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Chapter 1
“Kyahhhhhh! Hold on tight there, Roella!!”
A powerful storm was raging so strongly that I could barely keep my body steady. The large cruise ship was shaking violently as it swayed from side to side.
It had already hit a reef, and water was flooding into the lower part of the ship, making it tilt more and more.
Roella was crying as she clung to the railing. Once I confirmed she was safe, I also grabbed the railing tightly.
Lifeboats were gradually being lowered onto the freezing sea one by one.
That’s the only way out!
I struggled to hold onto Roella and moved forward step by step. When we reached the line to board a lifeboat, a sailor blocked our way.
“There is only one seat left! The other person must take the next lifeboat!!”
“Milena, no! Let’s just find another lifeboat together!”
Roella clung to my arm. Her small, beautiful face was covered in tears.
Another lifeboat? What next lifeboat? We need to get on while there’s space. What if the next one also only has one seat?
I gritted my teeth and pushed Roella toward the sailor.
“I’ll take the next one, so you go first!”
“N-no! Then I’ll take another one, Milena!”
“Are you going to be stubborn? You’re already weak. Hurry up! Staying here like this will only trouble others!”
“That’s right, young lady Roella! You’ll be able to board another lifeboat soon!”
“That’s right!”
Roella hesitated for a moment, then grabbed the ladder leading down to the lifeboat. Crying heavily, she shouted desperately.
“You must, you must get on immediately! Milena, we’ll meet down there!”
“Got it!”
After sending Roella off, I turned around. It was total chaos. Ah, I thought everything was finally over. But this was inside an R-19 romance fantasy novel. I was the villainess who used to bully the heroine and got executed.
I couldn’t live like that.
I worked hard behind the scenes and became the heroine’s best friend, and after that I thought my future would be smooth sailing.
I had a decent noble family, parents who cared about me in their own way, and even a capable older brother who was annoying but useful.
I thought I would meet a good man, fall in love, and live happily.
But I never expected that I would face such an unexpected disaster while traveling on a cruise ship with Roella, the heroine.
“Stay focused, Milena. How did you even get here!”
I shook my head and held onto the railing. I was about to turn and look for another lifeboat when the cruise ship suddenly tilted at a full ninety degrees and began sinking.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
I don’t want to die like this!
Three weeks earlier
I thought I was going to die like that, but fortunately, I survived.
That was three weeks ago.
I was swept into the sea and ended up stranded on an unknown continent.
The place I arrived at was called the Siern Empire, completely opposite from the Luikaron Empire where I originally lived.
They spoke a different language, had different culture, and there was absolutely no exchange between the two nations. The distance was one thing, but more importantly, the sea between them was filled with magical beasts, so contact had been completely cut off.
Even though I knew the Siern Empire existed, I didn’t know any details. My “possession bonus” was completely useless here. In Siern, I was basically starting from zero. At least I could speak Siern language, so that was lucky. If I couldn’t, I really would’ve been doomed.
And fortunately—or unfortunately—I wasn’t alone.
“…You got it all wrong, Your Grace Duke Kaiser. You didn’t practice dictation, did you? I told you to read it ten times while writing it down. You didn’t do it, right?”
If I looked at it this way, maybe it was unfortunate. When I glared at him, Duke Kaiser subtly avoided my eyes. Then his neatly handsome lips moved slightly.
“I was busy. The request was difficult.”
“Ugh, you should have made time for it. How are you ever going to improve your language like this?”
Seeing Duke Kaiser puff his cheeks, I let out a deep sigh. He was a proper, handsome man. The kind that makes you feel satisfied just looking at him. Even expressions like that looked cute on him…
Snap out of it. Is this important right now? No—more importantly, when are we even going back?
After the shipwreck
When I reunited with Kaiser after the ship sank, it was not in the Siern Empire.
We, who were drifting after the shipwreck, were rescued by a ship from the Siern Empire.
The Luikaron Empire and the Siern Empire were on completely opposite sides of the world. The distance was huge, and there was no interaction between them.
Even long-distance voyages were difficult, but the most serious problem was the Sea of Monsters between the two empires.
It was a sea infested with magical beasts, and it could only be crossed for a few days a year.
Because of that, very few people tried to cross the sea. No one wanted to risk their life for a single voyage.
And even fewer people would risk their lives to rescue shipwrecked strangers. It was basically like asking someone you saved from water to give you their luggage.
We had no choice but to follow the sailors who rescued us and come to Siern.
At that time, I only had the clothes I was wearing, my earrings, and my ring. Kaiser only had a few accessories attached to his clothing. It was a miracle they weren’t lost in the waves.
We became completely broke in an instant.
To return to Luikaron, we needed money. Until then, we had to survive in Siern, and also find a way to get a ship back.
For the first time since my possession, I was worried about money.
The only hope we had was something we heard from the sailors who saved us.
They said there are always crazy people somewhere.
“There is a smuggling ship that travels between Siern and Luikaron once a year. You might be able to board it. But the fare is quite expensive.”
I never thought I would one day feel grateful for criminals running a smuggling ship.
In any case, there were six months left until that smuggling ship would appear, and we needed to earn a lot of money before then. First, we needed to survive.
‘I’ll sell my sword.’
‘No, you can’t!’
I was the one who stopped Kaiser, who casually suggested selling his sword. The only things worth keeping about Kaiser were his face and his sword.
I had already learned on the ship that Kaiser had no talent for language, and he might never properly learn Siern language.
‘I’ll sell my jewels. They are valuable, so we should be able to get enough to live on.’
‘…I will repay this debt.’
‘Please do.’
We gathered all the jewels and gold items we had.
Of course, finding a place to live wasn’t easy either.
“Hm. This one is cracked, and this one is damaged by seawater. I can’t give a good price for such low quality goods.”
“Look carefully! These are top-grade jewels!”
“Unfortunately, gems like this are everywhere in Siern. What, are you from another country?”
The jeweled shop owner even had a shining brooch on his chest, which was comparable to the finest ruby I had claimed.
At least he gave us enough gold value for a house.
The “house” we got was just one bathroom, one small room, and a tiny living room combined with a kitchen. It was the best we could get after running around all day.
After buying a few clothes and a little food with the remaining money, even that ran out.
It was hopeless.
…That was three weeks ago.
