I Was a Supporting Character

Show that ‘author’ a bitter taste. The Bianca Uranos in your novel, whom you belittled and considered so lightly, will not live and die as the malicious incarnation of your anticipated jealousy.

Surprisingly, the development of this novel will be flipped around enough to make you fall over in shock.

Even though my death is an event predetermined and beyond my control, I will not meet my end as a consequence of the misdeeds you wrote in the novel.

Meeting Ares Stanley in the valley caused me to return home earlier than expected. I closed the door tightly and began to meticulously edit and refine the sketched drawing.

It would be nice to present it beautifully, but since I don’t know when I will die, it seemed better to draw it all first and keep it somewhere safe.

I hope that when my room, abandoned by its owner, is tidied up, this drawing and my letter will be discovered naturally. I wish they could somewhat fill the emptiness in my parents’ hearts when they see them.

… nonsensical, isn’t it? How can a drawing and a letter fill my parents’ hearts when I’m no longer there? But it’s better than leaving abruptly without any preparation.

＊ ＊ ＊

A few days after visiting the valley, I found myself attending a tea party gathering organized by Metis Nereid at the salon.

Metis regularly hosted tea parties for members of her salon to strengthen connections within the community. Originally, Metis’s salon was popular among both men and women, with me at its center. Ha.

The invitation to the salon’s tea party was, of course, sent by Metis. She took care to invite existing members as well as new ones, ensuring a diverse mix. However, if there was anyone among the salon members who caused trouble in society, they were undoubtedly excluded from the next tea party invitation.

Responding to the invitation was entirely optional, and each invitee was allowed one companion. I often went alone.

The size of the tea party was usually determined at around 30 to 40 people. Metis might send more invitations than that, but the exact number was something only she knew. I wasn’t particularly interested.

As one of the important figures consistently invited to Metis’s regular tea parties, I had that justification for this invitation as well. Additionally, I was a close friend of Metis.

Unless one was of noble status, there was no reason to be fashionably late, so I finished dressing impeccably as always and headed to the salon alone.

I arrived quite early, but there were already a few nymphs and satyrs who had arrived even earlier.

“Uranos, welcome! Come on in.”

“Hehe, I didn’t expect anyone to arrive earlier than me.”

I exchanged simple greetings and laughs with the people who welcomed me. Since these were familiar faces, I didn’t have to maintain a formal demeanor, making it quite comfortable.

Metis gracefully moved around the neatly set tables, exchanging greetings with the arriving guests. If I were the flower of society, Metis was undoubtedly the queen.

There were no assigned seats at Metis’s tea parties. While at tea parties hosted by other noble ladies in their mansions, there might be conflicts and factions based on seating arrangements, Metis was extremely cautious about such divisions within her salon. Consequently, seating at her tea parties was free and flexible. You could just choose any available seat that you liked.

Being the flower of society or Metis’s close friend didn’t guarantee any special treatment for me. At least not from Metis. If I wanted special treatment, I should go to the “author” and ask to be reborn as a princess.

Since meeting the “author” and constantly keeping death in mind, I began to wonder if this tea party might be my last.

As Ares and Lea progressed quickly, my demise might have been imminent. Seeing Ares emphasise his friendship with Lea when we met in the valley suggested that the romance hadn’t unfolded significantly yet. That meant I still had some time.

I chose an empty table and sat alone. Faced with death, the tea party felt different. Previously, I would have been busy engaging with people who came looking for me, but now I could sit quietly, observing others. Life and thoughts had become simpler in the face of death.

My aura seemed distant and unapproachable, making it difficult for people to come close. However, I had no intention of beckoning them. After all, my time was running out, and if I wanted to build connections, it would be better to approach those whose future was still promising.

At that moment, the salon’s door opened, causing a bit of commotion among the attendees. Engrossed in my book, I didn’t feel the need to respond to the surrounding excitement. I didn’t have much time left, and I didn’t need to make any more appearances in this salon.

As the door opened, a sense of popularity approached me. Someone seemed eager to sit at the same table with me. I lifted my head slowly to see who it was.

It was Lea and Ares. It seemed like I had been encountering Ares Stanley more frequently lately, or was it just my imagination?

Seeing them again weighed heavily on my heart. Honestly, I wished they would keep their distance. I wasn’t a nursemaid, and I couldn’t fathom why Lea Saturanos kept following me around!

To be clear, I didn’t dislike Lea. It’s just that whenever she appeared, Ares Stanley inevitably followed like a shadow, and that was the problem!

It was hard for me to look at Ares. I just wanted to continue as I had for the past two years and then leave. I wished to depart cleanly, without lingering attachments or regrets, and I wanted Ares to no longer be a part of my daily life.

However, what fault could lie with those two who knew nothing? It was probably the writer’s fault, as the ‘author’ had likely planned for them to be together.

I forced a smile and greeted them.

“It seems like you two received an invitation as well.”

Lea responded with a cheerful voice, “It’s our first time attending a tea party at the salon! The social circles in the capital are indeed different!”

Seeing her openly expressing curiosity, I couldn’t help but genuinely smile.

Oh, the invincible female lead, you possess the ability to make even the villainess side character smile.

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

As always, Ares quietly took a seat beside Lea with a gentle expression.

Maintaining my smiling face, I addressed the couple, “Despite this and that, the two of you are always together. It looks nice.”

Their expressions changed amusingly when I mentioned it. Well, was it too obvious, making them feel awkward?

I hope they won’t bother explaining that they’re just friends. It would be better if they could avoid it. After all, once they become a couple and things go well, there will be plenty of gossip. I can already hear it in my ears, “Oh, they denied it so much, but in the end, they were dating, huh?”

Both protagonists are creations of the ‘author,’ and overcoming the novel’s settings is nearly impossible, especially when they are unaware of their roles in the story.

Perhaps the ‘author’ wrote in the early part of the novel that the two should be together all the time. That’s how romance blossoms. So, whether they like it or not, they will have to stick together. As long as I don’t intervene, they will continue to be together.

Honestly, I envied them greatly.

The whole world moves towards their  happy ending. Even if they do nothing and just stay still, the world will ensure that they love each other and stay together forever.

I also want to experience a love blessed by the world. Something beyond the effort to hide my true feelings. How wonderful it would be if being together and sharing conversations face to face were as easy as they make it seem.

Ares and Lea, fate naturally moves to strengthen them without them needing to make an effort, so how could I not envy that?

Of course, the ‘author’ prepared adversities for Lea under the name of Bianca Uranos, but as she said, if I quietly become the villainess, I’ll be treated as ‘garbage,’ and if I resist becoming the villainess, I’ll be treated as ‘sickeningly sweet.’ In any case, the two of them will live happily ever after.

…Despite all the hardships and adversities falling on me, I will die without gaining anything.

They will continue to stroll together anyway, and if it’s too difficult to watch, I can just avoid it.

But today, like on days when I can’t avoid it, what should I do? Just accept it, I guess.

And happiness should come from connecting with someone you truly care about, not by forcibly taking Ares away from Lea as a villain. In that case, neither I nor Ares would be truly happy.

I didn’t want someone by my side without genuine feelings. I wanted something ‘real.’

The writer is truly cunning.

Although it’s my thought, did the writer purposely describe scenes where the protagonist couple and I meet so frequently? Perhaps to provoke jealousy in me.

…Come to think of it, there’s something strange.

When I met Ares in the valley, was it a scene from the writer’s novel?

My head is spinning. If that was a scene from the novel, in the early part of the story where the protagonist couple is progressing quickly, was there a need for such a scene? If I were the writer, I wouldn’t think so.

In that case, it might have been a part outside the writer’s domain. Meeting Ares in the valley could signify a scene not influenced by the writer.

Yes! So, Ares could be separated from Lea. If the writer always brings them together wherever they are!

In other words, if a scene involves both of them, there’s a high chance it’s described in the novel!

My throat is dry. The scene with me, Ares, and Lea sitting here is undoubtedly one of the scenes from the novel!

I need to be alert. I don’t know how the writer’s novel will unfold, so I have to stay focused.

This scene is not the writer’s trick; I will make it happen with my will.

I am not… a villain.

“Bianca? Are you okay?”

At the sound of my name being called, I lifted my head. Ares was looking at me with those transparent golden-brown eyes.

“Your face looks pale. Are you not feeling well?”

“…My body is fine.”

Because my heart hurts. You don’t know anything.

At that moment, an interesting thought crossed my mind.

If I were to abruptly leave this tea party now, would it be a scene that the ‘writer’ had pre-described, or would it be a spontaneous situation that I disrupted with my will?

Instead of sitting between the two and feeling jealous, what if I give them space to have a heartfelt conversation? What would happen?

Why hesitate? I should give it a try.

In the end, it probably won’t matter to me. It will just drive the ‘writer’ crazy.

Let’s see how you handle this, ‘writer.’

As soon as I made up my mind, I stood up from my seat. Ares and Lea looked at me with surprise.

“No, honestly, I’m not feeling well. I think I’d better rest now. The tea party will start soon, so the two of you enjoy the gathering.”

A smile even crossed my face. It was not a forced smile, but a genuine one. The idea of deviating from the novel’s course and twisting the narrative brought a certain joy that couldn’t be denied.