The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

Is it really okay to feel this happy?

I once heard that being able to have such blissful moments means a devastatingly depressing event must be waiting just around the corner.

I know that’s nonsense.

Life isn’t something that ends after just a day or two.

In a single year — no, even in a single week — good things and bad things can happen one after the other, and usually, those events aren’t even connected.

It’s just that after going through something good, bad events feel even worse by contrast.

If that logic were true, then experiencing something bad should guarantee that something good would happen next, right?

Of course, there are still plenty of things to worry about.

We could keep living like this for a while, but once the money I saved runs out,

and if the number of viewers on my streams drops and the income decreases,

we won’t be able to continue enjoying ourselves like we are now.

Both of them are competent,

so they could probably find work,

but here, without degrees or certifications, making a lot of money would be difficult.

It’s not like I haven’t saved enough to cover the near future, though...

But there’s something strange about it.

The fact that I can use the money I saved suggests that the 'me' who lived in this world and the 'me' who crossed over here — Sylvia Fangryphon — are seen as one continuous existence...

But if I had really died in this world,

wouldn’t all my assets have naturally gone to my family?

Normally, I should have been left with nothing.

Not even a security deposit on an apartment.

Everything should have been reclaimed by my family.

And yet, it didn’t feel like anything was left hanging.

I could access the money so naturally—

Click.

At the sound of the shutter, I snapped out of my thoughts.

When I turned my head,

I saw Claire pointing my smartphone camera at me.

"You came out well."

Claire smiled as she said that.

She looked beautiful.

And when I saw that expression on her face,

it made me think — ‘Does it really matter that much?’

Yeah.

These are problems I can worry about later.

If money becomes an issue,

I’ll think about it when the time comes.

I’m already thinking constantly about how to get us back.

When you can enjoy the moment, you should.

Claire flipping through the photos she took today with Alice was a picture all on its own.

It almost made me wish we had another camera just to capture this moment too.

*

We were at Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Normally there’s an entrance fee, but if you’re wearing a hanbok, admission is free.

Since it was close to the bookstore, we decided to come by while we were at it.

For Claire and Alice, who knew the concept of the 'Orient' but had never actually been to it,

the idea that this was a 'palace' made them incredibly polite as they walked around.

Claire even lowered her voice slightly.

I told them they didn’t need to be that formal—

"Even if there’s no king here now,

this is still a place that symbolizes the country's legitimacy.

Of course we should be respectful."

Alice said that.

Well, it’s not like our royal family here was all that respected.

Even after the constitution was rewritten to strip away royal authority,

people’s impression of the late Joseon dynasty remained a mess.

It was so bad that the entire image of the dynasty suffered because of it.

Still, explaining all that history would just be exhausting,

so I decided to show them some videos online later instead.

"Well, we did come from a country that still has a monarchy."

Claire said that, and honestly, there were a lot of things I wanted to say back.

The person standing right in front of her — me — was technically still a princess.

When I returned, the war would probably have ended,

and with the rumors about my lack of blood ties to the emperor spreading,

who knew what my position would be...

But still, Claire had always called me 'sis' so casually, fully aware I was royalty.

Not to mention, 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

the one she constantly bickered with might very well be the next emperor.

She had never once looked intimidated even when talking to Charlotte.

So now, getting nervous over a dynasty that didn’t even exist anymore...

Was that really necessary?

"It’s just that... we’re commoners now, right?

Wouldn’t nobles still visit places like this?

Even if you say it’s all equal now,

it’s not like noble classes disappear that easily."

When I gave her a puzzled look, Claire explained.

And only then {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} did I understand why they were acting so stiff.

They hadn’t directly asked me,

but after seeing my living conditions — my tiny, plain room —

they must have realized I wasn’t a 'noble' by any stretch.

Just looking up at the fancy hotels and towering city buildings today would’ve been enough to highlight how humble my place was.

There used to be kings here, and with kings came nobles.

And power like that doesn’t disappear easily.

Even in Europe, countries that claim to be democracies still retain noble titles.

Legally, maybe things are equal —

but families keep their power, wealth, and status.

Korea could have ended up the same way.

"Because of a war several decades ago,

everyone basically lost everything.

Since then, there’s been no real noble class left."

At least,

you couldn’t divide people into noble and commoner purely by bloodline anymore.

Maybe by money, but not by name.

"There’s no class system you can recognize just by hearing someone’s name.

And even if someone came from a prominent family,

they wouldn’t openly look down on others in a place like this."

"...Really?"

"Really.

Though that doesn’t mean we’re perfectly equal either."

I added with a wry smile.

Both of them tilted their heads in confusion.

They probably had no real sense of where I stood either.

Compared to Azernan, with its brutal industrial revolution era inequalities,

my position here was way better.

"This place really has a lot to learn from."

That was the conclusion Alice finally came to.

"...But you have to be careful.

Blindly copying everything would be a disaster.

There are better countries to use as examples.

It’d be smarter to bring back some history books from those places instead."

Maybe Britain, France, or Germany would be good choices.

...Might as well grab a book on the Russian Revolution too.

I’d really rather not get dragged into some bloody uprising in my lifetime.

*

"Was it called samgyeopsal?

That was delicious!"

Claire flopped onto the bed without even changing clothes after we returned to the hotel.

"It’s a different feel from steak.

Sometimes grilling it yourself like that is nice too."

Alice said, dropping her thick stack of books onto the bed.

"Today was fun, sis."

Claire sat up on the bed, smiling brightly.

"I feel like I did everything I ever wanted to do with you when I was little."

"Really?"

"Yeah.

Back when I was little, I didn’t even know enough to imagine it.

But growing up with Leo, having all those adventures...

I always thought it would’ve been even better if you had been there too."

Claire closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them to look at me.

"Sometimes I even worried that maybe you weren’t real.

Like maybe I’d made you up as an imaginary friend or something."

"......."

"But when I heard from others that they remembered you too,

I was sure you really existed.

Going to the academy was the right choice after all.

I never thought I’d meet you again,

but you knew I would end up at the academy, didn’t you?"

"......."

I couldn’t answer — it was too embarrassing.

Claire, seemingly satisfied with the look on my face,

leaned over slightly and looked past me at Alice.

"Alice, what about you?

Didn’t you also do everything you wanted to today when you were little?"

"Huh?"

Caught off guard by the sudden question,

Alice’s face froze for a moment before turning red.

"Wh-Wh-What are you talking about!?"

"You secretly wanted to get closer to sis too, right?

You whined a lot, but deep down you really wanted to hang out with her, didn’t you?"

Is that true?

I knew Alice had always been a little jealous,

but I’d never really thought about it that way.

When I turned fully to face her,

Alice’s whole face flushed crimson.

It was the reddest I’d seen her since she had worn the bunny girl outfit.

"...Why are you looking at me like that!?"

"Eek!"

In the end, Alice couldn’t take it anymore and threw a pillow at my face.