CH 1.01

CHAPTER 1: THE SUPPORTING ROLE IS ALSO QUITE DIFFICULT (I)

Part 002

Was she incense there too? No, what were all these absurd developments? She couldn’t say anything to a kid who cries while holding her hand saying she’s happy.

Listening to her friend’s story, it is a romance novel with a story with a rough father, evil half-brothers and sisters, and the appearance of the main character’s buff. Hearing rumors of an engagement with the crown prince, what should she say?

After Ailene went back full of tears, she seriously thought about her life as Damian again. At first, she was going to try to become the main character of the social world, but when she thought she was the main character, Siyeon reappeared, showing what ‘heroine’s buff’ was like, so there was no chance for her to be the main character.

She had to find her way in her own way. Whether here or there, she believed that if she behaved as the past Damian did, her father would bring her a young nobleman as her pair, and if she lived according to her standards, she would be able to live a normal life. But, if that’s the case, what meaning would her life have? She was going to die anyway, but she would die gracefully while she was pretty.

The burning romance rute was cleanly given up. But since she had come to a new world, she should try everything she could there!

After thinking about what she could do and what she should do to have fun, she decided to revive her major, which she had given up after studying for 16 years without seeing any results.

“Are you going to take the administrative exam?”

“Yes, father. I want to work for the Treasury Department.”

“Yeah.”

“Why are you suddenly like this, because you hate places with a lot of people. You didn’t even want to go to the academy.”

“I changed my mind. father. I don’t know when this will happen, but I think I’ll regret living the same life as before.”

When her father couldn’t continue his speech with a sad face, Rootban intervened. 

“But, Dami, does it have to be work?”

Rootban was a Level 4 Administrator in the Ministry of the Interior. In that ministry, in the non-ranking sense, talent was sitting in its seat.

“I still want to try it, brother. For the test, please tell me the tricks you studied.”

When she said it with a smile as she grabbed Rootban’s arm, her sister-lover brother couldn’t object more.

“Yes, if you want to do it, do it. But I will never allow anything that harms your health. Do you know what I mean?”

Her father obediently agreed. She thought he opined she wouldn’t be able to make it.

Why was it like that? She was the one that studied like hell, believing in the strength of her efforts.

Lawrence Tyne’s female magistrate said that women usually quit the job if they got married in the 7th or 6th class. For a few years before she got married, she might have thought it was all right. Unless she was the daughter of a low-class aristocratic family who absolutely needed a job, that was, earning money despite being a woman, it was normal for her to think that way. In aristocratic families, young girls who had a social life were treated less harshly in the marriage market than girls who were devoted to bridal training.

However, there was also an office love that bloomed inside the company. Recently, after graduating from the academy, she took the administrative exam. It wasn’t uncommon for young girls to do it. And among the commoners who have less educational opportunities, there were cases of dreaming of marrying an aristocrat after taking the administrative officer exam. Because everyone above commoners was eligible for the test. It was said that there were cases of successful marriage with a single-seated aristocrat. There was almost no chance that the eldest son who would inherit the title would marry a commoner, but there seems to be a romance of the century that was passed down like a legend. But, what she was aiming for was not romance. The moment she saw Ailene’s face, she was convinced. In the social world, even if she juggled with fans and put on a fire show, it wouldn’t do her any favors.

If that’s the case, she would aim for the other side. She would refuse to come all the way there to become a bride. Since things were like that, she would be the first female minister of finance. She has been digging into financial accounting for the longest 4 years. It’s very different there from Korea, but in that field she was going to be the main character, right?

* * *

After preparing textbooks for the test, finding a home tutor for the most vulnerable subject, kingdom history, and completing the genealogy of the test by robbing the library of the root class, there were things to be done before opening the exam mode.

It’s Ailene.

After learning that she was Mihyang, Ailene was sending letters with the momentum of visiting the mansion every day. It was already an established fact that the two of them met two or three times a week to talk and spend time together after overcoming death, so they became best friends.

How to say… Ailene, no, did Siyeon originally have that kind of personality? Or was it very difficult to adapt to her new life as Ailene? Why was she on the verge of tears every time they met?

She had memories of being together when they were young, and there was a wonderful connection because they came to live in the two worlds together, but her heart was also confused to see a child who cries about how difficult everything was every time they meet.

No matter how much she wanted to do something, she couldn’t do it, and all she did was listen and say that it was so, but her heart was heavy when she brought up the story that it was becoming difficult to do even that. According to what Ailene told her, Duke Nodoban seems to have a strong personality. It was said that it was difficult to not antagonize her half-brothers and sisters, and that the check of her stepmother, the Duchess, was suffocating. Besides, the Crown Prince, who was being talked to as her prospective engagement partner, looked like an idiot. Since Damian had no interest in being a member of the socialite royal family, she knew nothing about him. So here was a summary of Ailene’s lamentations.

Wise King Ortega IV has four children. 1st Princess Remina, born of the deceased former queen, Crown Prince Lelius and 2nd Princess Cecilia, the children of the current queen, and 2nd Prince Docerne, the children of his second wife.

It was a situation where pro-royal aristocrats, the main axis of which are prominent dukes, were pushing the crown prince, and aristocratic aristocrats who were somewhat smaller in power were on the side of the second prince. There were three ducal families in Laurentian, the Nodovan family and the Gallion family, two traditional dukes who were said to have helped found the country. They were also the second and third sons of the previous king, and the up-and-coming duke, Bigor, who received the title of duke for his outstanding achievements in the long war with the Gatan Kingdom. Among them, the Duke of Nodoban and the Duke of Galleon were representative royalists, four of the five marquesses under them were nobles, and the Duke of Bigor and the remaining marquess, Rapture, seemed to be neutral.

It seems that there was a war of nerves between the Nodovan family and the Galleon family, who were on the same side over the crown princess position, but Philia, the eldest daughter of the Galleon family, was not normal. But no matter what they talked about, they already nailed it not to whine about the past. Hearing that, Ailene felt a little pity. The duke was too kind to his niece.

Even the main character couldn’t do anything.

Besides, Crown Prince Tibellius, who was being talked about as an engagement partner, was a scumbag with only a beautiful appearance. He was famous for being a man who only believes in his power, a womanizer who harasses women who hated him, and a dog when he was drunk. Philia seems to be quite interested in her future queen position and not in the prince, but why did she keep talking to him?

She was really sorry but there was nothing she could do to help. It’s not too hard for her to be told that she was still not used to being the daughter of a Count, and it’s not too hard for her to curse for her and pat her on the shoulder showing they were on the same side, but what was she supposed to say about the story of the duke, crown prince, and king intertwined?

After waiting for a while, when Ailene calmed down, she told her the news. She said that as soon as she had her coming-of-age ceremony next year, she would take the administrative officer exam, so she would have to devote herself to studying for the remaining half of the year.

Ailene looked even more surprised than she expected.

“Administrative exam?”

“Yes. I want to work in the Ministry of Finance.”

She felt sorry for the surprised face. She wondered if she should be a source of strength next to a friend who was having a hard time, but she had to live her own life too. How long will the incense stick to the gold?

Then Eilene, who covered her surprised face, bit her red lips and let out an uncharacteristically ferocious voice.

“Nyeon, you’re always fine.”

“What?”

“You were always like that when you’re Mihyang. You always made it so easy that I never thought of it. It’s an administrative exam. I didn’t even think of it. I don’t have confidence, and you and only you will advance like that.”

What was that?

“Eilene?”

“I don’t know if you’re comfortable with your family who only cares for you this time, but I think I’m going crazy day by day! Do you have to do that too, knowing exactly how I am?”

Wow, was she blacking out?

Watching Ailene muttering with her eyes quivering relentlessly, she was more dumbfounded than angry. It looked like it’s a lot harder than she thought.

“Ailene, calm down. It’s the same as me who is embarrassed to suddenly become Damian. But we can’t continue like this. Shouldn’t I do something for my future too?”

“Who doesn’t know? You’re always the only one who’s great!”

Now, even the sound was loud. No, what was she saying to her? So she had to hear that deadly boring story until death, forever? She couldn’t scream like a kid who said she was having a hard time living, so she kept her mouth shut because she felt uncomfortable when she saw her react that way to the story she brought out after her own troubles. Ailene continued her words with a strange face that looked like she was angry or crying.

“You don’t even think about me at all. How much pressure was my dad, always wanting to have a smart daughter like you! My parents were bleak just looking at you, and I managed to get into college but after taking three private tutors. Did you get a scholarship too? Don’t you know how much my mom compared us, and now here too. The Duke’s family let me out of breath. I might have to marry a crazy crown prince at this rate and you… magistrate exam? You’ve found your way again before I knew it.”

Ailene, who finished her long story, bowed her head for a long time with a red face, perhaps because she was out of breath from talking so much, and ashamed that she had confessed her inner feelings. She took different decisions to live her own life, but Ailene must have thought that way. She thought she was the only one who was stressed by the comparison, but it seems Ailene did too. Her heart was heavy as expected to hear that a friend she grew up with for 24 years was having such a hard time without any countermeasures.

Damian’s memories and life of the past 17 years were already hers, so she was quick to accept them as she was very adaptable. But even Kim Mihyang, who didn’t already exist in that world, sometimes pops out of nowhere to say, “This can’t be!”

Like manners and rules that enforce her actions, the big and small discrimination that women who couldn’t inherit a family generally suffer from, and the relationships between her and servants who were confined to the status system of nobles and commoners created against their will.

If her father were to be an authoritarian man who didn’t care about her happiness, and if he forced her to marry a stupid crown prince… thinking how hard that would be, she swallowed a sigh and opened her mouth first.

“I’m sorry, Ailene. I didn’t know you that far. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help as I know you’re having a hard time.”

After pouring out her bout, Ailene shakes her head with her face still red, perhaps she was feeling relieved.

“No, Damian. I complained out of frustration. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right. Let’s think about what we can do. Is the most urgent thing to avoid being engaged?”

She said that, but in fact, it was a very vague concept. How could she, a mere daughter of a Count, a girl who had nothing special or outstanding, who has not even had a coming-of-age ceremony yet, how could she make a nuisance to the marriage between the duke and the royal family?