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Chapter 4
Stella was thoughtful and wise.
I had always believed she would’ve handled the role of Duchess far better than Keila ever did.
In a way, wasn’t this exactly what I had wished for back when I was just a reader?
Maybe this won’t be so bad.
If I avoid following in Keila’s footsteps, the story might change. Maybe I won’t die this time.
Besides, I know the original plot. I can avoid all the landmines scattered throughout the story.
As I thought that, someone suddenly came to mind.
I could even meet Zeno Haverston. Stella secretly had a crush on him, didn’t she? Maybe this time things could work out.
The thought made me laugh bitterly.
Even in a situation like this, I was thinking about Stella’s unrequited love.
Whatever. Let’s just go.
I’ll marry the Duke if I have to.
There’s still plenty of time to change the story before I end up dead.
Somewhere along the line, my thoughts had shifted from pessimistic to strangely optimistic.
Depending on how I handle things, I might actually end up living comfortably.
That’s definitely better than staying here as a maid.
If I successfully bring Ricardo and Yelena together and manage to divorce safely afterward, maybe I could even secure a decent settlement…
Apparently my optimism had gone too far already—I was thinking about alimony now.
Let’s worry about that later.
Instead, I considered whether I could truly take Keila’s place and act as Ricardo’s bride in the capital.
As the Baron had said, Stella had always stayed close to Keila like a real sister, so she naturally absorbed noble etiquette and the knowledge expected of a young lady.
Yeah. It’s not impossible.
Without realizing it, I turned toward the mirror standing beside the wall.
There stood Stella—the very character I had rooted for and empathized with while reading the novel.
Neatly braided red hair.
Purple eyes framed by features somewhere between catlike and puppy-like.
A petite young woman who looked both capable and innocent.
At that moment, for the first time since possessing her, I truly looked at my new reflection.
Then—
“Ahhh!”
Black smoke suddenly rose behind me in the mirror, forming the image of a man like a phantom.
He was so tall I had to tilt my head back to see him properly.
A powerful body forged through countless victorious wars—the reason he was called the God of War.
Hair blacker than the deepest night.
Cold yet strangely mesmerizing dark blue eyes.
A firm, unyielding mouth.
It was the male lead of the original story.
Ricardo Zenkis.
He stood behind me in the mirror like a ghost.
The moment I came to my senses, the black smoke vanished, leaving only my startled reflection staring back.
If merely seeing an illusion of Ricardo made me scream, could I really go through with this marriage?
I lightly slapped both cheeks to steady my weakening resolve.
“Get it together, Stella!”
The next day, the carriage bound for the capital was prepared.
The Baron and Baroness saw me off with expressions mixed between worry and relief.
“A remarkably wise decision.”
The man from the Imperial Palace held my hand as I stepped into the carriage.
Without replying, I quickly climbed aboard.
But then an unexpected problem appeared.
A maid carrying a large travel bag and dressed in outdoor clothes climbed into the carriage after me.
When I looked at her in confusion, the Baroness approached and explained:
“You’ll need someone to attend to you. Molly will accompany you.”
The maid named Molly politely greeted the Baroness before turning to me with a smile.
“I’ll serve you faithfully, my lady.”
Her lips were smiling.
Her eyes weren’t.
The expression felt oddly unpleasant.
Sure enough, the moment the carriage departed, her entire attitude changed.
“A bastard-born maid becoming the Duke’s bride? That’s one hell of a social climb.”
The venom in her voice was so blatant that I stared at her in disbelief.
“What? You think glaring at me will do something? Are you already pretending to be a real noble lady now?”
From her attitude alone, I could tell exactly how Stella had been treated at the estate.
Even fellow maids had looked down on her like this.
“Don’t act so stiff just because you’re replacing the young lady, Stella.”
Molly twisted her lips into a sneer and kept talking.
I decided to see just how far she intended to go.
“Still, the capital’s a hundred times better than rotting away as a maid in some backwater estate. Maybe I’ll get lucky too someday. Maybe I’ll seduce some senile old noble and escape servant life myself.”
Crossing her legs arrogantly, Molly twirled her hair around one finger as though her dreams had already come true.
“Just because I’m going as your maid doesn’t mean you should start thinking you’re a real lady. If you do, I’ll make sure everyone there knows exactly what kind of position you held here.”
Apparently she hadn’t followed me to serve me at all.
She intended to act like my superior instead.
Watching her, I was dumbfounded.
I was worried about dying anonymously in the capital, while she acted like we were headed on a picnic.
Why did stories always include characters like this?
A disbelieving laugh escaped me, and Molly’s face instantly hardened.
“Seeing how you’re acting, I guess I don’t need to worry about dying before you.”
“What? What did you just say?!”
Molly snapped at me in shock.
She probably had never seen Stella talk back before.
I didn’t even feel like arguing with her, so I turned toward the window and muttered:
“If you don’t want to die, you should watch how you behave once we get there.”
Knowing that the world of the novel was basically a battlefield overflowing with schemes and jealousy, Molly’s rosy fantasies just seemed laughable.
She crossed her arms and scoffed.
“You spent all this time pretending to be meek, and now you’re already acting like the Duchess. Let’s see how long that arrogance lasts.”
She continued spitting hateful insults, but to me they were less significant than the buzzing of flies.
“I need to think, so be quiet.”
Closing my eyes, I gently rubbed my throbbing temples.
Even without Molly, my head already felt like it was about to explode.
Once we reached the capital, the first thing I’d do would be getting rid of this noisy maid.
Verdin.
The capital of the Akanis Empire.
At the center of the enormous city stood the Imperial Palace.
The flags fluttering above its towering walls and the soldiers guarding the gates gave off an air of overwhelming power.
But deep within the palace gardens, the atmosphere was entirely different.
At the center of a blooming flower garden stood a massive pergola draped in flowing golden lace curtains.
The conversation inside was spoken in cautious tones.
“It’s suspicious that Ricardo accepted the marriage so obediently. That scheming bastard definitely has some ulterior motive.”
The Third Prince, Illain, clenched his fist slightly, contempt filling his eyes.
Watching him, Empress Delzaya curled her alluring red lips into a twisted smile.
“What ulterior motive could he possibly have? I graciously selected a bride perfectly suited to his station, and instead of gratitude…”
Every time she saw Ricardo, she was reminded of his mother, and the thought alone filled her with rage.
Ricardo Zenkis.
The second son of Emperor Rom and a war hero.
But also the son born from the Emperor’s affair with one of her maids.
To Delzaya, he was nothing more than a thorn in her side.
From the moment he was born to a mere maid, she refused to acknowledge him as part of the imperial family.
She had even exterminated his mother’s entire family.
Daring to seduce the husband of the woman she served was a sin beyond forgiveness.
Until the Dowager Empress pitied the young Ricardo and brought him into the palace, he had lived outside the capital like a slave.
To the imperial family, he had been nothing more than filthy blood unworthy of mixing with them.
When the Dowager Empress, shortly before her death, ordered that Ricardo be brought into the imperial family, Delzaya imposed one condition:
He must obey the woman raising him absolutely.
Therefore, choosing a bride for the unmarried Ricardo was both her responsibility—
and her right.
Fortunately, she had found the perfect bride for him.
“Even so, isn’t the bride’s family far too beneath him? People are already whispering that Your Majesty has gone too far. Even if Ricardo obeys your orders now, I wonder how long that marriage can possibly last…”
Before he could finish, Crown Prince Duane began coughing lightly.
Delzaya looked at him with concern.
“There’s no need for the Crown Prince to worry. They may be insignificant provincial nobles, but they’re still distant relatives of mine. The nobles won’t dare criticize my decision openly.”
At her words, Illain let out a low chuckle.
“Of course. Even the cousin of a cousin’s cousin is still family, I suppose. Mother, where on earth did you even find such a pathetic household? Truly impressive.”
