Episode 1
What exactly is a “parenting story” ?
In the genre of romance fantasy novels, a parenting story is, in truth, nearly identical to what’s called a “clingy heroine” tale — stories that revolve around everyone doting on the female lead.
No matter the circumstances, the heroine must always be loved by everyone, and those who give her that love must act as though she is the only precious being in the entire world.
And in most such cases, the people surrounding the heroine care nothing for the harm done to anyone who gets caught up in that all-consuming affection.
The pain of the supporting characters — the extras who sacrifice their bodies or minds for the sake of that “love” — is ignored, deemed unworthy of sympathy, all in service to the heroine’s family and the male leads’ devotion.
But what if you were that extra?
“Why should I be reduced to an extra in someone else’s story? It’s my life.”
Unlike other side characters, Leticia had no intention of being trapped by the “original story.”
As a child, Leticia was an ordinary girl, living each day peacefully and happily.
She would pester her older cousins and brother to play house with her, lie on the floor snacking while her nanny read picture books aloud, and draw alongside her cousins, blurring the line between doodling and real art.
And when she got bored after playing for hours, she’d go find her baby sister—who had only just started to talk—and nag her to hurry up and grow so they could play together.
But one carefree day, when she turned six, Leticia’s life changed forever.
All at once, memories of her previous life—nearly twenty years long, ending in death—came rushing back.
“Is this for real?!”
Leticia clutched her head as wave after wave of foreign memories crashed into her mind.
No matter how hard she pulled her hair or banged her head, the memories wouldn’t fade.
And so, overnight, Leticia became a special child—one who possessed memories of a previous life.
At first, she was so shocked that she locked herself in her room all day, drowning in confusion and denial.
Though her memories hadn’t fully returned, the coexistence of her past life and current life identities naturally caused a mental clash.
Since she had only lived six years in her present life, her sense of self began to tilt toward the twenty-year-old she used to be.
“Letty, what’s wrong? Did you have a bad dream?”
“Are you hurt? Should I call the doctor?”
“Are you mad because I didn’t play with you? Fine, I’ll play house—just come out already.”
It was her family who pulled her back.
Her parents, hearing that she’d been locked in her room all day without eating, postponed their work and came home immediately.
Her brother, who had told her to go play alone because he wanted to read, came instead to coax her out.
And when her father carried her down to the dining room, her grandfather and the rest of the relatives were all waiting—worried faces turned toward her.
Seeing their concern, Leticia’s heart anchored itself firmly in this life.
To others, it might have seemed like she accepted her situation too easily, but for a six-year-old, family was the entire world.
“…Yes, I’m Leticia. Leticia Sharon—daughter of my mother and father, granddaughter of my grandfather and grandmother. That’s me.”
She wasn’t reborn as a royal princess or a duke’s daughter, but she had been born into wealth and love.
Her family were counts, prosperous jewel merchants, and good-hearted people—all living in harmony, far from political strife.
Once she accepted that, her past-life memories began to fade. Within a single day, nearly all of them disappeared, leaving behind only knowledge.
But that wasn’t the last shock Leticia would face.
A few days after the commotion over her “reincarnation” had settled, she learned something truly astonishing.
The Sharon County household was a large one: not only her parents, but her grandfather, aunt, uncle, and their families all lived together.
Every morning, the family gathered for breakfast, and the adults were always busy discussing business.
“Did you hear the Duke of Avril recently placed an order with Aner Jewelry?”
Her grandfather asked as he lifted a spoonful of corn soup.
Her aunt, dipping her bread into her soup, replied,
“Yes, Father. I heard it’s a special order for his daughter’s birthday.”
“Daughter? I thought he only had two sons.”
Her uncle frowned, and her mother explained,
“Apparently, the Duchess gave birth to a daughter right before she died. Her name was… Arietta, I think?”
“…Arietta?”
At that familiar name, Leticia, who had been eating a strawberry, froze with it halfway to her mouth.
She’d heard that name somewhere—but where?
“This is the first I’ve heard of his daughter. I did hear the Duke changed after his wife passed away.”
“Yes, Countess Freke said Marchioness Irma had been managing the Avril estate on his behalf, but she was recently dismissed. So there’s hardly any news from them.”
Irma… the Duke of Avril…
As the names piled up, a sudden realization hit Leticia.
The Duke’s Daughter Is Loved by Everyone.
It was the title of a romance fantasy novel she’d read in her past life—a parenting story featuring Arietta Avril, the youngest daughter of the Duke of Avril.
“…Tori, can I ask you something?”
“Sure, what is it?”
Her oldest cousin, Victoria, looked up from her plate.
“The Duke of Avril—what kind of place is that?”
“It’s the largest noble house in the East. Over half the Empire’s wheat comes from their territory—Elray.”
“Elray?”
Leticia’s heart dropped.
That was the very same name as the heroine Arietta’s homeland.
“Letty? What’s wrong? Why are you just staring at your bread?”
“Are you asleep with your eyes open?”
Leticia’s cousins and brother looked at her with concern, but she couldn’t respond.
I’m possessed! I’m actually possessed!
“No way. I’m really inside a romance fantasy? And of all things, a parenting story?!”
Was this some kind of parody novel—‘I Woke Up as an Extra in a Parenting Story’?
Regardless of her disbelief, the moment she realized the truth, the original story’s details began flooding back.
Arietta Avril—the poor little girl despised as “the child who killed her mother.”
Her kind and warm mother, the Duchess, had died giving birth to her.
Her father, the cold Duke, and her grieving brothers directed all their sorrow and resentment toward the baby, neglecting and hating her.
Marchioness Irma, the Duke’s aunt, who managed the household, favored the elder brothers—Alexander and Achill—but treated Arietta, who resembled her late mother, with cruelty.
Thus, Arietta grew up unloved—bullied by maids, neglected, malnourished, and heartbroken.
Yet, she was bright and gentle, and after years of reaching out to her family, she finally melted their hearts.
When her brothers discovered the Marchioness’s abuse, they told their father, and the Duke expelled the maids, tutors, and the Marchioness herself.
From then on, Arietta became the beloved youngest daughter, and later, even won the heart of Crown Prince Mathias, the male lead.
“…No, maybe it’s just coincidence. The Empire’s huge—there could be another ‘Elray.’ Maybe I misheard—maybe it was ‘Erai’ or something. Yeah, that’s it.”
Leticia babbled nonsense, clinging to denial.
“What’s wrong with you? You’ve been weird for days.”
“Did you eat something strange?”
Thankfully, her siblings simply looked at her with concern, assuming she was unwell rather than strange.
Leticia swallowed both her milk and bread, trying to think of a way to cover it up.
“…I just spaced out because the name sounded familiar.”
“Spaced out? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Where are you bruised? Why’d you hit yourself again?”
“…I just… zoned out, okay?”
She accidentally used an expression from her past life, and her brothers stared at her in confusion.
Even just thinking about that novel was enough to make her slip into words from another world.
