"As expected, my eyes didn't deceive me."
The moment I saw him, the corners of my mouth twitched upward into a smirk. I closely scrutinized the man standing before me, who was completely frozen stiff with tension. I probably sound a bit like a creepy old geezer, but I couldn't help it.
At this rate, it would be...
I tried to recall the women who used to cling to Ian’s side.
Compared to those women—who had to be extraordinary beauties regardless of their status just to get close to the Crown Prince—this man’s good looks were not inferior at all. In fact, he shone even brighter.
"Perfect."
I was impressed.
And nodding my head, I gently grabbed the shoulder of the man—who looked like a total beggar until yesterday but now looked like a young noble from a good family—and brought up the main point.
"Now, my friend. I'd like you to help me out a bit."
The man blinked his deep pink eyes as if he didn't quite understand.
***
One of the few advantages of becoming Melissa—though there weren’t many—was that she had far more opportunities to see handsome men than I ever did. Her fiancé and her younger brother both possessed imperial beauty befitting novel protagonists, and even the servants working at the duke's mansion were mostly handsome. Consequently, Melissa naturally developed an aesthetic eye for recognizing handsome men.
I awakened that eye the exact moment I recognized the handsome man who was lying helplessly on the ground looking like a total beggar. No matter how dirty one is, one cannot completely hide one's naturally radiant beauty. And to screw over Ian, I needed a member of the opposite sex with that exact kind of beauty.
That was why I ended up picking up—no, bringing back—the man as he stared blankly at the hand I held out to him before accepting it.
"My lady, have you lost your mind?! Instead of picking out a dress, you brought back another useless mouth to feed! I—!"
The moment I brought him in front of the carriage, Yona's nagging pierced my eardrums, but I calmly whispered the magic words into her ear.
"—Of course, I understand. Who could possibly object to one human helping another? This Yona is deeply moved to see my lady practicing true noblesse oblige. I will do my absolute best to cooperate from now on."
If I had to name the most materialistic person in the world, that name would be Yona.
The moment I resolved to tear open my petticoat—where Melissa’s secret slush fund was hidden—I gained an all-powerful accomplice named Yona.
Fortunately, Ian's lackey, Jake, seemed to have vanished after we left the shop, allowing me to leisurely board the carriage and slip through the mansion's back gate. By a stroke of good luck, the Duke had fled to the countryside and left the estate empty, so I got to work on my plan right away.
First up: a bath.
"Yona. Draw a bath in my room. We need to wash him."
"You're going to wash him yourself, my lady?"
"Hmm..."
For a second, I almost casually replied, "Should I?" but I burst out laughing at the sight of the man desperately shaking his head.
"He can handle it himself."
I asked Yona to assist the man and stepped out of the room for a moment to give him some privacy.
While waiting, I reviewed my plan once again.
"Now, let's think about it. The way Ian screwed me over the hardest was through an affair. Then is there any rule saying I can't hook up with another guy? Of course, responding to an affair with an affair felt a bit off, like I'd be turning into the exact same piece of trash. Especially since there wasn't even a guy I particularly liked."
"So, I had no intention of actually kissing and making out with a real side-piece right in front of Ian. Instead, I planned to give him just a tiny bit of 'unexpectedness' and 'food for thought.' Since things like Ian's jealousy or sense of loss were impossible anyway, I didn't even wish for them; what I was aiming for was the psychology of the people attending the ball.
On the day of the wedding announcement, the fiancée who used to cling to the Crown Prince arrives with a handsome man on her arm? Plus, he’s neither a noble nor a family member. Is he a hidden lover? An affair? Or is he just there to spark jealousy? A boy toy?
All kinds of delusions and suspicions will run rampant.
“Why on earth did she bring him in front of everyone on the day of the wedding announcement? Wasn't she the woman who only had eyes for Ian? What are you thinking, Melissa Podebrat?”
It didn't matter who misunderstood, or how.
My reputation in society was already rock bottom anyway, and I had absolutely no intention of living a glamorous high-society life or seizing power. I just wanted people to realize one small thing.
That Melissa Podebrat was no longer a woman who walked on eggshells around Ian Basilios without straying.
"My lady, he is ready."
As the door opened with Yona’s words, I nodded and stepped into the room. Soon, I found myself standing amazed at the man's neat and clean appearance.
He had sapphire-like blue curly hair and eyes as deep pink as royal azaleas. While the corners of his eyes drooped slightly, his eyelashes were long, and now that he was standing up straight, he was about half a head taller than me.
"He looks like a big dog."
I bet he'd feel fluffy to the touch.
Beaming from ear to ear, I held out the rice porridge I had prepared in advance.
"You're hungry, right? They say when you've been starving for a while, you have to start with something like this."
However, the man only swallowed hard, making no move to accept the bowl.
Does he not want to eat? But his eyes are completely glued to the dish.
"Hmm... Are you uncomfortable eating with me watching?"
At my question, the man vigorously shook his head from side to side.
"Rather than disliking it, is it... maybe that you're embarrassed?"
The man's face flushed a deep crimson, and he gave a cautious nod.
I suppose it could be awkward to suddenly walk into a noble mansion and eat in front of a villainess like me without knowing anything.
"Don't worry, it's not poisoned. First of all, I'm sorry for bringing you here without explaining the situation. But you must be starving, so I'll explain everything once you're done eating."
I gave him the most harmless smile I could muster and stepped out of the room again. It felt like I was constantly being kicked out of my own bedroom.
I sat huddled by the door all by myself and waited yet again.
***
"…And that’s why I’d like you to go to this ball with me as my partner."
In reality, Ian was supposed to be my partner, but honestly, he could go screw himself.
I made the request to the man, who was now well-fed and properly dressed up thanks to Yona’s best efforts.
"Of course, you're free to say no. I will absolutely not force you. Even if you choose to leave right now, I simply did my duty as a noble helping someone in need, so I have nothing to lose. But if you do agree to help me with this, I will make sure you are properly compensated."
The man listened to my words blankly. Did he even understand what I was saying?
I felt a little anxious, but I smiled, pretending to be unfazed, and said:
"You just need to stay by my side without saying a word. It's perfectly fine even if you don't know proper etiquette—"
At that exact moment, the man nodded his head vigorously.
Oh, is that a yes?
I looked back at the man, feeling a bit dazed.
He was smiling gently. The way the corners of his mouth curved up softly was downright fatal to my heart.
"……Right. You just need to smile like that."
The man quickly lowered the corners of his mouth in panic, as if he had only just realized he was smiling.
I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Ahem, by the way, I don't even know your name. Or your social status, for that matter. Since we're in a contractual relationship now, mind telling me?"
At my completely natural question, a look of panic crossed the man’s face.
"Um, you really have to tell me this. Even though I brought you here completely out of the blue, we should at least know each other's names and a bit about our backgrounds, don't you think?"
I persistently waited for an answer, but seeing how he absolutely refused to open his mouth, I nudged him a little. The man hesitated as if he were completely at a loss, but then, as if making up his mind, he finally opened his mouth slowly.
At that exact moment, I realized my own stupidity.
Mind telling me? The man couldn't tell me anything. He didn't have a tongue.
"……I'm sorry. I made a mistake."
When I bit my lip and apologized, the man quickly shook his head as if it was absolutely nothing to apologize for.
Yona, who was quick on the uptake, brought a pen and paper over to him. Fortunately, he seemed to know how to write, as he frantically scribbled something down on the paper.
<It's okay. My name is Nine.>
"Whew... I'll be more careful from now on, Nine."
I pressed a hand to my forehead before looking back up at the man—at Nine. He was already busy writing something else down.
<I was just a worthless worm with nowhere to go. I am simply grateful to you for giving me this chance.>
I let out a wry smile with mixed feelings. It felt like I was doing a terrible thing to a truly good kid.
But what’s done was done. I decided to pull myself together.
***
The day of the Spring Ball arrived.
"My lady, His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince has arrived to escort you."
"To think I'm receiving an escort I've never once had in my entire life, all because we're about to call off the engagement."
It wasn't that I was particularly trying to be sarcastic; it was just my genuine, hollow thoughts slipping out.
I took a look in the mirror. Ultimately, the simple deep-blue bustier dress chosen by Yona's aesthetic eye looked quite natural on me.
‘No matter what, Melissa is still a duke’s daughter.’
While it was an outfit that was by no means flashy and wouldn't stand out, I had someone by my side who needed to shine even brighter than me.
"Nine."
I flashed a smile at the man who was standing by the door, naturally holding out his hand to me.
With his long curly hair tied back into a single ponytail and dressed in a glamorous black tailcoat that fit him perfectly as if it were his own, his good looks were bound to make anyone fall in love at first sight.
Nine softly curved his eyes and naturally held out his hand toward me. I straightened my posture and took his hand.
Alright, time to go crash this party.