Chapter 2
When I first realized that I had transmigrated into a novel, I thought it was nothing but good fortune.
A second chance at life, granted at the very moment I thought I was doomed to die in a car accident.
And the story I had fallen into was one I had loved reading — Return and Walk Only on Flower Paths.
It was about Riena, an orphan who had lived a miserable life and died, only to return to the past and be adopted into a duke’s household.
After that, Riena grew up showered in love from her duke father and her two older brothers.
A father who was cold and taciturn to the world, yet gentle only to his daughter. And two brothers who would melt the moment they saw their little sister.
No matter how terrifying they might be to the rest of the world — the three men of the so-called ‘Devil Duke’s family’ — before the little bunny, they were nothing but three hopeless fools.
Their fussing over Riena, coaxing and doting on her, was one of the most delightful parts of the novel.
I had loved watching the three of them act like doting fools.
When reading it as a book, that is…
Now, here’s the million-dollar question:
What role did I get in this world?
A doomed villainess? A supporting character destined to die?
All wrong!
I was Idele Wallace — Riena’s sister-in-law, the wife of her eldest brother, Leandro.
In fact, I only learned the name “Idele” after I woke up in her body. That, and the fact that she had pale pink hair and jade-green eyes.
Leandro’s wife was a minor character mentioned only occasionally in the story.
Leandro had chosen his marriage partner purely for the family’s advantage. Like many nobles, it was a loveless political marriage.
Perhaps because of that, Idele rarely appeared in scenes where the Cassius family gathered. And on the rare occasion she did, she was never in the spotlight.
It was in stark contrast to Leandro himself, who, even after marriage, frequently appeared — usually because he came running to see his younger sister.
Still, I was fairly satisfied with this role of faint presence.
Because she’s married to my favorite character!
Leandro Cassius, the Young Lord.
Hair more brilliant than sunlight, eyes deeper than a lake.
A perfect man who inherited both the looks and abilities of his duke father.
Meticulous, serious, and cold — except when he melted completely in front of Riena. That was his charm point.
Sure, there was no love between us…
But so what? I didn’t have deep romantic feelings for him either.
I’d always believed that as long as there was mutual trust and respect, a marriage could work just fine.
Besides, as Idele, my appearances were few, so I had little risk of getting dragged into troublesome events. Yet I was still part of the Cassius family, whose prosperity was practically guaranteed for generations.
Was there a better seat in the house to watch the story unfold?
For someone dropped alone into a strange world, it was a pretty good life!
I’d just hitch a ride on the heroine’s flower path.
…Looking back, I realize I was far too optimistic then.
It didn’t take long for my bright hopes for this second life to start creaking apart.
“…What did you just say?”
Leandro’s question yanked my mind back to the present.
Ah. I’d gotten lost in sentimental thoughts for a moment there.
Right after announcing the end of this relationship, I’d found myself retracing its beginning.
“Answer me, wife.”
I looked straight at the man speaking in a voice that sounded as though he was holding something back.
He looked… half angry, half shocked.
Aside from matters concerning his sister, Leandro rarely showed emotions above a certain threshold.
Yet here he was, looking as though he couldn’t control his feelings toward me.
This was the same man who, even after marriage, had subtly avoided me and never made any romantic advances.
So I made sure to enunciate my next words clearly.
“I said, let’s get divorced.”
“D–Divorced?”
Seeing my husband’s face crumple so pathetically gave me a strange sense of satisfaction.
At the same time, it was as though a weight I’d been carrying for ten years suddenly lifted from my chest.
I realized something.
I wanted a divorce.
I hadn’t been consciously aware of it, but deep down, I had been wishing for the end of this relationship all along.
I already knew Leandro adored his sister above all else.
And I hadn’t been truly invested in this marriage either. Sure, it was unpleasant sometimes, but if I just endured, life would be easier — so why bother ending it?
All those dozens of excuses that had kept me from leaving were meaningless in the face of this newfound freedom.
“Let’s divorce. As soon as possible.”
There was even a trace of excitement in my voice as I spoke of our breakup.
“….”
“….”
“….”
That was how I felt — but the atmosphere over the dining table was ice-cold.
The Cassius family members stared between me and Leandro, clearly at a loss for words.
Even the duke — a man the emperor himself supposedly deferred to — looked distinctly uncomfortable. The servants waiting at the sides held their breath.
The one to finally break the heavy silence was Riena.
“Divorce? That’s ridiculous!”
She pushed her chair back with a scrape and slammed her hands on the table.
“Sister-in-law, please think again! This isn’t something to decide in haste!”
Perhaps spurred on by her words, Rahim also spoke up.
“She’s right, Sister-in-law! Sure, my brother’s at fault, but divorce? That’s going too far!”
The funny thing was, the person directly involved — Leandro — still looked dazed ever since hearing the word “divorce,” while his siblings were the ones making the scene.
I calmly folded the napkin that had been resting on my lap.
“I didn’t decide in haste. I’ve thought long and hard about this.”
Sometimes a little lie is necessary.
It was then that the duke, who had been silent until now, finally spoke in his deep voice.
“Idele, in this world, there are things you cannot decide by your will alone—”
“I enjoyed the meal. Though I can’t say it was particularly delicious.”
I placed the neatly folded napkin on the table and stood up.
“Wait—!”
The duke, still handsome despite his middle age, looked momentarily startled.
It seemed my small act of defiance — from a daughter-in-law who had never talked back to him — had caught him off guard.
“Well then, good day.”
I left the dining hall without a care, feeling the weight of countless eyes stabbing into my back.
It might not have been polite, but I had no desire to sit there and hear the duke out.
He had the kind of authority in his words that made them hard to refuse, so cutting him off early was the best strategy.
“Young Madam…!”
Ignoring the hesitant servants, I headed to the central hall.
Then I made my way not out the front door to leave this damn Cassius estate forever… but up the main staircase.
My destination was the second floor — the quarters of the Young Lord and his wife.
Although called the couple’s rooms, in reality, it was more often Leandro’s bedroom alone, since he rarely slept here.
Still, when I had arrived at the mansion that morning, my luggage had been placed there.
Even if I was going to leave, I had to take my things. The truth was, I didn’t even have the money to pay for a night’s lodging right now.
I was quickly packing only the essentials into a handbag when—
Bang, bang, bang! Heavy footsteps, followed by the door slamming open.
“Wife!”
Leandro had finally come to his senses. This was exactly why I had wanted to leave quickly.
“What is it?”
My tone was sharp enough that he actually faltered a little.
“…Are you serious about divorce?”
“Very serious.”
“Why do you want to divorce?”
A dry laugh escaped me.
So he really had no idea why I’d want to end this marriage.
Summarizing my reasons would take three or four days straight, so instead of wasting my breath, I chose to ignore him.
Besides, I’d just finished packing.
“Move. I’m leaving.”
“I asked why you want a divorce.”
“You’re really asking because you don’t know?”
“…I admit it was my mistake to forget our wedding anniversary. But just for that…”
“It’s not just that.”
“Then what is it?”
“Put your hand on your heart and think back. If you still can’t think of anything, then you’re truly a fool.”
Did he really think I had no complaints in a marriage where we barely spoke ten minutes a week?
Thankfully, he wasn’t so stupid as to miss the point entirely — he averted his gaze.
“I admit we weren’t as affectionate as other couples. But still…”
I could already predict the next line.
“Most political marriages are like that, aren’t they?”
“I’m not doing this just because we weren’t affectionate.”
“Then what else is there?”
“Figure it out yourself.”
As I was about to leave for real this time, Leandro’s eyes darted about nervously.
He seemed to be searching for something that might persuade me, but nothing came to mind.
Until his gaze landed on an object in the corner of the bedroom.
“Wait. Look at this!”
He strode over and whipped the cloth off it.
With the dust cover gone, pure white was revealed — lace painstakingly handwoven by a master artisan, and dozens of pearls gleaming under the sunlight.
A wedding dress.
The very one I had worn to marry Leandro, displayed on a mannequin, unchanged since that day.
After the wedding, I had left it at my family home, and it had stayed here in this room ever since.
The moment I saw it, my mood instantly soured.
Unaware of that, Leandro started speaking eagerly.
“Remember when you wore this dress and married me? Things may have turned out this way now, but wasn’t the beginning good? For the sake of that first feeling—”
“It wasn’t good.”
“…What?”
“I said it wasn’t good. Not the dress, not our marriage.”
Looking baffled, he asked,
“That can’t be. Maybe not the marriage, but didn’t you say you liked this dress?”
“When did I ever say that?”
“But at the time you clearly—”
“The person who said this dress was beautiful wasn’t me.”
Even to my own ears, my voice was shockingly calm.
“It was your sister.”
At that, Leandro froze.
“Riena? That’s impossible…”
I decided to kindly remind him of that moment, since he clearly hadn’t put the pieces together yet.
“Think back to when we had the dress fitted.”
The event I privately called The Stolen Wedding Dress Incident.
It happened a few months before our wedding.
