Chapter 1
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The Male and Female Leads Broke Up - Episode 1
"Miss Belita, the carriage is ready."
"Understood. I'll be right out."
At Mary's words, I rose from the sofa and left my room.
After crossing the expansive corridor and descending the staircase, I continued mentally organizing my tasks for the day until I reached the carriage waiting in front of the Manor.
Today was an exceptionally important day for me.
Because I absolutely could not afford to make a mistake, I steeled my resolve once more.
* * *
It had already been six months since I arrived here—or more precisely, since I possessed the body of a noblewoman named Belita.
Who could have known?
That I would be the one to die in a traffic accident and find myself transported into a novel.
The confusion, disorientation, anxiety, and worry I felt at first—all of it—had faded to the point where I had adapted remarkably well to this place.
Yet if there had been a way to return, I would have left long ago.
But what if my original self truly was dead?
What would become of me then?
Was there truly a place to return to?
Unable to find any solution, and as such terrifying thoughts spiraled endlessly, I eventually concluded that continuing to live here wasn't entirely unpleasant.
Though there was one condition: "If I could avoid death in this world."
The First Law of Possession in Novels.
Of course, no such law exists. I made it up myself.
In any case, what I consider the First Law of Possession in Novels is this: if the possessed person acts differently from the original, those around them become curious, thinking, "Huh? What's going on with them?"
No matter how I think about it, isn't that strange?
Is it truly possible for someone who had no appeal whatsoever to suddenly capture one's heart just because they changed overnight?
It might be possible, or it might not be, but this novel's world wasn't a suitable place to experiment with my damned curiosity.
Because Cain Maxius, the male protagonist of this novel, wasn't special or attractive enough to me to warrant such effort.
"Love and War Among Three Houses"
This romantic fantasy novel I had possessed into was a tale of entangled love unfolding between members of three Duchies, each possessing unique powers.
The reason I could immediately recall the novel's title after possession was precisely because of the power settings each house possessed.
Among them, the Heitz Duchy, the house of Belita into whom I had possessed, had prospered for generations through the power of fire, while the Maxius Duchy, the house of the male protagonist Cain, wielded the power of water, and the Byon Duchy, the house of the female protagonist Adela, had grown through the power of iron.
On the surface, the Imperial Palace appeared to reign supreme over the three Ducal houses, but that was not the reality.
In truth, the three Duchies possessed greater power than the Imperial Palace, thanks to their unique abilities.
To defend the Continent and Empire against the monsters that periodically invaded from all corners, their power was absolutely essential.
Among them, the Byon Duchy, the house of iron, possessed the most crucial power in this era of frequent warfare.
The creation of powerful weapons.
By harnessing the power of iron, they manufactured vast quantities of weapons and armor, earning the absolute trust of the Empire's citizens and the Imperial Palace.
For this reason, the Heitz Duchy and the Maxius Duchy formed an alliance to counterbalance the Byon Duchy, the Iron House.
And they knew well that the most effective way to solidify such an alliance was through blood ties.
Fortunately, both families had children born around the same time, and by a stroke of fate, the Heitz Duchy bore a daughter while the Maxius Duchy bore a son.
Thus, the two were betrothed from childhood, with their marriage scheduled to take place after Belita and Cain Maxius came of age.
In the original work, little is told of their childhood together.
It merely passes over the matter briefly, stating that Belita fell for Cain at first sight and followed him around devotedly from a young age.
In contrast, the narrative relentlessly emphasized that Cain found Belita bothersome and showed her no interest whatsoever.
It seemed he did this to justify his attraction to Adela.
A man who had given his heart to no one, locked away in his own world, happened to see a beautiful woman at a banquet held in the Imperial Palace, and fell in love with her completely—a perfect, flawless love story.
However, Belita was not the type of person to quietly step aside and support the love between the two.
After learning of Cain and Adela's relationship, she tried every method to harm Adela.
Yet whenever Adela found herself in danger, whether by the protagonist's blessing or sheer coincidence, Cain appeared and rescued her, and each time their love grew only stronger.
Eventually, in the end, Aiden Byon, Adela's younger brother, eliminated the villain Belita, and the novel concluded—
'It's so unfair. I'm dying from how unfair this is!'
My life, monotonous as a hamster wheel though it was, had at least been livable, but to have it end in a single traffic accident was unjust enough. And then to inexplicably possess a character in a novel, only to be placed on the brink of death again—
But as I said before, I had absolutely no reason to win his heart by pretending to reform.
And above all, I didn't want to alter the novel's trajectory and exert great influence on this world.
The story from the book I know is only valid when it 'unfolds according to the original.'
I already know the ending from the book, almost like a prophecy, so if the future becomes twisted, wouldn't I be the only one to lose?
Fortunately, Belita's memories remained intact, so all her words, actions, and thoughts were transmitted to me exactly as they were.
I used that to my advantage, maintaining 'Belita's' behavior to be broken off by Cain according to the original work.
If I simply accepted the annulment, I could avoid interfering further in those two's lives.
However, since I mustn't die, I resolved never to torment Adela.
Of course, Belita quietly accepting the annulment and not tormenting the heroine was essentially destroying the original work, but I couldn't simply stand by knowing I would die otherwise.
So I began to rationally judge what I needed to do to avoid dying again, and this is how I arrived at my current situation.
* * *
As I climbed into the carriage, the coachman's booming voice rang out, and we lurched forward at a brisk pace.
"Miss, what is that bottle you're holding?"
Mary, seated across from me, asked cautiously.
"This?"
I held up the tiny vial—no larger than two finger joints—and smiled with satisfaction.
"What do you think it is?"
"That red liquid... it looks just like blood."
Mary's expression was one of bewilderment even as she spoke.
"Exactly."
"Pardon?"
"It is blood."
At my words, Mary's face drained of color in an instant.
"W-why would you... no, w-whose blood is it?"
Her shock caused her words to stumble.
"Mine, of course."
"Miss...?"
"If you hide a bottle of blood like this under someone's bed, that person will fall in love with the one whose blood it is."
In truth, this wasn't even my blood, and the claim was utterly absurd.
But this was indeed the method Belita had used in the novel to make the male lead fall in love with her.
Of course, it proved completely ineffective since the male lead ended up loving someone else anyway.
"B-but... if the Duke were to find out..."
"That's why it has to be done in secret."
I hummed cheerfully, playing the part of someone who genuinely believed in this charm.
And Mary watched me with eyes full of pity and dread all the way until the carriage arrived at the Duke's Manor.
The moment I arrived at the Maxius Duchy, I sought out Cain Maxius.
Fortunately, the butler informed me that guests had arrived and I would have to wait quite some time, so I delighted at the news and headed toward Cain's bedchamber.
"Miss, the Duke is extremely averse to anyone entering his private chambers."
But the butler hastily blocked my path.
"The Duke has specially permitted me this time. If you don't believe me, go ask him yourself."
I answered with confidence, and the butler's expression became one of helplessness.
"Ask him myself?"
"Then... I shall return at once."
The butler disappeared swiftly toward the study where Cain was.
The moment he was out of sight, I didn't wait for his return and quickly slipped through the door into the bedchamber.
I had never intended to wait in the first place, so I felt no pangs of conscience whatsoever.
Upon entering, the room was as austere and dull as its master—a man's chamber through and through.
To finish before the butler returned, I hastily withdrew the small vial I had hidden in my bosom.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org