Resetting Lady

02. Der Freischütz  「 The marksman with magic bullets 」

“Y-You cannot.”

The coachman was astonished.

“Since when have you become my master?”

“If Milord—your father—or Lord Dullan comes to know this, it is only I who will die, Milady…”

That’s none of her business. Carynne leaned down slightly.

In fact, Carynne didn’t want to cause a commotion either. This was all hard labor for her—the novel’s events, what needed to happen.

Carynne had to go to the town. There were many reasons for 「 Carynne 」 to go out. The circus had come to visit, there was a famous musical band, and there were also merchants who’d come to sell peculiar items.

「 Carynne 」 was to coax the family’s coachman into bringing her there because she wanted to go to the village alone and take a look. Because the Evans Guild was here, carriages had been frequently coming and going these days, so it wouldn’t be obvious if she planned her outing now.

Her father and fiancé were both busy, and Isella didn’t want to deal with her, saying that she was in a bad mood. At this time while the servants were busy, 「 Carynne 」 had no intention of hanging around here.

Carynne actually just wanted to laze around, but as the female protagonist, she had work to do. The situation later would become easier this way. So, Carynne was playing the role of a young lady who couldn’t stand being bored and would eventually slip away from home for a moment.

Her hair was deftly braided, and she was wearing an old but neat dress with flower print on it. She also had a cloak over her, which was made of rough fabric. She didn’t look excessively shabby, but at the same time, these weren’t the clothes that a young lady of the upper class would wear.

As she got older, she really didn’t like old things either. Pushing down her complaints, while wearing these clothes that didn’t suit her tastes, Carynne said she’d go downtown without a companion.

Of course, the coachman made a face that looked as though something dirty had been pushed into his mouth. When she said she’d go out secretly, it was amusing for her to play around with the servants. But considering that the road was rugged and the slope was so severe, it really was an impossible task to truly sneak out.

While on an adventure out into the forest, she recalled the memory of a wild boar that had a hole in its guts, and she harassed the coachman. Anyway, these days, don’t you have to keep going back and forth because there’s so much work?

She tried to convince him by saying that she would just use a carriage from the town for her trip back home, but it was no use. With two stomps of her heel on the ground, Carynne threatened the coachman.

“From whom do you get your salary?”

“From Milord. Not from you, Milady.”

Now, she moved one hand. The corners of Carynne’s lips tugged up as she reached out.

“How about this?”

What she was holding out was money. The coachman’s eyes widened for a moment, but then his eyes closed again. He wanted to take it, but he seemed to think that the risk was still high.

“I could get fired…”

Trailing off like that meant that he’d accept the offer as long as more money was to be given, but Carynne ignored this signal because she really wanted to go out and spend the money herself.

“Eyy, what’s the chance of that happening?”

“But if Milady goes out alone and something happens, I’ll definitely get fired.”

How long has she been an adult? Seeing the coachman shake his head, with her eyebrows furrowed, Carynne frowned and stomped her heel again. I want to play outside! Her body’s actions clearly conveyed that she was whining.

Shaking his head again as though he was tired of it, the coachman spoke.

“But what if I come back quietly without causing any trouble? I just want a change of pace, and with this you can also earn extra income. Honestly, here… it’s the countryside. When will this opportunity come again?”

“Even if it’s a village, it’s a place where Milady has beautifully grown up, so there are many things that can’t be done.”

“What, like a woman going to a pub?”

“No, it’s not… It’s not necessarily like that, but…”

“And even though it’s the countryside, everyone’s been mentioning interesting things lately, so I want to see.”

“Then please go with Lord Dullan.”

“I don’t wanna!”

Seeing Carynne reject the suggestion so fervently, the coachman clicked his tongue.

“It’s dangerous for a woman to be alone. So… um, if Milady would really like to go, please go with your servants.”

“Everyone’s too busy.”

The coachman and Carynne had a brief stare-down. One gaze said, And you’re going to leave even while knowing this! but while shamelessly raising a chin, the other gaze said, That’s exactly why I’m secretly going out!

“It’s just, everyone’s so busy, well… It’s not that it’s wrong to rest sometimes. Um, if it’s Milady’s personal maid, she won’t have to be in charge of cleaning the manor or cooking in the kitchen, so even if that maid goes out for a bit with Milady…”

Aha.

She’d gone through this dialogue dozens of times before, but it felt like something was off. Something’s nagging her—ah, right. The usual dialogue should have continued like this.

But she wasn’t here right now. Carynne held a hand over her trembling heart. How should she continue? What’s her next card? It’s a gamble. Which way should she go.

“You… like Donna, right?”

“Pardon?”

The coachman was visibly flustered. His skin was reddening.

“T-That’s not it! No, but, why, so suddenly…”

“So you don’t like her?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Oh my, oh my. Your face is bright red. This boy.”

“…I’m ten years older than Milady.”

“And you’re also ten years older than Donna!”

At the boiling face, Carynne smirked. The coachman’s expression came undone. No one would be strong enough to go against someone who's both their superior and a beauty. The atmosphere quickly softened.

“Sorry, sorry. I’m not teasing you. Everyone’s just so busy these days.”

“……”

“So I’m going to give those kids some gifts. I heard a lot of new things are being sold nowadays, so I want to take a look around.”

“…Milady really cannot go alone.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll go get Donna. She can just go play with me.”

“Even so, you’re both women, so you still can’t.”

“Fine, I got it already.”

She raised her hands in surrender.

“I’ll also go out with a male servant. It’s really hard to live as a woman.”

She left behind the red-faced coachman. While avoiding the eyes of the senior maids, Carynne went to call out Donna, who was dozing off in one corner of the maid’s quarters.

Moderate dialogue, ordinary humor, the usual whining, a simple end.

Helen, the housekeeper, sent out Donna with Carynne with a sigh. ‘I have a lot of work to do, but you’re going out to play!’ Meanwhile, Bowen checked the time while wearing his hat, emphasizing that they should return before dinnertime.

“Hurry up!”

With an excited voice, Carynne called the maid and the attendant and headed towards the carriage.

It was the nth time that she was going on this outing, and the refreshing wind brushed against her hair. The air was clean and fresh. She was helped into the carriage, and she saw Donna running with an excited face. Bowen was walking at a slower pace behind her, looking more dignified.

Along with the girl’s smile, her bright voice came close to the carriage. When she heard this, Carynne made the effort to raise the corners of her lips. Change is fun. She smiled.

After some effort, she could barely maintain a smile before Donna had gotten onto the carriage. She made a fuss as she sat down and looked out the window, saying that she was looking forward to the trip.

Carynne also looked out the window, likewise muttering that she was excited as well.

The story had changed. This was something she could be happy about. On this trip, she had always gone out with Nancy. How different would the dialogue be just by changing the maid accompanying her? There would be new lines. Maybe she could go to a new place. Even the ocean which she yearned to see.

This trip was important. The 「 inciting incident 」 and the 「 first meeting 」 would take place during this outing. After that, the event of the coachman being scolded and fired was very trivial.

What’s the name of the coachman again? Carynne didn’t bother to think further, she couldn’t remember the name anyway. After this brief dialogue, he was a character who wouldn’t appear in the story anymore.

But she knew one thing.

Carynne closed her eyes. And after one count, she let out a long exhale.

The coachman originally blushed while looking at Nancy.

Always. For more than one hundred years.

t/n:

This arc's title (마탄의 사수) can be translated to 「The marksman with magic bullets」 but it also refers to 「Der Freischütz」, a German opera by Carl Maria von Weber that follows the tale of a young hunter named Max.

You may read more about it here: https://www.opera-online.com/en/items/works/der-freischutz-kind-von-weber-1821

Watch an adaptation of the opera here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtWFAo3eX8E

BUT! Resetting Lady mirrors this opera quite a bit, so don't watch the opera or read a summary of it if you don't want to be semi-spoiled haha

Here's the overture if you just want to listen to a little of it to get into the mood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_o-hIEia5I

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