CHAPTER 18………………………………………….
Riana looked up at Ban, who was asking with his eyes what she meant, and smiled brightly.
“Both of them are equally clueless. Neither has any experience with romance. They’re a perfect match, if you ask me.”
“Big sister!”
“Shut up. And do you think it’s polite to leave a woman alone in that huge room while you two gossip here? If it were me, I’d suspect you’re mocking her.”
Ban’s eyes widened as if realizing his mistake, and he quickly turned his back and disappeared. Riana sighed as she watched his retreating figure. Behind her, Kabes chuckled softly.
“Your Highness can be clueless too, you know.”
“…….”
Riana turned her face to look at her love and smiled faintly.
“You could use a little common sense, you know? If you don’t want to get divorced right after getting married.”
“…….”
She was a strong woman who could handle a younger man. A strong older sister who had raised two younger brothers by herself.
Late in the evening, she returned to the mansion, quickly washed up, and lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Even though nothing special had happened, her whole body felt drained, as if she’d walked for two full days. Wearing heels made her calves ache, and her neck, held stiffly upright, was stiff and sore.
She expected to fall asleep immediately, but the fatigue made it impossible to drift off. She finally fetched a hot towel, placed it on her neck, and closed her eyes. Memories of the day passed one by one in the darkness.
No matter how much she thought about it, it had been a spectacular day. From the pride battle with Elian, greeting the crown prince in front of everyone, to talking with Riana and Kabes—it all felt surreal. Each of them had excelled in their respective fields.
Meeting such people was rare enough, but she had even held conversations with them. And on top of that, she had a private meeting with Ban, the crown prince. When he left her alone briefly, she wondered if he was toying with her, but seeing his flustered expression when he returned proved otherwise.
―That’s not it!
Ban had rushed to defend himself, shouting that it wasn’t what it looked like, and from then on, he seemed determined to focus on her, leading several conversations proactively. By the time she felt her lips were chapped and her jaw ached from talking, Riana came in, allowing her to escape.
Thinking back, it was remarkable. She wasn’t an old friend; this was their first proper conversation, yet they had talked for over an hour. And that person was the crown prince. They even exchanged names and chatted freely. Though she kept it secret from her parents, today’s events were undeniable reality.
Rolling onto her side, she pictured Ban’s face. His red eyes were undeniably attractive… She didn’t fully understand what he was thinking in approaching her, but even she, clueless as she was, could tell he was interested.
Recently, after the contract with Marquis Roman Verhart, he had apparently taken an interest in her—probably influenced by that. Riana and Kabes had even mentioned it. But was it really such a huge deal?
From there, the snowball grew, eventually leading to her conversation with Ban. And moreover…
―Prepare yourself for tonight.
A sigh escaped her lips. Even trying not to think about it, thoughts spilled out uncontrollably.
“What on earth made me say something so embarrassing?”
She wished she could go back in time and shake her dazed self, shouting, “STAY!” But it was already a cringe-worthy memory that would follow her forever. Ten years from now, she might still kick the blanket thinking about this day.
Anyway, she had exchanged trivial stories that didn’t matter much and parted ways with Ban.
She wondered if he liked her, but he hadn’t tried to hold her back or asked to meet again. She thought maybe she wasn’t interesting to him, but she hadn’t even hoped to get close, so she wasn’t disappointed.
If someone asked if she dreamed of being a Cinderella, she couldn’t fully deny it. Yet she was quite satisfied with Lydia’s life: a noble family, better looks than before, a harmonious household, and considerable wealth that stood out among nobles.
Did she really need to become a Cinderella? She already had money and happiness. All she wanted was for her connection with Elian to end.
The only relief was that she had managed to leave a positive impression on the crown prince. Even if Elian threw a tantrum later, it wouldn’t affect her. But just in case, she recalled what needed to be done tomorrow.
Would Elian come to work? If she did, she’d have to explain yesterday’s events.
Or maybe there was no need to explain—she could just ignore her. Keep her distance, give her some business to manage independently, or suggest she quit.
No matter how whimsical Elian’s mind was, she surely wouldn’t cling to her today. Prideful as she was, today’s events must have knocked her down a notch. Lydia closed her eyes.
The moment she entered the office, she couldn’t believe what she saw. Her jaw dropped.
Was she dreaming? Did she misunderstand yesterday? Or had she walked into the wrong office?
Frozen in disbelief, a voice called out.
“Lydia, you’re here?”
It was Elian, cheerful and infuriatingly so, waving with a bright smile.
“Late today. Was it because of the party yesterday?”
“You… you…”
She tried to speak but couldn’t, letting out a nervous laugh. Elian sat at her desk, tidying documents, looking serious.
The documents Elian had thrown yesterday had decreased somewhat. Lydia scanned the neatly stacked files and looked at her again.
She was smiling. At her.
“I didn’t finish the paperwork the day before yesterday, so I came a little early today. There’s a lot to catch up on, so I better start early.”
Not wrong—but coming from Elian, it was absurd. Was she sick?
Throwing her bag on a chair, Lydia approached the desk, placing her palm on it, slightly leaning forward, frowning.
“What are you thinking?”
“Huh? About what?”
“Don’t play dumb. What are you thinking?”
Her eyes, like a blue lake, stared calmly. Her makeup was lighter than usual, making her face look innocent. Seeing Elian, usually in dresses, in an office dress felt strange.
Biting her lip, Lydia spoke again.
“Why are you here, Elian? What are you scheming?”
“Scheming? Nothing like that.”
Elian laughed, covering her mouth with her hand before speaking cheerfully again.
“I just didn’t want to put off my work.”
“Your work? You mean this paperwork?”
“Well, yeah?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Elian. Have you ever done paperwork yourself? Not once, as far as I remember. You’ve always dumped it on me. You didn’t come early to organize these files with your own hands.”
Lydia crossed her arms, glaring at her.
“What changed your mind? You stormed off saying you’d quit the other day. So why come back?”
“Ah, I just got excited back then. Do you think I’d really abandon our business? You’re not mad at that, are you? If you are, I’m sorry. Calm down, okay?”
Her tone was softer, gentler than usual—but it made Lydia even more uneasy.
“…What do you want?”
“Huh?”
“I said, what do you want? I can’t understand why you’re doing this, Elian.”
“Want? Nothing like that. We’re friends, right, Lydia?”
Friends. Fine. Friends who are true and honest are always welcome. But someone who treats you as inferior isn’t a friend.
To Lydia, who had lost all affection for Elian, she was not a friend.
Frowning, Lydia stepped back and exhaled. This is what I expected.
“I’ll decide based on what you do.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll work harder than before.”
Elian smiled, clenched her fist, and Lydia looked away. As she picked up her bag to leave, Elian followed.
“Where are you going? Not doing your work?”
“Out on business.”
“Out on business? Did you have something scheduled?”
“No.”
She only met Elian’s eyes and said lightly:
“If not, I’ll make an excuse to go out.”
“Lydia…!”
She brushed off Elian’s hand and opened the door, ignoring her calls.
She didn’t know why Elian was acting like this—was she disappointed, or was she aiming for something? It was confusing.
But one thing was certain:
“…Annoying.”
She was cunning and obsessive, willing to hide or change herself to achieve her goals.
Elian was no ordinary opponent.
She wandered aimlessly into the streets, sitting on a bench like a lost child. It was work hours, but she had left everything in the office, so there was nothing to do. She thought of going home, but the sunshine was pleasant, and children played happily, so she stayed.
Looking up at the tree shading her, she closed her eyes. It was a feeling she’d never experienced in the city. Quiet… today was peaceful.
Her unsettled mood slowly melted away in the calm atmosphere. So this is why people move to the countryside.
Should she, with her wealth, also move to the countryside? If she couldn’t find a way back, she could settle here…
“Hmm.”
A way back? It was funny she hadn’t thought about it before. This was a different world. If she came here, surely there was a way back. Besides, magic existed here.
If she could rely on such supernatural means, returning to her original world shouldn’t be impossible…
Rubbing her chin, she stood and waved at a man waiting nearby.
“Taxi!”
Oh, right, there were no taxis here.
“I’ll take a carriage, then!”
The capital had everything. Let’s go see some magic!
If you want, I can also create a polished, novel-style English version that reads more smoothly for storytelling while keeping all the details. This one is a literal translation.
Do you want me to do that?
