I stood before an enormous mirror, staring at the strange letters floating in empty air.
Just moments ago, I had been watching Perenustus's infuriatingly handsome face slowly twist in frustration. Yet in the blink of an eye, I had somehow found myself in an unfamiliar place.
What exactly does Perenustus want from me? An empress selection ball? Out of nowhere?
Unable to shake the indescribable sense of disorientation, I forced myself to adapt to the reality in front of me.
The only ball I've ever attended was that four-day, five-night hero's reception where I was paraded around like a trophy... What does he expect me to repay with my body?
I stared at my reflection in disbelief, then shook my head hard and prepared myself for whatever came next.
I was dropped here right after being cursed by the Silver Dragon. There's no telling what kind of trouble awaits me, so... I'll deal with it when it comes.
With that simple, foolish resolve, I looked straight ahead.
A woman with loosely pinned brown hair and a plain dress stood inside the mirror.
This feels so strange.
Her face was tense, unable to hide her unease in a world where everything was unfamiliar.
The only comfort I found amid the confusion was the sight of the massive Erva leaves swaying outside the window.
My appearance may be different, but the clothes, the buildings, even the plants aren't all that unfamiliar. That's a relief, at least.
I was calming myself by thinking of the dense Erva forests surrounding my hometown when suddenly—
A single line of text appeared above the mirror.
...What a ridiculous name. It's like someone slapped a maid's name onto some distant imperial noble surname.
I muttered the absurdly lazy name under my breath.
As if that had triggered something, information began pouring into my mind.
Meriel von Evergreen. Twenty-three years old. Female.
The third daughter of an insignificant baronial family on the farthest frontier of the Empire.
Dies after becoming entangled in an assassination attempt targeting the heroine destined to become empress.
Even the backstory feels half-baked. Don't most nobles get married before they're twenty?
I shook my head as I sorted through the foreign memories flooding my mind.
I was cursed to live a trivial, quietly frustrating life, so it's obvious I'm not important to this story... Hmm.
That meant Meriel's only role was probably to make the elegantly dressed noble ladies look even more impressive.
Ah. Right. My purpose is to die in an assassination plot aimed at the future empress.
Staring at the ordinary face in the mirror, I finally pieced it together.
So this world expected me to hand over my life quietly for the sake of its precious storyline.
Unbelievable. If you're going to throw me into a world where my purpose is to die, why did you hold my hand so gently?
What a strange man.
I couldn't even begin to imagine what Perenustus hoped to gain from doing this to me.
Well, if I don't understand it, then I'll just die quickly. It says "Training Stage," so I doubt dying here will erase me completely. I'll meet Perenustus afterward and ask him myself.
"Lady Maria, are you ready?"
A woman's unfamiliar voice called from outside the door.
I didn't even bother correcting her.
Not Maria—Meriel.
Without answering, I smoothed the wrinkles in my plain dress and stepped out.
The woman waiting outside frowned briefly when she saw me, then silently led the way.
Shadows cast by the Erva leaves swayed slowly across the narrow hallway, where only our footsteps echoed.
After walking for what felt like an eternity, a dazzling banquet hall appeared before us.
Wow... Compared to this place, my hero's welcome feast was downright pathetic.
Columns gilded in thin sheets of gold and adorned with colorful jewels.
Crystal chandeliers sparkling overhead.
Noble ladies dressed so extravagantly they could barely move.
I glanced down at my own modest dress.
Everything around me seemed to scream that a country girl like me had no right to be here.
Entering through the rear entrance with only a single maid accompanying me—and without even having my name announced—I looked pitiful compared to the other ladies.
Perfect. This way, I can stay quietly in a corner until I get poisoned or strangled to death.
Soft laughter and mocking whispers drifted toward me from every direction.
Behind fluttering fans, I heard them giggling as they mispronounced my name.
Even in another life, I would never understand nobles.
If you truly look down on someone, wouldn't you ignore them completely? They really go out of their way to be cruel.
Shaking my head, I slipped behind a decorative curtain near the wall.
Spending four full days being treated like a hero at banquets had taught me one valuable skill:
how to snatch food efficiently from passing servers.
I had just finished my second glass of a bluish drink that tasted like it was made from crushed Erva leaves when—
"Will all participants please step forward."
An elderly man's voice echoed through the hall.
I followed behind the other ladies at an unhurried pace and found a spot near the edge—neither too far forward nor too far back.
As I casually surveyed the room, I recalled my role.
I die after getting caught up in an assassination attempt targeting the heroine.
These delicate young ladies looked like they would blow away in a strong wind.
If any of them intended to kill someone, poison was by far the most likely method.
I narrowed my eyes and searched my memory.
Were there any books about poisoning...?
Unfortunately, nearly all my random knowledge came from adventurers who had passed through my village in search of dragons.
More specifically, from the books they abandoned after reading halfway through.
Sadly, none of those adventurers had read anything about noble poisonings.
Which meant I had absolutely no idea what absurd tricks these ladies might use.
Tampering with food would be easiest. Or maybe coating those feather fans they're all carrying with something.
I was carefully observing anything that looked suspicious when I locked eyes with one of the more imposing ladies.
She was glaring at me far more intensely than anyone else.
When I calmly returned her stare instead of looking away, she scoffed and turned her head.
She's incredibly beautiful. She must be the heroine.
Trouble always finds the protagonist.
If that's true, should I stay close to her?
Before I could decide, the old man's voice rang out again.
"His Imperial Majesty has arrived!"
A majestic fanfare sounded as the enormous doors swung open.
What kind of emperor goes this long without an empress? Aren't royal families usually arranging marriages from birth?
I glanced over with mild curiosity—
And unconsciously held my breath.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Calloused hands.
He looked less like a pampered noble raised in a palace and more like the adventurers who passed through my village.
His body, wrapped in a black uniform stretched over tightly packed muscles, contrasted sharply with his jet-black hair and burning red eyes.
His sharp, unsmiling gaze only made his stubborn jawline more striking.
He's that handsome, so why hasn't he married yet?
As I tilted my head at the practical question, the emperor frowned.
Pressing his fingers against the shadowed area beneath his eyes, he looked devastatingly handsome even in apparent exhaustion.
That single gesture caused several frail-looking noble ladies to swoon.
The overwhelming masculinity, the alluring hint of fatigue, the faint silver mist drifting around him—it all created a mysterious, almost dreamlike atmosphere.
But I frowned.
If it were me, I wouldn't have used fog for this entrance.
Not that it mattered.
A man who looked like that would be impressive no matter what.
Still—
He's intimidating and sharp-looking. This delicate silver mist doesn't quite match his image... Huh? Silver mist?
A chill ran down my spine.
I quickly covered my nose and mouth and looked around.
No way. Just as I thought...!
Decorative magical fountains flanking the emperor's entrance shimmered with silver liquid.
It was identical to the fluid that had dripped from the Silver Dragon's throat.
If that really was Silver Dragon blood, then the situation was far more dangerous than anyone realized.
That's deadly poison!
I bit my lip and glanced at the ladies who had already collapsed, along with others who were swaying unsteadily.
Of course.
No matter how handsome the emperor was, people didn't faint just from looking at him.
What do I do?
All I could manage was clutching my already wrinkled dress and creating even more creases.
I wanted to stay quiet and unnoticed until I died...
After a moment's hesitation, I lifted my head.
Even if dying was supposedly my purpose, I couldn't just stand by and watch.
"Hey! Cover your mouths! Don't breathe in that mist!"
I shouted at the top of my lungs, snatching a drink pitcher from a passing server.
Before anyone could react, I splashed the contents directly onto the faces of the unconscious ladies.
"You knights over there! Stop standing around! Cover your mouths with your cloaks and check those fountains!"
The maid who had been pretending not to know me ran over looking horrified.
"Lady Maria! What are you doing?!"
"No time to explain! Open every door and window! Soak cloth in Erva juice and hand it out to everyone! Someone else just collapsed!"
The moment I finished speaking, the beautiful woman who had been glaring at me staggered and crumpled to the floor.
Clicking my tongue, I tore a strip from my skirt and covered her nose and mouth.
"Hey, you idiots! I told you to check the fountains!"
"How dare you disrupt my banquet and call my knights idiots—"
"Forget your pride and start giving orders! You're dizzy too, aren't you? Isn't that why you've been holding your forehead?!"
The emperor's stern voice cut off abruptly.
