I, the Female Lead, Ruined the Original Chapter 139

At the place Di mentioned, members of Elard were gathered. Now familiar with them all, Rakrensius’s eyes were drawn to only one person.

 

The moment he made eye contact with Selleana, who had been waiting for him to look her way, she smiled brightly. It wasn’t the usual ‘guilty smile’ that had the entire social circle at her feet, but a pure, joyous smile from her heart.

 

Stop smiling like that where everyone can see. Every time he saw Selleana’s innocent smile, he had to fight the urge to cast a spell to hide her enchanting appearance from everyone.

 

Concealing his scheming thoughts, Rakrensius had no choice but to smile back. It might seem dull compared to his angel’s smile, but the angel liked his plain smile too.

 

Right. What did it matter if his childhood was miserable? It was because of that barren life that he cherished the moments he occasionally encountered the angel, engraving her in his heart.

 

Thinking of the joy he now felt living with Selleana, enduring past hardships seemed justified. The current happiness was blindingly overwhelming, too much to be accepted without any cost. And he would become even happier in the future.

 

* * *

“The soul that followed your average rate through the human world returns to your garden after its journey…”

 

The funeral had an oddly eerie atmosphere. After all, the state religion of the Nepelsian was Orotism, and the prince himself was the son of the saintess, so the funeral was conducted in a religious manner.

 

The cause of the prince’s death wasn’t disclosed, and the saintess, his mother, was confined because of the incident. Moreover, despite it being an imperial religious funeral, there were no representatives from the temple except for a few priests. Most of them had gone to the saintess’s funeral instead.

 

The imperial family had deposed the saintess for her misdeeds, yet the situation seemed as if the temple was protesting that the imperial family’s actions were excessive. The bond between the imperial family and the temple, which had deepened when the emperor married the saintess, was expected to weaken further due to this incident.

 

* * *

The last part of the funeral was a final farewell from the mourners. Rakrensius waited in line to lay a flower, following his half-siblings. Holding a chrysanthemum without any real feelings of mourning, merely out of obligation, felt somewhat foolish. The corpse lying in the coffin decorated with countless chrysanthemums seemed just as bizarre.

 

“I had to keep him under my watch as he might threaten you.”

 

A half-sibling who, like himself, was said to have no predetermined destiny. A boy with the appearance of an eleven-year-old, yet with the soul of a transcendent, who spoke casually about killing him.

 

[He was barely alive, so he’s become skeletal.]

 

“…”

 

The sentiment was peculiar.

 

Finally, it was his turn. Rakrensius placed the chrysanthemum near the boy’s chest. Unlike Emperor Tashur III, Pavellian, and the second and third princes, who spent a long time holding the boy’s hand, Rakrensius’s behavior was noticeably different. No one could blame him. Considering the fifth prince was only acknowledged after the saintess’s downfall, it was clear he couldn’t have been close to the fourth prince.

 

Rakrensius gave a short smile to the boy’s face and stepped back. What he left behind was a solace to his younger self, who had been thrown into the imperial palace at the boy’s age and lived eight lonely years.

 

* * *

“Collin.”

 

After all the funeral rites were over, someone grabbed Rakrensius’s hand as he blankly watched the procession heading to the imperial cemetery. He knew who it was without looking. The slender fingers interlacing with his belonged to only one person in his world.

 

Selleana didn’t ask him anything. Not about his feelings, nor if he should be following the other princes in the procession…

 

“Let’s go to Arancha sometime.”

 

Instead, her words were a whimsical plan that blew away his gloom.

 

“Sometime sounds too vague. This year? Or next? Should we go east for our honeymoon?”

 

His gaze slowly shifted to Selleana. She had been smiling behind her veil for some time. Her radiant features made even mourning attire look like a ball gown.

 

“Arancha you mean…”

 

“Yes. The place where you were born and raised. Your mother is buried there, isn’t she?”

 

“I wanted to bring her remains for Rakrensius, but it was impossible. She was such a powerful mage that she must have used her last magic to seal herself…”

 

Ah. Had his unease been because he had never properly attended his mother’s funeral, yet now he was witnessing the funeral of an enemy who had separated him from his mother? Now that Selleana had named it, it indeed felt that way. It wasn’t just about avoiding imperial duties or mourning someone he didn’t want to mourn…

 

Once again, the perceptive angel had read his heart accurately, even when he hadn’t realized it himself.

 

“Lea.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I love you.”

 

At his sudden confession, Selleana’s eyes slowly curved like ripples on water. Her lover often found comfort and emotion in places she hadn’t intended, just like how Selleana had felt a thrill in their conversation at last year’s Victory Ball.

 

“Hmm… whatever it Is, I must have been especially lovable today, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Then you’ll be sleepless tonight, thinking of how lovely I was today.”

 

“That’s usually the case.”

 

“Then I should visit you tonight.”

 

Selleana laughed as she hugged his waist. Rakrensius, embracing her shoulders, kissed her forehead through the veil. It wasn’t appropriate behavior for a funeral setting, but no one was there to scold them.

 

[…Can you two stop being so shameless when I’m around?]

 

Only Di was there to complain.

 

* * *

‘Ah, That Tea House’ was located one block off the main street of the imperial city’s marketplace.

 

“Um… I’d like a milk coffee with vanilla syrup and whipped cream on top. Lots of it. Oh! And just a little bit of coffee. No, actually, make it the usual amount. But with chocolate syrup instead of vanilla syrup.”

 

“Good grief… Do you b*stard want coffee or a high-sugar potion? If you keep ordering like this, don’t come back! I don’t want rumors saying our coffee makes people f*cking sick.”

 

“Oh, come on. It’s because your coffee tastes so good.”

 

“B*stard. Have you ever tasted my hand? With milk, whipped cream, syrup, this f*cking machine will taste like soap after I clean it.” Grumbling, the boss turned around with a slight smile on her lips.

 

Yeah, right. Customers, please come back. The more complicated the orders, the better. With a base price of 2,000 Reot and an additional 1,000 Reot for each size or topping, it quickly added up to 5,000 Reot.

 

People who came to the market were always in a hurry. No one lingered after ordering a drink, so the turnover was fast. Though it was hard work, sales rose rapidly.

 

‘Ah, That Tea House’ has been open for half a year. The young boss, who looked pure and delicate but had a foul mouth, had become a local celebrity in the marketplace. Though she appeared as neat as any noblewoman, her sharp tongue spared no one, regardless of age or gender.

 

People were initially curious about a tea house selling the ‘coffee’ that was supposedly popular among the nobility. Their curiosity was piqued by the foul-mouthed beauty, and they got hooked on the unexpectedly affordable coffee. Thus, ‘Ah, That Tea House’ became a popular coffee spot for commoners. Tasting the drink enjoyed by the nobility added to its allure.

 

With full support from the Benichi Salon, no one knew that the famous boss was actually a salaried ‘puppet manager.’

 

‘A That Tea House’ followed the marketplace schedule, opening at dawn when merchants started preparing and closing at dusk. This schedule suited Agnesia, the boss, who had long been accustomed to temple life.

 

As twilight descended and the marketplace grew quiet, Agnesia was tidying up the empty tables after the last customers had left. Jingle, the door opened with a bell sound.

 

“Hey, are your f*cking eyes just for decoration? The! Sun! Already Set! We’re closed for the day!”

 

“Oh, come on, just one ‘ AA ^[1] AA is the abbreviation for Ice Americano. 아이스 아메리카노 (Aiseu Amerikano) is too long to pronounce, so Korean people shorten it to ‘AA.’ .’”

 

“Me too.”

 

“…Ah, darn it. Who orders something so unprofitable?”

 

Recognizing the visitors, Agnesia relaxed her previously stern face and chuckled.

• 1. AA is the abbreviation for Ice Americano. 아이스 아메리카노 (Aiseu Amerikano) is too long to pronounce, so Korean people shorten it to ‘AA.’