LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 9 - To the Academy - 4
Strange. No matter how I think about it, it’s too different from the original work.
She looked back at where Mikhail was as she left the auditorium.
Lily von Adamas, or rather Han Seol-ah, recalled the content of the original work she knew.
‘How to Tame an Ill-Mannered Man’ wasn’t a well-written romance fantasy novel, even as an empty compliment. The plot holes visible throughout were impossible to cover up.
The content was also problematic. The female protagonist, torn between the Crown Prince who fell head over heels for her and the Northern Ducal heir, “handles them well” and enjoys romancing both. She literally “handles it well,” changes the law, and marries both.
Honestly, it has about as much plausibility as kindling soaked in rice. However, Seol-ah liked that the female protagonist was a genuinely rare toxic player in romance fantasy novels.
Lily pretends to be a lovely, intelligent, and bold woman with her natural beauty and bright aura, but inside she’s a treacherous woman burning with ambition. She shamelessly goes back and forth between the two men, sending to ruin any woman who stands in her way.
The standard for romance fantasy female leads is to be proactive in everything but passive toward their enemies. From Seol-ah’s perspective as a romance fantasy fan, it’s a fact she’d rather not admit, but it’s true.
Considering that typical romance fantasy heroines wait for men to take care of their enemies, Lily’s behavior—pretending to be passive in front of men while actively plotting against her enemies—is quite different.
Attracted by this novelty, Seol-ah was quickly drawn into ‘How to Tame an Ill-Mannered Man,’ or ‘Sanamgil’ for short.
She stayed up all night reading Sanamgil. And as she opened the last chapter around dawn, she dozed off. When she opened her eyes, she realized she had been transmigrated into the female protagonist of the novel she had been reading.
A family name in name only, overcrowded siblings, kind but incompetent parents.
Seol-ah’s world went dark. She had spent an ordinary school life in an ordinary family in South Korea. Plotting dark schemes or using men was too difficult for her.
However, these worries completely disappeared after she had been transmigrated into Lily for a year, marking her 17th birthday. Lily’s 17th birthday is the starting point of the original work. In the original, Lily goes to the capital for her birthday and coincidentally meets the Crown Prince.
Seol-ah tried to avoid getting entangled with the Crown Prince and spend her birthday quietly. She didn’t want to get involved in the original story plot. She didn’t have the confidence to walk a tightrope between the two men.
But going to the capital was unavoidable. She swallowed the words “let’s just not go” that had risen to the tip of her tongue when she saw her parents’ faces, happy to see her.
Lily’s appearance was exceptional, both subjectively and objectively. She was also smart. Even without plotting like Lily, she could graduate from the Academy with excellent grades.
She was confident she could find a decent marriage partner, even if not the future Emperor or the Northern Duke. Let’s find a man who will love me appropriately and whom I can also love. After a year, Seol-ah had long erased the option of returning home from her mind.
However, despite Seol-ah’s determination, she somehow ended up meeting the Crown Prince. It was inevitable, as she couldn’t possibly remember everything about where and how Lily had moved that day. As if the two were destined to meet, the Crown Prince and Lily encountered each other in a very similar situation to the original.
And as if by fate, the moment she and the Crown Prince faced each other, she became Lily von Adamas, not Han Seol-ah.
It was like magic. All sorts of scenarios played out in her head. She could see what consequences her words and actions would bring. Her tongue moved naturally. Even an Academy Best Actress would have given her a standing ovation.
Seol-ah was bewildered by her ability. But eventually, she decided to follow her desires. With this ability, she might as well enjoy intense romances with two handsome, capable men in this world. If she reaches the novel’s ending, she might be sent back home. The longing for her homeland, dulled over a year, reignited.
So she faithfully followed the original protagonist’s route. She coincidentally met the Crown Prince and showed a confident demeanor without being intimidated. She diligently flirted with the Crown Prince, leading to his broken engagement with Cordelia.
After all, in the original, the Crown Prince falls in love with Lily at first sight, so she had the upper hand. In love, the one who falls first loses. She recalled words she had heard in her previous life. Though she never had the chance to experience it in her previous life, it was different here. She wasn’t Seol-ah, the never-dated homebody, but Lily von Adamas—pretty, smart, and bold.
This way, she had successfully followed the original content up to the Academy enrollment. What remained was to provoke Cordelia at the eve party, get slapped in front of everyone, cancel her enrollment, and half-bury her in noble society. Honestly, she doesn’t know how the Crown Prince achieves this. The original work didn’t explain it properly either. It just skipped over, saying it happened that way.
Honestly, Seol-ah didn’t have much ill feeling toward Cordelia. She rather pitied her. She still remembered her ordinary life on Earth and naturally felt repulsed at leaving a significant stain on someone’s life.
But she had to proceed with the story, so there was no choice. Seol-ah engaged in self-justification.
She wanted to finish the story quickly to reach the conclusion. She wanted to live comfortably and then go home. In fact, even though no one had confirmed she could go home, she firmly believed it. Perhaps she was pretending to believe to avoid reflecting on her wrongdoings.
Seol-ah carefully hid a blood capsule in her molar. She would bite and burst it later when Cordelia hit her. It was to create a dramatic effect through bloodshed. The preparation was perfect.
However, at the eve party that began this way, Seol-ah saw someone who shouldn’t be there.
The Northern Duke’s heir. Mikhail von Sirius. With jet-black hair and eyes like the night sky. Since black hair and eyes are rarer in this fantasy world, there’s no way she could mistake him.
In the original work, there was no description of Mikhail participating in the eve party. But Seol-ah thought it could happen. If he just attended without doing anything, there would be no need for him to appear.
But Mikhail began to behave differently from the Mikhail she knew.
He walks around amicably, arm in arm with his fiancée. In the original, when Lily and Mikhail first met, Mikhail was already broken off his engagement. His fiancée didn’t even have a name in the original. She wasn’t even at the level of an extra. Seol-ah thought this could also be possible. They might have fought and broken up after this day.
He leads his fiancée to the stage and dances with her. The original Mikhail hated dancing. His first and last dance was with Lily, alone in the night garden, after giving in to her persistent wheedling. But now he’s dancing with his fiancée, seemingly enjoying it.
Seol-ah’s fine brow furrowed. In the original, the dance scene between Mikhail and Lily is a very important moment when Mikhail’s closed heart opens. Through meeting Lily, Mikhail learns the emotion of love and gradually becomes more human.
She felt something was wrong. She bit her nails.
First, she needed to face Mikhail directly.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, do you perhaps know the ducal heir Mikhail?”
“Not really. Why?”
When alone with Seol-ah, Crown Prince Wilhelm used an affectionate tone instead of his pretentiously heavy manner of speech. He even suggested she speak casually to him once. Though it didn’t happen because she judged it better to maintain an appropriate distance for now.
She planned to lower her walls only after building enough rapport with Mikhail as well. She needed another shoulder to lean on besides the Crown Prince to maintain balance in the relationship.
“I’d like to have a conversation with him. He’s not someone we can see often, right?”
“Haha. It is indeed hard to see that friend’s face. This might be only the second time I’m seeing him in person. Alright, I’ll arrange it.”
The Crown Prince laughed and readily agreed to Seol-ah’s words. Then he approached Mikhail and his fiancée, who were breathing heavily after dancing, and struck up a conversation.
Shortly after, she approached them upon seeing the Crown Prince’s beckoning gesture.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Lily von Adamas.”
She greeted them with a perfect smile. Even then, Seol-ah didn’t forget to observe Mikhail’s expression. Reddened face and wavering pupils. He must be flustered at seeing her.
The original Mikhail is confused by feelings he’s never experienced before after seeing Lily, but he never shows it outwardly. It’s because he’s lived all his life hiding his emotions.
Seol-ah naturally led the conversation while keeping an eye on Mikhail. He was speaking as little as possible, standing a bit back and staring intently at her.
She decided to poke at Mikhail a little here.
“Come to think of it, I heard that Duke Mikhail doesn’t enjoy such gatherings… I guess rumors are just rumors after all.”
Mikhail flinched at the question. Clearly an unwilling expression. He’s too human to be Mikhail. At least in the original, at this point, he doesn’t show any emotions outwardly…
“I wanted to show off my fiancée too.”
Seol-ah almost fainted at his answer but showed no outward sign of agitation thanks to her superhuman self-control.
He’s not just human, but quite the romantic. He’s completely different from the original. Wait, completely different?
Seol-ah’s heart began to race very quickly. She had transmigrated into a novel world. It wouldn’t be strange if one more person like her existed. A thing that has never happened before and a thing that has happened at least once are completely different. It’s a possibility with enough plausibility.
Could he really be from Earth? If he’s from Earth, which country? Since it’s a Korean novel, he’s probably Korean, right?
Seol-ah felt her heart flutter at the thought of home. Although she briefly thought he might be inconsiderate due to his seemingly mocking remarks towards the Crown Prince, that wasn’t important.
Seol-ah pondered ways to leave her mark on Mikhail. She couldn’t just approach and ask if he was from Earth or which country he was from; if it turned out to be her delusion, the image she had built would crumble. Naturally, the path to the ending would become distant too.
In reality, considering how twisted the story might be due to Mikhail’s appearance, such concerns probably pale in comparison, but Seol-ah set that thought aside for now.
After considerable contemplation, she decided to just carry out her original plan.
This was because, no matter how much she thought, no appropriate method came to mind. There’s plenty of time anyway. Since the Academy is a 4-year course, an opportunity will arise eventually.
The plan was as follows:
First, confirm that Cordelia is sufficiently intoxicated. Then, tell Wilhelm not to intervene no matter what happens to her.
“Are you really okay with this?”
Wilhelm asked worriedly.
“Yes, it’s fine. I genuinely just want to have a conversation with Lady Deneb. Even if she hits me, it’s okay if that relieves her anger.”
It couldn’t be fine. If she were hit, Wilhelm would go berserk and cancel her enrollment. Seol-ah had already calculated everything.
‘Sorry, Cordelia. I have no ill feelings. But I need to go home, don’t I?’
Seol-ah repeated to herself as she approached Cordelia.
“Oh, Lady Deneb.”
Cordelia turned towards Seol-ah. After identifying her, she turned her head away as if she’d seen something she shouldn’t have. It’s evident she doesn’t want to converse.
This was expected. Seol-ah approached very close to Cordelia. She put her face so close to Cordelia’s ear, visible through her red hair, that her breath touched it.
“How can you ignore me, Lady Deneb, who lost her fiancé to a mere baroness’s daughter? Could you perhaps tell me how you’re feeling right now?”
Cordelia’s shoulders jumped, perhaps startled by the sudden whisper. Then, after digesting the content of the whisper:
“You bitch!”
Already hot-tempered, with the added effect of alcohol, she lost all restraint.
Good. According to plan. If she continues to irritate Cordelia like this, gets slapped once, and then bites the blood capsule hidden in her molar, it’s over.
Seol-ah’s plan was to stamp the mark of a dropout on one person’s life.
Seol-ah continued to mock Cordelia with a cunning tone. Finally, Cordelia approached her and raised her hand.
‘Will it hurt? I heard it can burst your eardrum. What if it really bursts?’
Seol-ah tightly closed her eyes and waited for the impact on her cheek.
‘Huh? Why isn’t she hitting me?’
She slightly opened one of her closed eyes. In front of her, she saw Mikhail firmly gripping Cordelia’s wrist and facing her.
‘Wow, even though I told Wilhelm not to interfere, this is kind of shameless, but he’s really cool’
Seol-ah, quite shamelessly, felt a bit fluttered at the sight of him frowning deeply, as if displeased with the situation.
And she felt a bit relieved. She had been internally concerned about completely getting rid of Cordelia.
Contrary to Seol-ah’s sentiments, Lily’s body moved mechanically. Hundreds of possibilities branched out in her head.
Seol-ah was almost certain. The Mikhail she knows would never casually interfere in others’ affairs at this point. He simply doesn’t care.
Whether his personality has changed or he’s an entirely different person, the current Mikhail von Sirius is not the Mikhail Seol-ah knew. The plan needs to be modified.
‘Since I wasn’t hit directly, Wilhelm won’t push as strongly. He’ll bring up canceling her enrollment because he dislikes Cordelia, but if someone opposes…’
She thought hard. The conclusion she reached:
‘We’ll cancel the enrollment cancellation. Instead, through her, Mikhail will learn what kind of person Lily von Adamas is.’
If he’s just different in personality but the same person as the original Mikhail, he will still show interest in Lily regardless. That’s how a second male lead works. For the story to progress, they need to become close.
Seol-ah had developed a belief close to certainty through her year with Wilhelm. Male leads can’t help but orbit around the female lead.
But what if Mikhail somehow avoids Seol-ah? If he’s really someone who suddenly fell into this world from Korea, like herself?
She was a lonely stranger who had fallen into this world and desperately needed a friend. She would keep him close by any means.
Even as Seol-ah quietly organized her thoughts, the incident continued to unfold. Mikhail deliberately stood up to Wilhelm and tried to prevent Cordelia’s enrollment cancellation. She stopped Wilhelm at the appropriate timing.
Cordelia’s enrollment cancellation was nullified.
Shortly after, Wilhelm left the auditorium with a somewhat childish line. Seol-ah followed behind him. Her hands were in a cramped state. While she liked Wilhelm’s face, she was somewhat repulsed by his occasional cringeworthy aspects.
As Seol-ah left, she looked back once more in Mikhail’s direction. The three remained in place. Cordelia would probably explain what happened.
First impressions don’t matter. Seol-ah was confident she could befriend Mikhail. He must be feeling lonely just like her.
‘Whoever you are, please don’t go anywhere and wait. Really.’
Beside her, Wilhelm whined that he wanted to stop it too, and who the hell was that guy to act so boldly. But that hardly registered in Seol-ah’s ears.