I Was a Supporting Character

After strolling around for a long time, my legs were sore and aching. Upon arriving home in a shared carriage, I immediately called for Miranda and asked her to massage my legs. As usual, she entered the bathroom with a stern face and gently massaged my legs with various aromatic oils. After lying in the warm bath for a while, it felt like some of the accumulated fatigue was alleviated.

As my relaxed body submerged in the warm water, I mustered the energy to strike up a conversation with Miranda to keep the impending sleep at bay.

“Did the dress I ordered from Lady Nix’s Dress Shop arrive?”

“Oh, yes. I haven’t tried it on yet, though.”

“Don’t save it; wear it quickly. Life is shorter than you think.”

I chuckled as I spoke. I had bought the dress for Miranda as a substantial gift, wanting to give her something special before I die.

Miranda, in her usual nonchalant manner, replied, “I may not know about myself, but young ladies like you have a very long life ahead.”

“Oh, who cursed me?”

I feigned surprise.

But she and I both knew. In the social circles, there were quite a few young ladies who envied and resented me without any particular reason. Just as the “author” mentioned, some people believed that I had everything simply because of my fortunate birth.

What’s amusing is that those who are in no way comparable to me don’t harbor such resentment, while those who are moderately well-born and reasonably beautiful seem to dislike me for no apparent reason. Rumor has it that even the princess of our country harbors envy towards me.

Well, it can’t be helped. I can’t be friends with everyone in the world. Not everyone will understand my sincerity, nor will everyone have a favorable opinion of me. That’s just the way it is.

“I can’t feel the need to convince people who harbor unwarranted malice towards me. This remains true even now, when I might leave this world at any moment. I don’t want to waste time and life on such pointless persuasion.

I am Bianca Uranos, and loving myself is enough.

Although my existence was created by the ‘author,’ I have shaped my own life. The affection I have for Ares may be set by the ‘author,’ but everything else is genuine. So, I can proudly say that I have lived my life faithfully.

Insults? What’s the big deal? As long as it’s not something demeaning enough to shatter my personality, I won’t easily crumble.

Miranda’s massage was truly excellent. I nearly dozed off in the bathtub each time. Fortunately, I managed to prevent sinking into the water completely by talking to Miranda or having her call me ‘Miss!’

After finishing the bath, I changed into my pajamas. I opted for a cup of tea instead of a proper dinner because I wasn’t in the mood for a meal due to drowsiness.

However, just as I was in that hazy state, a sound abruptly woke me up.

“Miss, are you asleep?”

The family’s butler called me from outside the door. I shouted from inside the room.

“I haven’t fallen asleep yet. What’s the matter?”

“A letter has arrived. It’s from Lord Ares Stanley.”

It’s strange how a letter arrived at this hour. Since the post office is closed now, it means someone from the family delivered it personally. Unless it’s something urgent, they wouldn’t usually do this.

I muttered as I took the letter handed over by the butler.

“Please give the messenger a generous tip for the trouble.”

“Well, Lord Stanley himself came by to deliver the message.”

What?

I stared blankly at the butler, feeling dumbfounded.

“He has already returned to the mansion. He just wanted the letter to be delivered. I was surprised too, but he apologized for the breach of etiquette and left promptly.”

I dismissed the butler and sat in front of the desk with my mind blank.

What could be in the letter that the Marquis would go through the trouble of coming personally to deliver it to me?

Putting aside premature speculation, I swiftly cut open the envelope with a paper knife and began reading the contents.

Fortunately, the content wasn’t as urgent as my tension had suggested.

The letter roughly conveyed Lea’s apology for her earlier rudeness at the salon, her gratitude for my introduction to a good etiquette teacher, and a promise to avoid showing excessive friendliness to me in the future.

Reading the letter left me feeling a bit perplexed. Aris’s affection for Lea was subtly evident in every line. Despite the intention to apologize for her, there was also concern that I might have been offended by her actions. Yet, beyond that, the mention of Lea Saturanos, who had become one of Aris’s closest friends, unsettled my heart.

Even if I were to survive without encountering the novel’s ‘pillar,’ Aris, it seemed, would eventually be connected to Lea Saturanos.

This was the way, wasn’t it? In novels, relationships between men and women often met, but they also parted ways. Even if Aris and I were to become lovers, the relationship could still be shattered by the discordance between us. Afterward, Aris would naturally turn to Lea, who had been a reliable friend by his side.

People often say that first love is destined not to come to fruition, don’t they?

However, I find it quite absurd.

Even if I were to become his lover, I must have a big heart to tolerate his ordinary female friend. However, I don’t think I have the capacity for that. If my man shares strong trust with a woman friend, I can’t be confident that I won’t misunderstand their relationship.

Maybe I should just give up.

Whether the novel’s ‘pillar’ appears or not, whether Ares confesses his true feelings or not, I could just ignore it all and continue living as I have been.

But giving up like that feels wrong. The love I’ve held onto for so long, the fondness for Ares, is too precious to simply let go. Despite the potential for heartbreak, just attempting is worthwhile. It aligns with my nature not to pass by a precious treasure that comes my way. No matter the wounds, trying itself has its own value.

I thought I’d try, at least. It was too painful to let go of the love I had nurtured for so long, and Ares, the man I liked so much.

Phew, let’s see how it goes. It doesn’t suit my temperament to foolishly sit back and let a precious treasure come and go. If I get hurt, well, the act of trying has its own worth.

Instead of keeping his letter in a drawer, I took it out again and lit it with the lit candle on the side. I threw the burning letter into the fireplace.

What use was it to keep a letter full of stories about Lea? It would only make my heart ache every time I read it.

The fact that Ares came all the way here in the middle of the night to exchange a letter might not hold much significance. Yes, he might have come so persistently just to ask me to view Lea favorably.

I gazed at the letter burning in the fireplace, filled with complex emotions.