Chapter 6
I left the Crown Prince’s palace. Since I didn’t know the layout well, my first thought was to stop by the library and borrow a map.
The immediate task was finding the library in this vast palace. But today seemed to be one of those lucky days.
Perhaps because of Muzel’s striking appearance, people tended to strike up conversations with me. This time, by chance, a palace staff member I ran into spoke to me in a friendly manner.
“Oh, Assistant Muzel! Where are you headed?”
“I’m on my way to the library.”
“Oh, perfect. I happen to be going that way too.”
“Shall we go together?”
This was exactly the lifeline I needed, so I grabbed onto it immediately.
Thanks to the angel I met by chance, I safely arrived at the library and went straight to the librarian to request a map.
The librarian tilted their head in puzzlement.
“Why do you need a map?”
I casually made an excuse.
“It’s my first time going that way today.”
“I see.”
No problem—quest cleared. I carefully folded the map the librarian handed me and put it in my jacket pocket.
After a long walk, I finally exited the palace.
“All right, now…”
I glanced around.
On the wide avenue, people and carriages were moving together in a chaotic mix. It seemed this was a time before roads and sidewalks were separated.
I carefully observed the people. Just then, a gentleman raised his hand as if hailing a taxi. A carriage quickly came up and stopped in front of him.
“Oh!”
This was exactly what I needed. A person had to be observant to survive.
I quickly raised my hand, just like that man. The carriage recognized my signal and stopped right in front of me.
“To the harbor, please.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Having learned how to hail a carriage, it seemed I wouldn’t have any trouble getting around the capital for the time being.
Looking back, I realized borrowing the map was unnecessary. Only now did I understand why the librarian had looked so puzzled.
After checking the cargo shipment at the harbor, I headed straight for the sanctuary.
The sanctuary resembled a contemporary church or cathedral. Quiet and sacred, it seemed perfect for prayer.
“Phew…”
I exhaled and looked up at the sanctuary building. Its prayer rooms had windows closed when occupied and open when empty.
Could Evangeline be in one of them right now? I decided to trust my streak of luck until the end today.
Sitting on a bench, I gazed at the serene garden of the sanctuary.
Unlike the artificial palace gardens, this one had been kept as natural as possible. That made it feel different from the palace gardens, in a pleasant way.
I thought I might come here often—for a change of scenery.
I took a pocket watch from my pocket to check the time.
“Hmm…”
I would need to return to the palace eventually. Even if I didn’t meet Evangeline, there was no need to be anxious. Today wasn’t the only day.
In the novel, the meeting began when Muzel happened to see Evangeline walking in the sanctuary with a broken heel.
“Heels really are inconvenient.”
I chuckled quietly. Having just recently lived as a working professional in suits, I knew firsthand the trouble of wearing pointed heels.
I put the watch back in my pocket and slowly stood up.
Was my streak of luck ending here? Would I have to return without seeing Evangeline after all?
Then—
“Oh!”
A faint scream came from somewhere.
I sprang from the bench. My luck wasn’t over yet!
I ran quickly toward the source of the sound.
“Excuse me, but is something wrong…”
I stopped mid-sentence, momentarily stunned.
A dazzling silver-haired woman, as if each strand were threaded with diamonds, turned toward me. Her golden-brown eyes looked almost translucent in the sunlight.
Seeing Evangeline crouched there, I stammered.
“E-Evangeline?”
The silver-haired woman slightly furrowed her brow.
“I am Evangeline, but it is not polite to call someone by name when we are meeting for the first time.”
Ah, right, a mistake. I quickly bowed my head.
“I’m sorry. I was startled and inadvertently acted rudely.”
Evangeline sighed softly and stretched her crouched body to stand.
“I know who you are too. You’re the newly appointed assistant to His Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince.”
“I’m honored that you know me. Please call me Muzel.”
I lowered my stance. She was the daughter of a central noble family based in the capital, and I was a lower-ranking noble from the provinces.
Even among nobles, there were hierarchies. Being wealthy didn’t mean being equal, just as in the modern world.
Though Muzel and Evangeline were both nobles by birth, Muzel had spent her childhood running around like a commoner and could not presume familiarity with Evangeline.
I offered another apology.
“Earlier, I was extremely rude. I had often heard of Countess Evangeline’s daughter, so seeing you in person startled me, and I made a mistake.”
“That’s fine. I may have overreacted too.”
Thankfully, Evangeline, being kind and gentle like the heroine, let my mistake pass smoothly.
I glanced at her broken shoe.
“By the way, walking in those shoes in that condition would be difficult.”
“Hm, I suppose so.”
Evangeline glared at the marble floor of the sanctuary. The heel had broken, caught in a small gap between the tiles.
I smiled.
“There is a way for you to safely reach the carriage…”
I deliberately left my sentence unfinished, observing her reaction.
Though I had failed to replicate the exact line from the novel because I mistakenly used her name, life was all about improvisation. As long as you reach the destination, the route doesn’t matter.
Evangeline asked with interest.
“You mean with these shoes?”
“Exactly. The first method is…”
I pointed at my own shoes.
“To swap them with mine. The second…”
This time I pointed at her foot.
“To break the other heel as well—like ballerina flats.”
In my world, flat shoes only became popular after the 1950s, so in this historical fantasy setting, flats weren’t yet common.
I hoped my guess was correct and waited for her response.
As expected, Evangeline smiled, intrigued.
“An unusual idea. Making both completely flat.”
“Since you have no attendant following you, I decided to break the mold as well.”
Evangeline boldly removed her other shoe and offered it to me.
“May I trouble you?”
I readily accepted the shoe and broke the heel without hesitation.
My actions were bold, but my words were careful.
“These are valuable shoes. I’m sorry.”
“Not at all. They were going to be unusable anyway.”
Evangeline tested her now-flat shoes on the floor. She smiled widely, pleased with the result.
“You’ve been a great help, Sir Muzel. I will repay you soon.”
Who would refuse such an offer?
“I don’t mind waiting for Countess Evangeline’s repayment. I’ll be expecting it.”
“Hehe, until next time, then.”
Evangeline’s silver hair swayed softly as she gradually walked away.
“Haah…”
I exhaled a long sigh once she was completely gone.
I had somehow survived the first meeting event. Although I had blundered by calling her name at the start, the heroine’s forgiving personality meant everything ended without issue.
“Wow. She’s really worth falling for.”
Knowing about Muzel but treating her respectfully, her appearance so beautiful that even I, as a woman, was momentarily captivated—truly a romance heroine. She had it all.
Unlike other stories where the male lead gradually falls for the heroine, Muzel had been captivated from the start. The novel repeatedly showed him as a secondary male character with considerate attention reserved only for the heroine.
Anyway, I had met everyone I needed to meet. Rumi’s “villainess possession” plot had moved past the setup phase.
“Tch, still a long way to go.”
I didn’t need the story’s rising action, just a clean ending—returning to the real world with Rumi.
After finishing my errands, I stopped by the post office before returning to the palace. I sent a telegram to Rumi.
<Met the heroine. How is it over there?>
The fewer characters used, the cheaper the telegram, so I kept it short.
Though I read the novel because of Rumi, I had actually been quite entertained.
The reason was the world setting.
I had always loved steampunk or Victorian-era settings, and A Certain Countess’s Turnaround Story completely matched my taste.
Of course, this world wasn’t identical to the Victorian era.
Like most romance fantasies, it was a blend of settings, creating a unique and charming world. Evidence of this was the sanctuary, said to occasionally deliver divine messages.
As I thought about the sanctuary, the post office clerk who had received my telegram smiled.
“It will be delivered by tomorrow morning.”
Oh, that was faster than I expected.
I waited for Rumi’s reply in a lighthearted mood.
