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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The World Inside a Book
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Chapter 1. How I Became Contract Friends with the Villainess
The first time I realized something was wrong was...
...at a picnic where Serapina was the center of everyone's attention.
‘Huh?’
I blinked, a sudden thought striking me.
A gentle spring breeze was blowing.
Lush greenery and brightly blooming flowers surrounded us.
On a table covered with a pretty tablecloth, colorful tea foods and fragrant tea were laid out.
And, amidst that picturesque scene...
I was watching my fiancé and my best friend flirting with each other.
“Oh, Sera.”
My fiancé, Gregory Gusto, personally placed several plush cushions behind Serapina's back.
...Those cushions, it looked like he'd snatched them from other people.
As proof, the gazes of the guests watching us weren't exactly friendly.
“Aren't you tired from sitting so long?”
Regardless, Gregory only cared for Serapina, his voice dripping with sweetness.
Serapina’s eyes widened as she looked back at Gregory.
And then.
“Ahaha, thank you!”
Her clear laughter spread through the blue sky.
“Gregor, you’re so sweet!”
“…”
Staring blankly at the scene, I was suddenly seized by a strong sense of unease.
Even if the three of us were childhood friends, calling her friend's fiancé by a pet name so freely in front of others was one thing...
...but affectionately placing cushions behind another woman's back right in front of his fiancée...
Isn't this a bit much?!
Meanwhile, Gregory gazed at Serapina with a dazed look.
“Sera, you like citrusy snacks, don't you? Would you like to try this?”
He personally served a slice of lemon cake and placed it only in front of Serapina.
For the record, I happen to like lemon cake, too.
But Gregory only had eyes for Serapina, his gaze dripping with honey.
I was being treated as if I were completely invisible!
“You know, Gregor.”
Serapina batted her pretty eyelashes at Gregory.
“Sitting here like this reminds me of the old days.”
“It does, doesn't it? We used to go on outings like this when we were kids.”
Hey, I was there too, you know?
Could you not disappear into your own little world?
“That’s when Lari fell in the water.”
“That’s right. You got that scar on your pretty knee saving Lalitt…”
Gregory, who had quickly agreed with Serapina, shot me a reproachful glare.
“Lalitt, you’re only alive today thanks to Sera. You should be grateful. Got it?”
“Y-yes.”
I reflexively lowered my eyes and hunched my shoulders.
It was as if my body was reacting on its own.
And yet, a question constantly swirled in my mind.
‘I’m constantly groveling before Serapina and Gregory... Is this really right?’
The story goes like this.
When we were young, the three of us were playing near a pond, and I fell in.
Serapina held out a long stick and pulled me out of the water, slipping and scraping her knee in the process.
And so, she was left with a small scar on her knee.
Well, you wouldn't even know it was there now unless you looked very closely, but...
In any case, because of that incident, I tried even harder to be good to Serapina.
Both Serapina and Gregory.
...had always drilled it into my head that ‘you owe your life to Serapina.’
‘But you know...’
The reason I fell into the pond back then...
‘...was actually Serapina's fault, wasn't it?!’
At the time, Serapina kept whining that she just had to have a flower blooming by the pond.
Gregory said he was scared to go near the pond and pushed me toward it, telling me to go instead.
That's why I fell in while trying to pick the flower for her.
...If she hadn't even tried to save me in that situation, wouldn't that have made her an even bigger piece of trash?
In that moment.
*Crack.*
It felt as though I heard a loud cracking sound from deep within me.
‘Why have I only ever been grateful to Serapina until now?’
I slowly narrowed my eyes.
Until now, I had only ever thought of Serapina as my savior, filled with nothing but gratitude.
A powerful sense of wrongness washed over me.
Why had I never felt any resentment toward this absurd situation?
It was as if someone had forcibly drawn a line, setting my limits...
But just then.
Serapina, who had been laughing and chatting with Gregory, glanced over at me.
Then, letting her eyes droop, she said to me.
“Lari, I think my shoelace is untied. Could you tie it for me?”
“…”
There wasn't even a perfunctory 'sorry' or 'excuse me.'
Honestly, since she was sitting in a chair, couldn't she just bend over and fix it herself?
And yet, I obediently got up from my seat and knelt before Serapina.
My body moved on its own, as if it had been preordained.
At the same time.
I heard blatant ridicule from behind me.
“Really, does Lady Ansi have no pride at all?”
The voice was somewhat muffled, as if trying to suppress a burst of laughter.
“She’s the heiress of the Viscounty of Ansi, yet she’s kneeling on the ground to tie Lady Lopes’s shoelaces?”
Yeah, I agree. I don't know why I'm doing this either.
“My goodness, she seems to have no awareness as a future head of her house.”
“Anyone would think she was Lady Lopes’s handmaiden.”
The whispers criticizing my behavior quickly shifted to my appearance.
“And that tacky dress. What era is that from?”
“And her hair? I don’t understand why she lets it hang down like that. Can she even see properly?”
“Well, that must be why Lord Gusto fawns all over Lady Lopes, don’t you think?”
“She can’t even keep her own fiancé in line. What a mess.”
It was a familiar mockery.
At the same time, Serapina's usual words flashed through my mind.
“Your face is rather plain, so darker colored dresses suit you much better.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to wear your hair long and down? You’re so shy, you can hide your face with it and avoid people’s gazes.”
“Jewelry? Hmm… Isn’t that a bit much for you? I think it would look better on me!”
One of the ladies tittered and spoke up.
“With Lady Ansi next to her, Lady Lopes’s beauty stands out even more, don’t you think?”
In that moment.
All the feelings of unease I’d had until now converged into a powerful question that flooded my mind.
Why am I kneeling here like this?
Why did I think I absolutely had to stay on Serapina's good side?
Because I owed her my life?
‘No.’
A realization struck me like a bolt of lightning.
‘Because… this world is inside a book I read in my past life!’
[Lovely Serapina]
Just as the novel’s title brazenly suggested, the protagonist of this world was Serapina.
The plot was roughly as follows.
Serapina, a low-ranking noble without even a territory to her name.
With the help of her close childhood friends, Lalitt and Gregory, Serapina makes her debut in high society.
And with her natural beauty and lovely disposition, she captures everyone’s affection and rises to prominence.
Although she faces interference from the wicked villainess, Duchess Claudius.
Serapina doesn’t yield and monopolizes the love of the two male leads.
For the record, Gregory isn't one of the male leads.
Serapina had very high standards, so the second son of a count who couldn't even inherit the title would never catch her eye.
Ah, so who am I?
‘Serapina’s close childhood friend, Lalitt.’
After being saved by Serapina as a child.
She’s a character who treasures Serapina more than her own life, envying her friend who grows more beautiful by the day.
Thus, Lalitt would willingly do anything for her dear friend.
She even took the villainess's insults, slaps, and dousings in Serapina's stead...
...all while smiling foolishly and saying, ‘Sera, as long as you’re happy, I’m fine.’
A frustrating pushover sculpted solely for Serapina's happiness.
That Lalitt was me
