"Meldenique! A useless thing like you isn't worthy of being part of our family!"
I agreed.
This woman whose body I had possessed just a while ago, Meldenique Babyloa, had already squandered over a hundred billion becquerels.
One hundred billion becquerels.
In this world, thirty million becquerels is the average annual income for a commoner family of four. So, of course, the Duke's anger was understandable.
Meldenique had no talent for business.
Granted, her inability to properly showcase her business talents was partly due to her dysfunctional family circumstances. Her stepmother, Madame Hildegard, interfered with everything Meldenique attempted.
However, the Duke of Babyloa, the father of this body, wouldn't take that into account.
'Because he hates me.'
I stared at the Duke of Babyloa's face, sitting across from me in the parlor. As expected, his face was more contorted than a rotten tomato. Looking at those venomous eyes, I knew precisely what he was about to say next.
"Take this money and get out! I never want to see you again!"
He flung a large wad of money at me. Perhaps he'd intended to strike my face? Luckily, my reflexes were quite good. I smiled inwardly and quickly snatched the bundle of cash he'd thrown.
Nice catch!
"Yes, I hope I don't see you again, either."
As I spoke, I carefully packed the thick bundle of money into a pocket I had prepared in advance.
'I thought they'd give me the money right away and kick me out.'
Ever since I possessed this body, I had been waiting for this very day!
The Duke of Babyloa, who had been staring at me in amazement for a few minutes as I swiftly grabbed the money and pocketed it, stammered: "You... where did that pocket come from...? Or do you dare to challenge my authority?"
Was it due to anger? His green eyes fluttered uncontrollably, and the few remaining strands of his blond hair trembled like petals in the wind.
"What about me?" I shrugged and shook my head. "No, I don't."
He might be wondering why his daughter, who would normally be crying on the floor, begging for forgiveness, was leaving so nonchalantly.
"I want you to do what you want."
Originally, Meldenique would have been shaking or crying, desperate not to be expelled from the family. However, I had been waiting for an opportunity to be rid of this family. I could feel the reassuring weight of the money bundle in my arms.
"I also feel extremely indebted for not being able to manage the business properly..."
In truth, I didn't feel much debt at all. I thought Madame Hildegard was entirely responsible for ruining my business to the best of my ability.
"Anyway, you told me to leave, so I'm going!"
I turned my back on him as he glared at me. The Duke cherished money more than blood ties; with a hundred billion becquerels squandered, it was best not to see him until his anger had subsided.
After all, I had been planning to leave this corner of the house completely. I didn't want to be tied to this dysfunctional family, caught in a succession dispute, eating away at my own lifeline. Besides, I had something else I wanted to do.
'Goodbye, Duke.'
He was dumbfounded for a moment, then shouted loudly behind me as I left. "You're saying something funny. Even if you come back begging for money, I won't accept it!"
I turned my head and stared at him. 'Begging? That's hilarious.'
I said my last goodbye to the Duke of Babyloa with the brightest smile he had ever seen.
"Yes! Goodbye!"
I had no intention of pleading with him from the beginning. Smiling, I slipped through the open door.
Now, I was completely isolated from this family! I hummed, confident that the Duke of Babyloa, who detested me, would write a letter of excommunication right away. Although I had received money from him, leaving the family as soon as possible was paramount.
The Duke of Babyloa fumed, "No matter how much you think about it, giving you that money is a complete waste!" Or perhaps the Duchess, my stepmother Hildegard, would have chased after me, ready to beat me with her purse.
When I returned to my room, I changed into the lightest dress I owned. Dresses in this world were usually so voluminous and elegant that it was difficult to change them without a maid. However, I had a simple, light dress that didn't require a petticoat. I slipped my arms into the light blue, long-sleeved muslin dress, fastened the buttons at the neckline, and took one last look in the mirror.
In front of me stood a beautiful woman, a hint of nervousness in her posture. She had glossy blonde wavy hair that reached her waist, pure white skin, and large eyes that seemed to hold countless unspoken thoughts. It had been a few months since I was possessed, but I still hadn't quite gotten used to this face.
After a few strokes on my face, I went back to packing. The money I'd received from the Duke of Babyloa, a pouch containing approximately 200 million becquerels, a small deed for a building left by my mother upon her death, a few jewels, some jewelry, and a few dresses were all pressed into an enchanted suitcase. For now, this would be enough to get by.
'I really have to go now!'
However, just as I was about to leave, fully prepared, I encountered an unexpected obstacle.
"Oh, Miss! Where are you going in this cold weather...?"
Rosalyn, the household maid, spotted me packing and about to depart, calling out my name. Rosalyn, who had been by Meldenique's side since childhood, was the only person in this household who genuinely liked me. I looked down at her graying hair and whispered, "It's not cold right now. It's March, when the flowers bloom. It's spring."
"Well, then... Uh, where are you going?"
"To make my dream come true."
It didn't take long for Rosalyn's expression to twist into astonishment. 'No, I'm going to fulfill my dream, so why does she look so upset?' Rosalyn carefully gripped my dress. For a maid to hold onto her master's dress was practically unheard of. Yet, she didn't loosen her grip and timidly murmured, "Are you... are you going to Prince Hesmann? To... to marry him?"
Oh, that's right. Speaking of which, everyone knew my dream as "marrying Duke Hessmann and becoming a Duchess." I thought of my fiancé, Duke Lennox Hessmann.
"Not long ago, you stopped writing letters to Duke Hesmann... Did you... did you give up...?"
I looked down at Rosalyn's tearful face, wondering where to begin and how to explain. 'It's misleading. Meldenique's obsession with Lennox was too much.'
The original Meldenique, this body's former occupant, had a pure crush on her fiancé, despite her reputation as a villainess. But I was different. The chic and cold Duke of the North, the male lead, wasn't to my liking at all.
'I like cute younger boys. I wouldn't take that cold male lead even if he came with a truckload of gifts.'
"What marriage proposal? I'm not interested in Duke Hessmann anymore."
The maid's face soured as she looked at me, perplexed by my nonchalant reply. "Well, then?"
I glanced at her. I had been indifferent this entire time, but I couldn't hide my excitement while thinking about what I truly wanted to do.
Ropan's novel, Enchanted Lovers. No one knew exactly why the novel was called Enchanted Lovers; it had nothing to do with the content. The novel was an ordinary romance fantasy, in the style of a Harlequin romance. It told the story of the cold yet perfect male protagonist, Duke Hessmann, who falls into a forbidden love with Sheria, a beautiful, lovable, and envied noblewoman.
'It would have been great if I'd been possessed by the main character or even an extra.'
However, I was the villainess Meldenique, the female protagonist's half-sister and the male protagonist's fiancée. She even tries to murder Sheria out of jealousy, only to have her own throat cut.
'A villainess. I hate this reality, but I can't help it.'
I exhaled a trembling breath and made eye contact with the maid who was staring at me, falling back into thought. It was a few months ago that I came to inhabit the body of Meldenique, a person burdened with all sorts of terrible epithets. I tried denying reality because of my sudden possession, smashing my head on the desk, even attempting a bizarre "bunshin ba" (presumably a self-division technique). But no matter what weird things I did, I couldn't go back to my original body.
So, what did I do? After a few struggles, I boldly gave up on returning to my old life. And after organizing the timeline in the original story, I thought for a long time about what I truly wanted to do in my second life, what my real dream was.
'To hell with the original story, I'm going to do whatever I want.'
There was someone I envied when I was in elementary school: the owner of the stationery store in front of the school. Beer candy, chewy sweets, delicious snacks! I couldn't count how many times I'd drooled over the magical things they displayed.
I adjusted the bag of money and daily necessities on my shoulder, whispering in her ear as if I were sharing the most secret confession. It was cute to see the maid swallow hard.
"My dream is to become a stationery store owner."
I'll sell school supplies, I'll sell reminders, I'll sell Dalgona, and I'll definitely sell beer candy. I hope all the children on this continent can use the things I make and create happy memories while eating the sweet junk food I provide!
'Wait for me, cute children!'