TFTVGD 06

Chapter 6 ….

Roselia Pelua. The heroine of this novel.

On the eve of the Grand Duke’s wedding, she was running away.

According to the original story, before entering the Grand Duke’s household, Roselia comes to Rainbow Falls one last time to ponder whether she should run away or go through with the marriage.

She came here to sort out her thoughts, but that’s where she loses the ring.

The problem is, this isn’t just any ring.

The gold ring, which I had given while pretending to be a mountain spirit, was an heirloom left by the late Empress, the mother of Grand Duke Epher.

I had given that precious piece as an engagement ring—and now it’s lost.

Early on in the story, Roselia is timid and cowardly. To put it plainly, “clumsy” would be a fitting description.

She had made a big mistake, and she could already foresee the suffocating life awaiting her as the Grand Duchess. She wanted to see the person she loved, but she didn’t want a stifling life.

Ironically, losing this ring cemented her resolve to run away.

So, I stepped ahead of her, returned the ring, and said,

“I’ll become Roselia Pelua instead of you.”

Just as the dragon had seduced countless of my men before, I lured her with sweet words.

Roselia, who had been trembling with fear, began to relax a little.

“You… can do that?”

How clever I am.

This is what you call turning misfortune into fortune.

Honestly, there’s no guarantee that I’d be able to seduce the Grand Duke next time. Someone might interfere again, like last time. Since the Grand Duke’s magic seems quite formidable, it might not even work the next time.

But if, through this opportunity, I could become Grand Duke Epher’s partner in place of Roselia?

Since the jewel is already in the Grand Duke’s possession, and we would also form a binding contract and gain human essence, I could easily become human.

Roselia would still run away, as the story goes, but there would be no suffocating chase, allowing for an earlier happy ending.

The Grand Duke wouldn’t have to deal with the embarrassment of having a runaway fiancée before marriage.

It’s killing three birds with one stone.

Plus, since the Grand Duke is wealthy, I wouldn’t have to worry about making a living for the time being. I’d be treated almost like royalty—how wonderful!

And that’s not all.

If I became human shortly after entering the novel,

the heavenly gods would think, “Korean society is truly extreme,” and perhaps keep a closer watch on the world.

“I will soon be humanity’s savior, a great hero.”

Just imagining it made me grin involuntarily.

“…How do you know about me?”

The fear had left Roselia’s eyes, replaced by suspicion.

That’s why I had pretended to be a mountain spirit. Apparently, it wasn’t convincing enough.

“I am a mountain spirit living in this mountain, observing the world.”
“…?”
“Well, think of me like the goddess you pray to.”

Having floated in the sky until now, I gently descended in front of Roselia.

“I know a lot about you. Well, let’s skip the boring stuff like age. You once got lost in the mountains as a child, didn’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“You were rescued only after following the fireflies and barely catching the attention of others.”

Roselia’s eyes widened.

“How… how do you know that?”

This was a story only Roselia knew. —Of course, other readers, including me, knew too.

It wasn’t a particularly significant episode.

It was simply created so that the male lead, Lucas, would be like the fireflies illuminating the darkness in Roselia’s life.

“Did… you… do that?”

Ah… well, I don’t like lying, so I just shrugged and moved on to another story.

Stories that only Roselia knew.

If she still didn’t believe me, I was ready to tell the slightly embarrassing story of how she occasionally imagined kissing Lucas.

“Th-thank you. You’ve been watching over me all this time…”

Fortunately, Roselia looked at me with awe. I thought she was opening her heart, but she asked me, as she did in the novel:

“But… why help someone like me?”

Early on, due to her indecisive and low self-esteem personality, many readers gave up on her. She gradually became stronger in the latter half, but I never particularly liked that early Roselia.

And yet, I liked her because:

“She looks a lot like me.”

Purely for that reason. Even outside this novel, if there was a character described with a similar appearance to mine, I’d keep noticing them.

“You don’t look that similar… though?”

“Similar enough. Silver hair, red eyes.”

“Uh… there are many people like that, aren’t there?”

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone like that. So forget asking why.”

I tapped Roselia’s forehead lightly with my fingers.

“Now, it’s your turn to ask how, right?”

“Ah…”

Anyway, that clueless personality of hers was really annoying.

“Run away as you are. If you marry into the Grand Duke’s household, your future is set. You’ll be dead in two or three years.”

Hearing that, Roselia’s expression turned pale again.

Well, it wasn’t exactly wrong, was it?

The Grand Duke is preparing a rebellion anyway, and with Roselia’s timid personality, it would be hard for her to convince him not to. If discovered, they would both be sent to the guillotine.

Roselia swallowed hard and clasped her hands together.

She didn’t know about the rebellion, but she was well aware of the Grand Duke’s notoriety.

“I have something I need from the Grand Duke.”
“Revenge… or something?”
“That’s none of your business.”

I closed my eyes and used another spell.

To take on someone else’s exact appearance requires far more magical power than simply turning into a human. But since I had always lived under someone else’s face, transforming to look exactly like Roselia was easy.

“See. I can change to look exactly like you. If I enter the Elysia Grand Duke’s household like this, no one will know you’ve run away.”

Roselia’s pupils dilated as her eyes reflected a mirror image of herself.

I expected her to be reassured, but her face grew even more anxious.

“I… I don’t want that.”
“What?”

Roselia avoided looking at me and bit her lip.

“Why? If I take your place, you can escape safely.”
“….”
“Are you worried I’ll tarnish your family’s name? I already know even your small past.”

I clasped my hands just like Roselia and mimicked her.

“I-I don’t like it. See? Mimicking you isn’t that hard.”
“W-when did you do that?”

Roselia blushed and looked away.

“Don’t you want to run away? Until a moment ago, you were probably debating whether to run or not.”
“Th-that’s true, but…”

Ugh, so frustrating.

I abandoned the form of Roselia and spoke bluntly.

“Well, if you don’t want it, fine.”
“….”
“I’m offering help, and if you refuse, what can I do?”
“….”
“I didn’t expect you to be confident you could live well even in the Grand Duke’s household. Fine. Live well then.”

As I turned my back, showing no lingering attachment, Roselia urgently grabbed me.

“Th-that’s not it.”

Yes, that’s right. It’s you who should cling here, not me.

“It’s just… being in the same form and acting exactly the same feels… uncomfortable…”
“Isn’t that how a stand-in should act? You can’t help it.”
“Changing even my appearance… it feels like you’re taking me away, not just playing a stand-in…”

Her words hit me like a slap, leaving me momentarily stunned.

Living for a thousand years taking on someone else’s identity and face isn’t exactly pleasant for me either.

“What do you want me to do? You’ll have to endure the discomfort. Otherwise, just enter the Grand Duke’s household and live well. Not that you’d last long anyway.”
“N-no, that’s not it… I just thought that since no one will recognize me anyway, there’s no need to mimic me perfectly.”

Roselia blushed and shyly lowered her head.

I understood her feelings. A stand-in should only take on the role, not become the person entirely.

“No one will recognize me anyway…”

Ah. Memories from the story came back.

Having silver hair and red eyes wasn’t unusual here. Even with a wanted notice, Roselia could roam freely because hardly anyone knew her.

“I’ve never attended any social gatherings.”

The Pelua family was on the brink of ruin, indeed.

I remembered a line from Roselia in the novel. She laughed bitterly and said, “Funny… back then I was miserable, but now it’s actually an advantage.”

“Even the Grand Duke doesn’t know my face…”

In the episode where she meets Grand Duke Epher, he didn’t recognize her either.

“Besides, except for Lucas, no one has seen my face even getting here.”

Exactly. That’s why, when she ran away initially, just wearing a wig was enough to hide her identity.

“What about your father? At least someone who knows you could go to the Grand Duke’s household.”
“I’ll tell my father.”
“….”
“Since our family has no influence, he wouldn’t be able to say I’m actually your daughter. He’d probably try to hide it.”

That made sense. If it were discovered that a switch had occurred, it would already be an insult to the royal family. A poor, dying family wouldn’t need that kind of disgrace.

Roselia’s voice trembled as she squeezed her eyes shut.

“I’ve never heard of magic that lets you take someone else’s appearance.”
“….”
“Even if it’s discovered, I could… well… claim I hired you.”
“….”
“But if you look exactly like me, that magic wouldn’t exist, and it could anger him even more…”
“Enough. I understand.”

There really wasn’t any strict need for me to stay in Roselia’s form.

It would be safer just in case, but I could concede, understanding her feelings.

I would try not to be discovered, and even if I were, she wouldn’t want me harmed.

Even if she acted indifferent, if Roselia didn’t want it here, I’d be the one at a disadvantage.

‘She seemed clueless, but she knows how to protect herself. Truly a heroine of the novel.’

I smiled and lifted Roselia’s chin.

“My dear, remember this. I saved you.”

And now, I am the lady of the Grand Duke’s household.