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Chapter 5
“Then why don’t you at least try behaving a little more like the proper lady Lisa wants you to be?”
“…Should I become a government official instead?”
“And could you actually show up to work on time every morning?”
“…No. That would be impossible.”
I wasn’t someone who stayed up late.
I was someone who loved sleeping in.
A strict work schedule was completely beyond me.
I wasn’t sickly, but I wasn’t exactly robust either.
Pulling all-nighters and working overtime would finish me off.
There wasn’t a single career path that seemed to suit me.
“…Ugh. Why is my life like this?”
“You dislike marriage that much?”
“It’s not marriage itself.”
“It’s the men my parents would choose.”
“The people who’d send proposals to the House of Stacy are painfully predictable.”
“And the candidates my parents could realistically accept are just as limited.”
Trash who had nothing but prestigious family names.
Halbert knew exactly what kind of people I meant, so he simply nodded.
“That’s true.”
I appreciated that he understood.
But his agreement only reminded me how hopeless my situation really was.
“…I’m doomed.”
As I sat there clutching my head in despair, Halbert watched me sympathetically before offering an unexpected suggestion.
“Then why don’t you choose for yourself?”
“…Excuse me?”
Choose?
Choose what?
They were all the same.
Apparently reading my thoughts, Halbert shook his head.
“The decision has finally been made.”
“The First Prince, Herace Lunatil Xenoa, has officially been named Crown Prince.”
“There will be an enthronement celebration soon.”
“Why don’t you choose someone there?”
“…Master.”
“What did you just say?”
“First Prince Herace Lunatil Xenoa has officially become Crown Prince.”
“In fact, that’s why I was away.”
The moment those words reached my ears…
I found myself praying to a god I didn’t even believe in.
Dear God…
Why are you doing this to me?
“So…”
“The celebration will be held in one week.”
“Naturally, you’ll be attending.”
And naturally…
God abandoned me without mercy.
* * *
“…I’m not going.”
“Even if I die.”
“My dear?”
“What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“Did something happen?”
“Mother!”
“I’m not going!”
“I absolutely refuse!”
“Rose…”
My sudden declaration left both my parents blinking in confusion.
I didn’t care.
I had to make them agree somehow.
I felt a little guilty.
But this was no time to worry about that.
My life depended on it.
I repeated the same words over and over.
“I’m not going.”
“No matter what.”
“I’m not going!”
Realizing this would never end, Father gently tried to calm me.
“First, settle down.”
“Then tell us why.”
“I’m not going!”
“No matter what!”
“Rose!”
“I don’t want everyone staring at me!”
“I hate those eyes that measure my worth!”
“And I hate dancing!”
Since repeating myself forever wouldn’t solve anything, I finally offered a believable excuse.
Not that it was a lie.
I genuinely hated all of those things.
They just weren’t the main reason.
The Xenoa Empire’s formal dance was essentially the waltz.
Almost identical to the version I’d known in Korea.
Which meant…
You had to stand pressed against your partner.
Sometimes that wasn’t so bad.
But dancing with those pompous noble idiots?
It was unbearable.
I’d lost count of how many times I’d wanted to gouge out the eyes of men who looked down at me.
Only then did my parents realize what I was truly talking about.
Their expressions turned solemn.
Of course they knew.
Halbert’s patronage had suddenly made me famous.
People had begun evaluating me like merchandise.
Our family itself wasn’t particularly influential.
That only made things worse.
The attention had become downright unpleasant.
So my parents understood my feelings immediately.
The problem lay elsewhere.
“Rose.”
“I understand how you feel.”
“But you are still a noble.”
“No matter how unpleasant someone may be…”
“You must smile and face them.”
“I know.”
“I really do.”
“But I still hate it.”
“I stopped attending social gatherings because of all this.”
“If I go now…”
“What kind of rumors will they spread?”
“I can’t even imagine.”
“That’s why I don’t want to go.”
“Please understand, Father.”
There was no way my parents hadn’t realized why I’d disappeared from high society.
Anyone even slightly observant would’ve figured it out.
Rumors had probably spread already.
That Rose Stacy was afraid of men.
Or even hated them.
Every time I’d attended a party, I’d recoiled whenever men invited me to dance.
If anyone tried to court me, I’d flee before they could even finish speaking.
Then I’d disappeared from society entirely.
And I’d never once had a sweetheart.
In noble society…
One sentence easily became a hundred rumors.
Honestly…
Those rumors suited me just fine.
Unfortunately, they didn’t do my parents any favors.
Especially when they were expected to marry me off someday.
“But, Rose…”
“This isn’t just any gathering.”
“It’s the Crown Prince’s enthronement celebration.”
“If you refuse to attend…”
“People may take serious offense.”
“Then let me be the only one who stays home.”
“I’m afraid that won’t work.”
“Even though you’ve withdrawn from society…”
“You’re still the most famous member of House Stacy.”
“If you’re absent…”
“People will certainly talk.”
…Damn it.
I knew this unwanted fame would come back to bite me someday.
Still…
I refused to surrender.
“Then Riana or Ruby can go.”
“They’re my sisters.”
“They can’t replace you.”
“Besides…”
“Riana specifically told us to bring you this time.”
“She said she’d like to introduce you to someone.”
Wonderful.
Considering Riana’s standards…
I could already imagine what kind of “someone” she’d chosen.
Now I wanted to go even less.
I had a pretty good idea what she was plotting.
Unfortunately…
My parents had no intention of giving in.
“Rose.”
“No matter how firmly you refuse…”
“This time we have no choice.”
“This celebration marks the beginning of a new reign.”
“If we reject the invitation…”
“We could easily make enemies among the nobility.”
“And besides…”
Mother smiled warmly.
“You’re almost old enough to start thinking about marriage.”
“This party might become a wonderful opportunity.”
“So…”
“I had a special dress made just for you.”
“It’s from Madame Antte.”
“What?”
“Madame Antte?”
“Since when could our family afford something like that?”
Madame Antte was the Empire’s greatest fashion designer.
Even her ready-made dresses cost at least five hundred gold.
A custom-made gown personally designed by her…
I couldn’t even imagine the price.
House Stacy wasn’t rich enough for something like that.
Mother certainly didn’t have the authority to spend that much money on her own.
Seeing my disbelief, Father smiled kindly.
“I paid for it.”
“For you.”
“I know you dislike parties.”
“But at least this way…”
“I hoped you’d feel a little happier.”
“Please.”
“Just this once.”
Even one dress represented an enormous expense.
True, I’d never cared much about clothes or jewelry.
Perhaps Father had simply spent all the money he’d saved over the years.
Even so…
It was far too much for a single evening.
Yet he’d paid willingly.
Simply because he wanted his daughter to feel beautiful.
He governed an entire territory.
He understood better than anyone how precious money was.
Neither he nor Mother were extravagant people.
They never spent beyond necessity.
That was exactly why House Stacy remained comfortably prosperous despite not being wealthy.
Knowing all that…
I couldn’t argue anymore.
After everything they’d done…
How could I continue refusing?
It was a clever strategy.
“…That’s unfair.”
The moment those words left my mouth, my parents smiled in relief.
I had to admit it.
Though they would inevitably force noble responsibilities onto me…
Though they were still aristocrats…
They were also kind people.
People I simply couldn’t refuse.
I really was weak when it came to them.
“As soon as we arrive in the capital, we’ll visit Madame Antte’s boutique.”
“I’m sure you’ll love the dress.”
Father beamed.
“I even bought the complete jewelry set she recommended.”
“Our daughter will be the most beautiful young lady at the celebration.”
“I’m sure she will.”
Mother giggled.
“But what if she’s prettier than Her Imperial Highness the Princess?”
Father answered without hesitation.
“Our Rose is already prettier than the Princess without dressing up.”
“My!”
“That’s practically treason.”
“Haha.”
“What can I do if it’s true?”
“Oh, honestly.”
They were hopeless.
* * *
Clatter…
Rattle…
“Mother…”
“How much farther do we have to go?”
“It must be tiring.”
“You haven’t traveled in a long time.”
“We’ll stay the night in the next village before continuing tomorrow.”
That was some consolation.
But not much.
Ah…
I’d completely forgotten.
“…Ugh…”
“My head…”
I got motion sickness.
Even though this wasn’t Seo Ye-eun’s body anymore…
That part hadn’t changed at all.
Seriously?
If whoever dumped me into this world could rewrite my appearance…
Couldn’t they at least remove my motion sickness?
How stingy!
What?
A beautiful face should be enough?
I don’t need it!
Being this pretty practically invites trouble!
It causes far more problems than benefits!
Besides…
Even as Seo Ye-eun, nobody ever called me ugly!
I fumed silently for a while.
Eventually…
The frustration faded into resignation.
Who was I yelling at?
Who would even hear me?
Nothing would change.
I let out a long sigh.
Mother looked at me curiously.
She didn’t say anything.
She probably assumed it was just the motion sickness.
“My Lady.”
“Madam.”
“We’ve arrived at the inn.”
As if on cue, one of the knights announced our arrival.
The carriage finally came to a stop.
The moment it stopped moving…
The nausea eased.
I climbed down with genuine relief.
Fresh air filled my lungs.
It instantly made me feel better.
Well…
Somewhat.
After all…
Every mile closer to the Imperial Capital felt like another step toward hell.
Still…
Think positively.
“Rose.”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
