Chapter : 03
The cry of a monster echoed across the silent land.
The man quietly extended his hand and grasped the sword that had been leaning against the sofa.
These days, monsters had been appearing so frequently that they were even showing up near the mansion.
All of this was because the possessed one had left this place for some utterly ridiculous reason.
In the man’s expressionless face, his eyes flashed coldly.
His grip tightened around the hilt of the sword.
It didn’t matter if monsters appeared in droves. He could simply cut them down as they came.
What the man wanted was not something as trivial as a monster.
If the possessed one were to return…
The man rose from the sofa.
There was no hesitation in his steps as he walked down the corridor untouched by moonlight.
Staring at the darkness at the end of the hallway, the man made up his mind.
The moment I catch them, I’ll put a leash on them.
“Gasp.”
The moment I opened my eyes, I met my own gaze in the mirror and sucked in a sharp breath in surprise.
This is insane—drop-dead gorgeous…
My small face was filled with delicate, well-balanced features that harmonized perfectly.
My eyes were so large it almost seemed as if they had been artificially enlarged.
A small nose formed a pleasing curve, and even without makeup my cheeks and lips glowed with a rosy tint.
It felt like this must be what it’s like to see celebrities bare-faced in real life.
When I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the mirror, Ms. Laila, who had been watching me, glanced down at the documents in her hands and spoke.
“It’s a setting where you’re plain but pretty. If you choose flashy colors for your hair and eyes, you’ll become even prettier.”
“Pardon?”
Plain? To me, I already looked like an idol—no, a goddess.
“I’ll show you the color chart.”
A book filled with swatches of various hair colors was opened in front of me. I’d seen something like it at a hair salon before, but this one was on an entirely different scale.
I placed the heavy chart on my lap and carefully flipped through it.
A level of concentration I’d never even had while studying surged up inside me.
Rather than pink or red, a more neutral color would probably be easier to match with clothes, right?
To pull off the flashy dresses that appear in romance fantasy novels, a color that wasn’t too overwhelming seemed better.
I opened a page filled with sparkling blond shades.
There were outrageous names like “Summer Sunlight,” “A Spoonful of Fresh Lemon Juice,” and “Sunflower’s Wink.”
As I stared intently at the chart, Ms. Laila wheeled over a tray lined with contact lenses.
“Once you choose the colors, we can have you try them on right away.”
The tray reached up to Ms. Laila’s waist, and besides the two she brought over, there were several more behind her.
Dizzy from the riot of colors, I closed my eyes for a moment and spoke.
“I’ve decided.”
“Oh my, already? There are still so many colors I haven’t shown you yet!”
I opened my eyes with a small smile.
A color appropriate for a supporting role—one that wouldn’t stand out too much—floated into my mind.
“For my hair, this one… ‘Sand Shattered by Moonlight.’”
“Yes, yes.”
“And for my eyes, blue, but with a bit of gray mixed in… something like that.”
I wanted to follow the classic blond hair and blue eyes setting, but I didn’t want a vivid color that would draw too much attention.
Because I was just a supporting character.
Hearing my request, Ms. Laila rummaged through the tray for lenses and said,
“You mean pale sand-colored hair, like it’s been faded by sunlight, and bluish-gray eyes that seem to hold moonlight?”
“Huh…? No, it’s not that grand or poetic…”
As I shrank back and fumbled over my words, Ms. Laila exclaimed cheerfully,
“That’s exactly the same as the original setting! How did you know?”
“What?”
My personal taste matched the supporting role perfectly. It was a relief—but also strangely absurd.
“Isn’t it a bit too plain? You could choose something more glamorous.”
I shook my head.
“I like it.”
After all, I’d be holed up at home, and the only person staring at that face would be me.
When I shrugged, Ms. Laila applied hair essence from a glass bottle to my hair.
Miraculously, my black hair began to glow and change color, starting from the tips.
“Let’s change your eyes too!”
While I looked up at the ceiling, Ms. Laila dropped something like eye drops into my eyes.
“All done!”
I quickly lowered my head and looked in the mirror. A complete stranger was staring back at me.
Fine, sand-colored hair shimmered as if sprinkled with stardust.
Eyes like seawater stirred with a drop of moonlight looked like a great full moon.
As I leaned so close to the mirror I was nearly pressing my nose against it, marveling at how I’d become an entirely different person, Ms. Laila laughed and said,
“Now I’ll take you to the dressing room.”
There was still more to do?
Choosing hair and eye colors hadn’t taken that long, but I already felt drained.
Seeing my flustered expression, Ms. Laila pointed at my clothes.
“The bumblebee…”
Ah. Right.
I jumped to my feet.
“The first scene after possession takes place in the bedroom, so I’ll show you some sleepwear.”
As a professional homebody, I had firm philosophies about pajamas.
Soft cotton fabric that could survive frequent washing.
A slightly loose size, just in case it shrank in the dryer.
No lace or frills, since those rip after one wash.
Personally, I preferred checks or cute patterns over plain colors.
The thing that met all these conditions was a stretched-out cotton T-shirt, but…
A noble lady wearing a stretched-out T-shirt was probably a no-go, right?
“It’s a count’s family with average wealth, according to the setting. Please come this way.”
Anna, the staff member in charge of wardrobes, guided me.
The dressing room itself was enormous, and it seemed wardrobes were assigned by rank.
After passing a golden wardrobe that looked like it belonged to someone of very high status, we arrived at one decorated with elegant dark brown patterns.
The moment the doors opened, lace and frills burst out like springs.
Why are there so many kinds of these?
Ms. Laila and Ms. Anna lunged at the wardrobe.
They flipped through the hanging clothes with loud swishing sounds, pulling items out so fast their hands were a blur.
In no time, a mountain of clothes piled up on their arms.
“Let’s have you try this one first.”
As I reached out to take the clothes and head into the fitting room, I panicked when they suddenly pulled the bumblebee pajamas over my head.
“Aaah!”
Before I could even think, What was I wearing underneath?, a light, flowing silk dress was slipped onto me.
Before I could feel embarrassed, the two of them shoved me in front of the mirror.
Wait—does this place have no concept of human rights? I was about to protest when—
“Oh? It’s pretty.”
An unexpected sound came out of my mouth.
The white silk nightgown was simple and comfortable to move in—it fit my tastes perfectly.
But Ms. Laila and Ms. Anna clearly didn’t agree. They spoke in unison.
“It’s too plain.”
Before I could say anything, the second set of sleepwear was already being put on me.
…Could you please just possess me already?
I couldn’t even remember how many outfits I’d changed into.
I lay sprawled on the sofa in the dressing room, blinking blankly.
For someone who only ever shopped online, offline fittings were pure torture.
Shopping while lying down at home was the best, seriously…
Whether I was crumpled on the sofa or not, Ms. Laila and Ms. Anna were locked in a fierce debate, holding several outfits.
“I think elegant would be best.”
“No, she’s only just come of age. We can’t give up freshness.”
I had no desire to get involved in their heated argument.
As I sat quietly and looked around, an accessory case caught my eye.
I had no intention of choosing accessories at this point, but one bracelet strangely drew my attention.
I tiptoed over and examined it.
It wasn’t especially sparkly or made of precious gems, but it was strung with stones similar in color to my eyes, and I liked that.
Turning to the two of them, I said,
“I’ll go with the first, patternless nightgown. Instead, may I take one bracelet?”
Ms. Laila and Ms. Anna immediately forgot about the dresses and focused on the bracelet I’d mentioned.
“Oh my, that’s moonstone…”
Ms. Laila, who had been speaking in a high voice nonstop, suddenly hesitated. I tilted my head.
“Why? Is moonstone not allowed?”
At my question, Ms. Laila and Ms. Anna exchanged glances.
“…It’s not that, but that’s a mana stone.”
“It has protective abilities, and in the original story—”
Just as Ms. Laila began to speak hesitantly, a knock sounded at the dressing room door.
“Oh dear, it seems we’re out of time.”
Urged by the manager outside, the dress and bracelet I’d chosen ended up as the final selections.
When we went outside, the waiting manager began to explain.
“Once you pass through this door, your memories of this place will be erased, and the possession will begin.”
I nodded, and one of the staff from earlier handed me a small booklet.
“The guidebook cannot be reissued, so please take care of it.”
“Yes…”
I truly had no energy left. The manager opened the door.
Once I left this place, it’d be a bed!
I was more than ready to dive in.
As I passed through the door, a bright light filled my vision.
Feeling the strength drain from my body, I gently closed my eyes.
Deep within the imperial palace stood an altar.
The massive mana stone resting upon it began to glow and rose into the air.
A young page boy, cleaning around the altar with a bored expression, gasped in shock and dropped his broom at the sight.
“K-Knight!”
Before the page could even finish calling out, a knight rushed into the altar chamber and stared up at the sky in astonishment.
