The Prince's Taste - Chapter 1.4
Since the Adrian Kingdom’s script was neither in Korean or English, she had no choice but to relearn the alphabet from scratch. She felt like crying tears of blood. Although she had graduated from university in her past life, it meant nothing here. She hadn’t been a doctor or a lawyer in her previous life, and it had been quite some time since she took the college entrance exam, so she remembered little. She had been an ordinary office worker who had a remarkable talent for making bomb shots and had been adored by her superiors, but there was no way her five-year-old body could attempt such things. Occasionally, when she craved alcohol, she would hover next to her father while he drank wine, but the Marquis of Emers would only give her a few snacks like cheese.
“I want to grow up quickly.”
To drink alcohol and escape from bothersome tasks.
Among those tasks, the most annoying was trying various methods that villainesses in romance novels used to avoid death. It was sad, but villainesses didn’t have many choices. Survival came first.
The first rule of survival: be kind to the servants.
Being possessed in a five-year-old body made this easy. No matter how bad a sprout is, the worst cruelty a five-year-old could inflict was throwing a tantrum. It was better to keep things pleasant; there was no need to earn a bad reputation with unnecessary cruelty.
While strolling leisurely with her hands behind her back, she overheard the servants gossiping about someone’s fiancé cheating. Judy Esther quietly blended into their midst. After all, such scandalous stories are fascinating no matter the time or place.
“They say the abandoned fiancée is pregnant, but the scumbag actually asked if the baby was his!”
“Is he out of his mind?”
The women, unaware that a little girl was eavesdropping on their conversation, continued gossiping.
“He’s quite the catch.”
Suddenly, everyone looked down at a voice coming from below.
The girl from the Emers family with pink hair styled in pigtails and wearing a yellow dress stood with her arms crossed and a serious expression on her face.
“Men who cheat while relying on their looks should be castrated by law.” Judy Esther squinted her eyes, ‘It’s unfair that only the heroine gets saved,’ she thought, then inquired about the fiancée’s situation.
“She says she’ll raise the child alone if necessary.” “If it gets too hard, tell her to come work for the Emers family,” Judy Esther said, and the employees looked at her with admiration, praising her as the best young lady
Yes, it all starts with small gestures like this. By accumulating good deeds like this, perhaps people’s perceptions of Judy Esther would change as well..
“Be careful when meeting men, too.”
“That’s why we try to avoid handsome men.”
“Ugly ones cause just as much trouble. If you’re going to pick, choose a good-looking one. But make sure he’s kind, too.”
One of the maids softly chuckled at Judy Esther’s words.
“But miss, didn’t you say you liked muscular knights? Shouldn’t you be advising us to go for men with muscles?”
“That’s just me.”
“Then why do you tell us to pick handsome men?”
“It’s vicarious gratification.”
This was her second rule of survival: Never get entangled with the protagonists of the story. Thus, she shouldn’t date a handsome man, as they were likely to be main or supporting characters. While meeting a handsome man might lead her to trouble, it was important for her to enjoy watching others’ romances and appreciate their beauty.
“I’ll meet a muscular knight, so you all go meet the handsome ones.”
Judy Esther declared firmly once more. Regardless of her preferences, handsome men were the truth. She also reminded them not to hesitate to discard any man who wasn’t kind after having fun with him.
“Oh, miss, where do you get such ideas…?”
“Anyway, I need to make some pocket money, so continue your conversation,” Judy Esther grinned before swiftly turning around without looking back.
This reminded her of her third rule of survival.
Prepare slush funds for emergencies in case she needs to escape to another country.
Since the thought had come to mind, she decided to act on it immediately. Just one whimper to her father, the Marquis Emers, would fill her pockets with coins. Little by little, it would add up. Though it was just pocket money for a child now, it would accumulate into a significant sum over time. If the Marquis were generous in the future, she could start a new life.
She needs to avoid getting into confrontations with the protagonists, but she has no desire to exhaust herself trying to gain their favor, either. The ideal outcome Judy Esther hoped for was for the novel’s main characters to stay out of her life altogether.
What is life, anyway?
The best thing is living long and enjoying every moment.
With this mindset, Judy Esther spent her fifteen years meaningfully. And before she knew it, the entrance into the original story was just around the corner.
