As I was still not used to expressing myself, the best I could do to convey my appreciation for their affection was a small smile.
But beyond this, I had already decided to think of them as my own family. And so, I also decided to be more honest and be more affectionate with my family henceforth.
No more hiding. I didn’t want to hide anymore.
After breakfast, I hurried back up to my room and took out the novel that I had shoved into the drawer of my desk.
When I read it a few days ago, I only got until the introduction. This time, I needed to confirm whether its contents really matched the book I had read in my previous life.
Plopping down on the sofa, I began reading carefully.
The female lead in the novel had wandered around the vicinity of a warp gate, but then she was suddenly transported to another dimension. She met the main male lead and one sub male lead, a conflict arose, and then she had to guide those two. In the meantime, the male leads slowly fell in love with her.
The story was the same until this point, but the ending was different from how I remembered it.
In the novel I read in my previous life, one sub male had been obsessed with the female lead. He couldn’t accept that the true male lead—who was the imperial crown prince—and the female lead got together, and so he raised a coup d’état.
His abilities were far better than the true male lead’s and it looked like he was about to win. However, in the end, he suffered a rampage and met his demise.
At the same time, the villain—who was another sub male lead—disappeared. The ending was inevitably this: that the female lead and the crown prince lived happily ever after.
But the novel I was reading now had no such ending. It’s as if the book was divided into two parts, and I was reading only the first part.
Come to think of it, this book was divided into two volumes in my previous life.
This book was known as a prophetic book in this world, but was I the only one who knew its true ending?
No, maybe the temple already has both volumes.
There’s a strong possibility that they deliberately spread only the first volume. If they were affiliated with the people up top on the social hierarchy, then it’s inevitable to focus on only your own interests.
It’s just like how it was in the past at the Guide Association Center and the Esper Association Center of Korea.
Among the nobility, a duke was at the top. However, it would still be difficult to let people know that such a duke could wage a rebellion against the crown prince. There’s no way they’d reveal it.
I took another glimpse at the ending of the first volume, then I recalled what would happen after that. I took out a piece of paper and a pen, and then I began to write down everything I could still remember.
Of course, I wrote it all in Korean so that no one would be able to read it.
Unless it was the female lead who traveled from another dimension, no one else would be able to recognize Hangul. In any case, the female lead wouldn’t even come to this place.
The female lead would propagate Korean food and culture in this place. She started quite a few businesses through that, and she also fulfilled her duties as the Saintess out of her own altruism towards the masses.
Still though, I couldn’t help but think that it would be helpful for my family’s merchant guild if we could start those businesses in advance.
Wouldn’t that be enough for me to give back to my family for all the love they’ve given me? All I’ve done was receive everything from them until now.
I wrote down all the things that came to mind about the businesses of the female lead. Although it’s been a long time since I read the novel, I could still recall most of it because I read it numerous times.
“Dear, are you busy?”
Along with a knock on the door, I heard my mother’s voice calling me. So, I put the novel and my notes back into the drawer, then I headed towards the door to open it.
“Yes?”
“Let’s go out together, just you and I.”
“Go out?”
“Mm-hmm. Let’s go to the boutique and check on your dress.”
The coming-of-age ceremony was nearing, so I was fitted for a dress before. There’s still a month left, but why are we going now?
“Check the dress? But why?”
Hearing my words, my mother was set into a flurry.
“Why do you think! Goodness, I should have paid more attention if I knew that you’ll be having your debut at the Imperial Palace. My daughter should be the prettiest…”
I could understand what my mother’s so worried about. But really, this family kept being too generous to me.
It’s so overwhelming to the extent that my heart ached from being so full of emotions, which I had never experienced in the past.
“No matter how well we prepare, once we’re in the capital, the high nobles will be there. We can’t compare in the first place, Mom.”
“Oh, my daughter is very wise. But in your Mom’s eyes, you’re the prettiest. Please just understand this Mom’s heart that I want you to be the prettiest, my Rin. Okay?”
At my mother’s urging, I was ushered out of the mansion along with her. I had gloves on to cover my burns and I also wore a hat to protect myself from the sun.
Summer was just around the corner. As I was hit with the humid air, I recalled the past. The hot wind blowing past made me remember the face of that man for a moment.
“A Guide, huh…”
“Hm? What did you say?”
“Nothing, Mom.”
I mumbled to myself unconsciously, not knowing that I might be heard. Well, anyway, I was looking forward to the coming-of-age celebration a little bit.
The female lead of the novel was a Guide from Korea.
It suddenly occurred to me how excited I was about how I might be able to see someone familiar, even if it was only from afar.