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Chapter 18………………………..
In her dream, Rubellia saw a boy and a man.
The man was someone she had never seen before, but the boy’s face felt familiar.
The boy’s features closely resembled the current Jerden. And among everyone Rubellia knew, Jerden was the only one with such jet-black hair and black eyes.
The first scene showed Jerden as a child standing in front of a grave in the rain. He stood there with a blank expression, shedding no tears, but Rubellia could tell that he was grieving.
His reddened, bloodshot eyes and deathly pale face alone were enough to make one’s heart ache. Yet no one seemed to notice— not even the man standing right beside Jerden.
The next scene showed Jerden spending time with that man.
The man resembled Jerden in some ways, yet also didn’t.
Jerden seemed very attached to him, and the man, in turn, cared for Jerden deeply—almost as if he were his own child.
Whenever Jerden suffered from nightmares, the man would always come to comfort him, spending a great deal of time by his side.
And yet, for some reason,
Rubellia felt an inexplicable chill every time she looked at the man.
Although he wore a gentle smile when looking at Jerden, it somehow felt eerily unsettling.
It felt like a mask layered over his true intentions.
Especially his occasional indifferent gaze—devoid of any emotion—was chilling, like the eyes of a snake.
The dream then quickly shifted scenes, as if showing Jerden’s entire growth in an instant.
And every time Rubellia saw that man, who was always present throughout it all, her heart began to pound violently.
It felt like a warning—telling her to be careful of that person, that he was extremely dangerous.
In fact, each time she saw him, her fear only grew.
It felt as though she herself was being chased by him. As if, once caught, she would fall into a deep, dark abyss.
So without realizing it, Rubellia reached out toward Jerden, trying to tell him not to stay with that man, to stay with her instead—but her hand could not reach him.
The final scene of the dream showed Jerden as an adult.
Just like in her previous dream, he was screaming in the middle of a pool of blood. Countless corpses lay scattered around him.
But what was different this time was that she saw everything—how Jerden had killed them.
“Jerden?”
Like someone who had lost his sanity, Jerden swung his sword wildly, cutting people down. Seeing this, Rubellia felt the same eerie sensation she had felt from the man.
It was similar to what she had felt when she once woke Jerden from a nightmare—when he had been suffering.
It felt as though he was not himself.
And at a distance from Jerden, she saw the man watching him.
Rubellia could not read the man’s expression clearly. But she was certain of one thing instinctively: there was no warmth or affection directed toward Jerden in that face.
The man merely watched coldly as Jerden—who had slaughtered everyone and now collapsed in despair, screaming—came back to his senses too late.
Soon, Rubellia woke from her dream.
Her head was in turmoil. The emotions from the dream surged over her like a tidal wave, making it hard to even grasp what she had seen.
Especially the fear and chill she had felt toward the man lingered so strongly that even after waking, her hands were trembling without her realizing it.
“Who on earth was he?”
In her fading thoughts, Rubellia wondered.
The man who had been so vivid in her dream now felt blurred, as though it had been smudged out.
“…I need to be careful of him.”
She instinctively realized that fact.
The next day, Rubellia woke up looking exhausted.
She hadn’t slept well because of last night’s dream. The emotions from it were still so vivid that even now, her hands were pale and cold.
“It was such an unpleasant feeling.”
In all her life, she had never encountered someone who gave off such a terrible feeling as that man.
“Ugh… I want to rest.”
Already irritated from the dream, Rubellia rolled around on her bed lazily.
Unfortunately, however, she had plans today.
Plans she absolutely could not skip.
Today was the day of the ball held to select the Crown Princess.
There was an imperial decree that all unmarried men and women must attend, so even pretending to be sick would not be an excuse to avoid it.
“There’s only going to be annoying things if I go.”
Since possessing this body, Rubellia had never attended any ball or social gathering. So without a doubt, there would be noble ladies eager to pick fights with her—or at the very least, people gossiping about her behind her back.
Even if she didn’t care much about others’ opinions, hearing them talk badly about her right next to her would not feel good.
“And the Crown Prince…”
Rubellia still couldn’t get a clear read on the Crown Prince. He had not been described in detail in the original story, so she didn’t know what kind of person he was. And since he held the status of Crown Prince, she had to be even more cautious around him.
Especially since he was said to be a friend of Duke Hasedian, and therefore supposedly disliked Rubellia more than anyone else.
“I’ll just have to go and see.”
She couldn’t know what would happen at the ball.
While Rubellia was still rolling around on her bed, her maids entered the room.
They had come to help her prepare for the ball.
Under their hands, Rubellia was transformed into a girl so beautiful she seemed to shine.
Her fluttering eyelashes appeared longer and fuller, and the fine line drawn at the corners of her eyes made her gaze look deeper. A faint blush colored her cheeks.
Her silky silver hair was neatly swept up, revealing her neck, with braided strands added as delicate accents.
When the maids announced that preparations were complete, the Marquess who came to see Rubellia was left speechless.
“R-Ru…!”
Calling her affectionate nickname, the Marquess teared up.
“Father?”
Rubellia looked flustered at his reaction.
“How… how can you be this beautiful?”
He sniffled, saying she was so pretty and lovable it made him want to cry.
Seeing her like this, she looked just like his late wife. No—if he was being honest, even more beautiful than her.
Letting such a daughter out into the world almost felt like a crime. The charge would be something like: theft of hearts due to excessive beauty.
“Haha… thank you.”
Though his reaction was overwhelming, it wasn’t unpleasant to be called beautiful.
Even Rubellia herself thought she looked stunning enough to make eyes pop out.
The tiny shimmer around her eyes sparkled like jewels.
“I worry… seeing you so beautiful like this.”
The Marquess sighed deeply.
At the ball, there would not only be noble ladies but also many noble young men.
“You don’t need to worry so much.”
Rubellia guessed what he was thinking and replied.
Given her notorious reputation, no man would dare approach her anyway. If anything, they would pick fights from a distance.
“Ru, I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
At her father’s serious expression, she tilted her head.
“First, at the ball, you must not exchange even a single word with His Highness. That would be very dangerous.”
“Pardon?”
Dangerous to speak with the Crown Prince?
Wondering if she had missed something about him, she became confused.
Perhaps he had a terrible personality and would draw his sword at any woman who spoke to him.
She tensed up and waited for his next words.
“If His Highness the Crown Prince falls in love with you, that would be a great danger.”
“…Ah.”
Rubellia, who had been bracing for something serious, looked speechless at the unexpected answer.
Why did everyone assume the Crown Prince would fall in love with her?
Between Aria, Hasedian, and now even her father, she was starting to wonder if she had somehow become a fatal femme fatale after possessing this body.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
She wanted to say nothing like that would ever happen, but it would be pointless.
She likely wouldn’t even have a conversation with the Crown Prince anyway.
Though… it might be nice if she did.
“And… if any strange men try to talk to you, just kick them in the groin.”
“Strange men?”
“Yes. Men with two eyes, one nose, and one mouth—those kinds of strange men.”
“….”
Rubellia fell silent for a moment.
Right. She had forgotten that her father, after dealing with the female and male leads for so long, was not exactly a normal man either.
Beyond being a doting father, he was… something closer to a “daughter fool.”
“Wouldn’t kicking them cause problems if they just talk to me?”
Her reputation was already bad enough.
“If it’s you father, I’m sure that much can be handled.”
Right. That explained how the original Rubellia had acted so freely.
No noble family outside the ducal house could rival the marquisate.
She could only sigh internally.
“And…”
Seeing her father still had more to say, she tensed again.
“If someone improperly proposes to you, tell them you’ll consider it only if they survive after being stabbed in the heart with a sword.”
“….”
Once again, she lost the ability to speak.
Was there even anyone who would propose on first meeting?
Her mind filled with countless questions, but she said nothing.
“Ru, remember what your father said.”
“Yes. I’ll remember.”
Just remember—nothing more.
If she actually followed his advice, she would probably die either by the male lead or some other noble first.
‘Come to think of it… isn’t my father also a death flag?’
Rubellia shook her head.
“Good. Be careful. Always be careful.”
Her father’s expression remained dark with worry.
“Yes, I will. Then I should head out soon—I might be late for the ball.”
She said this, feeling that if she stayed any longer, her common sense might break completely.
“Alright. Please return safely.”
He looked like he was sending her off to war, holding back tears.
Life really was a thorny road.
Rubellia stared briefly at the distant sky.
Soon after, she boarded the prepared carriage and headed toward the imperial palace.
When she arrived at the banquet hall where the ball was being held, many nobles were already present.
