~Chapter 1~
Hydrangeas in full bloom filled the garden in shades of blue.
Golden sunlight poured down over them.
A long table was covered with sweet desserts.
Surrounded by such dazzling and sugary things, it almost felt like a pleasant gathering.
Of course, it absolutely wasn’t.
“Just when do you plan to learn proper table manners?”
“Her Majesty the Empress is truly generous. To keep taking care of a child like this.”
The consorts mocked me to curry favor with the Empress.
Playing along, I shrank my shoulders and lowered my head.
That was how Laila had always reacted.
“You must feel so stifled staying in the detached palace all the time. Consorts, please take good care of Laila as well.”
The Empress’s elegant voice pierced my ears.
The consorts clasped their hands, covered their mouths, or nodded exaggeratedly as if they were deeply moved.
‘What a bunch of clowns.’
Pretending not to hear them, I fiddled with my glass of milk.
‘They probably poisoned it again, didn’t they?’
Every time I drank the milk given by the Empress, I suffered terrible stomach pain. There was no doubt this one was poisoned too.
“Laila, does it not suit your taste?”
The Empress noticed my hesitation instantly.
She looked at me with a disappointed expression, drawing everyone’s attention to me.
Damn it.
I swallowed my curse and quickly shook my head.
“N-No, Your Majesty.”
I had no choice but to gulp down the milk. The fishy taste made me nauseous, and my face naturally twisted.
That seemed to satisfy her—her expression subtly relaxed as she resumed chatting with the consorts.
Did these people even realize this was child abuse? With faces that pretty, you’d think they’d have kinder hearts.
Thwack—.
Lost in thought, a piece of cake flew straight into my face.
It was the doing of the Third Prince, a fifteen-year-old.
For a moment, I almost cursed out loud at the sheer audacity of a minor.
“Sorry. Why did that fly over there?”
The laughter of the Empress, the consorts, and the children grated on my already fragile patience.
‘Should I just snap?’
Barely holding back my anger, I calmly picked up a napkin.
Dabbing the cream from my face, I looked at the Empress and spoke.
“Um… Your Majesty, may I be excused?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
Thankfully, the Empress let me leave.
If I were truly the fourteen-year-old girl Laila de Belliana, I would have been hurt.
But as I stepped out of the garden, I thought:
‘Tonight, I’ll rob the fifteenth treasury.’
* * *
That day was my half-brother’s residency completion ceremony.
My family had all gone out to eat, and as usual, I planned to eat alone at home.
Since I had recently been accepted into medical school as a transfer student, I had hoped they might include me this time.
But… as expected, that was just wishful thinking.
Still, something was different that day.
There was dinner prepared for me on the table, along with supplements.
Just that made me feel acknowledged.
After happily finishing the meal and taking a pill, I stood up—
Then an intense pain struck my stomach.
I collapsed and lost consciousness.
When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in bed, drenched in cold sweat.
And beside me stood a beautiful blonde girl with emerald eyes.
“Laila?”
Tears streamed down her face as she looked at me.
‘Laila?’
That’s when I realized.
The girl looked familiar—she was Helene.
And I… had become her half-sister, Laila.
* * *
I stepped onto the terrace and looked up at the night sky.
In six years, three dragons would be flying up there?
A world where dragons soar through the sky.
It was absurd—but I was living in exactly that kind of world.
This was the world of a novel I had read long ago.
A romance fantasy novel where three dragons pursued Emperor Helene of the Belliana Empire.
The title was simple—“The Dragon and the Emperor”—but the political storyline was quite complex.
Lowering my gaze, I looked at the main palace.
Dozens of castle structures gathered together in a grand display, fitting for an empire with thousands of years of history.
But I lived far from there, alone in a detached palace.
I didn’t know exactly why Laila was isolated, but it was probably because she was the daughter of a commoner.
Or perhaps because she had no magic.
Ah, right—this was a world where not only dragons existed, but people could use magic too.
Dragons and magic… seriously.
The imperial family of Belliana were descendants of elves, so they all possessed magic.
However, the strength varied greatly.
Some, like the Third Prince, could barely light a candle, while others like Helene could make it rain across the entire continent.
Laila was an anomaly.
She had no magic, nor the golden hair and green eyes typical of the royal family.
Yet, she was an essential character in the story.
Because Laila was the trigger that led Helene to choose a life of celibacy.
Helene’s father was like a Pokémon—like Bulbasaur—whose special move was “seed scattering.”
He had 40 children: 22 sons and 18 daughters.
He also had 13 consorts.
Naturally, that led to intense political conflict.
So much so that the novel began at Laila’s funeral—with the consorts openly insulting her and her mother.
“Her mother died trying to poison someone, and the daughter died from poison too.”
“This is why status matters. Letting the wrong person in ruins everything.”
“Speaking of that, isn’t it suspicious? Laila didn’t resemble the Emperor at all. Purple eyes, white hair—and no magic?”
“Exactly. That’s probably why His Majesty ignored her.”
The consorts barely hid their smiles.
There was no need to.
Only the Empress looked sorrowful as she placed a chrysanthemum on Laila’s body.
“But why am I still alive?”
That was the strange part.
Laila hadn’t died.
I was proof of that.
When I first woke up, Helene had been by my side.
Had she saved Laila?
I had observed her for six months but found no clear answer.
One thing I did learn, however—
Helene and Laila were complete opposites.
Helene was outgoing; Laila was a loner.
Helene was an idol of the world; Laila was practically a shut-in.
Even servants treated them differently.
Helene was worshipped like a goddess.
Laila was ignored like a ghost.
So why had Helene been in Laila’s room that day?
Dong—.
“Ah!”
The bell startled me.
It was already 10 PM.
The palace bells rang three times every hour.
When the second bell rang, I heard the maid in the hallway move away.
After confirming the footsteps were gone, I closed my eyes and focused.
There was something else strange.
In the original story, Laila had no magic.
But after living in her body—
I realized she did.
Like Helene, I could go anywhere with a thought, create anything, and heal anyone.
Given how shocked people were whenever Helene succeeded in magic, Laila’s power was also extraordinary.
Then why had Laila hidden it?
I didn’t know.
So for now, I continued to hide it—just like in the original story.
Except for one thing.
Whenever I went to see my favorite character—
the White Dragon, Pian.
* * *
Blink. Blink.
No matter how many times I blinked, I couldn’t see anything.
Only uneven breathing echoed in the pitch-black darkness.
Fwoosh—.
With magic, I lit all the candles.
The room brightened instantly.
Curled up on the damp floor of the underground torture chamber—
was a boy.
Pian.
Carefully, so as not to startle him, I approached and placed my hand on him.
Blood soaked my hand from his torn clothes.
Imagining him healed—
the bleeding stopped, and his wounds vanished.
I sighed in relief, but the cold from the floor bothered me.
“Pian, let’s sleep under a blanket.”
I tore open space and pulled out a pillow and quilt.
Gently lifting his head, I placed the pillow beneath him.
He said nothing.
Well, Pian was always quiet.
Even with Helene, he mostly just nodded or shook his head.
At first, I felt a little sad.
Now, I was used to it.
In fact… it felt comfortable.
Spending time with Pian in the darkness—
was the only time I felt at peace in this world.
He was one of the few familiar things in this unfamiliar world.
Seeing him reminded me that this really was a novel.
And that thought comforted me.
In the original story, Pian had trauma related to darkness.
After all, he had lived in this pitch-black hell for six years.
Six years later, he would be buried under rubble in an accident.
That’s when Helene would appear, clearing the debris with a beam of light—
his savior.
His first love.
Pian fell in love with her at first sight and devoted himself to her completely.
While the other dragons sought to possess Helene,
Pian only wished for her happiness.
He was content just watching her.
A handsome, kind, puppy-like dragon.
He was overwhelmingly popular with readers.
Helene slowly opened her heart to him—
but then the Black Dragon and Blue Dragon appeared, starting a war.
Pian fought to protect her—
but died under their combined attack.
Everyone thought he was the male lead.
But he died halfway through.
Readers were shocked.
Refunds flooded in.
Silver hair, blue eyes, noble heir, tragic past, most handsome man in the empire—
he had every male lead trope.
And yet… he was just a side character.
If I had known, I wouldn’t have started the novel.
Watching his small body rise and fall with steady breathing—
I gently stroked his back.
“Just wait a little longer.”
“I’ll save you soon.”
I will make sure Pian doesn’t become a victim of that ridiculous story.
