Don’t Concern Yourself With That Book

“Yes.”

Castor had participated in the Founding Festival alone and Rebecca ambushed him. It was a crucial turning point in the novel. It was why Castor had found her annoying and ended up being one of the reasons why she died a miserable death.

Hold on, wait a minute. Then was this not the year in which the Founding Festival I read about occurred? My brain was left in a mess. I did not think so. I was sure something would happen this year. I must have been confused since it had been a long time since I last revised the contents of the novel.

‘Right. I was too busy trying to escape from the contents of the diary.’

I slowly swept my face down. It just hit me that the future depicted in the novel was right around the corner.

There was also something else on my mind.

Why was Rebecca so calm when she brought up Castor?

“Perhaps, Rebecca, do you like my brother?”

I blinked prettily, pretending to be naive just as I acted towards Castor. I ignored her expressions that were showing her outright dislike towards me.

Since Rebecca was already disappointed in me, she would suspect anything even if I were to act insensibly now. Her dissatisfaction with me would only pile higher.

“If you’re talking about your brother, do you mean the Crown Prince?”

“Yeah.”

“Ha, how did you even come to that conclusion?”

Rebecca stared at me as if there was not even a speck of me that she liked. Her expressions towards were always a mix of lament, disregard and contempt.

“How can I like someone I had never seen before? I respect him but… This level of conversation is so pathetic that I can’t even get my words out. What even.”

She spoke of Castor as if she was talking about a stranger. Of course, it was evident that Rebecca still did not like me very much. So, I was not sure if she was hiding anything from me but… I could tell she was telling the truth.

“Why? My brother is so wonderful! Well, let’s see! He’s handsome, tall, has great abilities and amazing eyes!”

“So what. I’ve never seen him before.”

It did not suit me to act so unbelievably immature. But I did not wipe off my smile and looked at her with my chin up like a budding flower.

“Is it because you don’t know what it’s like to like someone? Does your heart beat when you think of him? Does he appear in your dreams? Or does he randomly disrupt your thoughts?”

She looked at me like I was insignificant and pathetic to be acting as foolish as this.

“What the hell are you on about!”

Rebecca could not stand it and raised her voice. Well, she raised her hand too just now, did she not? If I had been any other young lady, she would have torn my hair out. I thought I could even cut radishes with that smile of hers which was as sharp as a blade. Because she was smiling so beautifully it was menacing.

Good. I made sure. As long as Rebecca was not an actress good enough to win the best Actress Award at the Academy’s, that slim face of hers was being sincere. Aside from the reason why she did not like Castor now, I knew why she had not seen his face till now. In the novel’s setting, the Duke of Aventa was very fond of her and sheltered her. Thanks to him, she rarely went out of her house by the time she was 18.

This was Rebecca before she fell in love.

‘Everything fits.’

She was 18 and yet free from any adult duties. Rebecca who had only attended small banquets that invited only women till she was 18 might look unusual but she was not the only one.

In the Empire, if a girl was to participate in a large-scale banquet held by the Imperial Family before she turned 18, she would be deemed to be ‘not good enough to marry’ or thought to have ‘a lacking personality’. Honestly, there were many problems in how women were treated here but it was not Rebecca’s fault.

In the novel, the Duke of Aventa deeply loved his daughter. He tried to protect his daughter till he was nearly gone. In the end, he lost his only daughter to the hands of the tyrant and bet everything on the 2nd Prince’s rebellion.

Even out of the entire novel, the reason why I knew Rebcca’s story in such detail was simple. I liked her quite a bit. Unlike the readers who would usually side with the female lead, as if I had been stricken by the sub disease, I rooted for Rebecca. (1) My heart could be easily compared to the heart of a fan’s when she cheers on her idol.

Rebecca’s story was very short and she did not achieve her love.

The female lead of the novel was clearly someone else and she was not even close to being the sub-female lead. But what I quite liked about her was how she was faithful to her desires. I was also quite fond of her honest responses to the mad tyrant that was Castor.

I thought I had no feelings for her and that my feelings had now turned into a blank sheet of paper but at the moment, I remembered how I felt towards her character. I realised I did not hate Rebecca who reminded me of a time where I was more like myself.

But Rebecca’s story helped complete the novel’s plot. She was a prop and the trigger that allowed the tyrant to realise his love.

She was like me. The me that was a tool for my brother.

I covered my mouth at the sudden realisation. She was like me.

‘Written before being thrown away.’

I swallowed my voice. I swept my face down and fixed my expression. So that she would not think I was being weird. Finally, I stared at the table.

At this rate, she would fall in love with my brother smoothly. And she would die in the hands of her beloved tyrant leaving nothing but a sword for vengeance for her father.

What was the meaning of her life then?

A long time ago, when I had no buffs in this world, I wished for happiness. But I was not given that till the end. Why should I bear witness to the peaceful world that would continue to follow the path written by the novel? Why did I have to protect the miniscule love Castor had for me and die dozens of times?

I clenched my fist till they were white under the table. With beautiful pain, my nails dug into my palm.

There had been so many things that piled inside of me ever since I first died and came back to life. I might have lost some of it but I did not even know what they were. Then what was the point of staying as an extra in such a miserable situation? It was better for me to switch my profession into other industries than to continue being exploited. Right, something was strange. If I was not born as the main character… I could not do anything great…

But I could prevent what was going to happen because I was an external factor.

I thought I was already qualified to be on the stage since I had been caught and killed dozens of times.

“Rebecca.”

The little dame’s red curly hair glistened brilliantly under the light. In an Empire that had a particular preference for blonde and red hair, her hair was one the most beautiful with its fiery red colour. Her features which might look haughty shone radiantly because of her youth.

“You’re my lady-in-waiting, right?”

“Yes.”

Rebecca. There must be a reason why the precious daughter of a noble Duke would be sent here. I did not know how I could be valuable nor what she could use me for but she came for a reason. If I guessed right, I could use her back.

A smile slowly bloomed on my face.

Rebecca briefly frowned when she noticed my expression.

“Rebecca.”

I held her hand which caused her to shoot me a puzzled look.

‘I’m not going anywhere. You have all the time you can have here.”

“I see.”

Her face looked like an ice awl. I had made up my mind the day I saw her delicate expressions and faces that reminded me of a doll’s. I would not let her live the same life she led in the novel. I was going to make the villainess who was in love with Castor and who would put poison in the female lead’s food do better.

She was going to like me better than that bastard.

“That’s all.”

I smiled brightly.

So, I was going to keep her by my side.

“That’s great.”

She was not going to fall for him.

***

A wicked woman who fell for the tyrant once, It had been more than two weeks since we started living together with her as my lady-in-waiting in the same building.

“I have already told you before.”

In the meantime, Rebecca was training me harshly with lessons that were spartan-like as my both my lady-in-waiting and my teacher.

“All the Empire’s templars and aristocratic ladies are waiting for you.”

Currently, the upper-class aristocratic ladies were waiting for my debut. Honestly, it was difficult for me to understand why we had to be so hung up on the tradition.

“But why me? The Queens and the Empress will be there too, right?”

They told me that I was the only woman in the Imperial Family and no other woman could do it.

Be it the Empress or one of the Queens like Auresia. They could be waiting for them but why wait for me whom they did not even know?

All this while, I had been confined in this palace as if I was abandoned. Why did they care so much about me now? I was doubtful.

“You seem to be oblivious as to what’s happening outside.”

Rebecca turned her head to a book at hand as she began to recite what sounded like a poem. A new piece written by a famous poet.

“Whether or not Imperial blood be present. Huge is the difference in its presence.”

Her voice seemed to be carried in a red wind as it poured out like a gushing waterfall.

“Her Majesty, the Empress and the Emperor’s companion. She does not compare to the 8th Branch who inherited the Imperial blood.”

From her side profile, I could sense nobility emanating from her that the church could barely touch. Much like a statue of the VIrgin Mary.

“Now, do you know your position?”

In the novel, Rebecca was a character that the writer barely described in splendour. She was so beautiful that no words could describe her. It was to the extent I wondered why Castor did not even spare a glance at this beautiful woman.

I guess he was barely human, He was only interested in using people, so he was not interested in delicate things like love or beautiful women. But this thought was soon erased. Currently, the wall I had to climb over was Rebecca.

This goddamn world. I must have betrayed my entire country, no, the entire galaxy to be damned like this. How much sin had I committed in my past lives for me to sit here and only think about surviving day by day?

“You’re distracted. Please focus, my lady.”

Rebecca, who was holding a scroll only a little bigger than her palm, recited a poem in her beautiful voice as if the sunlight seeping into this room was shining only at her.

Fully adapted to the Palace, Rebecca was becoming more suitable to be the owner of this room than the owner herself. The fact that the strict head maid fell on the first day said it all.

I raised my head and slowly turned my gaze on the book that she was reading.

It was a beautiful epic that sang about love.

“The poet is singing about love as if it was a tragedy.”

T/N:

(1): ‘Sub disease’ is a term coined to refer to how people would root for the 2nd male/female lead.