Chapter 002
Inside the luggage wagon, where wooden crates and piles of straw rolled around together.
I had fallen asleep for a moment, and upon waking up, I rubbed my eyes vigorously and flopped back down onto the straw. I wasn’t sure if the sun was setting or if we were heading toward a colder region.
Or perhaps it was both?
As the chill gradually seeped in, I unconsciously wrapped my arms around myself, and my silver hair cascaded down, tickling my arms. I absentmindedly toyed with the fine strands of hair, reflecting on the moment I had changed clothes before boarding the wagon.
‘I was so shocked when I looked in the mirror while changing out of that dress earlier.’
Silvery-white hair that flowed past her shoulders down to her waist.
And more striking than anything else were those vivid red eyes.
It was an appearance that brought to mind a white rabbit on a snow-covered field.
A girl, looking too thin and youthful to be called an adult, had stared back at me in the mirror with wide, round eyes.
“My goodness, is this…… me?”
Hehe. To think the day would come when I’d actually say a line like that!
Since I had already anticipated the “possession,” accepting it wasn’t as hard as I thought. What was harder was the attitude toward subordinates.
They say you need to have experienced something to know how to handle it.
In my past life, I was a lackey who bowed every day to my advisor…… ahem, no, I was a graduate student. I couldn’t bring myself to strictly scold a maid who looked troubled while delivering the news that I had to ride in a luggage wagon.
Of course, I didn’t want to, nor did I feel the need to.
“To think the Grand Duchess would ride in the servants’ carriage with us……”
“It would be uncomfortable, wouldn’t it? I’m perfectly fine riding in the luggage wagon.”
Anyway, to the maids, a Grand Duchess would be like the highest-ranking boss in modern society.
Regardless of how long it took to reach the Grand Duchy, having to travel squeezed in with a high-ranking person they’d never met before?
I, too, wanted to avoid that at all costs.
It would be awkward and uncomfortable for me as well!
And more than anything else…….
“Please speak comfortably, Your Grace.”
“Um, alright. Anyway, I’m very tired right now, I don’t know anything, and I just want to lie down. There happens to be a lot of straw over there. It looks soft. Doesn’t it?”
Without worrying about anyone else’s gaze, I desperately wanted to just flop down and lie there…….
“Right, that’s how it was. I got on the luggage wagon and fell asleep as if I’d fainted.”
Have we not arrived at the Grand Duchy yet?
The surroundings were silent without a single voice, and only the sound of the wheels rattling over the road broke the stillness. In that white noise, I slowly retraced my memories.
Wait. Come to think of it!
“What happened to the ‘me’ from the original world?”
To think I’m only just remembering such an important matter!
The moment I realized it, the final memories of my original world—the ones I’d rather forget—flashed vividly through my mind.
It felt like it happened only yesterday.
If this place is reality and my original world was a dream, then that world was a nightmare.
“…….”
The doctoral thesis, which I thought was the end of my agonizing struggle, was ultimately canceled.
The reason was absurd.
It was because my advisor ended up going to prison for embezzlement.
In this world, could there be another graduate student as unfortunate as me, whose graduation was delayed for something like that?
“So clearly yesterday, um……”
So, yesterday, having returned to my studio apartment for the first time in a long while, I declared I’d rather die and downed a whole bottle alone with no one to stop me.
I fell asleep in that five-pyeong room that had turned into a literal dumpsite because I’d neglected it while eating and sleeping at the lab for months…….
What happened after that?
I vaguely remember shivering violently because it was so cold before I lost consciousness.
I had been so busy I didn’t even realize the seasons were changing, and although I went home for the first time in ages…
……Did I die?
Did I actually freeze to death after drinking in 21st-century Seoul?
“Grand Duchess.”
“Aaah!”
“Eek!”
While I was agonizing over it alone, the sudden sound of someone calling me startled me so much that I screamed and turned around instinctively.
Beyond the pulled-back curtain of the wagon stood a maid with a face twice as shocked as mine.
Was her name Betty?
The girl with chubby cheeks that suited her cute name regained her composure and spoke again.
“……Ahem. Your Grace, we have arrived at the Grand Duchy.”
As she spoke, Betty stepped aside as if telling me to get off.
Beyond her, the massive Grand Duke’s castle revealed its majesty.
As I stepped down from the wagon, servants from the castle began to organize the luggage.
“I will escort you to your residence.”
Having said her piece, Betty led the way with quick steps.
Passing by the ornate main gate that seemed to be the entrance to the castle, she headed toward a forest path off to the side.
Had it snowed recently?
The sound of the thick snow crunching under my feet was light and cheerful.
Judging by the fact that Betty’s and my footprints were the first ones there, it seemed like a path people didn’t travel often.
‘The first snow to be stepped on!’
Leaving fresh footprints on white snow is always a joy!
I followed Betty with a silent, giddy grin.
But my good mood was short-lived; the freezing wind blowing in felt like it was slicing my cheeks, and even my smile froze solid.
I wrapped the shawl around my shoulders tightly, but it wasn’t enough to block the cold wind.
“Shouldn’t you go back to an outfit that suits you?”
Before I got on the wagon, the Marchioness of Blanche had taken me aside under the guise of helping me change, away from others’ eyes.
Then, she stuffed not only my wedding dress but also my shoes and accessories into her bag.
After that, she threw a tattered dress and a pilled wool shawl at me.
At the time, since I didn’t even know where this Grand Duchy was located, I just went along with it, but…….
“Brrr.”
It’s too cold here!
Honestly, isn’t giving me just one shawl in this midwinter cold a bit too much?
They must have known we were heading somewhere cold!
‘But well, it’s a total stroke of luck to be separated from parents who hate me the moment I’m possessed.’
In other novels, the protagonists go through all sorts of suffering because of their families.
Compared to that, I’m on the lucky side.
I was basically handed a “Persecution Free Pass.”
“There might be twigs under your feet, so please be careful.”
Even if her tone was blunt, I was assigned a somewhat kind maid.
The cozy forest path was filled with the beautiful, natural atmosphere of the wild.
What’s there to complain about!
After walking for a few minutes like that:
“This is where Your Grace will be staying from now on.”
At the end of the path was a pretty cottage made of logs.
The place, which exuded a simple and pastoral vibe, sat quietly under the faint moonlight.
‘Jackpot.’
Moving to the countryside as soon as I’m possessed?
My humble dream of quitting the lab and the keyboard has finally come true!
Moreover, it was a beautiful cottage that looked like it belonged in a movie or a fairy tale book.
Suppressing my urge to jump for joy like a fool, I turned to look at Betty.
However, for some reason, Betty spoke with a troubled face.
“We’ve finished a basic cleaning for now, but since this annex has been empty for a long time, it is far too lacking for Your Grace, who was the daughter of a Marquis……”
“What are you talking about? It’s a truly beautiful house.”
“……Pardon?”
“Is there a bed in there too?”
“Most basic furniture is provided, but……”
“Perfect.”
I’m a commoner at heart anyway.
I’m a cost-effective person who finds great joy in small things.
In fact, I was quite pleased with the current situation.
When I gave a wide smile while looking back and forth between Betty and the cottage, her expression became peculiar.
It was as if she were trying to gauge if I were being serious or being subtly sarcastic.
Hey, I’m not that twisted of a person!
It was just as I was cheerfully swinging open the cottage door.
“Betty! Betty! That lady has arrived! Everyone’s saying she just passed the castle gates in an incredibly flashy carriage……!”
“Dora, shush!”
Another voice echoed from behind me.
Turning around, I saw a maid who looked to be about Betty’s age.
She didn’t seem to realize I was there; she jumped in surprise and bowed deeply.
“Gasp! Your Grace was here too…… I am terribly sorry!”
“That lady?”
Could she be talking about me?
When I asked back, a bit puzzled, the maid’s face turned red and then pale.
At this, Betty stepped in.
Her face looked a bit tense, but her tone was firm.
“It is nothing Your Grace needs to concern yourself with.”
“That lady isn’t me, is she?”
“Of course not, of course not!”
Betty widened her eyes, protesting her innocence.
Mm, I see. Okay!
I nodded simply and finished opening the door.
Right. Since the other maid said she arrived in an “incredibly flashy carriage,” it definitely wasn’t me.
‘But is there a reason for another noble lady to come here? It’s not like there’s a banquet.’
The question flashed through my mind for a moment, but:
‘Well, none of my business. Let’s just lie down first.’
No matter how much I’d been lying on straw the whole way here, how could it compare to a real bed!
As I was about to head inside while admiring the cozy interior of the cottage:
“…….”
For some reason, the two maids were still standing in the yard like statues, looking dazed.
I asked, not hiding my confusion.
“Don’t you have something urgent to do? Go on ahead.”
“Your Grace. Are you…… perhaps angry with us?”
“What are you talking about?”
These maids had been saying things I couldn’t understand for a while now.
Meanwhile, I kept stealing glances at the inside of the cottage.
Had they started a fire in advance? In the fireplace, logs were crackling!
I wanted to dive into that picture-perfect peace this very instant, but…….
‘Hmm, I suppose my priority should be sending these scared little lambs back first, right?’
Since I must be like a top-level boss to them, they seemed terrified of everything I did.
They really didn’t need to be.
I tried to put on the most harmless smile possible and spoke again.
“I’m not angry. It sounded like something urgent, so hurry along. And give my regards to that lady you mentioned earlier.”
Strangely, however, their complexions turned even paler.
