Chapter 66
After waking up late in the morning, I showered with Ophelia's help, got dressed simply, and came out to the restaurant to have brunch around 10. Since I'm in England, I figured I had to have brunch!
Maybe because it was a luxury hotel, even the brunch looked fancy, but what was actually on top were just scrambled eggs and buttered toast. A berry fruit plate you could eat by hand and some orange juice were served simply.
“Nyang-nyang.”
“Is it to your liking?”
“Ah, yes! It's delicious.”
But it's tasty too? Is this really what British brunch is like? I kind of feel upper-class.
After finishing the meal, I went back to my room for a bit, let Ophelia fix my hair a little, bundled up warmly, and came back out. She said Ms. Eleanor would come if we waited in front of the hotel.
ㅡScreeeech....
“Oh? You were out early.”
“Good morning.”
“Hello! Good morning!”
ㅡBeep!
“Mm-hm, good morning. Shall we get in quickly?”
“Yes.”
As I got into the glossy black car, Ms. Eleanor rummaged around and took out two brown paper bags, handing one to me and one to Ophelia.
“Take this.”
“What's this??”
“It's brunch. I brought it in case you were hungry on an empty stomach. Or have you already eaten?”
“Ah... I did eat, though....”
The moment I took it, the paper bag felt warm and a little damp from the heat. Inside were avocado toast, a chicken sandwich, and a couple of pastries.
“That smells delicious....”
“Pfft.. It's fine to eat more. I'm going to wear something that won't show my belly.”
“R-really?”
The chicken sandwich smells insanely good. I'm not sure about the avocado toast, but it's... pretty okay? Edible. Actually, I was kind of craving meat, so this is perfect.
The pastry was tasty too, with some kind of red jam spread on it.
“Ddaengdaeng, do you want some of this?”
ㅡBeep!!
“Then I'll give you just a little, okay? I have to eat too, you know??”
ㅡBeep....
“What, are you saying I'm stingy? You don't want even a single bite?”
ㅡBeep, beep-beep..!!
I tore off a little of the chicken from the chicken sandwich and shared some with Ddaengdaeng, who was sitting on top of my head, and since Ophelia said she didn't want the pastry, I ate all of that too. But it wasn't a huge amount, so it was fine.
“This is tea, but it's not hot, just warm, so when the car stops, open the lid and gulp it down.”
“Wow, what kind of tea is it?”
“Hibiscus~”
I couldn't really hear it properly, and since Ms. Eleanor had to get back to driving, I couldn't ask again.
[Insaeng-anmanghetda : Enjoying teatime in London
I << I'm a villainess]
-ㅇㅇ : What tea did you have
ㄴ Insaeng-anmanghetda : Hehe, circus? Or something like that
ㄴ ㅇㅇ : Ah... okay...
* * * * *
“Woooow....”
After about an hour's drive from Mayfair, where Claridge's is located, we arrived here in West London.
“How is it? Pretty, right?”
“Yes! It's pretty!!”
“Eve, take your time looking around the set. I'll talk with Ophelia for a bit.”
We arrived at a pretty, garden-like place called May Garden. The garden is huge and beautiful, but since it's winter there are only green patches of grass for now, while the dome-shaped greenhouse in the center is filled with flowers of every color, making it incredibly pretty.
The sloped lawn is also well kept, so if you frame it right, you can't tell whether it's winter or summer. Since the forecast said today was a rare sunny day, the original plan was to take a quick look around and get a feel for the shooting location.
They said we'd only be doing some practice, and if I do well, I might even be able to take first place today.
“Heehee.”
Huge filming equipment was already set up all over the place, and people who looked like veterans were gathered in small groups, setting up cameras and lights. Looks like they were already shooting?
Come to think of it, I was originally just supposed to come practice today, so it is a little strange that the entire filming team is here.
The people directly taking the photos and handling the equipment were a professional crew contracted out by Royal Mayfair, and the boss of the set? Apparently he was someone from Mayfair.
He'd even rolled up sheets of paper like a baton and was waving them around to give orders to people.
“Wow.. he looks really scary....”
Farther away, there was someone receiving the attention of the giant camera and lighting equipment all at once.
“Gasp..!!!”
Someone I even know.
“D-Ddaengdaeng... what was her name again.”
ㅡBeep..!
“Right..!”
Eloise Whitmore. One year older than me, and after just three months on the job she had hit 1.8 million Instagram followers—a Royal Mayfair ambassador, influencer, and kid model.
Seeing her in person, her arms and legs were much longer, and she didn't look like an 11-year-old at all. I'm supposed to look like that in another year? I don't think so.. She definitely has that Western, how should I put it, mature vibe.
“Heh.. looks like she isn't bothered by the cold.”
ㅡBeep..!
“She's definitely a tough opponent... can I beat her?”
ㅡShake-shake
“What? Get down here, you. Ddaengdaeng, go home.”
ㅡBeep-bweep..!!
With a completely expressionless face, she changed her poses here and there to match the set boss's cues, and when the boss demonstrated something, she copied it skillfully.
“Oh... so that's how you do it. Learn that well, Ddaengdaeng. You might become a model someday too.”
ㅡBeep..?
“Like a dog-clothes model, maybe...? Anyway.”
After watching Eloise Whitmore's photo shoot for a while, partially hidden by the bushes, break time seemed to come and the adults brought over a brazier with burning firewood inside along with a chair and placed it in front of Eloise.
The moment the camera turned off, her expression changed instantly too, and with the area between her eyebrows creased, she was shivering and layering on two or three more clothes because it was cold.
“What, so she was cold too. It wasn't that big a deal after all?”
ㅡBeep....
“You say that while wearing a long padded coat? Fine, sorry.”
I looked away for a moment while talking to Ddaengdaeng, then looked back at Eloise—and in an instant, our eyes met.
ㅡWhoosh..!
“W-what do I do, Ddaengdaeng..! We made eye contact..!”
ㅡBeep.. beep-beep..!
“You're going to transform into Fenrir now..?! She's that much of a formidable opponent?!”
The moment my eyes met those of my rival, Eloise Whitmore, I hid in the low shrub garden at incredible speed. But I think I got caught; I can hear a voice from behind....
“Hey, you there. Who are you?”
“Hiiik..!”
“Why are you so startled?”
It wasn't an adult's voice, but rather a slightly sharp villainess-like voice. It definitely sounds like the kind of voice that would laugh with a hohoho, cover her mouth with a fan, and order someone to kiss her shoe.
But I can't lose either. I stood up from my crouch and confronted Eloise head-on.
“H-hello...?”
“You should at least know who you're greeting, shouldn't you? You can't just wander into the set whenever you please.”
“Ah... well....”
At that moment, the set boss, who had been checking the photos on the camera, turned his gaze this way. Then he immediately got up and walked over here....
“Who's that girl?”
“Ah, Director. There's a kid here I've never seen before.”
After that, the other adults who had been checking the camera also rushed over and stood behind the set boss, the one called the director, staring at me, and just then Ms. Eleanor arrived after walking through the garden with Ophelia.
“Oh my, so you were here, Eve. Were you introducing yourself to everyone?”
“Ah, well... I got caught....”
“Hm? Got caught?”
Ms. Eleanor quickly looked around, then nodded as if she understood the situation.
“Aha, Director. This is that young lady, Eve, I mentioned before.”
“Ah...”
“Oh-ho....”
At Ms. Eleanor's introduction, everyone's expressions changed in an instant. They were staring at me intently, sizing me up like a scout checking battle power, but it didn't look like I'd be getting a very good evaluation....
“Eve, Ophelia, let me introduce you. This is Charles Montague, the creative director for this issue.”
The gray-haired old set boss called Charles Montague gave a slight nod, holding the flat cap on his head.
So the set boss is a creative director? Fine—let's battle it out in survival mode!!
“Nice to meet you.”
“A pleasure. Is your name Ophelia?”
“Yes. This is our young lady, Eve.”
“Mm.”
Grandpa Charles lowered his sunglasses a little, bent forward, and rubbed his bearded chin while staring straight at me. With a professional's air, he began measuring my combat power.
“H-hello!”
“Nice to meet you. You're Eve?”
“Ah, yes! I'm Eve!”
When you haven't done anything wrong, being bold is best. I answered Grandpa Charles's question loudly. Grandpa Charles looked at me, tilted his head slightly, and started saying something to the other lady beside him.
“Do you have that outfit?”
“It should be in the car.”
“Bring it here.”
“I'll have the kids bring it over.”
The command from Grandpa Charles was handed off to someone else one after another, like a Korean company subcontracting its subcontracting to yet another subcontract, and the man who looked like he had the lowest rank came running over in a hurry, arms full of a metal clothes rack and other things.
“Eve, right? Could you try on one outfit right now? If it's hard, you don't have to.”
“N-now..?”
I wasn't sure if it was okay to do this, so I looked at Ophelia beside me. Ophelia seemed to think for a moment, then nodded.
“If Your Highness finds it difficult, you may refuse. According to the contract, today's work was to observe the set and do some practice.”
“Th-then....”
I turned my head again and looked at Eloise Whitmore standing beside me. For some reason, seeing her looking at me made my competitive spirit flare up.
“Grr...! Yes! I can do it!”
* * * * *
“Oh...”
“Looks good, Director?”
“Hmm. You've got talent.”
Behind Eve's natural smile was a 1,500-Robux gift card.