Chapter 2
Riiing! Riiing—!
I slowly opened my eyes at the loud alarm. Reaching out blindly, I fumbled around for my phone.
“Ugh, where did it go this time…?”
Another morning had arrived, as usual.
I was completely exhausted after being dragged around at yesterday’s company dinner—an “extension of work life,” they called it.
It was nice that things had returned to normal after COVID—no more masks, flights open again—but the return of company dinners? That was a disaster.
Anyway.
“Yaaawn… that dream again.”
After stretching my neck, I lazily opened my eyes.
Back when I lived in the orphanage, I used to sneak into the forest often. That’s where I met a strange boy. The only thing I clearly remembered was his silver hair and teal-green eyes.
Was he a foreigner? He didn’t look like someone you’d normally see around.
I couldn’t let go of his hand when he told me not to leave, and I stayed there until evening. I got scolded so badly by the teacher that I nearly cried my eyes out.
The next day, when I went back to the forest, the boy was gone. I was sure he had told me his name, but I couldn’t remember it.
“What was it again…?”
Sigh. If he grew up looking like that, he’d have taken Hollywood by storm. Wouldn’t it be nice if he showed up on TV as some chaebol, saying he was looking for a childhood connection?
Strangely, whenever I had that dream, I’d have great financial luck that day. I’d find money, or win a small lottery prize—things like that. Unexpected windfalls.
If I had to guess, maybe that boy was the son of some ridiculously rich family. Or… since he was with a wolf… maybe he was some kind of mountain spirit who rewards you for returning an axe. And I just happened to pick up the golden one.
Heh. Maybe I should expect a money shower today.
Ugh, no time for that.
“Money isn’t the problem—going to work is. When is Saturday coming…”
Ugh, my vision’s still blurry. Oh… I haven’t fully opened my eyes yet.
I slid off the bed like a jellyfish and dropped to the floor.
Soft.
…Soft?
I was sure the hard floor of my studio apartment would greet me, but instead, something plush cushioned me.
What…?
When I came to my senses, it wasn’t a hard floor but—
“…a carpet?”
Did I ever own such a luxurious carpet? Just touching it felt like something I couldn’t afford without maxing out my credit card installments. And where did my Shin-chan pajamas go?
Wait… is this one of those situations? You open your eyes and suddenly you’re inside a novel?
“Yeah, right.”
What nonsense. I must still be half asleep.
And yet, “yeah, right” always comes back to bite the innocent frog.
…Someone save this innocent frog.
That innocent frog had transmigrated into a novel. Haha.
“Are you kidding me?! I worked myself to death to pass exams and get into a top company for this?! What about the car I just bought last month?!”
Anger.
“…Figures. My life’s always been like this. Unlucky from birth—why would anything change now?”
Despair.
“Hahahaha! Fine! Looks like I’ve got money here anyway! Who cares about that car—I’ll just get a golden carriage!”
Hysteria.
And finally—
“…So, which novel am I in?”
Acceptance.
I couldn’t keep fooling around forever. As a romance fantasy reader, I knew one thing for certain: I wasn’t getting out of here.
So, I began lightly searching the room to assess the situation.
What I discovered was—
First, I was incredibly beautiful. With this face, there was no way I was just a passing extra.
And second—
“Mary…?”
My small, precious, one-and-only Mary.
“Yip!”
Mary lifted her moist nose and wagged her tail. Her bright eyes looking at me, and the way one ear flopped like a dumpling when she tilted her head—this was definitely Mary.
Everyone, this is really my Mary!
What was going on? I scooped her up in my arms.
“Oh my goodness… did you come here with me, Mary? You didn’t want to let me go alone? You were worried about me?”
“Whine!”
As if agreeing, Mary licked my palm eagerly.
“My sweet Mary… But do you know how I got here?”
Head tilt.
Mary placed a paw on my hand and tilted her head again. One ear flopped down.
I see—you don’t know.
That’s fine. You don’t need to know anything! You were born to be cute, and you’re already doing your job perfectly!
Sigh. What more could I ask for? As long as Mary is healthy and adorable, that’s enough.
I’ll handle the hard stuff. You just stick with me.
Holding Mary tightly, I leaned back against the bed again. Like a fishing net waiting quietly for something to come in, I decided to stay put.
After all, what’s the point of wandering around? In a fancy mansion like this, someone would come to take care of me eventually. If I moved carelessly, I might end up earning the title of “the idiot female lead who gets lost in her own house.”
Right on cue, the door opened.
“M-My lady!”
Oh, I’m a duchess?
A cute little fish swam right into my net.
“Um… sorry to ask this upon first meeting, but who are you?”
I delivered my prepared line.
The maid, who had been staring blankly at me, burst into tears.
“My Lady Agatha! It’s me, Emma!”
Agatha? Agatha… Agatha?!
Agatha Lucy Stadion!
There was only one duchess Agatha I knew.
The villainess Agatha, who lost her mother—and even her father. On her way back from his funeral, she got into a carriage accident. She woke up a month later.
This was from Don’t Obsess Over Saint Lucia.
So I possessed her right at the point where “she wakes up after a month”?
Which meant—
I had been reborn with an absurd diamond spoon in my mouth. I had become the owner of a family so wealthy that money would keep piling up no matter how much I spent.
No wonder even the air felt different. Jackpot.
“Emma… I think I’ve made it in life.”
“…Pardon?”
Emma tilted her head, tears still falling. I gave her a meaningful smile.
I had no intention of engaging in social politics, nor was I cut out for business. And I definitely didn’t want to bully people or stalk the male lead like in the original story.
Haha—easy money, and enough to last a lifetime? And I’m supposed to go stalking? Be a villainess?
Better to count the gold coins piling up in the vault.
Of course, there were a few things I had to take care of first.
After crying for quite a while, Emma finally calmed down. During that time, she repeatedly asked if I had lost my memory.
“You… really don’t remember anything?”
“That’s right… I didn’t even know my name was Agatha.”
Or—
“Then… you don’t remember the carriage accident either?”
“I feel like I might… a little.”
Or—
“You don’t even know this is the Stadion Duchy?”
“I just heard that from you.”
We had a very honest conversation.
Since I didn’t know the details of Agatha’s life, pretending to have amnesia was the safest option.
Agatha wasn’t the protagonist but the villainess, so there was no way I could know her habits or lifestyle.
It took time for Emma to accept my memory loss. Sniffling, she wiped her swollen face with a handkerchief.
“But… where did that puppy come from?”
I lifted Mary in my arms.
Like a scene straight out of a Disney animation.
Look at her properly—she’s kind, cute, and perfect.
“Well… I think this puppy woke me up.”
Best to play along.
“Oh my! Then she’s your savior! Where did she come from?”
“No idea. Maybe God sent her?”
“Perhaps… The physician said you might never wake up, and I was so… so…”
Emma almost burst into tears again.
Watching her fan her eyes dry, I let out a quiet sigh. At this rate, she might flood the place.
Fortunately, she accepted Mary’s presence naturally. Probably because this novel had a divine-beast-type setting.
“They say divine beasts used to save people’s lives. How admirable. What should we name her?”
Right. Sometimes animals are better than people.
And a name…
There was only one.
I met her at Christmas. She’s like a gift.
“Mary. I like the name Mary.”
“Yip!”
