Chapter 17
The knights, startled by the sudden incident, were about to rush over, but it wasn’t that serious, so I waved my hand to stop them.
My shoulder stung quite a bit, but the person who had fallen looked more hurt. Filled with apology, I looked down at them, about to speak—
And then my eyes widened.
‘Huh?’
The first thing I saw was hair revealed beneath the shaken hood. The ends of it sparkled in the bright sunlight like jewels. It was a vivid, glittering gold.
‘Can hair like that even exist in this world?’
When I first read Red Rose, I remembered grinning at the description of the female lead.
“Teshya von Akta.
The only daughter of the Duke of Akta. Yet her circumstances were far from fortunate.
Her beauty, which seemed destined to be loved by all, instead shackled her.
Teshya was delicate like a doll. Her shimmering golden hair was so unique that once seen, its color could never be forgotten.
Her light, radiant blue eyes reflected in many hues like sapphires, and the firm expression that rarely crumbled only accentuated her beauty further.
And when Adrian saw those eyes, he fell in love at first sight, as if pierced by an arrow. He tightened his jaw briefly, as though biting his tongue, and asked the knight beside him,
‘Who is that lady?’”**
I had once imagined just how extraordinary a beauty would have to be to make the arrogant male lead fall in love at first sight.
And now, a lovely girl who mocked all my shabby imagination was looking up at me with tearful eyes.
‘Oh my God.’
It felt like I’d just been struck hard in the back of the head. The same shock as when I first saw Vasilisa.
It didn’t feel like there could be another face like that in this world.
‘Don’t tell me… is that really Teshya? Our noble and beautiful female lead from Red Rose?!’
While I stood there dumbly with my mouth open, someone moved before I could speak.
My hot-tempered temporary attendant.
“Hey. Apologize.”
In an extremely curt tone, Vasilisa lightly nudged the fallen person’s knee with his foot. It didn’t hurt—but it was undeniably rude.
‘…!’
As if by magic, the hood slipped down.
The hair that had only shown her bangs spilled out like a shampoo commercial—shimmering beautifully, scattering in a cascade of light. Even passersby unconsciously stopped to stare.
Including me.
Sasha even murmured, “Oh my, what a beautiful color,” completely out of place.
But… I had to admit it too.
Her eyes were truly beautiful. The kind that forced admiration at first glance. Enchanting. Transparent like morning dew. As if this was exactly how the female lead’s childhood was meant to be.
“Did you glue honey to your lips? Why aren’t you saying anything?”
The dazed atmosphere shattered under Vasilisa’s sharp voice.
‘Is he emotionally dried up or something?’
I stared at him in disbelief, watching him derail like a runaway train.
You fool. You’ve really lost it. You’re going to regret this later, kicking your blankets at night.
I grew anxious.
Was this moment supposed to exist originally? Or had it changed because of me?
I didn’t know whether Vasilisa and Teshya were destined to meet here. That wasn’t in the novel. But in the Red Rose I knew, their first meeting happened much later, when they were older.
If I wasn’t mistaken, that girl was definitely Teshya.
Why was the only daughter of the powerful Akta ducal family here right now?
My thoughts tangled.
Why is she here? Should I even interfere? Was there originally some hidden meeting between the protagonists?
But Vasilisa was different from what I knew. And she was different too.
Could it really be… because of me?
“Um, excuse me…”
At that moment, my eyes met the girl’s hesitant gaze.
“Are… are you hurt?”
It felt like crystalline beads clinking together. How could a voice be that pretty?
“N-no.”
My heart felt ready to burst from meeting the female lead I had dreamed of.
Yes. She had to be Teshya. If someone else in this world met all those conditions, then the author must have gone mad.
So this was the first meeting between the female and male leads—
‘Hmm.’
The moment I realized it, I unconsciously stepped back.
How long had I dreamed of seeing the protagonists?
And here I was, witnessing their meeting.
Vasilisa just hadn’t properly seen her yet. In a moment, surely, he would have his fateful first encounter.
I smiled warmly at the two of them—but for some reason, the conversation didn’t flow as I expected.
“Our lady coughs blood if she’s even lightly bumped.”
It was clearly provocative.
I stared in horror like a tragic painting.
Vasilisa? What nonsense are you spouting to our noble female lead?
“Compensation of about a thousand gold should be eno—”
“Ahahaha!”
Shut up.
I lunged forward and clamped my hand over Vasilisa’s elegant mouth.
I must have been desperate—because Vasilisa, who could dodge my movements with his eyes closed, let himself be caught.
His eyes cursed me wildly, but I swallowed hard while looking at our precious Teshya.
‘S-so pretty.’
Even prettier up close.
It was a different kind of loveliness from Vasilisa’s beauty—the kind where he could walk around declaring himself handsome and no one would argue.
I had no affection for Vasilisa as a character anyway!
Teshya! Teshya and Adrian! They were on another level!
In reality, Teshya felt like someone had gathered cotton candy and shaped it into a person. Soft and fluffy—like a round little chick.
So this is what a female lead is.
The kind of loveliness that colors everything around her.
Her large, jewel-like eyes captured me.
“I-I’m sorry. I suddenly ran into you. Are you hurt…?”
“No, I’m fine!”
“B-but…”
She glanced at Vasilisa, clearly wounded by his cold words.
No, my lady. I’m not that weak… well, maybe I am. But still—could I at least hold your hand once? I’ve always rooted so hard for your love story.
The male lead is Adrian, you know?
“Um, by the way…”
Her chick-like lips parted slightly as she tried to say something to me.
“That’s enough, noona.”
“Huh?”
If only Vasilisa hadn’t suddenly grabbed my shoulders and spun me around, I could have heard her nightingale voice once more!
“W-what are you doing? She’s talking!”
“I said it’s enough. Let’s go, noona.”
“Wait. She’s still—”
“It’s hot. Let’s hurry.”
Though I managed to turn my head, for some reason today both Sasha and Vasilisa were united in pushing me forward.
The last thing I saw was the girl, who had been looking at me with sorrowful eyes, sniff once before standing up bravely and dusting off her knees.
Ahh, Teshya! My female lead!
Please let Adrian be the male lead!
Even after returning to my room at the estate as if fleeing, I was still dazed.
Was the person I just saw really our Teshya unni?
But surely there couldn’t be another person who sparkled so brightly just by existing.
‘It must be Teshya. Though Vasilisa’s cold reaction was strange…’
I felt like I was floating on clouds—until Vasilisa, who had been grumbling, was summoned away, and the chattering maids who had clung to me all left like the tide going out, leaving the room empty.
‘But… is this really something to be happy about?’
Staring at the flickering lamp, I felt as if cold water had been poured over me.
“Ah!”
Damn it. The female lead?
My reason snapped back and grabbed me by the collar.
With a bitter expression, I looked at my still-somewhat unfamiliar reflection in the mirror.
“The world of a novel.”
I had vaguely thought that one day I might at least glimpse the backs of the female or male leads.
I was an extra. I had no presence.
Even if I had some utility, no one would pay attention to me. I was the owner of a useless Tilet with an excessively weak body.
But what was my reality now?
Vasilisa, the violent figure from Red Rose who shouldn’t even have appeared yet, had dropped into my life as an unexpectedly cute boy.
And Teshya—the dazzling, doll-like girl—had collided with me like a lost child, creating a first meeting.
“Should I be happy about this or not?”
I laughed faintly.
‘At this rate, Adrian might just pop up too.’
I scratched my chin absentmindedly.
The original story hadn’t even begun yet, so I couldn’t measure anything.
If something had changed because Vasilisa was staying here… then why had Teshya come to our territory?
‘For what reason?’
I wasn’t naïve. I wasn’t some greenhouse flower.
Teshya’s eyes had looked very clear—but I already knew her reality wasn’t beautiful.
If there was some sign… if someone had begun planting their feet in our territory for political reasons I didn’t know about…
