Got Engaged to the Man They Call Ugly - Chapter 3
…What the hell is this?
She glanced around, wondering if someone had hacked her SmartDrop [1] as a prank, but everyone else was focused on their own guides, listening intently through their earpieces.
Is this some kind of voice phishing scam?
Suspicious of the blinking message, she reached to turn off the screen.
But it wouldn’t turn off.
What the—? She tapped the frozen display a few times.
【Mortal, accept the Golden Apple. —‘Accept’!】
That’s when she realized something unsettling. There was no “No” button.
She pressed the home button firmly, but there was no response.
Is it lagging? I only bought this phone recently…
As she struggled to force the unresponsive phone to shut down…
The lights overhead flickered once, twice.
Then, a piercing scream.
“H-Hey! Watch out up there!”
The decorative chandelier, which had been swaying ominously, came crashing down right above her head.
* * *
She had no idea how much time had passed.
“Open your eyes, mortal.”
A voice rang out beside her ear, and her eyes flew open.
Only to immediately shut them again in panic.
“Aagh!”
The light was so intensely blinding that it brought tears to her eyes, like someone had suddenly shone a flashlight in her face while she was asleep.
Groaning, she managed to crack open her bleary eyes after a long moment.
And then she froze, breath caught in her throat.
“I think about it every time that I see them, but they are such indecent creatures.”
“I agree.”
…Was this cosplay? A movie set? Extras?
Faced with the three women standing before her, Elinne fell into serious confusion.
One towered over the others in heavy armor [2] so dazzling it could blind you on sight.
The other two were stunningly beautiful—one so breathtakingly gorgeous a hundred out of a hundred would call her beautiful, the other radiating an aura of unshakable authority. And all three were staring straight at her. Their outfits rendered her speechless.
Except for the woman in armor, the other two were wrapped in layers of sheer white fabric, flowing like mist. But there was nothing silly about their appearance. The ornate jewelry they wore made them look every bit as regal as nobles.
Each gem and ornament sparkled too brightly to be fake.
…If all of that’s real, how much is it worth? And what’s with all this mist, is it part of the setup and concept?
Maybe they turned on a humidifier? Those are quite the effects.
“Hmph! Such a needlessly distracted species, with all of those useless ideas.”
Lost in thought, she flinched as one of the women shot her a disapproving glare.
“Focus! You’re about to hear the most important part.”
Her tone was the kind you’d hear in a historical drama: arrogant and condescending.
Yet the women’s presence made it impossible to laugh.
“Indeed. Elinne the Mortal!”
She blinked and looked around.
All three women were now gazing down at her.
“Why are you just standing there? Can’t you even respond properly?”
Without thinking, she pointed at her own face, speaking, sounding dumbfounded.
“…Me?”
“Who else here is a mortal besides you?”
The woman wearing peacock feathers snapped.
The decorative plume trembling in her curly hair fluttered with indignation.
“No, I mean… I’m not Elinne—”
She was about to protest automatically when her mouth dropped open.
‘Wait… What was my name again?’
Her mind suddenly went blank.
No matter how hard she tried, all she could think of was that unfamiliar, foreign-sounding name—Elinne.
“So, my name is actually….!”
“That’s enough. It doesn’t matter. It’s not important.”
…Maybe not to you, but to me, it’s incredibly important?!
She swallowed the words rising to her tongue.
The overwhelming pressure from the three made it hard to speak freely.
“From this moment forward, you are Elinne, mortal. By the sacred authority of the Divine Bloodline, it is thus decreed.”
“No, but I’m really not—”
I’m not this Elinne person! You’ve got the wrong girl!
Frustrated, she reached up to rub her face, then flinched.
Her hand felt unfamiliar.
Her forearm was unnaturally pale, almost dusted with flour, and her fingers were long and slender, like they’d never known a drop of water.
The scratch she got on the back of her hand while opening a package a few days ago? Gone.
And the jewelry weighing down her arms were ornate, clunky pieces she would never wear, and made it feel like this body wasn’t hers at all.
“You catch on quickly. Good. That’s not your body.”
“…Wait, did I die?”
She asked in disbelief.
“And now I’m in this Elinne person’s body?”
The haughty woman towering above her let out a snort.
“At least your comprehension is adequate.”
“Wait, are you saying I actually died?!”
“Do I look like I have the time to lie to a mere mortal like you?”
Translator’s notes: [1] ↩
[2] ↩
