Celebrity Lady - Chapter 1
Chapter 1
[T/N: Explanations within () are provided by the author themselves. Some sentences in italic are written in English in the original script, like the word ‘celebrity’.]
“The young lady of Diollus Duchy is entering the hall!”
The door to the imperial ballroom, where the debutante ball (*the young ladies of noble families’ debut stage in the social world) was in full swing, was opened.
The dazzling lights pouring down the ornate chandeliers, the windows adorned with gold and jewels, the luxurious tapestries…
Everyone’s eyes gathered on me as I proudly entered the luxurious venue.
“Oh, my…”
“What? Who is that?”
As expected, everyone was surprised.
“The Diollus Duchy has two young ladies. Which of the two are they talking about?”
“Look over there. Lillia Diollus is already here, so they must be talking about Rubetria Diollus.”
“No, I think the servant has made a mistake. Rubetria Diollus is an incredibly fat red-haired girl.”
“But that is a red-haired girl, isn’t it?”
“That beautiful person?”
“Is that Rubetria Diollus?”
I could hear voices whispering from all over the place from the people who could not recognize me.
As soon as I smiled at the noble boys who were looking at me while blushing blatantly, they immediately started arguing with each other, asking if I was smiling at them.
Oh, it feels great.
I took a deep breath and looked further into the ballroom, at the people whose expressions soon changed the moment they recognized me.
‘Their faces in particular are a spectacle.’
Lillia Diollus and her group opened their eyes so wide it wouldn’t be strange if the eyeballs fell as they were.
Ricky Diollus, with his mouth wide open as if in amazement, among his few cold-hearted friends who were blushing stupidly at me.
Even Lisbeth, the fifth princess, looked at me with curious eyes and greeted me by raising the wine glass she was holding…
These eyes stared at me stiffly as if time had stopped… I really like them.
This is the life of a celeb (*short for celebrity)!
“Li-Lillia. Is that really Rubetria?”
“C-come on… That’s impossible, right?”
“No way.”
Lillia and her group whispered on and on.
Click, click, click.
I was the first to walk deliberately towards them. The sound of high heels, which I couldn’t even think of wearing when I was fat because I was afraid of spraining my feet, sounded pleasing to my ears.
“Hello, Lillia.”
Standing in front of the trembling Lillia, I smiled as brightly as possible.
‘You’re annoyed, aren’t you? You must be very upset, right?’
The ugly duckling of the duchy, who had been tormented freely by everyone, has returned with a complete metamorphosis.
I raised my chin arrogantly with a proud heart, spread the fan I was holding, covered my mouth, and smiled with only my eyes.
“A-are you really Princess Rubette?”
“That’s right, Lady Pelkan. I am Rubetria. Was the last time I saw you last year? What did you say again when I bought macarons at the dessert shop?”
The daughter of Count Pelkan, who was standing next to Lillia, blushed in anger as she vaguely remembered what happened last year.
“Oh my, the princess is at the dessert shop every time I see her. She eats so many sweets, enough to make one’s cheeks burst, no wonder she gets fat.”
She was a girl who dared to criticize me, the daughter of the Duke, so rudely behind my back, because of her relationship with Lillia.
The timid Rubette couldn’t even say a word at the time…
‘But I am different.’
I, who have now occupied Rubette’s body, was a woman who have lived my entire life splendidly.
Everyone envied my life, and because I had never been ignored by anyone, I was rather arrogant.
“It’s been so long that I can’t remember. It’s nice to see you again after such a long time. Let’s have a cup of tea next time.”
“Oh, that… yes. Of course. Th-thank you.”
As I generously covered up Lady Pelkan’s rude remarks, she blushed in shame and nodded.
The girls, who were only fifteen or sixteen at the most, immediately admired my dignified appearance that had changed 180 degrees.
“Pr-Princess Rubette. By the way, the dress you’re wearing right now…”
“Oh, so you recognize it. Madame Becky made this dress for me when I said I was going to have a late debut.”
“Pardon? Really?”
“O-oh my God…”
The noble girls were startled with envy, and Lillia, who was in the middle of them, froze in shock. I managed to swallow a laugh at Lillia’s expression.
The black evening dress I’m wearing right now is handmade by Madame Becky, a famous tailor in the Islands.
Her high-profile tailor’s dresses, which are made according to her beliefs, could only be worn by the imperial court ladies after waiting a full year.
‘I know how much you wanted to wear Becky’s dress.’
Lillia, who knew this fact, had also tried to order several times in vain.
How frustrated she must be when someone like me ‘daringly’ wears such a dress.
“I notice you’ve gotten much…skinnier, Rubette.”
“Well, I’m not sure. Rather than being skinnier, should I say that I’m now in a slightly healthier state? It’s all thanks to you, so thanks.”
It’s precisely because I’ve been trying so hard not to suffer from you and your mother for the rest of my life.
“No need to thank me. Haha… You look… You look much better, yes…”
At my clever greeting, Lillia’s corners of lips trembled and barely made a smile.
<Humans are really scary. Do you usually laugh and say things you don’t mean like this?>
Just in time, a voice now familiar to me echoed in my head.
It was the voice of ‘Wishit’, Rubette’s guardian spirit, the one who started all of this, and who has now become my affectionate friend.
<Just drink your soda and watch. This is the moment that Rubette has longed for.>
At the answer I returned to my mind, Wishit chuckled in satisfaction.
“But Rubette, you haven’t been able to find a partner, have you? Don’t tell me you came alone to your once-in-a-lifetime debutante ball?”
As expected. It’s not Lillia if she just accepts getting bullied.
Wearing a full, relaxed smile, she asked while shrugging her shoulders, as if she was joking.
At just the right time, someone approached Lillia’s side. This handsome man with impressive stature, dark brown hair, and blue eyes is the heir of Reiger Duchy, Kedrick Reiger.
He was the man Rubette had been following since she was an 8-year-old child with missing front teeth.
“Oh my, Young Duke Kedrick. How have you been?”
“…Uh, yes, it’s been a while.”
Kedrick also stared at my change as if possessed.
Lillia, who had already taken the arm of her eye-catching partner Kedrick, gently pressed her cheek to his shoulder.
“You can’t come to a place like this alone. Why didn’t you ask Ricky to be your partner?”
Ricky Diollus, Lillia’s twin brother. And my uncle.
No, why would I go with that jerk?
I burst out laughing as if the idea was ridiculous, and then folded the fan I had opened.
“Ricky? Please. Don’t you think he’s unworthy to stand next to me?”
“Wh-what? What did you say just now?”
“Lillia. Thanks for your concern, but I didn’t come alone. Because of my partner’s position, we couldn’t come to the venue together, so we decided to come separately.”
“What do you mean you couldn’t come together?”
Young Lady Pelkan who was listening quickly asked.
“Ah, according to the imperial etiquette, the party organizer is not allowed to enter from the hall entrance where guests come and go.”
“The party organizer?”
“What?”
There was a curious light on the faces of the girls who each tilted their heads.
Lillia, who had been brooding over my words, narrowed her eyes and muttered.
“Are you talking about the organizer of the debutante ball? Then it’s…”
“His Highness, Crown Prince Lark van Rashmagh Descarde!”
At the same time, the servant loudly announced the appearance of someone.
Then, the splendid door opposite the entrance of the noble guests opened.
In principle, this door is only for the organizers of parties held in the imperial court, in other words, members of the imperial family of the Descarde Empire.
Lillia’s face was contemplative.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
“I see the little sun of the empire!”
As soon as the crown prince of this country, the most influential figure in the current Descarde Empire, Lark van Rashmagh Descarde, entered, he waved his hand to the nobles who greeted him in a rush, then turned his head to find someone.
Lark, who found me soon after, smiled brightly and began to approach me.
Like the miracle of Moses, the nobles who blocked Lark opened the way, and he came and stood in front of me.
All the noble girls, who saw the crown prince’s face closely, which was usually hard to see, looked at Lark in fascination.
‘Of course you have to be at this level to be recognized as the man of that body.’
A strong-looking face under neatly combed silver hair. His sharp eyes were overflowing with elegance, and his high nose bridge and lip line were as if they were deliberately carved.
The handsome man, as if painted, was smiling while looking straight at me with his golden eyes.
The gaze acting as if looking at his lovely lover is truly outstanding!
‘The perfect sense, perfect timing, perfect acting skills. My perfect business partner as well.’
“I see Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
The noble girls and Kedrick, who had been silently appreciating Lark’s beauty, bowed their heads in bewilderment to him.
I was the only one standing there with my head stiffly raised. It was very rude, but Lark smiled sweetly and extended his hand to me, as if he didn’t care.
“I’m sorry to let you enter alone despite being your partner.”
“It’s okay. Sometimes we have to be understanding.”
Putting my hand on top of the outstretched hand, I grumbled out of my lips and said.
Everyone was shocked when Lark smiled and kissed the back of my hand.
‘Aah…’
Lillia, who had tormented me to the point of death my whole life.
The noble girls who mocked me cheekily with Lillia on their back.
Kedrickk Reiger, who played with my poor innocence.
Besides that, the rest of the people who chewed, tasted, and enjoyed my sufferings, the ugly duckling of Diollus Duchy…
They were all looking at me at this moment, with eyes full of jealousy, envy, or desire.
‘I’m telling you…’
The main character here was me, no one else.
As of today, I am the celeb of the Descarde Empire!
Rubetria Diollus!
I, who became a beautiful swan at last, smiled brightly at the stunned idiots.
‘This feels great!’
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