I, the Female Lead, Ruined the Original

Author: alyalia

“There’s a certain pleasure in untying that ribbon, isn’t there?”

“Just like the honor of untying the ribbon on the award certificate when you receive it.”

“Is that so?”

At the slightly rough voice of the man, Selleana chuckled to herself. Well… although her memory of that day was a bit hazy, she was sure it was she who had encouraged him when he hesitated until the end.

“I’ll take full responsibility.”

“…What?”

“I feel like I’ve endured this world just to meet you…”

Of course, at some point, she had teased him playfully, which is probably why Rakrensius was saying such things. But it didn’t matter how much Selleana remembered or what the truth was. Because…

“Then show me what Darling did.”

“Shall I?”

Selleana smiled softly, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him towards her. The kiss that followed was urgent, and the touch that traced her body carried a heat that had been restrained since earlier in the day. It was expected. From the way his words had become shorter for quite some time, it was clear that the spark had been ignited in him, and he was more restless than ever that day. Not that she wasn’t anxious herself.

“Instead of the award ribbon, how about this ribbon?”

“That… would be an absolute honor.”

When Selleana turned her head to reveal the chiffon knot covering her bare skin, Rakrensius bit it and pulled.

Thus began their first night together as husband and wife.

* * *

“Mr. Sword, Mr. Sword.”

And now, two weeks later, back to the present. Selleana and Rakrensius, who were traveling across the continent for their honeymoon, were at their lodging.

Selleana, ready to go out, shook Di awake. After spending some intimate time with Rakrensius, who had been looking at her with longing eyes since dawn, she had gone back to sleep, only to wake up to find the sun already high in the sky.

“Mr. Sword, we’re about to head out. Hurry up.”

Di, which had retreated into its own world as soon as they entered the lodging, responded not long after.

[Are you doing with your nauseating newlywed antics? Ugh, look at the time.]

“Oh, Mr. Sword, come on. Isn’t it time you got used to it?”

[Of course, I’m used to it. I’ve been used to it for a long time, even before you two became a couple. But if you’re going to do this every morning, you should have left me in the capital instead of bringing me along…]

“Eii, Mr. Sword, we brought you along so you could see the world. It’s different from just seeing it in print and pictures. Are you okay being apart from my darling for three months?”

Mmm, Selleana’s words were irrefutable, and Di swallowed a sigh.

Di could always immerse itself in its own world, no matter where it was, just like how it had wandered through countless dimensions for 900 years, acquiring diverse and complex knowledge before Rakrensius awakened it. But when there was a contractor, it couldn’t always do that. It never knew when Rakrensius might need itself, so Di couldn’t immerse himself too deeply.

In fact, 13 years ago, Di failed to immediately recognize the boy who had just become a prince and entered the treasure vault, causing him a moment of embarrassment. Being connected to Rakrensius for ten years, except when he was asleep, made Di feel awkward about being apart from its contractor for long periods.

Since Rakrensius started dating Selleana, the time respecting his privacy had lengthened, so Di got used to being disconnected for a while, but three months was still too long.

[I could always go wandering later. Wouldn’t it be nice if you went to a resort without me for just ten days this time?]

“Do you think we’ll be less of an eyesore later?”

Selleana’s teasing voice made the eyes of the eyeless sword grow cold. Even though it thought life was better now, being able to communicate with its contractor’s partner compared to the time with Asmion, sometimes when Selleana spoke such confusing things, its non-existent head would ache.

Selleana giggled, understanding Di’s brief silence.

“What can we do? The Magic Tower folks asked to make three months like Children’s Day, so there’s no choice, right?”

[I had no idea you were so democratic. Here I thought you were the type to just suppress everyone by saying ‘Elard, Elard’ all the time.]

“Oh , come on. The Magic Tower isn’t my darling’s personal property. And of course, I’d love to stick close to him and travel for a long time, so I just jumped at the opportunity.”

[…Well, I don’t care about your true intentions, but looking at Rakrensius, it seems like it was a good idea to plan the schedule leisurely.]

“…So, he’s still not mentally ready?”

[That’s what I guess.]

The two beings looked at the door Rakrensius had just exited.

Rakrensius had just left the room, saying he would first find out what sights there were to see nearby today. Despite being someone who would hate to be second to anyone when it comes to disliking mingling with people, he said he would ask the innkeeper and local merchants for some information.

“If there’s nothing to see, I guess he’ll somehow create something to see. Thanks to him, I get to enjoy interesting things in every village we visit, so it’s nice.”

[Yeah. And what does it matter? You have three months anyway, so taking it easy wouldn’t hurt.]

Selleana and Rakrensius were specifically traveling through the eastern part of the continent. They had passed the empire’s border through the Gillosen Principality, where Rosalli met Joshua Gillosen, and were now in the eastern part of the continent where several tribal confederations and small kingdoms loosely shared borders. Currently, they are staying in the capital of a small kingdom.

A few days ago, they had stayed in the largest oasis village in the eastern desert, enjoying the desert climate and scenery, and before that, they had enjoyed the bustling scenery of the capital of the Gillosen Principality, which was quite different from the imperial city. If they had traveled by horse, it would have taken ten days just to cross the border, but thanks to the continent’s only spatial magic user, the walls and borders were rendered meaningless. For the same reason, they could move as they pleased without planning their journey in advance.

Despite the seemingly random journey, there was at least one definite destination: Rakrensius’s hometown, Arancha.

“Let’s go to Arancha later.”

“They say your mother is buried there.”

Thirteen years ago, at the age of thirteen, Rakrensius was thrown into the imperial palace alone, leaving behind his mother, who was overshadowed by the shadow of death. As the illegitimate child of a concubine in a cold palace, he had no one to rely on, and there was no way to exchange news with his mother, who was more than twenty days away by horse. He buried the assumption that she had probably passed away in his heart, and only three years ago did he confirm from Tashur III that it was indeed true.

Even after that, Rakrensius never considered the idea of visiting his hometown. Since coming to Nepelsian, he had no freedom of movement, and even after the fall of the saintess, he had completely forgotten the concept of travel. It was only when Selleana suggested they go together that he recalled the scenery of the forgotten village. Perhaps it was because it was a place he missed so dearly. It seemed he needed to prepare his heart, as Rakrensius never readily mentioned Arancha as the next destination when discussing spontaneous travel plans. Even though it was the only confirmed destination on this trip.

“How long does it take to get to Arancha from here?”

[It depends on how you go. If you just cross Aranchio Strait, it would take no more than a week, but if you go around… at least a fortnight? Well, for us, it doesn’t matter much since Rakrensius can go whenever he wants.]

“You said you don’t know exactly where in the peninsula my darling used to live, right?”

[As you know, there’s no official birth record of Rakrensius from that region.]

“… It’s not like he didn’t tell you where he lived because he didn’t want to go, right?”

[He probably held back from speaking because mentioning it would only increase his longing.]

“…”

The atmosphere quickly sank at Di’s wistful words. If there was one fundamental commonality between the two bickering beings, it was that they both cared deeply for Rakrensius.

“Uum… Is there any interesting news today?” Feeling awkward in the subdued atmosphere, Selleana asked casually.

Interesting news. In other words, she was asking if there was any word from her friends in the capital.

When Selleana had been taken by the knights to the imperial palace, she had handed a notebook to reassure Duke Elard. Since then, whenever her friends wanted to send her a message, they would write it in that designated notebook placed in Rosalli’s apartment.

Although it was just a notebook with no actual magic, only utilizing Di’s abilities, Di would skim through its contents once or twice a day at Rosalli’s apartment and relay them to Selleana. Even though she couldn’t send a reply, just knowing how her friends were doing was enough to make Selleana eagerly anticipate Di’s words every morning.

[Hold on… Ah.]

“What is it?”

[…Your brother confessed his feelings to Michi.]

“What? Brother Theo did?”