Chapter 111

Tara rethinks the circumstances of her transmigration while Hans and Joseph plot their latest move.

This chapter is dedicated to ninjagirl! Thank you for your support!

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Episode 111. About 11 Months (3)

Words came to mind from the depths of an old memory.

[... When I'm done with this novel, I'm going to have one of the unknown or unjustly killed characters publish a book with the exact same title as this one. And of course, I'm going to make sure it's a hit. That's how I'll end it! What do you think?]

Writer Kim had said that when she was about to resume the series from where she had left off. Of course, I’d died before that part was written.

Ha, thank goodness. I had transmigrated afterall...

Perhaps if I hadn't remembered Writer Kim's words, I would have floundered in the labyrinth forever.

....Wait a moment!

“Huh…!”

"What? Miss, what's wrong?"

"Oh... Nothing."

"Do you know you've been acting weird today? Is it because you're not feeling well? You only got these symptoms after eating that neutralizer plant thing... I knew His Highness the Second Prince helping you was suspicious! Did he really trick you into something while you were sick...!"

I hastily grabbed Beth's shoulders. She was flushed and red from allowing her imagination to run wild.

"Beth! Watch what you say!"

Beth quickly clapped her hands over her mouth and whimpered.

"I'm sorry... Miss."

"It's okay, I appreciate that you're upset on my behalf, but it's never okay to criticize such a high-ranking nobleman so openly. Even if it's just the two of us. You never know who might be listening, so you have to be careful at all times. Do you understand?"

"Yes... I wasn't thinking about my words enough before I said them...."

"Yes. Be careful. And the neutralizer plant made me feel much better, not worse..."

"Ah... But why haven't you told Doctor Oliver about how you've been feeling?"

"I forgot... I'm going to get some sleep, wake me up when we arrive."

I deliberately closed my eyes.

I hadn't forgotten, I had simply chosen not to inform Dr. Oliver because I knew it would only cause a bigger headache if he learned where I had obtained a neutralizer plant from.

In fact, I had my own doubts about the Second Prince's generosity, and I didn't know how I would explain it to my father if he found out.

Anyway... There was no need to think about it any longer.

Eyes closed, I positioned my head against the carriage wall. At the same time, I tried to change the direction of my thoughts.

Aria was writing the book Kim had told me about. That meant the ending Kim had mentioned might actually happen and the book would be published afterwards.

The story I was in was obviously set a year later than the original story, and there had been no similar signs before this.

So, did this mean that Writer Kim had written this version of the story after my death and picked up the narrative where she had left off a year ago?

I furrowed my brow.

No, there wasn't a lot of reader support for her story in the first-place, so why would she suddenly restart it again a year later...? Could her story have really become a sudden success?

I let out a deep sigh.

If that was really the case, did that mean that Kim's claims about what she would write in the future would really come true? Of course, not everything would go as planned, and I could be wrong, but....

If she had planned in advance, there was a high probability that things would go that way.

Hmmm... Okay... What will I do then....?

I quickly found the answer. There was only one way.

I needed to try and recall as much as possible about what Writer Kim planned to do with the story. That was my only option.

Ah... If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have reviewed Kim's book for her. I'd much rather have read something like Harry Potter or some other famous novel every minute of the day so I could’ve ended up trapped in that instead.... Ah... But then again, if Voldemort existed... Nevermind .... Ugh. Either way, every day was enough of an adventure…*

I continued to process the millions of thoughts rushing through my head, following each thread like links in a chain.

The journey seemed to pass in a blink. When we arrived at the Palace, Beth opened the door for me and held out an umbrella as I sat there in a daze, exhausted from thinking so hard.

"M...Miss...?

Beth's face was filled with concern.

"I'm fine, Beth. I couldn't possibly! There's no need!"

"....."

Beth expressionlessly watched me imitate a K-Drama actress pulling her signature move. Then she grimaced, as if tempted to take a step back.**

Geez. So cold to my attempts at humor. She was acting more and more like Bernard....

"Fine. Okay. I won't do that. Can you tell Aria, I'd like to have dinner with her tonight?"

"Huh? It's Monday. Last week Molly told me Miss Aria would be out past dinnertime for her book club."

"Oh. Thanks for finding that out.... I see. I'll see you after work, Beth."

After sending Beth away, I headed to the second floor of the General Administration Building on the west side of the Palace where the Permanent Aide Division was located, still lost in thought.

***

The same day. The Third Prince's Imperial Palace. Morning.

The Empress, having received the Emperor's order to isolate herself in her Palace, had managed to endure it for about a week. But now her patience appeared to have run out. She’d ordered Joseph to visit her under the pretense of being ill.

After receiving her order, Joseph held off sending a reply and immediately summoned Hans Button.

Hans was reluctant to visit the Third Prince's Palace so soon after the attempted assassination of the Emperor.

Joseph knew he should refrain from having Hans enter and leave his Palace because of the inevitable eyes that would be on them, but felt he had no choice due to the urgency of the situation.

Sure enough, Hans came, concealing his face with a wide umbrella. However, this time he entered the Palace with an altered gait, hunched over as much as possible with his face bowed.

"Don't worry... I'm managing it well."

“Haha. There’s no harm in being careful, Your Highness. I'm simply concerned my presence will draw attention to you.”

"How humble of you, but this palace is more closely guarded than any other, so I'm afraid your.... Well, anyway... Mother has summoned me, should I go?"

Hans nodded calmly. Then responded as if expecting this.

"You haven't been restricted from visiting Her Majesty, so I think it will be okay for you to go. You should do it.”

"You say I should go.... Why?"

"Because you are in a position to capitalize on this situation to your own benefit."

"Mmm, interesting. How?"

“You must become the irreplaceable, beloved son, to Her Majesty, who is most likely heartbroken. You must not only be caring and affectionate, but also an outlet for her concerns and anger. We must impress upon Her Majesty that Your Highness is the only one who worries and cares about her in her darkest hour. The only person she can trust right now is you, Your Highness. So, we need to make her realize that you are indispensable by her side.”

Joseph listened, nodding slowly.

"Continue."

“If you've been a mere trinket to Her Majesty the Empress until now, you must endeavor to become a necessity from now on. Eventually, Your Highness should become a priceless rarity, the kind that Her Majesty will see as an adequate replacement once the First Prince's position becomes untenable.”

Joseph chuckled hollowly.

"Huh... That's quite a... unique metaphor."

"Oh... I'm sorry, Your Highness. How dare I... "

"No, I thank you. I understood your meaning. And?"

"Yes. ..... The Duke of Toulouse must also see you as a trustworthy confidante. You must not only be perceived to be aware of the whole situation, but as the one carrying the situation. Rather, even if the First Prince returns to the palace, you must easily surpass him. Your humble servant shall help you wholeheartedly."

Joseph leaned closer to Hans, his eyes glinting with interest.

Hans caught a glimpse of Gabriel Lincoln waiting in his office. Joseph immediately understood the look in his eyes and sent Gabriel away.

Then Hans leaned in close and whispered.

"First of all, before you see Her Majesty the Empress, make a reasonable excuse and see His Excellency the Duke of Toulouse first."

"Hmm... I have a lot of business to attend to, so I'll use that as an excuse. What then?"

“Now that he's made a mistake, you have a chance to gain the glory for it.”

"Glory..."

"Yes. Your Majesty, did you see the letter that arrived yesterday?"

“What letter? There are several official letters I received yesterday... Ah! The one from the Consul’s office!”

"Yes, that letter, Your Highness. Go to the Duke of Toulouse, and do what I say..."

Hans Button whispered rapidly, his eyes shining brighter.

Thunder boomed over the Third Prince's Palace amidst the heavy rain with such force that it seemed to shatter the heavens, but Joseph and Hans were so engrossed they didn't seem to hear it.

***

In front of the General Administration Building.

As I stood in front of the General Administration Building, I tried to recall the original story and what Kim had said about it.

The building was five-stories tall.

There were two kinds of administrators dispatched to the [Permanent Secretarial Division].

One type was low-level administrators who were judged to be below average or useless after the most impressive personnel had been assigned to other positions.

The other was the scions of the Empire's most powerful noble families, who were eager to send their sons and daughters to the most demanding low-level positions.

The first group was dispatched, and the second group requested their dispatches.

This Permanent Secretarial Division was essentially a waiting area for the administrators of both departments and the two mixed like water and oil.

As a result, I found myself in a place where not only Military staff, but also many of the low-level administrators of various departments were gathered.

"Ugh... To end up in such an ambiguous department... Was I not eligible for a special promotion as 'a person who has made great contributions to the Empire outside of their duties'? If they were going to bother to send me back to the Capital shouldn't they have assigned me a better position?"

The version of me from Durben, who had been grateful just to be sent to the Capital, was nowhere to be seen.

Well. Wasn't this life? Your mindset could change in the space of a bathroom break... Something like that.

Muttering my complicated feelings out loud, I stood in the rain for a moment and looked up at the building which contained the Permanent Secretarial Division.

Boom! Crack!

The sound of thunder cracked through the heavens, as if bestowing a blessing on my future career.

I glanced up at the sky, which hadn't grown any less turbulent.

"...Hmph. Does he think I'm going to be deterred by this? I'll definitely become the Second Prince's closest advisor! You'll see!"

To be honest, I didn't know why I was yelling at the sky, but I chose to continue because venting my anger would benefit my mental health.

I gave the sky a big middle finger.

"....!"

But then quickly curled my finger back into a fist.

It was clear that there was a powerful person upstairs who had transmigrated me into the novel.

Should I really be getting mad at them? The reality suddenly hit me.

"What am I doing... I..."

Thunder crashed again, as if the sky was laughing at me.

"Yes, I'm speechless, too. I won't ask for much, so please, this time I can please get an easy promotion? Please help me!"

I bowed respectfully to the sky, squared my shoulders as best I could, and stormed into the building.

This was a historic day for me, my first day working in the Palace after passing the administrator's exam eight months after I'd taken it.

As I quietly opened the door to the second-floor Permanent Secretarial Division, I was greeted by noise and a familiar sight.

Blocks of five or six desks were arranged in rows, labeled with departmental signs.

It felt just like a regular office...

However, unlike the familiarity of my old office, the people who worked here were unfamiliar to me.

It was hard to tell whether this was an office or a break room.  Administrators were gathered in groups of twos and threes, chatting.

The gender ratio was about 8:2, and there seemed to be a lot more men than women.

Walking into the bustling office, I found my department.

I spotted the sign for the Military Office right next to the Ministry of Security and quietly moved toward it.

I had travelled only a short distance to my department, but I quickly realized something was off.

"..."

I stood still and turned my head cautiously toward the interior of the room.

...Damn it. Why were they all staring at me?

__

Editor's Notes -

* LMAO! I was not expecting the Harry Potter reference. It's especially funny because the names Munirang uses are just barely off the official Korean names as if to imply these are the off-brand versions. For example here Tara calls him 볼트모드 Voldemord instead of Voldemort 볼드모트 and 해리 포더 Harry Poder instead of Harry Potter 해리 포터.

** My guess is that Tara is referencing the K-Drama umbrella rescue trope where the female lead gets stranded in the rain and is shy about having to share an umbrella with a hot guy. Except in this case Beth is acting out the part of Casanova.

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