🔊 TTS Settings
chapter 2
‘But…’
At the same time, the desperate face of Aria, who had pushed me away earlier, came to mind.
If I disappeared from here alone, Aria—the one who had protected me in my previous life—would certainly face a future of unhappiness.
I couldn’t just leave it like that. Even though we both eventually died, Aria had acted like a savior trying to save me.
Leaving her to follow the original story’s unhappy ending…
‘I don’t want that.’
I snapped out of my daze, realizing something. Today’s banquet at the palace was enormous in scale. And that meant…
There was a high chance I could meet that person.
‘This is… an opportunity.’
A place where someone strong enough to protect my younger self might appear, and where I could later meet Aria from the original story. I needed a place like that.
At that moment, the carriage jerked to a stop. We were quite far from the banquet hall.
Yet the dazzling lights decorating the hall were so intense that the distance didn’t matter—they stabbed at my eyes.
“You can do this, right, Rena?”
My father looked at me with a hopeful smile. I returned it calmly and stepped down.
“Of course.”
My ankle throbbed, but I forced myself to stand straight.
This was the real beginning.
My father and I entered the Frizier Palace, the banquet hall.
‘So this is the imperial palace.’
We were both struck by its grandeur.
‘Though that guy seems to care about something else.’
I remembered the words my father had said when I first became old enough to understand him and went out for the first time.
At first, I thought it was just a compliment.
“Indeed. Pretty little thing, you take after your mother. How fortunate.”
Since then, he had taken me along to the parties he attended. Walking behind him among strangers, following his flattering smile, I finally understood what he meant.
Over generations, people began to realize a new truth: to exist as a noble, noble blood alone wasn’t enough.
Commoners who occasionally succeeded in amassing wealth often had far more money than many nobles. Through marriage, they could even buy noble status.
They would obtain a title from a fallen noble, who in turn would take the money as a dowry. That was the world I lived in now.
No matter how distinguished a noble family had once been, after squandering three generations, there was no saving it. One such family was the Clintons, and I was the eldest daughter of that family.
So when people said, “You should marry well,” it wasn’t so much for my happiness—it was more about getting a large dowry.
‘Since things are like this, moving to a completely different family isn’t a bad choice.’
There were many ways I could take advantage of the situation. This wasn’t my first life, and now I clearly remembered the novel’s events.
Although the banquet was held at the palace, the true host was the newly established Lord Roden.
It had been a minor detail, so I didn’t remember much about it.
What mattered was that ‘it’—the person I needed—was in Frizier Palace.
Also, since Roden had a strong reputation, it was likely that at least one member of the Hilberg family, the male lead’s house, would attend.
‘The male lead’s house, the Hilberg dukes.’
That was the best choice I could make right now. Slightly risky, but still the safest.
As the saying goes, “Know your enemy and yourself, and you’ll be safe.”
There were still suspicious points about whether the person who killed Aria and me was actually from Hilberg.
‘If they truly are from Hilberg, it might be easier to investigate from within.’
Most importantly, if I played it right, I could possibly break the obsession of the male lead in advance.
Luckily, according to the novel, getting into Hilberg wouldn’t be too difficult.
I smiled at the memory of the rude but handsome man who had passed by once.
‘Sorry, but I won’t accept such a bleak ending.’
I would become the pickiest, mother-in-law-like friend to the heroine.
My father dragged me around corners of the palace, drinking heavily in seclusion.
No matter how much I tried to speak, few people paid attention.
It was natural—the fact that we even had an invitation was a miracle.
“Damn, worthless brats. Back in my day…”
My father muttered with a dark expression, his face flushing. People around him glanced and sneered openly.
‘It would be dangerous if he caused an accident here.’
I gently placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke as calmly as possible.
“Father, you shouldn’t drink too much outside…”
“Huh? Now you’re going to lecture me too?”
He mocked me and roughly shook my arm off, throwing my weight onto my already sore ankle.
“Ugh…”
I lost my balance completely and collapsed. All eyes turned toward me.
I quietly smirked.
It was ridiculous that people thought they could come to such a place without knowing what to do or not do in front of others.
‘Actually, this is perfect.’
He seemed more annoyed, likely due to bruised pride, making it the ideal moment to slip away.
“I’m sorry. I’ll take a short walk. Is that alright?”
He waved me off without looking, as if shooing me away. I tried not to limp too much and quickly walked outside.
‘If I go towards the back, I think the garden is right there…’
“Oh.”
After a short walk, I found a stunning array of colorful flowers. Interestingly, each section of the palace garden had flowers arranged by color.
Yet it didn’t feel chaotic—it was mysterious and beautiful. I quickly scanned for the section with purple flowers.
As I stepped toward them, I heard a strange sound—the clanging of armor.
Instinctively, I hid behind a nearby pillar.
Sure enough, a patrolling guard passed by.
‘…I need to be careful.’
I held my breath. It wasn’t as empty as I had thought. People were moving around—scouts, specifically.
The garden seemed distant from the banquet area, which explained it. If I were caught, it would be straight to the hall.
I adjusted my dress to avoid getting caught and surveyed the area. When no one was around, I darted into the bushes.
Biting my lip, I swallowed a groan and moved cautiously. My body ached from scratches, but I could move while staying hidden.
‘Being a child has its advantages.’
I finally reached the spot I had noticed earlier and took a deep breath.
A single flower, slightly sticking out, caught my eye.
“This is it!”
A flower unique to this palace, in its most beautiful and colorful garden.
Without hesitation, I grabbed the stem, wincing as the prickly thorns burned my hand. No time to be careful.
‘…If I get caught, at the very least it’s theft, at worst, treason against the royal family.’
After confirming no one was around, I held the flower tightly to my chest and ran back toward the banquet hall. My ankle still hurt, but it was bearable compared to the other pain.
Around the same time, someone occupied the darkest balcony of Frizier Palace.
Leaning on the railing, her dark ink-colored hair shimmered in the shadows.
Despite her lazy posture, she was undeniably beautiful. Few would dare call her that, though.
Meeting those violet eyes, people usually trembled in fear and fled.
Her black hair and violet eyes—the typical traits of the Hilberg family—made her infamous. Anyone noticing them knew trouble would follow.
Blair Hilberg, the owner of those eyes, murmured slowly with a bored expression.
“Our lord tends to overwork me too much.”
She clicked her tongue softly, pondering whether to create her own little hardships.
If her father truly died, responsibilities would fall on her, making it inconvenient to curse him.
Still, having her attend in place of Blair was irritating. Both were busy, yet I…
‘Ah, I want to give them a headache.’
She had already begun scheming ways to make things difficult, but her thoughts were interrupted by a shadow whispering in her ear.
‘Someone is coming.’
“Here? Who?”
