Chapter : 03
Just at the end of the sunset, the vast lake, dyed in deep crimson, was literally like a painting. The beautiful lake, the animals harmonizing with it in their own ways, and the clumps of colorful flowers and reeds brought to mind a heaven I had never visited.
“…….” Yeah, at this point, what more could heaven be? My steps, which had been drawn toward the lake one by one, suddenly faltered. Though startled by the first sign of a human presence since falling into this place, a subtle sense of anticipation welled up within me. Judging by the attire, she was clearly a servant—I wondered what she would call me when she saw me.
Lady? Princess? Or perhaps……. “Kyaaaaaak!” 「…….」 She certainly screams just like someone in a novel. I watched with fascination as the woman, who had utterly shattered my “reincarnation romance” fantasies, stumbled backward with a pale face. By the way, is there something on my face? I rubbed my cheek awkwardly, but only felt smooth skin. 「……Geez.
What’s her problem?」 The woman, who had even dropped the basket she was carrying, scrambled back the way she came. I suppose there must be another place in that direction. I could have felt offended by how horrified she was at the sight of me, but she was the only person I’d met here so far. I needed to know what the situation was to even begin planning my life. Since I didn’t have any special “buffs” despite being reincarnated, I had no choice but to be self-sufficient. I was in a state where I didn’t even know my own name, so I picked up my pace, fearing I might lose her. The long, frilly dress I was wearing for the first time tangled around my ankles, but I couldn’t stop now. 「Excuse me! Hey, just a moment……!」
No matter how desperately I called out, the woman disappeared with cold efficiency. As I lifted my exhausted head, the sunset had vanished, and the moon was glowing dimly. What do I do now? Don’t tell me I have to go back into that house alone? Overcome with sudden fear, I shook my head vigorously. Even if I couldn’t catch that woman, since she fled in that direction, there had to be other people there. I had to hurry before total darkness fell upon this desolate, lamp-less field.
「Huff, huff!」
……But why do my feet feel so heavy? I was clearly moving forward without rest, but strangely, my body felt weighted down. No, to be precise, it was different from being heavy. It wasn’t simply a lack of strength or being tangled in my dress; I couldn’t walk at all. It felt as if I were enveloped in something incredibly fluffy. Like being buried in a blanket full of feathers…… wait, feathers! That ticklish, voluminous sensation was exactly like— 「KYAAAAAAK!」 For the record, I’ve refined the scream written above for easier understanding. In reality, the scream I let out wasn’t quite so “human.”
“Kwak, kwaaaak!” I collapsed right there at the sound of the utterly animalistic shriek vibrating from my throat. I had no choice, really. I would have tried to run if I had legs, but my legs were nowhere to be seen. And what about my hands? My two white hands, which had been gripping the hem of my black dress, were buried in something, their shapes completely gone. Left, right, up, down! No matter where I turned my head, black—nothing but black—feathers covered my entire body.
“Kwaaaaaak!” What is this! What the hell is all this! Even after rolling around on the dirt floor, this maddening reality only became clearer. Under the dark blue moonlight, a single black swan was trembling violently. From a distance, it might have been a heartwarming sight fitting for a beautiful lake, but for that to be the case…… this was me! Oh my god! I’ve turned into a black swan! “Hmm, I wondered what all the noise was about.” Before I could regain my senses, a dark shadow loomed over me as I gasped for breath.
With silver hair as white as snow and blue eyes, she was a beautiful woman who wouldn’t look out of place as the lead in any novel. With that kind of beauty, one could certainly mistake her for a fairy-tale protagonist. “That’s why I told you to stay quietly tucked away…… Mother.” ……If only it weren’t for that chilling smile that I could feel piercing through even my feathers.
◇ ◆ ◇
Three months have passed. Of course, the time didn’t just drift by. During those months—a time both short and long—I began to grasp the nature of my existence and the situation I was in. While others were getting married or starting businesses using their knowledge of a novel’s plot, I was barely figuring out my own name and circumstances. And I had to learn it all through the physical reality of this fluffy body.
“Kwak!”
It was a voice I couldn’t get used to even after months, but I couldn’t exactly go through life with my beak shut. To give a brief introduction: my name is Catherine. It’s a name that screams “not the protagonist.” You don’t even have to look for which novel it belongs to; you’ll find two or three Catherines in every local language academy. Anyway, the story goes like this: Apparently, I was originally the daughter of a minor Baron from the outskirts…… though usually, if a father-figure sells his daughter to an old man, you can pretty much guess what kind of family it was. It’s not like I haven’t read a novel or two. My father died early, and my stepmother, who had ruined the family with her extravagance, finally sold me off.
As for the family that paid money for this beautiful young lady…… for once, it wasn’t a gambler, a lecher, or a madman. It wasn’t a Count, nor a Marquis, but a Duke! None other than the Lord of the North who ruled the empire’s northern territories—Duke Evendell. 「……Oh my.」 Good heavens! I’m a Duchess! The reason I couldn’t rejoice in this massive social climb was, first of all, that my husband, the Duke, is dead. Apparently, he died on the very first night, so I don’t even know if I ever got to hold his hand.
Judging by the “pitying” look on the servant who told me this, there’s no guarantee I was even married to a living person. Right. If you’ve heard this much, you’ve probably realized this marriage was far from normal. It wasn’t a charity project; if such a prestigious house bought a woman to forcibly become the Duchess, there had to be a logical reason. The Duke, who collapsed after being wounded in the last continental conquest, had no wife and only two daughters.
The eldest, Princess Lania, had ruled the North in her father’s stead for years with her outstanding abilities. However, as her father neared death, her crisis began. According to Imperial Law, where titles and assets are inherited by sons…… simply put, she was about to lose everything she’d worked for. But it’s only natural that the clever Princess wouldn’t just take this lying down. Before someone else could benefit, she targeted a loophole in the system. If a widowed Duchess exists—even as a temporary measure—the inheritance is granted a one-year grace period. She had to fill the vacancy of a “stepmother” by any means necessary.
Originally, this one-year period was a formality to see if the widow might be carrying a posthumous child. But for the Princess, she just needed to buy this time. If she could arrange a marriage and bring in a son-in-law in the meantime, it would be game over. The title and the fortune—she’d be able to keep it all as her own.
Of course, she wouldn’t inherit it automatically; she had to have the status of successor formally transferred from the stepmother, who held all the legal rights in the interim. Which meant, not just any stepmother would do. She needed someone as insignificant as possible, from a family that had already cast her out, and someone greedy-less and stupid enough to obediently hand over the position in the end……. 「That’s me.」 Bingo. I shook my head and laughed self-deprecatingly. I mean, if I could laugh like that with my beak, I probably would have.
「Ugh, that total bitch.」 Our cunning Princess, despite having carefully picked out her stepmother, must have still been suspicious, because she went as far as to place a curse on me. Perhaps she feared I’d run away and do something foolish, or find a lover and secretly get pregnant. As soon as the Duke died on the wedding night, she shoved me in here and turned me into this.
“As you know, the Duchess of Evendell—no, my stepmother—is bedridden from the shock of Father’s passing and finds it difficult to go out. I have no choice but to fill the void left by both of them.”
I heard she gave the public some excuse like that. Even if people found the Princess’s words suspicious, no one dared to say so. Having lived as the absolute power of the North for years, Lania’s word was truth and law. There are even rumors circulating that I did “something” to the Duke, which only works more in the Princess’s favor.
The wicked stepmother who devoured her husband in a single day versus the wise daughter of the first wife. It’s obvious which side would win people’s hearts. Furthermore, seeing as she turned me into this, she apparently uses black magic as well—she really was a woman who could do anything. The maid who was horrified to see me on my first day of reincarnation must have believed the terrifying rumors Lania spread. 「……Phew.」 What a life. I clicked my bright red beak and stomped on the dirt floor.
If God or the Author were in front of me right now, we’d need to have a very deep conversation. Where else would you find a reincarnated person as generous as me? A sudden reincarnation? Fine. I wished for it. A sudden marriage? It’s startling, but I can handle it. But to have a husband die on the wedding night and be cursed by a stepdaughter? This is a total breach of professional ethics. 「…….」 At least I can live as the beautiful Catherine when the sun is up, but every single night, I have to turn into a black swan.
From what I’ve observed, it’s not that I turn into a swan just because it’s night. However, the moment I am touched by direct moonlight, I unconditionally become a black swan. The message was clear. It meant I should give up any thoughts of wandering around. Even if I tried to escape in this body, if I accidentally turned into a swan, that would be dangerous in its own way.
Honestly, even if I am a black swan, where could I possibly go with this level of beauty? I’m not just saying this because they’re my own feathers, but even if you searched this entire lake, you’d rarely find an animal with feathers as radiant as mine. 「Ah…….」 There’s no point in ranking animals by their looks, but honestly, even the elephants or giraffes back at the zoo couldn’t compare to me. Would “The BTS of the Bird World” be a good explanation? I could guarantee that the number of people coming to see me would be overwhelming; my entire body just overflowed with a sense of noble dignity. Not that I actually want to become a tourist attraction, though.
End Of Chapter : 03
