Chapter 08
As if proudly saying, “Aren’t I amazing?”, Shasha looked so pleased with itself. Having finished all the cloud bread, I beamed and lifted Shasha up with both hands.
“Thank you, Shasha. You’re truly the best.”
I gave a small peck to Shasha’s face.
At that very moment, the confident Shasha from before vanished. In my hands now was a tightly coiled Shasha, hiding its head deep within its curled body, clearly embarrassed.
And despite hiding, its tail—flushed a bright pink—was wagging fiercely.
Shasha, just hiding your face doesn’t mean you’re actually hidden.
I can see everything…
I bit down on my lips to hold back my laughter. My benefactor had just provided me with food—there was no way I could laugh out loud while it was this shy.
“Shasha, want me to tell you something interesting?”
Feeling full for the first time in a while put me in a good mood, so I spoke.
At my words, Shasha flinched, hesitated for a moment, then slowly uncoiled and looked up at me. It still seemed embarrassed, but curiosity about my “interesting story” had won over.
Its eyes sparkled as it stared at me expectantly. That hopeful look was so cute that I let out a small laugh.
Now I feel a bit bad. It’s not actually that interesting.
“I’m not actually from this place.”
Shasha blinked blankly and tilted its head, as if it didn’t understand what I meant.
I gently stroked it with my finger and continued.
“I used to live somewhere called ‘Korea.’ I had a friend there, and they wrote a novel.”
Well, they only came up with the setting, but I simplified it for convenience.
“And this world… is the world inside that novel.”
“…?”
Shasha tilted its head again, still confused. I kept petting it as I went on.
“I died in Korea. I was stabbed.”
At the word “died,” Shasha’s tilted head froze.
Seeing the light in its eyes dim, I quickly continued in a soothing voice, not even pausing to dwell on my memories.
“But when I opened my eyes again, I was inside this body—Erika’s. Luckily, my friend did a great job, so I know all the settings of this world. Thanks to that, I’ve already prepared a way to live comfortably later.”
At the mention of having secured a comfortable future, life returned to Shasha’s eyes.
It let out a soft breath, as if relieved. The sight was so cute that I quietly chuckled before lowering my voice and whispering—
“Two years from now, when I leave this place… want to live with me?”
“…!”
Shasha’s eyes widened.
It stared at me blankly as if mesmerized, then suddenly flushed pink all over and lowered its head deeply.
It was clearly too shy to answer.
I bit my lip to hold back laughter, then, feeling a little mischievous, lightly tapped its pink body.
“Hmm? Shasha, aren’t you going to answer me?”
“……”
“Shashaa, hmm? Why not? Do you not want to? Do you dislike the idea?”
At the word “dislike,” Shasha’s lowered head suddenly snapped up.
It shook its head frantically.
But I had already started enjoying teasing it, so I deliberately slumped my shoulders, pretending to be disappointed.
“So you don’t like it…?”
Shake shake!
It must have been really flustered, because its body, which had been pink, returned to its original black color.
Seeing how desperate it looked, I let out a small laugh and nodded.
“Alright, alright. I know you like it. I’m smart, right?”
A tiny sigh slipped out from its little mouth.
Even while catching its breath, Shasha nodded as if to agree that I was smart. It was so adorable that I burst into laughter again.
In a life that had once been meaninglessly discarded, small bits of meaning were beginning to appear, one by one.
The value of the dress and jewelry was directly proportional to the number of times I had been summoned by the Marquis and his wife—and Karie—and subjected to their psychological abuse.
Yeah, I guess they at least wanted to get their money’s worth.
But honestly, it didn’t affect me at all.
Normally, I would’ve been extremely irritable from hunger, and the stress of holding it in would’ve been unbearable—but thanks to Shasha, my stomach was full, so I could just respond with a calm “sure, whatever” and let everything slide.
As expected, a person must always be well-fed.
There’s a reason those obsessive K-drama male leads keep force-feeding the runaway protagonists and heroines!
“Ahem.”
Anyway—today.
The long-awaited day of the ball had finally arrived.
With the help of three maids, I successfully put on the dress I had chosen before and was transformed into a splendid noble lady.
Half of my hair was elegantly pinned up, adorned with a pearl-woven hair vine, with jeweled chains cascading down.
My earrings, necklace, and bracelet were decorated with pearls and sapphires, and so was the long sash draped over my dress.
My face was powdered white, with finely ground pearl dust applied around my eyes, and my lips were colored with powdered ruby.
Of course, all of it was what the Marchioness and Karie had used and left behind.
I think I read somewhere that face powder contains mercury…
You know, the same mercury that Qin Shi Huang consumed in pursuit of immortality—and died from.
Regardless of my discomfort, the finishing touch was a light spritz of rose water.
We traveled to the imperial palace by carriage.
The Marquis and his wife departed earlier in a separate carriage, while I rode together with Karie.
Perhaps she had been given some instructions by them, because today Karie looked unusually tense.
Normally, she would’ve snapped about how disgusting it was to share the same space with someone like me—but now, too nervous to notice anything around her, she remained quiet.
I wonder if Shasha is doing okay…
Thanks to that, I was able to lean back against the cushioned seat and think about Shasha in peace.
Before I knew it, the carriage arrived at the imperial palace.
As soon as it stopped, Karie—already nervous—turned even paler.
Whether her face turned white or blue was none of my concern, so I simply blinked and waited for a servant to open the door.
That was when Karie spoke.
“Hey… you.”
“Y-Yes?”
Slipping naturally into my timid mode, I responded, and Karie hesitantly asked:
“Do I… look okay?”
Even with just the small lantern inside the carriage, I could clearly see her appearance. After quietly looking her over, I gave a small nod.
“Yeah… you look really pretty.”
“Hmph! Of course I do! I’m Karie Le Celluria.”
Unlike someone tainted with lowly blood, she was a perfect Celluria—she added sharply.
I sighed inwardly and shook my head slightly.
Yeah, yeah. Long live the class system.
At that moment, servants of the imperial palace opened the carriage door.
Karie and I stepped out with their assistance.
“His Excellency the Marquis of Celluria and the Marchioness have arrived!”
Since neither Karie nor I held titles, our names were not announced.
The doors to the banquet hall opened, and dazzling chandelier light poured out.
Amid the nobles casting sideways glances our way, I quietly followed behind the Marquis and his wife.
A servant carrying a tray of wine glasses approached. After the Marquis, Marchioness, and Karie each took a glass, I also picked one up.
There had been a setting detail about wine produced in the southern territory of Marquis Cementina being supplied to the imperial family.
I took a small sip while surveying my surroundings.
The Marquis and his wife were chatting casually with nobles of the Old Faith faction, while Karie stood beside them, stiff with a strained smile.
The nobles were largely divided into two factions—the New Faith and the Old Faith—and within those groups, they formed smaller circles, chatting among themselves.
I took another sip of wine and lowered my gaze.
Due to the Marquis couple’s scheming, Erika had grown up completely isolated in noble society. So naturally, she had no friends.
Karie, on the other hand, had a lively personality and had built connections with many noble ladies—but now, perhaps due to her nerves, she wasn’t mingling with them and instead stayed by the Marquis couple’s side.
Honestly, Lee Shina, if you’re going to create a setting, at least finish the story…
I was grumbling inwardly while maintaining a faint smile outwardly when—
“H-His Highness the Grand Duke of Drain and his consort have arrived!”
As soon as the flustered announcement ended, the previously calm hall erupted into commotion.
And understandably so.
The Grand Duchy of Drain.
A domain located in the eastern part of the Irentel Empire, known for its near-isolation and rare interactions with the empire.
Its rulers almost never attended imperial events—so their sudden, unannounced appearance at such a relatively small gathering naturally caused a stir.
With my wine glass raised to my lips, I followed their movement with my eyes. Nearly all the nobles were doing the same, so there was no need to be cautious.
The Grand Duke had glossy black hair and violet eyes—a breathtaking beauty. Her hair was loosely pinned up and adorned with a coronet signifying her rank.
Her consort was equally stunning, with platinum-blonde hair and vivid green eyes. His long hair was loosely tied, and what stood out was—
A hairpin?
I blinked, thinking I must’ve seen it wrong, and looked again—but no matter how many times I checked, it was definitely a hairpin.
Startled by this unexpected detail, I found myself staring rather intently at the consort—
and then suddenly, our eyes met.
Startled, I quickly averted my gaze.
…Ahem. I didn’t see anything.
