章節 3: 3. Decision
Ellie sat before the mirror, gazing at the image of the unfamiliar woman with a beautiful face in front of her, while Lyra busied herself combing her hair.
She wasn't accustomed to seeing her face in the mirror.
Ellie always jolted in surprise when facing the mirror.
It had been two days since she arrived in this world, yet she still struggled to speak and interact directly with "her father".
For her, facing the man who claimed to be her father was bewildering.
She had never had a father figure in her life. Therefore, she felt unsure about how she should react to her father, who was so full of love and affection.
There was an internal conflict in her current emotions.
On the one hand, she felt happy to finally have a life where she had a loving father. However, on the other hand, she also felt sad because she was not truly her daughter.
'Duke Ashford's affection is not for me but for Eleanor,' she thought with a bitter smile etched on her face.
She felt as if she were a fraud, living someone else's life. Her forehead creased with confusion.
Lyra observed her closely and asked, "What's wrong, My Lady? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Ellie shook her head. "No, Lyra. Is my Father at home?" she asked, struggling to utter the word "father" from her lips.
"Duke Ashford is visiting the royal palace, My Lady."
"For what purpose?"
"I'm not sure, My Lady." Lyra smiled tensely.
Ellie knew that Lyra was hiding something, but she chose not to push further.
'Well, if things have come to this, there's nothing I can do except recall the plot of the novel I've read. '
Ellie wanted to find out where she currently stood in the novel's storyline. She tried to remember every detail in the story to match it with her surroundings.
'If I had known it would be like this, I would have finished the novel to the end. How foolish of me. But then, who could have predicted something like this?'
She gathered her courage and strengthened her resolve.
"Even though I haven't finished this novel, I still have a chance to change my fate," Ellie murmured with newfound determination.
'I am not Eleanor who will follow the novel's plot. Eleanor loves Crown Prince Lucas, but I don't. I am sure I won't make the same mistakes just like Eleanor.'
She turned to Lyra and said, "Lyra, can you bring me the notebook and pen?"
Lyra nodded and retrieved a notebook and pen from Eleanor's drawer, handing them to Ellie.
Ellie took the offered notebook from Lyra and began writing down everything that happened in the novel.
Lyra, who was beside her, didn't understand what Ellie was writing as she used characters she couldn't recognize.
"My Lady, is that a secret code?"
Ellie fell silent for a moment before answering, "You could say that."
Through Eleanor's memories, she could determine the current date. And now, it was the 5th day of the 9th month, year 495 in the Astoria Empire.
'In the novel, Eleanor is sentenced in the year 497. Two years... I have enough time to avoid the fate predetermined for Eleanor. I must make the most of this time.'
Ellie pondered the upcoming events in the coming weeks. One crucial moment she remembered was the encounter between Ava Sinclaire and Lucas after the National Festival.
'This week, Ava Sinclaire will head to the capital, but on the way, she will become the target of bandits.'
Ellie sat silently, still pondering the decision she had to make. Should she let Lucas save Ava as written in the novel, or should she take over that role?
She bit her lip, trying to think through the consequences of both choices. If she allowed Lucas to save Ava, the storyline would unfold just like in the novel.
'No, even if they meet and fall in love at first sight, it's fine by me. Because I am not Eleanor, and I won't sell out my family just to be with Lucas.'
'From the beginning, what led to Eleanor being taken advantage of and then betrayed was because she kept forcing herself into their relationship. If I'm not involved in their love story, maybe I can maintain my own position and safety.'
She chose to keep her distance from the relationship between Lucas and Ava and not to interfere foolishly in their love story. She realized that her decision would affect the course of events, but she didn't want to repeat the same mistakes.
The decision she had to make now was to break off the engagement with Lucas. It wouldn't be easy, especially since their marriage had hidden agendas.
Throughout the Astoria region, the Ashford Duchy was a noble family that had its own forces. This was because they were nobles involved in the military from generation to generation.
The existence of the forces owned by Duke Alexander Ashford also gave him an advantage in terms of political negotiations and influence.
By ending the engagement with Lucas, Ellie realized that it could trigger reactions from others, especially the Emperor, who had an interest in utilizing the military power of Ashford Duchy for his political purposes.
Ellie had to be prepared to face the possible consequences of her decision, including potential conflicts or threats to Ashford Duchy.
"I don't need to break off the engagement first, right? When Lucas meets Ava and starts falling in love, he himself will ask the Emperor to end the engagement."
When that time comes, Ellie can accept that decision happily and with open arms.
And at the same time, she wouldn't have to sacrifice herself and her family just to become Lucas's concubine, as Eleanor did in the original story.
As Ellie smiled, thinking about the steps she would take, Sera knocked on the bedroom door.
"Come in."
"My Lady Duke Ashford is summoning My Lady to his study."
Ellie was still not ready to face Duke Ashford, but she had no choice but to go. She couldn't avoid him forever.
"Alright. I'll be there shortly."
A moment after Ellie was in Duke Ashford's study, she knocked on the door and entered.
Duke Ashford was seated at his desk, appearing serious yet attentive. Ellie walked towards the desk with a pounding heart.
"Duke Ashford," Ellie greeted respectfully.
Duke Ashford's eyes widened, surprise flashing across his face upon hearing Eleanor's address.
"Ellie, are you angry with me?"
"...?"
Duke Ashford coughed, trying to hide his panic. "Uh, you only address me formally when there's something you dislike."
Ah...
"No, Father, don't worry. I was just busy thinking about something earlier."
"What were you thinking, my daughter?"
"It doesn't need to concern you, Father. What's most important is why you called me here?"
Duke Ashford sighed. "This is about your engagement to Crown Prince Lucas," Duke Ashford replied with a suddenly serious expression.
"Although we agreed to the engagement under the Emperor's command, I don't want to see you trapped in a marriage that will only bring more sorrow and unhappiness."
Duke Ashford spoke very cautiously, afraid that his words would hurt his daughter.
Since Lucas visited four years ago, he has witnessed a significant change in his daughter.
Eleanor had become a quiet girl, whereas she used to be cheerful. She had extremely low self-confidence and always believed that her beautiful face was hideous.
Despite repeatedly assuring his daughter that she was beautiful, Eleanor would cry, stating that he was cruelly lying to her until Duke Ashford eventually gave up.
Eleanor often cried simply because she didn't receive a response to her letters from Lucas. She even went so far as to become a stalker!
She always attended any party Lucas went to. Eleanor, who was already 18 years old, hadn't even made her own debut yet.
A debut is a special celebration or event that marks the entrance of a young woman into society as an adult.
Eleanor dreamt of making her debut in the royal hall while celebrating the commemoration of her engagement.
As Duke Ashford imagined the sad things befalling his daughter one by one, his expression changed to one of sorrow.
'My unfortunate daughter...'
Duke Ashford's gaze made her shudder uncomfortably. She felt as though she were committing a great crime and facing the relative of her victim.
"So, Ellie, would you like to end your engagement with him?"
Duke Ashford anxiously waited for Ellie's answer. He hoped, this time, his daughter would comply.
Ellie chose her words carefully and said, "But Father, we can't end the engagement planned by the Emperor. That would be equivalent to breaking the royal rules."
"Father still has a privilege request. Father will use it."
A privilege request, or special request, is a privilege granted by the emperor to a noble from a royal family to make one request to an Emperor or a higher-ranking ruler.
However, although the Ashford family is not of royal nobility, the previous Emperor granted them that privilege due to their achievements.
"...!"
Hearing this, Ellie realized how much Duke Ashford loved Eleanor.
He easily sacrificed a right that could be used to obtain or control assets, territories or even pardon his life, if he committed a crime, just to cancel the engagement.
Tears suddenly welled up in Ellie's eyes. Somehow, her heart was touched by Duke Ashford's sacrifice.
Perhaps those tears were also a form of jealousy towards Eleanor.
However, Duke Ashford interpreted her tears differently.
The middle-aged man stood and immediately embraced his daughter. He stroked Ellie's head and said, "Ellie, my daughter... alright, Father won't do it."
Duke Ashford panicked and tried to calm her down.
Ellie reciprocated her father's hug and shook her head. "Father, I'm fine. You don't need to use your privilege for such a trivial matter. Sooner or later, this engagement will come to an end," Ellie replied with confidence, determination shining in her red eyes.
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