Until the Duke Falls in Unrequited Love - Chapter 1
- Home
- Until the Duke Falls in Unrequited Love
- Chapter 1 - The Reincarnator in a Strange World
Translator and Editor: Hue and Tea
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Chapter 1 – The Reincarnator in a Strange World
What despair would overcome the world if someone were to embark on an unrequited love?
Even Rianna knew that persisting in unrequited love and resorting to love potions was a mad endeavor.
“However…”
Her gaze fixed on the ‘Love Elixir,’ a potion that could make the one drinking it fall in love with the first person they see after consuming it.
“I’ll drink it.”
No response came, as the audience was not a person but a statue in a park.
Nevertheless, under the moonlit night, Rianna settled herself on the grass like a cushion and began to speak.
“I promised myself that I wouldn’t give my heart to anyone, but I’ve lost.”
A gentle pop, and the cork-shaped stopper was removed. A sweet aroma emanated from the vial designed for the defeated.
She loved the Duke. But she no longer wanted to love him.
Drinking the Love Elixir seemed to be the only solution to end this agonizing unrequited love.
“Now, I must love someone else.”
Without hesitation, Rianna brought the vial to her lips.
Gulp.
The liquid flowed into her mouth, its warmth enveloping her senses.
At that moment, the park’s clock struck midnight, its bell resonating through the air.
Ding-
Simultaneously, someone wearing men’s shoes stepped on the grass. The owner of the silent footsteps spoke.
“Rianna.”
He has arrived. My ‘someone else.’
Rianna slowly turned around.
And there she beheld the man who would become the love of her life.
Rianna wasn’t someone who detested unrequited love abnormally from the beginning.
Her life took a different turn eleven years ago when she became aware of the true identity of this world.
Until then, she had no awareness of being reincarnated into a romance fantasy novel. She simply thought she had been reborn.
“Which group are you from?”
Pink haired eleven-year-old Rianna handed the invitation to the guard.
“I’m representing Effindor Orphanage.”
The guard stepped aside to make way for her and whispered, “Good luck.”
Well, of course. One needs luck when stepping into a noble’s domain from an orphanage.
The reason Rianna was confident that her second life wasn’t a cliché romance novel reincarnation was also related to this. Where in the world would there be a novel where someone reincarnates into such a lowly status?
And the person who informed her that this wasn’t Earth was not a “faithful maid” but her fellow orphans. Their everyday battles took place not in the fiercely competitive social circles of noble ladies but in the cramped rooms, fighting for beds.
If she had been the victor of the battles for the spot by the window, that would have been nice, but that wasn’t the case. Rianna had a different area where she excelled.
Her beauty.
“You’re the most presentable among the orphans, so go to the Lord’s charity event and get sponsors.”
That’s what the headmistress had said while pushing Rianna forward.
“Ugh… I’ll do it since the one feeding and housing me told me to.”
Grumbling to herself, Rianna entered the banquet hall.
Until that point, she didn’t think much about it. She just wanted to eat her fill of peach preserves at the party.
However, everything changed when she saw the noble family seated at the high table.
Her calm thoughts, her tranquil second life – it all disappeared. Even the rosy flush on her cheeks vanished.
“A son of a Lord, the next Duke.”
He looked like he belonged in her age group.
His vacant pumpkin-colored eyes were so cold that they were almost devoid of emotion. His neatly arranged silver hair covering his forehead was familiar.
In the corner of his eyes, there were traces of a mysterious curse, shimmering faintly.
And so, she couldn’t fail to recognize him.
He was the male lead from the webtoon she saw before reincarnating!
“I reincarnated into a romance novel?”
A rough outline quickly crossed her mind.
The cursed male lead, the heroine who would lift the curse, the pink-haired villainess from an orphanage, Rianna…
“This is madness, isn’t that me?”
What would become of that villainess later on?
Ah, right. She drank the poison given by the male lead and died.
“….”
Gulp. Her dry throat swallowed.
As she recalled the image of ‘Rianna’ dying in agony and spilling blood in the webtoon, she shuddered.
“I’ve already experienced dying once, and it’s not an experience I want to go through again!”
Rianna made up her mind swiftly.
‘I’ll run away.’
In this territory, in this original work.
There was no lingering attachment. She had no family or friends here.
Rianna used a large napkin as a makeshift bag to gather some biscuits and bread. And she quietly slipped away from the banquet hall.
Outside, magnificent carriages were sparsely parked on the street.
With her pink eyes rolling, Rianna glanced around before approaching one of the carriages. The coachman was dozing off.
“Excuse me, sir!”
Rianna deftly snatched the hat lying on the coachman’s lap. Unable to pay, she left some biscuits in its place and quickly made her escape.
In truth, she didn’t resemble the villainess from the webtoon that much.
“But appearances can change.”
She rolled up her long curly hair and concealed it under the hat, transforming into the image of a flawless boy. The ragged, tattered pants that the headmistress had purposely put on her played their part in making her look impoverished.
Crossdressing and a few days’ worth of food—preparations to escape the original work were complete!
Now, where would she escape to?
“I heard that the neighboring Welzen Kingdom has good welfare for commoners.”
She could stay in their orphanage until she became an adult.
With her destination set, Rianna began to scan the carriages with the eyes of a hawk.
“Which one belongs to a Welzen person?”
The event hosted by the duke had attracted people from all over, so there was no shortage of carriages.
The problem was how to find it; it was impossible to tell with just her eyes.
So, Rianna picked up a few pebbles and came up with a plan. Standing next to the largest carriage, she discreetly threw a pebble at the back of the coachman’s head.
“Oops, what was that?”
The coachman looked around in surprise and muttered to himself in the language of the kingdom where Rianna lived, the Diaris Kingdom.
“That’s not the one.”
Rianna glanced toward other carriages.
“Who’s there!”
Nope.
“Ouch! What was that just now?”
Nope.
“Ugh, it’s irritating!”
There it is.
Her petite stature, honed through years of surviving on meager rations in the orphanage, allowed her to slip into the luggage compartment unnoticed when she displayed her disadvantageous advantage to the fullest.
“Phew… That was close.”
It was only much later, after the carriage had started moving, that Rianna finally relaxed.
Th
ud, thud—
As expected, the carriage crossed the border. Rianna decided to get off at an appropriate city center.
“I should get off around here….”
It’s not like there would be a city bus with a stop button.
But there were alternatives.
“Aah!”
She jumped out.
Unfortunately, the result was disastrous.
Rianna tumbled and rolled off the moving carriage then grabbed her shoulder in pain. Damn it, dislocated her arm!
Tears streamed down her face from the agony. Amidst it all, she managed to crawl and hide herself in a bustling corner of the market.
Curse that guy’s strength. If I had a villain’s body, I’d at least be sturdy!
The scene before her eyes blurred, and she closed her eyes completely. With her vision shut off, her heightened hearing drew in the noise of the market.
“Thirty crottes for a bushel! Fresh vegetables brought in this morning!”
“Is this bread made from millet? Is there no whole wheat?”
“Come this way, sir!”
The roots of the languages were similar, so the coarse tones were not difficult to understand.
Hugging the bundle of food close to her chest, Rianna crouched down. The ten-year-old girl’s body was terribly weak. Sleep started to overcome her.
Just before losing consciousness, a soft and melodious voice reached her ears.
“Hey, are you okay? Oh… Dad, let’s take this child with us!”
Through her half-closed eyelids, she faintly saw a girl.
Blur.
And Rianna fainted.
When she opened her eyes again, the place she was in was no longer the street. A soft bed cushioned her back.
As typical of any romance fantasy novel, a ‘strange and splendid ceiling’ came into view.
“Are you awake?”
Ah, that gentle voice from earlier.
When she turned her head, a child stood by her bedside. An incredibly pretty girl dressed in gorgeous clothes, she looked like a doll.
“You collapsed, so we brought you to our mansion. You should be okay where you’re injured!”
Rianna slightly moved her arm. Someone must have treated it as it felt perfectly fine.
As the girl muttered something incomprehensible, Rianna nodded absentmindedly. But suddenly, the conversation took a strange turn.
“Hey, I like you!”
Rianna’s eyes widened in surprise. Wait, what did I do?
The girl even blushed and added further.
“I’ll ask Dad to let us adopt you. We’ll become a happy family!”
Trying to comprehend what that meant, Rianna’s rolling eyes froze at the girl’s next words.
“Um, if you like me too, I mean… engagement is about liking each other, right…?”
Oh, dear little girl, is she falling for me?
“Oh my goodness, this child’s beauty!”
Thinking it was best to show some gratitude for the help and leave, Rianna considered whether this place was a pawn shop or a thieves’ den. How on earth could she tell?
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Join our discord to receive the latest update as soon as possible!
Comments for chapter "Chapter 1"
MANGA DISCUSSION
What Are Pilot Novels?
Pilot novels are novels that will only have a few chapters released from our group. We hope that someone else can continue these novels for the enjoyment of everyone!