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Chapter 4
I Don’t Like You!
‘Why… why did he come? No, I told him he didn’t need to come! Why on earth would he bother coming all the way here just to meet a woman he doesn’t even want to see?’
Back in her room, Himena didn’t bother changing clothes. She paced nervously with a restless, anxious face.
A month ago, when Seohyeon had been facing off against a serial killer on the rooftop of a building, her laptop had fallen into Author Ham’s room. On the screen was a scene from the Imperial Palace banquet celebrating the Crown Prince’s birthday.
That day, Himena, overdressed as usual, had been wandering the gardens looking for her crush, Cailian. Spotting him climbing the palace steps, she chased after him—only to slip and tumble down the stairs.
Although the accident had nothing to do with Cailian, she twisted the story, blaming him when there were no witnesses, manipulating public opinion, and forcing him to “take responsibility” for her injury.
She clung to him, nearly blackmailing him into an engagement, but even after that she never stopped her obsession and villainous acts. She even schemed against the heroine, which led to their broken engagement, and in the end, Himena went mad in prison and died miserably.
She was the notorious villainess in Author Ham’s novel The Price of Obsession, so despised that readers begged in the comments, “Please kill her off already!”
When Seohyeon’s fall from the rooftop coincided perfectly with Himena’s tumble down the stairs in the novel, she suddenly found herself trapped in Himena’s body. With her “stock price” plummeting to rock bottom—deserving, as readers said, to be beaten to death with the police baton—Seohyeon quickly got her act together to survive.
‘I must never get entangled with the male lead! It was bad enough dying at 27 as a lifelong single. I’ll be damned if I die again chasing after a man who doesn’t even like me!’
The best way to avoid entanglement was not to meet him at all. So she ignored all the flood of visits from nobles and invitations to parties, staying locked up in the mansion for an entire month. But of all people, the male lead himself came knocking.
“This won’t do!”
“Pardon? Do you not like this dress? Shall I fetch another one?”
Mari, trailing after Himena with a dress in hand, asked nervously as her mistress paced.
“No, I’ve decided. Rather than dodging half-heartedly, this is my chance to put a nail in it once and for all. Let’s go, Mari.”
“Wh-what? You mean… you’ll meet him as you are, without dressing up?”
The young lady, who once spent half a day applying makeup just in case she might encounter the Marquis of Thermos at a banquet, was now about to face her crush in sweaty training clothes and trousers, with her bare face?
It was unthinkable.
Once resolved, Himena strode straight to the parlor and flung the doors open.
Bang!
Cailian, calmly sipping tea with a knight standing nearby, set down his cup and rose at the sight of her.
“It’s been a while, Lady.”
“Yes, it’s been a whi—huh?”
Himena, striding in so boldly, froze as her eyes widened.
“Y-you’re that man from yesterday…?”
“Yes. We met yesterday in the back alley of Grantole. But you didn’t recognize me then…”
Himena bit her lip in dismay.
‘Damn it! No wonder he looked unusually handsome… But I only read about him—I’d never seen his face! How was I supposed to recognize him at a glance?’
Unaware that “black hair and red eyes” was the classic mark of a romance-fantasy male lead, she hastily improvised.
“Ahem. The reason I didn’t recognize you yesterday, my lord, is… well, I’ve recently developed night blindness.”
“…Night blindness?”
“Yes! In dark places I can’t see properly. And, you know, that alley was so dark.”
“…Fair enough.”
“Anyway, you’re here about the palace staircase incident, aren’t you?”
“…You could say that.”
“Then let’s sit down and settle this once and for all, openly!”
Himena plopped down with her arms crossed, glaring at him as though ready for battle. Cailian calmly took his seat again.
“Did you push me down the stairs that day?”
“Ha… Of course not. You know better than anyone I didn’t.”
Behind him, Weil frowned in disbelief at the absurd question.
“Then that’s all.”
“…What?”
“You didn’t push me. I fell because I was clumsy. So you don’t need to apologize, I’m not injured, and there’s no need for compensation. Therefore, the matter’s closed. That’s it.”
“…I see.”
He eyed her suspiciously before replying flatly.
“That’s a relief. You seem… very healthy, just as you did yesterday.”
‘What’s with that look? Does he hate that I’m healthy? Was she really that obsessed with him, to the point that he’d be upset I didn’t die?’
Himena recalled the novel. Between the chapters she skimmed, Himena’s obsessive antics had been relentless—
“Why, Marquis Thermos! What a coincidence meeting you here!”
—at every banquet he attended.
“Oh my, Marquis, here too?”
—at gatherings of knights filled with only men.
“Marquis!”
—at a little restaurant in Grantole.
“Cailian, is that you?”
—behind trees in the imperial garden.
“Oh my, Cail!”
—lurking behind pillars in the men’s restroom.
“Cai~l!”
‘Good grief! No wonder he nearly developed trauma.’
And not only that—noble ladies ostracized from society after Himena framed them for merely receiving a glance from Cailian…
“Miss Aileen, I had no idea you were so interested in my sapphire necklace.”
“This… why is this in my room?”
“You should’ve said so earlier—I would’ve gifted it to you.”
“No! I never stole it!”
“Ah, or were you planning to sell it to prop up your declining household?”
“Wh-what?!”
“Oh dear, how pitiful. Everyone, you heard, didn’t you? We may never see Miss Aileen at another party again.”
“Ughhh…”
Cough.
“I may have acted rudely and one-sidedly toward you, my lord. For that, I formally apologize. I won’t behave like that again, so please accept my apology and let’s put it behind us.”
“…Do you mean it?”
“Of course. I don’t like you anymore! Falling down those stairs woke me up! I’ll stay out of your way so you can be happy with that blonde lady. This knight here can be witness. Be a man, accept my apology, and let’s avoid each other from now on. Deal?”
‘Blonde… lady?’
Both Cailian and Weil looked baffled at her blunt words.
“Thank you for visiting today. Please take care on your way home. I’ll excuse myself now.”
“Lady.”
As Himena rose to leave, Cailian called after her.
“Yes?”
He stood and stared at her for a moment before speaking.
“I have a request.”
“…A request?”
“Because of that staircase incident, my reputation has been put in a difficult position. I’d like you to make a public clarification yourself.”
“A clarification?”
‘Aha. So that’s why he came personally—because of his honor.’
As captain of the most prestigious knight order, any scandal dishonoring his chivalry was fatal. In the original novel, this was the decisive incident that forced him into an engagement with Himena.
‘Well, since I’ve been holed up at home without attending any gatherings, rumors must have run wild. He must be in a tight spot.’
“Of course. Don’t worry, I’ll make it clear it had nothing to do with you.”
“Thank you. By the way… your swordplay was impressive. Almost as if it’s ingrained from long practice.”
“What? How did you…”
Only then did Himena realize the training yard was visible from the parlor window.
“Ah, you saw. Well, I plan to make it look like I’ve always exercised. I should get healthier, right? That way I won’t get hurt if I fall again. Ha ha. Well then, goodbye.”
She quickly dragged Mari out of the parlor.
Cailian’s gaze lingered on the door she left through.
“What do you think?” he asked Weil.
“…I think she’s not ‘come to her senses’ but rather lost them entirely.”
“Or perhaps… she seems like a completely different person.”
“…Yes, I suppose so.”
“Hmm… interesting.”
His eyes glinted meaningfully as he stared at the door.
“W-what? Knight’s uniform?”
“…Yes, my lord.”
“You’re saying Himena wants to attend the Empress’s birthday banquet dressed as a man?”
“…That’s correct.”
Dumbfounded by the butler’s reply, Duke Silvester was at a loss for words.
Just a few days ago, upon hearing that Marquis Thermos had visited, he had scolded his daughter, only to be utterly outmatched by her.
Bang!
“Do you even have a brain in that head of yours?”
“What do you mean, Father?”
“You should’ve used that head injury to grab hold of him! Do you know what an opportunity you’ve wasted?”
“Huh?”
Himena sighed, exasperated.
“Father, I told you already. Falling down those stairs was my fault. I tripped on my own skirt.”
“You fool, that’s not the point! Because of that, you can’t even attend social gatherings, your reputation’s ruined, and your marriage prospects are damaged! You should’ve forced him to take responsibility!”
“…Excuse me? Responsibility?”
“Y-you dare call me ‘old man’?!”
“No, I mean—Father. Responsibility? How exactly should he take responsibility?”
“Are you dense? You should’ve used this to make him your fiancé!”
“…Fiancé?”
“Yes! If you marry the Marquis of Thermos, the mighty Crimson Moon Knight Order will come under our family’s power! Even the Imperial family couldn’t touch them! And if rumors are true, magic stones are being mined again in Acticos. As my son-in-law, he’d bring us unimaginable wealth and strength!”
Bang!
“Father!!”
Himena slammed the desk so hard the duke flinched.
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing! You’re telling me to blackmail an innocent man into marrying me?!”
“…W-well… in a manner of speaking…”
Bang!!
“Father!!”
“Eek!”
“Do you want to eat prison food?”
“…P-prison food?”
Himena glared, leaning in menacingly.
“Spreading falsehoods and slandering someone’s reputation falls under Article 307 of the Criminal Code—defamation! And threatening a person falls under Article 283—punishable by up to three years in prison!”
“W-what are you saying?”
“If you ever try to make me commit such crimes again, then—!”
“Eek!!”
