I, the Female Lead, Ruined the Original – Chapter 8

Author: alyalia

* * *

Selleana couldn’t take her eyes off the man watching the banquet hall alone until the quarter’s break ended and the dance song rang out again in the banquet hall.

What if he makes eye contact with another lady…? In the meantime, she was so anxious that she even finished her sixth glass.

Selleana herself didn’t know what she was hoping for either. Is it because she won’t be able to enjoy something like this once she’s chosen as the crown princess? Or is it because the man’s appearance fits her ideal type? Or because this is her first time meeting a man she can communicate well with in this life?

In fact, Selleana didn’t expect to have a special relationship with him. As a fellow Wilshe fan, it was enough to just talk with him today. Selleana already had too much to lose to be swayed by momentary attraction.

The man finally came back without dancing with anyone. It was when he handed her a martini, which she recommended, saying it was her favorite cocktail at the Arnem Hotel.

“Wh-what brought you here…?”

“Yes? Didn’t you say we could talk more after I looked around?”

“That’s…”

Selleana’s lips were tinged with tension. “I thought you would find a company.”

Her heart began to beat violently, perhaps due to the intoxication of her six glasses of wine. The man’s pleasant bass sound penetrated her eardrums, which were filled with the sound of her own heartbeat.

“Company? What do you mean?’

“Because you are…”

You’re so cool. It was when Selleana swallowed her true feelings and trailed off her words.

“I came here in the first place because I was curious about Miss Lea.” The man’s lips, tinged with a hint of a smile, curled asymmetrically.

Curious? About me? Why? Do you know me? Perhaps it was because her heart was beating so fast that her mind was just a jumbled mess. Selleana closed her eyes tightly and gulped down her martini in one go.

Exceeding her alcohol limit, Selleana decided to lean on the power of alcohol and forget the blaring red warning in her head. “Yes, I’m here.”

As if inviting him to speak, the man’s eyes shone with a compliant light.

“Would you like to take a walk to sober up?”

* * *

The following memories were very sparse and scattered.

“Why didn’t you dance?”

“Actually, I’ve never learned to dance properly.”

“You? You seem like a noble, but you don’t know how to dance? Is there some secret about your birth?”

“Ah, that’s…”

“Shall I teach you?”

Where has all the etiquette she honed throughout her life gone?

“Now, put one hand here and hold my hand with the other.”

Did I grab his hands eagerly first? The steps taken in sync with the music coming from the distant banquet hall were daringly bold. And it seemed like there was laughter every time they got close enough that their chests almost touched…

“How is it? It’s easy, right?”

“You’re indeed the best dance teacher in Nepelsian.”

“You should be honored.”

“I’m really honored.”

The man responded well to the joking words she uttered recklessly.

His personality is so desirable…

The man’s soft laughter, the freshness of early summer foliage, and the warmth as their bodies move. His subtle smile hangs just a bit higher than her eye level. The moment she realized his lips seemed familiar.

“Ah, uuh…?”

Perhaps her steps were messed up, but Selleana fell with her hands on the man’s chest in the next scene.

…I’ve really done all sorts of things.

Was it really a mistake? From suggesting a separate walk, her behavior yesterday was so scheming that even that’s doubtful.

“Ah, that, this, kyaa!”

Somehow, shortly afterward, Selleana found herself sprawled over the man… The pounding of hearts intertwined in a frenzy was vivid against their chests, close to her ears, right below his ears. Even more so,

“Have we seen each other somewhere?”

Stop with the flirtation.

“I feel like I’ve seen this handsome lower face before…”

Stop it!

“Look!”

“…Ah.”

She ended up throwing off her mask.

I must be crazy.

Was she trying to use her beauty as a tactic? Selleana gave up trying to understand her actions a few hours ago.

However, in the next scene, there was joy in the man’s red eyes, as if he had seen a wonder of the world. It was only natural, as there wasn’t a gentleman who wouldn’t be awestruck by her.

“My angel.”

The back of the man’s hand carefully swept her cheek. The firm feel of his bugling knuckles. His face seemed to be filled with some kind of longing…

“I got it right, so I’ll take the prize.”

And then the faces drew closer, his prominent nose cautiously brushing past her, the sensation of his fingers weaving through her hair…

Sigh. She must be out of her mind.

Overwhelmed by the sudden surge of fragmented memories, Selleana was struck with horror. She felt embarrassed, awkward, and above all… this wasn’t the time for such things, with the selection of the crown princess just around the corner. How should she fix this situation?

…I have to run away first. Her priority was to return all of this to nothing.

With no time to blame herself, Selleana got out of bed. Grabbing her chemise here, corset there, dress over there, and shoes far away. Carefully avoiding any sound of rustling clothes, she managed to get fully dressed without waking the man. Was that fortunate… or not?

Only after she had roughly combed through her disheveled hair with her fingers did Selleana take a moment to really look at the man. I didn’t even ask for his name.

The face of the man whose mask had fallen off was truly as handsome as sculpture, even with his eyes closed. Prominent eyebrows, smooth nose bridge, sensual lips, and masculine jawline.

I’ll never see him again…

No, that had to be that way.

Selleana couldn’t take her eyes off him for a while, as if his last image had been engraved on her retina.

…This is for the best.

It would have been best. It had to be that way.

She couldn’t take responsibility. And she wouldn’t ask him to take responsibility.

As Agnes said, all men in this empire are the same. He too, would probably brag about this as a heroic tale and then forget about it. The way he had treated her might show that he could be different… but she had to dismiss it and move on. There was no other way.

This was just like a midsummer night’s dream. Spending a night with a man who was her ideal type was a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck, right?

“…I enjoyed it.”

And thank you.

After Selleana tiptoed out of the room with her shoes in hand, the hair ribbon she had worn all day yesterday remained in the room like an unnoticed remnant of regret.

* * *

“I had an accident.”

It was a few days later, in the manager’s office of Benichi Salon. Her friends’ eyes widened at Selleana’s solemn declaration.

“What?”

“What kind of accident?”

“When?”

In response to the barrage of questions, Michi, who knew the whole story, rolled her eyes. Her mouth is really itching to speak about that.

“…That, I met my ideal type.”

“A black-haired guy at the ball? You couldn’t even take your eyes off him?”

“Thank goodness everyone was drunk. Otherwise, it could have easily become a rumor.”

“Hey, don’t even start. I told you to drink less, but you didn’t listen at all.”

“…”

It has already been 8 years of friendship. They could instantly tell whenever their close friend was up to something strange.

“Why, what’s going on?” Agnesia, the only one who was absent from the banquet, asked. As for Agnesia, she didn’t want to have an excuse to get involved with men, so she was absent from social gatherings.

“Are you saying that the dark-haired, cool-toned man that Lea was crying out for appeared at the Wilshe party?”

“As soon as he came, she clung to him and wouldn’t let go.”

“That’s crazy.” Agnesia expressed admiration for Selleana’s pure-heartedness

“He looks handsome even from afar? Why haven’t I seen someone like that before?” Rosalli, who was particularly popular among gentlemen with her lovely appearance and fresh smile, tilted her head.

“There is no family in Nepelsian that has a black-hair, red-eye man our age. It’s possible that they come from another empire, but when I checked the immigration records, it didn’t fit. I don’t think he’s a commoner…” Doloret recited the details of the investigation so far. She was worried that there might be some kind of conspiracy behind the appearance of a man who suspiciously fitted Selleana’s taste.

“You should have seen it up close. How she smiled with her eyes, oops,” Michi shuddered as she gossiped about Selleana, whom she respectfully addressed as ‘Milady’ in formal settings.

Just when it seemed like the mood was becoming light-hearted, someone interjected.

“But wait, what about the accident?”

“You, don’t tell me…”

“Crazy.”

The eyes of the three friends, except Michi, narrowed.

“…That’s how it happened.” Selleana shyly admitted.

“That’s crazy!”

“Are you out of your mind?!”

Her friends screamed as if they were about to jump on her.

“Do you know how surprised I was when I woke up in the morning at my dorm and found that you weren’t there?”

“Why didn’t you know until then?’

“…Barodonyu wine, as expected, lives up to its reputation.” Michi avoided their gazes and raised both her thumbs up toward Doloret. That meant that she was drunk.

“Sure, there have been many guys hitting on you up until now, but have you ever shown interest in any of them?”

“Do you like black hair and cool tones that much? You can’t seem to control your smile.”

Doloret and Rosalli each shed their usual calmness and cynicism and continued to sound excited. Because other people’s love stories are the most interesting, regardless of the dimension.

As for Selleana, she was barely relieved. She had been shut in for several days, reflecting on her actions. The direction of her reflection was on the neglect of her duties and responsibilities. No matter that it was before the selection process of the crown princess, no matter how much she disliked Pavellian, no matter that man was her ideal type.

Although Michi had tried to comfort her, her bias towards her made it insufficient to alleviate her guilt. But if they were on the same side, it would double the effectiveness.

“He was a Wilshe fan too.”

“Oh my, he has black hair, cool-toned, and a Wilshe fan.”

“Lea Kim must be very excited.”

Her friends, aware of her fandom, chuckled hollowly.

“So, what are you going to do about it?”

“You said you could be friends with that person, Wilshe or whoever, as long as the emotions connect. But still.”

“You’re not thinking of contacting him, are you?”

“No, that’s the end of it. After all, I snuck out.”

Selleana smiled bitterly and shrugged her shoulders. Her friends nodded as if she had done well.

“There’s no more regret. Maybe it’s a blessing from the spirit of transmigration, telling you to enjoy your boring imperial life from now on?”

“Hey, what do you mean boring? If married life goes well, that’s where the fun started.”

“Right, right.”