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chapter 37
“Miss, that’s not—”
“But it is.”
I had tried to create a dramatic situation to gain maximum favor. I must have miscalculated the speed of the carriage and that of Marquis Xavier.
“Seriously!”
Marquis Xavier’s face flushed with anger in real time. She began walking toward the carriage that had just ruined her dress.
Clara subtly leaned in.
“Still, you’ll give her a dress, right? Where else would such a coincidence happen? Can we really leave now?”
“Wait a moment.”
I had also missed the timing. For now, I decided to calmly observe the situation.
It was the Day of the Saintly Prophecy. For a noble, skipping it could harm their reputation. And I couldn’t help but think about the situation Mille described in the original novel before the remake.
She said she hadn’t done anything. On such a special day, she should have resolved things with the person who caused the accident. If Marquis Xavier was having trouble without resolving it, there must have been a reason.
“To have such a sacred day—what a calamity—”
“Long time no see, Marquis Xavier. Are you having a peaceful day?”
The carriage of the person responsible for the accident opened its door.
It was Duke Narverlack. A duke with close ties to the royal family, known for frequent misunderstandings and small acts of revenge. If he was at fault, naturally, the person in question had to avoid blame no matter what.
Today, unfortunately, it was Marquis Xavier who was caught in the situation.
“Oh my, what could have happened to ruin your dress?”
“…Duke Narverlack’s carriage brushed past me. Even knowing it was an accident, I can’t help feeling regret.”
As soon as she confirmed it was Duke Narverlack, Marquis Xavier slumped in dejection. Her composed expression showed she was holding herself together rationally.
“I wish I could help, but considering the day and the time, I should just take my leave. Perhaps later, I’ll make sure to express my thanks.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll also make sure the driver who drove today receives retraining. Please convey my apologies. I’ll contact you soon, Marquis Xavier.”
After a small nod, Duke Narverlack walked toward the temple. Even with her reckless attitude, Marquis Xavier remained silent.
For a moment, I saw my past self reflected in Marquis Xavier.
Somehow, I felt I understood that feeling.
Right after being possessed by this world, when I first opened my eyes, I realized this world was the novel I had read. At that time, the chaos in between was far scarier than acknowledging the truth.
Suddenly, it felt like these people, objects, and emotions could all vanish into nothing. If that were the case, I might as well become someone it didn’t matter whether I existed or not.
‘The moment I began to breathe as a person—’
That moment seemed to be when Herace appeared.
“Ah, Miss! Now, now!”
Before I could even process the realization, Clara pulled me. Braving all manners, she smeared some dirt she must have brought onto my cheeks.
“Go, ten o’clock direction!”
With her serious expression and firm push, I widened my eyes and moved as instructed. Then I saw another carriage rushing toward Marquis Xavier, who was staring at the ground.
Splash—mud slid down my cheek. My body moved according to hundreds of rehearsals. Like Herace, who had boldly offered me a breakthrough, I reached out without hesitation.
“Marquis! Behind you!”
I wrapped my arms around Marquis Xavier’s waist and turned her into my embrace. The mud soaked the hem of my dress.
“…Hello, Marquis Xavier.”
Of course, this was for my future and ours. Getting close to Marquis Xavier had its benefits.
“Um, Philena Wright has something she’d like to give you.”
I felt movement behind me. Clara seemed to smear more mud on my dress. She was thorough, almost perfectly so.
“….”
Marquis Xavier stared at me as if mesmerized, then shook her head. I winked to prevent her from misunderstanding.
“It’s a gift.”
Clara, with a solemn expression, handed me a box. It was large enough to partially hide her face.
“After our last conversation, I kept thinking about you, Marquis Xavier. As you mentioned, I thought a yellow dress would suit you perfectly. So I prepared it with all my heart.”
“…Stop with the wordplay.”
Marquis Xavier stepped back hesitantly. As if trying to escape, Clara showed her the gift. Marquis Xavier’s gaze softened.
“I wanted to give this sincerely. I’ve always hoped that you, Marquis Xavier, would live long and become a leading figure in society.”
It was true. If Marquis Xavier lived long, my life would be easier. There were many benefits to having her remain a prominent figure in society.
As her hero, I aimed to parachute into society. The original world was rotten, and connections ruled.
“Hmm…”
Marquis Xavier coughed and crossed her arms. Clara carefully opened the box wider. Silence passed between us.
“I’m not sure which boutique this is from, but isn’t the design a bit tacky? Are you saying I should wear this dress?”
“Oh, I specially requested it from Wonderful Boutique. Not to your taste, I see. I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”
“…A bit tacky is actually fashionable these days. Isn’t it? I just wanted to check to make sure you knew.”
Marquis Xavier edged closer, glancing around. She still seemed reluctant to be involved with me.
“Yellow suits me, but these days, orange seems more fashionable than yellow.”
Even as she attempted to refuse twice, I didn’t give up. That was trivial—I had adapted to such things in my past life.
“By chance, we also prepared an orange one.”
“What?”
“Not knowing which you’d like, we prepared yellow, orange, and red dresses. The one from Wonderful Boutique is yellow, but the others are also of high quality.”
Thinking of noble conversation as a business email, I felt accomplished.
“There’s no time to waste. Shall we move? The Day of the Saintly Prophecy will begin soon.”
“Then let’s. I can only say thank you right now, Lady Wright—for saving me and everything else.”
“I only did what was natural.”
“You were… a little, very impressive. Even to the point your face… saved me like that…”
I told myself. I had come perfectly prepared.
Mille wasn’t even in my sight.
Hero spot secured.
After greeting Clara, I passed the knights surrounding the temple. Only high-ranking nobles could enter unless there was a special matter, given the sacred day.
Seated in the designated place, I muttered quietly:
“By the way… he’s not here.”
Reflecting on reality, I said again:
“Really, he’s not here.”
Herace had announced he would be busy, but no letters had arrived. I thought he might send something, calling it a ‘surprise.’
I had to describe this feeling as disappointment.
If there had been a surprise on the Day of the Saintly Prophecy, it could have filled the front page of the newspaper for several days. Of course, it had to be Herace’s kind of surprise—not just any.
“The Day of the Prophecy only comes once, after all.”
