Chapter 01

When I opened my eyes, something felt different.

It was a strange sensation—both familiar and unfamiliar.

Lying in bed, I blinked slowly and muttered to myself.

“No way… Did something this amazing actually happen to me too?”

My heart pounded.

I had read romance fantasy novels every single day. Because of that, I was very familiar with the classic opening trope:

“I woke up inside a novel!”

The high ceiling, the soft blankets, the spacious room bathed in warm sunlight… Even my body felt light, as if it belonged to me and yet didn’t.

If my guess was right, then I had entered a novel.

…Or was that really the right way to describe it?

This body was mine, yet it wasn’t.

It felt as though the original me still existed as well.

Maybe it would be more accurate to say that the memories of someone else’s life had suddenly flowed into mine.

The moment I was born.

When I was one.

When I was two.

Memories from the past surged into me like a tidal wave.

Elle Natasia.

That was my name.

The reason I had immediately sensed something was wrong the moment I woke up was probably because, ever since I was born, I had constantly dreamed of another life.

Even so, actually experiencing it was far more bewildering than I had expected.

First of all…

I wasn’t even sure whether my original self had truly existed.

Having two completely different sets of memories wasn’t exactly a pleasant feeling.

“How am I supposed to explain this…?”

Looking down at my small hands, I let out a sigh.

There was no denying it anymore.

This was a world completely different from the one I had lived in.

“But… it feels so familiar.”

When I stared into the mirror, a little girl with brilliant crimson hair stared back at me.

Even with hair dye, it would be impossible to recreate such a beautiful shade of red.

“So pretty!”

It felt a little embarrassing to say it myself…

But I really was adorable.

Well…

It still felt awkward praising my own appearance.

Like I said earlier, I was already in a state of complete confusion.

Still, being shocked by my own looks was unavoidable.

I looked no older than five years old.

Thankfully, I seemed to be past the age of baby talk.

Even so, there was something strangely elegant about me.

“Ahhh… What on earth is going on?”

When I spoke, every word came out clearly.

If I’d been reincarnated into one of those childcare novels…

…I might have been too embarrassed to open my mouth at all.

I continued examining every part of myself with fascinated eyes.

“Looks like I’ve been raised with great care.”

Even though I was just a child, I looked like someone who had never lacked for anything.

After staring at my reflection for a while, embarrassment finally got the better of me, and I looked away.

“Lady Elle? Did you wake up?”

Ah.

So this was the time I normally got up.

That must have been why my body had naturally opened its eyes on its own.

I hurried back toward the bed.

“Come in!”

Erasing the awkward expression from my face, I greeted the visitor with a bright smile.

With my tiny legs, I hurried over, clumsily climbed back onto the bed, and sat down.

* * *

Just a few days ago, I’d been thrilled at the thought of living a wealthy, carefree life.

Now…

I was sitting with my arms crossed, wearing the expression of someone who’d just bitten into something disgusting.

This ridiculously luxurious mansion…

…belonged to none other than the wealthy Count’s family that served as the villains of the novel.

No wonder I’d felt strangely neglected.

Still, even though I didn’t really know what my father looked like, I didn’t feel particularly upset about it.

Which also meant…

This body was already accustomed to living that way.

Edgar de Bellois Natasia.

My father was a dangerous man to Rion and Janice.

In pursuit of his ambitions, he would eventually corner both of them.

Edgar was an incredibly selfish man.

He was never swayed by compassion.

Even after committing terrible crimes, he never felt the slightest regret.

According to the maids, he had completely changed after my mother died.

If that was true…

Then he hadn’t always been this insane.

…But that only made the current him even more terrifying.

Unfortunately, I had absolutely no power to stop a father who rampaged like a horse with broken reins.

Reforming him?

That only worked on people willing to listen to reason.

If I said even one wrong thing…

He might chop my head off.

Besides…

I was nothing more than a powerless child.

What difference would anything I said make to a man who didn’t even care about his own daughter?

This wasn’t one of those heartwarming childcare stories where everyone doted on the protagonist.

It was a dark novel with a happy ending only for its main characters.

Someone like me, who couldn’t even properly hold a sword, would probably lose my head if I dared oppose my father.

Good grief.

My head throbbed.

What was the point of being rich…

…if I’d die before I even had the chance to enjoy any of it?

At only five years old, the only thing I could do was act cute and stay on everyone’s good side.

“No.”

I needed a trump card.

Even if I had to die someday…

I wanted to die peacefully of old age.

A miserable death by decapitation was the last thing I wanted.

Was I really supposed to die because of crimes I never even committed?

That was unbelievably unfair.

“I have to find the male lead.”

Someone who would stand on my side no matter what my father did.

Whether he found the female lead later or not didn’t matter.

For now…

I just needed to become his lifesaver.

If I did that, then at the very least, I could beg him to spare my life.

“Who cares if it’s shameless? Survival comes first!”

I had no intention of becoming a villain.

Nor did I want to die without accomplishing anything.

If anyone had to make the first move…

It would have to be me.

So I needed to bring the male lead to my side as soon as possible.

* * *

“Young Miss, have you lost your appetite lately?”

Dyria asked worriedly after noticing me picking at my food.

She was my personal maid.

Despite Father’s complete indifference, she had always taken care of me.

She was practically my nanny, staying by my side all day long.

Judging by the absence of anyone else, she seemed to be the only one raising me.

“Mmm… Autumn came before I even realized it.”

Which meant…

I would soon turn six.

What a depressing thought.

The age where adults naturally found me cute was coming to an end.

It also meant I wouldn’t be able to spend my days idling around much longer.

“Young Miss, sometimes you speak like an old soul.”

“That’s because my father is so immature.”

Though honestly…

Rather than immature, he was closer to a wild beast still rampaging about.

I clicked my tongue softly and sighed.

Startled, Dyria’s eyes widened as she quickly glanced toward the door.

“You shouldn’t say things like that, Young Miss.”

“Why? Is he going to kill me?”

Hmph.

Resting my chin on one hand, I snorted.

If he was the kind of man who’d even kill his own daughter…

Then how hopeless was he?

I’d never actually met him before, but perhaps it was better if I never did.

“But, Young Miss…”

“Enough. Spare me the clichés. Did he really marry Mother because he loved her?”

Pouting, I turned my head away.

I didn’t want to hear another story about that troublesome man.

More than anything…

I was curious about my mother.

The woman I couldn’t remember at all.

How had she died?

Had she passed away giving birth to me?

“I don’t have a single memory of Mother. That’s the strange part.”

Maybe no one had ever told me anything.

Still…

Not even a fragment of memory remained.

That was odd.

“Of course he loved her very much. You may not know this yet, Young Miss… but the Count also received the same pattern as if it were fate, and they fell in love.”

“Even someone who looks like he doesn’t have a drop of warm blood in him got a pattern?”

Well…

He had gotten married, so I supposed he must have.

Still, I couldn’t imagine why Mother had chosen someone like him.

“Young Miss… You’ve been especially mischievous lately. Though you’ve never really cared much about your father…”

In this world, once people became adults, a mysterious pattern appeared somewhere on their bodies.

Matching patterns were proof that two people were companions—partners destined to spend the rest of their lives together.

“A pattern really is something straight out of a fairy tale.”

A fairy tale?

Maybe Dyria only romanticized it because she’d never received one herself.

“If a pattern never appeared… you might spend your whole life alone.”

“Pfft! Ah… excuse me. It just went down the wrong way.”

Dyria hurriedly composed herself.

But I’d already understood the meaning behind her laughter.

“She actually agrees with me.”

So in the end…

They hadn’t married because of love at all.

Could genuine emotions even exist in this world?

My mood sank.

The more I learned about this setting…

The less I liked it.

“So Father neglected me because he never really loved Mother.”

“Umm… Rather than that… it was destiny!”

Trying her best to cheer me up, Dyria quickly changed the subject.

Clapping her hands together, she wore a dreamy smile.

She really seemed fascinated by these patterns.

To me…

They looked more like shackles than blessings.

“This still feels unsettling.”

Well…

I wasn’t the protagonist of this novel.

There was no way a pattern would ever appear on me.

At least…

That was what my instincts told me.

“That’s great!”

It worked out perfectly for me.

The male lead was destined to fall in love with the female lead anyway.

That meant I didn’t need to worry about anything else.

Having read countless romance fantasy novels in my previous life, I knew the safest way to survive was to keep a low profile.

I’d seen far too many stories where someone accidentally stole the heroine’s place and completely derailed the original plot.

“But I’m safe.”

Because I had no intention of doing anything like that.

“Then maybe I can use Rion. Before Father finds him. I’ll keep him with me until he becomes an adult.”

In other words…

This was my chance.

I could help him while also securing my own survival.

And afterward…

Nothing complicated should happen.

The destruction of my family.

My own tragic ending, dying at a banquet without ever understanding why.

To prevent that…

There was only one thing I could do.

Find the male lead—

Rion Davis—

and come up with a plan.

If I introduced him to Father early enough and they built even a little affection…

…maybe things would turn out differently.

No.

On second thought…

It would probably be safer to bring him here and keep him by my side without ever letting him meet Father.

I had absolutely no confidence in persuading that madman.

But if Rion and I naturally came to think of each other as family…

Wouldn’t things improve, even just a little?

Before anyone else could take him away…

I had to get Lion into my hands first.