Chapter 5

“That’s not a person’s name? That can’t be…”

Freyer looked at the black ribbon with ‘R. Mary’ written on it, held in his hand, in confusion. If the inscription on the ribbon wasn’t her name, what on earth did it mean? Just then, Bilion cleared his throat.

“Ahem. However, I believe I can tell you the identity of the inscribed writing.”

Freyer focused on Bilion, who was speaking deliberately.

“The name ‘R. Mary’ is the brand name of a lingerie store famous among young ladies.”

Hearing Bilion’s words, Freyer blinked slowly in astonishment.

“A lingerie store?”

The black ribbon that had connected her pale white legs and slender waist… It was his mistake to have thought she would engrave her name on such an item.

‘I was shortsighted.’

Freyer let out a long sigh. In contrast to his feelings, the silver brand name on the ribbon was unusually shiny. Freyer, sensing something, asked Bilion.

“It’s clearly an item imbued with magic. Why would someone spend a fortune to engrave a name on an item like this?”

“A significant number of items targeting noble young ladies these days have their brand names engraved by grinding up magic stones. It seems Your Highness was unaware. It’s been quite a trend for several years now.”

Since the only women around him were his wet nurse and female attendants, it was natural that Freyer was unfamiliar with the latest trends among young ladies.

“Ha…”

His mind in turmoil, Freyer ran a hand through his hair. How was he supposed to find the woman he believed had stopped his nightmares now? Seeing Freyer sigh, Bilion smiled and asked.

“The store ‘R. Mary’ is near the busy district, so why not pay a visit? When purchasing such items, stores usually record sales based on the young ladies’ names. Your Highness might find your answer if you inquire about the young lady’s description.”

It was the only clue left to find her. Freyer suppressed the urge to run out immediately and said,

“Where should I go?”

“Please wait a moment, and I will prepare a map for you.”

“Thank you.”

Bilion sat down at the desk, quickly scribbled a rough map, and handed it to Freyer. Freyer took the map and placed a gold coin on the table from his pocket.

“That’s the information fee.”

Bilion pushed the coin back toward Freyer.

“This information fee is complimentary. Please take it as a gesture from me. I will await your next visit with better information.”

Freyer ignored Bilion’s words, stood up, and headed for the door.

“I hope I won’t have cause to visit again, but I’ll certainly remember the promise of better information.”

***

“Phew… this should be enough, right?”

I wiped the beads of sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and looked at the now spotless Guild Master’s office. The room was so clean that I could barely remember it being covered in dust, and I leaned back in the chair, feeling proud. Even though this was just the room I’d be using temporarily as the acting Guild Master, the previous condition was simply too much, wasn’t it?

“Yawn… I’m tired.”

Exhausted from cleaning the room all day, I stretched widely. Winnie, who was organizing the bookshelves in the office, heard my yawn and said,

“Miss, you must be very tired, right? You didn’t have to do it yourself.”

“No, it’s fine. I wanted to do it.”

I smiled brightly and asked Winnie,

“Winnie, do you mind if I go outside until you finish organizing the books?”

“Outside?”

“Yes! There seem to be a lot of interesting things out there.”

I pointed my finger at the vendor stalls visible outside the window. I could no longer endure the continuous feast of food smells that had been wafting in while we cleaned.

‘How is it that the street food in this world smells so good?’

Perhaps it was the physical exertion from cleaning, but I was starving and nearly died trying to hold back. Seeing that Winnie hadn’t finished organizing yet, this was my chance.

“I’ll buy some snacks while I’m looking around. We barely ate lunch while working, did we?”

“But…”

“I’ll just go right out front and come back!”

Winnie pondered, placing a hand on her chin, then nodded slightly.

“You must return quickly!”

“I will!”

I rushed out of the store as if my feet were winged. This was the first time I’d felt such excitement since transmigrating into the novel. Food stalls I had never seen before were spread out everywhere.

‘What should I try first? That chicken skewer looks good!’

Wiping my mouth, which was watering, I immediately stood in front of the skewer stall.

‘Which flavor should I get?’

While I was happily agonizing over my choice, a trembling woman’s voice came from the alley next to me.

“What are you doing to the children right now!”

Startled, I turned my head to look. At the entrance to the alley, a honey-haired girl was hugging two children. In front of the girl stood a large, menacing man and a skinny man, both frowning deeply.

“Are you two okay, kids?”

The two children in the honey-haired girl’s embrace nodded quietly. The big man spoke in an angry voice.

“This is between us, so the noble lady should stay out of it, hmm? Little brats, get over here now.”

“Stay out of it…! The children are so scared.”

Despite the man’s harsh words, the woman hugged the children tighter and said in a trembling voice,

“The children are afraid. I-If you continue this, I will call the guards!”

“The guards? What a joke.”

The small girl, despite being physically dwarfed by the man, stared at him fearlessly, without flinching. I saw the big man raise his hand.

‘Oh? Is he going to hit her? No!’

I turned my head, looking for a place to call for help. But most people around were looking away, pretending not to notice. Given the situation, I yelled loudly into the air, as if speaking to the guards.

“Guards! Over here! There’s a fight here!”

At the sudden sound, the skinny man turned pale and scanned the surroundings. The big man frowned deeply, and the skinny man spoke in a small voice.

“Paul… too many people are watching.”

“Damn. Nothing is going right.”

“If we get caught by the guards again, it’s definitely the dungeon this time… Let’s just leave for today.”

The veins on the side of the man named Paul’s forehead bulged noticeably.

“You little brats over there. Tell your father there won’t be a next time. Got it?”

At his words, the children whimpered and burrowed into the honey-haired girl’s embrace.

“And you, noble lady, if I see you again, you’ll be in big trouble.”

The girl glared at the man. The two men left the alley, threatening the onlookers who were staring at them.

“What are you looking at? Is this a show?”

At the man’s words, the surrounding merchants all avoided eye contact, and the men left the area, checking for guards. Once the men were gone, sighs of relief could be heard from the nearby merchants.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes…”

The children, who had been hugged in her arms, bowed their heads in response to her question. Receiving their greeting, the woman took a silver coin from the pouch inside her sleeve and handed it to the children.

“Buy yourselves something delicious with this.”

“Thank you so much!”

The children bowed again and quickly ran off. Relieved that the honey-haired girl also seemed to be leaving, I turned my attention back to the stall.

“Thank you.”

The girl, whom I thought had left, spoke to me, and my eyes widened. The girl smiled shyly and said,

“You deliberately said the guards were coming, didn’t you?”

“I thought you needed help. Are you hurt anywhere?”

At my question, the girl bowed to me immediately.

“It was a huge help, really.”

“You don’t need to go that far…”

The honey-haired girl covered her mouth and smiled at my reaction.

“What is your name? I would like to remember it. My name is Nazlee Idarand.”

I froze the moment I heard her name.

‘N-Nazlee?’

I felt like pulling my own hair out.

Nazlee Idarand, the original female lead of the novel I had transmigrated into, <The Duke’s Daughter Has Returned>. And the scene I had just witnessed was the very first scene of the original story.

Nazlee’s first outing after returning to the Idarand Ducal House, after living in the orphanage as a child.

‘Freyer was instantly recognizable, so why didn’t I recognize Nazlee…?’

I was dumbfounded that I, a fan of this novel, hadn’t recalled this situation.

Bright, wavy honey-colored hair. Eyes that sparkled like light aquamarine gems set into them. Fair skin and delicate features with a shy smile.

I simply blinked blankly at her glittering beauty. In the novel, she was described as possessing the beauty of a lily of the valley.

‘I see why the author used that description.’

My eyes were nearly blinded by the radiant halo surrounding the smiling female lead. A person who was brilliant and pure, helping others. The female lead was always described as a person who was always loved and gave love.

‘This is why the original male lead, the Crown Prince, and Freyer all fall for her instantly…’

I could immediately empathize with why the male leads fell for her. Seeing me like this, Nazlee said with a worried expression,

“Do you perhaps dislike it…?”

Snapping out of my daze, I shook my hands vigorously and spoke to her.

“…No! My name is Lilithia Baimery.”

“Oh my, what a beautiful name.”

Nazlee repeated my name a couple of times, then clapped her hands and smiled brightly.

“I will be sure to remember it! Miss Lilithia!”

Seeing Nazlee’s smile made something stir deep in my heart.

‘Freyer must have only been able to watch this bright smile from afar.’

The tragic story of Freyer, the sub-male lead, having unrequited love for the original female lead, Nazlee.

The novel’s conclusion was set, even though the main episodes of the original story hadn’t fully begun yet, and Freyer’s unachievable love would soon start.

‘I always wanted Freyer to be happy when I read the novel…’

Because his lonely life was similar to my own, I had wished until the very end that he would end up with Nazlee. I believed the only way for Freyer to be happy was to find love with Nazlee.

I, who had lived a lonely life, was given a new life after transmigrating and could now be happy. But what about Freyer…? If I didn’t intervene, Freyer would be sadly forgotten, just like in the original story.

‘I vowed never to go near Freyer again.’

Because of the small mistake I made while drunk, though I didn’t see him romantically, I was determined to live quietly.

But knowing the tragic ending of my favorite character, I couldn’t just stand by and watch. Could my transmigration into an extra’s body be a sign from God to prevent Freyer’s sad ending? With burning eyes filled with renewed resolve, I looked at Nazlee.

‘Freyer, just trust me! I won’t let things unfold like in the novel!’