Celebrity Lady

“I need knowledge about this place. It will take too long to learn and adapt one by one. Moreover…”

As I was about to speak, one side of my heart suddenly felt numb.

While crying deep into the dawn, I thought a lot. First of all, I mourned my short 25 years of life, and I also thought for a very long time about Rubette, who had willingly died for me.

In the meantime, I developed a lot of feelings for her that I had never met before.

I felt sorry for treating her, who should have needed a consolation, like a weird stalker, and felt a sense of debt to her who gave me a new life and left…

“Rubette said she lived 45 years of persecution? Then she turned back time after she was declared terminally ill, and yet her life was still so hard that she even thought of suicide at such a young age. Did I get it right?”

“…I think so.”

I remembered the faces of the siblings who mocked me as soon as I woke up in Rubette’s body.

“I can guess, but I can’t really relate just by listening to it. What was the reason Rubette was envious of my life, and what was the life that drive her to suicide…”

“…I want to sympathize with her.”

Perhaps finding my request unexpected, Wishit gave a startled look and soon mumbled while rubbing his chin.

“Then how do you want to make the wish? Should I put in the knowledge of the world and assimilate Rubette’s feelings into you? Then you have to make two wishes.”

I frowned and stared at Wishit.

“You have the spirit of a businessman, don’t you? Don’t you have any welfare benefits for the poor me? Can’t you give me the knowledge of the world for free?”

“I’m sorry. It’s a principle.”

Towards Wishit, who gave me a firm shrug, I sighed and said as I agonized.

“Then, don’t use two wishes. Let me remember 45 years of Rubette’s life as if it were mine.”

“Aha.”

“Her knowledge, memories, emotions… Everything in every moment she saw, heard and felt. Then I can solve everything I need with just one wish.”

Wishit, who had been silent as he nodded at my request, narrowed his eyes.

“It’s definitely an efficient way to make a wish, but you’ll regret it.”

“What?”

“Aren’t you saying that you are going to absorb Rubette’s life as if it were yours? It’s like you’re going to become Rubette, can you handle it?”

I hesitated for a moment at the frightening words, then nodded.

“That much, of course. Rubette even died for me.”

“…Well, that’s good. You’d better get a good night’s sleep.”

For some reason, Wishit smiled and soon snapped his fingers in the air once, and I fell into a dark sleep.

After that, it was a long series of dreams.

***

Rubetria Diollus.

In this world of strict social status, she was born with gold, no, diamond spoon, and perhaps possessed a more splendid specification than me.

She was born with a good bloodline, a steady wealth, and came from a family protected by spirits, so by the age of 15, she even had a spirit that granted wishes.

Not only that…

The father, the head of the Diollus family, owned a power comparable to that of the imperial family. The first brother, a talented person who took care of the family by acting as a deputy head of the household since he was 14 years old, and the second brother, who rose to the rank of deputy commander of the Imperial Knights Order at a young age due to his outstanding performance.

Unfortunately, however, all of that did not prevent Rubette’s predestined misfortune.

She suffered lifelong suffering without even making full use of what she had in her hands, and was diagnosed of a terminal illness at 45 due to overweight complications.

That ridiculous death was the biggest tragedy of Rubette’s life.

‘But using her first wish, Rubette turned back time.’

Before her death, Rubette returned. In order to properly live her life, which had been full of regrets.

But the reason why Rubette, who turned back time and became healthier, decided to suicide was…

‘Abuse.’

There was a fundamental cause that made her unable to spread her wings in the first place.

I raised my hand as if to ask a question.

“Hey, Wishist. Can I make a wish to kill someone?”

“Yes. In this world, there is no wish I cannot grant, except to bring the dead back to life.”

I was puzzled by Wishit’s plain answer.

“Then why didn’t Rubette make a wish to get rid of the trash in this house?”

“It’s because she’s weak-hearted.”

“…That’s interesting.”

Contrary to what I said, I felt not at all pleasant.

Rubette and her family were not the only ones in this Diollus Duchy.

Sadly, there were more devilish things than the devil himself living together with her, and Rubette had been mentally abused by them all her life.

The level of abuse inflicted on her is abysmal. It was a memory that I guessed and accepted to some extent, but nevertheless, I was so angry that I gnashed my teeth in anger.

I remember Ricky, who was slapped by me yesterday and ran out saying, “I’m going to tell my mom!”

‘Molga Diollus.’

Molga Diollus is the ‘mom’ that the child spoke of. She is the mother of cheeky twins and the influential figure who took possession of the Diollus Duchy for life, and the main culprit who abused Rubette.

She is a young woman who was the mistress of Rubette’s grandfather, the former duke, and eventually assumed the position of the duchess.

She is a slender beauty with gorgeous blonde hair, blue eyes like the sea, and white skin.

‘Of course, her appearance and personality are very different.’

On paper, she had a stepmother and son relationship with Rubette’s father, the present Duke Diollus. But they were only one year apart.

‘They are in a terrible relationship, too.’

[T/N: the literal sentence is ‘It’s like having a dog family in the midst of soybean family (?)’, but the meaning is as translated above]

Feeling frustrated, I rubbed my palm over my chest.

After dreaming, I couldn’t calm down easily because not only information about them but also all the memories and feelings that Rubette had for them permeated.

‘Molga, that woman is going to make my life harder in the future. Since I have two wishes left, wouldn’t it be okay to just get rid of her?’

I shook my head after thinking seriously.

But it’s a waste of wishes to use it like that. Without Wishit’s help, Rubette’s revenge would be sufficient.

“Are you going to make another wish?”

I shook my head at Wishit, who asked with a hint of hope.

“Then, what are you going to do from now on?”

“Ummm…”

I got up after thinking.

“From what I need most right now.”

“What’s that?”

Instead of answering, I picked up a white tablecloth from the table in the center of the room and spread it out on the bed.

And right away, I opened the first drawer of the bedside table. There were about ten individually wrapped colorful macarons.

‘Besides things like this, she ate snacks non-stop.’

I took out all the macarons and moved them onto the open tablecloth.

Candies and chocolates in the second drawer, and bite-sized cookies in the third drawer. All of them were carried on the tablecloth.

And we’re heading to the next location.

“…”

When I saw Wishit standing tall, a memory of Rubette suddenly came to mind.

“Stop crying. If you don’t want to be teased, make a wish to me. You can be pretty and slim.”

“No. Once I start making a wish, I’ll get greedy. Then, I’ll run out of three wishes in no time. By then I’ll have to break up with you forever. That’s so sad.”

The reason why Rubette never made a wish like a fool in her entire life. Actually, it wasn’t because she didn’t want to waste her wish.

“You disappear when I use up all three wishes.”

“…”

The hesitant Wishit looked down at me.

‘After making all three wishes, Wishit will disappear. That’s why Rubette, with all her might, saved her wishes.’

Wishit was the only friend to Rubette, who had been a loner all her life, so I fully understand her feeling of enduring without making a wish.

And maybe…

‘For this alien, Rubette must have been a very precious friend.’

I couldn’t even imagine what Wishit would have felt when he was forced to grant her wish to die instead of me.

“I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention, but you lost a dear friend.”

I apologized in a low voice.

“…”

Wishit looked down at me for a while in silence, then immediately turned his gaze and said.

“…No. From the beginning, it was Rubette who wanted to take a peek into your life, and it was me who granted that wish, so you are not responsible here.”

Feeling gloomy, I sighed and headed across the room to the closet.

When I opened the closet, I saw huge, flattering dresses that fit Rubette’s size.

As I slipped my hand through the dress, this time too, I caught a bunch of snack packages the size of her forearm.

I took them out and said.

“You know, Rubette didn’t commit suicide because you weren’t precious. She only did that because she was really, really struggling to live beyond her control.”

“…”

I couldn’t see Wishit’s face standing behind me, but even if I didn’t look, I could imagine what kind of expression he would have.

‘Even though she turned back time, Rubette’s kind personality was still there. She didn’t have the cold heart to punish the bad guys, and she couldn’t resist the life that went by like before.’

Turning back time didn’t change anything. Rather, her fear that she might live the same life as hell one more time only tormented her.

“Ha…”

I sighed and opened the drawer below the closet. Rubette’s favorite chocolate cookie bag is full.

I went back to bed holding an armful of diet distractions I found in my closet and poured it on the tablecloth again.

“And, there is something you are mistaken about.”

“What’s that?”

I looked back at Wishit and said.

“Rubette didn’t want to live as a pretty and slim woman. She just wanted to live happily.”

“…”

“The only reason she longed for the life of a pretty, slim woman was that she thought the reason she was unhappy was that she was ugly and she was fat. The demons in this house made her think like that.”

“…Right.”

“If she hadn’t been abused, she wouldn’t have been stressed about her appearance…”

After saying that, I reached down and under the bed for the last time.

“…Whoops, at least I don’t think I would.”

When I swept away all the rustling candy bags that my arm touched and found a load, I picked them up one by one and moved them to the tablecloth.

“Phew, is that all?”

I quickly wiped the sweat from my forehead, grabbed the corner of the tablecloth, and tied it tightly. The size of the sealed snack package was truly enormous.

“I owe Rubette, so I will listen to Rubette’s wishes. She wants to live a happy life, so I will do as she wishes.”

“Yes, I understand…”

Then Wishit, who suddenly put his face next to my face looking down at the package of snacks, asked.

“…Why did you pack these things up? What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean what am I going to do? I need to lose weight.”

When I frowned and answered Wishit, who was asking a very obvious question, he snorted.

“It’s contradictory.”

“What?”

“A little while ago, didn’t you say that Rubette just wanted a happy life? She won’t be happy when she’s thin.”

“Mm, right?”

“But you’re trying to lose weight because you don’t want to live in the shape of fat Rubette.”

“Mm…”

I shook my index finger in front of the Wishit.

“Even if the standard of happiness is not appearance, I have to lose weight. Starting today, I’m going on a hellish diet.”

“Why?”

“Why do you keep asking the obvious?”

I shrugged and said.

“Obesity is the root of all diseases. A life of premature death due to complications of being overweight at the age of only 45 is unacceptable.”