Chapter : 04
“So, am I destined to screw up this life as well?”
Unfortunately, there was exactly one thing that high-and-mighty Princess Lania failed to foresee. She likely hoped that, every night, her stepmother—turned into a black swan— would writhe in despair and weep bitter tears… but…
「Are you out, Black Swan-nim?」
「…Yes. You’ve worked hard.」
I gave a haughty nod to a flock of ducks gliding past me, and they scrambled out of my way of their own accord. Even the mallards and fish hiding further back bowed their heads, knowing they weren’t of a high enough rank to dare step forward.
「…Hmm.」
That’s right. In this lake, I was the boss—the Queen. I freaking love it!
The sensation of slicing through the cool water, the feeling of droplets bouncing off my feathers—this was exactly the leisurely, carefree life I had yearned for so much in my past life. If you just let go of everything, it’s actually hard to find a life more comfortable than this.
Being an animal, it was only natural that I could understand animal speech. In fact, half of the lake’s residents were humans who had been cursed by the Princess.
They say old habits die hard. Following in her father’s footsteps, she had turned anyone who showed even the slightest bit of opposition into an animal and dumped them in the lake. To put it nicely, this place was the prime real estate of the exile world.
「Milady, are you heading in now?」
「Yes. The sun will be up soon.」
Selene, a mallard known as the best informant in these parts, cleared the path for me. Apparently, she used to work in the Duchy’s kitchen. It was Selene who had filled me in on all the details of my situation so far. Since she had gone out of her way to help me adjust to the lake, we shared a fairly deep bond.
「Did you look into what I asked?」
「Ah… I asked around here and there, but no one knows the people you mentioned.」
「I see.」
「Still, I heard that the frogs who arrived recently were envoys from another continent. If you ask them, they might know the people you’re looking for. Their names were…」
「No. It’s fine.」
I shook my beak at the apologetically bowing Selene, telling her there was no need. I’d asked just in case, but I didn’t actually have much lingering attachment.
「What would I even do if I found out?」
「But seeing as you’re looking for them so earnestly, I thought they might be the ones who could break your curse…」
「It’s not like that. They don’t even know who I am.」
「Oh…」
I felt bad for Selene, who twisted her neck 180 degrees in disappointment, but I didn’t want to plant false hope.
To be honest, even if I’m not the protagonist, I couldn’t help but wonder which novel this world belonged to. That’s why I had given Selene the names of every protagonist I knew, but I still hadn’t found a single clue.
At first, it was disappointing, but as I gradually adjusted to life here, I started to feel like none of it mattered. What would I do if I found the protagonist now, anyway? They’re living their lives, and I’m living mine as a black swan.
Right now, I’m not even a supporting character, let alone the lead. Even if I knew my situation, there’s no reason for protagonists who have zero connection to me to come to my rescue. Even that wicked Lania isn’t even the villain here. She’s a woman who could easily outdo any top-tier villainess in a romance-fantasy novel, yet I’ve never heard of her existence in any story. If even Lania—the most likely candidate for a character—hasn’t made a name for herself as a villainess, there’s no hope for someone like me.
「It doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve already adapted, and living quietly is better anyway.」
「But… Oh, Milady! Over there!」
「Yeah, I see it.」
The moment a silhouette appeared through the dim light of dawn, Selene dove her head into the water in terror. Not just her, but all the other animals scurried into the bushes to hide. I didn’t even need to look to know who could make the lake residents this sick with fear.
“Wow, you’re looking quite leisurely again today.”
“…I suppose so.”
As soon as I stepped out of the lake, my two legs lengthened and I began to take on a human form. I’ve gone through it plenty of times, but the sensation never quite feels normal. Dusting off the hem of my black dress, I looked indifferently at the uninvited guest.
“I guess you find this life fun? I was worried about what would happen if you couldn’t adjust.”
“If you’re so curious, why don’t you ask your sister to do it to you?”
“Eek!”
Rebecca’s face crumpled. Believe it or not, on the family register, she’s my second daughter.
“How dare a cursed thing be so arrogant! You know it won’t do you any good to treat me like this.”
“Could things honestly get any worse than this?”
“At this rate, you might end up living your whole life as an animal…”
“Wouldn’t that be troublesome for you, too?”
I let out a hollow chuckle as I straightened my dress. Isn’t it obvious? The only reason her sister left me with a human form among all the cursed people in this lake wasn’t out of guilt or kindness.
“It seems your sister occasionally needs the Duchess of Evendell. At the family gathering the other day, I was the one who signed the documents in her place.”
“You!”
“You should say, ‘Yes, Mother.’”
“…”
Rude brat. I turned away coldly and entered the annex. This was much more comfortable when I was a black swan, but since it was my fate to turn into a human when the sun rose, there was nothing I could do.
“Why? Does my youngest daughter have more to say?”
“What? Hah! Just wait and see how much longer you last!”
“…Do as you please.”
Is there anything left to fear for someone living as a cursed half-human, half-beast? You idiot. No matter how she acted, Rebecca couldn’t even reach her sister’s toes. If Lania was a psychopath who didn’t care about others’ pain, Rebecca was at least a sociopath who recognized that others’ misery was, in fact, misery.
I’m not sure if that’s a compliment, but I guess she’s just plain mean. I heard she’s been compared to her sister since she was young, which is why she’s so twisted and spends her time harassing the lake. In a way, even if she isn’t cursed, she’s a victim of sorts.
Watching Rebecca stomp away so hard it felt like the ground would break, I lightly placed my foot on the stairs.
“Well… it’s not like I’m one to talk.”
My daily routine was extremely monotonous. As I mentioned, I spent my days as Duchess Catherine and my nights as the Black Swan Queen of the lake, so my range of movement was limited. I heard there’s a fairly bustling city in the North if you go a bit further, but it would be a disaster if I turned into a black swan under the moonlight while I was there.
“Seriously, I’m not even Cinderella.”
To put it bluntly, Cinderella was running away from a prince; I have to run away from hunters trying to catch me. Honestly, I’m a pretty beautiful black swan. I’m clearly a rare species that would fetch a high price, so if I caught anyone’s eye, they wouldn’t leave me alone. At first, I thought about escaping somehow to find a wizard, but I changed my mind after hearing Selene’s story a while ago.
「Well, I heard that two ducks once managed to escape all the way to a wizard’s house.」
「Really? So what happened?」
「What do you think? They’re… right there.」
Selene’s beak pointed bitterly toward two snails stuck to a rock.
It seemed the entire North was already in Lania’s grasp. No matter where you ran, you’d just end up back at the lake. Unless you could leave the North within a single day, escape was impossible.
“…”
And honestly, I was already enjoying this life. The tranquil feeling of swimming in the lake under the moonlight—words can’t describe it. Back when I worked at the zoo, I used to wonder what they were thinking as they floated on the water, and now that mystery is perfectly solved.
You’re jealous, aren’t you? I bet you were thinking that.
I couldn’t make it too obvious in case Lania got annoyed, but every day was quite enjoyable. If anything, it felt a bit emptier when I was Catherine. I still wasn’t used to living alone in a silent annex with not a single servant.
Every so often, Lania would call for me when the presence of the Duchess was required, but as a widow, I kept my face entirely covered with a black veil, so I didn’t even know who I was meeting. I don’t know what will happen after the remaining nine months are up… but I decided to think about that later.
“…This. This is enough.”
This isn’t because I’m indifferent to life. It’s just that, fundamentally, the more I know, the more things seem to go downhill, so I’ve found it’s better to live in ignorance.
For example, like when I finally got a house with the deposit I’d slaved away for years to save, only to find the previous tenant had hanged himself there. Or when I went to complain about it, only to find out it was a double-contract scam, the real estate office had closed, and the landlord had vanished. Or the time the boyfriend I was thinking of marrying turned out to be already married—and had another person he was planning to marry on the side. It was usually something like that.
After going through things like that a few times, my entire outlook on the world changed. There’s no point in getting angry or anxious in advance; you can’t avoid the misfortune that’s coming for you anyway.
Since it’s going to happen regardless, “no plan” is the best plan.
End Of Chapter : 04
