WTSP - 3 

As I gazed at Rovair’s face, I suddenly realized how close we were standing.

Perhaps sensing the same, he carefully took a step back and bowed his head slightly.

The fact that even Rovair, the deputy commander of the knights, had come looking for me suggested that chaos had erupted in the empress’s quarters.

“Everyone is searching for Your Majesty. Would it not be wise to return with me?”

His voice, tinged with kindness, seeped into my ears.

I had no intention of stubbornly resisting and causing him trouble, so I nodded obediently.

But as I glanced down at my dirt-streaked bare feet, an awkward laugh escaped me. This is so embarrassing.

“Um, Sir Rovair… This might sound a bit awkward, but…”

“Feel free to speak your mind.”

“Could you do me a favor?”

If I was going to survive as Ophelia Meredith, there was one thing I needed above all else: strength. My lips curled into a crescent moon-like smile.

---

“…Training, Your Majesty?”

Rovair tilted his body naturally, clearly confused as he looked up at me.

Surely he didn’t think I wanted him to carry me all the way back to the empress’s quarters?

Waving my hands dismissively, I pointed at him and nodded.

“You’re the deputy commander of the knights, aren’t you, Sir Rovair?”

“Yes, but why this sudden talk of physical training?”

“I feel like I might die in my sleep if I keep going like this. I need to live longer, you know.”

“Please don’t say such things, Your Majesty.”

But it was true.

Since childhood, Ophelia had been so frail that she rarely ventured outside more than once a month. Her muscles hadn’t developed properly, and her constant fainting spells were a major issue.

This body is practically built for an early death.

I scratched my cheek awkwardly with a sheepish grin.

“I just want to build up some stamina. At least enough to be healthy.”

After a moment of silence, Rovair finally nodded, though his expression betrayed uncertainty. But what could I do? I’d already made up my mind.

The plan was to start training gradually at the knights’ training grounds. First, endurance running—strength was important, but Ophelia desperately needed stamina.

As I mentally mapped out my plans, I extended my hand to Rovair with a bright smile.

“I was worried you’d refuse, but thank you, Sir Rovair! I’m counting on you.”

“How could I possibly defy your orders?”

Instead of shaking hands, Rovair lightly brushed his lips against the back of my hand.

His gesture revealed his loyalty and affection. 

To be honest, Rovair’s actions caught me off guard. I couldn’t deny feeling flustered, but then I remembered he was a knight. Smiling wryly, I thought to myself:

I should’ve made the loyal knight devoted only to the heroine a secondary male lead in A Common Girl Becomes Empress.  

Great ideas always come too late, don’t they? A wave of belated regret washed over me.

“Then allow me to escort you back to the empress’s quarters, Your Majesty. Shall I carry you?”

Rovair turned his back to me and knelt on one knee.

But honestly, being carried felt a bit much, even though I was inhabiting Ophelia’s fragile frame. It was awkward, plain and simple.

Waving my hands frantically, I said, “No, walking is fine.”

“I cannot allow Your Majesty to walk barefoot.”

Despite my protests, Rovair refused to budge. His demeanor suggested he’d stay there all night if I didn’t comply.

…Didn’t he just say he couldn’t defy my orders an hour ago? Talk about contradictions.

“It’s really okay. The empress’s quarters aren’t far from here.”

“No, Your Majesty.”

Our standoff lasted over ten minutes until Rovair finally relented. 

Had I won? Just as I sighed in relief, he removed his boots and placed them gently in front of my feet. They were sturdy suede ankle boots.

“I cannot let Your Majesty injure your feet. If you refuse to be carried, will you at least wear these?”

What about you, Sir Rovair? I swallowed the question before it slipped out and simply agreed. Refusing further would’ve meant spending the night on the grass.

I understood his devotion. He had served Ophelia closely since she was a child.

“…Thank you, Sir Rovair. I feel like I’m always indebted to you.”

Avoiding his unwavering gaze, I slipped on his boots. Though they were too big and felt loose, tightening the laces made them manageable enough to walk in.

When we finally returned to the empress’s quarters together, I found myself bombarded by dozens of stares.

It took two whole hours to calm Lena, who was sobbing uncontrollably over where I had disappeared to. That moment solidified my resolve never to sneak out without telling her again.

After firmly declining Lena’s offer to massage my swollen legs and sending her away, an eerie silence enveloped the room.

What a dramatic day it had been. Collapsing onto the bed, I stared at the ceiling as drowsiness crept over me.

In my past life, I could’ve run five hours straight on the track without breaking a sweat.

Blink, blink. My long, thin eyelashes fluttered lazily.

…Why did Serdelius take my shoe? And would Sir Rovair actually take my request seriously?

All sorts of random thoughts floated through my mind alongside the drowsiness.

I’ll just rest for a bit. It’s still midday, but falling asleep now wouldn’t hurt…

---

Knock, knock, knock.

The cautious knocking jolted me awake. What time was it? I must’ve fallen into a deep sleep after intending to nap for only an hour.

To think I’d exhausted all my energy just by stepping outside for a bit. Maybe I should hang a sign saying, “Come back tomorrow.”

Rubbing my tired eyes with the back of my hand, I croaked, “Yes, come in.”

“Mistress—no, Your Majesty! His Majesty has sent a gift!”

Lena bounced over, holding an ornate box, her lips stretched into an ear-to-ear grin.

She’s so cute.

The box Serdelius had sent was undeniably luxurious. Of course, as emperor, his packaging would naturally be sophisticated.

Encouraged by Lena’s sparkling excitement, I rolled my eyes and hesitated before touching the box. A creeping sense of unease pressed down on my shoulders.

What if someone’s severed head is inside?

Just hours earlier, I’d worried that Serdelius might have beheaded one of the Meredith family retainers for offending him. 

But perhaps my imagination was running wild. The box wasn’t particularly heavy.

Opening the exquisitely crafted box, which could easily pass for a jewelry case, I blinked in surprise.

…This was unexpected. Even Lena, who had likely peeked inside, gasped in admiration.

“Oh my, how beautiful! Did His Majesty choose this himself? Clearly, he adores you!”

What a leap of logic. Ignoring Lena’s starry-eyed commentary, I pulled out a pair of shoes from the box and examined them.

They were soft velvet shoes, as white as the first snow of winter. Similar in design to the ones I’d worn earlier, but these were unmistakably different.

What could this mean? Suddenly, I recalled Serdelius walking away with one of my shoes.

“The shoes are truly lovely, Your Majesty. But isn’t the heel too low? Is this the new trend?”

“…Who knows. I can’t figure out what he means by this.”

As Lena had pointed out, the heels were so low they could almost pass for flats.

Noblewomen here typically wore high heels around 10–13 cm tall. While such footwear often strained their ankles, no one thought twice about it.

Ophelia must’ve worn similar shoes.

The shoes fit perfectly, as if made specifically for her. Surprisingly comfortable, I blinked in astonishment.

Was this his way of telling me not to embarrassingly collapse in front of him again?

The thought crossed my mind to commission sneakers next, but finding a way back to the real world remained my top priority.

I couldn’t live as Ophelia forever.

“Tell His Majesty I appreciate the gift.”

“Yes! Oh, and Her Majesty the Empress has invited you to brunch.”

“The empress invited me?”

Before I could fully process Serdelius’ intentions, Lena clapped her hands excitedly.

Brunch—it was part of the protocol for newly crowned empresses to meet the empress consort.

Fortunately, unlike Serdelius, Empress Brilline was a character I had personally created. For a moment, I thought there wouldn’t be any issues.

Will it really be okay meeting her directly?

As I reviewed Brilline’s personality traits, unease began to creep in.

Brilline was an intensely possessive woman. Though fundamentally kind and intelligent, I’d given her a jealous streak to create conflict in the story.

Without misunderstandings and clashes between characters, romance novels would bore readers to tears.

The problem now was that her jealousy might turn toward me.

I seem to be regretting things a lot today.

Brilline disliked the other empresses, especially the main antagonist, the first empress.

Of course, in the novel, Serdelius remained faithful to Brilline alone, but misunderstandings were the bread and butter of romance stories.

The bigger issue was that A Common Girl Becomes Empress (ACGBE) was still an unfinished novel.

Even I, the author, didn’t know what would happen beyond Chapter 80.

Though Brilline wasn’t inherently evil, facing an uncertain future was unsettling.

But wait—

…When did I start fearing an unwritten future?

Thinking about it, no one could predict the future. By fixating on the fact that this was a fictional world, I’d overlooked the obvious truth.

How foolish. Not knowing is normal. I’m not a god—I can’t possibly foresee everything.

Yet somewhere along the way, I’d started basing all my decisions on ACGBE.

Nothing would change unless I faced things head-on. It was an obvious yet sobering realization.

With that thought in mind, I turned to Lena and spoke.

“Tell Her Majesty I’ll attend.”

“Yes! I’ll prepare a dress for you in advance.”

Lena curtsied and left with a promise to be available whenever I needed her.

After seeing her off, I prepared to rest again, but sleep eluded me.

I’d probably napped too much during the day. Thinking about meeting Brilline tomorrow morning made my heart race.

Would she look exactly as I’d described her—soft brown waves and crimson eyes? Would she be breathtakingly beautiful like Serdelius? Would she despise Ophelia as much as she hated the first empress?

Questions spiraled endlessly in my mind.

---

I ended up staying awake all night, lost in thought.

But when I finally came face-to-face with Empress Brilline, all the worries that had kept me up vanished like ashes in the wind.