Chapter -3-
Why hadn’t I realized it sooner? I read it countless times before I lost consciousness. I even cursed at it. Left comments too.
Cursing this very body’s owner, Tiana Queen Celeste.
I thought she was just a pitiful woman, killed by her beloved husband. But it turned out—she was the villainess who framed her husband as the bad guy.
She loved his older brother, envied his lover, and used her husband to torment him endlessly. She pinned everything on him and continued to exploit him until the bitter end.
And now I’m… that Tiana? Seriously?
Then this world—am I really inside His Majesty the Emperor’s Dangerous Circumstances?
I bit the inside of my cheek to make sure Roeina and Inabel, who were watching me, wouldn’t notice anything odd. It hurt. So this wasn’t a dream. It felt way too vivid to be a dream.
A dreamlike thing like this actually happened…
I remembered holding Volume 2 of His Majesty’s Situation in my arms before I lost consciousness. The book with a beautifully illustrated Lucius—Tiana’s husband.
Yeah, I was shocked after reading Lucius’s side story. The truth hidden in the relationship between Lucius and Tiana was revealed, and I had what they call a mental breakdown.
But why Tiana, of all people? Out of all the characters, why her?
While I sat there staring blankly into space, the door suddenly swung open with a loud noise. The tall man who entered was with the head butler who had left earlier.
As the man strode quickly toward me, Roeina and Inabel stood up in haste and stepped back, bowing deeply. I blinked in confusion, unable to take my eyes off the man.
He had the same deep navy hair and sky-blue eyes as this body—Tiana.
The moment I saw him walking toward me, I knew it instinctively. This man was Tiana Queen Celeste’s father.
“…Tiana.”
He stopped near the bed and called my name—no, the name of this body. I looked up at him, not knowing what to say, and he knelt before me. When I flinched at the large hand reaching toward my face, he dropped it with a serious expression and spoke.
“I heard… you don’t remember anything. Not even who I am?”
“…No.”
“Then you must not remember the accident either.”
“Accident?”
So that’s why I’d been lying in bed. Come to think of it, everyone was surprised to see me awake. They didn’t react like someone who was simply up in the morning.
Something must’ve happened. But did Tiana have an accident in the original story?
I wasn’t sure of the timeline right now, so I couldn’t confirm. Still, judging by how they called me “Young Lady,” I probably wasn’t married yet.
As I looked up at him with wide eyes, he gently reached for my hand. Stroking the back of it reassuringly, Edwin spoke.
“It was a fall from a horse. You were thrown while riding. You lost consciousness… and just woke up after two weeks.”
“Two weeks?”
“Yes. Are you feeling any pain?”
“Ah, well…”
I hesitated as he examined my body with a worried look. I had been wondering why my body ached. Upon closer inspection, I noticed scratches all over—arms, legs, shoulders, everywhere.
There were quite a few wounds, big and small, but none hurt. They’d been properly treated, and although my body ached, I could still move. I was about to say I wasn’t in pain when I saw his eyes.
He couldn’t look away from the wounds. I fell silent.
As I hesitated, unsure what to say, he looked like he was the one hurting. In a husky voice, he whispered,
“…Of course it hurts. Falling from a horse running that wildly—of course it does…”
His hand holding mine trembled slightly. Without a word, he pulled me into an embrace. I flinched at the sudden hug but couldn’t bring myself to move. His large, warm arms held me tightly.
He was truly worried about this body—about Tiana. The way his big frame trembled was undeniable proof.
Any parent would worry, naturally. But… was this man always the type to care so deeply for his daughter?
Edwin Queen Celeste—Tiana’s father—was one of only three dukes in the empire. In the main story, he didn’t appear much.
Since His Majesty’s Situation began one year after Tiana and Lucius were married, he only showed up briefly in the side stories. He didn’t play a major role.
Aside from being a stern man of principle, there wasn’t much known about him. In both the main story and side stories, his relationship with Tiana didn’t seem very good. But seeing him now, I could feel how deeply he cared for her.
Is this the difference between novels and reality? Seeing a living, breathing person before me felt completely different from just reading about them.
“Thank you for waking up safely. I thought I might lose you forever…”
“Ah…”
“It’s okay if you’ve lost your memory. You don’t need to recall the past. We can make new memories from now on.”
“….”
“You’re still my daughter. No matter what memories you have… you are my precious daughter.”
His embrace tightened. I wanted to pull away from the strange feeling, but somehow… I couldn’t bring myself to push him away. I felt like I shouldn’t.
I didn’t know much about this man, but I didn’t want to give someone who believed I was his daughter another reason to despair.
It had been so long since I’d felt another person’s warmth. Maybe not the time to think this, but… the affection he poured out—so vivid and warm—made me envious of Tiana.
After a while, Edwin slowly let go and smiled gently at me.
“You must still be confused. I’m sorry.”
“…It’s alright.”
“For now, get some rest. This must all be overwhelming. Try to sleep. I’ll call the doctor once you wake.”
He carefully laid me back on the bed and pulled the covers up to my neck, gently patting my head. The gesture felt unfamiliar—but comforting.
“…No need to overthink anything. Just close your eyes, think of nothing, and dream sweet dreams. That’s all you need to do.”
“…Yes.”
“Sleep well, Tiana.”
His hand rhythmically patted me, trying to reassure me. But his voice—just barely wavering—held traces of unease. He was afraid I might never wake again. That thought made my chest tighten. He must’ve been as terrified as I was.
I glanced toward the back of the room. Roeina and Inabel were holding back tears. And beside them, the head butler watched Edwin and me with soft eyes.
None of the people inside the room—nor the servants gathered outside the door—blamed me for my memory loss.
A relationship I couldn’t see just from reading the novel. I could now tell Tiana had grown up loved.
But why hadn’t they gotten along in the story? Realizing I’d possessed her only led to more questions.
There was so much to think about for the future, but drowsiness crept in, and I slowly closed my eyes.
The next day, after a deep and peaceful sleep, I was examined by a physician Edwin had called.
“Fortunately, there are no major issues.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“However, the aftereffects of the fall remain. You haven’t moved in a while, so your physical strength and immunity are low. You mustn’t overexert yourself.”
The doctor gave a list of precautions before leaving. For the next week, I was treated with the utmost care. For the first three days, I stayed mostly in bed. By the fifth day, I was well enough to walk.
While sipping warm tea Inabel brought me after a meal, I asked her:
“Inabel, what’s today’s date?”
“Today? It’s March 16th, my lady.”
“Is that so?”
It had been a week since I possessed Tiana Queen Celeste’s body. Thanks to two things—the way everyone called me Young Lady and the date—I realized this was before the original story began. In the novel, Tiana was already married.
I confirmed with Inabel, who was always by my side, that I was 22 years old, and my birthday had passed about a month ago. In the side stories, when Tiana married Lucius, it was just after she turned 22—in spring.
I remembered their wedding was in May. Which meant the marriage was still about two months away.
Of all times… why did I have to possess her before the story even started…
I had a grasp on the general situation, but I was still unsure how to act moving forward. Fortunately, I retained Tiana’s basic memories, so living here posed no problem.
The issue was—I remembered nothing beyond that. I had no recollection of the accident or any past memories as “Tiana.”
I had no idea how I came to be possessed, and no way to know what happened to my original body.
Since only my soul came here, maybe my body remained in the real world. But it had been caught in an explosion. It might not even be intact.
Could the possession be linked to both our accidents—mine and Tiana’s?
I blacked out after my laptop exploded, and Tiana lost consciousness from the fall. That’s the only overlap. Both of us were in accidents and lost consciousness.
I didn’t know if it was possible for a person from reality to become connected to someone in a novel—but it happened. I had no choice but to accept it.
At least I remembered His Majesty’s Dangerous Circumstances well enough, having read it multiple times before.
So now, what should I do? In this absurd situation where I possessed a novel’s character, what was the right move?
Find a way to return to my body? But without knowing how this happened, it wouldn’t be easy.
Even protagonists in transmigration stories focus more on surviving than going back home.
That was the logical thing to do. I, too, believed living as Tiana was the right path forward.
To be honest, I was excited. I didn’t really want to go back.
Aside from work, reading web novels was the only joy in my life. Possession was like a dream come true. Too precious to wake from.
And this wasn’t just any story. It was the world of my favorite novel, His Majesty the Emperor’s Dangerous Circumstances. What a miracle.
This will probably never happen again.
Some might say I’m being naive, but I was genuinely happy. Truly thrilled. Even though I became Tiana, it was still a relief.
Because Tiana was the wife of my favorite character in the novel.
Which meant I, as Tiana, would become Lucius’s wife.
What incredible luck. It was so surreal, I couldn’t even tell if this was a dream or reality—but the aches in my body proved it was real. That certainty made the corners of my lips curl upward.
There were two months left until the wedding. I didn’t know how far preparations had come, but maybe—just maybe—I’d get to see Lucius before then.
To meet the character I loved so much in person—my heart fluttered with excitement.
Though I was still recovering, I wouldn’t have to wait too long. I could endure anything.
Good for you Tiana