Chapter 38
The Girls’ First Love and Superstition (1)
“Thank you so much for attending my tea party today.”
With Rozanne’s gentle greeting, the tea party officially burst into chatter and excitement.
All the young ladies except me seemed familiar with one another, exchanging greetings and asking after each other’s well-being.
Watching them, I recalled what Rozanne had told me on the way here.
Five young ladies who had achieved their first loves, the places they confessed, and the timing of it all.
These were the things I needed to learn today.
And they would become crucial hints in finding the “Place of Love” where people from this other world were gathering.
But how exactly was I supposed to—?
“Lady Odelia?”
“Yes?”
Startled by the unfamiliar title, I lifted my head. Across from me, a girl with pink hair gave a polite eye smile.
To someone from the 21st century like me, it was such an awkward and burdensome way to greet someone.
Still, acting stiffly here would only draw unnecessary suspicion, so I returned the smile as best I could, mimicking Odelia’s manner.
I worried that my smile looked forced, but fortunately, my socially practiced grin reassured the pink-haired girl.
“Is this your first time at a gathering like this, Lady Odelia?”
At her question, the other girls’ eyes all turned toward me.
In most romance-fantasy novels, this was the moment when someone subtly implied, “You’ve been a shut-in until now, haven’t you?”
But the girl who had asked me didn’t seem to mean any harm.
Maybe because her question was born out of genuine curiosity, the girls’ eyes were sparkling with interest.
“Yes, it’s my first time. I’ve been too frail to leave the house much.”
“Oh my, how unfortunate…”
As I used the classic “frail girl” excuse, something I’d seen in Odelia’s character settings a few times, the girls’ gazes grew sympathetic.
…Hmm, maybe I overdid it?
“Now that you mention it, this is the first time I’ve seen you since our debut.”
“That’s right! I thought you were so beautiful when I first saw you.”
Other girls nodded in agreement with the short-haired, sky-blue girl.
They all seemed to be around Odelia’s age.
I guess it made sense if they debuted into society around the same time.
“At the debut party at the imperial palace, didn’t you leave early? Was it because—?”
“Yes, I wasn’t feeling well that day either…”
Pretending to be delicate really sent chills through my whole body.
Even Rozanne, sitting nearby, covered her mouth in surprise.
But I couldn’t abandon this sickly persona I’d worked so hard to build, so I gave myself a little mental pep talk.
I am delicate Odelia. Frail Odelia.
But what’s sick? Ugh, say your brain hurts. Call it a mental illness or something.
In this utterly absurd situation, I put down my teacup and acted as if I were faint from illness.
“Ah…”
“Lady Odelia! Are you alright?”
“Yes, just a little dizziness…”
“To be in such pain… Where exactly are you unwell?”
A girl with mint-green hair tied up in a bun furrowed her brows in concern.
I appreciated the worry, but saying “my brain hurts” would be a bit much.
“Lady Odelia has been suffering from the illness of love lately.”
That’s when Rozanne stepped in.
“You all know how painful love sickness can be.”
Her words, full of camaraderie, made all the girls nod in agreement.
Seeing their cheeks flush with romantic excitement, I couldn’t help but think, Ah, they really are just girls.
One girl gently took my hand to reassure me.
“That’s how love is. I’m Selene Green. If you ever want to talk, just let me know.”
“I’m Bella Kritcher. You can talk to me anytime.”
“I’m Sophia Herb. Please don’t hesitate. I’ll tell you anything you want to know!”
“When it comes to love, you can’t leave us out in high society. I’m Paella Musk.”
“I’m Jasmine Blair. Just call me Jasmine.”
Following Selene, the gray-haired young lady, Bella, Sophia, Paella, and Jasmine introduced themselves in turn.
Their gentle, caring looks toward me were actually endearing.
When I was younger, I didn’t understand why adults said “you’ll miss this time of your life,” but now I was starting to get it.
“So, who’s your crush?”
Paella leaned in close to the table and whispered.
The other girls perked up their ears, eager to hear my response.
But I didn’t even like anyone right now—who could I possibly say?
Jinah.
At that moment, a familiar voice stirred my memory.
A voice that had always been honest and kind.
Cool hair that would wrap around my fingers, a body that wordlessly asked to be loved.
“Lady Odelia?”
“Y-Yes?”
Paella’s voice jolted me back to reality.
My head spun as though drunk on those pomegranate-red eyes.
“That’s how love is.”
Sophia gently clasped my hands and closed her eyes dreamily.
She looked like a girl completely in love.
“You must really like him. Who could be so incredible that you’d look so dazed?”
“Someone who can steal Lady Odelia’s heart must be quite something!”
Bella and Selene squirmed in curiosity.
Their words made me slowly blink.
Like him? Who likes whom?
“No! It’s not like that!”
I shook my head at their excited misunderstanding.
Love? Who was loving whom?
Yes, a certain image had surfaced in my mind, but that didn’t mean it was love.
It was just someone I saw every day. That’s all.
“I don’t like him. We just meet a lot, so I ended up thinking about him…”
“But you keep thinking about him, right?”
Jasmine, who had been quietly sipping tea, suddenly grasped my hand.
Her palm wasn’t like the other noble girls’—it was rough with calluses. The weight of it made my heart lurch.
“When you imagine being beside him, it makes you happy, but you also worry your flaws won’t match up, right?”
The others nodded at Jasmine’s words.
But I couldn’t.
Rudolph and I didn’t have that kind of relationship.
We just smiled and had fun together.
I needed to change him to survive, and he only treated me warmly because he craved affection.
Besides, what do you mean being unworthy beside him?
Odelia’s face isn’t something that dims beside anyone.
Even if it’s pretty-boy Rudolph—he’s just hot in a different genre, that’s all.
As I tried to deny it, Jasmine gave me a gentle smile, as if urging me to think carefully.
“Don’t you want to touch him when he’s near?”
My eyes involuntarily shifted to the hand that often caressed my cheek.
“His fingertips, a lock of his hair—don’t you want to touch and be touched? Stay close like that forever?”
“I…”
“I did.”
Jasmine met my gaze with a soft smile.
A rosy hue colored her white cheeks.
“I always wanted to be close to him.”
She looked so in love, so happy, so lovely—I couldn’t help but feel envious.
Who would believe that?
That someone from a novel—a background character who might not even be mentioned by name—could say they were in love and make me jealous?
If the original main character said that, who would believe it?
But in that moment, I truly envied her.
Because I knew I’d never love like that.
“I’m not.”
“Lady Odelia…”
My muttered words brought sighs of sympathy from the girls.
To assure them not to worry, I gave them a reassuring smile.
“I just mean… I don’t like him that way. We’re just friends.”
The girls sighed in disappointment.
Then Rozanne, who had been watching the whole time, jabbed me in the ribs.
“But you’re curious about him, right? Aren’t you?”
In a cheerful tone, Rozanne whispered quietly so only I could hear:
“You need to find the Place of Love, remember? Try lying a little.”
Oh, right! I had forgotten my mission.
Recalling my purpose, I quickly fixed my expression.
“I am curious. We see each other all the time, after all.”
My words lit up the girls’ faces with excitement.
“What kind of person is he? Is it someone we know?”
Paella, who had been the most enthusiastic from the start, leaned forward excitedly.
She’s going to knock over her teacup at this rate.
How should I explain this? After a brief pause, I spoke.
“He’s beautiful.”
The girls’ cheeks flushed red at my words.
Like high school girls hearing a teacher’s love story, they listened eagerly, and their cuteness encouraged me to continue.
“His personality isn’t the best, but he’s kind to me and always honest.”
“If Lady Odelia says he’s beautiful, I can’t even imagine how stunning he must be.”
“What does he look like? What color is his hair?”
The questions came rapid-fire.
“Hmm, his hair is long and white. Almost as long as mine.”
“White hair? Is he a mage?”
“Yes.”
At my reply, Sophia gasped and covered her mouth.
Most mages had pale or colorless hair, often close to white.
Not all, but the more prominent ones usually did.
And among them, white hair…
“Wait… white hair—don’t tell me, someone from the Tower’s upper ranks?”
Selene covered her mouth in disbelief.
Bella tugged at her arm, urging her to go on.
“Mages in the upper ranks of the Tower are people even royalty tread carefully around! My family knows a few of them, too.”
Selene said as she stroked her gray hair.
Her family was probably full of mages.
Looking stunned, Selene pressed me for an answer.
“Just how great of a person have you fallen for? That doesn’t sound like love that could ever come true.”
That was my cue. I lowered my head and gave the most sorrowful smile I could muster.
“Yes, that’s why I’m giving up. It’s a fate that could never be, even if I died and came back.”
“Lady Odelia…”
“But talking to you all like this has made me feel a little better. Now I think I can finally let go—”
“You mustn’t!”
Paella suddenly slammed the table and stood up.
Ah, the hot-bloodedness of youth really is terrifying.
