I Was A Supporting Character

Ares smiled bitterly and nodded. “I didn’t even notice the other young girls.”

“Aren’t there many young girls longing for you?”

“It wasn’t much of an interest to me.”

But, it was different for Leah. He reacted very sensitively when I brought up Leah, so I  had to become very careful when asking questions.

As I hesitated, Ares glanced at me and said, “You seem to have something to say.”

“…That’s right.”

‘Wow, I am amazed. How did you know? Didn’t I manage my expression well?’

“I’ll listen to anything you say.”

“Then… I want to ask you something.” I paused for a while and continued, “Why did you allow Lady Saturnos to be with you?”

I didn’t say ‘Leah’ on purpose. For some reason, I wanted to reveal the fact that she and I were not friends to Ares. In fact, she was truly an amazing woman who broke the iron wall of this gentleman, Ares Jupiter.

At my question, Ares’s face changed in an instant. “That’s…”

It was probably hard to explain, since there was no rational process for the emotions set by the author. I also had no reason to love him. The process happened instantly.

I had expected Ares’ answer in my head to some extent. 

He replied carefully, choosing his words. “For Leah, I felt comfortable with her since the beginning. Maybe it was because our first meeting was so dramatic.”

That’s right. It was dramatic. And it was actually the beginning of the novel. 

“I felt comfortable talking to her. So I thought we could be good friends.”

I was surprised that he spoke honestly, it was more than I expected. Leah’s charm had a very powerful ability and it was the heroine’s buff. Even I, who was set as the villain, smiled because of her from time to time, not to mention Ares, who was set to be her man. 

“Then didn’t she mean something special to you?”

To my calm question, Ares immediately answered, “She was special as a friend. It was the first time I became friends with a lady my age.”

And it was very common for friends to become lovers. This was a plot that had never failed to appear in romance novels.

Perhaps because of the chaos today, Ares accidentally revealed his feelings to me, but if a little more time had passed, the situation would have been very different. I should have pretended I didn’t hear his confession. 

Ares’ words continued, “And thanks to her, I could interact with you. In that sense, Leah is definitely special.”

“…”

“You are very different from Leah.”

Was that really the case? Could you tell the difference between friendship and love between a man and a woman? 

“Bianca. You are not special, you are unique.” His last words sounded like an appeal. 

I had nothing to object to. There was no need to doubtAres. I could feel that his feelings were true. 

Not long after, the carriage arrived in the neighborhood of my family’s mansion. Before going to the front door, I asked Ares to drop me off. Fortunately, he obeyed my request without saying much. 

“Thanks for taking me back, Ares.” I thanked him for his kindness. It was very fortunate that I was extremely calm and did not show any emotions. 

“… See you next time, Bianca.” he addressed me politely.

It must not have been easy to control his emotions, but he was considerate and that made my heart flutter. 

The gatekeeper opened the door, and I went inside, not long after I heard the sound of a carriage running in the distance. He must have been watching me until I completely went in. 

When I got back to my room, I laid down on my bed. So much had happened in a matter of hours that my mind and heart were in chaos.

＊ ＊ ＊

After that day, I had to suffer for two days. My body was hot and I lost my appetite. I didn’t want to put anything in my mouth except water. While lying in bed, unable to move, a letter from Leah arrived announcing her visit. However, I was ill and was unable to receive guests, so I had to refuse.

My parents were very worried because it was rare for me to suddenly get sick like this. Nevertheless, when the doctor came and examined me, he could only explain that I was sick.

I was sick for two days and I’ve lost some weight! Of course! I had not consumed anything other than water. All of my favorite clothes became baggy, so I thought I could tighten the straps around my waist a little more. I got up from my seat and was going to check my appearance in front of the mirror, when Miranda came into my room with a blank face as usual. 

“My lady. You seem to be able to move a little more today.”

“Yes. The fever seems to have gone down.”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

I realized I was hungry after that question. I nodded right away. “Yes. I haven’t eaten anything in two days. I’m famished”

“Please wait a while. I’ll bring some soup.”

“Thank you.”

After Miranda left, I sat down and carefully read the letters that had arrived in front of me. There were several letters that had to be sent back. First of all, I wrote a reply to Metis saying that I had been seriously ill. I also need to apologize to Leah Saturnos once again for refusing the visit.

I handed the letters to Miranda, who had brought soup, and had them mailed. The deliverymen will probably complete the delivery before noon later.

I was very sick, so I thought about taking a break at home, but I shook my head and changed my mind. The most important thing to me was meeting the ‘author’ and confirming the truth. There were a lot of questions to ask; why Ares was in love with me and not Leah, and how did the original novel develop.

Each and every one of them was related to the truth of the world I was standing on right now, and because it was about my identity and my life, I could not dismiss everything as the ‘author’s nonsense’ and ignore it. 

After finishing the soup, I ordered Miranda, who came to pick up the bowls, to help me get ready to go out. She was bewildered but I kept being stubborn. I wanted to quickly go to the tea house and meet the ‘author’.

I thought my face was too pale, so I purposely put on makeup to make me look more presentable. I didn’t want to look like I was about to die in front of people. 

At that moment, a small trinket box that had been quietly placed on the dressing table caught my eye. It was what Ares gave me that day. I opened the box, a little nervous, and found a hairpin adorned with pearls and a pair of earrings mixed with obsidian and amethyst. 

It seemed to match my black hair and purple eyes. Ares must have thought of my face again and again while choosing this. While looking at the numerous jewels displayed in the jewelry store, he had me in his head. It was these earrings and hairpins that he picked after much thought.

If someone asked me to choose jewels for Ares, I would gladly do the same. Wouldn’t my heart feel very warm thinking of him while I was choosing jewelry with such sincerity? 

But the day I wore these earrings might never come. 

Maybe in a few days, Ares’ heart would turn to Leah. The ‘author’ always created emotions without any notice or cause. At least from what I’ve been through, it was like that.

I quietly closed the box and put it in the drawer. 

I dressed warmly and used a wide-brimmed hat to shade myself from the sun. Then, I walked out of the mansion and boarded a public carriage. Because usually, there was not enough space to put the carriage in the downtown area.

It was said that if we desperately want something, it will come true, and as soon as I got off the public carriage, I saw a familiar woman at the corner of the building. A woman my age with dark hair who wore a unique dress with a very practical design. 

I finally found the ‘author’.

I immediately ran toward her. As I turned to the corner, I saw the ‘author’ walking in front of me.

“Hey! Author!”

Once I called her, the ‘author’ looked back and noticed me.

“Bianca?”

Ugh, look at that innocent face! Without suppressing my rising anger, I strode over to her and grabbed her by the collar!

“Do you know how much I’ve been looking for you?!”

“L- let go! Let’s talk calmly!” the ‘author’ said, her face equally as red as mine. 

I am angry and that ‘author’ seemed very bewildered. Since I’m in a hurry, I grabbed her by the neck more and brought her face closer.

“Would you mind explaining why Ares loves me?!”

The expression of the ‘author’ turned bewildered in an instant. “What?”

“Why does Ares like me? He’s the male lead! He’s meant to fall in love with the female lead! Is this also from your novel?”

I was agitated. However, no matter how much I shouted, the ‘author’ seems equally clueless like me.

“Ares said he likes you?”

“Hey, it’s a novel you wrote! Do you even know the content? Are you really the author?”

To my last words, she finally responded. “What do you see me as? Do you think I lied?”

Oh, that’s surprising. She gets mad at a really weird time.

I let go of her neck, then asked again in a calmer voice. “Don’t say anything weird, and tell me all about your novel right now. Something must have gone wrong!”

The ‘author’ was still bewildered. “Does Ares really like you? Why?”

Judging from the look on her face, it seemed that she was really unaware of this situation.

I quickly regained my composure and spoke calmly. “That’s what I want to ask. Ares confessed. He loved me since the first time he saw me. That started two years ago.”

The ‘author’ crouched down.

“Why is it strange…?”

I was silently listening to the murmur of the ‘author’ as she drew something on the ground.

“Obviously, Leah’s first kiss with Ares…”

I frowned because of that mumble, but I decided not to disturb the ‘author’.

“Going around the city with Ares…”

“… … .”

“She became friends with Bianca, and she learned manners from her…”

‘Oh! I found the difference.’

But without interrupting, I continued to listen to the ‘author’. In any case, what she is spouting right now is the original novel.