I, the Female Lead, Ruined the Original

“Ex-exe…cution?”

The friends who understood Agnesia’s hand gestures were stunned.

Execution. It was one of the top three things that the friends from the Transmigrators Club would list as the most pre-modern thing in this world. The execution was really carried out here. And that too, in the square in front of the imperial palace, where everyone can see it!

“No, that can’t be…”

“Virginity… test?”

As expected, crazy pre-modern times!

The friends looked at each other in shock. They had an expression as if saying, ‘I got goosebumps! Hey, you too?!’

“I mean, all those b*stards here are having such a faint concept of chastity.”

Selleana desperately attempted to avoid the sinking ship.

“It’s limited only to those b*tards. This world is pre-modern for nothing.”

“…XX.”

Charged with the crime of insulting the imperial family? That will lead to an execution ending…!

“Just check who the priest in charge of that is. I have some salary saved. Let’s bribe them with money.”

“Doli, didn’t you have a technical partnership with Magic Tower when you developed the ice maker last time? This time, let’s commission a gun. I’ll commission it to celebrate my immigration!”

“Is it time for a new wave to come to Nepelsian? If I release the guild members, it won’t be difficult to collect about 2,000 signatures.”

The situation was no different for her friends. No matter how much they lived with the transmigrators’ buff, the anger that had been building up for 20 years couldn’t be controlled.

Agnesia, who quietly listened to her friends talking, sighed briefly. “That’s not it, guys. The declaration of being a virgin is declared at the wedding ceremony.”

“Wedding ceremony?”

Selleana recalled the imperial wedding she attended when she was a child. It was when the current emperor married for the third time and welcomed the current empress.

“I thought that was just a recitation of the oath, and that was the end?”

“Her Majesty the empress is a saintess. What kind of verification is needed to check saintess’s virginity?”

“

”

The current empress, Empress Arshilla was a saintess who heard the voice of God. Someone like her only appeared once every two centuries or so. Her private life was tightly controlled by the temple. If it hadn’t been arranged marriage to strengthen the bond between the imperial family and the temple, she would have spent her entire life secluded.

“The Bible is used at the imperial wedding ceremony. You know, the sacred artifact used in the imperial trials.”

“

…”

“The Bible.”

The Bible was used in imperial trials related to crimes like blasphemy or treason. It was said that the truth was automatically revealed when one swore upon it. It was common knowledge among the Nepelsians that one couldn’t lie before the Bible.

“In addition, Her Majesty, the eldest member of the imperial family, is a saintess. Even if there is no sacred artifact, if the saintess wants to know, it will eventually be exposed.”

Agnesia, who usually showed no interest in doctrine or anything like that, looked more serious than ever. It was because the matter was serious.

“Rather, I’m curious. Lea, you didn’t know about it?”

“Yes…”

She didn’t know that. The etiquette tutor who taught her such things had long ago kicked out as she remembered her past life when she was ten. Furthermore, there was no one to control her private life or even talk about the virginity test as she lived as Lady Elard.

Who would have thought that she, who had been considered as the crown princess candidate from a young age, would establish a relationship with another man? And she really did it!

“I didn’t expect it to be that difficult…” Selleana buried her face in both hands.

“Now that you know it, it’s okay. Just in case, I’ll see if there’s any loopholes in the imperial wedding ceremony procedures process.”

“That’s right. Because that’s the worst scenario. I’ll try to manipulate the kids and see if there’s a way to change the Bible or clear the charge of disrespect to the imperial family.”

“If anything goes wrong, I’ll make sure to keep the society shut from making any strange noise. It’s okay to postpone my running away a little bit. I can always make more money.”

“We’ll find a way to resolve it. We’ve been doing well so far.”

In an instant, her friends offered their comfort in their own way.

Yes, the execution ending was truly the worst-case scenario. Selleana had Elard as her backing and her friends by her side, so she believed she could somehow avoid it. However…

* * *

“What should I do?”

After meeting her friends, Selleana locked herself in her room for a few days, saying she wasn’t feeling well.

“Is it sure this is… a crime of insulting the imperial family?”

Selleana felt like her head was cracking as she thought about this situation several times a day.

“No matter how indifferent Nesia is to the temple’s affairs, she won’t know such things for nothing…”

Michi also locked herself in Selleana’s room and made similar responses several times. She didn’t feel bored.

After safely escaping from Rondel, Michi decided to spend the rest of her life with Selleana and her friends. Being her exclusive maid meant being her constant companion, even if they didn’t enter the palace. No matter what life Selleana chose, Michi would always be there by her side. Hence, Selleana’s safety was also an important issue for Michi.

“As expected, I shouldn’t participate in the crown princess selection contest, right?”

“It’s the crown princess selection contest. And if you, who was destined to be the future crown princess, didn’t participate in it…”

“If I say I won’t participate now…will it be okay? I heard that my family had already discussed the dowry with the imperial family.”

“Lea.”

As Michi sat next to Selleana, Selleana hugged her waist. Michi continued, hugging Selleana’s head. “I’ve always thought it was very mature of you to accept Pavellian as your marriage partner even though you didn’t like him.”

“Well, since there is no alternative… And in the original story, we were supposed to get along well.”

“That’s not it. Lea, you gave up early because you thought it was your duty as Elard. But think about it. Your original story, in fact, is only a brief moment when compared to your whole life, right?”

That’s right. Now, the title of <The Secret Life of…>, which is somewhat faded in her memory, was just a short story. It told a story that would last several months at the most. When she thought about her life that would continue after the fiery honeymoon ended, it was already a distant reality.

Selleana had long been tired of Pavellian’s conservatism. As the years went by, she became more and more aware that she and he weren’t compatible.

“Are you worried that you might disappoint your father and mother?”

“I guess so…”

“The two of them I know are people who would easily die if it were for the lark of Elard.”

That’s right. She was more worried because they were so sweet and loved her so much. They cared about her and believed in her. That’s why she didn’t want to disappoint them.

Whether she remembered her past life or not, Selleana had been the lark of Elard for 20 years. She felt sorry and afraid to leave the flowery path her parents had prepared for her, even more just because of something that happened accidentally in just one night. Of course, it seemed almost like an inevitable fate rather than just a simple mistake…

Trying to put the man’s face out of her mind, Selleana made a promise to herself in Michi’s arms.

“I should try to confront it again, right?” Selleana asked, raising her face, which she had buried in Michi’s arms.

Michi smiled at the courage in her friend’s eyes. “It’ll be okay. Doli, Rosi, and Nesia are by your side. And of course, me too. We’re all living quite differently from the original story, and nothing bad has happened, right?”

It wasn’t to the point of simply expressing that everything was fine. They weren’t just living being led helplessly by the original story, nor were they living as dictated by the social hierarchy of this world… They were living as themselves, with memories of their past lives and their current lives. Naturally, at the center of it all were their friends.

Michi’s final whisper resonated like a spell. “So, you’ll be fine too.”

* * *

That evening, Selleana visited the office of Duke Elard. Her steps were heavy as she left her room for the first time in days.

“Oh my, my daughter. Are you okay now?”

When Selleana entered his office, Duke Elard, a middle-aged man with black hair and golden eyes, had a gently relaxed expression. Selleana’s conscience was pricked at the sight of her father warmly welcoming her without knowing what kind of bomb she was about to announce.

“Liam, please give my daughter the special refreshment she likes.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

What he ordered his aide to serve was coffee and biscuits. They were products from Benichi Salon, which Selleana has her share of. This was also proof that her father loved her, so Selleana’s conscience was pricked once again.

“Father, I….” Selleana took a long pause and managed to speak. “I have something to tell you.”

“Yes, what’s going on?”

“I will not participate in the crown princess selection contest.”

Though no words were spoken, Selleana felt there was a crack in her father’s face.

“I’m sorry. I know there is already talk of dowry with the imperial family…” Selleana closed her eyes tightly and quickly uttered her words. She couldn’t bear to see her father’s disappointed face. “However, no matter how much I think about it, I don’t get along with the crown prince…”

In fact, this wasn’t the first time she was talking about her relationship with Pavellian. This happened not long after Selleana regained the memories of her past life.

The tea party with Pavellian was so shocking that she complained about it. However,

What came back was the stern face of her parents, who were worried about her ‘puberty’. Since then, Selleana has never once voiced her complaint in front of her parents, although she has secretly looked for a partner for a contract marriage. However, she couldn’t hold out any longer. It was because of her heart and her situation.

“I will never be a burden to you. I will find a way to stand on my own.”

She was confident. Although her power in society will be lower than now, her background as Elard will remain the same.

Selleana’s influence that she has built on her own cannot be ignored. Furthermore, she knew that if she cooperated with Doloret’s guild, she would somehow succeed. By opening trade routes with the southern continent through coffee bean imports, she could potentially receive a title. She had also considered products like mangoes, bananas, avocadoes, and so on.

If this incident caught her off guard, there was a high probability that the imperial family wouldn’t give her a title. Still, she would somehow be able to live well. It was better than marrying someone she didn’t like. Above all, this was also for Elard. If she was caught blaspheming the imperial family after having the wedding ceremony, Elard wouldn’t be able to avoid the aftermath.

It was a long time later that the answer came out of Duke Elard’s mouth.