The Past Life of the Arrogant Grand Duke of the North - Chapter 3
However, as her heart was pounding with excitement… Yulia’s very first high society party delivered a cold dose of reality.
Aside from a single dance with the imperial knight who escorted her, not a single person asked her to dance. Nor did she manage to get along with the other noble young ladies.
They considered her—essentially a commoner under the Empress’s sponsorship—beneath them. There was no bullying, just pure, thorough indifference.
Had Yulia been a typical young girl, it would have been incredibly painful.
But something—perhaps the gods, or the heavens, or whatever had taken her parents—had left her with a trace of her past life’s memories, like an exchange.
When she came to after fainting from the devastating news, she had recalled memories of her previous life.
She had never wanted it, but in any case, it had helped a young girl steady her mind and survive this world.
In her past life, she had been a 32-year-old office worker in Korea, worn out by late-night overtime. Her parents had died when she was young (both lives had seen her parents die early, and whether that meant her parents were unlucky or she was, she couldn’t say).
Worn down by life, she had neither boyfriend nor friends. Her s****l needs were handled with adult toys.
—Cause of death: a traffic accident.
…To be more precise, she died in a hit-and-run on her way to a convenience store late at night to buy batteries for her adult toy.
Her final thought was about the toy she’d left on the bed.
‘Agh. If I’d known I was going to die, I would’ve at least put it away in a drawer.’
And her last words?
“My d***o…”
Unclenching her curled fingers, Yulia shook her head.
There’s no such thing as a beautiful death, but… was there really a need for it to be this shameful?
She’d heard that when you die, the King of the Underworld replays your life for evaluation—but maybe she had skipped that step and moved straight on to the next life, and should just be grateful for that.
With a sigh, Yulia got up from her seat. The stretching was over, and now the real preparations had to begin.
When she went into the bathroom, Sophie was floating roses in the bathwater.
‘Oh no. That stuff’s expensive…’
Seeing Sophie, who still couldn’t let go of the hope for a noble marriage, Yulia quietly bathed. She scraped out the last of the scented oil and applied it all over her body, then put on the dress Sophie helped her into.
The coming-of-age ceremony of the Grand Duke’s heir would be the grandest ball in the North.
After this party, there wouldn’t be any major high-society gatherings left for the year. If she could just endure today, freedom would come.
‘Let’s just go along with it, so Sophie has no regrets.’
Perhaps because of her past life’s memories, Yulia had no obsession with noble status.
She had no title and had very little wealth, but she was someone who was being sponsored by the Empress. She might not be a desirable match for nobles, but things would be different among commoners.
Yulia thought she could be happy simply meeting a commoner who was reasonably well-off, healthy, and handsome.
In this life, she wanted to feel the warmth of a living person’s body, not that of a cold adult toy.
She had kept her conduct proper all this time out of respect for the Empress’s name—but that wouldn’t last much longer.
That was the downside of being sponsored.
Whatever she did, she had to consider the Empress’s dignity.
Being subtly excluded by nobles and treated like a wallflower wasn’t her fault, so she could endure it… but if she started spreading rumors among commoners or caused a scandal, she might vanish from the world without a trace, all for shaming the Empress.
‘Hmm. Maybe I should behave myself for just one more year, to be safe?’
Led by Sophie, she went through all sorts of adornments and finally stepped outside. A six-horse carriage pulled by white horses was waiting for Yulia.
This was one of the perks of being the Empress’s sponsored ward. She was given priority invitations to all parties, and if she confirmed her attendance, a carriage would be sent from the hosting house.
‘Wow. Just look at those white horses. The Grand Duchy really is on another level.’
Inside the carriage bound for the Grand Duke’s estate, Yulia fully enjoyed the luxury around her.
Because once this year was over, she would probably never experience anything like this again.
