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When Melissa opens her eyes again, she finds herself in a setting that’s not-so-unfamiliar. The crown prince is a narcissist two-timing bastard, Jake is a disrespectful twat who does whatever he likes with no regards to others, and nothing’s changed from the original novel. Or, depending on who you ask, everything is going the way it should be.
That bastard Mizen actually stuck through his conviction and killed me.
Melissa sighs with the realization, mostly in annoyance—all that hard work changing the novel gone down the drain! It’s clear what had transpired—some magic regression bullshit, probably the same bullshit that even sent her into the novel in the first place, triggered when she died. It’s why the calendar date is already set months behind the date she last remembered.
“Shit, I… should’ve been more careful,” Melissa says with regret. Nine, Yuri, Yona, the servants of the Podebrat estate… she swore she would always protect them, and it’s embarrassing to know that she made such a promise when she couldn’t really protect herself.
Damn it, I need to grow stronger. For their sake.
It turns out that she has a lot less patience for bullshit the second time around.
“Please. Annul. Our. Engagement~” Melissa smiles innocently before her expression plunges into a threatening frown, “Now.”
Before Ian can even say anything more, Melissa adds, “I don’t care what you have to say. You must be an idiot if you think I’m going to end up marrying a piece of trash like you. Even I have standards, too, you know?”
“Do us a favor and just fuck off, preferably forever. Got it?” Melissa says before flinging the door open behind her. “Also, don’t bother running off to my brother for help. This is my decision, and he’s never had a say in my life before any of this, so why would I start listening to him now?”
“Have a good life. Not,” Melissa innocently says before violently slamming the doors behind her, leaving Ian and his new weekly fling behind.
When she comes back to the Podebrat estate, Yona’s waiting for her, her usual poker face not betraying any emotions.
“Welcome back,” Yona says.
It was such a casual greeting, but it’s contradicted by the surprisingly unsettling way Yona stares at her. Those purple eyes looked as if they were trying their damn hardest to burn a hole through her forehead. Is… Melissa missing something?
“Erm… thanks?” Melissa says, suddenly nervous.
“…It would be best for you to not waste any more time on such pointless ventures,” Yona advises.
Huh?
“Life is short, after all,” Yona adds, quite ominously.
“Okay?” Melissa says, not understanding where the hell this was coming from.
Inevitably, she has to go dress shopping for the royal ball. This time, however, Melissa is quite excited to meet Nine again… it’s the one thing she really looks forward to.
Except…
When Melissa passes by that specific alleyway, it’s empty. No blue-haired werewolf-in-hiding beggar in sight.
She stares at the spot as if he would materialize out of thin air if she waited long enough.
“My lady, what exactly are you trying to do?” Yona asks calmly, as if she wasn’t appearing to be crazy at the moment.
Melissa ignores her, however, in lieu of freaking the fuck out.
What’s happening? Why isn’t Nine here? Did something I do cause the timeline to change somehow? I didn’t do anything drastically different, though. Even then, it’s not like it would affect Nine in any way. So where is he?
I told you I would protect you, Melissa remembers herself telling Nine not so long ago.
“Something’s wrong,” Melissa says.
But what? Did the werewolves get to Nine again? Does she have to storm into werewolf territory herself, guns sword blazing and all to save her faithful butler?
“Clearly,” Yona says, referring to Melissa’s odd behavior more than anything else.
Despite Melissa’s efforts, she couldn’t find Nine in the end.
If she had any confirmation that Nine was still stuck in werewolf territory, she would’ve gone to look for him, but it’s hard to gather any intel in regard to werewolves. After all, humans and werewolves were completely disconnected from each other, living in isolation from one another. They simply had no mutual interests and never felt any obligation to make peace, a source of tension between the two species.
I’d risk the state of human-werewolf relations for the sake of Nine, but I don’t even know if he’s there right now. It’s possible that he’s out somewhere else.
Maybe, if Melissa had some sort of mage perform a seeking spell, she’d be able to find Nine. She doesn’t know any mages, though… and all the talented mages belong to…
The House of Baron Elizabeth.
So, the next logical step to finding Nine would be meeting Yuri for the first time at the royal ball, where she had first encountered Yuri last time, getting friendly with her, maybe swatting away one or two or all the male leads away in the process, and asking for her help in finding Nine.
It might be troublesome if Yuri finds out that Melissa was looking for a werewolf. Well, Yuri didn’t seem so bothered last time, so it should be okay…?
Since she doesn’t have Nine by her side this time but still wants to go to the ball, she decides to flake the crown prince by simply leaving for the royal ball early before Ian has any chance to even arrive at the Podebrat estate. Yona has a look in her eye but says nothing.
Stepping out of the carriage at the royal ball, Melissa decidedly ignores all the unwanted attention she receives. She even returns some of the looks thrown her way, given Melissa’s face, it does wonders to intimidate any gawking onlookers to stare in any other direction.
She thinks about hiding out in the palace garden until Yuri arrives, but then she’d be bored.
Not that she’s not already bored out of her mind. Gosh, she wishes Nine is there by her side so she’d at least have some favorable company. Nobles are like sharks—and there’s definitely blood in the water right now.
Ian does eventually arrive, flustered and all when he approaches Melissa.
“You should’ve waited for me,” Ian says, clearly offended and hurt at the blatant disrespect.
“Huh? Why would I do that?” Melissa asks, “I already told you that we’re through. I’d rather die and be sent to hell then marry a bastard like you.”
Whispers around them grow noticeably louder at the proclamation. Melissa picks at one of her ears, not really caring much about her reputation. It can’t get any worse than the original Melissa’s reputation, right?
Ian nervously chuckles. “I told you, Melissa, such jokes are not funny. Please stop before people start to get the wrong idea.”
“You’re just delusional,” Melissa scoffs. “The wrong idea? I didn’t realize you cared so much about what the people think. There are plenty of fish in the sea, just accept that I’m not the one for you. Or rather, you’re not the one for me. I deserve much better than you.”
“I agree,” a voice comes from besides Melissa.
Melissa turns around and her eyes widen at the sight of Nine, cleaned up and dressed in a stylish suit. He wears a confident grin on his face, so unlike the past Nine she had first met a lifetime (literally) ago.
Nine?
“She’s too good for someone like you,” another voice pipes up and Melissa turns to her other side and sees Yuri in an… eye-catching dress, looking much more beautiful than usual, or was that just Melissa’s imagination?
Yuri?! She’s not supposed to be here at all.
“Back off,” both Yuri and Nine simultaneously tell off the crown prince at the same time.
Ian, looking just as confused as Melissa and yet just as cornered, doesn’t know how to respond. At first, he looks as though he wants to say something, but decides to excuse himself instead and slide away in complacent defeat.
“Miss Melissa, it’s an honor to finally meet you,” Nine says, boldly grabbing her hand and landing a gentle kiss to her glove.
Is this the same Nine I know from before? Melissa, shocked, ponders—it’s such a contrast to the innocent shy werewolf she knows who’d blush just from being in the same proximity as her.
Yuri latches on to her other arm, a dazzling smile on her face. “Miss Melissa, I’ve heard so much about you—I’ve been wanting to meet you for some time now, shall we be friends…?”
Yuri’s bolder than ever before! This is unnatural!
“Uh… sure?” Melissa says unsurely.
Things are weird on the carriage ride back home.
Yuri and Nine insisted on coming back to the Podebrat estate with her, but Melissa doesn’t really understand why. She tried asking why but they gave such vague answers and excuses like how nobody on Yuri’s side of the family knew she had actually come to the ball that night or how Nine “doesn’t have a home to come back to”, which knowing Nine… is probably true.
It still doesn’t explain anything. How did Nine and Yuri know each other? Why do they act like they already know her? They already act so different from the counterparts that even Melissa is aware of… it’s a bit frightening.
She wants to ask, but she doesn’t know how to ask without coming off like an insane person… even having these small suspicions isn’t enough to justify the possibility that she might be wrong, and there’s nothing worse than the possibility that she might be wrong and be sent off to some mental hospital somewhere.
“So… what now?” Melissa awkwardly asks.
Nine blushes. “…If possible, I’d like to become Miss Melissa’s butler.”
Just like the past timeline.
Yuri smiles. “And I’d like to become Miss Melissa’s bodyguard.”
What?
“My bodyguard? I don’t need one.”
Plus, Yuri in the novel always needed saving and protecting… she’s a great healer and magician, but it’s not like she knew much offensive magic.
“I knew you were going to say that,” Yuri softly says. “Please, let me prove myself before turning my offer down. Most nobles nowadays need protection for one thing or another.”
“Yeah, but I’m perfectly capable of protecting myself,” Melissa says. “I might not look like it, but I’m pretty good at wielding a sword if I say so myself!”
Nine’s ears subtly droop down a little at the statement. “Nobody is doubting that you can handle yourself, Miss Melissa, but it shouldn’t be hard to accept help sometimes.”
“I accept help plenty!” Melissa says.
“Then, it’s settled,” Yuri says with a knowing smile.
“Yona, prepare two guest rooms,” Melissa says.
“They’ve already been prepared.”
Melissa blinks.
Her eyes change between Yona, Nine, and Yuri.
Yuri plays innocent, averting her eyes away from Melissa’s insistent stare. Nine looks as if everything is perfectly fine, this is all normal and okay and what’s expected. Yona looks like she doesn’t really give a shit.
“Am I missing something here?”
“Nope,” Yona says while Yuri answers with a tilt of her head and Nine shakes his head.
For Christ’s sake.
Things continue on almost normally, except not really, because Yuri and Nine are always there by her side no matter what comes their way.
Jack coming by to look for Nine? Nine, not hiding himself at all, comes out with Yuri in tow and all three of them easily overpower the werewolf with ease. Melissa knew she could beat the man up with just herself and her sword, but somehow, having the two of them by her side makes the defeat more satisfying.
Nine doesn’t look bothered in the slightest by Jack’s appearance.
“As long as Miss Melissa is happy and healthy, then so am I,” Nine says. Again, it’s quite an ominous statement to say to her, almost like an indirect threat.
The servants have taken quite a liking to Yuri and Nine, which is both expected and unexpected. Expected in the way that Melissa knew the servants were easy to win over but unexpected in that their affection would spill over for the other two. Logically speaking, it would make sense they would also see Yuri and Nine as their saviors too, though Melissa knew she could’ve handled Jack on her own.
At the summer festival, both Yuri and Nine are insistent on letting them try to win a few prizes for her.
“We may not be as good as Miss Melissa, but we still want to play!” Yuri reasons.
Melissa shrugs her shoulders, but then gasps when both Yuri and Nine beat her at some of the carnival games.
Melissa despairs, falling to her knees on the ground.
I… the one thing I was supposed to be a master at… I was surpassed…
And if she notices Yuri and Nine quietly giggling in the background at her misery, Melissa doesn’t comment on it.
Yuri’s kidnapped, and it’s the Mizen incident all over again.
Melissa supposes that some things just can’t be changed, no matter how much they’ve all deviated from the novel storyline. Nine doesn’t look nearly as afraid as before, however.
We’re getting closer to when I last died…
In terms of sword mastery, she’s gotten better, but she’s still not sure if it’s enough to beat Mizen since Mizen is strong in terms of raw stats and power. It’s just not fair for someone like Melissa, who has very average instincts and depends on the sword’s strength rather than her own.
But everything goes alright—maybe a little too alright. Yona and Yuri and Nine are all standing in front of her, as if she’s the one in need of protection, and Mizen’s bleeding out on the floor on his knees, snarling in pain.
“We’d do everything to protect Miss Melissa,” Yuri says.
“Even if we’d have to defeat you a million times. Miss Melissa is worth it all,” Nine adds.
Yona, emotionlessly looking at the crumpled werewolf on the floor, holds the magical item in her hands. “…This is what happens when we get involved with someone who pissed God off.”
I survived... but it's clear that Melissa got, you know, carried by her partymates rather than her own work. Yuri and Nine are completely fine with pretending that Mizen never even existed and that their most dangerous enemy number one hadn't been utterly destroyed under a minute, but Melissa doesn't miss the way Yona wears a slightly relieved expression when it's all said and done.
"Yona, what you said earlier about the whole 'pissing God off'..." Melissa says, slightly irked. "What was that all about?"
"You're exactly the type who'd piss God off."
"You know what I mean."
"...You're in danger, my lady. Those two won't stop until you're finally safe," Yona says with a tinge of... regret (?) in her voice. Something indistinguishable. "You wouldn't understand. I'm merely just a spectator in it all."
The festival games. "How long has this been going on?"
The image of Yuri and Nine always trailing behind Melissa, ready to die for her at any given time. Behind their confident and warm smiles, might lie something more sinister, or sad, or forlorn pleas for God to spare the one person they'd defy all fate for. To change the story into something anew.
"Who knows," Yona lies, turning away from Melissa.
Yona Whitefall doesn't know much about Nine, but there's something haunting about one past timeline where Nine was covered in blood, tears falling from his eyes and a unresponsive Melissa in his arms and him staring up at Yona with pleading eyes, the desperation contagious. Yona Whitefall doesn't know much about Nine, but that look alone was enough to tell her everything she needs to know about the man.
Those two would do anything to save her.
"All I know is that it won't stop until your fate finally changes," Yona says.
This... thing happening, it's not a curse. It's their only chance to finally grant Melissa Podebrat a happy ending, and they'd go through hell and back however many times to achieve it.