Episode 1
It was an unusually fresh spring afternoon.
I was carrying a basket of laundry, walking behind the inn.
“What a perfect day,” I said, shading my eyes with my hand.
The weather was just too good—warm sunlight, a light breeze, and a cloudless blue sky.
On a day like this, you should be out on a picnic, not stuck doing chores.
But then I looked at the overflowing laundry basket and sighed.
No chance.
Today was the inn’s monthly cleaning day.
Everyone was busy scrubbing floors and washing sheets, and I was no exception.
“Ugh, I don’t want to do this,” I grumbled.
Why did the weather have to be so nice today of all days?
Just as I tried to focus again—
“Sophie!”
Someone smacked me hard on the back.
Whack!
“Ow!” I turned around to see a familiar face.
“Jera?”
“I’ve been calling you forever! Didn’t you hear me?”
“Really?”
“Like, ten times!”
“Sorry, I was lost in thought.”
“You’ve been weird lately. Are you sure you’re fully recovered?”
“That was a month ago!”
“I honestly thought you were going to die back then.”
I avoided her worried gaze and adjusted the laundry basket.
White sheets rustled inside.
“I’m fine now. Just distracted by the nice weather.”
That was only half true.
The real reason was that even after a month, I still wasn’t used to being called “Sophie.”
Because that wasn’t my name—it belonged to the original owner of this body.
Yep. I had somehow ended up in another world.
Not just any world, but the one from a novel I had read.
What were the odds of that? One in a million?
More like one in ten million.
And the funniest part?
The person whose body I woke up in wasn’t the main character or even a noble side character.
She was Sophie—21 years old, a commoner, and an inn worker.
But honestly? I was perfectly fine with that.
“Hey Sophie, today’s weather is amazing. I can’t believe we’re cleaning the inn on a day like this. Wanna grab a beer after work?”
“Sure.”
I’d much rather live peacefully here than get dragged into the messy drama of the main characters.
This was Feln, a border village in the eastern part of the Lohatin Empire.
Beautiful mountains to the north, a vast lake to the south—like a painting.
No job competition, no crowded trains, no stress.
Sure, inn work was tough, but the work-life balance? Perfect.
Three days after waking up here, I made a decision.
I’d settle down and live quietly in this fairy-tale village.
“Hey, Sophie! Jera! Working hard?”
We both grimaced at the sound of that voice.
“The boss,” we muttered.
The innkeeper—richest man in the village, still single, and an absolute creep.
His hobbies: talking nonsense and flirting with employees.
“Pretty girls doing laundry, huh?”
“Yeah…”
“So hardworking. Should I give you a bonus?”
As he reached toward Jera’s backside, I quickly grabbed his wrist and twisted it.
“Careful, boss. You might lose that hand.”
“Ha… haha. You’re quick, Sophie.”
“Thanks for noticing.”
I gritted my teeth and released his wrist with a sharp smack.
“You can go now.”
He backed away nervously, and I shook my hands out.
“Thanks, Sophie.”
“No need. I’m going to punch that jerk one of these days.”
We continued to the washing area.
“Sophie! Jera! Over here!”
The other inn workers were already there, chatting as they washed clothes.
We joined them, and the gossip resumed.
“They say there’s a new marriage ban in the capital.”
“Because the emperor’s getting married soon.”
“Lucky bride. I wonder who she is?”
“Probably some high-ranking noble lady.”
Everyone loved gossip about nobles and royals.
But not me.
I already knew how this story went—I’d read it in the novel.
“Sophie, you’re so quiet. Don’t you care?”
“You know I’m not interested in that stuff.”
Even if I did tell them the truth, no one would believe me.
“You’re so mysterious, Sophie,” someone said.
“Yeah, you’ve got that noble vibe.”
“When I first met you, I thought you were a runaway lady!”
They all laughed.
From what I’d learned, Sophie had shown up in this village a few years ago—covered in blood, clothes torn, and barefoot.
She’d had a strange, almost magical aura, so people were afraid to approach her at first.
“And come on, Sophie’s gorgeous.”
They weren’t wrong.
The real Sophie was stunning—pale skin, golden eyes, soft pink hair that looked like rose petals.
On top of that, there was a large burn scar shaped like a butterfly on her right calf.
Apparently, she’d already had it when she was found.
A tragic life, really.
She’d gone through all that, only to die young at twenty-one.
“Hey, did you guys hear about the Cedric Duchy?”
At that name, my head jerked up.
“What about it?”
“You know, the duke’s youngest sister who went missing years ago? They say the family’s still searching for her—and they’ll be coming to this area soon.”
“She’s still missing? I thought she was dead.”
“Maybe not. They think she might still be alive.”
Duchy. Missing daughter.
I couldn’t help but smirk.
Yeah, right. She’s long dead.
I remembered: in the novel, Duke Cedric was one of the main villains—a charming psycho who hid his madness behind a polite smile.
He was so twisted that people said there was never a day without blood in his mansion.
He even kidnapped the female lead once, thinking she looked like his lost sister, and tried to kill her.
Thank goodness I was just an extra.
“…Do you think the missing daughter’s really alive?”
Not a chance.
As everyone gossiped, one of them leaned closer.
“Actually, I heard what she looked like.”
I wrung out a piece of laundry, my pink hair falling over my shoulder.
“She had rose-colored hair,” someone said.
“…”
“And golden eyes.”
My hands froze.
“And a big butterfly-shaped burn scar on her leg.”
The chatter stopped.
Everyone turned to stare at me.
“…Wait. Isn’t that Sophie?”
Oh no. Wait. Hold on.
