I Refuse To Be A Character In A Novel - Chapter 15

Rosy lips under a small nose on a round, fair face and gentle emerald eyes with platinum blond hair.

It was the same hair color as her mother’s.

While she was savoring the sweet taste of another desert which wasn’t found in their kitchen, Erna unconsciously glanced at baroness Harvis who had been sitting quietly for a while.

It was the virtue of a noble lady to say as few words as possible in the presence of strangers, but for a young lady to only nod and smile in the company of her peers, it could only be seen as pitiful.

‘She’s really beautiful’

Even in the capital where blonde hair was common, Eleanor would be exceptionally beautiful.

A beauty that seemed to have withered before her time.

How unfair.

Erna thought while recalling the things Mielle said about Eleanor.

She wasn’t the kind of person to normally care for strangers but she felt sympathetic looking at the woman who was even younger than herself.

Her father, Baron Ranadell sold his eldest daughter to a man only a few years younger than him, in order to keep hold of the small land he had after going bankrupt.

Now his daughter is a step mother to two children only a few years younger than her.

The world portrayed in the novel was kinder to women, but the reality remained as she remembered it.

It was rare for women in Rasmodia to decide their own spouses.

Those who were born to parents with high status end up marrying men of the same class depending on their political interests and daughters born from poor families end up sold off in an arranged marriage.

But in the end neither of them decided on their partners.

When it came to marriage, it was sheer luck for a woman of either status to find happiness.

Erna suddenly thought of Zachary.

Despite how unfair she found her situation when she first opened her eyes in this  world, now she was quite grateful that she didn’t find herself sold to an old man or in a house ruled by fists.

She could’ve been a side character who lived a miserable life and died a meaningless death.

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The ladies continuously brought up different topics one by one.

At the end of the tea party, Erna ended up asking if she could write to them from now on, intending to befriend Eleanor.

It was no harm to her to exchange a few letters.

A relationship that could be cut off at any time.

The ladies expressed joy over the thought and eagerly agreed.

Julia and Eleanor were especially excited since they seemed not only to have made their first official friend, but it was also the duchess who could potentially be of help to them in the future.

Aristocratic men often used their wives as a tool to convince their business partners and lords.

And so the ladies parted on good terms.

Despite the initially cold atmosphere, the tea party was pleasant and I had quite a good time.

Riding on the carriage back to her mansion, Erna hummed in a good mood.

Alexie’s annoyance towards me was obvious, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying myself.

It was rather refreshing to tease her every now and then.

It’s always good to be in the company of people every once in a while. Too much solitude could drive you insane before you even realized it.

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“We have finished cleaning up the area, you highness.”

Standing across the duke’s large desk, his right hand and retainer, Count Taiwen’s third son, Thomas Taiwen ended his report on the territory with pleasing news.

“What about the gate?”

While looking down the documents his butler Dylan had handed him, a slight frown appeared on the duke’s forehead.

Not only did he have to deal with Maghulls (mana dependent creatures), but the issues of the vast territory never seemed to end.

“It hasn’t reappeared since we last saw it during the expedition.”

“Did you find anything else?”

“It seems that your thoughts may have been correct, there’s a good chance it came from the mana that still remains from the fallen kingdom However, we were unable to determine how it came to be for sure. The surrounding area has been thoroughly searched and all people living in approximate range have also been evacuated for safety measures.”

Tap-Tap.

Both the butler and Sir Thomas stood upright waiting for an order, but the duke seemed lost in thought.

While staring absentmindedly at the documents in his hands, only the sound of his index tapping on the desk echoed in the office.

“Should we send the wolves?”

Thomas asked in a careful tone.

It was indeed worrying if maghulls came roaming in the north while the duke was away, and only the wolves, the duke’s best knights, were able to stand up to those creatures besides the duke.

Mana-dependent creatures, now known as Maghulls had existed long before the founding of the kingdom and researchers have concluded that they were born from an unusual transformation of the wild animals that inhabited the Kaiser forest in the north due to the lingering mana that remained after the fall of the magic kingdom centuries ago.

Fortunately, Maghulls rarely left the borders of the forest due to their existence that depended on mana.

However, there were always exceptions which threatened people’s lives.