In This Life, I Will Die As An Actress, Not As A Villainess [EN]: Chapter 31

The dazzling light faded, and I slowly opened my eyes.

The first thing that greeted me was an unfamiliar ceiling.

Gazing at the ceiling adorned with antique patterns, I instinctively sensed it.

This familiar feeling….

Still lying down, I turned my dizzy head, looking around.

Then, I murmured,

“Don’t tell me, again… ?”

As my mind cleared, I looked at the ceiling again, and golden letters floated as if answering my question.

[Mission: Complete this sequence.]

“Ha.”

A sigh, like a short lament, escaped my lips.

The moment I saw those letters, the life within the script, which I had forgotten, flashed through my mind like a panorama.

At the same time, emotions like fear and a sense of crisis, which made me feel like I would never escape the script, resurfaced.

I slowly sat up.

As I looked around…

I saw the scenery of the king’s bedchamber, something I had only seen in historical dramas.

I stroked the fine silk blanket covering me with my hand.

‘Could it be.’

The Flower Beyond the Palace Walls, inside that script?

Why?

I failed the audition, so why am I here….

Does the system glitch even with possession…?

Thinking absurd thoughts, I unconsciously reached out to the floating letters.

“Huh?”

But a handsome man’s hand with prominent veins came into view.

Is this my hand?

Looking at each vein on the back of my hand, I was startled and jumped up.

Then, I began to grope my body.

I felt firm muscles on my upper body.

Is this a bicep…?

Besides, my field of vision was somehow higher than usual.

It wasn’t just that I had grown taller…

Looking down, my body was wrapped in red silk robes.

Moreover, it was a robe embroidered with dragons in glittering gold thread.

“This is, a dragon robe….”

I muttered in a daze, and as if mocking me, the letters changed their appearance at will.

[Reward: Casting]

“What nonsense are you spouting, constantly.”

Harsh words came out involuntarily.

I was startled once again by the deep, thick voice.

I raised my hand and stroked my neck.

I felt a protruding Adam’s apple in the center.

‘Oh, what do I do….’

I already failed, so how can I be cast?

Besides, even with the flats [apartment buildings], I became Shin Se-ra out of the blue, and getting hit by a car was absurd.

Now I’ve become a king?

Why a king, not Soon-im?

In a short moment, my head was about to overload.

The only thought dominating my mind right now was:

I have to live as a man until I escape this script.

I gulped.

I slowly lowered my gaze, which had been fixed on the letters.

Something felt… uncomfortable, strangely unsettling.

“W-What is this.”

I couldn’t lift the dragon robe, nor could I do anything about it.

Standing and looking down, stamping my feet, suddenly a voice came from behind.

“Your Majesty… ?”

“Ah, startled….”

Turning around, an old eunuch was staring at me with wide eyes.

If he’s an eunuch next to the king… what was it called.

“S-Sangseon, I think.”

What I thought inside came out of my mouth.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Did you have a nightmare?”

“Ah, no, it’s not that. M-My body.”

“Are you unwell, Your Majesty?”

Sangseon approached me, looking worried.

As I looked down at my lower body with a flustered face, Sangseon’s gaze also turned towards my lower body.

Then, silence flowed.

“It’s a relief that you are healthy.”

My mind went blank at Sangseon’s words, spoken with a smile.

“Why is this happening….”

Then, Sangseon bowed his head.

“Your Majesty.”

Unexpected words followed from Sangseon’s mouth.

“Are you trying to tease this old eunuch from the morning? I have never experienced such a thing in my life.”

My mind went blank once again at those words.

“I-I was wrong.”

* * *

“A courtesy visit.”

In front of the Queen Dowager’s residence, accompanied by Sangseon and the court ladies, I fidgeted anxiously.

“Your Majesty, are you unwell? From this morning….”

“No, I’m not.”

I swallowed hard.

Not only did I become a man after entering the script, but I also had to meet the Queen Dowager right away.

It was troubling.

The Queen Dowager was the ultimate figure standing in opposition to the king and Soon-im.

A powerful figure who virtually controlled the throne by ruling as regent behind the young king.

“Please come inside.”

With Sangseon’s words, I headed inside the Queen Dowager’s residence.

After walking for a while, a woman was waiting in front, with the door wide open.

“Have you come, Your Majesty?”

I stared at the face of my stepmother, the Queen Dowager, for a moment.

Her handsome middle-aged face had a gentleness unlike what I had imagined.

Oh, how should I greet her?

I gathered my hands politely.

“Did you have a peaceful night?”

The Queen Dowager’s eyes curved slightly.

“Yes. It’s a bit chilly in the mornings and evenings. I will tell the court ladies to take extra care in preserving Your Majesty’s health.”

Hmm….

It’s too different from what I thought.

Based on reading the script alone, I thought she would be rampant with uncontrollable greed.

The Queen Dowager I see before me is maintaining her composure.

Hiding an unfathomable coolness beneath her smiling eyes.

I don’t know well, but.

She’s definitely not an ordinary person.

Feeling somehow intimidated, I forced a smile on my face.

* * *

The morning, after a storm had passed, was fleeting.

After that, I spent the whole day being dragged around by Sangseon in a daze.

Debating with officials, learning academics, holding court meetings, reading books, reading petitions, preparing for envoys from other countries or hunting competitions, learning swordsmanship….

All of this happened in a single day.

I entered the script this morning.

“K-Kill, kill me.”

“It is too much to ask, Your Majesty. Please put down your spoon.”

The court lady who was serving refreshments answered without being surprised.

It was already my fifth meal.

Even if I didn’t want to eat, I couldn’t endure it without replenishing my sugar levels.

Now I understood a little why the kings of Joseon ate more than five meals a day.

The numerous tasks quickly passed before they could even register in my mind.

The only thing that was properly imprinted in my mind was:

The appearance of the Queen Dowager when I paid my respects.

Blankly chewing on rice cake, I suddenly looked at the court ladies in front of me.

The neat partings of the court ladies’ hair, as they bowed their heads towards me, were beautiful.

It’s really amazing.

That this isn’t a dream.

I stealthily picked up a spoon.

My face was faintly reflected in the spoon.

“Hmm, we don’t look alike….”

I was referring to Lee Seok-hyun.

It was hard to find any similarities between me, who had the face of the king in the script, and Lee Seok-hyun.

Except for one thing, the gentle, kind eyes.

Is this considered handsome in Joseon [historical Korea] ?

I put the spoon down again and sighed deeply.

I recalled the officials and Confucian scholars I had met all day, as well as the Queen Dowager.

In this unfamiliar situation, there was only one thing I could do.

Pretend to be the king and take note of anything that could help with my acting.

In fact, being trapped in the script again and becoming the king was embarrassing, but…

Thinking differently, this was an opportunity given by God.

What actor could actually come to Joseon and practice acting?

Whether it was the court ladies, the Confucian scholars, or the elderly officials, I carefully observed everything, determined to remember every gesture, etiquette, and way of speaking.

Suddenly, Teacher Yoon Young-jae’s face came to mind.

If I get out of here, Teacher would be surprised to see my acting, right?

Hehe.

Finally, my reason clouded, and I couldn’t assess the situation, and a foolish smile escaped my lips.

The court lady who was handing me a bowl of sujeonggwa [Korean traditional cinnamon punch] paused, startled by my laughter.

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

I lowered my voice again and pretended to be the king.

Wow, after about a week, acting as the king would be a piece of cake, right?

While thinking all sorts of things inside, I smiled contentedly to myself…

That smile was cut short as soon as the snack table was cleared.

Sangseon, who was outside, came in with hurried steps and said,

“Your Majesty, there are more officials outside now….”

“Huh?”

“It would be best to prepare yourself mentally today.”

Sangseon’s voice trembled.

“What do you mean…”

Before I could finish speaking, a resounding voice that echoed throughout the palace was heard from outside.

“Please reconsider, Your Majesty!”

Following the voice at the front, a chorus of voices, seemingly from dozens of people, continued.

“Please-reconsider-!”

The sound of footsteps of the bodyguards, who were standing in various parts of the palace, hurriedly moving outside was heard.

“W-What is going on?”

Sangseon calmly replied.

“Previously, Your Majesty expressed your intention to end the regency, and many officials submitted petitions expressing their concerns about it, but…”

Ah… is that what it is?

“But they think that Your Majesty has not yet given a clear answer, so perhaps they are doing this now….”

I stood up before Sangseon could finish speaking.

Hmm, is this such a big deal?

Still not grasping the situation, I strode outside.

Pushing aside the hands of the court ladies who were trying to stop me, I flung the door open.

Then, a spectacle unfolded.

Dozens, no, at least over a hundred officials were kneeling in front of the palace.

When the door opened, they shouted even louder, as if for me to hear.

“Please-reconsider-!”

Seeing them all prostrate suddenly, I felt psychological pressure.

Wow, if I were a real king, I would be really stressed, right?

They’re openly protesting against me….

Besides, they’re doing this just because I said I would stop the regency?

Then, suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

‘Wait, what episode is this?’

There was nothing like this in the early part of the script I read….

The afterimage of the golden letters I saw on the first day of possession flickered before my eyes.

Complete the sequence.

Now I realized.

There was a serious problem with that mission.

I didn’t even know where the content of the point I had fallen into was, and I had only seen up to the 6th episode of the script.

Lost in thought, I slowly descended the stairs.

I approached an official who was sitting at the front with his white hair disheveled.

The official continued to speak with his head on the ground, hearing the sound of my footsteps.

“Please reconsider….”

I knelt down on one knee in front of him and leaned forward.

“Listen here. What are you telling me to reconsider?”

Then, I felt the dozens of people in the area turn pale with embarrassment.