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Chapter 3
Although the voice sounded young, it carried a weight that made everyone instinctively tense their shoulders. For a moment, the surroundings went quiet. If “killing intent” described in novels actually existed, maybe this was what it felt like.
“Ha.”
Inyoung irritably brushed back his black hair. The faint outline of his face looked like a boy about the same age as us. But compared to the other kids, he was about a head taller, which made him feel even more intimidating.
His casual movement made the street kids flinch.
‘What is this atmosphere?’
Just standing behind him, my heart was pounding as if it was sounding an emergency alarm.
‘They’re scared because they’ve done something wrong, I can understand that… but why am I scared too?’
It felt strange.
Not only fear, but also a faint pain, like something sharp had pierced my stomach. Nothing had actually touched me thanks to him blocking the way, but the sensation still lingered.
‘That’s weird.’
The boy motioned to the kids with his chin.
“What are you looking at?”
“Y-you… who are you!”
“What does it change if you know?”
At his words, the street kids gritted their teeth and raised whatever they were holding again.
Swish! Thud!
“Ack!”
“Ugh, blood!”
But in a single motion, the boy’s dagger grazed the neck of the apparent leader and embedded itself into the wooden plank behind him. The kids’ faces turned pale.
“Get lost.”
“Aaaaaah!”
Before he even finished speaking, they all ran away in panic.
‘W-what. That’s seriously dangerous.’
I got reincarnated into a fantasy world, and things are actually like a fantasy world…! Do people here all have skills like that?
I was scared too, but I still tried to thank him and moved my lips.
“Th-thank you for—”
“Why are you still here?”
He brushed off the sleeve I had grabbed earlier with clear irritation. My hand slipped away like dust. And with it, even my gratitude vanished.
“You dragged someone else into your business. What a nuisance. If it’s your problem, deal with it yourself. Don’t hide and involve others… tsk.”
The boy walked past me, speaking coldly.
‘So he didn’t help me… I just got caught up in it.’
Feeling awkward, I muttered toward his black-haired back.
“Phew… I almost thanked him!”
And quickly ran away.
“Ha… seriously. What was that? There was no need to be that rude.”
After finishing my errands and returning to my room, I thought back on everything.
Was there such a scene in Suspicious Noble Lady?
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember any scene like that—or any character like that scary boy.
“Only saw his back, but he looked important. Guess he’s just some passerby NPC. Anyone would think he’s a main character.”
I shook off thoughts of him.
But one of his words stuck in my mind.
—If it’s your problem, deal with it yourself.
It felt like a message telling me not to run away from my current situation, even though it had nothing to do with him.
“Being adopted… it might actually be a good opportunity to become the main character of this world, right? Or am I just running away for no reason?”
For a moment, just a fleeting thought crossed my mind.
I had never been the main character in my life.
If people were lined up into groups A, B, C, D based on spotlight… I was probably the last of group C.
The only reason I wasn’t in D was because I’d done so many part-time jobs that I was well-loved by employers. A reliable worker, a cost-efficient employee!
“Being noticed as a servant of capitalism is normal for me, but becoming the protagonist of a whole world…?”
Maybe God felt sorry for me and gave me a chance through reincarnation. At least a chance to live as a rich noble girl!
“Maybe that’s it…!”
Once I got carried away with that ridiculous interpretation, the adoption started to feel like fate. Who decided that? Me!
The truth was, Freedia’s face was already widely known, so escaping right now wasn’t really possible anyway.
“If I get adopted into a duke’s family, live a comfortable life, and even get loved by the handsome male lead… when else would I ever get that kind of experience?”
Plans always change.
“Let’s become a noble first.”
At that time, I still didn’t know.
That the boy I met earlier was closer to a devil than a messenger of God.
A few days later, the orphanage became chaotic.
The imperial family announced they would be visiting.
“Headmistress! I want to meet the prince too!”
“It’s too much for someone like Freedia to meet royalty!”
“Me! Me! I’ll meet the Empress instead of Freedia!”
“Children. Be good. You know the rule—don’t enter the headmistress’s office unless called.”
The orphanage kids were in an uproar. But the headmistress smiled kindly and sent them away, then turned around and stared at me coldly.
“His Highness the First Prince wants to meet you. You must behave more politely and quietly than ever before.”
“Yes, Headmistress.”
Her eyes looked like she would swallow me alive if I caused even the slightest trouble.
‘How can someone’s expression change like that so fast?’
The Empress Iana, known for her active charity work, visits Kurthis orphanage once a year.
But this time, the First Prince specifically asked to meet Freedia and begged the Empress to bring him here.
The First Prince is known as kind and noble, even reading People’s Daily, something not even the Emperor reads.
While reading it, he saw Freedia’s picture and learned about her orphanage life, dreams, hobbies, and more.
Of course, those stories were all exaggerated marketing made to attract sympathy from nobles and readers.
And somehow, the First Prince got hooked on that story.
That’s how he became a “fan” of Freedia and decided to visit Kurthis.
And then, just like in Suspicious Noble Lady, the heroine’s “buff” activates and the First Prince falls in love at first sight.
‘Honestly, that part was ridiculous.’
Originally, Freedia was just an extra in the original story before the heroine possessed the novel.
The author had given the heroine protagonist-level privileges after she entered an extra’s body.
Back when I was just a reader, I had complained about how absurd that was.
But now that it was my story, I could only hope that the protagonist buff would work well—because I needed it to get adopted into a wealthy family.
A few days later, the day of the imperial visit finally arrived.
I dressed nicely, unlike usual, and stood beside the headmistress, who was dressed unusually simply, as we welcomed the imperial group. Imperial reporters were also present.
“We greet Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the First Prince.”
I bowed as taught.
The Empress gently smiled and placed her hand on my head. Camera flashes went off several times.
“What a beautiful child.”
I glanced up at her hand on my head.
‘So I’m meeting someone I only saw in writing. This is… strange.’
She looked a bit different from how I imagined, but overall she wasn’t far from the description in the novel.
The Empress was a woman who seemed kind.
Softly drooping eyes and a faint, gentle smile gave her a fragile, almost saintly impression. Her black hair and eyes, dark like they absorbed light, made her seem even calmer.
I stared at her, almost mesmerized.
‘So this is a “skilled actor” character. I almost got fooled even knowing the truth.’
She was famous as a humble philanthropist, praised for her kindness and mercy.
But in reality…
‘A ruthless opportunist.’
In the novel, she was described as someone who acted purely for her own benefit.
Someone who wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice even her own child.
‘So even now, she’s ignoring her real second prince and keeping someone else closer to the throne.’
I glanced at the First Prince.
Heleias Allen von Arcel.
Silver curly hair, warm green eyes, and a kind-looking expression—the male lead of this story.
At fifteen, he looked a little older than his age due to his tall frame and broad shoulders.
When he noticed me looking at him, he turned toward me with a genuine, warm expression—different from the Empress’s calculated smile.
At that moment, when I met his curious green eyes—
My heart suddenly jolted.
‘Huh?’
My face grew hot.
‘W-wait…?’
What is this sudden feeling like I’m falling in love?
It felt as if some invisible force was forcing me to like him.
‘Is this the novel’s influence? That’s strange.’
Then I suddenly remembered feeling something similar before.
‘That scary boy I met in the market.’
Back then it wasn’t excitement, but fear.
‘…No, I shouldn’t overthink it. He’s not even a character in the novel.’
Fortunately, my heartbeat calmed down.
I looked at Heleias again.
And suddenly, he smiled softly at me.
“…?”
Was this meeting supposed to start this suddenly, this directly… and this suspiciously smoothly?
