Episode 5 – How To Live as a Supporting Actor With an Impending Death (2)
Miranda immediately changed her expression. “It was a joke, miss. I have my own dress. An evening gown is too cumbersome. I’d rather sell lace on it.” I can hang all the accessories in my jewelry box if I say so, it won’t be inside. I silently ignored Miranda’s words and spoke to her again, “Well, let’s get ready to head out.” Looking at Miranda’s astonished expression, I closed my eyes again. God knows, this may be my first and last gift to her, I will give her the best gift. As promised, before going to the salon, I stopped by Mrs. Nyx’s Tailor Shop. Miranda, who accompanied me, was at a loss for words. In contrast, I smiled over her stupefied gaze. Mrs. Nyx was surprised when I came to the shop, without calling her over as I usually did. However, today, I was not fixing my clothes, it’s more convenient to stop by the store. I ordered a dress with Miranda beside me, and Mrs. Nyx looked at me with unconcealed admiration. “Lady Uranos is a really generous person. You are even making an exclusive dress for your maid!” “Haha, thank you. Please take good care of this order as well.” Miranda, beside me, had a rarely seen embarrassed expression. As we were talking about the design of the dress, the doorbell rang, resounding loudly within the room as we all turned toward the entrance. “Ah, l. . . Dress….” A girl entered the shop with an innocent look. And as fate would have it, the girl was Leah Saturnos, the female protagonist. When Leah Saturnos entered, the shop that was clamorous from trying to match my and Miranda’s outfits, became still. We were the only customers in the shop, and as the loyal customer of Mrs. Nyx, it was within the norm for us to make some racket. Mrs. Nyx welcomed the new customer with a pleasant voice and a business-like smile. “Welcome. It seems like this is your first visit to my shop….” Considering my friendly relationship with Mrs. Nyx, I decided to help smoothen the atmosphere.
“This is Lady Leah Saturnos. She made her debut last week, if I’m not mistaken?” I gave her a thorough glance. I tend to remember people’s faces very well. Yesterday, even though the ‘author’ only told me her name, Leah Saturn—the female protagonist, I was able to conjure her face in my mind immediately. And, now, it seems like I won’t be able to forget it till the day I die. Perhaps because there was someone who recognized him, Lady Saturnos nodded with visible excitement. Well… she’s like a puppy. A Yorkshire Terrier, perhaps? Mrs. Nyx said to Lady Saturnos with an apologetic face. “Oh, so you are the young lady who debuted last week! I apologize for my lack of knowledge. Would you like to sit here for a moment? I have to take care of Lady Uranos’s dress first.” At her reply, Lady Leah Saturnos hesitated before she finally spoke. “Well, are you by chance Countess Uranos?” I smiled small and affirmed her question. Upon hearing my reply, Lady Saturnos eagerly asked me with puppy-like eyes. “Would it be possible for me to see the dress countess is choosing? I had my debut a little while ago and I don’t have any friends to help me, so I’m not sure of what I’m supposed to do!” I was puzzled. No matter how recently she debuted, she has lived for 18 years, yet she has no friends? Not a faction, but a friend. “Pardon my crude question, however don’t you have any friends, Miss?” Lady Saturnos seemed troubled before she replied with an embarrassed face. “l do have friends… Unfortunately everyone told me that they were busy. I have to attend a banquet that will take place after 15 days and I still haven’t chosen my dress.” Busy. What a convenient excuse? They may be truthful, however it was strange that all of them were too busy to help the lady, who had to attend her first banquet after her debut. Is there any Young Lady busier than me in this capital city? Even then, when my friends asked for help, I used to set aside time to help them, unless there was really an urgent situation. Busy was the word you should only use when you were really occupied. Mrs. Nyx looked at me silently, wondering whether I had the same idea as she did. Her gaze was questioning my intention, whether I would help the protagonist. I replied to her with a glance.
“I’ll help you,” I’m going to die either way, so my pride doesn’t matter. I turned to Lady Saturnos. “Very well. I will help you choose a dress. However, first of all, I have to finish my business. Could you wait for a moment?” “Yes, of course! Do you mind if I join you?” I asked Miranda. “Miranda, is it okay for Lady Saturnos to come along?” Of course, Miranda nodded violently. Just by having her own evening dress, she was happy enough to not mind an intrusion. Lady Saturnos was surprised. “Oh, it wasn’t Countess Uranos dress! Oh my, you’re making an exclusive maid’s dress as well…!” I laughed. “She had been dealing with me for several years, this is the least that I can do for her.”
After that, Mrs. Nyx and I turned Miranda back and forth, discussing which part of the dress should be emphasized, and which one would look good on her. Saturnos was watching this scene with wide eyes. I occasionally glanced at the lady’s face and thought. She’s the heroine, however does she know that she is the protagonist of this world? She seemed to have no idea. Even her friends don’t take her very seriously, so how would anybody realize she was the protagonist? However, I had no intention of revealing the truth since I had already decided to keep the truth of this world to myself. However, it would be nice if she had some self-confidence. Mrs. Nyx wrote down Miranda’s measurement in a notebook and took notes of the order, thus completing the order. After letting the weary Miranda sit down for a while, I said to Saturnos. “Now, it’s your turn. First, before Mrs. Nyx returns, let’s set a rough estimation on the style of your dress.” In order to be a flower of society, I had to understand the upcoming fashion trends like the back of my hand. The effort I’ve poured to get to this point, perhaps no other lady would ever know!
Leah Saturnos answered with a flushed face. “I’ve always stayed at the baron’s estate all the time, so I’m not very accustomed to the ongoing fashion trends. What does Lady Uranos think?” Alas, my questions about her had been resolved. She had been living in the rural area and came to the capital for her coming-of-age ceremony and social debut. It was also a typical move of typical lords. Perhaps, it was the case since the Saturnian family had a stronger position in the local aristocracy circle rather than the central aristocracy. I looked at Saturnos. This young lady is a noblewoman who just debuted. She was too innocent to make any uncomfortable remarks, and when she’s in a good mood, she became overly cheerful. In a word, she was like a clueless child who was thrown out into the wild out of the blue. Rather than exuding the maturity of the women in aristocracy, she held the image of an innocent young girl. It was a style a young lady that hadn’t debuted would be able to use. However, Leah Saturnos recently debuted, which meant I couldn’t use her former style. Nevertheless, I did my best to pick a dress for Leah Saturnos with the help of Mrs. Nyx and Miranda. Before we knew it, we were all working on Saturnos’ new dress. When the rough design was completed, Saturnos thanked us sincerely. “Thank you so much! In fact, the reason why I came to this dress shop was because I heard rumors that Count Uranos, the flower of the society, is a regular here. However, after receiving so much of your help, I really don’t know how to thank you!” I found her twinkling eyes very endearing. Without me realizing it, a motherly smile bloomed on my face. “I’m looking forward to seeing the lady in this dress. I hope you have a wonderful banquet.” Saturnos, with her twinkling eyes, rummaged through her handbag, remembering something. I was looking at her with a puzzled face, before soon she pulled out a white envelope and handed it to me. “This is an invitation to the banquet. It’s my father’s birthday banquet.” Oh, was it? It seems like I had no idea of the banquet since we had a different circle of friends. It may be due to their fiefs located in the rural areas. Then, there won’t be many people attending. I asked her worriedly, “Were there many nobles who sent their intention to attend?” As I expected, she smiled dispiritedly and shook her head. “My father doesn’t have a deep relationship with the central aristocrats.. Nonetheless, I will do my best to serve the attendees.” I accepted the invitation with a nod.
“Thank you for the invitation. I will reply to you at a later date.” “Please come if you may! I have to thank you for your assistance today….” She smiled as she touched my hand. She truly wanted to return the favor for helping her find her dress. “It’s alright, truly. I’m not the kind of noble that needs such simple favors to be returned.” “B-but. I smiled refreshingly at Saturnos, who had a troubled expression. Anyway, my business at the shop was over, so I got up with Miranda. “Mrs. Nyx. I look forward to the dress.” “When it’s done, I’ll send it to the mansion.” I replied to affirm, before I finally left the dress shop, with Lea Saturnos waving eagerly as we separated. On the way to the salon, Miranda muttered to herself, while looking at me with a disoriented expression. “How odd. Young lady is acting strange.” I raised my eyebrows and refuted it. “I’ve always been like this! Is it so shocking to see me act this way?” “No, that’s not it. I’ve always known that my lady is kind, however your kindness is limited to certain people. And I can say with confidence that Lady Saturnos, whom I met today, is not one of them. It’s odd to see my lady behaving like this.” Miranda rarely spoke much. I was seriously troubled about whether my behaviour was strange. Was it that obvious that I am preparing for my death? I should’ve practiced my poker face better. If someone asked whether death scared me, honestly, I was frightened. The lack of knowledge of my death, such as the way I die and the time of my death, honestly made the future more terrifying. The notion of whether my death would be painful or tortuous, or I would die as fear slowly consumed me. Those thoughts plagued my mind. But no matter what my death looks like, it’s a foolish choice to stay in the same place over my fear. I wanted to spend the rest of my life loving the people around me.
So I decided to set my fear aside and instead, focus on those who needed my help, and gave generously as much as I could. Regardless of giving my time or material.