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Chapter 03
“Who are you?”
“…….”
At the clear voice, the man who had been resting slowly opened his eyes. Perhaps the sunlight was dazzling, because he lifted the back of his hand to shield his eyes and stared at the small woman standing before him.
A small woman standing in the same direction as the sunlight.
Her deep violet eyes, unfathomable like fully bloomed violets, met Asha’s light green eyes—like fresh, lush foliage—straight on.
How long had it been like that?
Suddenly—pababat—with a sound, he abruptly scooted backward while still seated.
Seeing how startled he looked, Asha felt needlessly apologetic and quickly held out her hand as she spoke in explanation.
“Ah, I didn’t mean to startle you….”
“…….”
“If I scared you, I’m sorry. I got lost. Could you tell me where I am? There isn’t even a signboard.”
“…….”
As the man continued to only stare at her without saying a word, Asha tilted her head slightly.
‘Can’t he speak?’
It didn’t seem like he was unwilling to talk, yet he still didn’t open his mouth.
Still, that could happen. Maybe he was just someone who spoke little.
More importantly, what mattered right now was figuring out how to get out of here.
“If it’s uncomfortable for you to speak, could you at least gesture which way I should go to get to Rose Palace?”
“…….”
After staring at Asha for a long while, the man finally rose awkwardly to his feet. As he stood, Asha’s gaze—which had been looking down at him—gradually lifted higher.
‘Wow, he’s taller than I thought.’
Earlier, he’d been crouched, so she hadn’t noticed—but now that he was standing, the masked man was larger than expected.
Maybe about the same size as Brother Seizar.
He seemed at least a head taller than her. As Asha looked up at him, the man must have sensed her gaze because he roughly shook his disheveled silver hair.
The silvery strands caught the sunlight and shimmered brilliantly.
‘…Pretty.’
Thinking that, Asha found herself staring at him again.
Most of his face was hidden behind the mask, leaving only his eyes visible—but even so, he gave off the impression that he must be quite handsome.
After all, even to Asha, who had seen plenty of strikingly beautiful people since coming here, his hair was clearly beautiful and his eyes mysterious.
How long had she been staring at him like that?
Perhaps embarrassed by her gaze, the man subtly avoided eye contact—then suddenly took a long stride forward.
Then, toward Asha who was still standing in place, he made a small, hesitant gesture with his hand.
“Ah, are you showing me the way?”
Nod—
The man nodded slightly, and Asha clasped her hands together, beaming.
“Wow! Thank you!”
Having understood the gesture, Asha hurried to follow behind the silver-haired man who began walking ahead.
‘But really, who is he?’
He didn’t look like a palace servant, since his clothes looked refined. But he also didn’t seem like someone of high status, because he looked rather shabby.
‘Was there someone like this in the novel?’
Since she couldn’t remember, even if there had been, he must not have played an important role.
Lost in thought, she realized they had walked farther than expected, yet they were still moving between trees.
Growing bored, Asha spoke to the man walking beside her in her usual lively voice.
“Excuse me!”
“…….”
Despite his silence, Asha didn’t give up and continued talking.
“Thank you so much for helping me. But there are really a lot of trees here.”
“…….”
“Why are there so many trees? Is no one maintaining this place?”
“…….”
“You seem like someone from the palace—do you know the reason?”
“…….”
A man who never replied, and a woman who never stopped talking—an odd combination, yet somehow it felt like a conversation was happening.
Asha’s cheerful chatter, and the man adjusting his pace to match her voice.
As they passed through the dense forest, the trees gradually thinned—then suddenly opened into a vast, spacious grand garden.
“…….”
The man pointed toward the garden with his finger, then quietly looked down at Asha, who had been talking nonstop.
“Is this Rose Palace?”
Nod—
The man nodded obediently. Then, without hesitation, he turned around and started walking back the way they’d come.
Seeing him leave without even a greeting, Asha called out urgently.
She felt like she needed to say something more.
“Thank you! You’re really kind!”
“…….”
The man paused briefly.
“I hope we can meet again next time!”
“…….”
Leaving Asha’s bright voice behind, he resumed walking.
Only after his figure disappeared did Asha finally turn her gaze to the palace before her—far more expansive than the one she’d seen earlier.
“Rose Palace… I finally found it!”
True, she’d gotten here thanks to a strange encounter.
And yes, she was still afraid Seizar might come after her.
But since she’d already been reckless enough to come this far, she intended to stay reckless until the end.
She didn’t know whether Princess Isabella would welcome such a sudden visit.
Still.
Contrary to expectations, entering Rose Palace was extremely smooth.
When the maid at the gate asked who she was, the answer “Anastasia Yusupov of House Yusupov” was the perfect response.
At the mention of House Yusupov, the grand gates of Rose Palace swung wide open.
‘Power really is everything.’
A rule that never changed, no matter where you went. No wonder people risked their lives to cling to it.
Entering Rose Palace while lost in such thoughts, Asha found the interior just as splendid as its grand exterior.
The vast hall was lined with expensive objects adorned in gold leaf, and vivid red roses were placed throughout, befitting the palace’s name.
‘My goodness.’
The Yusupov ducal estate was by no means small, but this place felt as though it had been coated in gold—magnificent and dazzling.
Following the maid with her mouth slightly open, Asha arrived at the reception room for visiting guests.
Told to wait there, only five minutes passed before the maid’s voice sounded at the door.
“Her Highness Princess Isabella enters.”
At last—the moment to face the greatest villainess of this novel: Isabella Belshkin.
“Anastasia Yusupov.”
“Yes!”
“May I call you Asha? I like using nicknames.”
“Pardon…?”
“…You’re cute. Who did you take after, I wonder? You’re quite different from the Yusupovs I know….”
So this situation was…
Unbelievably, the mastermind princess had taken quite a liking to me.
To explain—
I don’t remember clearly the moment Princess Isabella entered the reception room.
The instant I met her crimson eyes, they were so captivating that everything else went blank.
In my daze, the voice I heard was soft.
“Why has the young lady of House Yusupov come all this way?”
Her voice was elegant, like rolling jade beads.
And I must have replied like this:
“Wow… you’re pretty…”
Upon hearing that, Princess Isabella looked briefly puzzled—then smiled softly.
Her red lips curved into a beautiful arc.
Like the intoxicating scent of the roses filling Rose Palace,
She was a villainess with a fatal charm.
Silver hair braided and elegantly pinned up, crimson eyes that ensnared hearts—Isabella truly resembled a brilliant, scarlet rose, worthy of being the mistress of Rose Palace.
‘She’s too beautiful. Is she even human? She’s exactly my type.’
Enchanted by her appearance, I just kept staring at Isabella blankly.
“Hehe, do you think I’m pretty, young lady?”
“Yes.”
My reflexive answer made Isabella look slightly startled. She pressed her lips together briefly, then crossed her legs and asked quietly.
“Your name is Anastasia Yusupov. Correct?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Anastasia Yusupov.”
“Yes.”
“May I ask… why you think I’m beautiful?”
At her meaningful question, I tilted my head slightly. Even in the original novel, Isabella’s beauty was exceptional. And right now, getting closer to her was exactly what I needed.
Honestly, aside from Princess Isabella and the female lead, Floé, there were hardly any characters who truly deserved to be called “beautiful.”
So I decided to convey my honest impression.
Truthfully.
“Beauty is Princess Isabella herself. Your flowing silver hair is dazzlingly gorgeous, and to top it off, your rose-colored eyes are beautiful… just… beautiful.”
“You don’t think I’m beautiful simply because I’m a princess?”
“Pardon? No, not at all. With that face, you’d be beautiful even if you were a beggar on the street. Ah—wait! That sounded bad, didn’t it?!”
“…….”
Isabella’s crimson eyes, silently fixed on me, seemed to grow darker.
Had I said something wrong? Just as anxiety began to rise, Isabella suddenly spoke.
“…May I call you Asha? I like using nicknames.”
“Pardon…?”
“…You’re cute. Who did you take after? You’re very different from the Yusupovs I know….”
That’s how things ended up like this.
After praising her looks, she started gazing at me with fond eyes, calling me cute. I had to hold my trembling hands together.
This was definitely not what I expected—but thinking about it, it wasn’t bad.
My original plan was to force my way into becoming close to her, but if she already liked me, even better.
If getting close meant badmouthing my brother to change the villainess’s heart, then that was easy.
I had plenty to say about him.
‘This situation isn’t bad at all.’
No—it was actually a very good situation.
Thinking of this as an opportunity, I answered immediately.
“Yes! You can call me by a nickname and speak casually! But will you listen to my story?”
“Sure. I like your straightforward personality. So who do you take after, I wonder?”
“First of all! Definitely not my brother. Absolutely not. He’s not cute at all, he’s blunt and frustrating—he’s like a sweet potato stuck in your throat.”
“…Oh my, really?”
“Yes, absolutely!”
And so, right in front of the villainess who was destined to fall for the male lead, I began trash-talking him.
What about the consequences?
I didn’t think about them at all.
