Artemis turned her gaze towards the row of servants and scanned their faces, watching as every time her gaze lands on one, their face instantly turns pale and tremble in fear.
"…"
What was that supposed to mean? Should she be wary of her own reputation in this manor? It seems like she was not exactly well-liked but rather feared. If that is the case, it would become harder to try and redeem their opinion of her. In what way should she act that was not suspicious and also change her attitude to fit her right now?
"Sigh," Artemis rubbed her temples in frustration before her eyes landed on a female servant in the very last row. The female servant looked nothing special, with dirty blonde hair that reached her shoulders in a clean-cut manner and eyes that seemed to be a mix of brown and faint blue. What had drawn Artemis' attention was her calm gaze that looked at her with no distinct emotions of fear and indignance. A clear gaze that did not easily judge someone.
Seeing this, Artemis was reminded of a character in the Love Me novel. They had the same description that she had just thought of when she looked at her. Artemis nodded her head in appreciation before she raised her hands and signaled at this specific servant to come forward.
"The one at the last row with the blonde hair, please come forward. I'd like to ask a few questions for you."
Immediately after pointing at her, the maid beside her immediately brightened up and spoke, "Young Lady, you really do have great eyes. That servant's name is Elond, a survivor of a local war that happened up north. She is one of the few people to perform excellently during training and was praised for having a sharp intuition and great thinking skills, Young Lady."
Hearing the maid's explanation, Artemis can't help but be surprised. Even their names were similar. She can't help but think of this as a funny coincidence. She turned to look at Elond and nodded at her. If she had indeed performed well at the training, there's a high chance that she can answer her question well.
"Alright, Elond. I'm going to ask a few questions, please answer them as specific as you can."
"Yes, Miss. I also thank Miss Jill for praising me so much," Elond bowed her head.
"Give information about who you're going to serve from now on. From our status, wealth, reputation—everything you know about us."
Artemis had a smiling look on her face as she asked this question. That's right, she was going to use this opportunity to ask others about herself, the world she lives in and everything she needed to know. All without arousing suspicion. If she had to say so, she was quite proud that she was able to think of this.
"Starting from now on, I will be faithfully serving the dukedom of Don Celothien Francia. The Francia's are well-known in the country of Fardenheit for their great military prowess and the only noble family able to produce light elemental wielders. The current head of the dukedom is Duke Raynhart Don Celothien Francia and is wedded to Duchess Denevieve Don Celothien Francia. The heir of the dukedom is their sole daughter, you, Young Lady—Artemis Don Celothien Francia."
…!
Crazy, everything didn't make sense.
Artemis was stupefied to standing still. Her mind had a hard time processing the information of Elond. As soon as Elond described the dukedom, she knew something was about to go wrong. Everything makes sense now. The odd familiarity she felt when she saw her bedroom, the familiar hallways, and the familiar Elond.
It was because they were all part of the Love Me novel.
"Ha…" Artemis frustratedly let out a sigh of breath, her head starting to feel pain. She didn't know how to react at all. Does that mean the world she was part of now was the world of Love Me? And more importantly, she became the villainess? The villainess who had been misunderstood all her life yet still foolishly sought out her own death when chasing a hopeless love. Artemis was desperate to find an answer to all her questions. She wanted to know whether this was exactly the replica of a novel or just uncanny coincidence.
Faced with all sorts of thoughts, she tried to calm herself down by taking a deep breath. It was no use to think of an answer to everything. She was sure that someday, everything will come to a definite answer—she just had to wait. At least for now, she now knew the reason as to the heavy feeling in her chest. That made her decently better.
On the brighter side, if this was truly the replica of the novel, she did not need to investigate further what she needs to know. Artemis had been a fanatic of the novel and if she became the villainess, there were limitless possibilities to change her path now.
In the novel, Artemis was the perfect definition of a mary sue villainess. She was backed by one of the most powerful families, had blinding looks, and is incredibly talented. She was equipped with the knowledge of swordsmanship, military strategies that came from the nature of her family, and additionally, a wielder of one of the rarest elements—light. Her only flaw was to love a man who will never love her. She became crazed for him as if he were the only light that can save her from darkness. What was more tragic was her ending; dying by sacrificing herself for him so that he could marry his loved one.
Her line in the end was, 'If this is the only way to have you notice me, I'd gladly die in position for your lover.'
Sigh, truly tragic. The novel was supposed to be fluffy and light-hearted, but all scenes including the villainess were the opposite.
"…um, Young Lady? Are you alright?" The maid had called out when she saw how dazed Artemis became, even staring into the distance.
"Right… Good answer, Elond. Seeing how you did well answering my question, I have great expectations for all of you. Starting from now, I hope to see great performances. Good work, everyone," Artemis woke up from her thoughts and immediately addressed the servants. She wanted nothing more than to go back to her bedroom and settle down her mind. This realization was not exactly good for her heart.
"Jill, can we go back now and rest? I'm feeling a bit under the weather right now," She looked at the maid beside her. Fortunately, she was able to learn her name when Elond thanked her. She did not have to worry about calling her weird names now.
"Yes, Young Lady! I'll prepare some milk for you if you want to."
"No need, I just want to rest."
"Yes, Young Lady," Jill nodded and guided Artemis straight to her bedroom.
Artemis entered her bedroom and immediately started looking for a mirror, desperate to confirm her identity. In the corner of her bedroom laid a vanity table surrounded by books and she walked towards the mirror with a thumping heart. Each step she took felt heavy like there were leads tied to her feet.
She closed her eyes as she neared it and tried to prepare herself. And as soon as her gaze landed on her reflection, she took in a deep breath of shock.
Staring back at her was a delicate beauty like a living doll. Her ebony hair reflected the sunlight and fluidly followed her motions, it reached until her waist and bounced with grace. Her face glowed with beauty, infamous midnight black eyes accompanied with a dainty nose and soft pink lips. The notorious black-haired and black-eyed villainess, Artemis Don Celothien Francia.
It seemed like she really did become her.
Artemis let out a forced laugh, her hands flying up to reach her face. It all seemed so surreal to her to become another person who seemed so far away from her. To be rich and beautiful. Back on Earth, she was an orphan with average looks at most. Now, she was here a noble. Was this the world that the man was talking about? That she belonged to become a villainess with tragic stories from a novel? Is this what suited her? It all seemed so ridiculous now. Artemis was sure that the man was making fun of her.
She was just about to open the window to let in some fresh air when a knock entered her ears. She looked towards the door, "Who is it?"
"It's Jill, Young Lady. I'm here to bring in a letter."
"Come in."
Jill entered the room and bowed before passing out a tray with a single letter on it. It was a simple white envelope, but the purple wax insignia used to stamp the folds were truly eye-catching. It was the picture of countless stars enveloping a magic-like castle. If one looked carefully, they could even catch glimpses of faint light beams. Seeing this insignia, Artemis recalled the logo of the famous magical academy in Love Me. It seems like this was the letter from them.
Speaking of, if this was truly part of the novel, how far have the plot progressed? Artemis can't remember any scene where she received a letter as the novel focused more on the female and male lead. There was no need to mention the villainess unless to foreshadow something. Basically, she knew more about others than herself.
"What do you think is the letter about, Jill?"
"Oh. Considering that the entrance examination just happened, I suppose it's a letter of acceptance, Young Lady."
"Acceptance letter?" Artemis was confused for a second before her eyes brightened.
"Right, an acceptance letter."
'That must mean it's the early stages of the novel.'
The prestigious and famous magical academy—Sebrithan Magic Academy, that housed only the most intellectual, skillful, and prodigal students. This was the main setting where the love of the two leads blossomed in the novel. Frankly speaking, there was no need to stress so much frantically trying to change the novel's predicted plot. It was easier than most would say, as she only needed to make sure that she doesn't get in the way of Ian's ire. The only thing that would agonize her was their engagement.
She didn't know how to annul it at all. After all, no matter what way she wants to cancel it, both Ian and she will suffer. Their reputation would suffer a huge blow, especially since the engagement had been issued by the emperor. Additionally, this engagement between the two was made in order to keep Ian in check lest he tried to fight for the throne, all orchestrated by the empress dowager. Since in this world, one could only be a crown prince if he were engaged to one of the biggest countries on par with theirs. By doing this, the crown prince would garner support nationally and internationally, reducing the risks of sudden war for power as their country, Elyssian, stood amongst others for its vast number of magic users, plentiful resources, and military strength.
"Sigh…" Artemis closed her eyes while staring at the letter. After a short while of staring in a daze, she tore the envelope apart and read the letter. As expected, it was about her accepted admission to the academy. The letter enclosed all necessities that students need to know before entering. It was all filler info and she quickly skimmed through it to familiarize herself with all new rules that they implemented that were different from the schools on Earth. Fortunately, they did not differ too much except for the rules that catered to magic usage unique to this world.