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Chapter 2
Even after a sleepless night, her skin remained flawlessly clear, and beneath her sharp, elegant nose, her lips still held a healthy flush.
Looking at her reflection, I couldn’t help but think that Isabella really did have the right to live however she pleased.
With innate talent, she had graduated from the Academy at a young age and even earned the title of the youngest Great Mage.
Her tall frame and waist-length crimson hair that rippled like waves made it impossible to mistake her for anyone else, even from a distance.
Honestly, it was hard to understand why the author had given her such overwhelming “stats,” only to eventually kill her off so brutally…
I tore my gaze away from the mirror and sighed deeply as I stuffed my belongings into a travel bag.
Still, thanks to that, I had found myself more interested in Isabella’s scenes than in Yuri’s.
The villainess Isabella stood in direct opposition to the passive heroine, Yurie.
Her personality—always needing to be above others to feel satisfied—extended even to her relationships with the male leads.
Of course, she was so honest about her desires that even a mere brush of clothing supposedly led straight to the bedroom—earning her the vulgar nickname “just a brush and it’s over” all over comment sections. But that was exactly the charm of an R-rated novel, wasn’t it?
At the time, I had even thought, They’re fictional characters anyway, what does it matter?
That was just a few weeks ago.
I remembered the day I first opened my eyes in Isabella’s body.
I had been in a stable, my crimson hair spilling messily over the straw, straddling a young, well-built stable hand I had never seen before.
I was so panicked that I clutched the waistband of my trousers, ignored the blushing man beneath me, and ran away.
After that, fragments of Isabella’s memories began to surface, and I thought I could imitate her without much trouble… until I heard the manager’s nonsense.
I buried my face in the pile of clothes stuffed into the travel bag.
I wanted to slam my face into a plate in frustration, but even in my previous life, I had died a miserable death—I didn’t exactly have that kind of courage.
“My pathetic life was going a little too well. I should’ve known something was wrong.”
With no idea how to get out of this situation, I lay there limply when the doorbell suddenly rang.
Ding-dong—
I instinctively froze and held my breath.
Then a familiar voice came from outside.
“Isabella, it’s me. Alzuro.”
“….”
Even after he introduced himself, I didn’t move.
Silence followed. Then his voice came again.
“I know you’re in there, Isabella.”
“….”
Go away. Please just go away.
I kept repeating it in my head, but then he spoke again—calmly, but clearly enough for me to hear.
“Was the manager on the first floor earlier? I wonder if he knows it was you who broke the flower vase on the terrace.”
At that, I shot upright.
That bastard!
I rushed to the door and yanked it open. Alzuro, who had just mentioned going down to the first floor, was standing there with his arms crossed.
He smiled as if he had known I would open the door.
“Good afternoon, Isabella.”
He walked right in as if he couldn’t see my sour expression. I quickly checked the hallway before shutting the door behind him.
Alzuro calmly poured himself tea and sat by the window table. I stared at him like he was some kind of leech.
He was the first person I had spoken to after possessing this body. At the time, he had approached me with genuine kindness while I was still disoriented.
Since then, he had introduced himself as a wandering bard—but to me, he was nothing more than a carefree loafer who lived off others.
Though I wasn’t exactly in a position to judge.
“So what do you want this time?”
At my question, Alzuro set down his cup.
“I heard rumors that you had quite the incident with the manager on the terrace a few days ago. I came to check on you.”
“….”
He must be talking about the day the manager suggested he might accept something other than money.
The memory of that sleazy gaze made my discomfort return. I had tried to stay calm, but before I knew it, I had already slapped him.
I could still feel the sting of that moment in my palm.
Seeing my silence, Alzuro continued with amusement.
“So even the infamous Isabella has a naive side. The only one who knows that is me.”
Even if I tried to act like a villainess, long conversations tended to expose me. Alzuro always spoke as if he knew something.
Whenever that happened, my expression would stiffen, and he seemed to enjoy it.
He picked up his cup again and added casually,
“Besides, this is the best room in Monteo Garden, so the view is amazing. Tea tastes better here too, doesn’t it?”
Sunlight streamed through the window, making his light brown hair shimmer faintly.
With his gentle appearance, he actually looked quite refined—if only he kept his mouth shut.
…Now that I look at him, he kind of reminds me of someone…
As I stared at him, I accidentally met his eyes. I quickly turned toward the window instead. He let out a small laugh.
Embarrassed, I cleared my throat and looked outside.
As he said, from the highest floor of the building, the main street of Midtown stretched out below.
Then I noticed a long procession of carriages entering the road. Ornate carriages led the way, followed by a noticeably shabby one that stood in stark contrast.
A large black cloth covered the back carriage, but it didn’t fully conceal its contents.
Through the gaps in the iron bars, I could see something that looked unmistakably like a prison.
And just then, a figure flickered into view through the bars.
A child.
“…A child?”
I blurted it out without thinking. Alzuro glanced toward the carriage and replied calmly.
“Probably goods for auction.”
“Goods? But that’s a person… and a child.”
He shrugged.
“Well, yes. A human. A savage.”
“….”
In moments like this, it really hit me that I had entered a completely different world.
At the word “savage,” I immediately understood who was inside.
They were a minority ethnic group living beyond the Empire—especially the Ombers from the southern desert region, known for their rare black hair and eyes, and strong bodies. Nobles treated them like collectibles.
Calling them “savages” was just a convenient label. In truth, they were people captured and sold into slave markets by imperial merchants.
The reason I knew this so well was because one of the sub-male leads belonged to the Omber tribe.
It wasn’t a major issue yet, but later in the story, slave traders would be brutally executed because of him.
It was far off from me, who would soon leave this place—but seeing it in person didn’t feel good.
To shake off my thoughts, I turned back to Alzuro.
“…If you’re done drinking, leave.”
“Why? You don’t look like you have anything to do.”
He had hit the mark, but I answered anyway.
“I have a lot to do. So leave.”
As I fumbled for excuses, he suddenly said something unexpected.
“Do you have someone waiting on the terrace?”
“….”
I froze.
Alzuro’s expression remained calm, but I understood exactly what he meant.
The rumor spreading through Midtown—the one the manager had mentioned.
And the one who started it… was Isabella herself.
It was typical of her, but even if I could imitate everything else, I could never imitate that part of her life.
Honestly, I wanted to leave this place immediately. But unfortunately for me—no, for the Great Mage Isabella—I had no money to pay the five million gold debt.
While reading the novel, I had thought her extravagant lifestyle meant she must never run out of money. But she was, quite literally, broke.
I really wanted to ask what kind of thinking led her to stay in the most expensive lodging in Midtown.
I looked at Alzuro, who didn’t even blink, and rubbed my face.
“Those rumors… you knew all along and just pretended not to?”
“No. I only believe what I see with my own eyes.”
He pushed his cup away and stood up.
Despite his gentle appearance, he was tall and broad-shouldered, making me instinctively step back.
Only then did I realize how close he was.
“I just think those rumors don’t suit you, Isabella.”
“….”
Right. Of course. I’m not the real Isabella.
A knock suddenly came from the door.
Knock, knock—
Using it as an excuse, I moved toward the entrance.
I opened the door without checking who it was—
And there stood a face I had been avoiding for four days.
“You were here.”
The manager stood there, his cheek still swollen from where I had slapped him.
When I glanced back, Alzuro had already slipped out of sight inside the room.
The manager let out a dry laugh, then spoke firmly.
“Please spare me a moment.”
It seemed like today was finally the day.
