~Chapter 2~
Becoming the Villainess’s Contract Friend
The first time I felt something was unfair was during a picnic where Seraphina got all the attention.
‘Huh?’
I blinked.
The spring wind blew softly. Trees were green, flowers were blooming beautifully.
On the table with a pretty cloth were colorful tea foods and fragrant tea.
And in this beautiful scene,
I was watching my fiancé and my best friend being sweet together.
“Oh, Sera.”
My fiancé, Gregory Gusto, was putting soft cushions behind Seraphina’s back.
Those cushions were probably taken from other guests, judging by their unhappy looks.
“Are you tired from sitting so long?”
Gregory spoke kindly only to Seraphina.
Seraphina looked at him with wide eyes.
“Haha, thank you!”
Her fresh laughter spread into the blue sky.
“Gregor, you’re so sweet!”
I stared blankly at them, feeling a strong sense of wrongness.
We were childhood friends, but calling my fiancé by his nickname in front of everyone was strange.
He even placed cushions behind her back in front of his fiancée… Isn’t that wrong?!
Gregory looked at Seraphina with dreamy eyes.
“Sera, you like fresh snacks, right? Try this.”
He gave her a piece of lemon cake.
For the record, I eat lemon cake too.
But he only looked at Seraphina with loving eyes.
I was treated like I didn’t even exist.
“Hey, Gregor,” Seraphina said while blinking her pretty eyelashes.
“This reminds me of the old days.”
“Yeah, we used to go on outings like this when we were kids.”
Excuse me, I was there too. Don’t act like it was just you two.
“Remember when Laritte fell into the pond?”
“Yeah, and you hurt your pretty knee saving her.”
Gregory glared at me as if blaming me.
“Laritte, you’re alive thanks to Sera. Be grateful, okay?”
“Y-yeah…”
I lowered my eyes and shrank my shoulders automatically.
My body just reacted that way without thinking.
But inside, I kept wondering,
‘Is it really right for me to always act so desperate for them?’
Here is what happened back then.
When we were kids, we played near a pond. I fell into the water.
Seraphina reached out a long stick to save me and scraped her knee.
She had a small scar after that.
Even though the scar is barely visible now, I always felt I owed her my life.
Seraphina and Gregory always told me,
“You owe your life to Seraphina.”
But then I remembered…
‘Wait, didn’t I fall into the pond because of Seraphina?’
Back then, Seraphina wanted a flower near the pond and kept whining.
Gregory was scared to go close, so he pushed me to get it.
I fell in while picking the flower for her.
……If they hadn’t even tried to save me, wouldn’t that make them horrible people?
Suddenly,
Crack.
It felt like something broke inside me.
‘Why was I always so thankful to Seraphina?’
I frowned slightly.
Until now, I just thought I owed her my life.
But suddenly, it felt so unfair.
Why did I never feel any resistance to this situation?
It was like someone forced my thoughts to stay within certain limits.
Just then,
Seraphina, who was laughing with Gregory, glanced at me.
“Lari, my shoe lace is loose. Can you tie it for me?”
“……”
There was no “sorry” or “please.”
Honestly, she could have bent down herself, but instead,
I got up and knelt in front of her without thinking.
My body just moved on its own, as if it was supposed to.
Behind me, I heard people laughing mockingly.
“Does Lady Ansi have no pride at all?”
“She is the heir of the Ansi family, but kneels to tie Lady Lopez’s shoe?”
Yeah, I agreed with them. I didn’t know why I was doing this either.
“She looks like Lady Lopez’s maid.”
Then they started whispering about my looks.
“That old-fashioned dress… When was it in fashion?”
“And that long hair covering her face… Can she even see?”
“No wonder Lord Gusto only cares about Lady Lopez.”
“She can’t even keep her fiancé.”
I was used to hearing such things.
Their voices reminded me of what Seraphina always said.
“Dark dresses suit your plain face.”
“Keep your hair long to hide your shy face.”
“Jewelry? Isn’t it too much for you? It suits me better!”
One noble lady laughed.
“Lady Ansi makes Lady Lopez look even prettier, right?”
At that moment,
All my feelings turned into one strong question.
Why am I kneeling here?
Why did I always think I must please Seraphina?
Because I owed her my life?
‘No.’
Then, like lightning, I remembered.
‘Because… This world is from a novel I read in my previous life!’
<Lovely Seraphina>
That was the title of the novel. Seraphina was the main character.
The story went like this.
Seraphina was from a low-ranking noble family with no land.
She debuted in society with the help of her childhood friends, Laritte and Gregory.
She was loved by everyone for her beauty and sweet nature.
Even though the villainess, Lady Claudius, tried to interfere,
Seraphina ended up getting the love of the two male leads.
By the way, Gregory was not one of them. He was just a side character.
Seraphina had high standards and would never choose a second son of a count with no title.
And me?
‘I’m Laritte, Seraphina’s best friend.’
The one who always treasured Seraphina, admired her beauty, and did everything for her.
Even getting insulted or slapped by the villainess in Seraphina’s place.
Yet I always smiled stupidly and said,
‘Sera, as long as you’re happy, I’m fine.’
I was just a character created to ensure Seraphina’s happiness.
That was who I was.
