Chapter 2 - I’m Asking You To Be Careful

Chapter 2 – I’m Asking You To Be Careful

Dorothea stared at me with shocked eyes when she heard my request. She looked at me like I was out of my mind.

Well, if it was considered normal for me to tie the ribbon on her chest, then it was normal for her to tie the ribbon on my shoe, wasn’t it? I kept my gaze fixed on Dorothea, ignoring her stunned reaction. Nothing was going to stop me now.

Dorothea blinked. “…What?” she blurted out, but she wasn’t asking because she didn’t hear me the first time. Her eyes trembled. It didn’t bother me to smile casually and explain again.

“As you can see, the ribbon on my shoe is loose. I have a back ache, so can you tie it for me?”

“…Tie the ribbon on my chest,” Dorothea said again.

“I’m sorry, Roth,” I said with a light smile. “I don’t think I can do anything because the ribbon on my foot is too annoying.”

“…”

“Tie that first, and then I’ll tie your ribbon for you. Alright?”

In truth, the sequence wasn’t important. What mattered now was to show that I was no longer the old Maristella anymore. I had to show that I wouldn’t let myself be stepped on. I already knew Dorothea’s true nature, and it would be hard for her to play innocent later.

“…Alright,” Dorothea said. There was no reason for her to refuse.

She was forced to squat in front of me as she tied the ribbon on my shoe. When I looked down at her, a tidal wave of excitement rushed over me. I wanted Maristella prey on Dorothea at least once in the novel, and now it came true! I preened in the destruction of the original work.

After a while, however, I frowned.

‘Does she even know how to tie a ribbon? Is she purposely trying to mess it up?’

Of course, Dorothea was a noble lady who was above tying ribbons. But if Maristella tied her ribbons ten times, wouldn’t it be natural for Dorothea to think, “Oh, I should learn how to tie a ribbon too”? Was her mind empty of basic knowledge? The question continued to linger in my mind, but the answer slowly came to me.

‘What should I expect from someone who told her friend to die quietly?’

This was a fruitless effort in the first place. This was just what Dorothea was.

“Roth, have you ever tied a ribbon?” I said with an intellectual air.

“Mm,” she hummed casually in reply. No, she sounded like she was bragging.

“Why don’t you use this opportunity to learn? I’ll teach you,” I said.

“Don’t want to.” Dorothea replied so quietly, that it almost sounded like “Alright” at the moment. I didn’t know if my ears were broken at first.

“No?” I asked.

“Mm. It’s annoying.”

“But shouldn’t you know how to tie a ribbon in case yours gets untied?”

“Why would I do that? I have a maid. Besides, you tie ribbons well,” she added nonchalantly, as if her ignorance was not a problem at all.

That was a compliment towards me, but I didn’t want to hear it. So Dorothea just saw Maristella as a maid. Someone to tie the ribbon on her chest.

I managed to keep my voice level. “What if I’m not there?”

“What are you talking about, Marie?” Dorothea said with a stunned shake of her head. “You’re always there for me. We’re best friends.”

“…”

Yeah, a best friend that she let die. She just wanted a servant.

“Don’t be too lax, Roth. Someday I may not be there for you.”

“Why are you speaking such sad words, Marie? I don’t even want to think of a world without you.”

I had nothing to say about Dorothea’s opinion on losing a maid. I glanced down and looked at the ribbon tied by Dorothea.

It was a mess.

I didn’t think Dorothea would do a better job if I asked her again, and I didn’t feel like listening to her annoying voice. She would probably say, ‘Marie is too picky. Can’t you do it later?’

I sighed. For now, this was an operational setback. “Let’s in the carriage for now. The driver has been waiting,” I said in a tired voice.

“What about my ribbon?”

“It’s not completely loose yet. If it unravels, then ask the maid to tie it for you.”

I firmly drew the boundaries and climbed into Dorothea’s carriage. I wanted to ride separately from her, but I didn’t want to show that Maristella had changed too much. It would be trouble if I was discovered to be a fake Maristella. It was best to take this gradually. I had no intention of remaining like the real Maristella in the end, of course.

“Aren’t you looking forward to the tea party today? My father said he delivered new tea to the Trakos mansion.”

Dorothea’s father, Count Cornohen, managed the family affairs, and Dorothea lived the luxurious life of a princess, even if she wasn’t a high-ranking aristocrat. I stared at Dorothea’s shiny, ivory-colored shoes, and responded with an indifferent voice.

“Hm. I’m looking forward to it.” I spoke as if I were reading from a Korean language book, but fortunately, she didn’t seem to notice anything at all.

“Father delivered it to the Trakos Mansion at a particularly low price. But I’m like, Father, come on. The Trakos aren’t even a count family, but a marquis. I don’t know what he’s groveling to them for.”

“I see.”

“Don’t you agree, Marie? Honestly, there’s nothing much about the Trakos. Count Trakos isn’t that high in the nobility. At best, he’s living off the reputation of his ancestors.”

Once again, my viewpoint about Dorothea’s personality was correct. I couldn’t believe she would speak like this when no one else was around. I wondered if she would dare say these things in front of Marquis Trakos or his daughter. However, I had no intention of intervening behind-the-scenes, so I simply narrowed my eyes. In times like this, it was best to keep one’s mouth shut.

“I don’t like Lady Trakos either,” Dorothea said. Now she was badmouthing the daughter as much as the father. “I don’t like her face. Don’t you think she looks like a fox?”

I couldn’t give an opinion because I had never seen Lady Trakos, but I didn’t trust a word Dorothea said. Instead, I gave a mumbled “Hm” in reply.

“What was that reaction?” Dorothea said.

“What?”

“Your response is too passive.”

“…”

My mind blanked for a moment, then my tongue finally found the words to say. “What kind of response did you want?”

“You have to insult her with me.”

“…Lady Trakos?”

“Yes!”

I was speechless. Was this what Dorothea expected of me? This woman truly was shameless. “I don’t really like to talk bad about other people,” I said imperiously.

“What?”

“I learned that it is uncultured behavior as a lady.”

“Marie, you…”

“So I avoid it as much as I can. Didn’t you learn that too?” I added with a bright smile, and Dorothea said nothing. Of course she didn’t, but she couldn’t say that she never learned etiquette as a lady.

Dorothea remained silent after that, and the rest of our journey was thankfully in peace.

***

We arrived at the Trakos mansion, and I slowly descended from the carriage. As I entered the mansion with Dorothea, a man who appeared to be the butler stopped in front of us.

“Welcome, young ladies. Excuse me, but could you show me your invitations?”

I showed him the invitation I received from Florinda, as did Dorothea. We entered the back garden, where the sweet perfume of flowers greeted us.

“There must be many other ladies here, isn’t that right, Marie? Let’s go say hello and talk,” Dorothea enthused.

Just like the Maristella of the novel, I wasn’t particularly inclined to join noisy activities. I was still a bit more sociable than Maristella, but Dorothea was different. She always wanted to be in the center of attention. Of course, depending on the viewer, this could be seen as a positive. I couldn’t deny that either. Sociability was certainly not a flaw.

‘But why is she dragging Maristella with her?’

Dorothea was well aware of Maristella’s shy personality. Nevertheless, Dorothea had Maristella accompany her to all the parties she attended. If Dorothea regarded Maristella as a true friend, she may try to encourage her to socialize more, but eventually she had to concede that it didn’t fit her friend’s personality. That was what a true friend did—respect them without trying to tailor their character. It was also a natural courtesy in human relationships.

‘Dorothea just wanted a bridesmaid. A supporting role that would make her shine as the main character.’ 

The thought made me feel dirty. The real Maristella was smart enough to know this, so why did she continue to devote herself to Dorothea without complaint? I felt immense disgust towards Dorothea as well.

Dorothea suddenly grabbed my gloved wrist and tried to drag me somewhere. “There are a lot of people over there. Let’s go over there.”

“Roth, let me go,” I said, embarrassed. It came out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

Dorothea frowned and turned back to look at me as if to say, Why?

“You’re holding my wrist too hard. It hurts,” I complained.

“…You’re acting strangely today, Marie,” Dorothea said in exasperation. “Did you eat something bad yesterday? Why are you so overly sensitive?”

“…No, Roth,” I said, offended. Did Dorothea really think that Maristella was oversensitive without considering her own rude behavior? I answered with a smile. “I’m asking you to be careful. You’re being overly sensitive when it comes to common sense. Are you sure you’re not the one who ate bad food?”

I threw back the question on her, and she couldn’t answer. Instead, her face flamed red in embarrassment.

Why would you say something you can’t answer yourself? I thought to myself with a smile. “It’s alright if that’s the case, Roth.”

“…”

“Shall we go over there? If you continue to linger here, you won’t be able to get a word in.” I began to walk towards where Dorothea pointed earlier, and Dorothea followed behind me with a frown. I stepped in between the group of ladies who were speaking to each other in a friendly atmosphere.

“Hello. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you all,” I said.

Now that I’ve become Maristella, I would no longer be in a supporting role for Dorothea.