Episode 58

‘Oh, it’s so noisy.’

For some reason, the association building was teeming with children. It seemed that parents who had nowhere else to leave their kids had brought them along.

‘Don’t they have kids’ cafes here?’

If not, I should make one! I considered it a good business idea and suddenly, the squeals of the children sounded delightful.

After waiting a few minutes with the number ticket Tara had gotten for me, it was finally my turn.

“Miss, the registration must be done by a legal guardian or the child themselves. Can you manage that?”

Fortunately, minors were allowed to apply for trademarks here.

“Yup! I can do that easily!”

After all, I had run an online shop as an adult! Registering these should be a piece of cake.

“Hello.”

I greeted the receptionist and began pulling out the product samples I had brought. For some reason, the receptionist seemed a bit dazed looking at them.

‘Why isn’t she doing it quickly?’

I hate to admit it, but I am very busy. I needed to handle this quickly and return to making the products for sale.

I leaned closer to the still motionless receptionist and whispered.

“Ma’am, I’m in a hurry, so could you please speed things up?”

“Oh… Yes, yes!”

Finally snapping out of it, the receptionist handed me a form and a pen.

“Please fill out this form.”

“Huh…!”

My confidence wavered for a moment.

‘Darn it…!’

Looking around, I saw other kids having their parents fill out the forms for them.

‘Tara can’t do it because she’s not my legal guardian…’

Hesitating with the pen, the receptionist looked at me curiously.

“Lady?”

“I’m sorry…”

Blushing, I confessed the truth.

“I don’t know how to write very well.”

“Oh my goodness!”

The receptionist covered her mouth, seemingly overly shocked. Her gaze was strangely reminiscent of Tara’s affectionate looks.

She leaned forward and whispered.

“I’ll help you fill it out secretly!”

‘Phew, thank goodness.’

I was relieved. With the receptionist’s help, I quickly filled out the form.

“What’s your name?”

“Belze!”

“And your age…?”

“Five!”

I spread my five fingers wide, making the receptionist smile at me with that same affectionate look as Tara.

The form was quickly filled out until we hit a snag.

“What should I write for the guardian’s name?”

“Umm…”

I hesitated for a moment.

Naturally, the Duke’s name crossed my mind when thinking of a guardian. But if I wrote his name, he’d surely hear about this in no time.

‘…This is still a secret for now!’

Having decided, I confidently stated my business partner’s name.

“Doctor Gordon!”

“Doctor Gordon? That’s the guardian’s name…?”

“Yes!”

I couldn’t quite recall his full name—something like Pelle—but it didn’t matter much. So, I let the receptionist write ‘Doctor Gordon’ in the guardian section.

Finally, the form was complete.

“Registration is all done.”

“Thank you very much, ma’am. Thanks to you, I was able to register successfully!”

As I politely turned to leave, the receptionist stopped me.

“Since you’re here, why don’t you also participate in the children’s start-up competition? You meet the age requirement.”

“Start-up competition…? What’s that?”

“It’s an event hosted by the royal palace to discover talents. They’re offering prizes to children who develop unique products or show exceptional business acumen!”

“…Prizes?”

The mention of a prize caught my attention.

However, I generally distrust competitions or contests run by the government. The winners are often predetermined, and even if they do give out prizes, they’re usually minuscule…

“Yes! They’re offering a prize of 500 gold!”

“500 gold?!”

My mouth fell open.

Given the currency conversion, 1 gold was equivalent to 100,000 Korean won. So, 500 gold meant…

‘50 million won?!’

That was an incredible amount for a children’s competition!

“Sign me up immediately!”

With nothing to lose, I eagerly expressed my interest in participating. The receptionist, as if expecting this, smiled and helped me fill out the application form for the competition as well.

While waiting for the forms to be processed, I suddenly felt a piercing gaze.

“…Hmm?”

I turned my head and saw a boy staring intently at me from beyond the reception desk. He wasn’t my age; he looked about Edwin’s age.

‘Is he here for the start-up competition too?’

His striking red hair with a hint of blond and vivid emerald eyes were unforgettable. Judging by his attire, he appeared to be from a wealthy family, dressed in a neat white cravat, just like Edwin.

It was a hallmark of heirs who had matured early.

‘He’s quite handsome for a background character. Though not as handsome as Edwin.’

Despite his impressive appearance, something was off about him. He continued to stare at me even after our eyes met.

‘What are you staring at?’

I mouthed silently.

Though it was childish, I didn’t expect him to understand from such a distance.

Then, the boy’s eyebrow twitched.

“Huh…?”

He let out a soft chuckle, his lips curling into a crooked smile.

‘Did he understand that?’

Just then,

“Your application for the competition is complete!”

The receptionist’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Yes! Thank you so much for your help! Have a great day!”

“You’re so polite and well-mannered. Take care, little lady!”

Exchanging cheerful farewells, I turned around and glanced once more beyond the platform.

The strange boy had disappeared.

‘Why does he look so familiar?’

Puzzled by the déjà vu, I turned away.

“Miss, over here!”

Tara was waving at me nearby.

As I was about to board the carriage with her, a sudden realization made me freeze.

‘Red hair and green eyes.’

Red hair wasn’t common in Erea. It was a hereditary trait of the royal family or high-ranking nobles connected to them.

Bright red hair and vivid emerald eyes?

‘…Oh no.’

A realization from the original story struck me, and I silently gasped.

‘The Crown Prince!’

One of the male leads in the novel.

Looking back, someone with such distinctive features couldn’t just be an extra.

‘Why is the Crown Prince here?!’

Standing there in shock, Tara turned to me, puzzled.

“Miss, aren’t you getting in?”

“Y-yes. I’m coming…”

I finally moved and climbed into the carriage.

But my mind was in turmoil.

‘I just mouthed off to the Crown Prince… I’m on the path to becoming the villainess…’

It felt like I was unwittingly following the villainess route step by step.

As I stared out of the carriage window with a troubled expression, a sudden memory flashed through my mind.

 

「…On the eve of the Goddess’s birthday, the Crown Prince, disguised, was attacked by assassins sent by the Empress.

Grievously wounded, the Crown Prince barely made it back to the palace, where he hovered on the brink of death.

But when his condition showed no signs of improvement, his aide secretly contacted the Barelotte family…」

 

This was the part where Diana and the Crown Prince first met in the original story.

‘Could that be happening now?!’

Even knowing the plot, it was hard to connect it to real-life events as they unfolded.

“Wait! Stop the carriage!”

I urgently called out from the moving carriage.

“Miss! That’s dangerous! Driver, stop for a moment!”

As I hurried to the door, Tara looked alarmed.

“Tara! I’m really sorry, but I forgot something inside! I’ll be right back!”

“I’ll fetch it for you! What did you… Miss! Belze, wait!”

Despite Tara’s calls, I had already leapt out of the carriage.

My heart raced with anxiety.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure why I was acting this way.

After all, he was just one of the male leads.

Whether the story unfolded as originally intended with him meeting Diana…

But maybe because of my past life memories.

 

“Is His Highness the Crown Prince still unconscious?”

“Yes. Though it’s fortunate for him. If he wakes, all the families supporting him will have fallen, and he’ll face betrayal from his trusted subordinates.”

“Ha ha, congratulations in advance. You’ll soon ascend to the throne, Your Highness. Oh! Should I start calling you Your Majesty now?”

“Oh, stop it. Save your flattery for after the coronation. Ha ha ha!”

 

The conversation between the second prince and the Marquis of Barelotte echoed vividly in my ears from the royal prison in my past life.

On the day I was captured and the Duke’s family fell.

The Crown Prince was also attacked and left in a coma.

It wasn’t sympathy.

Who could sympathize in this novel?

I was the most pitiful character in the story.

The next were the people of the Duke’s family.

‘But still…’

If I didn’t remember the original plot, I might not care.

Knowing that a young Crown Prince would be severely injured, I couldn’t just ignore it.

‘If today is the day… I’ll just report it and come back.’

Fortunately, there was a security station near the association building.

But upon rushing inside, there was no sign of the Crown Prince.

Just then, I made eye contact with the receptionist who had helped me earlier.

“Oh my, Princess… I mean, Miss! Did you forget something?”

“Did you see a boy with red hair around here?”

“Red hair boy…? Oh! I think I saw him heading towards the back door.”

“Thank you!”

I quickly thanked her and hurried towards the back door.

Creak—

I opened the back door and looked around the narrow alley, but it was empty.

“Nothing…”

Well, it was unlikely they would attempt an assassination so close to the security station.

I felt a strange sense of relief.

Just as I was about to head back inside.

Something on the ground in the distance caught my eye.

“What’s that…?”

I quickly ran over and picked it up.

It was a white cravat.

Dirty with spots of red, as if it had been trampled.

“Blood…?”