I Don’t Want to Be a Lady

Noah wiped the smile off his face and stared intently at me. A silence fell.

 

I felt the need to impart some wisdom to this young man, who clearly didn’t understand the ways of the world (definitely not making excuses), so I continued. “Look. For a transaction to occur, there must be both a buyer and a seller, right?”

 

“…That’s correct.” Noah was wondering what that had to do with anything.

 

“Then, what happens if there are plenty of sellers but no buyers? Eventually, the sellers will disappear too, won’t they? Don’t you agree?” I asserted my actions with conviction, using market economics to justify myself.

 

“

Ah

…”

 

Noah’s sound was halfway between a sigh and a gasp, which I took as a sign that my lesson had hit home. I nodded in satisfaction.

 

“But, the ones who bought the slaves were likely nobles, right? Isn’t that so?” Noah asked, pointing out that although slave trading happened covertly, most slaves were sold to noble families.

 

“So what? If they don’t like it, they can come to Harpion and complain.”

 

Arianne’s attitude was so audacious it bordered on arrogance, leaving Noah momentarily speechless. After a moment, he regained his senses and covered his mouth with his hand. He trembled as his lips quivered uncontrollably behind his hand.

 

This is crazy.

Whether Arianne knew he was struggling to contain his laughter or not, she clicked her tongue, clearly disappointed.

 

“What kind of king lets slave traders run rampant? In this day and age, buying and selling people? He must be an old fogey or on the take.” I didn’t even hesitate to insult the king.

 

“

Pfft

.” Finally, a stifled laugh escaped Noah.

 

“You laugh? You must be quite twisted too. Well, seeing as you live in this dump, you must have a lot of pent-up frustration.”

 

I looked at him with understanding as he clutched his stomach, now fully laughing.

 

Living in such a rundown house while studying abroad in the Harpion Empire meant he was a brilliant student but probably couldn’t afford to finish his studies. If his potential had been cut short, how devastated and resentful he must have felt.

 

Well, since we’ve met like this, it must be fate.

 

“Normally, I don’t do charity. But since you know Rowina, I’ll make an exception. Did you know I’m an advisor at the National Education Institution?”

 

With my status and wealth, I could easily help one young man from a small kingdom. I figured the investment would pay off in the long run, even if it meant signing a blank contract in return.

 

Noah wiped the tears from his thin, slit-like eyes and responded. “I truly appreciate your generous offer, but unfortunately, I can’t leave this kingdom…”

 

My purple eyes glinted with interest. “Don’t tell me, are you a slave too?”

 

Noah scratched his head at the completely off-the-mark guess.

A slave, huh…

When he thought about it, the difference wasn’t that significant.

 

“Well, in a way, you could say I’m in a similar situation…”

 

I looked at him with pity. “It would have been better if you were born in Harpion instead of this tiny, insignificant kingdom.”

 

Since I had started to thrive, the Harpion Empire had more wealthy commoners than nobles, and people were buying titles with money. The class barrier seemed non-existent, at least on the surface.

 

Tiny, insignificant kingdom…

 

“

Hahaha

.” Noah chuckled awkwardly.

 

“So, what brings you to this insignificant kingdom, the powerhouse of the Harpion?”

 

His words had a sharp edge, but Arianne brushed it off. It was a fact, after all.

 

“I’m looking for someone.”

 

“If that’s the case, I might be able to help. Despite my appearance, I have quite a few connections.”

 

I looked at him skeptically but named my target.

 

“Renoah Valutis.”

 

“!” Noah’s slit-like eyes widened, revealing deep blue irises filled with shock and dismay.

 

“Do you know him?” I judged from his reaction that he knew who Renoah Valutis was and didn’t like him much.

 

Noah forced an awkward smile. “May I ask why you are looking for him?”

 

“Why pretend to ask for permission when you’ve already asked? I’ve never met a truly polite person who acted polite.” My displeasure was evident.

 

“

Hahaha

.”

 

Noah couldn’t remember being this flustered before.

Ah, there was one time. 

Though born with natural talent and always superior to others, he once met someone in the Harpion who changed him.

 

Rowina Kaien. She was incredibly arrogant, not because of her elite status but because she was genuinely exceptional. Through her gaze and demeanor, she seemed to consider everyone else as inferior insects, even to him.

 

Despite countless efforts to earn her recognition as an equal, he probably remained just a slightly better insect. Even the day he left the Harpion due to unavoidable circumstances, Rowina had not looked at him as an equal.

 

Seeing her mother, now I understand.

 

With a little more time, he might have believed it possible, but now he realized it never would have been. Her mother, who seemed like an advanced version of Rowina, made that clear.

 

It’s bittersweet, but this makes me want to try even more. 

He could not accept failure. He had never been denied anything or failed to achieve his goals.

 

Noah’s determination burned. He vowed to return to the Harpion somehow. And to settle things once and for all.

 

My purple eyes sparkled with a chilling fire. “Now, summon… no, tell me. Where can I find him?”

 

“

Hahaha

.”

 

His determination melted away, replaced by goosebumps and a forced laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck.

I need to survive first.

 

* * *

A perfectly clean space with no unnecessary decorations. This was the office of Duke Kaien, rumored to be the most powerful man in the Harpion Empire. Standing by the large window, looking at the stars, he remembered watching the stars with Arianne long ago.

Arianne loved looking at the stars too.

 

He still didn’t know. Arianne liked stars not for sentimental reasons but because they looked like diamonds in the night sky.

 

“Father.”

 

Hearing his daughter’s voice, Charter turned around. “Rowina.” His voice was filled with undeniable affection, and a gentle smile spread across his face.

 

“Mother has been gone for a while now.” Rowina looked directly at her father with her mysterious purple eyes, which were so similar to her mother’s.

 

“…Indeed.”

 

Charter’s smile became strained. He tried to ignore the pressure from her gaze and moved towards his desk. He hoped Rowina would leave if he started reading, but she seemed determined to talk.

 

“Where do you think she went?” Rowina clearly wanted answers.

 

“Well, she’s always been spontaneous. Come to think of it, she mentioned something about an island last time. Maybe…” Charter was about to make something up when,

 

“Father. I am not Edis or Prins.”

 

“…I know.”

 

Rowina was not as simple as her twin brothers, and she knew her mother very well.

 

“I understand you have a lot on your plate, but please remember, only you can control mother.” She was certain her mother was causing trouble somewhere. Just like always.

 

Rowina didn’t yet know it was related to her, but even if she did, she knew she couldn’t stop it.

 

“I’m sorry.” Charter genuinely felt sorry. He knew Rowina just wanted to live quietly, but her birth and talents would never allow her to live an ordinary life.

 

“You have no reason to apologize to me, Father.”

 

Mother, on the other hand, was a different story.

 

Arianne’s meddling and temper made life difficult for Rowina. Rowina liked being alone. But Arianne couldn’t stand it. It was likely because she had grown up alone without support.

 

Despite everything, Rowina loved her mother. She knew it was her mother’s way of expressing love. But still, she disliked what she disliked. Friends she didn’t want, unwanted suitors, and so on. No matter how much she refused, her mother kept introducing people in the name of caring for her, forcing Rowina to take drastic measures.

 

She permanently traumatized a prince who dared to approach her with a sharp rebuke and cut off the hand of a lunatic who came at her with a knife. A young lady who tried to kidnap and imprison her was sent to a convent for her own good. Only then did her mother’s meddling stop.

 

Finally, she was alone, but her mother’s strange behavior since her coming-of-age ceremony bothered her.

 

I have a bad feeling she’s causing trouble somewhere.

 

Unfortunately, Rowina’s premonitions were usually correct.

 

* * *

The next morning, a guard approached a carriage standing in front of the main gate of the Seruan royal castle.

 

“Excuse me, but this carriage is unregistered. Only those with permission can enter the castle, so please cooperate.”

 

The carriage window opened, and I spoke with a cool smile. “Tell them that Countess Proud of Harpion requests an audience with the crown prince.”

Hello, this is alyalia~

Somehow, the raw mentioned an empire named Miren (뮈렌), but when I read the rest of the chapters, that empire is describing the Harpion Empire. I thought that the author messed up the empire name with their another series since there was no note about the change name of the empire. Hence, regardless of the raw, I will translate it into Harpion Empire for consistency.