, before going to the salon, I stopped by Mrs. Nyx¡¯s Tailor Shop. Miranda, who accompanied me, was at a loss for words. In contrast, I smiled over her stupefied gaze. Mrs. Nyx was surprised when I came to the shop, without calling her over as I usually did. However, today, I was not fixing my clothes, it¡¯s more convenient to stop by the store. I ordered a dress with Miranda beside me, and Mrs. Nyx looked at me with unconcealed admiration. ¡°Lady Uranos is a really generous person. You are even making an exclusive dress for your maid!¡± ¡°Haha, thank you. Please take good care of this order as well.¡± Miranda, beside me, had a rarely seen embarrassed expression. As we were talking about the design of the dress, the doorbell rang, resounding loudly within the room as we all turned toward the entrance. ¡°Ah, l. . . Dress¡­.¡± A girl entered the shop with an innocent look. And as fate would have it, the girl was Leah Saturnos, the female protagonist. When Leah Saturnos entered, the shop that was clamorous from trying to match my and Miranda¡¯s outfits, became still. We were the only customers in the shop, and as the loyal customer of Mrs. Nyx, it was within the norm for us to make some racket. Mrs. Nyx welcomed the new customer with a pleasant voice and a business-like smile. ¡°Welcome. It seems like this is your first visit to my shop¡­.¡± Considering my friendly relationship with Mrs. Nyx, I decided to help smoothen the atmosphere. ¡°This is Lady Leah Saturnos. She made her debut last week, if I¡¯m not mistaken?¡± I gave her a thorough glance. I tend to remember people¡¯s faces very well. Yesterday, even though the ¡®author¡¯ only told me her name, Leah Saturn¡ªthe female protagonist, I was able to conjure her face in my mind immediately. And, now, it seems like I won¡¯t be able to forget it till the day I die. Perhaps because there was someone who recognized him, Lady Saturnos nodded with visible excitement. Well¡­ she¡¯s like a puppy. A Yorkshire Terrier, perhaps? Mrs. Nyx said to Lady Saturnos with an apologetic face. ¡°Oh, so you are the young lady who debuted last week! I apologize for my lack of knowledge. Would you like to sit here for a moment? I have to take care of Lady Uranos¡¯s dress first.¡± At her reply, Lady Leah Saturnos hesitated before she finally spoke. ¡°Well, are you by chance Countess Uranos?¡± I smiled small and affirmed her question. Upon hearing my reply, Lady Saturnos eagerly asked me with puppy-like eyes. ¡°Would it be possible for me to see the dress countess is choosing? I had my debut a little while ago and I don¡¯t have any friends to help me, so I¡¯m not sure of what I¡¯m supposed to do!¡± I was puzzled. No matter how recently she debuted, she has lived for 18 years, yet she has no friends? Not a faction, but a friend. ¡°Pardon my crude question, however don¡¯t you have any friends, Miss?¡± Lady Saturnos seemed troubled before she replied with an embarrassed face. ¡°l do have friends¡­ Unfortunately everyone told me that they were busy. I have to attend a banquet that will take place after 15 days and I still haven¡¯t chosen my dress.¡± Busy. What a convenient excuse? They may be truthful, however it was strange that all of them were too busy to help the lady, who had to attend her first banquet after her debut. Is there any Young Lady busier than me in this capital city? Even then, when my friends asked for help, I used to set aside time to help them, unless there was really an urgent situation. Busy was the word you should only use when you were really occupied. Mrs. Nyx looked at me silently, wondering whether I had the same idea as she did. Her gaze was questioning my intention, whether I would help the protagonist. I replied to her with a glance. ¡°I¡¯ll help you,¡± I¡¯m going to die either way, so my pride doesn¡¯t matter. I turned to Lady Saturnos. ¡°Very well. I will help you choose a dress. However, first of all, I have to finish my business. Could you wait for a moment?¡± ¡°Yes, of course! Do you mind if I join you?¡± I asked Miranda. ¡°Miranda, is it okay for Lady Saturnos to come along?¡± Of course, Miranda nodded violently. Just by having her own evening dress, she was happy enough to not mind an intrusion. Lady Saturnos was surprised. ¡°Oh, it wasn¡¯t Countess Uranos dress! Oh my, you¡¯re making an exclusive maid¡¯s dress as well¡­!¡± I laughed. ¡°She had been dealing with me for several years, this is the least that I can do for her.¡± After that, Mrs. Nyx and I turned Miranda back and forth, discussing which part of the dress should be emphasized, and which one would look good on her. Saturnos was watching this scene with wide eyes. I occasionally glanced at the lady¡¯s face and thought. She¡¯s the heroine, however does she know that she is the protagonist of this world? She seemed to have no idea. Even her friends don¡¯t take her very seriously, so how would anybody realize she was the protagonist? However, I had no intention of revealing the truth since I had already decided to keep the truth of this world to myself. However, it would be nice if she had some self-confidence. Mrs. Nyx wrote down Miranda¡¯s measurement in a notebook and took notes of the order, thus completing the order. After letting the weary Miranda sit down for a while, I said to Saturnos. ¡°Now, it¡¯s your turn. First, before Mrs. Nyx returns, let¡¯s set a rough estimation on the style of your dress.¡± In order to be a flower of society, I had to understand the upcoming fashion trends like the back of my hand. The effort I¡¯ve poured to get to this point, perhaps no other lady would ever know! Leah Saturnos answered with a flushed face. ¡°I¡¯ve always stayed at the baron¡¯s estate all the time, so I¡¯m not very accustomed to the ongoing fashion trends. What does Lady Uranos think?¡± Alas, my questions about her had been resolved. She had been living in the rural area and came to the capital for her coming-of-age ceremony and social debut. It was also a typical move of typical lords. Perhaps, it was the case since the Saturnian family had a stronger position in the local aristocracy circle rather than the central aristocracy. I looked at Saturnos. This young lady is a noblewoman who just debuted. She was too innocent to make any uncomfortable remarks, and when she¡¯s in a good mood, she became overly cheerful. In a word, she was like a clueless child who was thrown out into the wild out of the blue. Rather than exuding the maturity of the women in aristocracy, she held the image of an innocent young girl. It was a style a young lady that hadn¡¯t debuted would be able to use. However, Leah Saturnos recently debuted, which meant I couldn¡¯t use her former style. Nevertheless, I did my best to pick a dress for Leah Saturnos with the help of Mrs. Nyx and Miranda. Before we knew it, we were all working on Saturnos¡¯ new dress. When the rough design was completed, Saturnos thanked us sincerely. ¡°Thank you so much! In fact, the reason why I came to this dress shop was because I heard rumors that Count Uranos, the flower of the society, is a regular here. However, after receiving so much of your help, I really don¡¯t know how to thank you!¡± I found her twinkling eyes very endearing. Without me realizing it, a motherly smile bloomed on my face. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing the lady in this dress. I hope you have a wonderful banquet.¡± Saturnos, with her twinkling eyes, rummaged through her handbag, remembering something. I was looking at her with a puzzled face, before soon she pulled out a white envelope and handed it to me. ¡°This is an invitation to the banquet. It¡¯s my father¡¯s birthday banquet.¡± Oh, was it? It seems like I had no idea of the banquet since we had a different circle of friends. It may be due to their fiefs located in the rural areas. Then, there won¡¯t be many people attending. I asked her worriedly, ¡°Were there many nobles who sent their intention to attend?¡± As I expected, she smiled dispiritedly and shook her head. ¡°My father doesn¡¯t have a deep relationship with the central aristocrats.. Nonetheless, I will do my best to serve the attendees.¡± I accepted the invitation with a nod. ¡°Thank you for the invitation. I will reply to you at a later date.¡± ¡°Please come if you may! I have to thank you for your assistance today¡­.¡± She smiled as she touched my hand. She truly wanted to return the favor for helping her find her dress. ¡°It¡¯s alright, truly. I¡¯m not the kind of noble that needs such simple favors to be returned.¡± ¡°B-but. I smiled refreshingly at Saturnos, who had a troubled expression. Anyway, my business at the shop was over, so I got up with Miranda. ¡°Mrs. Nyx. I look forward to the dress.¡± ¡°When it¡¯s done, I¡¯ll send it to the mansion.¡± I replied to affirm, before I finally left the dress shop, with Lea Saturnos waving eagerly as we separated. On the way to the salon, Miranda muttered to herself, while looking at me with a disoriented expression. ¡°How odd. Young lady is acting strange.¡± I raised my eyebrows and refuted it. ¡°I¡¯ve always been like this! Is it so shocking to see me act this way?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. I¡¯ve always known that my lady is kind, however your kindness is limited to certain people. And I can say with confidence that Lady Saturnos, whom I met today, is not one of them. It¡¯s odd to see my lady behaving like this.¡± Miranda rarely spoke much. I was seriously troubled about whether my behaviour was strange. Was it that obvious that I am preparing for my death? I should¡¯ve practiced my poker face better. If someone asked whether death scared me, honestly, I was frightened. The lack of knowledge of my death, such as the way I die and the time of my death, honestly made the future more terrifying. The notion of whether my death would be painful or tortuous, or I would die as fear slowly consumed me. Those thoughts plagued my mind. But no matter what my death looks like, it¡¯s a foolish choice to stay in the same place over my fear. I wanted to spend the rest of my life loving the people around me. So I decided to set my fear aside and instead, focus on those who needed my help, and gave generously as much as I could. Regardless of giving my time or material. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 ¨C How To Live as a Supporting Actor With an Impending Death (3) TL/Editor: Alcatraz/Latte Perhaps, I looked so forlorn that Miranda, who usually kept to herself, began to worry about me. ¡°My lady, I was just concerned about you. Don¡¯t let my words affect you. Everyone knows that the young lady is a kind person. Even though I¡¯m accustomed to Miranda¡¯s bluntness, still.. ¡°My lady would get angry when in the wrong, however we just have to be careful about that. Yes, I was emotional! Even, the ¡®author¡¯ affirmed that. Still, I wasn¡¯t that easily angered! Miranda muttered again, as she sensed me being upset. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, my lady.¡¯ . 1 got it!¡± In the end, we arrived at the salon, bickering on the way. The salon I commonly went to was a place where many aristocrats in a friendly relationship with me gathered. This time, one of my best friends, Count Metis Nereid, was the host. There weren¡¯t many people in the salon today. Thanks to this, Metis, who seemed to be idle, was able to greet me as she fanned herself. ¡°Bianca, aren¡¯t you a bit tardy than usual?¡± I hugged her lightly and greeted her. I told her that I had to stop by the tailor. ¡°l was stopping by Mrs. Nyx¡¯s shop when I met Lady Leah Saturnos. As soon as Metis heard the name, she made an odd expression. ¡°Sigh, isn¡¯t she the country bumpkin who made her debut last week?¡± That¡¯s a harsh way to describe her. With no knowledge of my opinion, Metis clicked her tongue and continued. ¡°Nonetheless, that young lady had a big incident yesterday!¡± Hmm? It was the first time I¡¯ve heard of it. There¡¯s nothing out of the ordinary when we met at the shop a while ago? ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Oh my goodness, you would never have imagined, yesterday she kissed Lord Ares Jupiter in the downtown area!¡± What!!! My mind went blank. Leah Satumos did what?! For a moment, my vision darkened and my leg went limp. However I mustn¡¯t show others something so unsightly. Before long, I managed to steady myself and rearranged my composure. My feelings should never be noticed by others, even by Metis! I asked her, disguising my fluctuating emotion with the composed voice. ¡®How did she manage to get into an accident with the famous Lord Jupiter?¡± Metis replied, frowning as she was annoyed to have to imagine the incident again. ¡°According to the witnesses, Leah Saturnos was walking around in the downtown area when she bumped into Lord Jupiter, who was coming out of the wine bar. They both lost their balance before falling down, thus Leah Saturnos accidently kissed Jupiter on the lips It was rather surprising for me to get ahold of this news this late. To sum it up, yesterday, after I met the ¡®author¡¯ at the Aphrodite Teahouse and went home, Lord Jupiter, who went out to a wine bar, came into contact with Lady Saturnos, who was strolling around the bustling downtown area. Somehow they ended up kissing As expected, the encounter between the male and female protagonists was indeed unavoidable. This incident really piqued my interest about the ¡®author¡¯s¡¯ age. How old was she when writing such a ridiculous idea? I thought their relationship would start with a more realistic budding romance, but no! Kissing as soon as they met! What was the ¡®author¡¯ thinking? Come to think of it, the novel only began to progress from the day the ¡®author¡¯ entered the world. Since the ¡®author¡¯ came yesterday, the meeting between the male and female protagonists, the main starting point of the novel, happened yesterday. Based on the plot, I racked my brain as I started calculating when I would die. Usually, in a novel, when does the antagonist die? ¡°Metis, do you read a lot of romance novels?¡± Metis answer came delayed, stunned by the sudden jump of the topic ¡°Huh? I guess not. I don¡¯t really like that kind of stuff. Seems like both of us didn¡¯t. Struck by the sudden revelation, I hurriedly bid my goodbye to Metis and took my leave from the salon. Where should I go now? Shall I go to the bookstore? When Miranda saw me depart from the salon without even having the chance to enjoy a cup of tea, she cried out, ¡°My lady is being strange again. However, right now my mind is preoccupied. No words of her entered my heart as I had found a way to estimate my death! I opened the door to the bookstore spiritedly and entered. I immediately requested the owner to give me all the available romance books. Soon the bookstore owner came with a surprisingly huge amount of romance novels, all arranged neatly one by one. The bookstore owner asked in amazement. ¡°Is the young lady going to buy all of these?¡± ¡°Yes. Most of the romance books consisted of a single volume, still there were a large number of series. I rounded up all of them in one place and bought all of the books. The owner of the bookstore stared at me in shock, for the amount of books I bought was no small amount. However, now it was a question of when I would be able to read them all. Anyway, when I came home with the wagon, everyone was amazed and was dubious of my intention. They were confused as to why I was hoarding all of these romance novels. I apologized, however I couldn¡¯t tell any of them the truth, else everyone would think I was mental if I confessed that I was trying to figure out the timing of my death. From that night on, I carefully read and wrote down in my notebook the death of the villains in the romance novels. It didn¡¯t take as long as I had expected to analyze a book, since I only had to find and read the important parts. Still, it may take me quite a while to read all these books. Nonetheless, I was really curious. How vicious did I become, to die in the middle of a novel? To what extent had my misconduct progressed, that the ¡®author¡¯ had to kill me in the novel? The fact that my death was one of the major plot points in the story, was my death written to rouse the interest of the readers? If my death gave the feeling of satisfaction to the reader as the form of retribution for my misdeed. How detestable was I as the villain? I stopped reading and closed my eyes for a moment. A villain who turned into an incamation of jealousy and harassed the main character couple What would it feel like? I imagined the recent news, where Lord Ares Jupiter, the male protagonist, and Lady Leah Saturnos, the female protagonist, accidently locked lips on the street. I wondered whether that¡¯s how the relationship between the two began. Even though the thought only flashed for a moment, my eyes that were shut close went wide open from the overflowing emotion. The protagonist caught the eye of Lord Jupiter with ease, while the supporting character was destined for a painful death. Not to mention, I had this unrequited love suppressed for all these years, whilst she had captured his heart within mere seconds! This was unfair. From birth, my life was preordained to die in exchange for their happiness. No matter what happened, I was simply meant not to be with him. If only someone had told me about this earlier, I would have an easier time. My uncontrollable resentment came. My heart lurched from grief as the tip of my nose gradually went sore. Leah Saturnos had been the center of this world from birth, her happy ending had been guaranteed even before she came to this world. She didn¡¯t need to face any hardship. Just by staying still, the world would revolve around her and molded to fulfill her happiness. The biliousness overcame me and soon followed by the unstoppable sorrow. I was envious of Lady Leah Saturnos. I envy the attention and love she would get from Lord Jupiter. And by now I¡¯ve gotten a glimpse of how I became a villain. ¡®l¡¯ was covetous of her fortune, ¡®l¡¯ shed countless tears from resentment. And in order to vent these negative emotions, ¡®l¡¯ blamed and tried to ruin Leah Saturnos, becoming the ordained villain in the process. I was jealous of her, who had something that I had long yearned for. From then on, blinded by jealousy, ¡®l¡¯ became self-destructive. Then, to prevent myself from being the villain, I need to let go of this feeling of unjustness and envy, rid of the idea that she was to blame for all of my future misfortune. Only then, would I manage to break this devilish fate. It is not Leah¡¯s fault, nor Juupiter¡¯s. This was their fate. Lord Jupiter and Lady Satumos were destined to have a happy ending. If I wanted to blame someone, I should have accused the ¡®author¡¯. Those two were the same as me, puppets within the play that the ¡®author¡¯ had designed. And no matter how much I cried out to the writer for a chance, my existence was nothing more than a replaceable figure that could be killed and saved at will. It¡¯s no use appealing to her. There was only one way to relieve myself of this negative emotion. By leaming to accept this fate silently. No matter how hard I struggled to escape the ¡®author¡¯s¡¯ will, it was futile. It would drive me mad, and the negative emotions that derived from it would simply eat me up. I didn¡¯t want to live like that. Until the end, I would remain as myself. I would quietly accept the destiny that was given, and live the remaining time for myself. I also wished to help the people I love find their own happiness. Another irrepressible tear slid down my cheeks Why am I crying again? My love and infatuation for him was fictitious. Why was I wasting my tears on something so pointless? I should focus on things that are more important to me. After a few days of researching through the countless romance novels, I was finally able to get a rough prediction of when I would die. In a novel, the villain¡¯s harassment would lead to the peak. The villain would cause the protagonists¡¯ greatest crisis, when the crisis was resolved soon the end of the villain followed. So, when the villain dies, the novel will be nearing its end. In other words, it means that my death was right before the protagonist couple¡¯s happy ending reached its conclusion. Hmm. Then, in order to determine when I would die, I had to check how far the relationship between Lord Jupiter and Lady Saturnos had progressed. ? Again, how was I supposed to check on them? Perhaps, the best way to find out was by asking in person. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t think my first impression with Lady Leah Satumos went awfully, so I may be able to approach her and probe whether her relationship with Lord Jupiter was going well. Although, it¡¯s a bit heartbreaking to make sure the person I held unrequited feelings for was happily in love with another woman. Then the happy ending of the couple, perhaps, it¡¯s a marriage? A happy ending that I could have thought of was a marriage! Sigh¡­ In a way, my death was a blessing in disguise, since I would die before the story ended, I wouldn¡¯t need to see their marriage. Chapter 7 Chapter 7 ¨C How To Live a Supporting Actor Who With an Impending Death (4) TL/Editor: Alcatraz/Latte How could I forget this voice? It was Leah Saturnos. A bitter tang surged to my tongue, enveloping what¡¯s left of my taste bud. I forced myself to turn around with a compelling smile. At that moment, I saw another person standing by her side. It was Ares Jupiter. He stood silently next to Leah Saturnos. His appearance was that of a picturesque painting. His blond hair reflected the sunlight brightly like strands of gold, and his eyes was a darker shade of aurum, shone beautifully like gems. He was beautiful as if the sun was enveloping him softly in his embrace. My breathing stalled from my sore and stuffy chest. I didn¡¯t come here to see the show of affection between the male and female protagonists! How did those two come to know of this place? I tried to laugh this ridiculous situation off and finally responded to their presence. ¡°¡­l see that we¡¯ve met once again, Lady Saturnos.¡± I propped myself up as I gradually got up from my sitting position. As long as those two appeared, I had no intention to stay here any longer. Saturnos spoke to Lord Jupiter in a jovial tone, ¡°Ares! This is Lady Uranos, she helped me a few days ago.¡± Great, they¡¯re even on a first name basis now. Seemed like since they were the main couple, their relationship progressed very quickly. Oh, how my heart ached from longing and jealousy. I just wanted to go home as soon as possible. Lord Jupiter nodded politely and rested his beautiful eyes on me. With one gaze from him, my sore heart elevated from joy. However, I didn¡¯t need these false feelings. ¡°l have heard of Lady Uranos. My Lady is known as one of the most beautiful young ladies in high society.¡± A warm low-pitched voice tickled my sense of hearing. Stop, this artificial emotion should stop influencing me. Stop stirring up my emotions. From his greeting, I managed to return a bitter smile after so much difficulty. He¡¯s only heard of me from the grapevine as the flower of society. Nevertheless, he had given me a compliment. So I should express my gratitude. Fortunately, the manners that have been instilled on my body for all these years responded automatically on my behalf. ¡°Thank you, you have sung words of great praise, Lord Jupiter. I have heard of My Lord as well. It¡¯s unfortunate that we have only managed to hold our first conversation now.¡± A gentle smile blossomed from his face. It¡¯s our first encounter, yet the first thing I see is him being friendly with Lady Saturnos. Oh, please could someone just kill me. I was having a hard time just by simply imagining such scenarios. Seeing the two together in real life was not good for my faint of heart. I should leave this place immediately. ¡°It looks like the two of you came at a good time. I¡¯ve already spent a lot of time here, so I¡¯ll go first. Till we meet again.. As I was in the midst of bidding my goodbye, Leah Saturnos, with an innocent expression, cut off my words. ¡°It was fortunate for us to meet like this. How about having a chat together? I was just talking about the Lady¡¯s story!¡± She was talking about me? Well, it seemed that Lady Saturnos had a really great first impression of me at the tailor. But that doesn¡¯t mean I have to deliberately remain in this uncomfortable position. I refused neatly in a cold tone. ¡°l apologize. I have bid my goodbye. One should be perceptive enough to know when a woman and man wants to spend time together. I am not blind enough to deliberately stay here,¡± I said while climbing over the horse¡¯s back after I pulled the reins that tied it to the tree. Without casting back a second glance, I rode down the hill, ignoring the gaze of Lady Saturnos, who stared at me at a loss for words, and Lord Jupiter, who was also staring at me silently. Ha, is it my nature as villainess? I could have managed that situation better, but strangely harsh words left my mouth without my knowledge. Would they think of me oddly? No, why would it matter how they thought of me? Whether I liked it or not, I was still the villain of this novel, it doesn¡¯t matter what I did. Eitherway, I had no intention of sitting like a barley sack with a couple hanging out next to me talking about God knows what. I¡¯m not sure if I was being too cold. However, it seemed as though I did the right thing by refusing the invitation on the spur of the moment. I returned to the estate and picked up one of the books left within the stacks of romance novels. The female protagonists in the novel was so innocent and cheerful that I had to force myself to read through the story. As I had expected, this novel I was reading had a similar plot line. Hmm, shall I recite it? Let¡¯s omit the female protagonist¡¯s name as it was not important. The protagonist came from a dirt-poor family. She possessed a strong will and would not succumb to difficulties. Her kindness was overflowing and she took great care of the people around her. No matter what happened, she held her positive and optimistic belief and would not lose her cheerfulness. The woman who was favored by everyone around her and as usual was given an invincible buff that made everyone praised for whatever she did. Reading up to this point, I closed the book with a snap. It was too much. What¡¯s the point of all these stories if all of them ended up having a similar female protagonist, the one that would get all the buff? She didn¡¯t want to lose her cheerfulness in the face of difficulties. No matter what she did, she hoped that everyone would understand her in good faith and had good feelings without misunderstanding. However, there¡¯s no such thing in this world. In high society, I had to cautiously maintain my tone and attitude to prevent misunderstanding. Even though I had reached this position through my continuous efforts, still there were countless envious gazes thrown at me. I couldn¡¯t get everyone to like me. No matter how hard I held my speech and manners, there were bound to be people who hated me. This was the truth of the world I have been living in. However, as it turned out, the world I had been living in was not the reality, it was a world woven out of a novel. Therefore, in this ¡®reality¡¯, there was a female protagonist like Leah Saturnos who received the protagonist halo. Along with the male protagonist, Ares Jupiter. If I look back, he also took my heart away without any effort, so what would it be if it was not the protagonist buff? As for me, I had to pour continuous efforts to acquire the title as the flower of society. Sigh¡­ let¡¯s stop mulling over these useless thoughts. Since now I knew that this world was preordained, I would rather die as soon as possible and leave this world for a better one. If I died, would I go to another world? Would the new world also follow a storyline set by another ¡®author¡¯? I¡¯d ask the ¡®author¡¯ when I see her next time. As I threw the romance novels I had read and rolled around on the bed, I suddenly remembered that the ¡®author¡¯ had also abandoned their dimension and entered this novel. What kind of world did she live in and why in the world would she abandon it? Why did she create her own and enter this ¡®perfect¡¯ world? Did she leave without a second thought because the world in which she lived was unjust? Maybe she and I could have a heart-to-heart conversation. Chapter 3. This Was All Set-Up (1) From then on, for the next few days, at every tea party or salon that I attended, there would be a constant talk of Leah Saturnos and Ares Jupiter. From the first encounter, the two met through a huge incident, which caused an uproar. And since Ares Jupiter never had any entanglement with any woman, soon, the couple became the talk of the society. What surprised me the most was the envious young ladies, there were more of them than I had expected. Frankly, I thought that as the heroine, no one would be capable of hating her except for the villain, as her rival in love. However, perhaps, the ¡®author¡¯ didn¡¯t write the novel to its minute details, thus creating other characters free from the plot she had designed. Characters, like Metis and others had their own thoughts and feelings, that may be the reason for their constant comment of how Lea Saturnos was unfit for Ares Jupiter. Anyway, when I heard the rumors, it seemed that in the few days that had passed since they met me, they had been spending their sweet time together. Some people spotted them taking a walk in the woods, while others witnessed them eating skewers at the market affectionately, and there were even stories of seeing the two standing side by side next to a tree where they wrote their wishes and tied a wish ribbon. What a surprise! For the main couple to go on a date that was every woman¡¯s dream, I had to say that the protagonist halo was quite incredible. With Baron Saturnos¡¯s birthday banquet approaching, I held the letter for the party in my hand as I contemplated. I was troubled whether I should accept the invitation. It was the invitation I received from Lady Saturnos when I met her at the tailor a few days ago. Although, if there was one irrefutable fact that I was quite certain of, it was that Lord Ares Jupiter would appear at the banquet as her partner. My feelings were the least important issue, given the prospect that there may not be many guests attending Baron Saturnos¡¯s banquet. Wouldn¡¯t the aristocracy deemed the party as a shabby feast? Though with his and Leah¡¯s presence, I wasn¡¯t the most eager to attend this party, however as the flower of society, I should help save their dignity. In addition, I have not yet responded to the invitation nor rejected the invitation. Implicitly, I would automatically be included in the list of guests scheduled to attend. If I didn¡¯t go, people would assume that I was showing hostility toward her and her family. I took a deep breath. I was not a villain. I would not die as a villain. I would live as a noble and the flower of society until the end of my life, before my life finally withered away. Even though Lord Jupiter would stand by Lady Saturnos lovingly, why should I be influenced by the emotions created by the ¡®author¡¯? I should stand by my ground and fight these feelings. The next day, the banquet for Baron Saturnos was supposed to begin early in the evening. Nonetheless, as a well-mannered guest, I came a bit earlier than the designated time. An ornate carriage with the pattern of Count Uranos halted in front of the simple baron¡¯s mansion, and l, dressed more splendid as ever, stepped out of the carriage alone. Based on the norm, women who were in a similar social position as me could attend banquets once or twice without a partner. When I entered the banquet hall, the eyes of the people in the banquet hall were on me. Everyone must have been surprised. They might be wondering what kind of friendship I had with Baron Saturnos to attend this rather private party. With a simple nod as a greeting to familiar faces that were astonished by my presence, I walked ahead and found Leah Saturnos, a member of the family that hosted today¡¯s banquet. She was wearing the dress she had ordered from Mrs. Nyx¡¯s dress shop. As expected, with my knowledge of the current fashion and Mrs. Nyx¡¯s experiences merged, our teamwork produced great results. And as expected, Ares Jupiter stood brilliantly next to her. I tried to hide my expression that was worsening as seconds passed with a polite smile before I greeted Lady Saturnos. ¡°Lady Saturnos. Thank you for inviting me to the Baron¡¯s birthday banquet.¡¯ Her eyes shone brilliantly from excitement. ¡°l can¡¯t believe Lady Uranos really came! Your presence has brightened this banquet! My father will be very happy when he gets ahold of this news!¡± The lady exclaimed jubilantly as she held her hands together. ¡°l see. What a relief.¡± I simply responded, and I also gave brief greetings to Lord Jupiter, who was standing next to her. ¡°l see that Lord Jupiter has also come. Thanks to My Lord, the dignity of this banquet will also be further enhanced.¡± He smiled gently and shook his head. ¡°Would there be anything that raises the dignity just because of my appearance? The banquet hall has been quite lively since My Lady¡¯s arrival.¡± Sigh, I just hoped his compliment was sincere. My insides twisted from his words, however as usual I kept my expression still. Chapter 8 TL/Editor/Proofreader: Alcatraz/Gummy/Latte Chapter 8 This Was All Set-Up (2) Even though the banquet¡¯s main character, Baron Saturnos and his wife, finally appeared, less than 100 guests had gathered at the banquet hall. It should take quite some time before the family could establish themselves within high society. Still, thanks to Lady Saturnos¡¯s diligence of giving the invitations herself, her hard work paid off as several nobles my age attended the party. But upon further inspection, they don¡¯t seem to be genuine. They probably came to catch a glimpse of Lord Ares Jupiter. How could I speculate so? Well, it was quite apparent since the eyes of these young ladies were all glued to Lord Jupiter¡¯s figure. Furthermore, the gazes of the men were all focused on me. Huh. When the banquet was in full swing, the custom that occurred to a freshly debuted young lady stepping into the social world inevitably happened to Lady Saturnos. The young ladies immediately flocked around Lady Saturnos, who was alone; nowhere near Lord Ares Jupiter. I decided to enjoy a glass of wine as I watched the situation unfold from a distance. ¡°You must have tried harder than I expected, Lady Saturnos. I thought this banquet would be completely deserted,¡± one of the ladies sneered. ¡°For such an unsophisticated invitation, the banquet is quite a show,¡± the other taunted. ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡± As I expected, Leah Saturnos did not respond well to these vicious remarks. The social world was truly a battlefield. The crowds were trying to satisfy their perverse sense of superiority, aiming for the prey¡¯s neck and having them kneel at their feet, all to fulfill their ego. Wherever one went, there would be unprovoked malice. It was a common occurence to those in high society to feel envious of those they saw as a threat. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t intervene and help Lady Saturnos. This was something she had to go through on her own. She had to realize that she was no longer in the shade of her parents¡¯ protection and must be able to defend herself as an adult. Leah¡¯s face flushed as she barely managed to spit out a response. ¡°U-um¡­ I tried to make the party suitable for the other ladies. It¡¯s a bit lacking, but¡­ but I hope you enjoy it¡­¡± Sigh. I deplore her words. Especially her timid attitude. It was obvious that those young ladies were picking a fight, yet she still apologized as if she was really in the wrong. She was apologizing and bowing her head as if she lacked pride. Most of all, I didn¡¯t like her incompetence when she was going to be the one to stand by my beloved Ares. I felt appalled by the fact that this woman would become his lover just because she was the female protagonist. I hoped that, at the very least, she could become a partner that¡¯s fitting for Ares Jupiter¡¯s status. That way, I would feel as though their relationship was not so unjustified. After the group retreated, I approached Lady Saturnos, who was still at loss after the barrage of scathing comments. ¡°Lady Saturnos. Do you have a moment?¡± She gazed at me with tearful eyes, as if I were her savior. But I didn¡¯t laugh at her. Instead, I simply told her, ¡°You have done nothing wrong to the other ladies, so why are you being so subservient?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°The group of young ladies. Didn¡¯t you know that they were deliberately picking a fight?¡± I told her coldly. I had no intention of comforting her. Lady Saturnos was taken aback. She was surprised to see me confront her. I could see her naivety solely from her response. Just because I helped her once at the tailor didn¡¯t mean that I was on her side. ¡°Well, I knew it, but I was overwhelmed¡­¡± I was beginning to get annoyed. She¡¯s the female protagonist who would stand next to the person I loved, why couldn¡¯t she be slightly more confident? Although I was boiling with anger, my expression was cold. ¡°Just speak with confidence. Don¡¯t be so easily discouraged. When someone quarrels with you, say, ¡®l can¡¯t believe you don¡¯t recognize this classy decoration, you must have terrible taste.''¡± I sincerely continued, ¡°You are the main character of this world.¡± I didn¡¯t know how she would take my words, however this was the truth. Nonetheless, after the words left my mouth, I couldn¡¯t help thinking about my wretched reality. Undoubtedly¡­ She was the main character. Not me. What does it matter if I had the best dress at this banquet? And what was the value of my reputation as a social flower? In the end, I was just a supporting character whose role was to die for the two protagonists. Leah¡¯s eyes widened. She looked at me with glistening eyes decorated with tears. However, my job was complete. I turned my head without giving her a second glance. I felt the need to refresh myself, so I went out to the terrace, where I could see the adorned garden outside. ¡°Sigh. . .¡± I was exhausted from these useless emotions. I needed to raise my disheartened mood as soon as possible so that I could attend the banquet hall normally. As I was taking a deep breath, I heard footsteps approaching the terrace. Did I not pull the curtains down? I couldn¡¯t believe I missed the most basic etiquette! I closed my eyes tightly as I reprimanded myself for my carelessness. It was then, a familiar low voice reached my ear. ¡°Lady Uranos.¡± Oh, this day just kept getting worse. Lord Ares Jupiter was here. I made a poor attempt to smile before I turned toward the man. ¡°Oh, I forgot to draw the curtains. That¡¯s why you didn¡¯t know I was here. My apologies.¡± ¡°No, I knew. I saw the Lady coming this way.¡± I stared at Lord Jupiter. He was smiling softly and had an intrigued expression on his face. ¡°Well¡­. So, do you have anything you want to say to me.. ¡± Then he shook his head slightly and said, ¡°l don¡¯t have any particular intentions, but I heard what you said to Leah a while ago.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.¡± The smile on my face disappeared. Was he going to ask what I meant by telling her that she was the main character? ¡°l wanted to say thank you for your help. She needed a mentor who could teach her of the harsh reality of high society. It was something I couldn¡¯t do,¡± he smiled. Mentor, ha! What an ironic word, since I was a villain. When I didn¡¯t reply, he went on awkwardly, ¡°And¡­ I was very impressed with what Lady said, ¡®You are the main character of this world.¡±¡® Ah, what a relief. He interpreted my words in that way. He made me anxious for no reason. I replied with a smile, ¡°It is an analogy I made so that I can push her to be more confident in herself. I quoted it from a book.¡± In truth, I heard it from the ¡®author¡¯. Hearing my response, Ares replied with a bright smile, ¡°Lady Uranos must be the main character of this world as well.¡± Haha, I let out a laugh unconsciously. I could have given him a definite answer. No, I was not the main character. I was a supporting character. But how could I ever reveal this fact? Instead, I just gave him a casual smile. ¡°Lord Jupiter is also the main character.¡± Unlike his words, which are just superfluous flattery, I spoke the truth. Now, I really needed some personal space. Lord Jupiter seemed to have no intention of moving, so I asked him stiffly, ¡°If you stay here, people may target your lover again. Why are you not hurrying back to her?¡± ¡°My lover? Who are you talking about?¡± Lord Jupiter asked with a confused expression. I was rather surprised that he still felt the need to ask something so obvious. ¡°Oh, of course, it¡¯s Lady Saturnos. Both of you kissed in the downtown area¡­ People already know everything you both did in public. What else could I be talking about?¡± ¡°Ah, that is a misunderstanding.¡± He regained his smile. ¡°Obviously, it is true that we had an incident in the downtown area, but it is nothing more than an accident.¡± ¡°What? But what about the rendezvous that followed.. .?¡± ¡°Sigh. Actually, I was troubled because of that. I didn¡¯t expect that even My Lady would think of it that way.¡± His expression turned into a frown. I didn¡¯t know that this person could be so ignorant and dense as to not realise how his actions were seen by others. His explanation continued despite my thoughts. ¡°Maybe because Leah came from the local manor, she is rather naive and follows people very well. That¡¯s why I am quite accommodating of her bright personality. When we talked, we somehow were able to get acquainted quickly.¡± Perhaps it was due to my clouded judgement, however, in my mind all I could hear from him was excuses. So I smiled coldly and cut off his words, ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re making excuses. Is there a need for that?¡± ¡°l don¡¯t want to be misunderstood, so I just felt the need to clarify before more rumors appear.¡± The smile on his face disappeared at my comment, however, ignoring his stiff expression, I pointed out one more thing. ¡°You say that I misunderstood, however, out of all the young ladies around you, Lady Saturnos was the only one who called My Lord by your name. Anyone who hears that will involuntarily consider both of you as a couple.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there anyone close to My Lady who calls you by your given name?¡± There was, but they were my close friends. ¡°l am just friends with Leah. I came as a partner today because she had no knowledge about the customs in the capital.¡± Now he might describe her as a friend, however I knew for sure that soon he would fall in love with her. But I couldn¡¯t say, ¡°Look and see, you¡¯ll love her.¡± It seemed as if I was jealous of Lady Saturnos when I thought about it more. At this point I decided to act as if I had accepted his explanation. ¡°Ah, you are right.¡± I replied courteously with an indifferent smile. However, instead of being relieved, Ares frowned and said to me, ¡°l don¡¯t think you believe me. You seem to have a different opinion.¡± I came to the terrace to refresh myself, not to exhaust my emotions. I wanted to flee as quickly as possible. ¡°Look, I apologize if you think I don¡¯t believe you. However, in the future, My Lord will have to clarify this to other people. I¡¯m not the only one who misunderstood your situation.¡± His expression sank. To begin with, there are many misunderstandings that occur between men and women. I was aware of that as well, I even had to draw a line a few times with other people. Nevertheless, he refused to admit that he had broken those boundaries for Leah Saturnos. Frankly, it was quite disappointing. With nothing else to say, I walked away from him, who was in deep thought, and left the terrace. I needed to recall the contents of the original novel. The plot was simple; love sprung up between the two protagonists when they accidentally kissed on the street. They got closer, became friends, and even called each other by their names! There were certainly many things that could cause them to fall in love. Hmm? But didn¡¯t Lord Jupiter make a strange remark just now? If he thought of Leah as a friend, then what about her? Did she think of him as a dear friend as well? If both of them were not in a romantic relationship and kept being friends, how would the future unfold? Chapter 9 TL/Editor/Proofreader: Alcatraz/Gummy/Latte ..Still, I couldn¡¯t believe that it had been a misunderstanding, and they weren¡¯t in a relationship all along. But wait a minute¡­ would they still end up as lovers? No way, was this how the story was supposed to progress? Come to think of it, there seem to be romance novels with these kinds of plot! I felt goosebumps all over my body! If that¡¯s indeed the case, does it mean that all the things that the ¡®author¡¯ wrote were being carried out without any deviation?! Even my feelings! They all came about against my will. It¡¯s truly well thought out. If I were a writer, I wouldn¡¯t make my characters fall in love with each other simply because of an accidental kiss. That would make the story too immature and predictable. Perhaps, in the original novel, after the incident, people spread rumors of them dating each other and gradually, the rumors came true and the protagonists became real lovers. I chuckled. Deep in my heart, the lingering doubt about the validity of the truth dissolved completely. I supposed that the story would change somewhat due to my decision to not become a villain. I had hoped that development of the novel would deviate, even a little. However, at this point in time, nothing came about from my efforts. Seemed like, no matter how much I tried, as a supporting character, I simply didn¡¯t have the power to change this world. All my strength left my body at once. As the ¡®author¡¯ had said, this world wouldn¡¯t change no matter what. The least I could do was leave my trace in this world.. I glanced at Leah Saturnos from a distance, her figure surrounded by people. She was truly the female protagonist. With her cheerful disposition and peculiar charm, she could effortlessly attract people and make them lower their guard Oh goodness, I just wanted to go home. At last, I walked up and approached Lady Leah Saturnos. ¡°Lady Saturnos.¡± ¡°Ah, Lady Uranos! You¡¯ve given me great advice. Thanks to My Lady¡¯s guidance, I had come to my senses. Thank you so much!¡± I smiled softly. Her protagonist halo was showing, with only a few sentences she immediately learned her lesson and changed her flaws. ¡°Lady Saturnos. The banquet is fantastic, however, I have to go¡­ ¡°Oh, are you leaving already? The ball hasn¡¯t even started yet¡­!¡± What¡¯s the purpose of attending the ball when all I could see was the main couple¡¯s dancing hand-in-hand in the ballroom? I was so exhausted that I felt like I was about to faint, I couldn¡¯t handle such torture anymore. Thus, I kindly refused her invitation to stay. ¡°Unfortunately, I am quite exhausted. I shall bid my goodbye. Till next time, Lady Saturnos.¡± Leah Saturnos seemed to be disappointed. I had no doubt about her sincerity, since she was the protagonist. My heart ached. No matter what I did, my heart would morph into wicked jealousy. The setting the ¡®author¡¯ had given for the villain really had a terrifying effect on me. It had crushed my willpower. I slipped outside silently in order to not disturb the lively banquet. However, after my stealthy exit, someone soon followed after me. ¡°Lady Uranos.¡± Sigh, could you please just leave me alone Lord Jupiter? ¡°Yes, what can I do for you?¡± I intentionally showed my exhausted face as I turned around. That way he wouldn¡¯t be able to delay me for long. And indeed, as I intended, Lord Jupiter spoke with an apologetic face. ¡°You seem worn out. I was worried whether my words had offended you. Are you on your way back to your residence?¡± ¡°Yes, I hope you enjoy the rest of your time, I will be going then¡­¡± I turned my back to him without a second glance. He shouldn¡¯t keep talking to the villainous supporting role. His words would only incite my jealousy, pushing me into the villain I was meant to be. He should just go and pay attention to the dear heroine! Ultimately, I couldn¡¯t overcome my emotions designed by the ¡®author¡¯. Because I loved him. After attending the Baron¡¯s party, my negative emotions overwhelmed me. For the most part, the feeling of helplessness consumed me and wouldn¡¯t let me out of its grasp. In order to relieve myself of this emotion, I met up with a lot of people. Yet this feeling of helplessness remained and left me lethargic in its wake. Fortunately, it faded over the course of time. After a while, I barely willed myself to move, as Miranda prepared me for the day. Miranda asked me in a fussy tone, ¡°My Lady, what happened to you at the Baron¡¯s birthday party? It is unlike you to be so lifeless. My Lady¡¯s not even ill!¡± Eventually, I figured that I had to do something. No matter how hard I struggled, I was utterly helpless against these fake feelings. Hah, just as I had resigned myself to my fate, I should accept these feelings that were given to me as well. Really, I couldn¡¯t believe that I had only realized in my 20th year, that life would be this hard. Nevertheless, I pulled myself together and headed to the salon to meet up with my friend Metis Nereid. Meeting Metis, my exuberant friend, would surely cheer me up. Arriving in a carriage adorned with the Count¡¯s symbol, I slowly came down before entering the salon in a dignified manner. When I feel downhearted, I have the tendency to dress myself up, and today was one of those days. As soon as I came in, Metis deduced my feelings at a single glance. ¡°Welcome, Bianca. Are you feeling depressed again?¡± ¡°Haha, I can never fool you. The salon is not that crowded today, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Ah, I suppose that everyone must have gone on a spring outing. Now that the weather is getting warmer, everyone is enjoying their time outside.¡± Hmm. Spring is the season when many beautiful flowers bloom, people must have gone out to see the colourful flowers. There were certainly less people staying indoors. I sat down at a small table and started to brew myself a cup of tea. I spent my time in the salon like this, and sometimes people would stop by my table to chat. I had brought with me one of the romance novels I had piled up in my house. With stacks of books back at home, I might not need to fret over what I should do in my spare time. As I leaned against the sofa with the book in hand, Metis called me. ¡°Bianca. You have some guests.¡± Reading my book, I looked up and glanced at my guest. I would¡¯ve never thought they would visit me. I was so surprised by their presence that I immediately straightened my relaxed posture. Alas. Aren¡¯t they the protagonists of this world who made me suffer from lethargy for days! ¡± ..Lord Jupiter, Lady Saturnos.¡± My voice was void of strength. Metis led the two of them to my table and left to greet another visitor. My heart was beating quickly out of control. However, this only annoyed me even further. Be still my heart, remember, these were man-made feelings. As always, Leah Saturnos greeted me with a cheerful tone. ¡°Lady Uranos! It was regrettable to hear you leaving so early on the day of my banquet. I heard that My Lady visits this salon regularly. So I came to visit you, and fortunately, you¡¯re here today! I found her words a bit strange. ¡°Did you come here on other days? To find me?¡± ¡°Yes, of course! Thanks to that, I was able to make friends with many lords and ladies here. It would not have been possible if not for Lady Uranos.¡± Hah. Of course¡­ Everyone would stick to you if you told them you were a friend of mine. ¡°l heard you would stop by the salon almost every day, however, I was worried since I haven¡¯t seen you these past few days. Did you feel unwell?¡± I nodded flatly, as Lord Jupiter Confucius inquired in a concerned tone. Rather than my body, it was my heart that was feeling under the weather. However, I replied stiffly. ¡°It seems that the accumulated fatigue of the past several days came down on me suddenly. I am fine now. So, I guess you two came by the salon everyday? Leah shook her head. ¡°Today is the first time Ares has come to the salon. In fact, since the banquet that day, I thought that I should take measures to prevent more rumors about the two of us, so I refrained from coming together.¡± I simply smiled. It didn¡¯t matter if they refrained from being seen together in public again. What¡¯s the use when they would eventually fall in love? Lord Jupiter looked at me with a serious expression. ¡°l had come to realize that the problem My Lady mentioned the other day was quite serious. Hence, I paid great attention to my relations with Leah in public. This is the capital, and there are eyes everywhere.¡± ¡°l mean, that has always been the case,¡± I said sarcastically to Lord Jupiter. I would die as a fool if I didn¡¯t do anything about this twisted storyline. Oh, wasn¡¯t I supposed to die as a fool? Haha. I thought my words would irk him, but unexpectedly, Lord Jupiter agreed with my words. ¡°l have nothing to say in my defense. I acknowledge that I was complacent since Leah was the first woman to join my circle of friends. I was clueless as to how to behave in public.¡± Oh, it seemed like I was the only one being sarcastic. It was said that Lord Jupiter had excellent manners, it appeared the rumors weren¡¯t false after all. Lady Saturnos also supported Lord Jupiter¡¯s statement. ¡°I¡¯m very clumsy, so I¡¯ve only just recently found out that I can¡¯t behave as freely as I once did when I was young. Even if he¡¯s a close friend, others may misunderstand. So after a few days of coming to this salon, I rushedly talked to people to fix the misunderstanding. There was no need to explain. Both of them would end up together and reach a happy ending. As I listened to her, I brewed tea for them both. ¡°l hope this will be a great lesson for the both of you.¡± Lord Jupiter gently smiled and said to me, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for My Lady Uranos¡¯ plain-spoken advice, this would have turned into a disaster. You have my sincerest thanks.¡± I placed the teacups in front of my guests. Leah picked up her cup, her eyes widening in delight as she tasted the tea. ¡°Oh! Lady Bianca¡¯s tea is excellent! It¡¯s just plain rosemary, but its fragrance is remarkable!¡± At her unreserved appreciation, I unconsciously drew a motherly smile. ¡°l am most confident about my tea brewing technique. It is also one of the many things I like.¡± Ares was sipping his own tea. I couldn¡¯t read through his blank expression. However, Lady Saturnos replied cheerfully, ¡°Well, this has been on my mind since we first met¡­ I hope you can just call me Leah! I want to be friends with My Lady!¡± Have you ever seen such innocence? I¡¯m the villain! I will become the person who tries to ruin your relationship! Yet, I ignored the cry in my heart and responded with a pleasant smile. ¡°l don¡¯t know much about Lady Saturnos, do you think we can become friends that easily?¡± ¡°Ah¡­. Lady Saturnos¡¯ words were stuck in her throat. Yet, I didn¡¯t budge. Not everyone had an easy-going personality like her. Unexpectedly, the silent figure beside her finally spoke. ¡°Just calling me Ares is enough. I hope you feel comfortable enough to call me that.¡± I failed to keep my expression neutral and froze from his unexpected ambush. Why did he allow me to call him by his given name?! And most of all, in front of his future lover?! Did I look that easy? Did he think of me as no threat to Lady Saturnos? Did I look so ridiculous that he was beyond my reach? Hearing no reply, Lord Jupiter eventually sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you felt uncomfortable with my request. Since I befriended Leah, I thought it would be convenient to call people by their first name. I was inconsiderate of My Lady¡¯s position.¡± Chapter 10.1 Haa, let¡¯s calm down. These two were ignorant of their fate and the truth of this world. I shouldn¡¯t blame them. I shouldn¡¯t misrepresent their intentions and judge them. I smiled politely and nodded. ¡°If Lord Jupiter said so, it¡¯s difficult for me to reject the proposal of Lady Saturnos.¡± ¡°Ahh! Thank you Lady Uranos!¡± If they allowed me to call his given name, it was basic courtesy that I also had to allow them to call mine. I said with a smile on my face. ¡°You can call me Bianca, Leah.¡± ¡°Can I do that too, Bianca?¡± Heck, this man already called my name! As his sweet low-pitched voice reached my ears, I felt my heart tickle. But my feelings were mixed with sadness. ¡°¡­ ¡­ Of course.¡± It¡¯s fine. I will die soon and leave this place just before the main characters have a happy ending anyway. Let¡¯s not hold on to anything and leave peacefully. I won¡¯t take my pride with me when I die. Seeing Ares¡¯ bright smile, my heart ached. That bright smile would never be for me, and I knew it very well. I¡¯ll try to avoid being in a situation where I call his name as much as possible. When I called him that way, there was no guarantee that my voice would not tremble. By the way, I must definitely meet the ¡®author¡¯. Does this situation also appear in the original novel she wrote? Are the main characters and the villainess close enough to call each other by name? Is it progressing according to the original story? I couldn¡¯t figure out the development of the novel written by that ¡®author¡¯. Why does the villainess and the protagonist become friends? Aren¡¯t they vicious enough to kill me in the middle of the novel? Until I meet the ¡®author¡¯, I have to hang around in the Aphrodite Teahouse for a while. If we meet, I¡¯ll have to force spoilers or the whole story of the novel from her! As I was lost in my thoughts, Ares cautiously called me. ¡°Bianca?¡± When I was called by him, I came out of my stupor. It was then that I realized that Leah and Ares were looking at me questioningly. I sighed and apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re in front of me but my mind is elsewhere¡­ ¡­ .¡± Leah quickly waved her hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay! I was just wondering if Lady was offended since you refused to speak.¡± I smiled and shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It was just a bunch of useless thoughts.¡± When I glanced at Ares, he also had his gaze fixed on me, and he looked somewhat worried. ¡°Ummm¡­ ¡­ . anyways, excuse me.¡± ¡°It seems that you are not well yet.¡± When my eyes fell on him, he immediately said that. No, that¡¯s not it. I¡¯m not sick. I wanted to go to the teahouse as soon as possible. I didn¡¯t know when the ¡®author¡¯ would come, so I had to go there right now. ¡°Please have a pleasant time together. I¡¯m not well yet and I¡¯m tired, so I have to go back.¡± Leah and Ares got up from their seats at the same time. But I waved my hand and held them back. ¡°Just sit down. I¡¯ll see you next time I have the chance. Today was fun.¡± Fortunately, I was able to say goodbye without losing my composure until the end. They both greeted me and said they would see me next time. When I saw Metis, I hugged her lightly and told her that I was going to leave, she said with regret. ¡°Still, thanks to you, it¡¯s good that these two, who are socialites, came to this salon.¡± ¡°Hehe. If you want to thank me, will you buy me something delicious later?¡± After saying goodbye to her with a smile, I walked to the teahouse. Please, please, I hope I¡¯m lucky enough to meet you today! Arriving at the Aphrodite Teahouse, the first thing I checked was my usual seat. Oh oh! What a luck! Fortunately, the ¡®author¡¯ was sitting there! I walked towards the opposite seat. ¡°Long time no see.¡± ¡°Hey! How could I not hear your footsteps?¡± The ¡®author¡¯ who was munching on a sandwich looked at me in ashtonishment. That sandwich is pretty tasty, how did you know that? ¡°It is basic etiquette to walk silently as nobles. Anyway, it¡¯s great that you¡¯re here. I really wanted to meet you.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ ¡­ .¡± The ¡®author¡¯ narrowed her eyes and looked at me. I didn¡¯t back down and met her gaze. ¡°What do you want to ask?¡± ¡°Many things. Please answer me one by one.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll answer except for spoilers.¡± Oh, that word again. I quickly asked her in case she changed her mind. ¡°How old are you?¡± Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong. It¡¯s because I¡¯m curious to know how old she is to write such a novel that goes beyond my expectation. I¡¯m asking for a fight. The ¡®author¡¯ heard my question and looked at me as if I was being ridiculous. ¡°Why are you me asking that?¡± ¡°Is it difficult to answer?¡± ¡°3rd year of high school.¡± Isn¡¯t that a bitter tea*? *TL/N: Gosam is 3rd year of high school and it¡¯s an abbreviation. It¡¯s also a type of bitter tea. I have no idea how to translate it so I just leave it be. I asked her and was confused about her answer, but I decided to continue with the important question, leaving behind my useless curiosity. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the main characters fall in love as soon as they met?¡± Then the ¡®author¡¯ answered with a frown on her face. ¡°No, who would believe such an unrealistic romance?¡± Well, the world you are standing on right now is already ¡®unreal¡¯. ¡°Why? There are cases where it¡¯s love at first sight, that¡¯s why I¡¯m asking. It went like that in most stories!¡± I childishly protested to her. ¡°That is not what I want.¡± Oh, okay. Since you wrote the novel, you can write it as you wish, right? ¡°Alright. So do you think the villainess dying is realistic?¡± ¡°Haha, you¡¯re really curious huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a matter of life and death, how could I dismiss it?¡± I felt it again. For this ¡®author¡¯, I am nothing more than a supporting character that can be thrown away. I feel upset. Chapter 10.2 The ¡®author¡¯ even laughed at my words. When I heard her laughing, I grimaced. Even though I¡¯m a character she has created, is it that easy to see me, who is living and breathing right in front of her eyes die? I think it would be better to stop being indirect at this point. That person wouldn¡¯t even blink an eye if I spilled blood on this spot right now and collapsed. The ¡®author¡¯ said in a sullen voice. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°No! there¡¯s another one. Is it right for me to be friends with the main couple?¡± ¡°Yes. Didn¡¯t they ask you to address each other by first names?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Well. So far, it seems like everything went according to the plot.¡± I got dizzy. What? Does it mean nothing changed just because I don¡¯t become the villainess?! ¡°Isn¡¯t it wrong for the protagonist to be close to the villainess?¡± ¡°Well, our enemy is often times the closest one.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Unlike her youthful appearance, this ¡®author¡¯ has a rather sadistic side. Whether or not she knows I¡¯m internally swearing at her, she keeps talking with a sandwich in her mouth. ¡°I think that a love that is achieved through overcoming all kinds of hardships and adversity is really wonderful and beautiful! Anyways, that¡¯s just my taste.¡± Well, I could already guess judging from the content of her novel. I can see that the author¡¯s taste is to deliberately give ordeal to the characters in the novel. I mumbled. ¡°How much does it change and how much does it not change?¡± ¡°Huh. That¡¯s what I¡¯m curious about too. Depending on how much you struggle, the scope will be completely different.¡± I asked with a serious face. ¡°What does the unchanging ¡®pillar¡¯ of the novel refer to?¡± ¡°These are the most important turning points in the novel. The first ¡®pillar¡¯ has already appeared.¡± ¡°The first meeting between Ares and Leah.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s what it refers to.¡± I thought for a moment. To this ¡®author¡¯, the most important ¡®pillar¡¯ of the novel clearly refers to an important point in the romance between Leah and Ares. That means there will be a few turning points. I clung to the ¡®author¡¯ while trying to imitate Leah¡¯s pitiful eyes. ¡°Can you tell me what the next ¡®pillar¡¯ is?¡± ¡°No, I said no spoilers.¡± Sheesh. It looks like even if I die, she won¡¯t tell me. I¡¯m afraid I have to as a villainess and didn¡¯t change the content! This must be fun for her. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll say it again, the important ¡®pillars¡¯ of this novel couldn¡¯t collapse. It will never change. However, depending on how you act, the direction in which the content of the novel develops can be changed.¡± ¡°In other words, if you didn¡¯t write it, it could be changed without me even taking any action.¡± ¡°Yes. Even if you don¡¯t move, those things can change. Because I didn¡¯t write it at all. You can influence the other characters in the novel that will lead to a change.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ ¡­ .¡± A sigh escaped spontaneously. So in conclusion, no matter how hard I try, the fact that I will eventually die as Ares and Leah have a happy ending will never change. Before I turned into a villainess, the novel will keep progressing. I asked the ¡®author¡¯ again with this fact in mind. ¡°Until when will I become friends with the protagonists in the overall development of the novel?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still early days. The main couple will need a push so that at the end they will have a happy ending. Of course, you are the one who will help their relationship.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± The role of the villainess is so important! At this point, shouldn¡¯t I be included as the main character too? ¡°But what if adversity doesn¡¯t come to the main couple because I¡¯m not a villainess now?¡± ¡°Well, then, even if it doesn¡¯t suit my taste, it will probably be a sweet novel.¡± Perhaps she saw my confused expression, the ¡®author¡¯ chuckled and explained. ¡°The novel will be about them loving comfortably and sweetly like honey, and then they get to the ending.¡± Oh, a sweet novel¡­¡­! Meeting her today and clearing up some doubts made me feel a little more relaxed. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell me?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°How I die?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± I glanced at the ¡®author¡¯ angrily, and the ¡®author¡¯ looked at me after snorting. Then, a person I never expected appeared in this teahouse. ¡°¡­ ¡­ Bianca?¡± Me and the ¡®author¡¯ looked at each other and at the same time turned our heads to look at the person who called me. Oh my god! It¡¯s Ares! Why is he here?! I felt the blood draining from my face in an instant. I can¡¯t find anything to say and I¡¯m struggling, the ¡®author¡¯ seemed to be equally perplexed. ¡°Oh, me, that, Bianca? Then I¡¯ll go now! See you later!¡± No! do not go! If you leave me alone here, who will take care of me? Please! Ignoring the cries of my heart, the ¡®author¡¯ got up in a hurry and started running around. Ares didn¡¯t take his eyes off of her until the end. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 ¨C This Was All Set-Up (5) After the ¡®author¡¯ completely left the teahouse, the cold wind that was worse than the cold in the middle of winter seemed to pass between me and Ares, who was left behind. Ares sat quietly in front of me who was completely frozen, in the place where the ¡®author¡¯ had been sitting a while ago. ¡°You said you were going home because you were tired, and yet here you are.¡± Ugh, I suddenly became a liar. I averted my eyes, looking for an excuse. ¡°I met a friend by accident. We haven¡¯t seen each other in a long time, so we were chatting at this teahouse.¡± That¡¯s right! This is it! The ¡®author¡¯ isn¡¯t a friend, but it¡¯s true that she¡¯s someone I haven¡¯t seen in a long time! Alas, my improvisation, great! ¡°¡­ ¡­ Is that so.¡± He pretended to agree with my words, but Ares¡¯ stiff expression was saying that he didn¡¯t believe me at all. It¡¯s dangerous to talk about the ¡®author¡¯, so I decided to quickly change the topic. ¡°How did you come all the way here? Where is Leah?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ .¡± After not answering my question for a while, he looked at me and opened his mouth slowly. ¡°She returned safely in her carriage. Thank you for worrying about her.¡± ¡°Are you sure? What if something happened on the way¡­¡± ¡°So, you think I should have brought her home directly?¡± Isn¡¯t it obvious? She is your lover. Instead of words, I quietly answered with my eyes. Leah was the first woman to be close to Ares. Then wouldn¡¯t she be able to receive that kind of treatment? Ares looked at me and sighed heavily. This person must be the type to sigh a lot. That¡¯s another thing I learned about him. I smiled and asked again. ¡°How did you get here? I thought you too would go straight home from the salon.¡± ¡°I stopped by a wine bar and was about to go, but I saw a familiar figure by the window. As expected, it was you.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± I guess I¡¯ll have to change my seat in the future. My heart was still pounding in surprise. No, to be honest, I couldn¡¯t tell if I was pounding in surprise or pounding because I liked it. Those beautiful eyes staring at me quietly seemed to pierce my heart, so I wanted to avoid that gaze. I drank the rest of the tea at once and grabbed my handbag. ¡°Then I will go. See you next time.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ Please be careful.¡± I greeted him with a light courtesy and quickly left the place. Whoa, the atmosphere is so heavy that I can¡¯t even breathe. As I left the tea house, I smiled weakly. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve been doing for the past two years, and now I¡¯m about to die. I didn¡¯t know I would be friends with Ares and would meet him at the teahouse. I was surprised to see him suddenly appearing in the teahouse, but I was slightly moved when he said he came to the teahouse when he saw me. Because it means that he didn¡¯t ignore me as a friend. When I think of the unrequited love I had for the past two years, this is no less than a luxury. During my unrequited love, I can¡¯t even say a word to him. I was afraid that my voice might tremble if I speak, and that my face would turn red. Oh my God, does it make sense that Bianca Uranos, who controls the capital¡¯s socialites, is shy because she has unrequited love for a man! I wanted to become a woman who is as strong as an iron wall, unwavering under any circumstances. In fact, it was embarrassing. The fact that I fell in love with him as soon as I saw him for the first time without saying a word was so ridiculous and shameful. I didn¡¯t want to be a crazy person who fell in love stupidly like that. While holding him in my heart, I only pretended I didn¡¯t see hin for many years. It would have been nice if I can erase my feelings, but unfortunately I couldn¡¯t, so I have not been able to throw him away until now. But now I have a reason to let go. Because I know the truth in my heart. What the ¡®author¡¯ set for the development of the novel was the reality of my emotions. It meant that my feelings are planted on purpose. So it was never because of my ignorance that I fell in love so helplessly. That alone reassured me quite a bit. Now that I knew the reality of my love, the next step was to throw it away cleanly. However, this was not as easy as expected. The ¡®setting¡¯ was that powerful. In other words, even though Ares is trying to come close to me like a friend right now, but soon, his mind will be filled with Leah. So, Ares. please stop coming to me even if you just approach me as a friend, I¡¯m suffering enough right now. After meeting the ¡®author¡¯ for the second time, I decided to complete the things I had to do before I died again one by one. Anyway, it seems that the ¡®author¡¯ will not deviate from the position of a bystander who is thoroughly observing how the novel is going, so it would be useless to cling to her. I sat down at my desk and opened an empty notebook I had bought to use as a diary. I decided to write down a meticulous list of things to do before I die. Ultimately, I decided to live my life loving people, so I wrote it down with a big title. And the people I have to love¡­ ¡­. The first thing that came to mind was my parents. And soon my heart sank. Dear parents, sooner or later, they will see me, who died before them. It is said that the biggest disloyalty is to die before the parents, and I am going to do that eventually. No words can comfort them, but I am thankful that I can prepare things to leave behind for them in advance. ¡­ ¡­ But what do I prepare? Shall I write a letter? Or should I draw a picture? Anyway, material things won¡¯t do much to comfort my parents, so I thought it would be better to prepare things sincerely. Letters and drawings, I¡¯ll do both! I decided to write the letter later, and I decided to draw a picture first. I want to draw a harmonious image of my family, but I¡¯m not really sure how to draw them. So I have no choice but to draw with my imagination. So where should I paint it? The weather is nice, let¡¯s go outside first! As soon as I made my decision, I rode my horse and headed to a river where I could hear the clear sound of the water. I thought I did well in my decision to come out and paint. Because if I didn¡¯t come out, there was a risk of being caught by the servants in the count¡¯s mansion. As the flower of the social world, my drawing skills were at the top. I¡¯ll emphasize it again. I didn¡¯t sit still and reached the top because of my looks. It was the proper reward for me after putting in more effort than anyone over the past decade. There were no people visiting the river because it was still spring. When I got off the horse and dipped my hand a little, the water was still very cold. A little further from the river was small grass covered with clover. I went there and laid out the handkerchief I had brought to keep the clothes I was wearing from getting wet and sat down on them. I remember playing in the water when I was a kid. Then, a rough idea of ??what kind of picture to draw came to my mind. I took charcoal in my hand and carefully sketched out the scenery. I wanted to leave behind in the most peaceful and enjoyable times. The good times when I could just laugh and act comfortably without any worries. Come to think of it, it was in this river that I learned to swim. With the help of my parents, as well as several maids and attendants, I have mastered various survival skills from an early age. Thanks to this, I can be confident that I can endure harsh situations. Even if I die, it probably won¡¯t be by drowning. However, the water should not be underestimated. The people who are most at risk in the water are those who are confident that they are good swimmers. We have to be extra careful especially in this cold water. The wind blew through the river. While I was sketching, a sudden gust of wind blew my hat, which I had taken off for a while, and fell into the water. ¡°Whoa¡­ ¡­. I have to bring it back.¡± Fortunately, it didn¡¯t fall too deep, so I thought I could just get it without swimming. I picked up stones nearby and pressed the sketched paper to keep it from being blown away by the wind, and I approached the water. I tried stretching my hand, but I can¡¯t reach it. Well¡­ ¡­ . Guess I¡¯ll have to walk in the water. I took off the shoes I was wearing and placed them a little far away from the water. When the stones touched my bare feet, I felt throbbing and pain as if I was doing acupuncture. ¡°Ugh!¡± With every step I took, I had a feeling that health was transmitted through the soles of my feet. I thought the hem of the skirt would touch the water, so I boldly rolled it up to the top of my thigh and grabbed it with one hand. It¡¯s possible because no one is watching, otherwise, I¡¯d rather give up my hat. As the skirt that used to wrap around my long legs disappeared, my movement became more comfortable. I cautiously jumped into the still-ice-cold water. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s cold!¡± Unbeknownst to me, a groan came out of my mouth. Fortunately, after walking a few steps, I caught the hat. ¡°Let¡¯s go back¡­ ¡­ .¡± I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to wear it on my head because it¡¯s wet anyway, but if I wash and dry it, I will be able to use it again next time. I held the hat in my hand and straightened my bent waist. And at that moment, I was so shocked that my heart was pounding. ¡°Bianca?¡± Whoa! Who is that! I was already panicking before I could turn back and see the voice calling me. How could he see a lady doing this in the water with her thighs exposed! I turned my head, stiff enough to make a creaking sound when I moved. Let¡¯s check who called me. But I really wanted to scream. That¡¯s Ares Jupiter! ¡°Oh, hello¡­¡± I didn¡¯t even think of letting go of the skirt I was holding, so I just stood there awkwardly, stuttering and greeting him. Ah, I felt my face turn red without even looking in the mirror. I¡¯ve never been so embarrassed in my life! The cold water paralyzed my senses until my submerged knees, and I could hardly move. No, that man is looking at me with a red face, how can I trudge out in front of him! ¡°Hey, the water is still cold. Come out¡­ ¡­ .¡± Oh, I guess you are more cold-hearted than me. How can you come to your senses and speak up so quickly! But with you staring at me, I can¡¯t get out! This ignorant man! Ahh! How could this man be so oblivious! I really just wanted to sit there and cry. Chapter 12 But an even more surprising thing happened. I don¡¯t know how he interpreted the reason for my hesitation, but Ares Jupiter splashed into the water without even paying attention to getting his clothes wet! He held out his hand and said to me, as I stood with a hat in one hand and a rolled up skirt in the other. ¡°Give me the hat and hold my hand.¡± I was astonished but I handed him my hat and took his hand. Worried that I might slip and fall, I held his hand tighter. When I was almost out of the water, I let go of his hand. It was really embarrassing. Ugh, what should I do now? Still, let¡¯s just say thank you. ¡°¡­ ¡­ Thank you.¡± Then Ares took out a handkerchief from his arms with a reddened face. ¡°It is better to wipe the water off with this.¡± I took the handkerchief and hurriedly dried my legs. Oh my God, in that short time, the color of my skin had changed. The water was as cold as ice after all¡­ I just had to wipe off the water, but Ares, who came into the water without minding his clothes was soaking wet. If he doesn¡¯t dry it, it¡¯ll be very cold. Perhaps he noticed my worried gaze, and he said with a soft smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Because the weather is nice, it looks like it will dry up quickly.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ ¡­ .¡± Sigh. Ares saw my humiliation today which could last a lifetime. I hurriedly moved toward my drawing tool to leave the place. ¡°Oh, you were painting.¡± Suddenly he came closer to me. I responded quickly, trying to hide the sketch. ¡°Yes.¡± With my back on him, I began to pick up painting tools. Then Ares¡¯ voice was heard behind me. ¡°Ah¡­ ¡­ . do you want to go now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Oh my gosh, I was so embarrassed that I couldn¡¯t even make eye contact. I thought no one was there, so I rolled up my clothes and went into the water! I am one of those ordinary women who want to show only their pretty side in front of the man I like! Even if I¡¯m the flower of high society, I¡¯m a woman above all! Ahh, this is so shameful! He saw my thighs, didn¡¯t he? I was preparing to run away without even fixing my crumpled skirt properly when I heard Ares¡¯ voice again. ¡°¡­ ¡­ Am I making you uncomfortable?¡± I stopped moving. Because his voice sounded like he had been hurt somehow. Then I quickly looked back at how my actions would have been misunderstood by him. I just wanted to get out of here quickly, thinking about my embarrassment. However, from Ares¡¯ perspective, even though he was helping me, I did not make eye contact and just rushed, so maybe he thought it was quite rude. Sigh. In any case, when I realized that my actions might have seemed quite offensive to him, I decided to apologize politely. I slowly turned my back, and instead of looking directly into Ares¡¯ eyes, I placed my gaze near his lips and bowed my head slightly to apologize. ¡°I apologize if I offended you. I was acting a little freely, knowing that no one was there, but suddenly you showed up and I was very embarrassed.¡± This was a truly sincere apology. Why would I feel uncomfortable with him? Rather than being uncomfortable, my heart wanted to be him more than anything else. But anyway, I was destined not to be with him, and I was going to die soon. I wanted to end my life quietly while maintaining this lifestyle until the end. That means I want little to no contact with Ares. The closer I get to him, the more painful it seems to be to accept my death. I¡¯m not sure how my words sounded to him. Whether he accepted my apology or not, he did not respond. After a while, I looked up and gently lifted my head. Is he very angry? ¡°I¡­ ¡­ . You must have been very upset. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± There is nothing more miserable than having someone I love hate me. When I die, I don¡¯t want to leave a bad impression on Ares. He shut his mouth and looked at me for a long time. Sigh. It looks like he¡¯s very angry. How do I appease him? As I was thinking of all sorts of things in my head, he slowly opened his mouth. ¡°If you are embarrassed because of me, I should rather apologize. You must have been very surprised.¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­ ¡­ . a little¡­ ¡­ .¡± Well, isn¡¯t he mad? Or is he just being polite even though he was angry to save my face? Anyway, I apologized for everything, now I can leave this place! But Ares started talking again, so I had to stay a little longer. ¡°Do you come here often?¡± ¡°Not often, but occasionally.¡± After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he said another word. ¡°It can be dangerous to be alone in like this, so it would be better to go with a companion next time.¡± Come to think of it, Ares also came alone? Leah isn¡¯t there, where is she now? Ares was always with Leah, so I naturally asked him with a puzzled face. ¡°How about Leah? Didn¡¯t you come with her?¡± Ares could not quickly answer my question and shut his mouth. The expression on his face is a bit strange¡­ ¡­? A strange silence passed between us. Did I do something wrong? No matter how much I look back, I don¡¯t think there was anything I said that could make him uncomfortable¡­ ¡­. After a while, Ares finally opened his mouth. ¡°¡­ ¡­ I did not come with Leah today.¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Then just say it, he makes people nervous for nothing. I opened my mouth to say that I would go back, but Ares spoke first. ¡°Leah and I are just friends.¡± ¡°Of course. You said it before.¡± At the baron¡¯s party and at the salon, he and Leah worked hard to explain misunderstandings about themselves. But I know the fact that the two will soon develop into lovers, so it was not wrong for me to assume that feelings are growing between them. However, knowing fate in advance, it became a habit for me to keep tying Ares and Leah together. I am a villainess who will strengthen their love. Sadly, if I intervene between the two of them, it will result in me becoming the villainess as the ¡®author¡¯ hopes. This is probably the reason why the ¡®author¡¯ deliberately let me know that the female lead was Leah Saturnos, a fact that I didn¡¯t actually want to know. I wonder if I will become a villainess according to the settings. When I declared that I wouldn¡¯t become a villainess, maybe the ¡®author¡¯ wanted to mock me by proving that I would not be able to overcome my villainous setting. If she¡¯s the ¡®author¡¯, she¡¯ll want to see everything develop into what she had written. I knew that. But, I didn¡¯t want to succumb to the fate that the ¡®author¡¯ had set for me. Even if I couldn¡¯t give up my love, I won¡¯t become a villainess according to the will of the ¡®author¡¯. In the process of turning into a villainess, there will always be times when I need to make a choice, so I was thoroughly planning for the happiness of the two of them instead. My heart ached. However, I will die soon anyway, and that will not change because it is an important ¡®pillar¡¯ of this novel. Living or dying is not a matter of my choice. So I will change what I can change at will. I will accept things that cannot be helped. I¡¯m not going to keep crying while trying to figure out how to solve this with my own strength. I looked back at Ares who was standing in front of me. This man, who is more handsome and gentle than anyone I know, will be happy even without me. I hope that there will be only happy days with his lover on his path ahead. Sincerely. I smiled weakly as I heard Ares explain once again that he and Leah were just friends. Well, let¡¯s say that you¡¯re friends now. But in the end, you will become lovers. Even after I accepted his explanation, his expression still remained unresolved. I really wanted to get out of this place now. ¡°Well, then I¡¯ll just go back now. I don¡¯t know how to react because I showed you an embarrassing side.¡± I managed to get the timing right and say goodbye! I lowered my knees slightly and tried to walk past him. ¡°Do you normally have those eyes?¡± I was startled. My eyes? So suddenly¡­ ¡­? ¡°Bianca, your eyes¡­ ¡­ it¡¯s like the light is¡­ ¡­ .¡± Ares was confused as he tried to put the words together. I looked at him still to understand what he was thinking. After meeting the ¡®author¡¯, my sudden change seemed to be noticed by Ares Jupiter too, who barely had any interaction with me. My acting skills are really close to zero. Usually, in high society, the ability to maintain a poker face is also necessary. I¡¯m usually pretty good at it, but now I couldn¡¯t do it when I have to hide a really crucial secret. I don¡¯t know what to say in response. I can¡¯t tell him, ¡®Actually, this world is fiction and I¡¯m going to die soon.¡¯ Fortunately, Ares didn¡¯t seem particularly interested in hearing my answer either. I just skimmed past him and got on the horse. I¡¯ve already said goodbye, so I won¡¯t have to do it again. I ran out of the place without looking back. His confused expression caught my attention. It looked like he wanted to say something more. But, what does he have to say to me? In the first place, there was never a personal interaction between us. Until Leah Saturnos appears. Of course, I knew his face and name. Isn¡¯t it natural? He was famous among the nobles anyway. I didn¡¯t think much of it until I found out that the reality of my unrequited love was the setting of the ¡®author¡¯, I relentlessly tried to find the reason why I fell in love with him. But to think that I love him simply because he is popular with others? It made me try to not like him. Because I think love at first sight is absurd. After talking with the ¡®author¡¯ I knew the reason why. I couldn¡¯t help but fall for him at first sight. Because the ¡®author¡¯ made it that way. What would I have been like if the ¡®author¡¯ had not set it that way and I could choose to love him or not with my own free will? If the ¡®author¡¯ had appeared first and said, ¡®You¡¯re going to love Ares Jupiter!¡¯ before I met him in my debut, I probably wouldn¡¯t have loved him. Who dares to control my emotions? The ¡®author¡¯ may not think of me as a person but as a piece of paper, however, there is no need for me to regard myself that way. No matter what anyone says, I am truly alive and have a will. At least I didn¡¯t want to follow anyone¡¯s instructions or settings and choose at my own will. Chapter 13 I will show that ¡®author¡¯. How Bianca Uranos in her novel, whom she has downplayed and thought of as insignificant, will not, as she would expect, die because of her vicious jealousy. I will turn the development of this novel upside down to the point where she will be surprised. Even if my death is imminent, I will not commit the deeds you wrote in the novel and face retribution. Having met Ares Jupiter, I returned home earlier than expected. I closed the door firmly and began to refine the sketch. It would be nice to complete it soon, I thought it would be better to draw everything first and store it somewhere because I don¡¯t know when I¡¯m going to die. I hope that this painting and my letter will be found naturally later while they¡¯re cleaning up my room. I hope that my parents, who must be devastated, can be at ease after looking at this. ¡­ ¡­ Is it not possible? How can I expect that a mere painting can ease my parent¡¯s hearts? However, it would be much better than leaving suddenly. £ª £ª £ª A few days after visiting the river, I went to a tea party at the salon hosted by Metis Nereid. Metis held these tea parties for the members of her salon regularly to strengthen her connections. Originally, Metis¡¯ salon was popular with both men and women. Of course, I was at the center of it. Of course, the invitation to the salon¡¯s tea party was sent by Metis. She also gained popularity by taking care of the existing members as well as the new members. However, if any of the members of the salon caused a scandal, that person was undoubtedly not invited to the next tea party. Only one person was allowed in that invitation. So I used to go out on my own to the salon. The size of the tea party was usually 30 to 40 people. It sounds like she¡¯s sending out more invitations than that this time, but only Metis knows the exact number. I¡¯m not very interested. As one of the important people who is always invited to Metis tea party, I was invited again for that reason. But I¡¯m also Metis¡¯ best friend. Since there was no reason to arrive late and make a fuss for nothing unless I¡¯m from the royal family, as always, I finished my makeup perfectly and headed to the salon alone without a companion. I also arrived fairly early, but there were some people who already arrived before me. ¡°My dear Uranos! Welcome.¡± ¡°Oho, I didn¡¯t know you would come earlier than me.¡± I exchanged simple conversations with people who greeted me with a smile on my face. It was very nice because I was familiar with them so I didn¡¯t need to be so rigid. Metis walked around the table, greeting the guests who had arrived. If I was the flower of the high society, Metis was the queen. At Metis¡¯ tea party, there were no fixed seats. As at the tea parties held by other noble ladies, they fight each other because they sat according to their factions. Metis was extremely wary of such factions in the salon, so the seating arrangement at the tea party was naturally free. So all they have to do is go to any seat they like and just sit down. Do you think I have any special treatment for being the flower of the high society and Metis¡¯s best friend? No, there is no such thing. At least for Metis Nereid. If you want to receive special treatment from her, you can go to the ¡®author¡¯ and ask that you¡¯ll be reborn as someone from the royal family. After meeting the ¡®author¡¯, I always had death in mind, so I thought that maybe this might be the last time I came to this tea party. The faster Ares and Leah progress, the closer I¡¯m to my end. When we met before, Ares re-emphasized that Leah and he are just friends, so it seems that their feelings haven¡¯t bloomed. That meant I still had time. I went and sat alone at an empty table. Remembering my death, I reminisce a lot about this tea party. I used to arrive this early and will be busy talking to people, but now I sit quietly and watch people leisurely. Maybe it was difficult for them to get closer to me than usual, so people seldom approached me. But I had no intention of beckoning them. Because I was like a kite whose strings are about to be snapped. To build a network, it would be better to find someone who still has a bright future ahead. At that moment, the door to the salon opened and the people became a little noisy. I was reading a book, so I didn¡¯t feel the need to respond to the buzz around me. As I was reading the book, the footsteps approached me and the room went silent. It seemed that someone wanted to sit at the same table as me. I slowly lifted my head and checked who was present. It was Leah and Ares. T These days, I seem to run into Ares Jupiter a lot, am I mistaken? When I saw the two of them again, my heart sank heavily. Seriously, I wish you could get away from me. I¡¯m not a babysitter, and why does Leah Saturnos keep following me! To be honest, I don¡¯t hate Leah. But when she comes, Ares Jupiter will always follow, like a thread on a needle, so that¡¯s the problem! It¡¯s hard for me to see Ares. Just like before, I just wanted to leave. I didn¡¯t want him to enter my life anymore so that I could leave this world peacefully without regrets. But why are they always together? Maybe it¡¯s because the ¡®author¡¯ designed the two to stick together. I smiled and greeted them anyway. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you two also received invitations.¡± Leah answered in a bright voice. ¡°This is my first time having a tea party at the salon! As expected, the capital city is different!¡± Seeing her revealing her stated such a thing, I smiled sincerely without realizing it. Wow, as expected of the heroine, she had the power to make even a supporting villainess laugh. Ares sat quietly next to Leah with a gentle face as always. I said to the couple with a smile on my face. ¡°The two of you are always together. Both of you look good together.¡± Then, the expressions of the two of them changed in a very surprising way. Were they embarrassed because I pushed them too openly? Maybe they got tired of explaining it to people. After the two of them get along well, people seemed to assume a lot of things about them. It seems that people often thought both of them are dating. The two main characters are heavily directed by the ¡®author¡¯, so it is almost impossible for them to overcome the novel¡¯s setting. Especially when they don¡¯t know that they are characters in the novel. Perhaps the ¡®author¡¯ wrote both of them to go together everywhere throughout the first half of the novel. That¡¯s how romance flourishes. Even if the two of them don¡¯t like it, they will have no choice but to go together. From now on, as long as I don¡¯t interrupt them, they¡¯ll happily be together according to the settings. To be honest, I was very envious of them. The whole world will move for their happy ending. Even if they do nothing and standstill, the world will make them love each other and stay together forever. I also want to have a love that receives the blessings of the world. Ares and Leah don¡¯t have to put in any effort, but fate will move on its own and make their relationship strong, so how could that not be enviable? Of course, the ¡®author¡¯ had prepared various adversity for Leah, me, Bianca Uranos being one of them. But as the ¡®author¡¯ said, if I become the villainess, this novel will go as planned. And if I run wildly and say that I¡¯m not a villainess, this novel will possibly be more peaceful. Either way, it means that the two will live happily ever after. ¡­¡­ Even though I did either of them, I will die without gaining anything. Anyway, the two of them will walk around together, so I¡¯ll just avoid them. However, there are times when it is unavoidable like today. What do I do in this case? I just have to accept it. And I¡¯m happy in the presence of someone I like. Even if I force Ares away from Leah as a villain, there is no way for me or Ares to be happy. I didn¡¯t want to be like that, and I want to move according to my will. Really, that ¡®author¡¯ is mean. It¡¯s my opinion, but isn¡¯t it intentionally written so that I and the main couple meet so often? So that I can get jealous quickly? ¡­ ¡­ Then, there is one strange thing. Was the meeting with Ares in the river a scene in the novel of the ¡®author¡¯? I became dizzy. If it is a scene in a novel, is there any need to include such a scene at the beginning of the novel, when it should be about the main couple¡¯s progress? if I was the ¡®author¡¯, I probably wouldn¡¯t have done so. Then it was probably outside the realm of the ¡®author¡¯. The fact that I met Ares in the river meant that the scene was not influenced by the ¡®author¡¯. Yes! That¡¯s why Ares wasn¡¯t with Leah. If it was written by the ¡®author¡¯, they would always appear together wherever they were! In other words, if there is a scene in which the two appear together, it means that there is a high probability that it must be described in the novel! This tea party scene with Ares and Leah sitting together right now must be one of the scenes in the novel! Here, I have to be alert as I don¡¯t know how the story will develop. I will remake this scene with my will, not the ¡®author¡¯ words. ¡°Bianca? Are you okay?¡± I was lost in thought then I raised my head at someone¡¯s calling. It was Ares, and he was looking at me worriedly. ¡°Your face is pale. Are you not feeling well?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± It¡¯s just my heart hurts because you don¡¯t know anything. Then an interesting thought occurred to me. If I leave this tea party right now, will it be a scene that the ¡®author¡¯ has described in advance, or will it be a sudden situation where I ruined the scene? What if instead of sitting between two people and feeling jealous, the villainess walked away so that they could talk to their heart¡¯s content? What am I hesitating about? I can try it once. Either way, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter to me. Only the ¡®author¡¯ will get a headache. As soon as I made up my mind, I got up. Ares and Leah looked at me with bewildered faces. ¡°No, honestly, I am not feeling well. I¡¯d rather go and rest. The tea party will start soon, so please enjoy the gathering.¡± Even a smile appeared on my face. It wasn¡¯t a fake smile, it was real. It¡¯s fun thinking that I might not follow the novel and twist the flow. Chapter 14 The salon started to get quite crowded. I hurriedly went past them like a wind. As soon as I got out of the salon, I headed to the Aphrodite Teahouse. If I¡¯m lucky enough to meet the ¡®author¡¯, I will interrogate her again. But something really unexpected happened. ¡°Bianca!¡± I stopped walking. How does it sound like Ares¡¯ voice? I turned around slowly to see who had called me. Indeed, Ares was rushing towards me. ¡­ ¡­ How did you, without Leah come alone? As I stood still, staring at him, Ares approached me at a quick pace. A look of surprise appeared on my face. ¡­ ¡­ You, why? ¡°Today, I must hear why. Why are you avoiding me like that!¡± I kept my mouth shut. I didn¡¯t run out to avoid him, but I couldn¡¯t deny it completely. However, I could never say that I had a crush on him and wanted to avoid him. His voice was so loud that I could feel passers-by glance at us. I didn¡¯t want to draw attention to this extent. I answered calmly. ¡°There are many eyes here. How about moving somewhere?¡± But he was not in the mood to move. ¡°Did you know that you never once called my name?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ .¡± Of course, I know. I have deliberately avoided calling his name. The moment I called ¡®Ares¡¯, my feelings could be revealed. His face now even felt sad. ¡­ ¡­ He¡¯s sad that the villainess didn¡¯t call his name once. Then how about me standing in front of him? How did I feel when I don¡¯t want to get closer to him because I¡¯m going to die soon? I turned my head away from him. To his question, I had nothing to answer. ¡°Bianca!¡± He walked over and blocked my way. I looked up at him expressionlessly and spoke to him in a monotone voice. ¡°Just go. Lady Leah is alone.¡± ¡°Why do you think I should always be with her?¡± ¡°You¡¯re already together, but you¡¯re talking like you¡¯re not. If it feels like you are lying to me, is it my mistake?¡± I replied to him in a calm voice. You will always be together from now on for the rest of your life while loving each other. ¡°As I said, I¡¯m not feeling well. So I¡¯m just going to go back. Have a nice tea party.¡± You have to go back and get to know Leah more deeply as the ¡®author¡¯ described. So please go now. I headed back to the tea house, avoiding Ares, who was standing in the way. I intentionally acted coldly in case he would follow me. The joy of moving not according to the ¡®author¡¯s will was short-lived, and soon my heart was filled with sorrow for my fate. Can¡¯t I prevent my death? Just like the scene where three people were supposed to be sitting together at a tea party was changed, can¡¯t I prevent my death? Just now when he followed me, I had the urge to the salon with him. Before I knew it, I arrived at the teahouse and, as usual, went to the usual seat. The ¡®author¡¯ was not there. Fufu. Leaving the glamorous tea party aside and coming to a teahouse like this, whoever hears it will say that Bianca Uranos is absolutely insane. I quietly sip my tea and reflect on my unexpected situation today. I¡¯m not sure if the scene where I left the salon will be in the novel. However, I thought that it might have some kind of influence on future development. Because Ares came after me. I still wondered why he had to leave Leah and follow me, but I decided to put that aside and reflect on the incident itself. Every time I mentioned the two together, Ares kept dismissing Leah as just friends. So what about Leah? Does Leah still think of Ares only as a friend? Emotions do not necessarily arise simultaneously and grow at the same rate. Now Ares may really think of Leah as a friend, but Leah may not. So when he came out with me today, what was Leah thinking as she was left alone in the salon? Did she tell him to hurry up and bring me, or did she feel angry for Ares who left her behind? If Leah felt angry with Ares, did I really become a ¡®villainess¡¯ to her? Would it have been such a hindrance to their romance? ¡­ ¡­ I am not a villainess. I shouldn¡¯t be. There is still very little information given to me. I was afraid that if I made a mistake, I would really become the villainess the way the ¡®author¡¯ wanted. I have to make up my mind and act in a direction that is advantageous for the two of them. Even if I need to see someone I love holding another woman in their arms, I will not die as a villainess. If there is one thing I want the most, I want the people I left behind when I die to live happily until the end. I hope that my parents and Metis will find happiness even after I leave. I also hope that Ares Jupiter will not be sad and regret that a person like me passed away. I wished him eternal happiness with Leah Saturnos who will be by his side. However, I hope that you do not forget my existence and that you remember me for a little longer. Not as a villainess, but as a person who supported them. When I got home, I wrote a letter to Metis, apologizing for leaving the tea party so suddenly. Fortunately, a reply arrived soon, consoling me that it was good that I did it because I looked really sick. The kind Metis always warms my heart like this. Metis added her concerns that the head of the free food in the slums, which I had sponsored under the name of the salon, was suddenly gone. As the manager disappeared, she said that even if the donation was delivered, it would not be managed properly. It is no surprise that I sponsor such a thing. All the nobles of the Solar Empire had to do things like that as a noble. Nobles have many advantages in this social structure, and those who were born to a noble had the privilege to live comfortably. That¡¯s why as a noble, it is our duty, responsibility, and honor to help those in need. Doing so will help us earn respect even among nobles. Of course, there are those who don¡¯t do it. Such people were pointed out at once for being irresponsible. Naturally, Metis also had a list of such people and banned them from entering the salon. Anyway, Metis is so worried that I think I¡¯ll have to go and see the situation as a supporter who provides a substantial amount of money to the free food in the slums. I had the messenger send a letter announcing my visit. I won¡¯t go to a social gathering, so I don¡¯t need to be fully armed, but still, as the flower of the high society, I need to dress well no matter what the occasion is. After dressing up in beautiful yet comfortable clothes, I rode the carriage alone. It has become a habit for me to travel alone these days. I don¡¯t know how I will die, so if I get involved in an accident and lose my life, I don¡¯t want others to also be affected by the accodent. It is not usual for a noble girl to go to the slum alone, but I went to the slum alone without an escort. Hopefully the ¡®author¡¯ won¡¯t kill me here. The place was at the beginning of the slum. I sponsored in the name of the salon, but I would occasionally visit and serve food too. Because the person who was in charge suddenly disappeared, the staff weren¡¯t at the best mood. When my carriage arrived with a loud noise, Mimas, who was helping me manage the situation, came out and greeted me. ¡°Lady Uranos, I have been waiting for you.¡± ¡°Yes, you seem to be having a lot of trouble, so I stopped by to see if there was anything that could help. How is the situation now?¡± ¡°All have come to a standstill. People stopped coming here today.¡± ¡°What is the most urgent?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the appointment of an official manager. First of all, I¡¯m in charge of this temporarily, but I need to get official approval from the government office. But it¡¯s¡­ ¡­ .¡± Anyone can build a social relief facility, but the person in charge must have a powerful person¡¯s endorsement before being given permission from the government office. This was to suppress the sprawl of low-level facilities and to secure the financial stability of non-profit facilities to some extent. The former manager, who had disappeared to his hometown, also had the wife of a powerful family as a guarantor. However, Mimas has not yet been able to find a guarantor, so he has come to this point. It was only by meeting him in person that I quickly realized why he couldn¡¯t easily find a guarantor. More than half of his face was covered with burn scars. In this society, appearance is everything. It is better to be pretty with an ugly personality rather than the opposite. So, every day I treat my skin well, do massages, and do everything that is good for my beauty. In order to become the flower of high society, appearance matter the most. Does that sound too arrogant? Hehe, good looks aren¡¯t a bad thing. Isn¡¯t it very natural for everyone to have a longing for a beautiful appearance? And there¡¯s nothing wrong with being praised as the flower of society because of my face. However, in the case of Mimas, I think it is a bit frustrating and unfair. Unexpected accidents can happen to anyone. And there are many cases where it is difficult to blame someone. Mimas really only went through something that could happen to anyone. It wasn¡¯t that he intentionally ruined his face because he wanted to be ugly, nor that he had committed a serious crime and was hurt by his karma. It was only by chance, extremely by chance, that he got a look he didn¡¯t want. Fortunately, Mimas did not blame others for his misfortune and accepted that it was truly inevitable. Like I had accepted my destiny given by the ¡®author¡¯. So, despite the hideous burn scars that covered his face, his sincere and responsible character remained intact. The problem was that, before seeing his wonderful personality, the first thing that caught my eye was his burnt appearance. Therefore, there were many people who did not realize his great personality and were reluctant to guarantee him. It wasn¡¯t just the nobles. Rather, the poor people who received the help too. Among them, there were those who were reluctant when Mimas approached them. Despite such insults, Mimas was still guarding this place. I acknowledge that he was a responsible person, so it was regrettable that he is now the temporary manager because he has no guarantor. I decided without hesitation. ¡°Then let me be your guarantor. Please bring the relevant documents now.¡± Chapter 15 Mimas was surprised at my decision. One of his eyes had lost its shape due to the burns and it was heavily deformed, but beneath his appearance, his eyes were wise. ¡°Lady Uranos! If you become a guarantor, when the finances of this place run out, you will have to cover it with lady¡¯s personal wealth!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I already knew it. Oh, just in case, I will make it clear that my heir will take over if I am unable to assume the guarantor.¡± When I get married, I¡¯ll have a husband and a child, but I would die, so the heir will probably be my parents. I believe that my parents will grant me this last request. Mimas was so moved that he could not speak. Perhaps he also visited and asked the many nobles to support this place. As someone who is more responsible than anyone else, he must have done so. However, the absence of a guarantor so far meant that everyone refused. I have no intention of blaming those who rejected him. I just thought of the poor people who would have no meals if it wasn¡¯t for this place, and I was just cheering for Mimas. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that lady would solve this problem¡­ ¡­ ! To be honest, I thought you didn¡¯t pay that much attention.¡± It would be like that in most cases. It would also be difficult for me to say that I love doing this by spending some money and serving food a few times. I just used my self-satisfaction and responsibility as a reason to do this, that¡¯s just about it. Anyways, I¡¯m glad I was able to help out a lot before I left. I went into the office and signed various documents to be filled out as a guarantor, and stated that I would transfer my obligations to the heir later. Now, when this document is submitted to the office, Mimas will officially become the head of this place, and I will be the guarantor to guarantee the financial condition of this place. Well, I guess I¡¯ll have to sell some of the gems in my jewelry box. I said with a smile to Mimas. ¡°From tomorrow, lunch will be served again without any setbacks, right?¡± ¡°Um, I think it¡¯ll get approved soon. I can¡¯t have the finances until it¡¯s approved. I can only buy some food for tomorrow right now¡­ ¡­ .¡± It isn¡¯t over yet? ¡°Then where did the money for the meals come from?¡± ¡°First of all, I used the money I could withdraw in advance as soon as possible, and I also had a little bit of my own money¡­ ¡­ .¡± Such a foolishly kind Mimas. A sigh leaked out from me. As I said, there were a lot of people in this slum who had a hard time getting a meal except for this free kitchen. Today, they were probably starving. I can¡¯t make them starve like that tomorrow. I opened my handbag. ¡°Lady? What are you going to do?¡± I opened the bag and found a pair of earrings and a hairpin adorned with jewels. ¡°Even if it¡¯s a pity, take this to the downtown area and cash it out. There are a lot of people who¡¯ll recognize you later, so it would be better to have another employee do it.¡± I put the ornaments on the table with a clattering sound. It¡¯s a used item, so even if it¡¯s worn off, they¡¯ll be able to get a decent amount, right? ¡°This¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that important to me. So, make sure you buy the ingredients for tomorrow¡¯s lunch as soon as possible with this. Even if you start moving from now on, you won¡¯t have enough time right?¡± I said sternly to Mimas, who was staring at the table in a daze. Mimas came to his senses and nodded his head. He quickly called the staff and gave them orders. And with Mimas who finished the instructions, I headed to the government office. This was because the guarantor needed to go with them. Even if I do that, it will also take some time to evaluate whether I¡¯m suitable or not. It would be great if they stamped it as soon as we arrived, but the paperwork process is very frustrating. The government office was located near the Imperial Palace. I rode the carriage with Mimas. Mimas once again thanked me. ¡°It was an unexpected help. Thank you again, Lady Uranos.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome. It wasn¡¯t a big help.¡± Something warm filled my heart. After all, helping people and loving people is the happiest thing for me. And, well, if you do a lot of good before you die, you¡¯ll go to a better place after you die, right? The office was always crowded with visitors. It was very crowded with people who received various complaints and people who came to handle their business. When we arrived, there were only 5 people in front of us waiting. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± When I sighed, Mimas sighed as well. ¡°It¡¯s long¡­ ¡­ . Guess we¡¯ll just have to wait, Lady Uranos?¡± I looked down at the waiting list in my hand. As I was looking at the people in line with tired faces, I heard a familiar voice again. ¡°¡­ ¡­ Bianca.¡± Ugh, now I don¡¯t even have to look back. Before looking at Ares, I turned towards him with the most polite smile on my face. ¡°Haha. Hello.¡± Even if I die soon, I will not be able to utter his name. I just said hello again. But luckily, instead of complaining about it, he smiled softly and told me. ¡°You have a business in the office?¡± There was also a waiting list in his hand. In this novel, was it originally set in such a way that I often encountered Ares? I glanced at Mimas and nodded in reply. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s because of the free food.¡± Then Ares answered with a face that seemed to know what was going on. ¡°Ahh. The issue was mentioned at Lady Nereid¡¯s tea party. Then the person next to you¡­ ¡­ .¡± Ares didn¡¯t react when he saw Mimas¡¯ face full of burn marks. I stroked my chest inwardly. If he had shown surprise or displeasure, I would not have been able to properly look at Mimas¡¯ face. Mimas quickly greeted Ares. ¡°My name is Mimas, the manager of the free food in the slums.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ares Jupiter.¡± Ares looked at the paper in my hand. ¡°What¡¯s your turn?¡± ¡°Ah, my turn¡­ ¡­ .¡± I unfolded the paper. The number 24 was written very beautifully, and the number that was currently being dealt with is 18. In other words, there were only 5 people still waiting in front of me. ¡°Then, exchange it for mine.¡± The number he gave out with no hesitation was a whopping number 20! Oh my gosh, I just need to wait for a while! I was about to get my hands on the number that Ares gave me, but I managed to regain my composure and, as a courtesy, I confirmed it. ¡°Are you really okay with that?¡± Haha, I will never refuse. As a courtesy, I made him confirm once again. I don¡¯t want to lie just to preserve my dignity. Already his hands were trembling to snatch that ticket! I waited anxiously for Ares¡¯ reply. He looked at me for a moment, then answered with a dazzling smile. ¡°If you do one request from me, I will gladly change with you.¡± Ouch! Are you saying that nothing is free? But now is not the time, I should take this chance. Next to me, Mimas¡¯ dazzling eyes are looking at me, how can I hesitate! ¡°If it¡¯s something I can do, I¡¯ll do it.¡± I tried to answer in a voice that seemed as relaxed and nonchalant as possible. Ares said, his eyes that were looking at me was as if he had found a good prey?Is it just my feeling? ¡°I want you to give me your afternoon hours you have left after you get the job done.¡± ¡­ ¡­ If a normal person would say something like this to me, I would think they¡¯re asking for a date. But this man is Ares Jupiter. Hey, don¡¯t you have Leah? I hesitated a little. It was because I was worried about what would happen if I accepted this and turned into a villainess according to the author¡¯s novel. But, well, I didn¡¯t intentionally seduce him, and thankfully, he had an excuse in case he was questioned by Leah later. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll do that.¡± I could see Ares¡¯ face brighten up. His bright smile was so beautiful, I couldn¡¯t help but smile too. I said looking back at Mimas. ¡°Lord Jupiter has done me a favor. I can finish work quickly and go.¡± Then suddenly I thought about it. So, what time is it when Ares takes care of the business with my number ticket? I thought so, but somehow it was as if he read my mind and he said in a calm voice. ¡°It wasn¡¯t urgent, so I¡¯ll come and take care of it next time.¡± Then, he crumpled up the number 24 waiting ticket in his hand and threw it away! Are you really okay with that? No, rather than that, I¡¯m stuck and now I¡¯m caught by Ares Jupiter. I¡¯m going to devote my entire afternoon to him! ¡­ ¡­ No, there is absolutely no way I can do that. I smiled softly at the very startling thought that suddenly came to me. What a great way to save my afternoon time from Ares! Mimas can be my saviour! ¡°Mimas. You must be very busy preparing lunch tomorrow, right?¡± When he was about to answer, I added. ¡°You need to do a lot of things and start shopping first. You seem to be busy right¡­?¡± Desperately, I signaled him with my eyes. Please ask me to help you! Say it! Mimas was confused, then glanced at my expression and Ares next to me, he then coughed and said, ¡°Uh, um¡­it is true that two hands is not enough¡­ if Lady Uranos helps us¡­ ¡­ maybe it will be a help for us¡­¡± I just received the word. Thank you, Mimas! ¡°If I can help, I will help as much as I can.¡± ¡°T- thank you.¡± Mimas, who expressed his gratitude to me with a bewildered face, ran back to the line that had now started processing number 19. I think he wanted to run away from this place for quite some time. Hmm. So in the end, without Mimas, I sat awkwardly in the waiting room with this male protagonist. Ares still hasn¡¯t erased that smile and said to me. ¡°There seems to be a shortage of workers. I will go with you and help.¡± Sigh. If you are in high society, there are times when smiling faces are more frightening. I can dare say that now is such a time. ¡°Thank you¡­ ¡­ .¡± Yes. It would be a lot less awkward to be with Mimas and the rest of the staff than just the two of us. Anyways, today he did me a great favor. I didn¡¯t really have anything to talk about with him, so I lowered my gaze. Whoa. What am I doing now? There¡¯s a person I like so much next to me, and I can¡¯t even talk to him. At that time, Ares spoke first. ¡°Also¡­ ¡­ . Without Leah, you must be very uncomfortable with me.¡± Huh? Why are you talking about Leah all of a sudden? Chapter 16 I asked, looking at him with a really puzzled face. ¡°Why did you think so? I am not as close with Leah as you thought.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡­ . Is that so? But except when Leah was there, I couldn¡¯t really talk to you. I think it was my misunderstanding.¡± Is that so? I pondered over my past deeds in my head. Regardless of whether Leah Saturnos was there or not, it seems that I always tried to avoid Ares. My expression was quite serious, then he said with a sly smile. ¡°If it¡¯s not like that, then nevermind.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­¡± Haa. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m doing these days. Because of the ¡®author¡¯, there were not days when I wasn¡¯t mentally exhausted and struggling not to become a villainess. I had to open my eyes wide and look around to see how I would die. His voice seemed to have lowered a little in my ears. ¡°I¡¯m not that bad. So I hope you can give me some time too. Bianca.¡± I looked at his face silently. If I want you to give me a break, what are you going to do? If you¡¯re going to Leah anyway, why are you making such a demand to me? Sadly, I¡¯m excited for nothing. At that moment, I heard a voice calling our waiting number. ¡°Twenty!¡± I saw Mimas quickly approaching the window and hand out the documents. Slowly getting up, I said to Ares in a tone that was as calm as possible. ¡°I will register as a guarantor. Please wait a moment.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ .¡± It wasn¡¯t too difficult to verify the guarantor. Because the official saw my face and my signature, it was finished. Of course, there is still the process of visiting the family for confirmation later. I told Mimas that Ares wanted to help as well. His expression changed very subtly, but he agreed anyway. It was not easy to go back to the slums from the government office. No, if you¡¯re the son of the Duke Jupiter, please ride your own carriage! ¡°Um, so you¡¯re saying you came not in your own carriage¡­ ¡­ .¡± I looked at my carriage with embarrassment. Isn¡¯t it a bit narrow for three people to ride? But I can¡¯t even reject him! Finally, I exhaled as if resigning. ¡°I¡¯m going to try it. Everyone, be patient, even if it is a little uncomfortable.¡± It¡¯s a bit funny to see two strong men and a slender woman riding in a small carriage but fortunately, the carriage began to rattle and run. I¡¯m sorry, driver, please stop. Isn¡¯t it very heavy? I¡¯ll go home and give you a lot of your favorite sugar cubes. Mimas and Ares are sitting on either side of me, but I was more conscious of Ares, perhaps because of my feelings. It felt like he was looking at me, so I was uncomfortable. Wouldn¡¯t my face have turned red? Somehow it felt like his breath reached my ears, ah! Why am I so conscious? I must be crazy! It was the first time that the road to the slums felt so far away. Anyway, when I arrived safely, I breathed a sigh of relief. As Mimas said, there was still a lot of work to be done. Fortunately, a staff member quickly cash out my jewelry and was waiting for us. ¡°Did they give you a good price?¡± ¡°Well, when I said that it was Lady Uranos¡¯ item, I was able to get a price that was as good as new.¡± Ares, who was listening to my conversation with the staff, suddenly interrupted. ¡°You mean Bianca¡¯s stuff?¡± Then Mimas answered instead. ¡°I didn¡¯t have enough money right now to buy ingredients for tomorrow¡¯s lunch, so the lady gave it to me in kind. With that, I was able to shop in a hurry.¡± Ares kept his mouth shut, so I couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking anymore. Some of the staff rode a carriage to the market. They were able to rest for a while after they came to buy food. As I drank the tea that Mimas had brought, I fell into thoughts. I guess I will have to meet the ¡®author¡¯ again. How on earth are my encounters with Ares described in her novel? Why do these coincidental encounters with Ares continue? Is there something the ¡®author¡¯ is hiding from me? ¡°What are you thinking?¡± As I was about to dig deeper, I heard a voice interrupting me. Ha, Yes. For now, let¡¯s focus on the issue in front of me. ¡°Ahh. It just seems like we see each other quite often these days.¡± I honestly said what I was thinking. I thought it would be good to find a clue somewhere and try to solve it. But his answer was not what I expected. ¡°¡­ ¡­ On the contrary, don¡¯t you think we haven¡¯t met too much?¡± ¡°Huh¡­ ¡­ ?¡± Ares seemed determined and had something to say. Perhaps he sensed the subtle atmosphere, Mimas took the teacup and went outside! This time, I was stuck with him. ¡°It was the same year that you and I debuted in the high society. Still, isn¡¯t it more surprising that we haven¡¯t greeted each other without contact for more than two years?¡± Well, because I deliberately avoided you. I didn¡¯t want my love at first sight to be found out. ¡°Unless someone deliberately avoided me.¡± Ouch! He¡¯s smarter than I thought ¡°It wasn¡¯t me, Bianca, did you avoid me?¡± What should I answer? To say that I avoided him, or to say that I did not, from my point of view, it seems unreasonable. ¡°And you never called my name.¡± If I normally face him and laugh, I cannot guarantee that my feelings will not be revealed to him. It was for that reason that I wanted to stay away from him even when my death was near. Can¡¯t I live quietly like this without letting him know about this feeling until the end and supporting his love? I looked at him with a slightly sad heart. ¡°Ares.¡± First of all, I started by calling his name. But the effect was amazing. Because Ares¡¯s face, which had been severely hardened, has visibly loosened! I decided to hide the truth a little. As if I hadn¡¯t deliberately avoided him. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to avoid you. I¡¯m sorry if you felt that way. I lacked consideration for you in my conduct.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ It¡¯s okay now.¡± He accepted my apology unexpectedly. ¡°Instead, I want you to stop feeling that way now. Therefore¡­ ¡­ .¡± Ares hesitated with a slightly red face. ¡°I want us to be close like a friend. Please feel free to talk with me, and I hope that it will not be awkward to be together like this even if Leah is not here¡­ ¡­ .¡± I smiled slightly and nodded my head. Yes. After all, us three were friends even in the novel by the ¡®author¡¯, so it seemed difficult for me to break this setting. And I thought that maybe, this narrowing of distance with him might be the last gift of my destiny. Although it is painful and sad that my time is running out, if my heart is not completely revealed, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to create a few happy memories? Yes. Let¡¯s accept it. Let¡¯s accept this flow as naturally as water flows. Guess this is my destiny, huh? As I was drawing that conclusion in my mind, Ares¡¯ voice came again. ¡°Your atmosphere seems to have changed a bit these days.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Inwardly, I was startled by his sharp intuition. What kind of man¡¯s intuition is sharper than a woman¡¯s! He nodded his head and said with a rather worried face. ¡°I felt it when we met before, but¡­ ¡­ .¡± I replied playfully. ¡°A face like I owe the whole world?¡± Then he agreed. ¡°That¡¯s right! It was difficult to express that feeling, but I think it is.¡± I laughed. Hey, I guess I¡¯m not really good at acting. Maybe it¡¯s like I said, ¡®I¡¯m going to die soon.¡¯ to them. It¡¯d be better to advertise and go around. Anyways, I thought I should say something. Looking back, Ares seems to be very worried. ¡°Just, not long ago, there was a time when I felt that life was so short. It¡¯s not a big deal, but I¡¯m still holding it in my heart, so I guess that¡¯s the kind of atmosphere that came out. Are you worried a lot?¡± Ares replied with a soft smile as usual. ¡°It bothers me a little, but if you say it¡¯s not a big deal, then that¡¯s it.¡± He was a very nice person. Instead of asking what happened and why do you think that way, he chose to accept what I said. Indeed, he was a man full of manners enough to be counted as the best man among young girls in high society. Leah Saturnos, you¡¯re so lucky. Let¡¯s go ahead and question him now that it come to this point. ¡°Um, Ares. I have a question for you.¡± ¡°Say it.¡± He answered me, still without a smile on his face. ¡°What did you want to do with your visit to the government office today? Was it okay for you to exchange your ticket for me so easily?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that important. I was trying to register my personal carriage.¡± Hmmm, it¡¯s a good thing it doesn¡¯t have to be today, but considering the number of visitors at the government office today, it must have been a long wait. ¡°That¡¯s why you came without your own carriage.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s before registration, I can¡¯t ride it recklessly.¡± Private carriages that can be ridden by either nobles or commoners by themselves must be registered and certified. This is because carriage accidents are more frequent than expected, and sometimes they even cause accidents and run away. Therefore, it can only be operated by reporting a personal carriage to the government office and attaching it to a certificate. What if you don¡¯t? If caught, you will be subject to a hefty fine! When the atmosphere between Ares and I had become nicer, a carriage arrived. It seemed that the food had arrived from the market. I stood up vigorously from my seat. ¡°Now is the time to work.¡± Ares was confused. ¡°I have to trim the ingredients. It will be difficult with only the employees here. Because there is a lot of it.¡± ¡°Did you do this often?¡± ¡°Not often, but a few times to serve.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ ¡­ .¡± I laughed softly. Now, I¡¯m going to chop vegetables. What are you going to do? Please, I wish I could just tell you to go home. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to help you even with the ingredients.¡± Ares also responded with a smile to me. Oh, he¡¯s not easy. Ares, who took off his jacket and dressed in a thin shirt, quickly followed Mimas¡¯ instructions (?) and carried sacks of onions, potatoes, and heavy ingredients one by one. He unbutton his sleeves and rolling it up, whoa! Those thick arms are so cool. Oh my, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to get close to him! I can¡¯t get him out of my mind! ¡°¡­ ¡­ Bianca? What are you doing?¡± I was staring blankly at Ares¡¯ forearm while holding a potato peeler in my hand, and then I came to my senses as he looked at me and started peeling potatoes again. It seemed like he laughed. Ahh! How embarrassing! My face must have turned red too! Chapter 17 If we start again tomorrow, a huge number of people will surely come. I can assure you that people who are completely hungry today will be lining up early in the morning. That is why the amount of ingredients the employees bought from the market was quite large. According to Mimas, he said that he bought enough food for 500 people, but he added that there might be a shortage. Come on, can you imagine the amount of potatoes I have to cut now? Of course, I¡¯m not alone, but the amount was so huge that, to be honest, I wasn¡¯t sure if I would be able to finish it all within today. At that time, Ares approached me. ¡°It seemed that my work has been finished.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. You¡¯ve been through a lot. Then next time¡­ ¡­ .¡± I thought he was saying he was going home now that his work was done, so I was about to say goodbye, but he just sit down next to me? Huh? ¡°Aren¡¯t you going back?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t received the full payment for exchanging the number yet.¡± For a brief moment, I was surprised and then come to my senses. I have to add one more thing about Ares in my head. Surprisingly, he can be stingy. I thought it would be better to have him cut this mountain of potatoes with me, since he¡¯s sitting next to me doing nothing. ¡°Ares. Do you know how to peel potatoes?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ve never done it before, but I¡¯d love to see what you do and imitate it.¡± Oh, okay, he¡¯s going to help anyway. I hurriedly brought another small knife, and put it in Ares¡¯s hand. ¡°If the skin is peeled too thickly, the potatoes will disappear, so it is better to peel it as thinly as possible.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Is he the type to work hard? It seems that there are many people in the world with very unique tastes. He watched me for a long time, holding a knife and slicing the potatoes. ¡­ ¡­ If you¡¯ve seen me enough, I¡¯d like you to start working now! How many times have I almost made a mistake because I was so nervous! ¡°I¡­ ¡­ . Do you still need to see more?¡± ¡°Haha, no. I think I know now.¡± He started peeling potatoes really well. Huh, did it become that easy just by looking at it for a long time? How many mistakes did I make when I first started? No, actually, it looks like he has done it a lot? He seems familiar with it? He didn¡¯t even know that I was guessing about him, as he did his job with a bright face. As a noble, it was a chore that he should have never done before, but I was really grateful and happy that it made him happy. Even if he volunteered, if it seemed like he was forcing himself to do something he didn¡¯t want to do, it would have been embarrassing to see Mimas and the staffs. However, after carrying a sack of onions and slicing potatoes with a small knife that did not fit his large hand, he had a rather happy face without a single complaint. I was very grateful for that. ¡°Thank you. You could have just sat there and waited for me, but you helped me like this.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything worthy of thanks. Because I¡¯m pretty happy too, so I have to say thank you instead.¡± ¡°Haha. Are you saying that this simple work was suitable for you?¡± ¡°Rather than that¡­ ¡­ .¡± Ares glanced at me playfully. ¡°I think it¡¯s because I did it with good people.¡± ¡°!¡± A potato slipped out of my hand and went away! That almost made me slash my empty hands with the knife in my hand. ¡°Bianca! Are you okay?¡± Ares shouted in a startled voice. Ouch, luckily it didn¡¯t cut me, but the blade really did almost touch my finger. No, it¡¯s your fault fo saying things like that so suddenly! My pounding heart still hasn¡¯t calmed down. He was originally a person who had a knack for not making others feel bad, but he was also a man who never crossed a certain line, so many young girls could hardly get close to him. And the first woman to cross that line was Leah Saturnos. Anyway, it seems that I have feelings for him, so I was startled by his words. ¡°Ah yes. it¡¯s okay. But Ares¡­¡± I said to him with a genuinely concerned face. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say things like that. Especially someone like you.¡± I felt him hardened at my words, but I continued. ¡°I know that you have good manners, but I think you might be misunderstood. Anyways, thank you for seeing me as a good person.¡± I wondered if I needed to point it out, but I really thought my heart was going to drop. I knew what he was saying was manners, but it made me misunderstand. It was very exciting, but also sad and disappointing. His kind words shake me so easily that I lose strength in my hands without realizing it. The unrequited love, which has been in existence for three years, has been engraved so deeply in my heart. ¡­ ¡­ Still, I was happy for a while. When he said ¡®a good person¡¯ to me, it sounded like he ¡®likes me¡¯ for a moment. Of course, the meaning of is different, but that alone made me thrilled. While I was laughing by myself, I heard Ares¡¯s voice, which had been quiet next to me. ¡°I¡¯m not as well-mannered as you think.¡± Oh, he is so humble! Even if he say that, all women already know. I smiled deeply and nodded towards him. ¡°It¡¯s like that to the ladies. Everyone knows that you are a kind and wonderful person.¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ .¡± He eventually shut his mouth. After nagging, I added a word of compliment to apologize, but I guess he was offended. We¡¯ve been quiet and really focused on cutting the potatoes since then. Ares, who was speechless, only worked at a really frightening speed. All of a sudden, all the potatoes were neatly peeled. When the ingredients were ready enough to cook tomorrow, I finally got up. As the sun was about to set, the sky was tinged with purple. ¡°Lady Uranus, Lord Jupiter. You really helped me a lot today. How can I thank you¡­ ¡­ .¡± Mimas thanked us. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. As long as the distribution goes well tomorrow, this is nothing.¡± After a brief reply to him, I hurried to prepare to go home. Better go back before it gets completely dark. There is nothing more dangerous than a woman riding a carriage alone through the night. ¡°Bianca. Are you going back now?¡± Ares remained awkwardly silent until a while ago, then suddenly asked me. I nodded my head as if it was natural. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s dangerous when it¡¯s completely dark.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ¡­ .¡± Hmmm. Seeing this gentleman hesitating as if he has something to say, does he think he hasn¡¯t been paid for the exchange yet? After all, he was unexpectedly busy in the kitchen today. Still, I had spent the entire afternoon with Ares, just as he asked! Anyways, I didn¡¯t break my promise! I looked at him. But what he said was unexpected. ¡°The sun has already set, but it must still be dangerous. Let¡¯s go together with me.¡± Well, he was always polite. How can there be a woman who is not swayed when he takes care of them so meticulously? I was also such an ordinary woman. But it¡¯s him who recommend it right? Later, when Leah found out and even if she grabbed my hair as she shouted ¡®You bad girl!¡¯ I have an excuse. ¡°Thank you. I will not decline the favor.¡± I tried to hide my excitement as best as I could, and accepted his kindness in a calm manner. When Ares and I got on the carriage, Mimas saw us off, and smiles were on his faces. ¡°Lord Jupiter, please take good care of Lady Uranos.¡± I frowned slightly at his words. For some reason, him saying that seemed like trying to tie us together. ¡°Hey, Mimas¡­ ¡­ .¡± I opened my mouth to say something, but Ares was a little faster. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mimas. I will take care of her well.¡± ¡°Then, be careful!¡± Ares, who grabbed the reins instead of me, moved his hand and started the carriage*! *TL/N: Okay so there is a mistranslation in the past chapter, I was confused with this as well. So all this time, when Bianca said she went alone, she literally went alone and drive the carriage alone. That¡¯s why she was so worried about going home as she ride the carriage on her own. No, I haven¡¯t finished talking yet! The carriage rattled through the streets of the night. For a moment, I leisurely savored the present situation. After 3 years of unrequited love, I finally have a chance to ride a carriage with Ares. Although it is not a high-end carriage with a full roof and comfortable ride, the fact that Ares is driving my carriage now seemed like a dream come true. Dream. Yes, it was a dream. A dream that will disappear after one night of sleep. If today¡¯s meeting with Ares and peeling potatoes was a scene in the novel, I think I can thank the ¡®author¡¯ for this. Because she made me have a good dream before I died. At that time, the voice of Ares made me came out of my stupor as I had been immersed in thought. ¡°It was fun today, Bianca.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fortunate. I was worried that you would be offended to work.¡± I lightly responded to his feelings. But he said sternly. ¡°It¡¯s not just something I say. I really enjoyed it.¡± I was a little perplexed, so I shut my mouth. Why is he mad? Did I do something wrong? Ha, figuring out Ares is a really demanding job. I can¡¯t figure anything out! Ares continued to speak. ¡°As I said before, I am not as well-mannered as you think. Being polite to others in the high society only makes it appear that way. I¡¯m not really like that at all.¡± Why dies he kept emphasizing that? No, in the high society, of course we have to be polite, where is the person who reveals their true self as they are? I had a hard time hiding my temper all this time from the ladies. And aren¡¯t most of them reluctant to reveal their true selves? No one is perfect in this world, and everyone has their own shortcomings, but who likes to expose their flaws to others? Even if you want it to be revealed, that¡¯s usually only possible with very close friends or lovers. So, I¡¯m the type of person who doesn¡¯t need to know who he really is. Chapter 18.1 Of course, Ares and I were ¡®friends,¡¯ and we always addressed one other by our given names, but Leah Saturnos insisted on it, and I had no choice. The intimacy I felt with Ares and Leah was lacking to consider them as friends. So I said to him coldly. ¡°You¡¯re talking like I need to know who you really are.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we friends?¡± Haha, friend? You really don¡¯t think of me as a friend, do you? I stopped laughing and looked at Ares who was driving the carriage. ¡°I don¡¯t believe we¡¯re quite there yet.¡± ¡°You are the one who allowed me to refer to you by your given name.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. However, everything is because of Lady Leah.¡± He let out a sigh. ¡°Her again.¡± I sighed as well. To be honest, if it weren¡¯t for Leah Saturnos, I doubt I would have ever sat next to him and rode in the carriage with him. All of this was possible because of Leah, yet there was nothing to say. It was thanks to her naivety. I had to admit that it was because of her that I got so close to Ares. The carriage¡¯s pace slowed down a little bit. The rumbling of the carriage and the clopping of hooves, both of which were irritatingly loud, gradually died down. Ares¡¯ words echoed softly through the dimly lit street, accompanied by the wind. ¡°Bianca. Can you explain why you always associate me with Leah?¡± I laughed a little at his question. That¡¯s because you are the main couple in this novel! The reason was very clear, but I couldn¡¯t be honest. However, I chose to tell him a little. ¡°Ares, do you believe in fate?¡± When I mentioned it out of the blue, his expression changed significantly. ¡°Of course. I believe it, but that doesn¡¯t seem to be the answer to my question.¡± ¡°I see. You believe in fate¡­¡± I could only muster the biggest grin for him. ¡°Then just think of it as fate.¡± I sincerely hoped that he would be happy. Fortunately, he had a happy ending thanks to the ¡®author.¡¯ It¡¯s fortunate that the main couple had a happy ending despite the author¡¯s preference for sad stories. I¡¯m upset that she had made my fate that way,but I¡¯m glad she didn¡¯t do the same to anybody else. So shouldn¡¯t I be unhappy? Shouldn¡¯t I be unhappy when I was set to die so quickly? Well, I don¡¯t think so. Because happiness does not depend on how long our life is. Shouldn¡¯t I be happy to spend the time given to me? The look on Ares¡¯s face as he stared at me was confusing to say the least. What exactly is he so concerned about? It¡¯s his fate to be happy. As if he had finally given up on further interrogation, he shook his head and grinned. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll consider it as fate.¡± The carriage soon arrived at my family¡¯s mansion. Because it was already dark on the street, I compelled him to return in my family carriage. ¡°Women are not the only ones who face danger at night. It¡¯s a reward for accompanying me today.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome. It¡¯s natural for me to do so.¡± Ares smiled as he stated this. Wake up, it¡¯s time to get out of the dream! He took my hand according to the etiquette and kissed my hand. ¡°That was a lot of fun, and I hope we can do it again soon.¡± ¡°If the opportunity arises, I will gladly do it. Be careful and go back.¡± My family¡¯s carriage on which Ares rode moved away. I let out a small sigh and returned to reality. Is it okay if I tell him how I really feel? I¡¯m not interested in becoming friends with him. I¡¯m not interested in standing uncomfortably at his side in the name of ¡®friendship¡¯ while he falls in love with Leah. Although I want him to be happy, I don¡¯t want him to be happy in front of my eyes. I¡¯m satisfied with hearing the news from time to time. Even though I had a crush on him for a long time, I was well aware that I could never be his fated love. However, should I really feel sad? Numerous lords have declared their love for me! Nonetheless, I¡¯m hoping he wasn¡¯t too friendly with me. If he really cares about me, he must act accordingly. Thankfully, I was going to say goodbye to this world before I saw the depths of their love. Wasn¡¯t that what the ¡®author¡¯ said? I¡¯ll die right before their happy ending. Anyways, today was a really wonderful dream. Chapter 18.2 The next day, I woke up with surprisingly no pain in my shoulders and arms, probably because I had been working hard for a long time and got used to it! Seriously, it¡¯s even more amazing that I¡¯ve peeled all those potatoes and I¡¯m still in good shape with no pain! Usually, it was difficult to lift a spoon for breakfast as one of my arms felt like it was weighed down. As a result, I had to rest at home all day. The wind was very warm because the blooming spring and March had almost passed. I left the windows open as I laid down in my bed, enjoying the spring breeze. Considering the time I have left, I think I will have to go around and meet people. Oh, but I need to rest too, what should I do? I think it¡¯ll be fine if I laze around for a day. Ares and Leah¡¯s love still hasn¡¯t bloomed, so I have plenty of time. But then, a public carriage rattled in front of the mansion. What? Why is the public carriage coming all the way here? Because the window was open, I could see the unusual scenario at the mansion¡¯s entrance. ¡°They seemed to be a visitor, but they used a public carriage all the way to the front door, so it seems like they didn¡¯t have good etiquette.¡± I clicked my tongue and watched the communal carriage stop to drop off the visitor. The driver of that carriage or the gatekeeper at the main gate did not have mastery of the noble¡¯s etiquette, so they probably let them pass. Even so, among the commoners, there were those who were good at noble etiquette. Mimas, who often visits noble families to ask for donations, was one of them. According to the noble¡¯s etiquette, it was the norm to get off the main gate and walk to the front door when coming in a public carriage rather than a private carriage or a family carriage. If they ride a public carriage, especially if they are invited, they must reveal their identity to the gatekeeper and wait for the attendant who will guide them to the mansion. It is disrespectful for an outsider, whose identity is difficult to identify at a glance, to wander around the mansion recklessly. I opened my eyes wide and watched who was coming down. Who is that ignorant and rude visitor? With my eyes wide open and looking at the person getting off the carriage, I wanted to hide somewhere. Oh my God, it¡¯s Leah Saturnos! There was almost a 90% chance of her being my guest! I¡¯m the only one she¡¯d come to meet in this mansion, so of course, she¡¯s looking for me! But she didn¡¯t give me any message beforehand. What would have happened if I had gone out somewhere? It¡¯s really hard to withstand her behavior. Even if they live in a rural area and have just debuted in high society, they need to master the etiquette, especially the female lead! ¡­¡­No, maybe that was also the setting of the ¡®author¡¯. Couldn¡¯t she have been deliberately made to be clumsy in etiquette? If I had to dig through the romance novels piled up on my desk and pick up anything, such a female lead would appear. Indeed, it seems that the ¡®author¡¯ is also a typical romance novel author. How could she create such a cliche female protagonist? The ¡®author¡¯ said ¡®gosam*¡¯ endlessly when I asked her age. It was clear that she wasn¡¯t in her right mind. *TL/N: As mentioned in the previous note, gosam is an abbreviation of 3rd year of high school, but Bianca mistook it as bitter tea since gosam is a type of bitter tea. Surely, Leah Saturnos wouldn¡¯t need to learn etiquette and have a happy ending, right? However, that setting will give her a hard time mingling in high society! What¡¯s more, her husband is the heir to the Duke of Jupiter! Hey, let¡¯s stop thinking about it. I took a deep breath and quickly checked my clothes. Anyways, I¡¯m sure she has come as my guest, so why not prepare for it? Fortunately, I wasn¡¯t in such a mess that I had to change clothes, so I only roughly combed my hair. At that moment, the butler¡¯s voice was heard along with a knock. ¡°My lady, someone is looking for you. What should I do?¡± It was not rude to reject meeting a guest who did not inform us of their visit in advance. Because they were the one being disrespectful. But it doesn¡¯t seem like Leah Saturnos was doing this with malice, so I decided to forgive her by meeting her. I informed the butler that I would meet her in the drawing room. After deliberately taking a little time, I slowly left the room and walked silently through the hallway. As I knocked on the drawing room door, I heard an innocent voice inside with the sound of a chair being pulled. ¡°Bianca?¡± Ha. Where should I start? I¡¯m sorry, but I really don¡¯t want to play the role of her nanny. I wanted to send a good etiquette teacher to Baron Saturnos even at my own expense. I quietly opened the door and entered. Leah almost ran to me as soon as she saw me. ¡°Just stay there.¡± I raised my hand and firmly restrained her. Maybe my tone was a little cold, so Leah just stopped moving. ¡°Ah¡­Yes¡­¡± She was like a pitiful puppy, but she¡¯s the one who will become the hostess of the Jupiter family in the future. She¡¯ll have to bear with it. I quietly pulled out a chair across from her and sat down. Then I said to her with a gentle smile. ¡°Come on, sit down. I¡¯ll bring you tea.¡± Leah sat back down a little awkwardly. ¡°I¡­¡­. Are you not happy that I have visited?¡± Oh my, she talked to me before I finished brewing the tea and even gave her a teacup. Unless it¡¯s a very urgent business, they shouldn¡¯t be like that. I served her tea without answering her question. After carefully setting the teacup in front of her, I opened her mouth to answer. ¡°First of all, let me answer your question, I must say that I am surprised, not displeased.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°When visiting a noble, it is customary to notify the visit in advance. What would you have done if I had been out today?¡± ¡°Oh, I just¡­¡­. I just wanted to meet Bianca. I didn¡¯t mean to break the rules on purpose.¡± I sighed briefly. I knew there was no malice in her rudeness. I decided to stop nagging at this point. No, just one more word! ¡°It¡¯s not that Baron Saturno is having a financial difficulty, is it?¡± ¡°My family? As far as I know, there is no such a thing¡­¡± Well, I don¡¯t really care about that. ¡°Then I will write you a letter of introduction, so please make sure to welcome the person as your etiquette teacher. It will be necessary to survive in high society.¡± Chapter 19 Leah¡¯s expression became sad. ¡°I didn¡¯t have any manners¡­?¡± She said in a weak voice. Ugh, maybe it¡¯s because of the female lead¡¯s halo, my mouth seemed to spontaneously want to say, ¡®Oh my, it wasn¡¯t that much!¡¯ I managed to control my expression and replied, ¡°Yes. Needless to say, be sure to learn the etiquette so that you can mingle with the nobles.¡± Leah was aghast, her eyes widened and she protested, ¡°Since we are close friends, why do we have to be so formal? I actually came here because Bianca is my friend.¡± Although she had just made her social debut, she¡¯s also an adult now. And yet, she still has such a childlike view of friendship. In a good way, it was pure, in a bad way, it was ignorance. I have no intention of teaching Leah everything one by one. It wasn¡¯t that I hated her, and it wasn¡¯t that I was particularly fond of her either. Well, there were times when I smiled like a mom without realizing it when she was cute. However, her pure eyes like now were more frustrating than cute, enough to make me sigh. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be honest, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m close with you yet.¡± I¡¯m going crazy. I had to repeat what I said to Ares yesterday. How can this couple be so ignorant and pretend to be so friendly with me! Then she will answer the same way as Ares. ¡°But we call each other by our given names!¡± ¡­ Yes, just like that. How come her answer is the same as Ares! ¡°It¡¯s not as though everyone becomes your friend simply by addressing them by their given name. Besides, I haven¡¯t had enough time to become acquainted with you as a friend. And above all else, I prefer to befriend someone who is well-mannered.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Leah flinched. Ah, Leah Saturnos. In the end, I think I am destined to become a villain. There¡¯s no way I can speak kind words to you. ¡°The question isn¡¯t whether it is necessary to be formal with your friends or not. When I visited my best friend Metis Nereid, I always contacted her in advance,¡± I explained. Leah¡¯s face flushed red. Is it because she¡¯s angry or is it because she feels ashamed? ¡°It is not polite to point out each of the rules that you broke while coming to see me. So, I recommend that you must meet the etiquette teacher and learn a bit more.¡± Leah lowered her head. She remained quiet for a moment, then answered slowly in a weak voice. ¡°If Bianca says so, I will. I¡¯m really sorry. I only thought of myself and did not consider your position.¡± Thank God she¡¯s a person with common sense. ¡°I heard that Bianca is the best lady in high society. There¡¯s probably nothing wrong with what you¡¯re saying. Thank you for being truthful to me,¡± she added. I kept my mouth shut and listened to her. I was greatly relieved in my heart. It was fortunate that she wasn¡¯t an emotionally charged person who would ignore an advice. As long as Ares guides her well, she seemed to be able to become a great companion for him. ¡°Truly¡­ I made a lot of mistakes.¡± With her shoulders drooping, she apologized to me and tried to get up. Hmm. If this is the case, it seems that my will has been conveyed to her, so let¡¯s not criticize her any longer. The more I pointed it out, the more horrible I would appear to be. I chuckled and held her back. ¡°I¡¯m going to reflect on my actions today.¡± I asked, leaning my back on the chair, ¡°Why did you suddenly come? There must be a reason why you wanted to see me¡­¡± ¡°Ah, the thing is¡­¡­¡± Leah¡¯s face brightened a little. She was indeed a really easy-to-understand person. ¡°Actually, I went to the slums today to serve food. Last time I came to Lady Nereid¡¯s salon, I heard that Bianca was also sponsoring it.¡± Whoa, it appeared Metis had properly appealed to the difficult situation of the slums. Great. Mimas¡¯ burden would lessen. ¡°So I went early in the morning, and there was a huge line of people. I didn¡¯t know there were so many people starving for food in this city.¡± I had a smile on my face. I hoped that she would become a noble woman with a noble obligation. ¡° I heard from Mimas, who is in charge, that Bianca was there yesterday. So, I started thinking about you. Oh! Right. While we were serving food, Ares also stopped by.¡± What? Ares? He returned so casually after being hard at work yesterday? He has incredible stamina. ¡°So after the service, I asked him to go with me to visit you, but he refused because he was busy. He must have just come to see Mimas.¡± I got a headache. Ares rejected Leah¡¯s offer? Why? If he had deliberately rejected Leah¡¯s request like that because I always linked him to Leah, I would feel bad! I mean, I don¡¯t want to interrupt their romance! My heart started pounding. Why does this world keep trying to drive me into becoming the villain? Not knowing the fifty thousand thoughts running through my head, Leah continued her story, ¡°That¡¯s why I came to see you alone. Actually, I really like Bianca. I want to be a wonderful woman like you!¡± She fell for me really easily. All I did was give her some kindness. The ¡®author¡¯ had made a lot of really useless scenes In order to make the female lead pitiful. Think about it. How great the sense of betrayal would be if a friend you like had a crush on the man you loved, and at the same time plotted to take him away. Anyway, I knew why Leah was here, and since she said she had come to see me, I must treat her well. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to thank you since you think so highly of me, Leah.¡± First of all, I need to politely express my gratitude for her affection. ¡°I did a little bit of work yesterday, so I was a bit tired. I need to go back and rest.¡± ¡°Oh, yes¡­! Then I will take my leave. Get some rest and I¡¯ll see you again later.¡± I smiled and bid her farewell. ¡°If you visit me according to the etiquette, I will welcome you.¡± Leah smiled brightly and left the mansion. Since she came in a public carriage, I had my family carriage take her to her destination. Come to think of it, even the way she acted is the same as Ares. I thought of Ares as I stared blankly at the carriage she was riding in. I didn¡¯t know what she was thinking. Was I twisting this novel right now? Was I steadily avoiding the path of the villain? ¡­ It seemed that I had to meet the ¡®author¡¯ again. After the day Leah Saturnus visited, I went to Aphrodite tea house almost every day. It was to meet the ¡®author¡¯. I had to know the original content of the novel she had written. At first, I thought it would be fine if I just acted nicely and not interfere with the romance between Ares and Leah, but I guess it couldn¡¯t be like that. What is the standard for a villain? The things that defined me as a villain can be broadly divided into three groups. First, common sense, then the ¡®author¡¯ herself, and finally, the female lead, Leah Saturnos. Objectively, if I act evil, I will naturally become a villain. But I can assure you that I have never committed such an evil deed. However, was that alone enough to free from the villain role in the novel? The ¡®author¡¯ said that I turned into a villain because I was jealous of Leah. Perhaps, the villain that the ¡®author¡¯ had in mind is not the same as mine. Following my train of thought, in order for me to not become a villain, I had strongly supported the main couple. I also advised Leah and stated that she would become a person worthy of the Jupiter family in the future, which might have been considered an evil deed in the eyes of the ¡®author¡¯. To put it bluntly, what I thought of as not evil, might be evil according to the ¡®author¡¯ And the last person who would define me as a villain was Leah Saturnos. If Leah feels my existence only gets in the way of their love, wouldn¡¯t I turn into a villain? If I tried to ruin their relationship due to jealousy, Leah would think of my existence as an obstacle! Those ¡®obstacles¡¯ will always be considered bad. I wish she could have told me that if I do nothing and just stay still, I can avoid the bad ending. But this might be the wrong answer. I really didn¡¯t want to have any contact with Ares and Leah. However, I ran into Ares unexpectedly and became friends with the two couples according to the setting of the ¡®author¡¯. We could see from how Ares chased me in Metis¡¯ tea party, and Leah, who came to see me as soon as she thought of me and invited Ares. The two main characters should always be together at the beginning of a romance, but it couldn¡¯t happen because of me. ¡­ Because Ares also did unexpected actions. Yes! The source of all my confusion was Ares Jupiter. Leah¡¯s pattern of behavior was obvious. The ¡®author¡¯ was just a bystander. So how could they deviate from the plot? The answer is Ares, the male lead of this novel. Obviously the last time the ¡®author¡¯ told me, on the parts that were not written by her, the characters could act freely according to their will. Even if it was something she wrote herself, she said that it could change depending on my actions. The only thing that doesn¡¯t change no matter what I do is the important ¡®pillar¡¯ of the novel. The setting that makes me fall in love with Ares must be clearly described in the novel. So, it meant that there would be a sentence saying, ¡®Bianca fell in love with Ares at first sight.¡¯ It is of course a written setting that the two main characters fall in love with each other. There must be a scene in a romance novel where they confess their love! At the very least, wouldn¡¯t there be a narrative that says, ¡®They fell in love with each other¡¯? In my experience, it was almost impossible to overcome the emotions set in the novel. Knowing that my love for Ares was the setting of the ¡®author¡¯, I struggled to shake it off. It was no use though, so I decided to just accept it. In my opinion, the two will never be able to overcome this setup, considering that they don¡¯t know the truth of this world. Then, as described in the novel, Ares and Leah shouldn¡¯t have developed a relationship with each other by now. In the first stage of a love that is just beginning to sprout, wasn¡¯t it about wanting to be together and doing everything together somehow? Wasn¡¯t it only after a long period of boredom that they become indifferent to each other? But why does Ares keep acting out of my expectations? Chapter 20 I wanted to meet the ¡®author¡¯ to solve this very question. I was thinking of asking the ¡®author¡¯ to recite the text of the novel as it is. I also need to know what she wrote, and why it¡¯s developing so unpredictably. Maybe she was out of ideas. She may have just written the incidents as a filler chapter. But according to the ¡®author¡¯, the world in this novel was so perfect that she wanted to come in here, so this novel may have been her life¡¯s work, and she might remember every detail. Today as well, after sitting for half a day at the tea house, I ended up failing to meet the ¡®author¡¯. A few days had passed, and I was getting tired of it. ¡®This damn ¡®author¡¯! Why doesn¡¯t she show up? I had been waiting for days at the tea house to buy you tea and sandwiches. ¡®Haa, I¡¯m tired.¡¯ I sighed helplessly and opened the door of the tea house as I stepped out into the street. The sun had completely receded as it was about to set. I¡¯m completely exhausted today as well. I don¡¯t have much time left to live. I looked up blankly at the orange sky. Should I just give up on everything and become a villain naturally? But it was then. There was a sound of someone screaming. ¡°Move! It¡¯s dangerous!¡± Huh? Looking down from the sunset, I turned to the side where the shout was heard. Clop, clop. I could gradually hear the thundering sound of horseshoes. And from the distance, I saw a horse tied to the carriage running fast towards me, it seemed as if time was slowing down and I was frozen. People were rolling down the sides of the road, avoiding the horse and carriage. But for some reason, my legs were stiff, I was rooted to the spot and could not move. The red, bloodshot eyes of the mad horse appeared in front of me. I could also see the saliva mixed with the foam that the horse spewed everywhere. Everything slowly came into my view, so that I could see every single strand of its rough mane. Still, I couldn¡¯t move. ¡®Ah, I guess this is my death.¡® It seemed that my end had come sooner than I expected. As a result of struggling to get out of the path of the villain described in the novel, I didn¡¯t think I would die like this. If I had known that I would die so quickly, I wouldn¡¯t have stayed at the tea house for a few days to meet the ¡®author¡¯. I wasted my precious time. When I saw my death approaching, I was neither afraid nor sad. Without a second thought, my mind calmed down. ¡®Ah, I¡¯ll die soon.¡¯ I watched the mad horse reached me. And I slowly closed my eyes. But¡­ ¡°Bianca!¡± Along with a loud shout that seemed to tear my eardrums, someone pushed me away. I ended up falling to the side of the road. ¡°Ouch!¡± A short scream escaped my mouth. At the same time as I fell, I realized something. ¡­ I¡¯m not dead. Huh? I¡¯m alive? Shouldn¡¯t I die? I still couldn¡¯t process what had happened, so my mind was blank. The mad horse that pulled a carriage crashed against the wall of a building. ¡°Bianca!¡± It was then that I realized that someone was hugging me. I looked at the person who saved me. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ahh, it was you Ares Jupiter. His blonde hair was a mess, perhaps from the shock of falling, and his brown eyes, which always looked warm, were staring at me worriedly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m okay,¡± I answered immediately. And I wasn¡¯t really hurt. My mental state was extremely stable, even though I nearly died. It¡¯s because I know I¡¯m going to die in advance. I wasn¡¯t so upset and I wasn¡¯t scared either. So next time. when I really die, I would experience something like this again. I had no desire to experience it again, but I was relieved at the same time. At least, my parents won¡¯t see my corpse stomped on by a horse. People flocked to see what happened after the mad horse hit the wall. In the midst of the frenzy, only Ares fell to the floor with me and still couldn¡¯t get up. ¡®But why won¡¯t this person let me go?¡¯ Ares held me tight and didn¡¯t release my arms. ¡®Uhh wait, why is he the one trembling?¡¯ ¡°Ares. I am really fine.¡± I looked into his eyes until he released my arm on his own. For some reason, his eyes seemed moist. His face, which was filled with worry and surprise, suddenly changed as if he was angry. ¡°?¡± Seeing the expression on my face, he looked furious, kept his mouth shut and let me go. But soon after, he grabbed my hand tightly and led me somewhere. ¡°Ares! Where are we going?¡± He took me to a narrow gap between buildings, out of the public sight. Why did he bring me to this place? Just as I was about to question him, he yelled at me first. ¡°Why!¡± Huh? Ares, why are you so angry? ¡°Why do you have those eyes!¡± My eyes? What about my eyes? ¡°How are you so calm?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but stare blankly at him for a moment. How did he know? ¡°Why are you so careless!¡± I felt it before. His intuition was very sharp. But why was he so angry at me for accepting my death? I was nervous that Ares might¡¯ve found out, and something even more surprising happened. He suddenly hugged me tightly! In my ears, I heard Ares¡¯s voice full of anger, no, full of sorrow. ¡°You almost died! You almost disappeared from this world! In front of my eyes, I thought I¡¯d lose you forever!¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t even told you that I love you¡­!¡± At that moment, it felt like lightning struck my head. What? Ares, what did you say? Why is Ares Jupiter saying he loves me? How did this happen?! I opened my eyes wide. And my whole body began to tremble with surprise and fear. Something is wrong! Without realizing it, I pushed Ares away as much as I could. ¡°Bianca! Don¡¯t do this, please!¡± As soon as I got away from him, I turned around and ran straight out of the place. In a state of complete panic, I ran back to the tea house to find the ¡®author¡¯. I could hear Ares calling me desperately from behind, but it didn¡¯t matter now. ¡®This damn ¡®author¡¯! Now explain this situation to me!¡¯ Why me, not the female lead, Leah?! While panting, I opened the tea house door again and ran up the stairs. I looked at the seat where I usually sat, but like before, the ¡®author¡¯ was not there. No! I must meet her now! I couldn¡¯t help but stare at the empty space. Not being able to meet the ¡®author¡¯ has never been so terrifying as I felt now. As I was staring at the place in disbelief, I heard the sound of urgent footsteps coming up the stairs. ¡°Bianca!¡± It was Ares Jupiter. He had been chasing me. I was so surprised that I had no control over my facial expressions. I just looked at Ares with a foolish expression. The tea house was empty and everyone had left to watch the commotion a while ago. In this empty space, only the two of us were facing each other. ¡°Bianca. I¡¯m sorry to startle you.¡± His face looked very painful. ¡°But I¡¯m serious. I love you. Since a long time ago¡­¡± I have no idea what my face looks like right now. No thoughts popped into my head. ¡°It¡¯s only natural that you don¡¯t believe me. I was just looking at you from afar all the time. The thought that you were avoiding me was so frightening that I didn¡¯t dare to think about it.¡± All that I¡¯ve been through for the past two years or so has also been foolish. ¡°I wanted to approach you little by little as friends. Then I hope that one day you will open your heart to me.¡± Ares lowered his head. ¡°But the moment I saw you standing blankly in front of an oncoming carriage, I have never been more afraid in my life than that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°So my body moved without me knowing. And¡­¡­I¡¯m sorry for yelling at you.¡± I couldn¡¯t say anything. His words echoed in my head. I¡¯m losing my mind. I stuttered and asked him. ¡°Uh, since when¡­¡­like me¡­ Did you like me?¡± ¡°¡­From the first time I saw you.¡± Seriously, I never have felt so stupid. All this time, Ares and I had an unrequited love for each other, and we acted like idiots for over two years! If one of us have the courage, we wouldn¡¯t have to hide our feelings¡­ No, rather, if I had been courageous a little sooner, just like when I had the courage to die a while ago, everything would go smoothly. I was terribly disappointed in myself. However, his confession doesn¡¯t make me happy. ¡­ Why do you love me? Amidst my chaotic feeling, a question came into my mind. He is set to fall in love with Leah Saturnos, the female lead. Later on, after meeting and kissing, their feelings will grow. No way, they acted differently from the settings? It couldn¡¯t be. Knowing the truth, I also failed to overcome the setting and shake off Ares, so how could he do it! My head felt like it was going to explode because of the questions. With a headache that overcame me, I sat down on a chair. ¡°Bianca.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Ares called me. But I didn¡¯t have the energy left to look back and deal with him now. Please, my head hurts so much so just go away!¡¯ ¡®But despite the cry of my heart, he opened his mouth and spoke to me. ¡°I will not force you to accept my heart. It¡¯s okay if you just treat me like usual.¡± His voice felt powerless. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to confess. It came out accidentally.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I was so worried when you almost got hurt. So, please just pretend you didn¡¯t hear it.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud. ¡®You want me to forget about it? When your confession is the cause of my turmoil?¡¯ Chapter 21 ¡°Ares,¡± I called him. My eyes closed tightly from the headache. ¡°Say it,¡± he answered in a clearly tense voice. ¡°I can¡¯t pretend I haven¡¯t heard what I¡¯ve already heard.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± I don¡¯t know what kind of expression he made. I couldn¡¯t afford to make eye contact with him. When I looked into his eyes, I felt like I was about to burst into tears. Did you also suffer like me? Was it hard for you to hide your feelings from me? Like how I tried to keep my eyes off you and deliberately pretended not to know you? We were so pitiful. Besides, my feelings were planted by the ¡®author¡¯. But, the feeling that Ares had for me was real love, not the ¡®author¡¯ setting. When I realized that, it felt like there were stacks of needles inside me, stabbing me with every breath I took. My chest tightened further. How could my fake love be compared to his true love! I didn¡¯t choose to love him out of my own free will! It just happened by itself! Ares could have abandoned the feelings he had for me, but he did not do so. He freely decided what he had in his heart and went down a difficult path on his own. ¡®Do you think his feelings weigh the same as mine?¡¯ Well, I could never have thought of that. No matter how much I thought about it, I did not have the right to reject his confession so bluntly. How could I tell him that I did not need his love, and for him to take it back. Considering what he had gone through, I shouldn¡¯t reject him so easily. I mustered up the courage to raise my head, and in the most calm expression possible, I looked at Ares and said, ¡°Let me think about it for a bit. It won¡¯t take long. Give me some time. I will make up my mind soon and tell you.¡± I had to pretend to be serious about his confession. That was my conclusion. ¡®If I don¡¯t reject him, can¡¯t I just accept his love?¡¯ I thought about it, but I could never accept the confession. I wasn¡¯t sure if Ares could survive the novel¡¯s setting in which he was supposed to love Leah, also because I was also going to die soon. I could not guarantee nothing would happen to him until I could finally meet the author and find out what she had hidden from me, and whether she had lied to me. Ares responded with a trembling voice to my words, ¡°¡­Thank you for saying that. Bianca.¡± He walked quietly in front of me. And on the table where I was sitting, he placed a small box. ¡°This¡­?¡± He forced a smile. ¡°I asked Mimas what kind of goods you donated to them. They said it was a pair of earrings and a headdress.¡± I just stared at the box stiffly. ¡°Therefore¡­ It¡¯s not the same as yours, but I¡¯ve chosen something that suits you. I ordered it and it was finished today, so I came here to give it to you.¡± Ares was a thoughtful man. I never even thought he had this side to him. Come to think of it, I remembered that when Leah came to my house, she said that she had visited the kitchen and met Mimas. At that time, he must have heard about my earrings and accessories. He came to see me when he went downtown to take this jewellry. And this was how he saved my life. However, I did not give any confirmation to his confession, so I could not take it lightly. ¡°Ares. I can¡¯t take it.¡± I handed the box back to him. However, Ares shook his head and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not mine. Even if you can¡¯t¡­ Please just accept it.¡± He took a few steps back, fearing that I might refuse further. ¡°You better go home before it gets dark.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Contrary to my reply, I sat still and did not move. My limbs were completely exhausted, and it took me a while to get my energy back before I could get up. ¡°You better go first, Ares.¡± ¡®I hope you don¡¯t see me being weak.¡¯ The person you fall in love with would have always been a proud and confident figure as a flower of high society. Ares hesitated for a long time, unable to respond quickly, but when I turned my gaze away from him and did not move, he finally backed away. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll go first. Bianca.¡± ¡°Go in carefully.¡± I barely managed to reply. Then, after a while, the sound of footsteps going down the stairs was heard slowly. I raised my head and took a deep breath. Still, the feeling of tightness in my chest did not go away. As I sat in the tea room, I chuckled. What Ares had been doing unexpectedly up until now was because of his true feelings. Because of it, whenever I associated him with Leah, he reacted sensitively. Because he loved me, he left Leah behind and chased me out of Metis¡¯s salon. Since he was always watching me, he knew I was avoiding him on purpose. So he couldn¡¯t come to me. A guilt rose in my chest. I didn¡¯t even notice his gaze and he annoyed me. I regretted so much that I didn¡¯t even think of confessing because I want to protect my pride. I had wasted my time stupidly for years. It was so funny that we kept each other in our hearts and looked at each other like fools. I staggered and stood up. Even if I waited here anyway, it was not likely that the ¡®author¡¯ would appear. I strode weakly outside. There were few places in the downtown area that lend a private carriage, but it was already night, so I had to use a public carriage. It was already getting dark and the streetlights were on. The recent incident seemed to have been taken care of. Now, only a few security guards remained, checking to see if anyone was injured. I mechanically headed to the public carriage stop. However, there was not a single carriage waiting. ¡°Ha¡­¡± I let out a sigh. ¡®Is today the day the ¡®pillars¡¯ of the novel appeared? Why is everything a mess today?¡¯ ¡°Bianca.¡± Ares didn¡¯t go back right away, he had been waiting for me to come out. ¡°I¡¯ll take you back.¡± I slowly turned around and looked at Ares. It was already quite dark, so I couldn¡¯t see his face clearly. I didn¡¯t even have the energy to control my face. Maybe my face was expressionless now. He continued to say what he wanted to say, even though I didn¡¯t answer. ¡°I recently registered my personal carriage. Come to my carriage.¡± ¡°Ares¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just take it as a favor? You can¡¯t even imagine how nervous I¡¯m, because I accidentally revealed my heart to you!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I glanced at him. Unlike me, who couldn¡¯t show a single ounce of courage in front of him, Ares was very brave. Even though he was so afraid that I would avoid him again, he finally reached out to me. Ah, what should I do? I didn¡¯t want to give him hope, but I didn¡¯t want to give him a bleak disappointment either. And to be honest, I wanted to hold his outstretched hand. Because I love him too. Ares and I stood facing each other and confronted each other for a while. An awkward silence fell heavily between the two of us. As expected, Ares was the first to break the heavy silence. ¡°Bianca. If you¡¯re not comfortable, I¡¯ll just make sure you get on the public carriage and get back home safely.¡± I smiled a little. I could feel his overflowing concern for me. How could I be harsh to Ares? No one knew how difficult it is to have such courage, no one but me, who had a crush on him too. ¡°Then please take me in your carriage.¡± It was dark so it was hard to see how Ares¡¯ expression changed in response to my answer. But now this darkness was very fortunate for me. My expression won¡¯t be revealed too. I feel so happy, disappointed, and sad at the same time. ¡°Please wait here for a moment. I will bring the carriage soon.¡± I nodded at his words. He hurriedly went to pick up the carriage. How should I deal with Ares in the future? Before I met the ¡®author¡¯ I didn¡¯t know when I could meet him, I didn¡¯t know how I should act in front of him. After calming down a little, my weak legs began to tremble. It looked like I was going to fall down at any moment. ¡°Bianca.¡± I heard Ares¡¯ voice in the darkness, along with the sound of a carriage running. I forced my body to move and approached the carriage. Ares got up and reached out to me. ¡°Take my hand.¡± Normally, I would have thought this was just manners and held his hand with a bit of excitement, but now that I knew his sincerity, I was careful to accept even that. ¡°Bianca.¡± Ares patiently called me once more. I gazed at his eyes and finally placed my hand lightly on his. He is a wise person who can distinguish between politeness and sincerity, so even if I accept his hand, he will not misunderstand my intentions. I decided to trust Ares. As we sat down next to each other, the carriage soon ran down the street towards my house. The sound of a carriage echoing through the street had somewhat erased the awkward silence that lingered between us. Because of the fast-moving carriage, a strong wind blew. My body, which had begun to tremble, seemed to rise to fever. My body became ill because I was shocked. I had gotten sick the same way in the past. But I didn¡¯t want to pretend to be weak in front of Ares. I wanted everyone to think that I was a strong woman. Even in front of Ares, my wish did not change. ¡®Just let Leah Saturnos be the weak and cute one, not me.¡¯ The main character in the original novel that the ¡®author¡¯ wrote is that Leah, who was not able to properly adapt to high society, was comforted by Ares and thus love sprouted. What a perfect heroine, she had the innocent look men want, even to the point of evoking a protective instinct! But it was me, not the perfect Leah Saturnos, that Ares loved. He said that he had loved me since the first time he saw me, so that was definitely before the author¡¯s novel started. The novel begins when Ares and Leah accidentally kiss. Even after the novel started and he met Leah, his feelings didn¡¯t change at all? ¡­I could always ask him if I¡¯m curious. ¡°Ares.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He answered as he drove the carriage, looking ahead. ¡°Have you always loved me?¡± Chapter 22 Ares smiled bitterly and nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t even notice the other young girls.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t there many young girls longing for you?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t much of an interest to me.¡± But, it was different for Leah. He reacted very sensitively when I brought up Leah, so I had to become very careful when asking questions. As I hesitated, Ares glanced at me and said, ¡°You seem to have something to say.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s right.¡± ¡®Wow, I am amazed. How did you know? Didn¡¯t I manage my expression well?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll listen to anything you say.¡± ¡°Then¡­ I want to ask you something.¡± I paused for a while and continued, ¡°Why did you allow Lady Saturnos to be with you?¡± I didn¡¯t say ¡®Leah¡¯ on purpose. For some reason, I wanted to reveal the fact that she and I were not friends to Ares. In fact, she was truly an amazing woman who broke the iron wall of this gentleman, Ares Jupiter. At my question, Ares¡¯s face changed in an instant. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± It was probably hard to explain, since there was no rational process for the emotions set by the author. I also had no reason to love him. The process happened instantly. I had expected Ares¡¯ answer in my head to some extent. He replied carefully, choosing his words. ¡°For Leah, I felt comfortable with her since the beginning. Maybe it was because our first meeting was so dramatic.¡± That¡¯s right. It was dramatic. And it was actually the beginning of the novel. ¡°I felt comfortable talking to her. So I thought we could be good friends.¡± I was surprised that he spoke honestly, it was more than I expected. Leah¡¯s charm had a very powerful ability and it was the heroine¡¯s buff. Even I, who was set as the villain, smiled because of her from time to time, not to mention Ares, who was set to be her man. ¡°Then didn¡¯t she mean something special to you?¡± To my calm question, Ares immediately answered, ¡°She was special as a friend. It was the first time I became friends with a lady my age.¡± And it was very common for friends to become lovers. This was a plot that had never failed to appear in romance novels. Perhaps because of the chaos today, Ares accidentally revealed his feelings to me, but if a little more time had passed, the situation would have been very different. I should have pretended I didn¡¯t hear his confession. Ares¡¯ words continued, ¡°And thanks to her, I could interact with you. In that sense, Leah is definitely special.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You are very different from Leah.¡± Was that really the case? Could you tell the difference between friendship and love between a man and a woman? ¡°Bianca. You are not special, you are unique.¡± His last words sounded like an appeal. I had nothing to object to. There was no need to doubtAres. I could feel that his feelings were true. Not long after, the carriage arrived in the neighborhood of my family¡¯s mansion. Before going to the front door, I asked Ares to drop me off. Fortunately, he obeyed my request without saying much. ¡°Thanks for taking me back, Ares.¡± I thanked him for his kindness. It was very fortunate that I was extremely calm and did not show any emotions. ¡°¡­ See you next time, Bianca.¡± he addressed me politely. It must not have been easy to control his emotions, but he was considerate and that made my heart flutter. The gatekeeper opened the door, and I went inside, not long after I heard the sound of a carriage running in the distance. He must have been watching me until I completely went in. When I got back to my room, I laid down on my bed. So much had happened in a matter of hours that my mind and heart were in chaos. £ª £ª £ª After that day, I had to suffer for two days. My body was hot and I lost my appetite. I didn¡¯t want to put anything in my mouth except water. While lying in bed, unable to move, a letter from Leah arrived announcing her visit. However, I was ill and was unable to receive guests, so I had to refuse. My parents were very worried because it was rare for me to suddenly get sick like this. Nevertheless, when the doctor came and examined me, he could only explain that I was sick. I was sick for two days and I¡¯ve lost some weight! Of course! I had not consumed anything other than water. All of my favorite clothes became baggy, so I thought I could tighten the straps around my waist a little more. I got up from my seat and was going to check my appearance in front of the mirror, when Miranda came into my room with a blank face as usual. ¡°My lady. You seem to be able to move a little more today.¡± ¡°Yes. The fever seems to have gone down.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± I realized I was hungry after that question. I nodded right away. ¡°Yes. I haven¡¯t eaten anything in two days. I¡¯m famished¡± ¡°Please wait a while. I¡¯ll bring some soup.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After Miranda left, I sat down and carefully read the letters that had arrived in front of me. There were several letters that had to be sent back. First of all, I wrote a reply to Metis saying that I had been seriously ill. I also need to apologize to Leah Saturnos once again for refusing the visit. I handed the letters to Miranda, who had brought soup, and had them mailed. The deliverymen will probably complete the delivery before noon later. I was very sick, so I thought about taking a break at home, but I shook my head and changed my mind. The most important thing to me was meeting the ¡®author¡¯ and confirming the truth. There were a lot of questions to ask; why Ares was in love with me and not Leah, and how did the original novel develop. Each and every one of them was related to the truth of the world I was standing on right now, and because it was about my identity and my life, I could not dismiss everything as the ¡®author¡¯s nonsense¡¯ and ignore it. After finishing the soup, I ordered Miranda, who came to pick up the bowls, to help me get ready to go out. She was bewildered but I kept being stubborn. I wanted to quickly go to the tea house and meet the ¡®author¡¯. I thought my face was too pale, so I purposely put on makeup to make me look more presentable. I didn¡¯t want to look like I was about to die in front of people. At that moment, a small trinket box that had been quietly placed on the dressing table caught my eye. It was what Ares gave me that day. I opened the box, a little nervous, and found a hairpin adorned with pearls and a pair of earrings mixed with obsidian and amethyst. It seemed to match my black hair and purple eyes. Ares must have thought of my face again and again while choosing this. While looking at the numerous jewels displayed in the jewelry store, he had me in his head. It was these earrings and hairpins that he picked after much thought. If someone asked me to choose jewels for Ares, I would gladly do the same. Wouldn¡¯t my heart feel very warm thinking of him while I was choosing jewelry with such sincerity? But the day I wore these earrings might never come. Maybe in a few days, Ares¡¯ heart would turn to Leah. The ¡®author¡¯ always created emotions without any notice or cause. At least from what I¡¯ve been through, it was like that. I quietly closed the box and put it in the drawer. I dressed warmly and used a wide-brimmed hat to shade myself from the sun. Then, I walked out of the mansion and boarded a public carriage. Because usually, there was not enough space to put the carriage in the downtown area. It was said that if we desperately want something, it will come true, and as soon as I got off the public carriage, I saw a familiar woman at the corner of the building. A woman my age with dark hair who wore a unique dress with a very practical design. I finally found the ¡®author¡¯. I immediately ran toward her. As I turned to the corner, I saw the ¡®author¡¯ walking in front of me. ¡°Hey! Author!¡± Once I called her, the ¡®author¡¯ looked back and noticed me. ¡°Bianca?¡± Ugh, look at that innocent face! Without suppressing my rising anger, I strode over to her and grabbed her by the collar! ¡°Do you know how much I¡¯ve been looking for you?!¡± ¡°L- let go! Let¡¯s talk calmly!¡± the ¡®author¡¯ said, her face equally as red as mine. I am angry and that ¡®author¡¯ seemed very bewildered. Since I¡¯m in a hurry, I grabbed her by the neck more and brought her face closer. ¡°Would you mind explaining why Ares loves me?!¡± The expression of the ¡®author¡¯ turned bewildered in an instant. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why does Ares like me? He¡¯s the male lead! He¡¯s meant to fall in love with the female lead! Is this also from your novel?¡± I was agitated. However, no matter how much I shouted, the ¡®author¡¯ seems equally clueless like me. ¡°Ares said he likes you?¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s a novel you wrote! Do you even know the content? Are you really the author?¡± To my last words, she finally responded. ¡°What do you see me as? Do you think I lied?¡± Oh, that¡¯s surprising. She gets mad at a really weird time. I let go of her neck, then asked again in a calmer voice. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything weird, and tell me all about your novel right now. Something must have gone wrong!¡± The ¡®author¡¯ was still bewildered. ¡°Does Ares really like you? Why?¡± Judging from the look on her face, it seemed that she was really unaware of this situation. I quickly regained my composure and spoke calmly. ¡°That¡¯s what I want to ask. Ares confessed. He loved me since the first time he saw me. That started two years ago.¡± The ¡®author¡¯ crouched down. ¡°Why is it strange¡­?¡± I was silently listening to the murmur of the ¡®author¡¯ as she drew something on the ground. ¡°Obviously, Leah¡¯s first kiss with Ares¡­¡± I frowned because of that mumble, but I decided not to disturb the ¡®author¡¯. ¡°Going around the city with Ares¡­¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­ .¡± ¡°She became friends with Bianca, and she learned manners from her¡­¡± ¡®Oh! I found the difference.¡¯ But without interrupting, I continued to listen to the ¡®author¡¯. In any case, what she is spouting right now is the original novel. Chapter 23 Chapter 23 ¡°Leah and Ares follow Bianca to help in the slums and get closer, but Bianca gets jealous¡­¡± Oh, was that how everything was supposed to happen? The three of us were going to help the slums together? But, I was really thinking of going with the two of them, right? Ah, of course, in the original novel. ¡°Ares comforted her when she was bullied by Bianca¡¯s friends in high society¡­ And then they become closer¡­¡± Ah, it was about how Ares and Leah officially became lovers. But, if I didn¡¯t bully Leah, when would the two of them become lovers? The ¡®author¡¯, who was retracing the original novel by drawing pictures and arrows on the ground, suddenly stopped moving. ¡°But, Ares was already in love with Bianca? Then why has he been traveling with Leah all this time?¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t mumble to yourself. Explain it to me properly.¡± As I intervened, the ¡®author¡¯ lifted her head and looked up at me, who was standing looking down at her. However, she looked a bit strange. Shouldn¡¯t she be angry rather than being bewildered or confused? No, it was more intense than that. ¡°¡­ Why is it that this place is made for the golden spoon?¡± ¡°What golden spoon? What is that¡­¡± ¡°Why is it always so easy for them to have everything?!¡± Her face turned furious. Eventually, she started lashing out on me in a voice full of anger. ¡°You have it all! A good family, a lot of money, and you¡¯re even pretty! You¡¯re popular with the guys too, so how could Ares fall in love with you even before my novel even started?!¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I came here because I didn¡¯t like that, but is it still the case here? Was this the world I created? Crazy¡­!¡± Didn¡¯t that ¡®author¡¯ say that the world she created was perfect before? ¡°Damn it! Anyway, those born with a gold spoon don¡¯t have to work hard and just enjoy their good fortunes!¡± Somehow, it seemed like she was swearing at me, but I decided to only listen for now. ¡°I didn¡¯t like to see that kind of thing, so in my novels, I killed all the people that were gold spoons. But now, it¡¯s still the same situation?¡± So, it seemed that I was included in the group called ¡®gold spoons¡¯ that the ¡®author¡¯ hated. I finally spoke to the ¡®author¡¯, ¡°You didn¡¯t want me to have everything, so you decided to give Ares to Leah?¡± ¡°Yes! It¡¯s not fair! You can get anything so easily without making any effort. You don¡¯t even know how much pain and effort Leah puts into everything!¡± Regarding that statement, I have enough words to defend myself, since everyone assumed I became a socialite without sparing any effort. They would never understand what it took to be the best woman in high society! ¡°You know nothing! I admit that I was fortunate to be born into a good family. But you were the one who intended so. The same is true of my appearance. It is all your creation. If you;re going to blame someone, blame yourself!¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°My family and my appearance are what you gifted me. However, it is my obligation to diligently take care of and maintain my beauty every day, and it is with all my willpower that I studied all night to become an intelligent woman!¡± ¡°Why did you have to take Ares as well?! He is Leah¡¯s!¡± ¡°Calm down. Ares is not a thing! Why did you say he¡¯s Leah¡¯s? Ares fell in love out of his own free will. I could do nothing about it.¡± ¡°Haha, the world is so unfair, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about. And you created this world.¡± The ¡®author¡¯ did not hide her hostility toward me. I didn¡¯t understand. What did I do to her for her to be this hostile? I sighed deeply and said, ¡°I¡¯ve had an unwanted crush on him. My life up till now has been controlled by you, so shouldn¡¯t I be the one to call out the unfairness?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°There are so many things I want to ask you. I want you to answer them one by one.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The ¡®author¡¯ kept her mouth shut and turned away from me, but I couldn¡¯t let her get away here. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be a villain. So, explain how Ares fell in love with Leah. When and what happened? Tell me everything.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What?¡± I was shocked as I looked at the ¡®author¡¯. You were the one who created this world! ¡°It¡¯s a novel you wrote! And you don¡¯t know! Maybe, you¡¯re not the author?¡± Then she gets angry and denied my accusation. ¡°I¡¯m definitely the author! But, I didn¡¯t write when Ares fell in love with her! Everything was written only from Leah¡¯s point of view!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± What the hell is this author talking about. ¡°It¡¯s a novel I wrote! I can¡¯t lie anyway! God sent me to this world and told me to live a good life! How can I lie?!¡± Ahh, God must¡¯ve done something to her so that she couldn¡¯t lie. ¡°But how could you not know Ares¡¯ heart? He¡¯s the main character you created.¡± ¡°This novel is¡­!¡± She closed her eyes tightly and opened them. Then her feet started fidgeting. ¡°Oh, I shouldn¡¯t have written it in first person! I should¡¯ve just done it comfortably in third person!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± As I still had a blank look on my face, the author confessed in a quiet voice. ¡°This novel is¡­ written with Leah¡¯s point of view¡­.¡± the author confessed, seeing my blank look. ¡°I didn¡¯t write a side story from Ares¡¯ point of view¡­¡± My mouth opened wide. So, this novel was a first-person romance novel written from Leah¡¯s point of view! Ha ha. I see¡­ That was why the author couldn¡¯t accurately describe Ares¡¯ feelings! This novel was written only from Leah¡¯s point of view! All of the emotions would have been described only by Leah. She must have guessed what Ares felt only by his words and actions. The judgment of good and evil must have also been made by Leah, and since the perspective of seeing the world and event itself is limited only through Leah¡¯s eyes, there must be many areas that the author did not know. That was why the events between me and Ares were not written at all. The most important thing was that I didn¡¯t move like a puppet of the author. It was a great news. And I was happy. Now I could understand why the author said she was not a god even though she was the creator of the novel. However, there was one strange thing I noticed when it was revelaed that this novel was written in first-person: Why am I not as free as Ares and my feelings didn¡¯t change? I decided to ask her to sate my curiosity. ¡°I want to ask about my feelings. Even before Leah appeared, I had a crush on Ares, but if the novel is written only with Leah¡¯s point of view, how did she know how I felt?¡± The author glanced at me and said, ¡°There¡¯s a scene when you and Leah become best friends. You will confess your feelings. You confess to Leah that you fell in love with Ares at first sight.¡± Oh my God¡­ how could I do such a foolish thing! ¡°But I¡¯m not friends with Leah.¡± ¡°Well, nobles are considered friends when they call each other by their given name.¡± ¡°If I didn¡¯t know my fate, I would be friends with Leah as you wrote in the novel. But I ended up changing the story. I¡¯m not very close to Leah now.¡± The author once said that the part that she did not write about was the novel¡¯s characters had thr freedom to act on their own will, and if they do, their actions can change the novel¡¯s flow. I tried very hard not to be a villain, and eventually succeeded in changing some aspects of this novel. And Ares¡¯ feelings were not directly described in writing, so he escaped the interference of the ¡®author¡¯. At least until Ares says ¡°I love you¡± to Leah, he is free to love according to his will. ¡­¡¯Author¡¯ you wrote a novel that was too much to handle. The novel was solely from Leah¡¯s perspective, and she thought that their romance pregressed one step at at time. In other words, Leah literally misunderstood Ares¡¯ feelings. The only narrator in this novel was Leah, and the author could only write stories and settings from Leah¡¯s point of view! The ¡®author¡¯ in front of me also seemed very frustrated. ¡°That¡¯s why I shouldn¡¯t write first-person novels! I¡¯ve managed to come here, but everything isn¡¯t going according to plans!¡± Ah. I could see why the author approached me at first. As for the novel with first-person perspective, the narrator of the novel, Leah, was probably a character that reflected the identity of the ¡®author.¡¯ The ¡®author¡¯ would have projected herself on Leah. However, if I became a villain who bothered Leah too much like in the original novel, the ¡®author¡¯ who entered this world would feel bad upon seeing Leah as she was like the author herself. So, it could be that the author came to me because she wanted to make Leah feel less uncomfortable, and since she wrote the novel only from Leah¡¯s point of view, she could talk to me without her knowing. This damn author. She only made sure the main character would be happy. She didn¡¯t care about me since I was only a supporting character! On the other hand, as the creator of the novel, she didn¡¯t want her novel to be completely ruined, so she decided to make the so-called ¡°pillar¡± of the novel and must¡¯ve signed a contract with God so that it would not collapse! Come to think of it, there was one important question. ¡°If Ares doesn¡¯t like Leah, then what happens to all the ¡°pillars¡± in the novel? Didn¡¯t you say it would never change?¡± The important ¡°pillar¡± of the novel was supposed to appear as romance progressed, but Ares had liked me since the novel began. He also had made it clear to me that he had no romantic feelings for Leah and only view her as a friend. Then this novel might not continue at all! The romance between the two main characters had been blocked. Therefore, the important ¡®pillar¡¯ of the novel would collapse! Then, wouldn¡¯t the scene where I die as a supporting villain disappear? But the author shook her head immediately. ¡°The ¡®pillar¡¯ of the novel never changes. It¡¯ll probably appear soon.¡± ¡°The romance between Ares and Leah has never progressed.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see, one of the pillars will soon appear. During the cherry blossom festival, Leah realizes her feelings while enjoying the festival with Ares.¡± Cherry blossom festival? That was less than a week away!