GDASP 02

Chapter 02…

“What? What did I say?”

“Oh, n-no, it’s nothing. I must’ve misheard you…!”

The old gentleman quickly adjusted his hat, his face flushing red, and scurried away.

Cynthia shrugged awkwardly. Right… she’d forgotten to watch her mouth in front of people again.

Anyway!
Then how exactly was she supposed to escape from this novel?

There was no clear answer.

“Maybe…”

If Elizabeth Bailey became an adult as soon as possible and, just like in the original novel, mastered all sorts of XX and XX with men…
In other words, if that R-rated dark reverse-harem novel safely reached its ending—
Then maybe Cynthia could return to her own world.

So from that moment on, Cynthia began secretly observing Elizabeth.

“Elizabeth and Tession are supposed to get engaged soon. That means… the real story hasn’t started yet!”

The original novel began in earnest after the two leads got engaged. They were only at the very beginning now, which meant there was still a long way to go before the ending—but at least there was hope.

Feeling a little more at ease, Cynthia decided to simply wait it out.

She prayed that Elizabeth would safely meet all those men, build that massive reverse harem, and finally reach the novel’s happy ending.

But then…

Right before her eyes, Elizabeth had died in a carriage accident!

“AAAHHH!!”

Sitting alone, Cynthia grabbed her head and screamed.

Even when she first realized she had been possessed, she hadn’t felt this hopeless.

Was Elizabeth really dead?

“She lost so much blood… there’s no way she could’ve survived.”

Cynthia squeezed her eyes shut, recalling the horrific accident scene.
In her mind appeared the shattered carriage, bearing the Bailey family crest.

“Elizabeth Bailey… crushed by her own family’s carriage? Why wasn’t she riding in it in the first place?”

“…Don’t tell me… I’m stuck inside this novel forever?”

Cynthia jumped to her feet.
She had to go back to the place where Elizabeth had fallen.

Right before the massive horses struck her, Cynthia was sure their eyes had met for a split second.

“And… she looked like she was trying to say something, didn’t she?”

When Cynthia retraced her steps, the site of the accident was already being cleaned up by several guards.

Behind them stood a group of people with grave expressions—each dressed in fine clothes and neatly styled hair.

“Are those… the Baileys?”

Cynthia crept closer.
As she studied them, she noticed they all had light green eyes—varying in brightness and depth, but clearly the same shade that marked the bloodline of House Bailey.

“Ha… What do we do now?”

“Of all times, she had to die now? Wait—let me think. For now… we’ll have to hide it.”

Hide it? Hide what…?

“What about the engagement?”

“The Grand Duke will arrive soon…”

“Useless troublemaker to the end…”

Cynthia’s expression twisted in confusion as she eavesdropped.
Something was definitely wrong.

None of them…
None of them seemed sad that Elizabeth was dead.

Sure, in the original story Elizabeth was treated like the black sheep of the Bailey family—but still, this was too much.

Was Elizabeth really dead?
Cynthia took a step forward and opened her mouth.

“Excuse me, I have something to ask—”

And at that very moment, all the noise in the street vanished as if someone had poured cold water over everything.

It was like every sound in the world had been cut out and shoved into a black box.

“…Huh?”

Cynthia froze mid-sentence, blinking in confusion.
What… what was happening?

Every single person with green eyes was staring directly at her.

At her.

Did… did I say something wrong?

Cynthia quickly replayed what she’d just said in her head.

No, I didn’t even say anything yet… I just said I had a question!

“You there! Speak again, quickly!”

A noblewoman standing near a guard cleaning up the blood shouted at her.

Her bright green eyes were wide with shock.

Cynthia had no idea what she’d done to startle her.

“Wh-what?”

“Speak! Speak more!”

The lady waved her fan in an excited circle and shouted again.

Flustered by her urgency, Cynthia opened her mouth.

“Well… I just wanted to ask about this carriage acci—”

“Heavens above!”

“Incredible!”

As soon as Cynthia started speaking properly, gasps and exclamations erupted all around her.

What on earth was so fascinating about what I just said?

Cynthia stopped mid-sentence again, bewildered.
Then, from across the street, a mustached nobleman cried out—

“Don’t stop! Keep talking!”

“Ah! Y-yes, so… the person who collapsed here—”

“Unbelievable!”

Cynthia blinked, completely lost.

The lady with the fan turned to the others around her, her voice trembling with excitement.

“What do you think?”

“It’s astounding… truly…”

“It sounds exactly the same!”

“It really does!”

Exactly the same? Exactly what?

Cynthia frowned openly.
How could they ignore her and just talk among themselves like that?

“…Then it’s decided, isn’t it?”

“Yes, for now…”

The Bailey family members exchanged secretive looks.
Their faces, earlier filled with frustration and complaint, now curved into sly, knowing smiles.

“You expect me to believe that?”

“Yes, Miss. That’s exactly what I said.”

Cynthia stared at the man before her, utterly dumbfounded.

Expensive clothes, glasses that screamed money, perfectly combed blond hair…
The well-groomed man had introduced himself as Dale, the Bailey family’s butler.

“T-that’s absurd…”

“This is the Bailey Ducal Estate. Absurd things happen here all the time.”

Dale spoke with complete sincerity.

Cynthia looked at him as if he were some bizarre creature, then abruptly stood up.

“I’m done. I’m leaving.”

“Five million mint.”

“…What?”

Cynthia froze in place the moment she heard the number.
Had she really heard that right?

“Just three months,” Dale continued calmly.
“If you agree to play the role of the late Lady Elizabeth Bailey for exactly three months, we will pay you a fifty-thousand-mint advance, and the remaining four-hundred-fifty-thousand once the act is successfully completed.”

W-what? An advance of fifty thousand… and a total of five million mint?!

In the Dirotein Empire, an average four-person commoner family lived on about twenty thousand mint per month.

And he was offering five million just to pretend for a few months?

Cynthia clenched her fists.

In her mind flashed the image of her crumbling, near-collapsed shack.
The Cynthia of this world was practically destitute—no savings, only mountains of mysterious debt.

She thought of the violent debt collectors who came knocking every other day.
She’d only wished for the novel to end soon so she could be freed from that misery…

Five million mint…

It was an incredibly tempting offer—but still, it made no sense.

She whirled around and shouted at Dale,

“No, how can you ask me to pretend to be a dead noblewoman? That’s insane!”

“As I said before, Miss, this is a place where insane things happen.”

“You do realize impersonating a noble is a serious crime under imperial law, right? If they find out I’m a fraud, I’ll be thrown in jail!”

“In that case, we’ll… come to an arrangement.”

“…Wow.”

Cynthia’s jaw dropped.

Everyone from the Bailey family to this man in front of her was completely out of their minds.

“Fine! But even if I said yes, look at me! I look nothing like Lady Elizabeth. My face, my height, my hair color, even the way I move—it’s all different! How could I possibly fool anyone?”

“Your voice.”

“What.”

“Your voice, Miss. It’s astonishingly identical to hers.”

Dale’s tone was firm.

That voice again! Cynthia grimaced.

Apparently, all those bizarre reactions earlier had been because her voice sounded exactly like Elizabeth’s.

Seriously, though—voices of young women can’t be that different!

“Lady Elizabeth had a very distinctive resonance when she spoke,” Dale said gravely. “And you, Miss Cynthia—you have that same resonance.”