Chapter 66
“How did you know about me?”
It wasn’t something she could ask in front of Noah. Once she’d put some distance between them under Aria’s lead, Roze erased the earlier look of confusion and asked coldly.
“So now you’re showing your true colors?”
Despite Roze’s sharp tone, Aria only smiled. But it wasn’t the dazzling kind of smile that could charm even another woman like before—only the corners of her lips lifted.
“My true colors?”
“See? The moment the emperor leaves, your expression changes. And when did we get close enough for you to drop formalities?”
“You’re the one who started talking casually.”
Roze had no intention of being polite to an enemy, but even so, she believed in calling things as they were.
Aria had been the first to greet her with a casual “So it’s you,” yet she had the nerve to call Roze out for it.
‘Talk about double standards!’
If this were a novel, she’d probably have cheered the protagonist on for such behavior, but not now.
As Roze narrowed her eyes in irritation, Aria finally let out a genuine laugh.
“As expected, you’re not exactly the mild type.”
Better than being called a pushover, but that word—as expected—bothered her. Aria acted as though she knew Roze far more intimately than just recognizing her name.
“I asked how you knew me.”
“I know you because I know you.”
As expected, Aria didn’t exactly dodge the question—but she didn’t answer it directly either.
“You think I’m joking with you?”
“Nope. I just don’t want to answer.”
The longer the conversation went, the more Roze’s expression darkened, while Aria’s only brightened. Soon, she was clearly enjoying herself by teasing Roze.
‘Right… she was like this in the original, too, wasn’t she?’
Come to think of it, it wasn’t surprising. There were many reasons people loved this story, but Aria’s personality was one of the biggest. Her boldness—never losing her nerve or backing down—was part of her charm.
But that was only appealing when you were rooting for her.
As an enemy, she was insufferable.
“If you don’t want to answer, then don’t.”
Roze shot back without hesitation. Whether Aria had beastmen gathering information for her or not didn’t matter.
‘She can’t stay that confident forever.’
Roze refused to lose the upper hand. When she held her ground, Aria’s lips curved in that infuriatingly smug smile again.
“Giving up already? If you’d begged a little, maybe I would’ve told you.”
Yeah, right. If she’d intended to tell her, she would’ve done it already. Aria was just mocking her again.
The urge to curse her out flared up, but Roze instead put on a calm, almost amused smile of her own.
“No need. I don’t think not knowing will affect what I plan to do.”
“Oh? And what exactly are you planning to do?”
“You really think I’d tell you?”
Whether Aria had spies or not, Roze had something more powerful—knowledge of the original story. Sure, things had started to diverge from the plot, but she still felt confident in this moment.
Even with the protagonists moving ahead of schedule, the main flow of the story hadn’t changed much.
If anything, Roze’s interference had made things harder for them. After all, it always took more strength to defend than to take. And now that the “tyrant emperor” she could’ve been used against was gone, things wouldn’t be easy for them.
“You think I won’t figure it out if you don’t say it? Funny. The way you act, someone might think you’re in love with the emperor.”
That came out of nowhere.
Love? What was she even talking about? Sure, there were plenty of rumors about her and the emperor, but that misunderstanding was probably the most common one.
That Roze was the emperor’s lover.
“I do love him.”
“You sound serious. You might even fool someone naïve with that face.”
She wasn’t his lover, but it was true—she cared deeply for Noah. That’s why she’d said it. But Aria didn’t believe a word.
“You’re the one who tried to polish up the emperor’s reputation, right?”
“Do I have to tell you?”
“If it was you, then that part deserves a little praise.”
Aria smirked again—then suddenly looked at Roze with a kind of pity, like she was watching a tragic play.
If Aria ever became an actress, she’d probably be successful, Roze thought bitterly, imagining her post–failed–coup future.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but… too bad. This story already has its ending written.”
“…What?”
“I’m saying whatever you’re planning—it’s not going to go your way.”
How could she be so sure? Aria had no way of knowing what Roze was planning—or that Roze even knew her true identity.
Yet she spoke with absolute confidence, as if she already knew how everything would end.
‘What the hell! What do you know that I don’t?!’
Outwardly, Roze kept a neutral face, but inside, she was screaming.
Was there another transmigrator besides her? Could it be Aria? But even that didn’t quite fit… Thoughts raced through her mind when—
“Shall we go, Lady Aria?”
“Yes. I think we’ve said what needed to be said.”
Roze froze when she saw the man who’d approached from behind Aria—Count Calliphon, a character who didn’t exist in the original story.
“Uh…?”
And at that moment, she remembered something crucial she’d completely forgotten—something that explained why events she didn’t recognize were happening.
“Wait…!”
This novel had been a massive hit years ago. Which meant—
‘That’s it!’
There was more content released afterward.
‘He’s from the special epilogue!’
Yes—the story had a special side story, released recently when the webtoon adaptation launched.
Realizing that didn’t make her feel any better, though.
‘…Because I never read it!!’
She only knew it existed.
…Because it came out on a Wednesday.
The very Wednesday that had been a nightmare for her.
‘Ugh, unbelievable.’
She’d been exhausted, downloaded the episode intending to read it later, then exams piled up, and she kept putting it off until she forgot she even had it.
And then she’d woken up inside the story.
‘No wonder things felt a little off despite following the original plot.’
Of course it didn’t match.
‘So that’s why the sudden beastman subplot popped up.’
At least she recognized Count Calliphon’s name from the comments section when she’d skimmed the first side story episode.
“So that’s how Zion survived! He had an ally’s family helping him.”
“A side story expanding the world? The author’s a genius!”
“I can’t believe the villainess’s identity twist! No spoilers though!”
“Knew Duke Raymond would do that… Wait, is that a spoiler too?”
She’d only glanced at the comments, but it was enough to give her a faint idea.
In the main story, it wasn’t about how Zion escaped Melisa’s clutches, but how he survived afterward.
‘So that guy must be from that ally’s family.’
Apparently, the side story had filled in those details—and now she was in that version of the world, where the epilogue events were canon.
Knowing that made the sudden appearance of Count Calliphon make a lot more sense.
‘Good thing I at least skimmed those comments.’
She still didn’t know the villainess’s real identity, or what Duke Raymond had done, or how Aria knew so much—or whether she, too, was part of the side story’s additions.
But at least she’d gotten some hint.
Roze turned toward Noah, standing quietly behind Count Calliphon. His eyes were fixed on her, curiosity flickering—waiting to see when she’d come back to him.
She nodded slightly, brushed past Aria and the Count, and went to Noah’s side.
“What did you talk about, Your Majesty?”
“It sounds longer than it was. The short version? She said we’ll be seeing more of each other.”
The shock of discovering the side story’s existence faded quickly. By the time she and Noah were close enough to see each other’s faces clearly, Roze was already smiling as if nothing had happened.
‘So what if there’s a side story I don’t know?’
In the end, it was still just a side story.
