CH 5

After Noah Wynknight handed the bouquet and left, saying that he would visit later since she didn’t seem well, the House of McMillan went into turmoil.

Noah Wynknight. It was that Wynknight.

That Noah Wynknight who did not bat an eye despite the persistent flirting from Vivian Shamall, the jewel of the kingdom.

The man, so chaste that some even called him impotent, had visited the House of McMillan himself with flowers.

He had even gone as far as saying that he wished to see the lady as soon as possible!

All the hired hands were clamoring to hear the behind story.

However, Raeliana, the heroine of the tale, had vanished and the maids were teaming up to locate their lady.

Meanwhile, Raeliana, who had outsmarted those in pursuit, was shoveling a bowl of sorbet in the back room of the kitchen.

“Ice cream has to be the best cure for hangovers.”

“You know you can’t hold alcohol, my lady. Why did you drink so much?”

Elma, the family cook asked, sitting in the corner with her chin in her hands.

“Let’s say that I overestimated myself because it had been a while.”

Raeliana’s eyes darted around as she whipped up an excuse, since she couldn’t say ‘I lost control because this is not my own body.’

She and Elma had gotten close as she desperately visited the kitchen in an effort to escape the mostly vegetarian meals that the McMillans offered.

The cook liked the new recipes that Raeliana described and Raeliana in turn loved the woman’s near perfect recreation of the Korean cuisine.

Raeliana smiled sheepishly and took another large spoonful of sorbet from the glass bowl. The chilled fruit toppings melted in her mouth, adding to the sweetness.

Elma looked contently at the lady eating her food as if she was in heaven and carefully opened her mouth to speak.

“So, what brought the duke here? What’s between the two of you?”

“Um, do you want to know that badly?”

“Of course! I bet everyone in the kingdom does.”

Raeliana munched on the strawberries and tilted her head. She did not want to lie to Elma, but she also could not tell the truth…

Fidgeting with the spoon, Raeliana decided to compromise and leave out some details.

“We, uh… I can’t tell you the details… but we’re just starting out.”

With our contract.

Elma shouted in shock with a flushed face.

“Oh my! How on earth did you two meet?”

“Um, it was… fate. We have zero connection, you know.”

Since I’m a possessed extra character and he’s the male protagonist of the story.

“Of course.”

Elma nodded. Raeliana looked to her side and rubbed the edge of the sorbet glass bowl.

“But by chance, we met at the back of the ball. We talked and realized that our hearts were in the same place. We found something in common.”

“Something in common?”

“It’s the duke’s business so I can’t tell you in detail… but let’s just say that I can fill what he lacks.”

“Then, the two of you…?”

“We know how we both feel, so if things go well, I think we’ll become partners.”

Business partners.

The strict business relationship was developing into a sweet romance novel inside Elma’s head, but Raeliana just let it be.

Whatever the process, the results should justify it. Elma should be happy with such a dream as well.

Raeliana took another large spoonful of sorbet and got lost in her thoughts.

She wanted to die for a moment when she was about to puke in front of the duke, but it was fortunate that she had acquired more time.

The only contract she ever had experience with was the privacy policy checkbox from websites, thus she needed to take more caution.

First I have to know how to write up a contract.

After thanking Elma for making the sorbet, Raeliana ran to the bookstore.

As she explained the situation, the shopkeeper pulled out a book titled Contract Writing for Dummies with a bored expression.

Truly, a book was a treasure trove of knowledge.

Raeliana shut herself in her room and started reading through the volume.

That night, the McMillans knocked on Raeliana’s door.

She quickly hid Contract Writing for Dummies under the pillow and opened the door.

The couple sat on the sofa with rather grave expressions, and Raeliana quietly sat across them.

They should have heard that Noah visited the mansion with flowers.

“We need to have a talk.”

Johndein opened his mouth first. Raeliana answered, feeling like a sinner.

“Please continue.”

“We have heard the story. That the duke came by. Is it true he came to see you?”

Raeliana hesitated for a moment, then answered.

“Yes, it is true.”

Katie’s expression shifted. Raeliana could not tell if her mother was merely surprised or thinking of something else.

“Can you tell us what happened?” Johndein cautiously got to his point.

How should I explain this?

The duke had played by her story yesterday and visited today with flowers so she could say that the verbal contract had gone through but did not know the fate of the whole deal.

“W… well, we, I mean, I…”

As she was about to speak, a maid knocked on the door to bring some tea and cut her off. Her mother gestured that the tea be left on the coffee table and to leave.

Raeliana observed the steam from the tea in front of her and opened her mouth again.

“I want to break the engagement to Lord Brooks.”

Johndein took a moment and began to speak.

“My child, weren’t you fond of Lord Brooks?”

“Sometimes, your heart can get lost right before the marriage,” Katie chimed in. “This fickle desire to live a different life, or the concern that you might regret the decision can feel like a warning signal you cannot ignore at that moment.”

Johndein quietly nodded to her words.

“I. .. I did not love Lord Brooks. I merely complied for the House of McMillan.” Raeliana fluttered her eyelashes damp with tears, like a tragic daughter who sacrificed herself for the glory of the family. “But now… I want to pursue love.”

Upon hearing Raeliana’s tearful words, the McMillan couple kept silent with grave expressions.

Raeliana quickly took a glance and saw that the couple were sad looking at their loving daughter.

“After meeting the duke, I realized that I was not who I wanted to be.”

Raeliana’s elegant beauty made the tragedy all the more believable. She had to use this god-given asset to play the couple’s heart.

She was not who she wanted to be. She realized that she had to know her reason for existence, and that search for reason will assure her on who she is… etc…

She laid out the sophistry even she could not fully grasp.

The couple nodded and listened to her gibberish as if they understood.

When the prolonged speech was over, she could hear a deep sigh. There was no way she could expect to receive a ‘We understand. Do as you wish.’

Let’s take one step at a time. Raeliana’s brain raced to search for other excuses.

At that moment, Johndein spoke out. “We understand. Do as you wish.”

“I am aware, but I cannot give up so easily… huh?!”

“Raelie, we will always vouch for your happiness. If your will is so, whatever the decision may be, we will follow.”

Katie told her with a gentle smile.

“Aah… umm…?”

This was going way easier than she had thought.

Raeliana absently guzzled the tea, burning her palate, and asked again.

“But is it really alright? Just going with my whims… the House of Brooks will not just stand by.”

Contrary to her intention to nod in agreement before her parents changed their mind, she blurted out in surprise.

“You need not worry. Until now, you followed our words without a complaint though you didn’t have to. It was endearing but also worrisome. I questioned if we were truly making you happy.”

“Yes, you don’t always have to be an obedient, good girl. We will always love you. We will forever support your love.”

Raeliana felt her heart flutter. As she realized how the couple loved her and prioritized her own welfare, she felt her heart turn and felt ashamed.

She hung her head, unable to meet their gentle smiles.

“I understand…”

After her parents left, telling her to get some rest, Raeliana hugged her pillow and curled up in bed.

I am not your daughter.

The words that she could not get out of her mouth prickled her heart.

Did she come to this world so she could stop the predestined misfortune that awaited these good people?

Had she not come, Raeliana McMillan would have been poisoned to death and the McMillans would have lost the company they worked all their life for along with their daughter.

It would be nice if the reason I’m here was for their sake.

It would be unbearable to think that she might have fallen here without any reason or purpose.

Whether it was the unfairness of being chosen, the anger that she could not place, or just simple longing, she did not know.

Raeliana buried her face in the pillow.

I wonder what my mom and my older brother are doing.

Would they be grieving my death?

They must’ve cried a lot.

Her mother would have cried her heart out. She may actually have been angry that her heartless daughter left her.

And that pig of a brother…

Raeliana pictured her brother, who was three years older than her. I can’t imagine him crying.

More than likely, he would’ve just cussed.

And Suji, Somi, Inah, Gyojin, Nayeon, and Junghyun…

She listed all her friends she could remember.

Imagining her friends placing flowers and crying at her funeral felt a little comical.

What photo would they have chosen for my funeral? My graduation photo? Or one of my selfies?

The thoughts she came to recently ignore rose up like a sudden cough.

Would I be able to go back?

Ironically, she felt anxious about her strange life after seeing the unconditional love of the McMillans.

Such showers of love sometimes brought an acute feeling of discomfort, as if she was wearing someone else’s clothes.

An uneasy feeling that she was coveting a position not meant for her.

The anxiety she felt when she first found out that she had become Raeliana hit her again.

The hundreds of moments of despair she felt in a day…

She would climb the mansion roof, thinking that perhaps if she fell from a high place again, she would be able to go back. The McMillans, thinking that she was trying to commit suicide, fell into a turmoil for a while.

She shook her head.

I need to stop.

Raeliana pulled herself up and sat by the window. Through the window, she could see the riverside that now has descended into darkness of the dusk.

After hiding the beautiful sight with the thin lace curtain and returning to bed, Raeliana tapped the leather cover of the book.

For now, all she wanted was for the deal tomorrow to go through.

***

The next day, as Raeliana readied to head to the duke’s estate, Venia for some reason handed her the newspaper.

The photo and the headline in the front page stopped her.

-Shocking News! Duke Noah Wynknight Caught in a Tryst!-

-Raeliana McMillan, the Cinderella of the Century?! Will She Fit The Glass Slipper?-

Conflating the event, the article stated that according to the secret informant from the McMillan household, the duke had visited the mansion of Lady Raeliana to greet the family.

The photo showed the duke getting off the carriage with a huge bouquet of flowers in front of the McMillan mansion.

The previous night had been the first time the two had connected officially, so she could not figure out where they got the information and took the photograph.

To be fair, it was not strange that Duke Noah Wynknight would have paparazzi on his tail.

That photo she could forgive but the title of the article not so much.

“What? Cinde, what? A Cinderella?”

Even if the society was ruled by status, wasn’t this too much? Who are they calling Cinderella? The daughter of Baron Johndein McMillan, the black jewel! The Cinderella?!

She missed the modern world. Back there, it would be Noah Wynknight and not her, who would be Cinderella.

She lamented that in this novel world where machines were yet fully developed and magic existed, petroleum was not as valued as it was in the modern world.

“Hmph.”

As she scoffed and threw the newspaper down, Venia secretly clicked her tongue and shook her head.