Chapter 03
Behind the frame was a hidden compartment—anyone could tell something shady was inside.
Kai reached in and pulled out a thin folder.
“No wonder you were so calm. You hid it here.”
“W-wait! I’ve never seen that before! I didn’t even know this space existed!”
But obviously, excuses weren’t going to work here.
Kai walked straight toward me with the folder.
On the cover were two words:
“Operation Report.”
…Operation…report?
My heart dropped and then started pounding wildly.
The report was written in the language of Berlotte.
Both Kai and I could read it without difficulty.
***
**“Day 1.
Infiltration of a passenger ship carrying high-ranking figures of the Hyden Empire.
Day 2.
Confirming targets and monitoring their locations.
Day 3.
Planning a blockade of key escape routes.
Day 4.
……
Day 5.
……
Day 6.
……”**
***
As Kai flipped through the pages, his movements got faster.
The record stopped exactly on the day I transmigrated—three weeks ago.
Then he began reading the names attached inside.
Tens of names passed by until one familiar name stood out.
“Assistant researcher, Netty Curtis.”
“Ah…”
“Still insisting this is all a misunderstanding?”
I couldn’t say anything.
No matter what I said, it would only sound like a lie.
Kai seemed even more convinced by my silence.
“I saw you meet a Berlotte spy before. I wasn’t certain then…”
The folder slipped from his hand and fell to the floor.
“But now I am.”
It sounded exactly like a death sentence.
My vision shook violently.
And then—
The entire plot of the original novel flashed through my head.
This world had two great powers:
The Berlotte Empire in the east
and the Hyden Empire in the west.
Berlotte was famous for its advanced alchemy—and its dream of conquering the world.
They eventually created the Monster Virus after years of testing.
Their plan: spread it inside the Hyden Empire.
And everything began on this very passenger ship.
where the strong female lead and the kind-hearted Kai first met.
Together, the two would defeat the virus and save the world—
That was the main storyline.
But the original novel never mentioned one detail:
who carried out the very first operation on the ship.
Which meant…
‘Oh my god. The body I transmigrated into… was one of the researchers who created the monsters?!’
What kind of cursed twist was this?
I thought I had possessed a rich noble girl…
But she was actually a disguised spy?!
My brain froze in shock.
I stared blankly at the vanity table when a large hand settled on my shoulder.
“Netty Curtis. Since you created the monsters, you must also know how to revert them.”
“How would I know that…? I really don’t know anything. I just…”
“That’s not acceptable.”
Kai lifted my chin.
In the mirror, our reflections stared back at us.
His pink lips parted.
“Do you think I won’t kill you?”
His elegant fingers wrapped tightly around my throat.
Just a little more pressure and he could easily snap it.
Up until now, I had been oddly calm.
‘It’s just a novel. None of this is real.’
I thought that since I knew the original story, I could avoid all danger.
But the cold threat I felt on my skin shattered that confidence.
I’m scared.
My vision blurred with fear.
Maybe if I died here, I’d wake up outside the novel…
or transmigrate into some other story.
But still—
‘Dying is scary!’
Who in the world wants to feel their neck snap?
Even for a second?
My brain spun faster than ever.
With this evidence, denial was pointless.
If I pulled the cliché “I lost my memories!” routine now, he’d shoot me immediately.
Every option was horrible.
Except one.
There was one thing I could cling to—
Kai doesn’t actually want to kill me easily.
He had suspected me for a long time, but he didn’t kill me right away.
Why? Because of kindness?
No.
‘Because he needs me.’
Judging from everything, I was the only spy he managed to capture.
Which meant my survival depended on one strategy.
I lowered my head.
And then—
“…Hic, sniff…”
I shook my head weakly and burst into tears.
My eyes burned, and tears poured out instantly.
“Sob, I’m really innocent… I only did the research they told me to do…”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“It’s true. It even says so—just a low-level assistant!”
Half-crying, I grabbed his sleeve.
Good. My acting hasn’t gotten rusty.
In my past life, I worked tons of part-time jobs.
One of them was at a small theater.
After three years, even a dog could learn acting.
Crying on cue like this? Easy.
Plus, my head still hurt from earlier. Tears flowed naturally.
“Netty Curtis, do you think I’ll—”
“Waaaah! Whatever! Believe me or don’t!”
I shrieked and stomped my foot.
Kai actually flinched a little.
Hook, line, sinker. Got his attention.
Now the real tightrope act began.
“Everyone else seems to have run away already! Without me, how are you going to solve this?!”
Total lie, obviously.
I didn’t even know I was a researcher until five minutes ago.
But Kai actually looked like he believed it.
To be fair, I was crying hard—tears, snot, everything.
Convincing enough.
“I—I don’t know much, but I know more about monsters than anyone. Their habits, their weaknesses—everything.”
“You’re claiming you’re useful.”
“Yes! I can tell you exactly how to fight them effectively!”
I checked Kai’s expression.
Thankfully, he looked deep in thought.
Yeah, must be a tough decision.
If he saw me as a discarded assistant,
and if the others had indeed escaped…
Then killing me would mean losing the only source of information.
But letting a criminal live would go against his strong sense of justice.
Time to push a little more.
“I only followed orders… I didn’t know monsters would actually appear in the world… sniff, sob…”
“Stop it. If you keep yelling like that, I’ll—”
“UWAAAAH! Why won’t you believe me!”
Crying even more, I looked up at him.
“I’m scared too… I miss my mom… my dad… even my dog is probably wondering where I am…”
Kai noticeably flinched.
Of course—family was his biggest trauma.
I rubbed my eyes dramatically.
“…I know how to turn monsters back into humans, too. If you want to save your people, you need my knowledge. And I need your help to survive. I won’t serve Berlotte anymore—they abandoned me. If you spare me, I’ll help you with everything I know.”
The cabin fell silent.
After a long pause, Kai finally spoke.
“Netty Curtis. Even if what you say is true, it doesn’t erase your crime.”
Then he slowly released my throat.
“But if you regret your wrongdoing and cooperate… your sentence can be reduced.”
Inside, I screamed with joy.
I’m alive! Thank God!
My sweet, merciful favorite!!!
I answered sincerely—
“I’ll cooperate. I don’t want people turning into monsters either. I’ll do my best—”
“No need to do your best. Just give me results.”
He unlocked my handcuffs.
Then added coldly:
“There will be no second chances. If you act suspicious in the slightest, I will shoot you.”
Meaning:
He didn’t free me because he trusted me.
Before, he cuffed me to prevent escape.
Now, he would just shoot if I tried.
“I’ll tell you everything I know.”
It wasn’t even a lie.
I’d read the original novel dozens of times.
I remembered every step the heroine and Kai took to stop the virus.
Which meant the first thing we had to do was simple:
Find the heroine of the story.
I rubbed my wrists and stood up.
“First, we need to find Rachel.”
“Rachel? You mean Lady Rachel Teresa?”
“Yes. Actually, she has a special—”
“She’s dead.”
“…Sorry, what?”
What did he just say?
Who died?
… Our heroine?!
