MVH 108

-108-

“Not very… good?”

Wait, didn’t you just say it wasn’t bad? That it was better than expected? And now… “not very good”? That was your original idea!

Caught off guard by his unexpected answer, my mind froze. I stared at him in disbelief, and the man, who had been leaning slightly to the side, suddenly burst into laughter.

“You think it’s so strange that I said it wasn’t very good?”

“No, it’s just…”

“Did you expect me to agree immediately? You seemed hesitant at first, but I guess you were more confident than I thought.”

“…….”

“Or maybe you had some hidden confidence. You seemed almost certain I’d accept that method.”

“……!”

For a moment, his sharp red eyes met mine head-on. The pressure radiating from him was palpable. Even Lucius, standing nearby, flinched at the intensity as Rayel fixed his gaze on me.

‘This man…’

He was testing me. Judging my reaction to see what I would say. Trying to figure out if I knew about his actions before he had “reversed” time.

As I thought, my suspicion was correct. I was certain now—he had reversed time.

‘I didn’t expect to find out like this.’

The original male lead had reversed time. What kind of novel is this? A possession story, mistaken identity, and now time reversal. And if there’s reincarnation too… the author really crammed every cliché into this story.

It wasn’t really a problem that Rayel had reversed time. He hadn’t been possessed like me; this was his own action. If he had reversed time because the original story ended badly for him, he would surely act to prevent that outcome.

That meant there was no real conflict between us. In fact, it was likely we could end up working together. Somehow, he seemed to think I knew about the original story.

‘But why did he act like that? As if the real Tiana had come back?’

Even if there were similarities, he must have known I wasn’t the original Tiana. There were differences in behavior, even if our tastes and personalities were alike. I often acted according to my own impulses, despite keeping the original story in mind.

He must have noticed everything—tastes, personality, actions. So why did he think I was “Tiana”?

Even if he had reversed time, the Tiana he knew must have been the original one from the story’s side tale. That Tiana had hidden her true self, but it was revealed before her death that she had been a real villainess.

Rayel knew that true Tiana from the start. According to the side tale, she had subtly flirted with Rayel even before marrying Lucius, and it only got worse after their marriage.

‘Could he really be thinking that Tiana and I are the same person?’

But he had treated me far too kindly for that to be the case. When we first met, he even asked me cryptic questions to confirm that I was the “real Tiana.”

If I was being treated as the real Tiana because of similarities with the original, then what about the Tiana in the side tale he knew? That must have been her true self.

‘Wait… before I possessed her, there was another possessor, right? Could it be…’

Could the Tiana from the side tale have been another possessor? But that possessor had already left before I took over. The timing doesn’t match. So… was there yet another possessor?

‘There were actually two possessors who caused chaos? Oh dear…’

If that were true, then the Tiana who was thought to be a villainess might not have been one at all. She might have been an innocent supporting character harmed by the possessors.

So Tiana, along with Lucius, might have suffered due to the original story’s circumstances. The author really overdid it—Lucius in a mistaken identity scenario, Tiana affected by two chaotic possessors.

And I’m the third. No wonder I feel both sorry and sympathetic. I might be better than the first two possessors, but I was still taken over.

Now that I’m in control, there’s no turning back. Original Tiana, I’m sorry, but I’ll live your life well for both of us. I won’t cause chaos like the previous two, so don’t worry.

‘My head hurts from figuring out so many things at once.’

Nothing was confirmed yet, but the circumstances made it highly likely. Considering Rayel had reversed time, all of this could be possible. And I was living proof as the last possessor.

I took a deep breath to clear my spinning thoughts. My head felt hot, but exhaling sharply helped me regain composure.

Rayel, who had been watching me, suddenly spoke.

“Are you alright?”

“Huh?”

“You looked quite flustered.”

“Ah…”

Apparently, lowering my gaze and letting out a small sigh made him think I was embarrassed.

“Tiana, are you truly alright?”

Lucius, looking concerned, reached out and held my hand. Feeling the warmth of his hand, I returned the gesture.

“I’m fine. I was just lost in thought for a moment. Don’t worry, Lucius.”

“But you don’t look well.”

“Maybe my thoughts made my head hot. Really, I’m okay. You don’t need to worry.”

“……Alright. Tell me immediately if you start feeling worse.”

“I will.”

I smiled at his reluctant reply, and at last, his serious expression softened slightly. Seeing that his gaze didn’t leave me made me feel strangely satisfied. What a devoted husband.

While I was appreciating his actions, Rayel continued speaking.

“Apologies if I troubled you. What I said earlier was meant as a joke, so you needn’t take it seriously.”

“A joke?”

“Yes. I was just trying to lighten the mood. Seems it didn’t work. My mistake.”

“…Yes.”

A joke? A mistake? Really, male lead? You can’t fool me now. You tested me, and now you’re trying to backpedal? Not a chance.

I stared at him with complete distrust. Despite my lukewarm reaction, Rayel chuckled lightly, looking slightly troubled. He actually laughed?

“Even if it was a joke, I was genuinely surprised, thinking you truly disliked it. I should have considered things more carefully. Perhaps we should come up with another method?”

“No, I truly think it’s a good method…”

“But you corrected yourself immediately after saying it wasn’t good.”

“I said it was a joke…”

“If you truly liked it, you wouldn’t have joked about it being ‘not good.’ Even if you sincerely thought it was bad, that’s fine. My thoughts were simply too narrow.”

“……”

Originally, this was Rayel’s idea, not mine. So when he called it “not good,” he was merely acknowledging his own thought and phrasing it indirectly.

He stared at me silently, pursing his lips. I couldn’t stop myself from inwardly laughing at his furrowed brows and twitching eyebrows. Feels good to return the teasing he gave me. That’s how I relieve myself—return the favor.

Finally, Rayel sighed deeply, lowering his head.

“Alright. I’ll correct myself. Everything I said earlier is canceled. I said it just to see an entertaining reaction from you. I apologize if it upset you. Sorry for teasing.”

“Then, what is Your Majesty’s true opinion of my idea?”

“I think… it’s excellent. Truly admirable.”

“I knew you’d say that.”

I beamed at his response, and Rayel let out a light, resigned laugh. I guess it must have been frustrating to see me self-praise.

Still, I felt satisfied. I had won this round.

Feeling cheerful again, I smiled, and Rayel, standing straight now, continued.

“Thanks to the Duchess, I can make a special proposal to her. Your suggestion was helpful.”

“I was merely speaking my thoughts. It’s an honor that Your Majesty appreciates them.”

“I won’t forget this favor. I’ll repay you next time.”

“There’s no favor here between us. You don’t need to repay anything.”

Right. I had just conveyed Rayel’s own idea, word for word. No need for repayment. But he did tease me, and that I must reclaim.

“Once you’ve successfully proposed to Angelica, I’d be satisfied just to hear how it went.”