I face the Duke of Dunnett, Lartius Dunnett, a pretty man of late forties—blond hair, stoic face, rugged look. He may be my father in this world, but inside, we are only more or less a decade apart in age. But despite his age, he still has the body of a knight—which is needed, especially when his son is just eighteen years old. During wars, no one can take full responsibility as a Duke except for him.
"As always, you take your lovely time dressing up, daughter," he greets.
"I ask for your pardon, father," I say. How is it again that Lyrica converses with her father? Is it really something like this?
I sit opposite a young man, tall and with blond hair. What was his name again? Jonathan Dunnett, right? Lyrica's younger brother. He takes after Duke Lartius, especially the handsome, rugged looks, as well as a lean and fit body type. I acknowledge his presence, but he just glowers at me. What type of brother-sister relationship does he have with Lyrica again?
Ah, yes, that of envy. He's not blessed with magic as much as Lyrica is. She's even more powerful than he is. If they do combat—magic versus swords—Lyrica will win without a doubt.
Lyrica, though. Not me. I don't even know how to use magic. Maybe after I've done my scapegoat, I can study magic in this world. That's what those fantasy isekai main characters had done, right? Only, I transferred as a fully grown woman already. Not a baby who can still educate and train in magic. I just hope that there are beginner magic books in this enormous house. Probably a place where I can train too? That should be a basic staple, right?
I stop myself, realizing that I am adapting too fast in this world. Should I really feel like this? I am thrown here without a clue and leaving all my friends and family. I should not feel excited about the prospect of a new life when my loved ones are grieving over losing me!
Then I hear a snort. I turn my attention back to Jonathan. "What kind of maniacal plans are you thinking now?" he asks.
"Hopefully, something that will make her win the Queen Selection in the coming year," my father interjects.
I slam the table hard and stand up. Does it mean that right now, I am nineteen going to twenty? Why did I miss that very important detail?! What date is it, anyway? Isn't that too late to change Lyrica's fate?!
I'm sure that at nineteen, she had already done a lot! She escaped the house to join a war and shadowed her brother's strength. She killed a slave she bought on an underground night market. Lost her virginity and purity to the most handsome young noble in the Academy she graduated from when she was eighteen. Even all the maids, except for Aiko, are already afraid of her because of beating them up without a good reason! All because she wanted the attention of her father! She doesn't even care about getting scolded, as long as she will have her father's attention!
How about her mother? If I remember correctly, she died giving birth to Lyrica. Her stepmother? Jonathan's mom? If I'm already nineteen, Jonathan just turned eighteen years old, and he had his first battle just a few months ago—the one that Lyrica stole from him! What was his mother doing this time?
Oh f*ck! She was sent to the loony bin because of her fear of Lyrica! The Duke had no choice but to divorce her and take another wife. Jonathan's mother may be an ambitious woman for seducing the handsome Duke despite belonging to a lower class, but it doesn't mean that Lyrica should have bullied her to insanity!
Shit! This woman! The path of changing into a pure-hearted maiden won't work anymore! She's already rotten at this point! That's why Jonathan is looking daggers at me. I doubt I will be able to fix Lyrica's relationship with him. If only I started as a young girl, or a newborn baby perhaps… Then maybe I still can fix this.
Ugh! My head hurts. This lady is so busy wrecking other people's life just so she can feel good about herself! She's strong, but I like her because of the contrast in her character. But now that I am faced with that contrast, I find it frustrating.
Instead of mulling it over, I sit down and look at the food in front of me. Meat, vegetables, soup, and fruits. There are a lot of choices. I gingerly take a slice of meat. Thankfully, I know basic etiquette because of meetings with business clients. If not, I won't even know which is which among these utensils. If only memories of Lyrica would come flooding into my brain—that should be the norm in these novels, right?
Hmmm, delicious. Tastes like five-star hotel food. Is this one of the perks of being the daughter of a Duke? I sample everything on the table. If food is as delicious as this, then Lyrica should have stayed home… and get fat? Besides, I share the same palate as her.
"What is this? You look like a starving mouse!" my father shouts, and I hear giggling. Julie and Mae, my younger twin sisters. "Even your youngest brother knows how to behave!"
I stop eating midway. I look at Alan, my youngest eight-year-old brother, who's eating as quietly as possible. Alan, Julie, and Mae have the same mother. Alan's a redhead from his mother, while the twins both have curly blonde hair.
Then my focus shifts to my father. He seems angry. Is that anger directed at me? Why though? Isn't food meant to be enjoyed? Or maybe this anger is because of the way I engorge my food? I'm sure I am enjoying it as politely as possible, with no sounds in chewing. No clanking of utensils either.
"If you are going to be like this, just return to your room!" he continues, as if my presence is unneeded even when I'm requested to join them. I haven't even done anything wrong. Is Lyrica suffering from this treatment on a daily basis?
"We should rethink letting her out tomorrow when General Calais visits," Jonathan suggests, and I turn my head to him.
Did he just mention General Calais? Jonathan's general?! The gorgeous, dark blue-haired, muscular General Calais Parcell?! The one who's more good-looking than Prince Cornelius Cairns?! Someone who can give more love than what's humanly possible?!
Instead of thinking of my impending doom, I look expectantly at Jonathan. If he comes here, will I be able to meet him?! No, before that, I need that event to make it seem like I lost my memory! General Calais is an observant person. He knew Lyrica as a child. He will certainly see the change! Should I pass up this chance to meet him?
Definitely not! This is my chance and I will definitely grab it!
"If only we could," Duke Lartius responds. "She's part of the reason for the visit."
I frown, trying to remember why. Ah! General Calais is my fiance around this time. But the King had decreed that I will join the Queen selection, because of my innate abilities. I remember this meeting to be uneventful. General Calais comes to break off the engagement with Lyrica, which makes both of them happy. Lyrica can join the Queen selection for Prince Cornelius. And General Calais will be able to ask Eliana Pellegrini's hand in marriage. Eliana is the heroine of this world and also his childhood friend.
It's what General Calais wanted. I smirk. Yes, he's a cunning man, too. Unfortunately, this is the start of Lyrica's downhill reputation. The palace rumors are more insidious than a Dukedom, and she was unprepared to face it. Pretty soon, though, she got the hang of it and won the Queen Selection.
But the important thing is, should I prevent the end of our engagement? Should I hang unto him? Can I choose not to join the Queen Selection and ask the King to withdraw his decree?
Jonathan glares at me and says, "Tomorrow you will have just two jobs. Dissolve your engagement with General Calais and stay away from him after that. Besides, why would he even choose you? I thought he had a good sense of people."
Stay away? I blush, remembering that scene with Calais and Lyrica. Lyrica is trying to seduce him, and Calais lets her. However, it didn't escalate, because that's the time Calais realized who he loves and wants to stay his whole life with.
Ugh, damn. That Eliana Pellegrini is a lucky girl. If it's me, I would choose Calais, hands down.
"Hey! Are you listening?!" Jonathan asks, his voice rising in impatience.
I look at him with a smile and say, "Yes brother, I understand."
Jonathan's frown deepens. His expression is a sight to behold. He looks as if he's asking himself what the heck is wrong with me.
I didn't care though, because right now, I am just ecstatic to meet General Calais Parcell—my second favorite character, next to Lyrica Dunnett. But now that I face all Lyrica's complications, Calais might become my ONLY favorite character.