Chapter 01
｡･:*:･ﾟ★ Translated by Sienna ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
“Who will be the Lady of the Year?”
The party was held at the banquet hall. The ladies who were chatting raised their eyebrows in response to Yurina’s question.
It was a sudden and unexpected question.
The Lady of the Year was the person who entered the ball holding the hand of a member of the imperial family.
Currently, there were three members of the imperial family: the emperor, empress, and crown prince. However, the Emperor and Empress appeared together, leaving only the crown prince.
So if someone was aiming to be Lady of the Year, they may want to target the crown prince, but…
Unfortunately, the crown prince had been away for several years subjugating demons on the continent. This was because the suddenly increased number of demons kept attacking the continental trains.
In other words, there would be no Lady of the Year again. Although it was a very clear fact, the young ladies, who had recently arrived from the border territory, seemed to not know it.
‘They’re just naive kids who studied at the academy and don’t know what they’re doing.’
Rize, who had enough experience in high society, started explaining.
“His Highness the Crown Prince hasn’t returned yet, so of course there won’t be a Lady of the Year.”
“Oh, but there’s another imperial highness besides His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Although he has received the title of Grand Duke, isn’t Luciel of the Magic Tower also technically a member of the imperial family?”
The others followed suit.
They weren’t wrong. Luciel, the Grand Duke, though independent, was indeed a prince.
But Rize snorted inwardly. Although she had debuted in high society at the age of thirteen, she had never seen Luciel at a ball even once.
‘It’s not surprising, since he was practically chased away to the Magic Tower.’
Luciel was the only stain in the Imperial family, suffering from magical reflux and being prone to outbursts. They had tried to cure Luciel several times in the temple, but it was all in vain. Instead, he attacked the priests who tried to help him.
Rumors even went so far as to suggest that conferring the title of Grand Duke upon Luciel was the emperor’s attempt to distance himself from the son he feared.
With such thoughts, could Luciel, who left the imperial palace, attend a party with a woman?
‘Nonsense.’
Rize denied it outright. She, who wanted to be Lady of the Year more than anyone, knew better.
‘Maybe it’s because they are from an insignificant academy in a remote area; they really seem to know nothing.’
Swallowing a sneer, Rize laughed softly.
“Grand Duke Luciel won’t come. Since he left for the magic tower, he has never returned to the palace even once.”
“I-I also think so.”
Other ladies who were sharing the conversation with Rize awkwardly agreed with her assertion.
“Really…?”
“That’s weird. That can’t be true…”
Doubt lingered on the faces of the young ladies.
“Anyway, let me tell you. Today, my partner…”
Rize was about to smoothly change the topic to her partner’s story when suddenly–
“Grand Duke Luciel Winterose Gresvel is entering!”
At that moment, the name of the person they had just talked about was announced.
‘What?’
‘The Grand Duke?’
Everyone at the party turned to the entrance with surprised expressions.
Silver hair that sparkled like snow, ruby-red eyes slightly lifted at the corners, and a distinctively gentle yet languid atmosphere—indeed, it was Grand Duke Luciel.
As if that wasn’t enough to cause amazement, the announcer called out another name.
“And his partner, Lady Daphne Peregrine, is entering!”
“Huc…!” Someone gasped in surprise.
There was no one in the Empire who didn’t know of Daphne Peregrine. She was notorious for obsessing over her fiance and ruthlessly bullying anyone who got too close to him. With all the scandals surrounding her, it was rumored that Duke Peregrine had chased her away to the border territory.
“That Lady Peregrine entered with the Grand Duke?”
Everyone was in shock at the unbelievable news. At that moment, Daphne, standing at the center of attention, smiled brightly.
“Kyaa! Lady Daphne!”
“Lady Daphne! You’ve finally come!”
Then, the young ladies who had been talking with Rize moments ago looked at her with shining eyes, creating an enthusiastic atmosphere reminiscent of a fan club.
Flames flickered in Rize’s eyes as she observed this.
“See? Everyone is only looking at you, my lady.” Luciel slightly lowered his head and whispered in Daphne’s ear.
‘I know. I feel like I’m dying of pressure.’ Contrary to her trembling thoughts, she nonchalantly replied as if it didn’t bother her.
“I made a sudden entrance, so it’s natural for them to be surprised. After all, I attended this party aiming for that kind of effect.”
“Really? It seems like you’re more used to people’s attention than I thought.”
“Of course. This is nothing.”
“…hmm.”
Thinking that it wasn’t too noticeable, Daphne blurted out a nonchalant response, but somehow Luciel’s response felt cold. Daphne, feeling puzzled, raised her head to look at Luciel.
“What is it, my lady?” Luciel responded with a bright smile. His gentle, sparkling eyes were continuously twinkling.
If it were someone else, they might have completely forgotten what they were thinking upon seeing that smile. But Daphne, without blinking an eye, looked ahead again.
Then, speaking softly so that only Luciel could hear, she whispered, “Your Highness, don’t be jealous.”
“…!”
Luciel flinched as if he’d been stabbed in the heart. A tiny crack appeared on Luciel’s face. However, he had always been good at managing his expressions and soon recovered, muttering with a sullen face.
“…But I don’t want anyone to see you, my lady.” His sad voice made the listener feel guilty, but unfortunately, it didn’t work on Daphne.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but this is a party. It’s a place that has been set up for people to meet.”
“…”
“If I don’t see people here, where else would I see them?”
“…”
There was no arguing with that. Luciel discreetly clicked his tongue. He had tried using his good looks in an attempt to charm Daphne, but it didn’t work. Despite knowing it, he couldn’t help but keep trying.
‘That’s right…’
Luciel slightly narrowed his eyes and glanced around. Most of the people here were looking at Daphne with dazzled expressions. Some of them were flushed from ear to ear.
Luciel’s eyes darkened at the clear signs of admiration. Despite his angelic appearance, the twisted thoughts within Luciel were emerging, drawing out his true nature.
“Hmm…”
At that moment, Daphne spoke. “You’re my partner, after all.”
There was a hint of gratitude in her soft voice. Luciel looked at her with a slightly surprised expression.
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to attend a party like this.”
“…”
“So, what I mean is…” Daphne trailed off at the end of her sentence.
Feeling like she might have sounded too cold, she tried to add some soothing words. But the more she thought about it, the more she appreciated Luciel. It was because of him that she had gotten this much attention and that she had been able to announce her return to the capital.
“So… um, thank you. I just realized I didn’t properly thank you.” Daphne belatedly finished her words.
“Ah…” Luciel let out a somewhat awkward sigh and covered his mouth with his hand.
Is he feeling unwell again? Daphne asked urgently.
“Where does it hurt? Shall I get you some medicine?”
She was about to take out a medicine bottle when Luciel, placing his hand on hers, shook his head.
Then, with a glint in his eyes, he said, “I think I’m getting excited again because of you, my lady…”
His gorgeous features were like the work of God. Other young ladies watching couldn’t help but let out involuntary sweet sighs.
“…”
However, Daphne, the owner of the gaze in question, looked at Luciel with indifference. It was unclear to her what kind of charm the others saw in him.
Luciel still blushed, despite her indifferent demeanor.
“…”
Well, if you like it, that’s what matters.
This wasn’t the first or second time he had said something like this. Daphne waved it off with a smile. What mattered now was making it clear that she wasn’t the Daphne from the original novel.
In the original storyline, Daphne should have been expelled to the border territory at this point. So, attending this party was out of the question.
But here she is now.
She had made the tower master her partner, returned to the capital, and proudly carried the title of Lady Peregrine.
‘At least I’m not going to die in prison.’
“Kyaa! Lady Daphne!”
She waved to the young ladies, whose eyes were sparkling while looking at her.
‘In this life, I’ll enjoy everything I can, then die.’
Whether the original heroine appears or not, she’ll definitely survive! She made that promise in her mind.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
In the modern world, getting a job was often more challenging than grabbing stars from the sky. The job market held fierce competition between those who came from good universities, had good grades, and had good performance records.
And I was one of them. If there was a bit of regret, it was that my resume was a bit lacking.
The distance between the name value that companies wanted and the university I attended was quite significant. It’s not that I didn’t want to go to a top university.
But…
“If you go to that university, what about your younger siblings? They’re not top of their class; they won’t get scholarships; they’re twins; they’re going to go to college at the same time. Can’t you be a big sister and concede?”
Grandma was a traditional person, and she favored my younger twin brothers, born from my father’s remarriage, more than me.
“You’re the older sister; you have to sacrifice.”
The words stung, but there was nothing I, the eldest daughter, could do about it. In the end, I entered my third-choice university to receive a scholarship.
But I wasn’t the kid who struggled to be loved by my family.
‘I’ll just get a job. I’ll cut ties with this family once I’m financially independent.’ With that thought alone, I had persevered until now.
During my five years of university, including a one-year break in the middle, I never missed the top spot in my department. I worked diligently at part-time jobs, dividing my time efficiently.
Everyone said the same thing: ‘There’s no one who lives as hard as you.’
In this day and age, that was a compliment.
Anyways, I graduated with flying colors, and after a toxic internship, I landed a job at a big company.
‘Even though it was just another internship.’
To make matters worse, my immediate supervisor and manager were axxholes, but I tolerated them. During this time, an opportunity for promotion came.
The company held an internal idea competition. It was aimed for interns, asking them to come up with business ideas using their own creativity. The reward was a chance to be hired as a full-time employee and a bonus.
‘A regular position!’
Excited by the prospect, I eagerly wrote down my ideas.
“…Good idea. Okay, go for it!”
I was confident until I submitted it to Manager Kim, who I didn’t get along with.
‘Well, if Manager Kim praises it that much, it must be a jackpot.’
So I believed I could finally get out of this dreaded internship.
“Manager Kim! That’s great! How did you come up with this idea?”
Until, my idea was presented as Manager Kim’s.
At first, I raged, thinking, ‘I’m going to kill all of these corporate bastards!’ But as a person from a humble background, challenging a big company was like hitting a rock with an egg.
From the company’s perspective, it was easier to fire an intern, the source of the problem, than to discipline a regular employee. In the end, I had to finish the contract without being converted to a full-time position. Along with the rumor of being the “mad dog of the sales department”.
After finishing my last day of work, I felt depressed and drank some soju that I hadn’t enjoyed before. But it was still okay to this point.
[Why isn’t Big Sis coming home? Today Grandma’s birthday.]
[The atmosphre at home is really bad now. Come home quikly; I need to go to the PC room.]
The urgency in the twins’ messages, who couldn’t even spell correctly despite my teachings, was the problem.
Crash!
On my way home, I got hit by a car and died.
Hi all, this is the kickoff of our new Moonlight Novels team collab! Hope you enjoy the ride with us and leave lots of comments and love!~
That end was a bit sudden lmao