"………………Miss! Young lady!"
I was staring blankly out the window with my chin resting on my hand, completely lost in thought.
"Sigh………. Miss, snap out of it!"
Slap.
Only after Martha's fierce palm delivered a smashing blow to my back did I snap my head around to look at her, standing by my side before I could even notice.
"Ouch! ……………Martha? When did you get here? No, more importantly, I’m an eighteen-year-old ducal lady. Are you really allowed to just whack my back like this………."
"I called you countless times before I hit you, my lady! What on earth were you thinking about that you didn't even answer and just sat there staring blankly?"
True to her status as the nanny who had watched over me since birth, Martha casually cut me off. Having traveled a long way upon hearing the news of my wedding announcement, Nanny Martha decided to stay at the Podebrat mansion for the time being after obtaining the Duke's permission, since she was already there.
I let out a soft chuckle and scratched my cheek awkwardly.
“Well, you see………….”
“Ah, is it because His Highness the Crown Prince didn't make the wedding announcement last time? Of course, you must have been looking forward to it so much, my lady. I was a bit disappointed too, but keep your chin up. He will ask to set a date soon.”
'Oh crap…….'
At Martha's comforting words, my expression quickly began to resemble a rotten tangerine.
However, cursing in front of a genuinely worried Martha would only earn me another slap to the back, so I forced myself to exercise some patience.
“It’s not because of that bas………… I mean, His Highness. I've just been feeling a bit sluggish lately. Plus, there's nothing to do.”
This part was completely true.
Having met the female protagonist at the ball a few days ago, I was once again convinced that this place is a world inside a novel and that most events flow exactly as written.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I have to act exactly like the novel either. I am perhaps the one and only variable in this world.
However, the most I can change is Melissa's future. Destinies like Ian and Yuri meeting at the ball are areas completely beyond my control.
Once I realized that, I lost all motivation. No matter how much I tried to screw over Ian, the path now laid out before him was the novel's flower-lined path with the woman he loved. Even if I struggled tooth and nail, I couldn't turn that path into a trail of fire.
I decided to just take a break for now. After all, the engagement would get broken off later anyway.
The fact that there are still over six months left bothers me a bit, though…….
Anyway, that was why I was currently turning into Melissa the Sloth, spending half of my day just spacing out and rolling around.
“It’s because you stay cooped up in the house all the time. You're acting just like Young Master Jake did when he was little.”
When he was a kid, Jake was a total shut-in who stayed locked in his room. However, ever since the Duke sent him to study abroad and he learned shooting, he became the exact opposite.
“That actually hurt my feelings, Martha.”
To say I resemble my younger brother—what worse insult could there possibly be for an older sister?
Martha completely ignored my bewildered laughter and held up the baskets she was carrying in both hands.
"Therefore, let's go out for a walk. The roses in the garden are in full bloom!"
She had planned on going for a walk from the very beginning. But what are the baskets for?
As I just stood there blinking my eyes, Martha gave a broad smile and spoke.
“I packed a lunch box, so let's go on a picnic for the first time in a while.”
I almost bit my tongue.
Martha was definitely a wonderful nanny, but she was a terrible cook. I suddenly remembered how a young Melissa had shown symptoms of poisoning and fainted after eating cookies made by Martha.
“Ma, Martha…………… I’m not really hungr-.”
“Come on, let’s go out, my lady! Hoho, it’s been so long that my heart is fluttering!”
As always, my words were completely ignored. I was grabbed by Martha's hand and practically dragged out of the room. Martha was definitely smaller than me, but she had the strength of a giant.
As I was being dragged away, I sent a desperate look to Yona, who was standing by the door, pleading for help.
'Save me.'
Yona smiled gently. Then, she raised her thumb and firmly made a gesture of slitting her throat.
'My lady, you are as good as dead.'
I also smiled gently and mouthed back.
'Just know that when I get back, your head is rolling too.'
A smirk appeared on Yona's face, but before I could finish threatening her, I was pushed toward the stairs leading down to the first floor.
***
Even so, the weather was definitely nice. Looking at the flowers in full bloom under the sunshine made me calm down.
Yet my wild thoughts and anxious gaze were still fixated on Martha's terrifying lunch box.
“It’s nice now that you’re out here, isn’t it?”
Martha looked up at me with a bright smile. I let out a chuckle and nodded my head. Martha was one of the few people precious to Melissa. Seeing her so happy, I could easily sacrifice something like my sense of taste. I stopped my wild thoughts and attained enlightenment.
That was why I could maintain a peaceful mind even when Martha stopped in front of the table placed under a parasol—which must have also been prepared in advance.
However, please, Mother, Father, God, Buddha, and Allah. Protect my stomach.
“Then shall we have a bite? I put a lot of effort into it.”
I felt my cheek twitch, but I forced my lips upward and suppressed the urge to shake my head like crazy.
Martha even hummed a tune as she unwrapped the lunch box.
It was at that moment,
“—Martha, watch out!”
Sensing an instinctive threat, I quickly shoved Martha away from the table.
“My lady!”
Martha’s scream was buried under a loud crashing sound.
It was the sky. Or perhaps from the roof of the mansion.
A body jumped down from above, suddenly and without hesitation, landing straight on top of the parasol. From that impact, not only the parasol but also the lunch box and the wooden table were completely smashed to pieces.
It is a secret that, for a split second, I felt relieved at the tragic end of the lunch box.
The debris flew past, grazing my arm and cheek. Thick dust settled all around us.
“My lady! Are you alright?”
Martha’s urgent voice buzzed in my ear, but I could not move my frozen body.
It was because of the gaze of the man who was standing up completely unscathed despite falling so violently. It was the look of a beast. His bright red, untamed eyes—no, eyes that could never possibly be tamed—shone fiercely, staring straight at me.
As the man's face was finally revealed, my jaw tightened involuntarily.
His flaming red hair fluttered wildly in the breeze. The corners of his eyes slanted sharply upward, and a prominent scar was carved across the bridge of his bronzed nose. Another pink scar, looking like it had been made quite recently, slashed right across his eye.
Despite being so rugged and covered in wounds, the man was undeniably handsome. A handsome man radiating a wild, primal charm.
“Hello, my lady.”
As he grinned, exposing his teeth, surprisingly sharp fangs were revealed.
I frowned before forcing the corners of my mouth up. Haha, my luck is absolute trash today.
“I don’t recall inviting you.”
Despite my low voice, he shamelessly shrugged his shoulders. His name was 'Jack Forton.' One of Yuri’s men, and a handsome werewolf. He was certainly dangerous.
“Come on, what does it matter? Aren’t you that pushover lady who readily brings uninvited men into her house anyway?”
……………And out of the four male leads, he had the foulest mouth and the absolute worst manners.
“Save your bullshit for somewhere else, Jack Forton. Trespassing into a duke's estate—did you manage to catch rabies or something?”
At my words, his smile vanished. Jack was incredibly hot-tempered and simple-minded, so he easily fell for provocations.
I gestured to call the ducal estate's guards.
Jack growled.
“What's this? Looks like you know me pretty well, lady? But if that's the case, you shouldn't be doing something this stupid. Do you really think mere humans can stop me?”
He was not wrong. I bit my lower lip.
As frustrating as it was, it was true. Jack held the title of a perpetual second-in-command among the werewolves, but his character setting made him incomparably stronger than any human. There was a scene in the novel where several high-ranking imperial knights charged at him, only for him to defeat them with ease.
But even so, I couldn't just stand still. This was inside the Podebrat mansion, and many servants, along with Martha and Yona, were here. If Jack were to harm them...
He was fundamentally known for hating humans.
"Fuck... don't piss me off. If you just cooperate, my lady, I won't kill them. These pests."
Jack crossed his arms and looked around at the servants gathering nearby as if they were worthless.
What should I do? Should I just meekly give him what he wants for now?
But... if a werewolf who lived completely detached from humanity trespassed this recklessly, he definitely wouldn't be asking for something cute like a snack.
After agonizing over it, I opened my mouth.
"I—"
But Jack suddenly jumped back and spat out a curse.
"Ah, fuck!"
At this unfiltered profanity, my eyes went wide and I looked ahead.
Right where Jack had been standing a moment ago, a glowing white bullet was embedded in the ground. Yet, no gunshot had been heard.
Reflexively, I snapped my head up to look at the roof.
There was only one person capable of sniping silently using white magic.
"Look at this. A dog... crawled in."
A familiar voice echoed quietly. It was a soft voice, but because the surroundings were dead silent, everyone could hear it. Perhaps finding that uncomfortable, Jake pulled his robe's hood down further and aimed his gun.
“I thought I was going to die! What the hell is that, my lady?!”
Jack huffed and glared at Jake. Jake smirked, pulling down the corners of his mouth, and said,
“A dog.”
In that moment, I realized why Jake had fired the gun.
It was not to save anyone, nor was it to punish an intruder of the Podebrat family.
“………………You smell. Piss off.”
Jake has a dog allergy. And wolves belong to the canine family.
Achoo. The sound of Jake sneezing echoed.