I, the Female Lead, Ruined the Original

“Something’s missing?”

Rakrensius quickly checked his attire. He had dressed as usual for going out in the palace, worrying it might look too ostentatious. Was it seen as lacking in sincerity? He had no choice about the robe, but he had chosen the most stylish shirt and trousers he owned.

Noticing his embarrassment, Selleana smirked. “Today is our first date. When a gentleman comes to take a lady out, what should he bring?”

. Rakrensius recalled a line from the etiquette book he had almost memorized after being invited by Duke Elard.

“When visiting her house, what should he bring?”

“…This place isn’t Lady’s house, though.”

“Are you going to pretend you don’t know?”

“As you know, I wasn’t raised learning such etiquettes.”

Selleana rolled her eyes at him as if annoyed by his feigned ignorance.  “

, it really doesn’t suit you to jest like that.”

“

, well…”

But it was his appearance that made it believable.

Selleana laughed lightly and stepped closer to him. “I’ll let it slide just for today. Next time, make sure to bring a bouquet.”

“Yes…”

“You’re not thinking this will be the last time, are you?”

“O-Of course not.”

Though his words said one thing, his expression seemed to hit right on the mark, causing Selleana to smile lightly.

“So, what will you do?”

“Yes? If I were to go buy some now, it might take some time…”

“No, no. As you said, this isn’t my house. We are leaving now. I thought about it, and it doesn’t seem right for a wizard to leave through the back door with me.”

“

.”

“Shouldn’t the wizard take care of it?”

Selleana extended her hand towards Rakrensius, just like she had done at the dinner at Elard’s a few days ago and like their first entanglement at the masquerade ball at the Arnem Hotel. Even her bare hand matched her outfit.  

Rakrensius stared blankly at her delicate, slender hand for a moment. At the masquerade ball, though he was excited, he had easily taken her hand. Was it because it was bare this time, or had his feelings deepened uncontrollably since then?  For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to take her hand immediately.

“Or shall we meet outside instead? I’ll walk out, and Master of Tower can secretly follow?”

At Selleana’s prompting, Rakrensius’s throat bobbed noticeably. Gathering courage, he gently grasped the tip of Selleana’s hand. Even the mere touch of their fingertips made his heart race too fast.

“

.”

A playful smile spread across Selleana’s face, and just as her hand seemed to turn over.

“Let’s go!”

With a playful smile on her face, Selleana’s fingers interlaced between his, causing Rakrensius to momentarily lose his breath.

* * *

The streets were bustling with activity. Colorful flags and small lights dangled between buildings while exclamations and cheers poured out from every corner. It was the Harvest Festival, a time to share the year’s bounty.  Everyone’s faces were filled with happiness, thanks to the prosperity granted by Orot’s watchful eyes.

“There are so many people…”

The only one suffering here was Rakrensius. Disguised with plain brown hair to avoid standing out, his face was dark with discomfort.

This was his first time in such a crowded place. Since leaving the imperial palace, he had occasionally ventured into the city, always thinking it was crowded. But…

He kept bumping shoulders with people, being pushed around without a choice. The most troubling part was…

From a half step back, he could see people bumping into Selleana. Stretching his arm to protect her shoulders and elbows, his discomfort only grew.

Such a stunning beauty had descended into the marketplace. It was fortunate that Selleana didn’t attract attention thanks to the disguise glasses, but it was frustrating that they couldn’t move comfortably because of it.

“How far are we going?”

“They say there’s a place selling food from other kingdoms further in.”

“Further in…” Rakrensius’s face darkened even more.

“Just hang in there a bit longer. It will really be delicious.”

Selleana, not noticing his discomfort, quickly grabbed his arm and held it tightly. Rakrensius was startled and speechless at the sudden closeness.

“I didn’t know it would be this crowded either. Tower Master must be having a tough time.”

“Isn’t it uncomfortable for you too, Lady?”

“Call me Lea.”

“Yes?”

“You need to be careful with how you address me here. Do you want everyone to know who we are?”

“But Lady, you just now—”

“Understood, Collin.” Selleana winked and tugged him along. “First, let’s eat something tasty.”

Selleana pushed through the crowd toward their destination. They arrived at a section selling foods from various kingdoms.

Where was this world again? It was the setting for at least five different novels. Naturally, the night market here was bound to have food that targeted the taste of the reincarnation of Korean people. For example…

“Let’s try that!”

The first stop was a skewered chicken stall.

“Chicken… skewers?”

“Sir, two of these, please.”

While Rakrensius watched in amazement as Selleana chatted amiably with the vendor, a chicken skewer somehow ended up in his hand. Noticing his confusion, Selleana grinned and took a big bite of her skewer as a demonstration.

“Now, like this.”

Under Selleana’s encouraging gaze, Rakrensius awkwardly bit into the top piece of chicken.

“How is it? Tasty, right?”

Watching his reaction, Selleana took another big bite. She seemed very familiar with the way she pulled the meat with her teeth and bit it sideways.  Such a way of eating wasn’t even considered in the etiquette book he had memorized, not even as something to avoid. But it wasn’t unpleasant. Instead, he felt a sense of familiarity with the angel’s casualness.

“Is it not good? Don’t you like it?”

“I-It’s delicious, but…”

“Really?”

“Yes, the sauce is quite strong and stimulating, but it makes you want more…” Mesmerized by Selleana’s face, he mumbled a response while managing to take a few more bites.

With a bewitched look on his face, Rakrensius nibbled a few more bites, trying to articulate his rehearsed answer.

“Let’s try that next!”

Selleana dragged him along, sampling takoyaki, twirled potato skewers, and corndogs.  It had been a long time since she tasted something so indulgent.

“The night market is the best!”

As a strong candidate for the crown princess, she hadn’t dared to visit the night market to maintain her dignity. Coming here with Rakrensius made it even better.

Perhaps it was because the happiness on Selleana’s face was so evident that it made Rakrensius keep forgetting to eat and just watch her face.

“Why? Don’t you like it?”

“N-No, it’s delicious.”

“Right?”

Selleana smiled and took a bite of the cream-filled fish-shaped pastry. Finding her cute, Rakrensius asked a question that had been lingering in his mind.

“…You said it was your first time at the night market, right?”

“Yes. Why?”

“But how did you know what would be tasty in advance…?”

Unable to say it was from her past life, Selleana vaguely mixed truth with her response. “Well, I had it a long time ago.”

“When you were younger?”

Selleana didn’t answer, simply biting her pastry and blinking, letting silence mean agreement. To avoid further interrogation, she stuffed the half-eaten pastry into his mouth and led him on.

“Alright, now that we’re full, let’s go get something to drink!”

According to Doloret’s information, festival beer was available at the central square.

Wouldn’t it be fine to enjoy the atmosphere to some extent?

Thinking the man’s pale face in the crowd was somehow cute, Selleana took a step forward when suddenly…

“Hey, look there.”

“

, he’s so handsome.”

“He stands out even from afar because of his height.”

“Such a handsome man must be a noble, right?”

“Hey, do you think a noble would show their face around here?”

Selleana heard whispers from around. In fact, she had noticed their stares for a while now. Though Rakrensius had changed his hair color, his beauty remained undeniable.

And he is unaware of how handsome he is!

For Selleana, this was just a daily occurrence. Everywhere she went, she heard praises of her beauty. But since she was wearing disguise glasses and Rakrensius was much taller than others, attention was inevitably drawn to him.

“Is that his girlfriend?”

“They say handsome men always date plain-looking women. It must be true.”

The man, unaware that he was the subject of the whispers, probably ignored them, but it was different for Selleana.

Just then, something useful caught her eye.

“Hey, Collin.” Selleana boldly crossed her arms, pointing with her chin at a stall they were passing. “How about this?”

They were passing a section selling various toys, glow-in-the-dark headbands, masks, and flower crowns.

“Let’s wear matching ones. As a couple.”