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Chapter 3
Of course…
Nothing like that happened.
After living as Rose Stacy for more than a year, I finally accepted reality.
There was no going back.
From now on, I would live not as Seo Ye-eun, but as Rose Stacy.
That said, I had absolutely no intention of dying the tragic death originally waiting for Rose.
I wasn’t desperately attached to life…
But I certainly didn’t want to die while I was still this young.
So, in my heart, I offered my dearest condolences to my sworn enemy of a best friend, Shin Ji-ah.
I’d already changed fate.
I’d already changed her story.
At the very least, Rose Stacy’s destiny would no longer follow the plot she had written.
Sorry, my friend.
I want to survive, too.
Unfortunately…
Fate wasn’t an easy opponent.
In the original novel, Rose Stacy became famous for her extraordinary beauty and remarkable talents, bringing recognition to the otherwise insignificant House of Stacy.
And that was exactly where all her troubles began.
So I deliberately avoided attending the academy where the original Rose had enrolled and made a name for herself.
Most noble children entered the academy at fifteen.
But attendance wasn’t mandatory.
People mainly went there to prove their abilities.
So…
I simply didn’t go.
If I never attended, no one would discover Rose Stacy’s exceptional talent.
Besides, whatever talents the original Rose possessed…
I certainly didn’t have them.
Convincing my family wasn’t difficult.
My parents encouraged me several times, but ultimately respected my decision.
And when Riana Stacy heard I wasn’t going…
She practically celebrated.
Only my second sister, Ruby, kept insisting that attending would be good for my future.
I simply acted timid and said,
“I don’t think I’d do well there.”
Since Ruby sincerely believed her younger sister was delicate and fragile, she reluctantly gave up.
To be fair…
Neither Seo Ye-eun nor Rose Stacy had ever been particularly strong.
We weren’t sickly either, but we certainly weren’t made of steel.
With that, I thought…
I’d escaped my fate.
I was wrong.
Since I wasn’t attending the academy, my parents naturally hired private tutors instead.
I had no objections.
I’d already been reading every book I could find to adapt to this world.
Still, there were many things I needed someone to teach me.
That’s where everything went wrong.
The tutor my father hired for history…
Was none other than Halbert Jeffried, the former Marquis known throughout the empire as the Father of History.
After passing his title to his son, Halbert had been traveling the continent.
Somehow, my father had befriended him during one of those trips.
And somehow…
He’d convinced the legendary scholar to become my personal teacher.
Before I could even marvel at my father’s unbelievable talent for making friends…
I was too stunned to speak.
The House of Stacy was such an insignificant county that I’d wondered whether the House of Jeffried even knew we existed.
Still…
I didn’t think much of it.
The former marquis had never appeared in Ji-ah’s novel.
He’d already retired from politics.
How influential could he possibly be?
Instead, I was simply delighted to receive the finest education imaginable.
That…
Was my mistake.
An unbelievably stupid mistake.
At first, Halbert intended to teach me casually.
But the more lessons we had…
The more passionate he became.
As for me…
Listening to his stories about history felt like reading an exciting novel.
I became completely absorbed.
For whatever reason, seeing my enthusiasm filled him with immense satisfaction.
Eventually…
He practically settled down at the Stacy estate.
And before long…
Rumors spread everywhere.
Rose Stacy became famous almost overnight.
After all…
She was the beloved disciple of Halbert Jeffried, the Father of History.
The process differed from the original story…
But the outcome was exactly the same.
Ironically…
I only realized what had happened after it was already too late.
Since I rarely left the estate, there was no way rumors would reach me quickly.
I only learned about them because of one unexpected visitor.
“I’ve come to meet Lady Rose Stacy.”
Having heard the rumors, a young nobleman arrived at the Stacy estate, hoping to meet the woman everyone was talking about.
Naturally…
Rose Stacy herself had no idea what was going on.
To everyone else, however, his visit wasn’t strange at all.
Even without appearing in high society, Rose Stacy had already become famous.
Her debut at the Imperial New Year’s Banquet had left a deep impression on many young noblemen.
There had always been plenty of men interested in her.
Everyone knew that…
Except Rose herself.
Beautiful.
Backed by someone as prestigious as Halbert Jeffried.
Naturally, countless men had begun setting their sights on Rose Stacy.
Among political circles, her name was already well known.
Only after that visitor arrived…
Did I finally understand the situation.
I demanded to know why no one had told me.
The answer nearly made me faint.
“We thought… you already knew.”
…
Seriously?
For one glorious moment, I thought I was actually going insane.
How was I supposed to know if nobody ever told me?
Did they think I was a god?
The absurdity of it all left me too exhausted to even get angry.
That was when I truly realized something.
Nothing had changed.
Fate was still moving exactly as before.
Ji-ah’s story hadn’t even begun yet.
No matter how hard I struggled…
Before the story officially started, reality would simply adjust itself until the necessary background was in place.
Even if certain details changed…
It didn’t matter.
After all…
Rose Stacy was only an extra.
Changing the details of an extra’s life didn’t affect the main story at all.
What a rotten plot.
“…Ugh… My head…”
“Young Lady!”
Lisa hurried over in alarm when I grabbed the back of my neck.
But I couldn’t spare any attention for her.
I had enough problems already.
Damn you, Shin Ji-ah.
I told you this was a terrible idea.
You ignored everything I said.
You even joked you’d kill me.
Well…
If I ever get back—
I’ll kill you first.
Grinding my teeth, I forced myself to think.
Fine.
Changing my background was useless.
Then there was only one answer.
The worst bastard was always the one who stood by and watched everything happen.
So…
I would never meet that bastard.
The male lead.
Even if someone held a sword to my throat…
I wouldn’t go anywhere near him.
He spent almost all his time either in the Imperial Capital or on the battlefield.
So as long as I stayed quietly inside Stacy territory…
There would be no reason for us to ever meet.
The House of Stacy was so insignificant that I doubted he’d even remember its name.
That’s right.
I’d keep my head down.
Like a mouse hiding from a cat.
I made up my mind.
Besides…
That bastard probably didn’t want to see me either.
I was confident of that.
* * *
Rose Stacy turned eighteen.
Only one year remained before the day she was destined to die.
Which also meant…
The story would begin in exactly one year.
Until then…
Life followed my plans perfectly.
Thanks to Halbert’s reputation, invitations from noble society poured in endlessly.
I rejected every single one.
My excuse was simple.
“I’m shy.”
“And still too young.”
People could criticize me all they wanted.
I didn’t care.
None of them mattered to me.
There was no point flattering people who’d never become part of my life.
My plan was simple.
Stay hidden inside the estate until my coming-of-age ceremony.
Then become independent.
And finally live my own life.
By now, I fully accepted that I was Rose Stacy.
In fact…
Being Rose felt more natural than being Seo Ye-eun ever had.
Still…
That didn’t mean I intended to live according to this world’s expectations.
The setting of the novel—the Xenoa Empire—was relatively progressive.
Women could become government officials and build successful careers.
Even so…
Society still favored sons.
Especially among the nobility.
Most aristocrats genuinely believed a woman’s purpose in life was simple:
Get married.
Have children.
Live quietly.
Just thinking about it gave me a headache.
The House of Stacy wasn’t any different.
If anything…
Living in the countryside made them even more old-fashioned.
For now, everyone accepted my excuse that I was still young.
But after my coming-of-age ceremony at nineteen…
My parents would certainly begin searching for a husband.
And before I knew it…
I’d probably be married off like livestock headed for slaughter.
Did I hate marriage enough to faint over it?
No.
But I’d still rather pass.
Living alone sounded infinitely better.
Unlike Korea, nobody here pressured me to attend university or find a job.
So after becoming an adult…
I planned to sell my jewelry and travel the world.
Whether my parents approved or not.
I’d already abandoned the idea of running away before adulthood.
The Xenoa Empire also imposed many restrictions on minors.
Getting caught would be far too easy.
Waiting until I could leave legally was the safer option.
Besides…
My parents still wanted their daughter close.
They weren’t likely to push marriage before I turned nineteen.
“…Ah… This is nice.”
So today…
Rose Stacy peacefully enjoyed another quiet day.
The story hadn’t begun yet.
There was nothing to worry about.
Riana and Ruby were both away at the academy.
My father had traveled to the Imperial Capital for work.
Only Mother and I remained at home.
Actually…
Mother was almost always out attending tea parties and social gatherings.
Which meant…
The entire mansion was practically mine.
It was bliss.
“I wish life could stay like this forever.”
“Being unemployed is the best…”
Now I understood why everyone dreamed of becoming a carefree bum.
Experiencing it firsthand…
It really was wonderful.
As I lounged around thinking like a middle-aged man…
Lisa suddenly appeared.
The moment she saw me sprawled lazily across the furniture, she looked utterly horrified.
“Young Lady! What kind of behavior is that? You’re a noble lady!”
“No.”
“I’m not.”
“And I don’t intend to be.”
Being a “proper noble lady” only turned you into an easy target.
I’d pass.
Lisa clutched the back of her neck in despair.
“Young Laaady!”
“Being unemployed is awesome.”
I stretched even farther, looking completely shameless.
Lisa looked ready to cry.
Seriously.
If I was fine with it…
Why was she the one suffering?
“Lisa?”
“I’ve failed you as your maid.”
“You were never like this before…”
“No.”
“I’ve always been like this.”
Well…
The original Rose Stacy certainly hadn’t.
But now…
I was Rose Stacy.
She’d just have to get used to it.
Unfortunately, Lisa completely misunderstood what I meant.
Sniffling, she lamented,
“No… You weren’t like this.”
“If only I’d served you better…”
“Instead of hiding in this house…”
“You’d be dazzling high society by now…”
“You would’ve become the flower of the social season…”
