As Josette puts the finishing touches on Roseline’s attire for the day, the lady had to hold back her laughter when she saw how clear the worry lines were on Josette’s face. Though Josette wasn’t that much older to Roseline, her worry for the lady wasn’t any different than that of an older sister looking out for her younger sibling. If only Roseline had realized back then how much Josette seemed to care for her then maybe she could have avoided herself from going up to be such a bratty child.

Roseline twirled around in the dress she currently wore, grinning at the simplistic design. There was nothing wrong with the old Roseline’s outfits as her dresses were always elegant and flattering for a duke’s daughter but the ‘Daeyeon’ part of her preferred a slightly different take on her style seeing as how she was going out undercover with Aeson for today.

As you may have guessed by now, the day had finally came where both Roseline and Aeson had agreed to visit the Holy Church in town together. 

At the moment, she was putting on the finishing touches of her outfit while Josette continued to stare at her lady with a doubtful expression across her face. Perhaps she was startled when Roseline had insisted that she dressed herself as well as doing her makeup and picking out her accessories. Oh, no matter how much Josette reminded herself to be ready for Roseline’s unexpected changes, the lady certainly shocked the maid even more day by day.

“Are you sure this dress is suitable for you, Milady?” Josette reached out to smoothen the crease on Roseline’s arm, still sceptical over her choice of clothing. “I could bring out something from the latest-”

Roseline shakes her head as she fixes the hair clip threatening to slide down, “This is more than enough, Josette.” She turns around and puts a hand on Josette’s shoulder, she could see as clear as day how Josette seemed to worry over her. She understood where the maid’s worry rooted from but as much as she appreciated Josette’s worry, Roseline couldn’t let this chance slip out of her hands to see the inside of the Holy Church. Plus, being able to step outside of the academy after having her soul transmigrated to this universe would also be a sight to see.

“Josette, I’ll be fine,” Roseline tries to reassure her maid despite knowing where her concern was coming from. This would be the first time Roseline was to venture somewhere without having a maid or guard tagging along. Still, Roseline held confidence that no harm would come to her as she wasn’t going anywhere suspicious – it was only the church and even the churches were guarded so even if something were to happen, there wasn’t a need for such fuss.

Despite Roseline’s best intentions to smooth out her maid’s nerves, not an ounce of worry decreased. How could Josette even think of relaxing when she was basically going against the orders of the masters she served? And if Roseline were to get hurt due to her own miscalculations… she couldn’t even bear to imagine the sort of emotional toll it would take on not just herself but for the lady’s brothers as well.

However, seeing how joyful and excited the lady was for today, Josette couldn’t possibly revoke her decision now that the big day had finally come after Roseline had been patiently waiting for her first trip out to the city. So, the maid smiles and masks away her worries, telling herself to remain positive and pray for her lady’s safe return as she fixes the hair clip again.

“...As you wish, Milady.”

It wasn’t as if he wanted to stand out like a sore thumb in his all-white outfit but at least he was making an effort to remain hidden from anyone that would be walking past him. Aeson leaned against the wall, looking around once in a while to see if anyone was around. Despite it being quite early in the morning, one could never be too careful - especially if it involved someone with a high status as Lady Roseline.

As he closed his eyes for a moment, wondering if everything was going to go smoothly today, a tap on his shoulder brought him out of his head and back into reality.

Roseline didn’t have much problem finding him since Aeson was easy to spot due to his blonde hair underneath the sunlight and how his white uniform stood out. When he turns around with his bright smile, Roseline feel more at ease – this must be the power of Healers.

“Apologies for running late,” she ran the back of her hand across her forehead, wiping away the bead of sweat.

From head to toe, Roseline looked like a completely different person and Aeson had to give credit when it was due - she looked absolutely unrecognizable.

Her usually long brown hair that would be perfectly tied into a half-up ponytail with braids was now black, straighter and significantly shorter, just stopping below her ears. She wore round glasses that made her eyes look softer and her makeup was light as well but it seemed to give a refreshing twist on her beauty compared to how she usually had her makeup done. He even noted the difference in clothing - from the colour to the simplistic style that he had never seen her take upon.

Gripping onto the strap of her bag, he noticed how she had noticed his moment of staring. His eyes looked away, blush creeping up his cheeks before he said, “I didn’t mean to stare for so long. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“Well, staring is rather rude,” she points out his behaviour, “However, it’s a given since it’s my first time looking so… different. I must look odd-”

“You look adorable, Roseline,” Aeson cuts her off, patting her head, “Blue is a wonderful colour on you but the pink brings out the softer and cuter side.”

Seriously, this was why Roseline was reminded of her older brothers whenever she was around Aeson. He shared similar personality traits that on a few occasions, Roseline had to catch herself from calling him ‘brother’ in the open. His sweet and caring nature resembled Damien yet his easygoing and carefreeness mirrored Cedric but overall, Roseline had grown to look up to him as another older brother. This only made her miss her real brothers from time to time but seeing Aeson would often heal the longing she had for her siblings.

Outstretching his hand, Roseline used it as support as she made her way inside the carriage before Aeson followed suit. As she’s getting in, Roseline notices the crest that was on the sides of the carriage. Though she can’t recall ever seeing the crests in the gameplay, in Roseline’s memories - the crests had an air of familiarity around it but the lady couldn’t seem to put a reasoning behind the feeling. Deciding that perhaps young Roseline saw it a couple of times but never took the time to learn the family behind the symbol, Roseline shrugs the feeling off as Aeson closes the door behind them - signalling for the driver to start their journey.

For a while, the ride was quiet. Roseline was deep in thought about how her attire would be enough to dim down the chances of her getting recognized if she were to bump into anyone she knew during her visit. Josette had managed to work her magic and attained a good quality wig despite the short notice and it looked so natural that Roseline nearly surprised herself when she saw her reflection in the mirror.

With her hairstyle, makeup and outfit, Roseline was reminded of the life she used to live as Daeyeon. The wig that she wore was a perfect copy of her old hairstyle, the one where she went to the hair salon with Minrae after Minrae’s boyfriend dumped her. The simple makeup style that was usual for Korean high schoolers and the soft pink aesthetic that Daeyeon favoured - everything about her today just reminded her one too much about the life she used to live.

However, before she could dwell on the matter any further, Aeson’s voice breaks her train of thought from getting too deep.

“If I may, Roseline,” he dangled a pendant in front of her, one that resembled the crest on the carriage they were currently riding. As she gives her permission, Aeson moves to sit beside her as he puts the accessory around her neck.

“If you happen to run into any sort of trouble, don’t hesitate to show this pendant,” he advises her, his tone having an ounce of seriousness laced in. “It would be enough to get anyone meddlesome out of the way without them having to question you so much.”

The silver accessory reminded her of her own family heirloom that she showed off all too often. It felt weird when she reached up to touch the hair accessory only to remind herself that she had left without it. She runs her fingers over the pendant, admiring the craftsmanship before she gleams at Aeson.

“I’ll be sure to take good care of it,” she promises with a determined face which only made the man chuckled at how cute she seemed.

And just like that, Roseline’s previous thoughts that clouded her mind was gone and she refocused herself on her current trip. She’s thankful that Aeson managed to bring her out from her mind even if he was unaware of her gratefulness.

Roseline tries to remember if she’s ever visited the Holy Church before or any of its smaller churches scattered around the kingdom. However, the only time that she can recall ever visiting the church was once years and years ago and for some reason, even that memory is hazy. The only thing she’s certain of is that she had indeed visited a church before but with who and why, she can’t recall. However, she crosses out the haziness as due to childhood memory just as Aeson pulls back the curtains.

“Ah, we’re almost there. We’re passing by the busy stores so we have to be careful since there’s always a lot of people here.”

With a hint of curiosity, Roseline does the same. It was her first time stepping outside the academy by herself and for some reason, the large number of people going about their daily lives seemed to be of interest to her. She could see clothing stores, markets, food stalls which made water seeing the food. Her past-life self was a huge food fan and thanks to her awakening, Roseline seemed to bring that habit back. Though she was thankful that she was able to eat such exquisite food on the daily, there was something about the food coming from those small stalls that caught her attention.

From the rows and rows of shops that seemed to have no end to the street stalls that sold a variety of foods that was enough to make water, Roseline’s focus was dead set on the atmosphere before her. She observed the people on the streets, going about their usual daily routine. From a small child buying popcorn before they rushed back to share with their friends to the lady bargaining the prices of the vegetables with the seller, everything looked normal - as if it was just a regular town where magic didn’t exist, where Roseline could have been a simple commoner or where Daeyeon could have lived without having to worry about her newfound life as a noble lady.

Of course, this doesn’t go unnoticed by Aeson who was biting his finger to prevent himself from laughing out loud at how adorable Roseline was as she didn’t even try to hide her fascination. She looked like a small child looking into a candy store and perhaps that adorable side of hers was what made her seem approachable despite her status. The stories he’s heard from her brothers made him aware of how rare it was for Roseline to leave the Beaumont resident unless she had business such as meeting for tea with the royal soon-to-be-in-laws and her fiance or attending tea parties held by other noble families.

To see her being so interested in what was considered to be a regular sight made him feel somewhat sad for the youngest child. She had grown up sheltered, o