NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7 - 3. I’ve Read Up (1)
At the next morning, Fanora, who had woken up early, took the risk to find out if Vasago had really been to the ball held by the King recently.
I don’t remember the exact day because I’ve never been invited to her birthday banquet. But I’m sure Vasago’s birthday is in spring.
First of all, the timeline in the novel was not much different from the day she returned to the past. And in the process, Fanora discovered a surprising fact.
“Pardon? Va-vasago Guelder’s birthday was a week ago?”
“Yes, my Lady. And to congratulate Lady Guelder on becoming the Duke’s successor, she was invited to the ball held by the King.”
“Then…”
“Is that all? I have to get the letter for Master.”
Fanora’s expression changed when she heard the day she returned to the past was the same day as the first chapter of that novel.
Is all of this just a coincidence?
“…”
Eventually, Fanora returned to her room, looked out the window while skipping meals.
Looking back on my past memories, there was a time when light blue dresses were popular. It was also around this time of the year. Then…
What slowly came to Fanora’s mind was the name of the man whom she already did her revenge on.
Haures Hopen.
After killing him, she suddenly returned back to the past. They had a conversation in the past and from that on Fanora hated to accompany him the most. She had many things to say about him.
“Is he the cause?”
Fanora once questioned a man named Haures. Holding back her urge to cry, she swallowed the pain in her heart and asked him.
“Why are you bothering me? What is the reason you are being so cruel to me?”
Haures answered her question with a sneer.
“That’s because I’m a superior being and you’re a worthless piece of paper.”
“If I’m only a worthless piece of paper, doesn’t it make sense for you to help me?”
“You and I are different.”
At that time, she couldn’t really understand that man’s words, so she only lowered her head. But now reflecting on what he said back then…
Why did Haurse refer me as ‘piece of paper’ at that time? And why did he always act like he knew the future? The main reason why Haurse received a high position was because he foresaw and prevented a great flood.
The day after I killed Haures, I definitely saw the word ‘transfer completed.’
She felt weird. It cannot be denied that all of these things were related to each other. In the end, as if struck by lightning, Fanora realized something.
“No way, this world is the same world in the novel where Vasago is the main character…” Cold sweats broke out on her back as she faced a truth she could never have imagined. Her head thought such a thing didn’t make any sense, but her heart said this assumption was right.
No, that can’t be true.
Fanora held her breath with an expression that didn’t know if she should smile or cry. If only there were no ears around her, she would definitely scream loudly.
This is a romance novel?
She couldn’t believe that none other than her life was just a scenario written by someone. Right now, it was just a dubious and joking assumption, but it was something she would have no choice but to believe some day.
Still, this nameless magic is worth using.
Her life as Fanora Celsius was pretty good now. She just wanted those people who inflicted pain on her to die, and now everything in her life was just a tool to achieve that dream.
If only I could know every move of Vasago, who is the top of the noble society. Maybe this magic has something to do with that.
Fortunately, the main character of the novel was one of her enemies. Rather, if her life was ruined because of the scenario, that added more reason.
Well then, isn’t it self-defense as a victim if I screwed up the story?
She lay down after staring blankly at the scenery of her desolate room. Gradually, Fanora began to be interested in the novel that appeared at midnight.
* * *
“Oh my gosh, thank you, Lady.”
“This is only for you, Shuteri. It won’t be good if others find out that I favored you, so please keep it a secret. Instead, I will come to you if I have any other request.”
“Of course! There are a lot of people who get jealous of me who will become a knight. I will keep my mouth shut so they won’t bother Lady at all.”
A few hours later, before Fanora could even eat, she went back to the apprentice knight named Shuteri and paid the promised price.
Even if he exchanges those earrings for money, it wouldn’t last long.
It was a risky deal. Shuteri, a gambling addict, needed a lot of money, so he might have blackmailed Fanora into asking for more if the money from sold earrings had run out. But it wasn’t something to worry about right now.
Fanora walked the hallway in the early morning and headed somewhere.
* * *
3. I’ve Read Up
“Huh? Seir! Whose ring is that? You said you didn’t have money.”
“It’s not like that~ Somehow, I just got it.”
“Did Madam give it to you?”
“No. It’s just Lady Vanora… gave me this yesterday to thank me for treating her well.”
It was 07.00 a.m. The servants of the mansion have already started their day. This was because before their masters got up, the paths they walked must be polished.
“Seir, you’re too kind. Doesn’t Lady say that she doesn’t like you and blames you for nothing? Just like when she complained about her meals.”
“It’s because Lady looks so lonely. When she’s in a good mood, she treats me like this.”
“Urgh, if I were you, I wouldn’t be able to serve her like that. I would rather be in charge of doing laundry for the rest of my life. They won’t ever understand how we’re feeling.”
No matter how busy the servants were, it wasn’t to the point where they couldn’t even exchange a few words with their fellow workers. Particularly, the servant named Seir was the exclusive maid of Fanora Celsius. So, she had more free time than others.
“Hey, I’m grateful that you think of me, but there are many ears in the mansion. I’m worried that you might get hurt by cursing Lady Fanora.”
“You’re really kind even after getting used by her.”
But, why did Seir become the exclusive maid of Fanora Celsius? This was because at the age 11 years old, she had been the servant who took care of that mother and daughter.
Seir, who learned things quickly, caught the eyes of Fanora’s mother and was chosen as a maid to help them dress up. A few years later, when Fanora’s biological mother died suddenly, it was natural for Seir, who was originally her mother’s maid, to become Fanora’s maid.
“Anyway, I will go first, Sei. See you later in the evening!”
“Yes. I will be free in the evening!”
Seir had always been kind to her co-workers and courteous to her superiors. She was the ideal worker, so many people in the mansion liked her. However, that behavior changed only in front of one person.
Just now, the ring she wore on her hand wasn’t her.
Even if I had my own ring, I couldn’t brag about it.
It was the ruby ring that Fanora had taken out and wiped out off the dirt, which she had brought at her own will.
Anway, it’s a waste for her. If I had been born as a noble, I wouldn’t have lived like her. I will wear a fancy dress every day and go partying from one estate to another…
She glanced at the ring as she walked in the entrance of the mansion’s first floor, where a large chandelier was shining.
At lunch today, a repairman was scheduled to come to replace the chandelier in the hall. The other servants must be busy for a while, helping take down that large chandelier and wiping off the dust.
Seir already had a headache due to the work that would follow, but for now, she decided to enjoy her free time in the morning. Fortunately, she didn’t have to busily help to replace the chandelier.
When it was time to wake Fanora, went to Fanora’s room and spent some time alone there. She looked at the mirror, regardless of whether the missing lady was eating or going to the bathroom.
Seeing they’re believing that lady is giving a ring to me, will I be able to steal the budget of clothes for Fanora? Hmm, no. It’s dangerous to touch that.
After a while, Fanora returned to her room. Sier looked at her master and laughed for no reason.
“Pfft, what’s wrong with your steps?”
Seir was always like that. When there were only the two of them, she looked down on her weak master, but when they were in public, she immediately pretended to be a loyal servant.
No one knew that Seir was harassing Fanora to satisfy her lowly desires. No, even if they knew, they were humans who closed their eyes in that situation. Almost everyone in this mansion looked down on Fanora.
“Lady, it’s already mealtime. I will bring you something to eat.”
But what could Fanora do about it? In the end, that two-faced woman won. Seir in her past had a happy ending. Far from paying the price for abusing her, she received a huge dowry as a retirement gift and married a good man then lived happily even after. Of course, that was until Fanora killed Haures.
“Is this Lady Fanora’s meal today?”
Seir stopped by the kitchen and arranged the food on the silver tray. She didn’t forget to put a white apron over her neat black uniform, and, as usual, put a handful of salt in the pocket of that apron.
Now, all she had to do was to bring this tray to its gloomy owner, and her morning work would be over. Fanora rarely went out for a walk or invited her friends, so she didn’t have any work to do after that.
“Take it careful so it won’t shake. I poured a lot of sauce.”
“I’ll be careful.”
But, why did no one care about the daughter of a noble family being treated like that? In fact, there was no one in this mansion who protected Fanora Celicus. It was because it had been seven years since the first madam died.
No. After all, she wasn’t even on her side, right?
It was like a well known secret that everyone in this mansion knew about. Fanora was born from a wheat-haired man named Bael Celsius and his first wife, who had soft lilac hair. The newborn Fanora looked the same as all babies did, and her fingertips that were tightly holding her mother’s sleeves made her quite cute.
But all of that only lasted for a while. Just looking at Fanora Celsius’s hair, which was colored black, completely different from her parents. Besides, her eyelashes were too dense, and she often suffered from skin diseases and spots.
No one really has affection for her. She’s not pretty nor charming, so it’s natural for her to be hated.
But it actually didn’t really matter that Fanora’s appearance was far from the beauty standards. The beginning of her misfortune was when her father, Bael Celsius, had a little doubt when he saw his daughter, born with black hair and black eyes.
“Huh. This child must be someone else’s daughter who was born from your affair. There’s no way she’s my daughter!”
From one day Fanora’s father began to suspect that his wife had cheated on him. No matter where he looked, the child had no resemblance to him nor his wife, so he wondered if she was resembling the man her wife had an affair with.
His first wife shouted that she never did that when she was being suspected. She merely insisted that her child’s black hair must be from her family ancestors which had black hair. But the sparks of doubt couldn’t be extinguished.
Bael Celsius gradually neglected his first wife. In particular, he never treated their daughter as his child. To make matters worse, the Countess miscarried her hard-earned baby when Fanora was only two years old. But how could the Countess alone be blamed for the death of their baby?