Chapter 50 – “Villainess Sister Capture (3)”:
Her snow-white cheeks flushed red in an instant, and she puffed them up as she caught my mischievous grin.
Only now did I feel like I could understand her a little.
She wasn’t some noble saint or living goddess.
She was just an ordinary girl—someone who blushed at teasing and felt joy from playful jokes.
How shaken must she have been, coming all the way to this empire?
She had likely lived her entire life never allowed to falter, an object of admiration to the masses.
But here, in this empire, she had come to meet the one who would become her husband.
It wasn’t hard to imagine how excited that must have made her heart.
I wanted her to be happy.
And for that to happen, I had to first eliminate the marriage talks between Ian and Diane.
Hmm. I’d need to think a little more on how to handle that.
I turned my gaze again to Diane, who was still blushing in embarrassment.
Unable to help it, Diane lightly fanned herself to cool her flushed cheeks.
“Lady Diane.”
“……”
She stayed silent, pretending not to hear, her expression still a bit sulky.
Even that sulky look was adorable, but I refrained from teasing her more, knowing it might come off wrong. I sat up straight and spoke sincerely.
“Would you be my first friend?”
“……”
At my words, the hand Diane was using to fan herself froze mid-air.
Diane would be my first female friend since arriving here, and I figured the same was likely true for her.
Her very first friend in life—someone who would be me.
At first, I only approached her to avoid being on bad terms, but now, I genuinely liked this innocent and beautiful girl.
I wanted to be her close friend and wish her happiness.
After hesitating briefly, Diane slowly placed her hand over mine.
“…Alright.”
Blushing again, Diane straightened her posture and closed her eyes as if regaining her composure.
She probably didn’t want to appear flustered in front of her first friend.
Once she had calmed down, she returned to her usual composed, cool demeanor.
Her confused, flustered self was charming, but I also liked this calm face that reminded me of a goddess of the moon.
As the real her took a sip of wine, I began a proper conversation.
“Lady Diane, is there anything you want to do?”
“Something I want to do…? I’m not sure.”
A hint of loneliness crossed her face at that moment.
Just as I wondered if I had stepped on a landmine, Diane calmly continued speaking.
“My fate has already been decided by the gods. I merely follow it.”
Scratch that. Not a landmine—an outright bomb.
It was too cruel a question to ask someone who had been dragged across the empire by that damned god’s will.
Why should a girl only nineteen years old speak like some dying old man?
If you’re going to be nineteen, shouldn’t you live boldly and proudly say, “My life is mine, and I belong to myself!”?
Her calm demeanor made me want to cry.
“Lady Diane, isn’t there something you want to do? I mean, aside from ‘God’s will.’”
She gave me a puzzled look, as if wondering why she should even think like that.
“Even if nothing comes to mind, just try imagining. Someone as beautiful as you shouldn’t live confined, as someone’s wife or just a mother.”
“More flattery?”
She gave a small smile, as if assuming this was yet another lead-in to one of my compliments.
But I kept encouraging her to really think about it, and finally she pressed a finger to her lips and seemed to consider it.
“…I really can’t imagine anything.”
Diane ended her brief contemplation with a fading smile that suggested she still wasn’t sure.
“Then tell me about you, Lady Odelia. Is there something you want to do?”
She turned the question back to me and extended her hand, inviting me to speak.
What kind of dream could make her heart flutter? As I thought about it, an old bucket list item came to mind.
“I want to go traveling.”
“Traveling? That’s simple enough, isn’t it? You could go anytime.”
“My kind of travel is a bit different.”
Diane tilted her head, clearly not following.
“My dream trip doesn’t involve a pretty carriage or spending lots of money. I want to travel like commoners or backpackers—just one bag, no destination, no goal. Just going wherever the wind takes me.”
Diane’s eyes showed even more confusion.
They clearly asked, Why would you choose such hardship on purpose?
But doesn’t that sound nice?
In my past life, I was always busy with part-time jobs and building my résumé. Surviving came first. So I never got to travel like everyone else. I didn’t even take a leave from school.
So I used to imagine it, listening to my favorite songs.
A single water bottle, a dusty camera, a well-worn map.
Climbing hills, walking forest paths, going wherever my light steps led me.
An endless road, just walking and walking and walking.
To a place where no one knows me, where no one can hold me back.
Where I can hear new languages, and accept the kindness of strangers.
It would be a peaceful and relaxing life—far from the desperate one of earning money.
As I closed my eyes and imagined it, I heard Diane’s worried voice.
“That sounds hard.”
“Probably. But I think it would be fun.”
I smiled lightly and placed my wine glass back on the table.
“Seeing all kinds of things, meeting new people. Total freedom.”
Diane nodded, still looking like she didn’t fully understand, but willing to accept it.
“I hope your dream comes true someday, Lady Odelia.”
“Thank you. I’ll be sure to visit the Jupiter Palace too. Might be late if I walk, but I’ll get there.”
“Will you bring gifts?”
“I’ll bring stories as beautiful as any gift.”
Diane smiled, as if she were cheering me on.
Even though I might one day disappear, I wanted to share my dreams with her.
And maybe, when the real Odelia returns, she and Diane might have a conversation like this too.
They’re both small souls that long for freedom, after all.
I hoped those two could sit across from each other and talk like this one day, as I raised my wine glass.
“But, Lady Odelia.”
Just as I took my final sip, Diane spoke hesitantly.
“We were definitely kicked out by His Highness the Crown Prince earlier, weren’t we?”
“That’s right.”
“Then… why is His Highness standing over there?”
I turned to look where Diane pointed.
About two meters away, behind a pillar, Ian stood glaring at me with eyes full of resentment and jealousy.
In his hand was a cookie—an Ian cookie, for whatever reason he decided to bring one.
I truly wanted to shout, Is this guy insane!?
But for the sake of this precious time with Diane, I pretended not to notice and turned back around.
“Must be a hallucination.”
“He’s coming closer.”
“Just a trick of the eye.”
“Odelia.”
“He’s calling your name—”
“Auditory hallucination!”
I kept my head turned to ignore him completely, but then Ian’s hand landed on my shoulder.
His clinginess made it impossible to keep ignoring him, and I finally turned back.
Unofficially, Ian and I were on friendly terms, but I didn’t want people to know that publicly.
Especially not in front of Diane.
To avoid any misunderstandings, I bowed to Ian as politely as I could.
“Did Your Highness call for me?”
“…How could you—”
Ian’s eyes filled with tears.
But I pretended not to see. I kept my expression neutral, as if to say, We have nothing to do with each other.
Was it that cold look that did it? His eyes grew redder.
“How could you leave me behind?!”
“It was Your Highness’s own eviction order.”
“I didn’t mean you—!”
“I wanted to get close to Lady Diane. Since you told her to leave, naturally I followed her.”
I said it as clearly as possible so he would just go back to where he came from.
When I turned my head back to Diane, she was covering her mouth in shock.
And then I also instinctively covered mine.
I’d thought I’d been polite, but I guess even that sounded too informal to Diane.
“Lady Diane, that’s because I’m on casual terms with His Highness—”
“I knew it!”
As I tried to explain to Diane, Ian shouted.
I turned to him, thinking he was spouting nonsense, only to see tears rolling down his face like fat raindrops.
“I wondered why you kept rejecting a perfect man like me… It was that reason, wasn’t it!”
“Your Highness? What are you—”
“If you like women that much… then I shall become the crown princess instead—”
“You lunatic! Are you insane?!”
I shouted without even realizing it.
Sure, I liked pretty girls and thought Diane was cute, but that didn’t mean I had a thing for women!
I didn’t have a bias against it—but come on! Not in front of all these people!
I suddenly realized how quiet the party hall had gotten and looked around.
All eyes were on us.
The only calm one was Weizen, who had apparently been there for a while.
He showed no signs of helping, and simply drank wine beside Diane.
Ugh—
I ended up trying to comfort Ian, who was crying miserably.
Since the situation was already a mess, I figured I’d better just resolve the core problem.
“I’m telling you, I only said that because Lady Diane is so pretty.”
“Exactly! That means you like women!”
“Keep your voice down!”
It was fine for him to feel upset or sad.
But if he went around spreading bizarre rumors, that would be a huge problem.
If the real Odelia returned and the social world viewed her through this twisted lens, that would be a disaster.
“We’re just friends. Do I look like some lust-crazed creature to you?”
“You didn’t even eat my cookies!”
That was probably the real issue.
Seeing him squeeze his eyes shut and sob over cookies made my head throb.
How old was Ian again? Twenty-three? Twenty-four?
A grown man bawling in front of everyone…
I glanced at Weizen for help, but he just shrugged like it had nothing to do with him.
Instead, he quietly explained things to Diane on my behalf.
He was so kind I could cry.
In the end, I had no choice but to take the cookie from Ian’s hand.
