So I started living the life of a rich unemployed person which was the definition of happiness itself.
“Which one shall I pick?”
I stood in front of a bookshelf while humming. New shiny books were waiting to be picked by me.
‘What was even more amazing was that…’
All the luxurious hardcovers were made from genuine leather. They said that books were food for the soul, and just looking at them made my heart feel full and satisfied.
After a moment of contemplating, I pulled out a book entitled ‘A promise of money and forever*’. I then looked at the seemingly endless number of books that occupied this library again.
*(original word is 백년해로를 which literally means to grow old together.)
It was called a study, but it sure looked like a big library because of the number of books.
‘The next 50 years of my life should be fine.’
Besides, reading history books was enjoyable especially because this was a world inside a novel.
It’s like reading a fantasy novel. Books related to magic were very interesting, not to mention, even religious books were closely related to myths and were unique.
Who knew that the novel which I wrote on a whim would have created such a solid world.
‘It feels like seeing your child grow up well on his own.’
I think it would be nice to read books for the rest of my life.
Yeah, I wanted to live my whole life reading books. In my past life, I was so busy facing reality that I didn’t even have time to read leisurely
Holding the book in my arms, I left the library. As I walked through the hallway, every person I encountered was flabbergasted and would immediately lower their heads as if encountering the devil.
“M-Miss!”
“My lady, do you need anything?!”
“……”
Seeing the servants shaking like aspen trees gave me mixed feelings.
Should I be glad that they won’t bother me because they fear me or should I feel bitter since I instantly became an evil person in their eyes without even doing anything?
And I’ve known from experience that the friendlier I am to them, the more they’ll freak out.
In order to change the image of a wicked woman who has decided to live a life full of luxury while also being unemployed, I tried to smile at them gently one time, but the result I got was a maid fainting with foam coming out of her mouth while showing symptoms of hyperventilation.
‘What a murderous smile….’
I was sour for a moment and then opened my mouth at the thought that suddenly came to me.
“Oh, that’s right. Last time, I—”
“Hic!”
“…..”
When I spoke, the maid gasped in fright and crouched in terror as if she having extreme stomachache. My hand which was about to reach her remained in the air halfway, with nothing to settle on.
“Hyuk! I-I’ll stop being rude!”
“… That’s not it.”
I’m not some wild beast. Feeling hurt, I mumbled in a gloomy mood.
“I just wanted to ask when will Lingte’s limited edition book, which I ordered, arrive?”
“I-I’m really sorry Miss! It will arrive tomorrow morning!”
I don’t know if I can call it a conversation…… but throughout our conversation, the maid was shaking with her eyes saying that she wanted to get away from me as soon as possible.
…..Well, I was more than willing to let her go if she wanted.
I was afraid that she would pass out, so while trying to harden my expression as much as I could, I stiffly said,
“Okay. Thank you.”
When the maid heard those words, her whole body stiffened and her nostrils flared like a rabbit.
What’s with that look as if you’ve seen a sign showing the end of the world? It made me think of how villainous Ayla was in order for her to receive such a reaction just by saying something as simple as a ‘thank you’.
I was also an aloof person in my past life but Ayla seems to have taken it too far.
Have you been living a life where you’re treating everyone as your enemy? Well, I’m also the one to blame since I’m the one who wrote this novel.
‘There’s no one who can help me.’
Completely on my own, I headed to the kitchen brooding over the surging solitude.
When you’re feeling down, you should eat dessert. Should I ask for a chocolate today? I snorted as I finally found a way to regain vitality.
The chef of this mansion was very skilled perhaps because he was working in the most influential duchy in the Lethe Empire. It was perfect for people like me who were picky and craving for food from modern times.
‘Egg tarts, mille-feuille, cream puffs…’
As I made my way to the kitchen, I thought of all the desserts on the menu that I could get from him.
I’m going to take a bunch of desserts and go back to my room, and roll around all day. A day will fly by just like that, similar to how I’ve been living as Ayla for a month now.
‘Ah.’
I smiled foolishly at the thought of playing and eating, then froze in the next moment.
It was because, at this very moment, the ‘awkward-to-meet’ person No. 2, was currently walking from the opposite side of the hallway
‘Aslan Mertensia.’
He is the heir of the Mertensia family and Ayla’s brother.
He, who worked at the Imperial Palace, must have come back early today and must be in good condition to be walking around like this in the middle of the day.
‘Should I say hello….?’
But to be honest, I didn’t want to pretend to know him.
As I was holding the book in my arms and putting on a bitter look, Aslan saw me, and our eyes met for a moment.
“…..”
“…..”
Oh no, I can’t escape anymore.
Obsidian-like pupils, completely different from Ayla’s, stared at me silently. It glistened like the eyes of a black snake. It was so black that its pupils were invisible.
Perhaps that’s why, even though I was a Korean who was familiar with the combination of black hair and black eyes, and even though he was a young man with a pure appearance, I felt uncomfortable.
Unlike Ayla, who resembled their father and had sharp eyes, Aslan had red and droopy eyes like their mother which made him look sorrowful.
Of course, his cold eyes, which showed no emotion at all, were similar to their father.
I looked away from his persistent gaze and stuck to the wall. At the same time Aslan passed by me.
“… such standard.”
The words he muttered in my ear as he passed by was enough to raise my blood pressure. He definitely said this after seeing the book l was holding, “A promise of money and forever.”
‘That jerk.’
If you’re leaving, then just leave quietly, why are you picking a fight with someone who’s not doing anything? Don’t you use money? He’s also scribbling under his father but he’s talking as if he’s innocent.
But I couldn’t even retaliate against the word he said as I’m playing the role of a fool who squanders money through eating and playing. So I just flung my middle finger behind his back.
Well, I heard that some siblings ignore each other as if they were cows and chickens, but in a way, isn’t this what normal siblings do?
When I read romance fantasy novels, they’re always filled with idiotic brothers, but why am I the only one who is stuck with someone like him?
‘The atmosphere in this house is also unpleasant.’
Somehow, my sorrow increased.
The only people with whom I’ve had a decent conversation with over the past month have been the servants. It was because my family ignored me to the point that they pretended not to see me. Well, my family only consisted of Aslan and their father.
The reason for that was because Ayla’s father, the Duke of Mertensia, hated her ever since she was born.
Eighteen years ago, Margaret, the Duchess of the Mertensia family, died while giving birth to Ayla, which made the duke think of her as a monster since she was the reason why her mother died.
The Duke was known as a man of Iron and Blood* by the public, but he was also a rare romantic man who loved his wife dearly. Even now, the fateful love story of the Duke and Duchess was so famous that it was a topic people often talked about.
*(A metaphoric term referring to weapons (iron) used in warfare and blood (death) shed. The reliance on and use of force especially; the use of military power rather than normal diplomatic means.)
But his love was only limited to Margaret, and he was also a man of Iron and Blood in front of his children.
And that’s why Ayla, who was an idiot and only caused accidents, grew thoroughly neglected despite being born as his own biological daughter from his beloved, Margaret.
The Duke of Mertensia did not even give a shred of attention to Ayla unless she caused an accident that could tarnish their family’s reputation.
The Duke didn’t even realize that his daughter had been possessed by another person.
Anyway, he probably didn’t find the need to care about Ayla since he already had a smart and competent successor to succeed the family.
‘It was a given scenario that Ayla was born with a golden spoon but still acted wickedly. And now I’m experiencing that loneliness first hand.’
But thanks to the setting of the novel, I achieved my dream of becoming a rich unemployed person, so it was a big advantage for me.
‘That’s right, I’m glad they’re ignoring and not interfering with anything related to me. No one is bothering me by calling a tutor for me or by dragging me outside. If that happened, I would surely have turned into a villainess and maybe I would already have caused this family’s downfall or even the collapse of the society itself.’
I quickly came to a rational realization. As a writer, I felt a little sorry for Ayla, but I felt satisfied that no one would say a word even if I spent my whole life in the four corners of this room.
***
“Wow, is this heaven?”
I ate desserts that melt gently in my mouth and read a book while rolling around on the bed in pure bliss.
I don’t think I’ll get tired of this excessively lazy life for even another 50 years.
“Ah right! Lingte’s limited edition books will finally arrive tomorrow!”
Lingte.
He was a wonderful genius who existed in my creation. When I first read his romance novel, it was like a new world had opened up.
He was eloquent and had his own style, especially the domineering attitude of the male lead that totally made my heart beat again. He was a writer who reminded me of the truth that the perfect boyfriends are usually paper boyfriends.
“…. Should I kidnap him?”
I muttered with a dark glint in my eyes. I wanted to lock him up and make him write books for me while providing him with three meals a day made by the chef.
It was something impossible for me to achieve in my previous life, but it’s different now.
Who am I? I’m the youngest daughter of the Duke of Mertensia. Kidnapping was, of course, a crime, but finding the identity of a veiled noble would be a problem for them.
‘Huh….?’
While I was busy thinking of such a secret inconceivable desire, the sky outside the window began to darken little by little.
For a moment, I thought something dangerous would happen and that everything in this world would turn out to be just my imagination.
I momentarily paused in surprise and looked up at the sky, only to see that the sun was slowly being swallowed by darkness.
‘Oh, I heard there’s a total eclipse today.’
That’s why the Duke’s son came home early today. It was prohibited by Imperial law to wander outside when a solar eclipse occurred.
For a moment, I stared at the ongoing scene then belatedly closed my eyes. Aah! I heard that staring at an eclipse with your naked eyes can cause blindness!
I dropped my gaze as low as I possibly could and recalled what I had read in the Imperial newspaper this morning.
The solar eclipse in the novel <Lady Lily> was called Palinguea. I probably thought that it was a fitting name because I had never seen a total solar eclipse while in high school.
Anyway, the solar eclipse was historically known as ominous in any world and it was the same in the world of this novel.
In particular, the Lethe Empire, which is the background setting of this novel, boasted that they had the most powerful imperial power in this world over the past century, and had endlessly expanded its territory through war.
It was now the peaceful era; it became a great empire and was also called “Land of the Bright Sun” because darkness never descended there.
For this reason, the people of the Empire were very afraid of the Palinguea which obscured the sun, the symbol of the emperor, and was beyond the control of humans.
Above all, the most decisive reason for the people to fear Palinguea was “The Incident” that took place on the day of the total solar eclipse five centuries ago.
An incident where the worst-ever “Evil Sorcerer, Killian” caused an entire kingdom to vanish overnight.
