~Chapter 4~
Seraphina, who had been wearing a pitiful expression the whole time, suddenly twisted her face in anger.
I ignored it and continued.
“I just wanted to check if your shoelace was really untied, so I pulled it slightly… but you’re so delicate that you fell over.”
I said it loudly enough for Gregory to hear, then glanced sideways at Seraphina.
“Of course, Seraphina, you’ll understand a small mistake like this between friends…”
After all, we’re friends, right?
I returned the words Seraphina always said to me with a slight bow, hiding the smile curling at my lips.
“Still, I thought I should apologise. I’m really sorry.”
“……”
Seraphina glared at me murderously.
Even in this situation, her eyes were sharp with anger, yet her facial expression remained perfectly composed. Truly impressive.
Is this what it takes to become the beloved female lead of everyone?
Regardless, I turned to Countess Johansson again.
“Countess Johansson, I will take my leave now.”
“But Lady Ansi…”
“I don’t have the shamelessness to stay at a picnic after causing such a commotion.”
At my words, Gregory and Seraphina’s faces twisted.
Because with one sentence, I turned them into ‘shameless people who stayed despite causing trouble.’
Ha, serves them right.
I laughed inwardly as I quietly left the picnic.
From that day on, I blocked all their letters and visit requests, locking myself in my townhouse.
“My lady, letters keep coming from Lady Lopez and Young Master Gusto…”
“Oh, those? Just throw them in the fireplace.”
Sitting at my desk, I didn’t even raise an eyebrow.
They probably just wanted me to apologise.
But the documents in front of me were far more urgent.
[Annulment Papers]
Yes.
I had decided to break off my engagement with Gregory Gusto!
Honestly, I had nothing to lose.
Gregory was from a count’s family but was a second son with no title to inherit.
Meanwhile, I was the heir to a viscount family with lands.
To be honest, Gregory didn’t get engaged to me out of love either. It was obvious.
He stayed engaged because he calculated that marrying me would make him the Viscount of Ansi someday.
His intentions were so blatant that—
“Lari, are you really thinking of marrying Young Master Gusto?”
“He seems to be in love with Lady Lopez.”
My parents, noticing his behaviour, tried to subtly dissuade me.
Thankfully, our engagement was only an oral promise between families. Sending annulment papers would end it cleanly.
If it had been a royal-certified marriage, I would have been stuck as Gregory’s wife forever.
I thought back to the original novel.
In the original story, all logic was thrown away just to shower the female lead with benefits and affection.
Other side characters were treated mercilessly.
And I wasn’t the only victim of the female lead’s overpowering plot armour.
For example—
There was Lady Claudius.
One of the male leads, Duke Claudius, had a younger sister.
She was the villainess of the story, the one who caused endless troubles for Seraphina.
The villainess always viewed Seraphina as a thorn in her side, causing all sorts of problems.
But her brother, Duke Claudius, was a rational man. While trying to stop his sister’s wrongdoings, he ended up getting involved with Seraphina.
However, at this point in the story, Seraphina hadn’t even met Duke Claudius or his sister yet.
Right now… Lady Claudius must be in quite a difficult situation.
Recently, rumours spread through society about Lady Claudius being arrogant and domineering.
In the novel, Duke Claudius, unable to stand these rumours, harshly scolded his sister to fix her reputation or he’d cut off her allowance.
For a lady who lived and breathed fashion and status, it was humiliating.
And come to think of it, wasn’t it Seraphina who spread those rumours?
She didn’t do it openly.
She just subtly manipulated people’s impressions with her innocent and delicate image.
She cleverly used people’s fear of Lady Claudius’s cold and lofty aura.
In the novel, this was portrayed as giving the villainess a dose of ‘karma’…
But watching it happen in reality felt completely different.
Isn’t that just plain evil?
After all, Lady Claudius hadn’t done anything to Seraphina yet.
She just didn’t like Seraphina. That was all.
In fact, Seraphina was the one who became hostile first, out of spite that Lady Claudius didn’t pay her any attention.
Which meant—
Technically, Lady Claudius was also a victim of Seraphina.
But because Seraphina was the female lead, she would continue to receive everyone’s love and thrive.
Ugh, I hate it so much.
Honestly, I wanted to see Seraphina’s twisted face at least once.
After all these years of being her doormat,
Don’t I deserve at least that much?
Then suddenly, my eyes gleamed.
What if I became close with Lady Claudius?
Right now, Lady Claudius needed to restore her reputation.
And I wanted to get back at Seraphina and Gregory.
We could scratch each other’s backs perfectly!
[To the Honorable Lady Claudius,]
At that time, I had no idea.
[I know a way to restore your reputation.]
That the letter I wrote so impulsively in my rage would bring such consequences upon me.
“Ahh… ahhhh…”
Unable to overcome my rising regret, I buried my head in my pillow.
What have I done?!
Duke Claudius’s family.
The most powerful noble house in the empire, rivaling even the royal family.
Ordinary nobles couldn’t even dare to speak to them.
Seraphina was only able to act as Lady Claudius’s rival because she was the female lead.
In reality, a low-ranking baron’s daughter like Seraphina would never even be able to meet Lady Claudius.
And me?
I was just the daughter of a countryside viscount family who had been Seraphina’s doormat.
Yet I had sent a letter proposing a deal to Lady Claudius!
The absurdity of my actions was proven by the reaction of my loyal maid, Amy.
“My lady, are you really sending this letter?”
“Is it really for Lady Claudius?”
Amy asked me again and again with a worried face.
But driven by rage and vengeance, I had shouted,
“Of course! Make sure Lady Claudius gets it, okay?!”
…And practically shoved Amy out the door.
Now that my senses had returned, regret flooded me.
“Ah… this has to be a dream. Please let it be a dream.”
In romance fantasy novels, female leads often return to the past.
Can’t I just go back one day?
I had already been reborn as a worthless extra, only to become a disposable pawn for the female lead.
Now I had to pile up embarrassing moments too?
“Should I just return to my hometown? I’m their only daughter, my parents wouldn’t abandon me, right?”
As I grabbed my head in agony—
Knock knock.
A short knock sounded.
“My lady, you have a visitor.”
The voice sounded troubled.
