Episode 2
I was standing at the biggest crossroads of my life.
“Okay, calm down and think this through.”
It was late at night. I sat at my desk, clutching a pen.
The lamp beside me flickered like it was showing my determination.
“Let’s see… how did this novel go again?”
The title of the book was A Princess’s Fairy Tale.
It started when Princess Trisha, from a small defeated kingdom, was sent as a tribute to the great Lohatin Empire.
She was the daughter of a concubine, weak and powerless, sent to the Empire as a peace offering after war—basically, a living bribe.
Once she arrived, the Imperial citizens treated her terribly.
But despite the hardships, Trisha kept going with her bright, strong personality.
Then one summer night, she met the Emperor during a walk, and they fell in love like magic.
Of course, like all romance novels, she faced many trials and obstacles.
But with the power of love, she overcame everything and ended up happily ever after with the Emperor.
That’s the general story.
But there was one huge problem—
“The villain, Duke Cedric.”
He was basically the main source of all Trisha’s “trials and suffering.”
The Cedric Duchy was one of the most powerful families in the Empire, rivaling even the royal family.
Some even called them “the royal family without royal blood.”
The current Duke, Bastian Cedric, was the biggest reason the family turned dark.
He was the Emperor’s childhood friend, inherited his title young after his parents died,
was the youngest swordmaster in the Empire, handsome, kind on the outside… basically perfect.
On the outside, anyway.
In truth, he was completely insane.
Who else would try to kill his best friend’s lover just because she looked like his runaway little sister?
That’s right — he was a full-blown psychopath.
In the novel, Bastian performed every villainous act imaginable:
he cut off servants’ heads when bored, killed nobles who annoyed him, buried people alive, tortured anyone who upset him —
and finally, kidnapped and tried to kill the heroine.
I stopped writing for a moment.
“…If I ever meet this guy, I’m dead.”
Chills ran down my back.
“No, no, calm down. Maybe I won’t meet him.”
I rubbed my arms and tried to focus again.
Then I wrote another name under his:
“Amelia Cedric.”
“This woman’s the real problem.”
There wasn’t much information about her in the novel — just a few mentions.
All I knew was: she was the youngest of the Cedric siblings and had disappeared one day.
Her disappearance was what drove Bastian completely insane.
Basically, she only existed so the author could justify why Bastian became a psycho.
“But something’s weird…”
In the story, Amelia was supposedly dead — five years before the main story began.
Bastian searched the entire Empire but never found her.
Eventually, he gave up and publicly declared her death.
“But wait… how can I have the exact same appearance as her?”
Rose-pink hair, golden eyes, and even the burn scar on my right leg.
That couldn’t just be coincidence.
I stared down at my messy notes — Cedric Family, Amelia, Disappearance, Death.
Something about it didn’t add up.
Then it hit me.
“Did the novel ever say she actually died?”
My heart froze.
I thought hard — there was no scene showing her body or a funeral.
Bastian only stopped searching after a knight assumed she was dead.
But they never confirmed it.
Which meant…
“…She was never proven dead?”
My blood ran cold.
All the facts lined up —
A missing noble lady from the Cedric family,
and a girl who suddenly appeared in this border village the same year,
with the same hair, eyes, and scar.
It all fit too perfectly.
The pen dropped from my hand, splattering ink across the page.
“This can’t be…”
I covered my head with both hands.
“I really am her, aren’t I?”
My life was officially ruined.
I didn’t sleep a single minute that night.
I mean, how could I?
Yesterday I was a random side character — now I’m the missing sister of a deranged nobleman.
What kind of cosmic joke was this?
The next morning, I dragged my zombie-like self to work.
“Good heavens, Sophie! What happened to your face?”
“…Morning.”
“You look awful! Your pretty face looks half-dead!”
My friend Jera gasped, then lowered her voice.
“Is it because of what happened at the laundry place yesterday?”
Yeah… yesterday was a disaster.
If Jera hadn’t stepped in, someone would’ve already reported me to the authorities.
“Don’t worry,” she said proudly. “I explained everything. There’s no way our Sophie could be a noble lady!”
If only she knew how wrong she was.
I gave her an awkward smile.
“But seriously,” she added, “don’t worry. I told everyone to stop spreading nonsense.”
She patted my back reassuringly.
I suddenly felt guilty.
After a long pause, I sighed.
“…Actually, Jera, there’s something you should know.”
Then I told her everything — well, everything except the novel part.
By the time I finished, her eyes were huge.
“…So you’re saying… you might really be her?”
“For now, yeah. But you can’t tell anyone.”
“Goodness! Then shouldn’t you go to the capital? Or— should I start speaking formally to you?”
“Please don’t.”
I begged her not to. She awkwardly scratched her cheek.
“But Sophie, that’s amazing! The Cedric family is the wealthiest in the Empire. You’re so lucky!”
I gave a hollow laugh.
Lucky? Not exactly.
I realized something else last night:
the real Amelia ran away to this village — and stayed hidden on purpose.
She knew her brother was searching for her.
“Whatever her reason was, I’m staying here,” I said firmly. “I’m not leaving.”
Because if Bastian ever found me, I’d be dead.
If he tried to murder the heroine just for looking like his sister,
imagine what he’d do to the real one.
Sure, in the story he wasn’t fully insane yet —
but a psycho is still a psycho.
Jera stared at me, then held her face dramatically.
“Oh no… that’s bad. The knights were already in the next village yesterday.”
“What? Already?”
“Yeah. They’ll be here tomorrow.”
My blood drained from my face.
They were that close?!
What do I do now— run? hide?
While I panicked, Jera suddenly let out a choked sound.
“W-What?”
“…Sophie,” she said, her voice trembling.
“What?”
“You really love our village, don’t you? I’m touched! You don’t want to leave because you love it here!”
Before I could say anything, she hugged me tight.
“Sophie, don’t worry! Even if they offer me five thousand gold, I won’t say a word!”
Her eyes sparkled with loyalty.
“Who cares about dukes or the capital? You’re my friend Sophie!”
“…Really?”
“Of course! No matter what you used to be, you’re still you!”
My eyes stung.
What a great friend. I hugged her back.
“Jera!”
“Yeah yeah, love you too!”
At that moment, I swore I’d treasure her forever.
Friends like Jera were worth more than a thousand gold coins.
Everything would be fine.
The Duke wouldn’t find me.
He’d eventually give up and declare his sister dead.
Then I could go on living peacefully here —
enjoy the sunshine, drink beer after work, live a quiet life.
Perfect plan.
At least until the next morning, when a group of knights showed up at my door.
“Are you Miss Sophie?”
“Yes, who are you?”
“We’re from the capital.”
“…What?”
The lead knight bowed politely.
“A lady at the village entrance told us to come find you.”
Then he handed me a note.
**“Sophie, sorry! They offered me six thousand gold!
But I really think you belong in the capital anyway.
Take care, okay?
—Your loving friend, Jera.
I lost my best friend for six thousand gold.
