Chapter 21

The moment I confirmed that all my assumptions were correct, the first thought that came to mind was – why does he talk like that?

Unless it’s a deliberate joke among friends, who seriously uses words like ‘you’, ‘I see’, ‘no’, ‘dare’? But Callian de Winter – there must be an original name – performed the role of the Northern Grand Duke without batting an eye.

“Adriana?”

Coldly lifting the corner of his mouth, flicking his eyebrows, calmly watching even if someone gets cut down in front of him. Well, no one has been cut down yet, but still.

“Adriana!”

“Uh.”

“……Huh?”

Look at this, look at this. If that’s a personality formed while living in South Korea, isn’t he a more dreadful person than the real Northern Grand Duke in the fantasy world?

“Why do you talk like that?”

“What?”

“No, you said you’re Korean. I understand that you have a certain role and can act outwardly, but now, like this, when it’s just the two of us, do you have to talk like that? Is that your original way of speaking?”

If so, I would feel a little sorry and a lot of chills. Even if I died and resurrected a hundred times, digesting a Grand Duke-like way of speaking in everyday life was disgusting just to imagine.

A person who only raises eyebrows and snaps fingers when they need to talk, isn’t that too mediocre as a friend, lover or boss? …Come to think of it, it seems there was such a person among the department heads or team leaders.

“That is,”

“Rather, tell me there’s a secret you can’t talk about. Some kind of… what is it? The consistency of a worldview where you have to talk like that under enormous pressure-”

The Northern Grand Duke’s eyes widened. Now I understand. That’s about the maximum emotional expression that Calian de Winter can make.

The fact that an ordinary Korean person has to play the role of the ordinary Northern Grand Duke, who has to act terribly indifferent until he gets involved with the person he loves, stirred up sympathy.

“……Really?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, oh. Then, is it all due to the compulsiveness of the worldview that I can’t speak other than that way, and I couldn’t wander around like me?”

“Similar.”

“That’s really awesome. But can you write like this on a document even if there is compulsiveness? Isn’t it not allowed for a cold and perfect Grand Duke to make such cute doodles?”

I pointed to the document that turned my speculation into an established fact. In the corner, it was written in Korean, ‘I want to go home’, ‘I wonder if I’ll go home when the East Sea and Baekdu Mountain dry and wear out’, ‘I want to eat tteokbokki’, ‘Sorry, sorry’ and so on.

The Empire has a common language, and I can read and speak it. But because I’m not unable to write in Korean, if there’s a will, I can write and speak in Korean as much as I want.

Official documents written in the Empire’s common language and the wishes of Koreans written in Korean at the corner. I’m reminded of it and I’m all teary. Sigh.

“Oh, oh. We have a lot to talk about, so instead of doing this here, shall we have a drink? Comfortably in my room. After all, alcohol tastes best when you sit on the floor and drink it.”

“I’m okay with alcohol,”

“Is that also because of the will of the worldview? Makgeolli with potato pancakes,”

“I’m really okay with alcohol,”

“……Callian, do I look like I’m asking right now?”

I excitedly made potato pancakes and took out the makgeolli. If there’s nothing to do in winter – actually, I always had nothing to do – I should properly brew some makgeolli. Something that can be enjoyed over a long, cold winter.

The potato pancakes were appetizingly cooked. The steam wafting from them stimulated my stomach. Even the slightly crispy edges were PERFECT.

Somehow, as a possessor in a romance fantasy world, it was ridiculous that only my skill in making Korean food improved. But isn’t this all because there’s no setting like ‘mysterious food from somewhere in the East’ in this worldview?

“Well, shall we start with the full name then?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

“My name is ?, what, why can’t I speak. ?! ?! ××, ?!”

What am I, Hong Gildong?! Even Hong Gildong could say his full name! Oh, this petty worldview that’s falling behind in this era! I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, but I held back considering the intellect and dignity of a modern person.

Really, all sorts of things…

“My name is, ?. Ah, ?? ?……. It doesn’t work.”

The situation was the same for Callian. We had to accept the reality that our names were silenced. What the hell, even a possessor who makes makgeolli from searching for rice can’t say his full name, what kind of law is this?

Well, if there was a law, others wouldn’t just shove my soul into their bodies. This isn’t even contract fraud, what great sin did I commit in my previous life?

“Let’s skip the name for now. You might have noticed, but I was possessed last summer. Until recently, I used to see the real body owner in my dreams. Thinking about it pisses me off. Anyway, I was roughly dragged here by the real Adriana. How about you, Callian?”

“Me, a little earlier than you. Probably about 1, 2 years ago. And,”

Due to the will of the vast and high worldview, Callian took a long time to choose his words. It seemed like he knew the situation of being possessed, but seeing that he couldn’t speak, the role of the Northern Grand Duke was truly formidable.

“Can’t you break it by saying so? In a typical novel, there’s a way to break the curse. The female lead usually fixes it, and the male lead candidates fall in love.”

“Well, I haven’t heard such a thing.”

His speech was elegant, but he couldn’t hide his eyes as if he was eating potato pancakes. The flow of this vast world doesn’t correct up to the eyes. It felt a bit salty that the Northern Grand Duke couldn’t even enter the kitchen and couldn’t cook for himself.

“Ah, then, do you remember what year it was just before you came here? What year were you born? Where did you originally live?”

“That is,”

If the time of possession was different, asking about age could be confusing. In my words, Callian slightly frowned and easily told me about where he lived, his date of birth, and the date of the possession.

“Wait, wait, then! Then!”

“Whatever the problem,”

“Here! Time hasn’t passed! It’s the same day I entered Adriana’s body!”

The makgeolli I had heavily drunk seemed to reflux with emotion. It didn’t really happen, but my head boiled up with hope suddenly found.

“Then, if I can go back, I can feed Minsu! Our cat! Ah, it’s a bit annoying to have to do TOEIC again. Ah, that’s not the important thing. Ah, I’m going to eat super-hot gukbap first. And then I have to go to karaoke. I’ll go to karaoke twice. Teacher Kim Taemi! Let’s go eat budaejjigae! And-”

“Calm down for now-”

‘Okay.”

“Don’t calm down so suddenly……”

“You’re so picky. Ah, anyway, then if you look at it that way, Callian’s age- he’s two years younger than me?”

Oh, my goodness. The guy who was eleven years older than me is now two years younger! Is this a gift from the fairy for me who has lived kindly? If that was the case, you shouldn’t have called me to Adriana’s body!

“Ah… I guess that’s how it will be.”

“It’s not necessarily because of the age, but I will also drop the honorifics? Until now, it felt like a last will and testament? I did use honorifics, but since Callian will keep using informal speech according to the setting, there’s no reason I can’t do it. Right?”

“As you wish.”

The makgeolli pleasantly warmed up. The moon tilted and the makgeolli was cold and met a comrade in the closest place. Now all I have to do is get out of this damned novel.

“But you must be really having a hard time. I act according to my personality, but you can’t even do that, ah! How about working? You catch demons, too. Does that go smoothly? Dealing with the emperor, social etiquette, and all that. Does it just automatically work out?”

“It’s similar.”

“Ah, even if I try to have a conversation, it keeps getting blocked because of this. This curse-like thing, you really don’t know how to break it, do you?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Hmm… If only that gets resolved, our communication will be much smoother. You will also become more livable. The conversation will progress much faster, so do you know by any chance? Whether we will return to the original world soon.”

“If that happens-”

He suddenly lifted his head while drinking alcohol in small sips. It was strange. He felt really young because I thought of him as a younger kid. Is this all due to prejudice?

“That would be really good.”

When he slightly narrowed his eyes and lifted his lips, the impact was tremendous. It was pitiful and touching if this was the greatest emotion this kid could express.

“Ah, but I forgot while calculating the time earlier, we live in the same place, right?”

“Is that true?”

“Yeah, it’s not a lie, it’s true. Didn’t we go to the same high school?”

There are several high schools in the city, but I let slip the name of my high school out of curiosity while joking around.

“-I’m the same.”

“……Huh?”

“I also came from the same place.”

We really graduated from the same high school. No, no, at this rate, shouldn’t I lay out a mat? A fortune teller specializing in romance fantasy worldviews? Do I also have such a mysterious energy when I look at it? Am I, a normal job seeker, an SSS-class spirit seller?

“Oh really? Then you, ah, the probability of not seeing me would be higher. Because when I was in my third year, you entered. But still, it’s totally amazing, wow! Then we might have passed each other in the hallway! Ah, if I knew the name, it would be perfect. It’s a bit disappointing. Your curse – what if it gets resolved in a mess? That’s how it usually is in light romance fantasy. It’s not a deep political struggle series. Ah, I’m really glad it’s not that. If it was a real mind-bending kingmaker series or an infinite regression, I would have gone crazy. It seems like a comedy series, the Grand Duchess lives so recklessly but it’s all taken lightly, and the atmosphere of the territory is good too. Politics are stable, they don’t fight with the temples, and the imperial citizens are eating and living well. Ah, have you seen romance fantasy?”

“Not really.”

“Mom, you don’t even read romance fantasy, how did you end up like this?”

He must have wanted to die, being thrown into a novel genre that I don’t read, and even earlier than me. If someone had pushed a horror or thriller on me, I would have definitely run out of the window to find reality without anyone saying anything.

“It’s not that I don’t know at all.”

“Oh, really? How?”

“That’s- ……What do you think this place is?”

I was annoyed at first with the twisted way of speaking, but when I thought it wasn’t voluntary, I just felt touched, and tears came out. The way he tried to explain the situation without going against the world’s mood was really……

“Here? Isn’t it a romance fantasy? It’s totally light. It’s just a romantic comedy where the Crown Prince or the Northern Grand Duke are in love with a saint or a girl with noble blood and mysterious power, or a girl who is moderately evil and good. There’s no one to die, and there’s no need to think seriously.”

“That’s not entirely wrong……”

“Why, do you know something else? If you know, tell me quickly. I have to redesign my future.”

Turns out, this place is embroiled in war three years from now and isn’t this a world that hasn’t even entered the prologue yet? Adriana doesn’t seem to have such tremendous malice, but no, you never really know what’s inside a person.

“The people here, they all look like us.”

“Well, of course?”

Most of the people in the Empire had the appearance of Koreans. Only the hair and eye colors were brilliant, and although there were cases where the chest or skeleton was more robust, most of them were the appearance I knew.

Wasn’t it just a lack of the author’s imagination? Callian lowered his head at my words and chose his words carefully.

“Adriana. This place is-”