Chapter 2

“….Wow.”

…..He was actually the Duke of the North.

She had been told that her intuition was sharp, but she did not know it would be this accurate. Seolina looked at the face of the Northern Duke, Kalcion, again while admiring her own senses.

It turns out that she has entered the Kingdom of a cold Duke. Even his name, Kalcion, had a killing intent itself.

“Ah….yes. Nice to meet you. I am Seol…No, Selena.”

Instead of her real name, she used a foreign name. She thought her real name would stand out too much and that they may have difficulty in pronouncing it.

[T/N: FL’s name was Seolina. But we are going to use ‘Selena’ from now on.]

“Selena.”

Fortunately, Kalcion did not have any difficulty in pronouncing it. Also, there was no particular reaction when he heard my name, which is why I didn’t know if it was a strange name or not.

“Yes. Nice to meet you.”

She wondered if she should be polite to him as he was a duke, but she did not know what this world’s etiquette was like, and most of all, she was not his subordinate. She smiled and stretched out her hand as if she was dealing with someone she met for the first time.

“What is this for?”

Kalcion looked down at Selena’s hand in a crooked way.

“This is a form of greeting.”

‘Do I have to explain this?’Selena shook her head in dismay.

‘Nevermind.’

As she was about to withdraw her hand, Kalcion grasped it. His hand was big and rough enough to make her heart dangle.

“Now we have to shake our…..”

‘Wait.’

But Kalcion’s shapely lips were already touching Selena’s hand.

“……”

She was so surprised that she could not say anything. Her mouth became stiff.

This should not have been surprising to her as this act was quite common in the world she used to live. It was occasional for her as she had to greet foreigners at an award ceremony or at a similar event.

However, it was surprising when a person like the Northern Duke, who seemed to be good only at cutting things, did this naturally.

The greeting was short and concise.’Just a formality, if you tell me.’Kalcion raised his head and smiled curiously.

“It seems that you are a commoner, but what you showed was a noble spirit.”

The clothes Selena was wearing now were the same clothes she wore on set. The role she was playing was a tragic heroine who collapsed in poverty.

Again, it looked even shabbier as she tried to roll on the dusty path to save herself from the monster.

“There was no distinction between nobles and commoners in the place where I lived. We are all equal.”

“…..I see.”

Kalcion seemed disappointed and lost for words.

“By any chance, did you want me to be an aristocrat?”

“That way, you will be more useful to me.”

‘Useful?’

Somehow, an ominous foreboding flashed through her. She was going to find out the reason why she was rescued.

“Am I useless if I am not an aristocrat?”

“It’s up to you, but in my opinion, you will be less useful.”

“What happens if I am useless?”

This question deepened Kalcion’s smile, but she felt goosebumps. Suddenly, she felt an instinctive fear towards his smile. She did not have a chance of appreciating it.

“If you want to go down the mountain alive, you will have to be useful. If not, you can go by yourself.”

This was a deep mountain where monsters lived. She could understand this was a danger zone where people could not know when, where, and how they would die if Kalcion isn’t present. Selena did not have any other choice.

“Ah, yes, I am really useful! I was very useful in the world where I came from. I’m sure I can maintain my dignity here too.”

Selena rushed to promote herself. It was like the moment when she had to do her best to appeal to the public.

“Hmm……”

However, Kalcion seemed unconvinced. Her charm might not be useful in this world. If he left her like this, she would not be able to survive alone in this monstrous place.

‘That’s it. They will have no problem throwing away another foreign being anyway.’

Moreover, his cold words and actions towards her confirmed that he did not care if she died.’

When he was about to turn around, Selena pleaded.

“I would do anything you want! Just give me a few days!”

“Of course, you have to give me something if you want to live in my land.”

Hearing this, Selena’s face began to turn white. Was he asking her to devote herself to him completely?

“Well then, I will get another person and….”

“Cut the crap. I was asking if you can provide your knowledge or skills from your world for the development of the Renbirds.”

‘…….huh?’

It was surprisingly a common proposal. Fortunately, he must have been a capable Northern Duke, not a bloody killer-type Northern Duke.

Selena was quick to think. She thought that the latest technology would work better than art and weaponry.

“I have a wireless communication device called a mobile phone…….”

Since she was filming, she did not have anything else other than her cellphone, which was in her pocket.

“Can you reproduce this technology?”

“…..No.”

Selena did not know anything about engineering, neither was she from a large corporation. Kalcion quickly denied.

“Then quit.”

‘Oh no. I’m screwed.’

In fiction, people could cheat on their own partners through their mobile phones, but here, her opponent was the Northern Duke.

She could not give up now of all times when she just slipped into an unknown world. Selena changed her course and proposed frankly.

“I still….may be able to contribute to the development of your culture and art.”

Culture was mostly treated better than anything else. Will it work in a fantasy world where you can beat monsters with a sword? She was puzzled.

“Culture and art? What are you good at?”

Unexpectedly, Kalcion reacted positively.

“I’m good at almost all things with my body.”

To become a world-class top actress, the combination of physical strength, muscularity, and talent was important. There was no skill that she did not learn. But, she could not tell what was expected in this strange world.

“You don’t need to do it with your body.”

‘I don’t think that’s good either.’In the end, Selena revealed her main job in a pensive manner.

“I am a good actress.”

“Acting? Hmm….”

Somehow, Kalcion was interested. For the first time, instead of a cold smile, Selena received a look of interest from him.

‘….Huh? Is that it?’

She never thought the Duke would be interested in acting. Good for her. It was an opportunity to increase the chances of her living.

“Yes. I was a famous actress in the world where I used to live. I was a proud actress who was among the best, combining both beauty and acting.”

“Hmm. Go ahead.”

“So whatever the role is…..pardon? What?”

Kalcion snapped his finger.

“Let me see your act.”

“Ah, a-ah, yes……he-here?”

“Why? Can’t you?”

‘Why did it sound like “Or do you want to die?” ?’

“I can do it.”

In the first place, she had no other choice but to do as he says. Kalcion folded his arms and stared at Selena with his serious and earnest eyes.

‘What the hell is going on…..’

Next to her was the dead corpse of the monster. Its sticky green blood is all over the place covered with snow.

There was nothing she could not do. She was shooting for a tearful romantic scene before.

“What act should I perform?”

“Anythi-….hmm, the role of a wicked woman?”

“A wicked woman?”

She expected a further explanation, but the Duke kept quiet. Only his eyes threatened her to choose between ‘acting’ or ‘dying here’.

“…..Do it as you feel like.”

Selena breathed calmly, without panicking.

In entertainment programs, a situational play was given to test the actors. Even the top actors from all over the world were not an exception. Selena took a deep breath and started.

“Hey.”

Her desperate expression, which she had just built, disappeared in an instant. With his mouth and his eyes wide open, Kalcion turned his head sharply.

“…..What?”

It seemed as if Kalcion had been smacked across his face for the first time in his life.

The Northern Duke, who cut the monster with a single strike, had that look on his face. It makes it seem like a sword stabbed his neck. Her heart shrank to the point of being as small as a walnut.

Fortunately, her heart was not visible. Selena’s face was as charming as an actress. If her skin was removed from her face, her skull would be as big as a tangerine. Anyway, this reaction of his indicated that she was half successful.

“Who are you to order me around? You will let me live? That’s it? Is acting that easy? Even if you are the Northern Duke, I will not listen to a single word you say.”

Something pricked her stomach. The question was whether Kalcion would accept it with a smile…..

“Uh, ah… that was all I could perform.”

Fortunately, he was not disappointed. Now that her heart regained its original size, her mouth wasn’t as stiff as it was earlier.

“But, don’t just come to any conclusion. I promise I can do better next time. You can also ask other nobles if you still…”

“Okay, you pass.”

Unlike the monster, who came running towards them, Kalcion walked leisurely towards it.

The beast was not far from where they stood. When Kalcion swung his sword at the spot where the beast was, it gradually turned into a lump of meat.

‘Ah….’

Suddenly, Selena felt dizzy at the sight of the blood dripping on the floor from the monster’s wound.

No matter how many monsters or how much blood she had seen while filming, it was completely different from reality. The monster alone was unbelievably scary, but it seemed like Kalcion was just playing with it.

Her mind could not accept any more levels of this horridness. Selena’s consciousness gradually faded.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep