Stella was deep and wise, and I believed she would carry herself better as the duchess than Keyla ever could. In a way, what I had wished for as a reader was actually happening.
‘This might not be so bad? If I don’t follow in Keyla’s footsteps, maybe the story will change and I won’t have to die. Besides, I know the original plot. I can avoid the landmines scattered all around.’
As I had such thoughts, someone suddenly popped into my mind.
‘I might get to meet Zeno Haverston too. Stella had an unrequited crush on him. Maybe things could actually work out this time?’
I let out a hollow laugh at myself for thinking about the maid Stella’s unfulfilled love in this situation.
‘Let’s just go for now. Whatever, I’ll marry the duke. There’s still plenty of time to change the story so I don’t die.’
My negative thoughts gradually began turning positive.
‘Depending on how I play it, I could live a good life. That’s better than living here as a maid. If I connect Ricardo and Yerena well and get divorced safely, maybe I could even walk away with a decent alimony…’
My optimism had gone into overdrive—I was already picturing an amicable divorce with a hefty settlement. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself.
‘I’ll think about that later.’
I thought about whether I could really go to the capital and take Keyla’s place as Ricardo’s bride.
As the baron said, thanks to spending so much time by Keyla’s side like a sister, Stella had naturally picked up on the manners and knowledge expected of a noble lady.
‘Right. It’s not impossible.’
I glanced toward the mirror standing against one wall. There stood Stella, the girl I had rooted for and emotionally invested in while reading the original story.
Her red hair was neatly braided, and her violet eyes—both catlike and puppyish—glimmered with quiet strength. With her petite frame, she looked sturdy and innocent at once.
It was the first time I properly faced the reflection of the girl I had possessed.
“Aah!”
Suddenly, black smoke rose behind me in the mirror, and the image of a man appeared like a vision.
He was so tall I had to crane my neck to see him. His broad frame, forged through countless victories, earned him the name ‘God of War.’ Hair blacker than night, icy yet mysterious bluish eyes, and a cold, tight-lipped expression—
It was Ricard Zenkis, the original male lead. He stood behind me in the mirror like a ghost.
The moment I came to my senses, the smoke vanished, and only my startled reflection remained.
Just seeing Ricardo’s vision made me scream—could I really go through with this marriage?
To calm my briefly faltering heart, I lightly slapped both cheeks.
“Get it together, Stella.”
The next day, the carriage to the capital was ready. The baron and his wife saw me off with expressions of mixed concern and relief.
“You’ve made a very wise decision.”
The man from the imperial court helped me into the carriage as he spoke. I didn’t reply and quickly climbed aboard.
But then, an unexpected problem arose. One of the maids, dressed in an outing outfit and carrying a large bag, boarded the carriage after me.
Seeing my puzzled expression, the baroness stepped forward.
“You’ll need someone to assist you. Take Molly with you.”
The maid named Molly bowed politely to the baroness and then smiled at me.
“I will serve you with all my heart, my lady.”
Her lips smiled, but her eyes did not—it was a smile that felt strangely unpleasant.
Sure enough, the moment the carriage started moving, she dropped the act and began to sneer.
“A mere bastard daughter becoming a duke’s bride? That’s some scam-level social climbing.”
Shocked by her venomous words, I stared at her in disbelief.
“What are you looking at me like that for? Want to play the noble lady now?”
Her attitude made it painfully clear how Stella had been treated in the baron’s estate. Even her fellow maids had looked down on her like this.
“Don’t get all stiff just because you’re standing in for the real lady. You’re just a substitute, Stella,” Molly said with a twisted grin, continuing to speak.
“Still, better than dying an old maid in this backwater estate. The capital’s a hundred times better. Maybe I’ll get lucky too—snag an old, senile nobleman and escape this life as a maid.”
She crossed her legs as if living the dream already, twirling her hair with her finger.
“Just because you’re following her doesn’t mean you’ve become the lady. Don’t get confused. If you do, I’ll make sure everyone there knows exactly what you really are.”
Clearly, she hadn’t come to serve—I’d say she came to act like a mistress herself.
Watching her, I was dumbfounded. I was worried about possibly dying unnoticed in the capital, while she was treating it like a school picnic. Why do stories like this always have a character like her?
As an absurd laugh escaped my lips, Molly’s face hardened.
“At this rate, I don’t think I’ll have to worry about dying first.”
“What? What did you just say?!”
She shouted in panic, surprised to see a side of Stella she had never encountered.
Not wanting to deal with her, I turned to the window and muttered as if to myself.
“It means you’d better behave if you don’t want to die.”
Knowing full well that the world of the original story was a battlefield of schemes and envy, her rosy future plans seemed laughable to me.
Molly folded her arms and sneered.
“Look at you, acting like you’re already the duchess. Let’s see how long you keep that smug face.”
Her hateful curses were nothing more than an annoying buzzing fly to me.
“I’ve got things to think about, so keep quiet.”
I closed my eyes and gently massaged my pounding temples. My head felt like it was going to explode even without her.
First thing after arriving in the capital—get rid of this noisy maid.
Capital City of the Arcanis Empire, Verdine.
At the center of the great city stood the imperial palace.
The flags fluttering above the massive walls and the guards protecting the castle looked valiant. Yet, within the deep, secluded royal garden, the atmosphere was entirely different.
In the middle of a flower-filled garden stood a large pergola, golden lace curtains fluttering around it.
The conversation inside was cautious.
“That sly Ricardo—it’s odd he accepted the marriage so easily. He must be plotting something.”
The third prince, Elaine, clenched his fist with a contemptuous gaze.
Watching him, Empress Delzaya curved her seductive red lips into a twisted smile.
“What schemes? I found him a bride that suits his station perfectly. He should be grateful.”
Whenever she saw Ricardo, she thought of his mother, and Delzaya had to clench her teeth to contain her rage.
Ricardo Zenkis, the emperor Rom’s second son, born of a mere palace maid. Though a war hero and imperial prince, to Delzaya, he was a thorn in her side.
From the moment he was born to a maid, she never acknowledged him as a son and cast him out. She even annihilated his mother’s entire family. To her, seducing the man she served was a crime beyond forgiveness.
Until the Empress Dowager pitied the boy who had lived like a slave outside the capital and summoned him back to the imperial family, the other royals had only seen him as impure blood, unworthy of mixing with their own.
When the Empress Dowager’s dying wish was to bring Ricardo into the family, Delzaya laid down conditions.
He must obey the mother who raised him without question.
So, finding him a suitable bride once he was of age was both her responsibility and her right. Fortunately, she had found the perfect match.
“Still, isn’t the bride a little too beneath him? There are already whispers among the vassals that Your Majesty has gone too far. Even if Ricardo obeys your orders, I wonder how long that marriage can truly last…”
Before finishing his sentence, Crown Prince Duan began to cough lightly. Delzaya gave him a concerned look and spoke.
“You needn’t worry, Crown Prince. Though she’s from a lowly provincial noble family, she’s still a distant relative of mine. No one in court will dare speak out against my decision.”
At her words, Elaine snorted and laughed.
“Of course. A cousin’s cousin’s cousin is still family. Mother, where do you even find these lowborn families? Truly impressive.”
