I Was a Supporting Character

I am Bianca Uranos. It has been two years since I made my debut in high society after my coming-of-age ceremony, and I am now 20 years old this year. I am the legitimate daughter of the renowned Uranos Marquis, well-known in the Solar Empire’s aristocracy.

My personality? I think I’m quite decent. I’m confident and outspoken, which makes some girls in high society dislike me. Of course, I also have people I dislike.

Appearance? Well, what can I say without sounding conceited? Anyone who sees my long, jet-black hair and admires it or looks into my violet eyes and doesn’t find them mysterious is rare.

In short, say what you will, but I have confidence in my appearance. I have two loving and healthy parents who are both living well and have plans for the future. As a noble, I have mastered various manners and etiquette that are expected, and my family tutor assures me that my knowledge is not much different from that of my academy graduates. Why am I introducing myself in such detail? Because, no matter what anyone says, I am Bianca Uranos, and I have lived for 20 years as Bianca Uranos. In other words, I have never doubted my life or my identity until I met the insane woman with black hair and black eyes standing right in front of me!

I felt my hand, holding the parasol, tremble. What is this woman saying to me right now? “Hey! So, you’re Bianca Uranos! Seriously, I might have created you, but you’re really beautiful! Unbelievable!”

She went around me for a while, expressing admiration. If it were just praise for my appearance, I could brush it off, but I heard something incredible enough to make my hands shake.

“…What do you mean by you created me?”

“Oh, I’m a writer! Well, I described it vaguely in my writing, but you’re much prettier than I imagined!”

As usual, after finishing a tea party with my peers and considering taking a leisurely stroll to feel the spring breeze, I was walking instead of riding in a carriage when this woman suddenly appeared from somewhere, grabbed me, and started saying

‘Are you Bianca? Is it Bianca?’

I don’t know who this woman is, but she seems to know who I am. So, I kept my mouth shut and observed what this woman was up to. What? A writer?

“A ‘writer’? You? Are you talking about the writer who writes stories?”

“Yes, yes! I wrote it, this novel!”

“Nonsense!”

I thought it was the loudest I had ever shouted. At the sound of my shout, not only the woman who claimed to be a ‘writer’ in front of me but also people around us were surprised.

“Ah….” The ‘writer’ in front of me looked very apologetic. I put down the parasol I was holding gracefully and scolded her with a still-angry voice.

“I’ve lived as the legitimate daughter of the Uranos Marquis for twenty years! I have parents who gave birth to me!”

“Um, calm down first. Let me explain slowly.”

“If you were like me, would you look calm right now? Where did this crazy woman suddenly pop up, claiming to be a writer, talking about a novel, and making a fuss”

“Hehe, I did describe you as a hot-tempered character, but I really can’t stop it.”

I had no words to say. The ‘writer’ nodded with a naturally apologetic face and mumbled.

“Hehe, it’s surprising, right? Did I do something too extreme? Will the story change, or something like that?”

“What are you saying? Speak so I can understand.”

The ‘writer’ responded with a smirk, as if mocking me, “If I tell you, you’ll call it nonsense again.”

“…”

I didn’t exactly understand what this woman, claiming to be a ‘writer,’ was saying, but some intuition in me suggested that what she was saying wasn’t a lie.

“…I won’t call it nonsense, so go ahead and tell me.”

The ‘writer’ chuckled and said, “It might take a bit, is there nowhere to sit? Oh, there! Aphrodite Tea House! Wow, I only wrote about it, I didn’t expect to actually go there!”

My favorite tea house is Aphrodite. Did the ‘writer’ know about that too? But whether she read my mind or not, she turned to me with a reminiscing face and said,

“It’s your regular spot! If you sit there, you can often see Ares Stanley going into the wine bar across the street…”

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

When she said that, I felt like I was going to faint! No one, really no one, knew about the secret that I have a crush on Ares Stanley!

“Who are you really?” I stood there as if rooted to the spot, asking the ‘writer.’

However, the ‘writer’ maintained a consistently composed expression. Quite annoyingly so.

“I told you, I’ll explain it slowly. Let’s go first. To the tea house.”

As if enchanted, I had no choice but to follow her. She seemed to know everything. Even my shy affection that I never told anyone about.

She walked ahead as if she knew the way to the tea house, and I followed, dumbfounded. Only then did I notice that she was wearing a dress slightly different from the fashionable ones these days. The fabric was unique, and the design emphasized practicality.

“That dress…”

For someone who never missed a beat when it came to the fashion trends of high society, the dress was refreshingly different. I should probably call my exclusive designer, Lady Nix, and have her create a similar one. Whether she overheard my muttering or not, the ‘writer’ suddenly stopped and asked me with a concerned tone,

“What about that dress…?”

“Oh, is this dress weird to look at? I chose something that looks similar to the world here as much as possible.”

“This world…?”

“Phew, it’s going to get long again. I’ll explain everything at once, so let’s go to the tea house first. I’m thirsty.”

As she started to whine like a child, I entered the Aphrodite Tea House with her, full of questions in my heart. The ‘writer’ really seemed to know everything about me. As soon as we entered the Aphrodite Tea House, she confidently went to the second-floor window seat, where I usually sit!

“Is this the right place? The seat you like?”

“…Yes.” With a sigh, the ‘writer’ exhaled audibly. I awkwardly sat across from her. Instinctively, I looked out the window at the wine bar, Dionysus.

“I named that wine bar too. In my world, it means ‘god of alcohol.'”

“Who are you exactly?”

I asked with a cold tone to the ‘writer’ who casually discussed the name of my favorite place, shaking the identity of my world. Then, the ‘writer,’ with a surprised expression, looked at me and calmly opened her mouth.

“Alright, alright, maybe it’s better to start with what you’re curious about. As I said, I’m the ‘writer.’ This is the world from the novel I wrote.”

The world I live in, this empire, everything is just a novel.

“Of course, I didn’t write every detail of this world. But basically, the major events in this novel are happening as I wrote them. For example,” She looked amused, as if she had discovered something interesting.

“Like you falling in love at first sight with Ares Stanley at the debut party in high society.”

“!”

My eyes widened involuntarily. She knows about that too! Could what she’s saying be true? Is the ground I’m standing on just part of a fictional world?

“And, I know about the significant events that will happen in the future too.”

“Events in the future?”

“Yes. This is the world from my novel. It’s a perfectly crafted story with a well-structured plot. The ending is predetermined too.”

My head spun. This world was well-crafted by someone? Then, what about the life I’ve lived so far? What about the emotions I have? What about this moment I’m breathing right now? What does it all mean? The ‘writer’ looked at my face and chuckled

“Tsk tsk, telling the truth causes problems, huh?”

“You…”

“?”

“Do you even realize how extraordinary your words are right now?”

“Is it that shocking?”

I couldn’t bear it and stood up abruptly.

“Because of your nonsense, not only my existence but also this land, this world that I have cherished and considered mine, is now all in doubt! What am I? What about my family? Is my entire life just a fragment of paper?”

The ‘writer’ closed her mouth for a moment and looked at me as I vented my frustration.

“I’m just a ‘writer,’ not an all-powerful god. I didn’t design the lives of everyone here. But within the world I constructed, everyone lived their own lives.”

I was perplexed. So, if this ‘writer’ didn’t create everything, what part was created, and what part was autonomous? I decided to ask the essential question.

“So, is my life within the scope you created?” I didn’t care about others. The most important thing was my life.

The ‘writer’ grinned and replied, “Of course! You’re a very important character in my novel!”

I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. It was somewhat comforting and bewildering to be an important character, but there was a more crucial issue at hand.

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

Did that mean my entire life was created by this ‘writer’? From my birth to my growth and my learning! And even the things I love—were they all created and planned by this ‘writer’? It was absurd.

“I thought I had control over my life. I believed that I autonomously decided my path. I… I thought my feelings, like liking Ares Stanley, were entirely my own emotions.”

It was disheartening. It couldn’t be this disillusioning. I had been a puppet of that ‘writer’ all along. No, even the thoughts I was having now, were they also written by that ‘writer’ as part of a novel? My eyes welled up, and tears quickly filled them. I didn’t want to admit it. My life so far wasn’t truly mine. I lost words and slumped into the chair. I didn’t want to think about anything. I couldn’t even understand what I was doing right now.

The ‘writer’ spoke as if trying to comfort me.

“I haven’t written every moment of your life as a novel. The parts I wrote are about where you were born, what your personality is like, whom you will love, and how you will die.”

I quietly looked up. What she said defined the most crucial aspects of me. When I slept and woke up, what I ate every evening, those were not what made up my identity. The parts she created were who I was.

“I was not created entirely as you designed.”

“Correct!”

“Then, is my liking for Ares Stanley also an emotion created by you?”

“…Yes.”

I laughed bitterly. Tears streamed down my eyes, but laughter strangely escaped me. My heart felt empty. The purpose of my existence, living and ruling this land, was it all created by that ‘writer’?

“Why did you create me? Why did you make me fall in love with Ares Stanley?” When I asked this question, the ‘writer’ uncommonly looked awkward. It seemed like there was something difficult to say.

“Tell me. In your novel, what role do I play? Why did you say I’m an important character?”

“Well…”

The ‘writer’ looked at me and reluctantly spoke. “You’re a supporting character in my novel. Moreover, an antagonist.”