Chapter 3
From the beginning, it was only natural that I, who had made a contract with spirits, received the love of nature.
Growing plants was incredibly easy for me.
When to water them, how much sunlight they needed, how much nutrition was appropriate—
The spirits would tenderly whisper the answers, and the plants I cared for grew lush and vibrant.
Fortunately, this ability helped greatly in building a pure image.
People simply thought I loved flowers. Even the Emperor built me a private glass greenhouse in my palace for my fifteenth birthday.
Not knowing what I was really doing with the things I planted.
Moreover, this greenhouse was protected with a lock that only I could open, making it the perfect place to hide things.
Like this secret alchemy room I was in now.
[Master, you got soaked in the rain yesterday~ Shouldn’t you take a good rest today~?]
[I agree with that, Master.]
[Yeah! You’ll catch a cold like this?!]
The spirits’ voices pulled me from my thoughts.
In my hands was the diary my mother had secretly written.
It was the first thing I stole away during the funeral.
I didn’t know what she had written in it, after all.
Of course, my mother wasn’t careless. The diary was written in a secret code.
She had taught me the code herself, saying only the two of us knew it.
So maybe there was no need to rush…
But you never know.
There’s no harm in being careful.
Besides, there might be clues about her death in this diary.
Blinking through my feverish eyes, I murmured,
“I can’t rest now.”
Publicly, I was a royal of Lornord with astonishing physical abilities.
So I couldn’t afford to collapse just from getting caught in the rain for a few hours.
Cough cough.
But my body, weakened by extreme stress, was honest.
As I let out a small cough, the surrounding spirits freaked out.
[Master!]
[Told you we should head to bed~!]
[Yes, quickly! Warm yourself up somewhere cozy!]
“I’m fine, don’t worry.”
I finished coughing and turned another page of the diary.
There was no longer a mother to prepare medicine for me.
So, to hide my fever, it was easier to retreat to this alchemy room only I could enter.
It’s easier to concentrate on this diary here, too.
As I stubbornly remained, the fire spirit Nesgal sighed and created a warm orb of heat.
[Stubborn to the end, huh? Use this instead of a heater.]
“Thanks, Nesgal.”
Leaning into its warmth, I quickly continued reading the diary.
Mother’s diary was full of shocking content.
“I don’t know how many years it’s been since I transmigrated into this novel. These days, I can’t even remember my original name. Is this how I forget Earth? The original story hasn’t even begun yet… Ah, I met the crown prince today. Hard to believe that kid is the male lead destined for an epic romance with the heroine.”
“That bastard appeared in my dreams again—the one who vanished after getting Neroli pregnant. The jerk who said he’d take responsibility. If he was going to disappear, why even help me that day I fled the capital? I want to live comfortably in the palace too… But it’s hard. On lonely, exhausting days, I keep thinking of him. I miss him. Did he really abandon me, just like the Emperor said?”
“Sometimes, I see him in Neroli. Quiet, hardly talks. Always reading books, calm in a way a child shouldn’t be. The Emperor laughed, saying she’s nothing like he was at that age. That laugh gave me chills… Neroli’s true identity must never be revealed.”
“I can’t sleep because I’m so anxious about Neroli. My daughter doesn’t exist in the original story. She was born because I met that man after transmigrating. I fought so hard not to become a villain, yet I ended up marrying the Emperor. Soon, I’ll give birth to Moren, too. Everything will follow the original story—except Neroli. That’s what scares me. What should I do about her?”
I furrowed my brow.
Am I supposed to believe this…?
Could Mother have been delusional?
Everyone avoided the topic, but in the Lornord Empire, though royalty had powerful bodies, few had sound minds.
So delusional disorders weren’t unheard of in the palace.
But Mother only became Empress by marrying the Emperor. She doesn’t have dragon blood.
Then what was this diary?
Skeptical, I skimmed through what seemed like nonsense—
Until a line made me pause.
“I haven’t been remembering the original story well lately, so I’ll try to jot down what I can recall here.”
Below were fragmented notes of major events in the Empire.
The ink colors varied, and the dates were all jumbled, as if truly written sporadically. But none of it was crossed out or revised.
Studying it closely, I let out a breathless laugh.
“How did she know this?”
Details of pirate suppression missions, the cause of a future drought, upcoming high-value trade goods—
Even obscure gossip about powerful nobles.
The details were sparse, but the key points were spot-on.
Some of this, I don’t even know yet…
Like where the Sandrin Duke’s long-lost youngest daughter was currently hiding.
As I focused on the diary, I reached the final page.
There, another shock awaited me.
“Today, a god appeared in my dream. I can’t recall their appearance, but I remember the voice clearly. The god told me I died accidentally due to a dimensional rift. Said they pitied me and allowed me to transmigrate into a world they created. But come on—what nonsense. Sounds more like an excuse for their mistake.”
The diary continued.
“Anyway, the god said they’d give me a gift. Claimed they felt bad watching me struggle to remember the original story. They promised me the original book. I thought it was just a stupid dream… but when I woke up this morning, it was there. Right beside my pillow. The Flower That Blooms Beside Death—the novel I was reading before I got hit by that truck. So was that really the god Dahlia in my dream? What can I even do with the original story?”
The diary ended there.
Having read it all, I closed the book and shut my eyes.
A god… and the original story.
I still couldn’t believe what Mother had written. It was too absurd to be real.
But I didn’t want to think of her as mentally ill either, and I couldn’t ignore the scattered truths within the diary.
It’s worth investigating.
If what she wrote was true…
Then the original story gifted by the god must still be somewhere.
And it would contain far more detailed information than this diary.
A sort of prophetic text, perhaps?
If it truly existed, I had to be the first to get it.
That’s the only way I’ll have a chance at survival.
Everything I had in the palace came through the Emperor.
He had cherished me because I looked so much like my mother, whom he had loved dearly.
But now, he had coldly dismissed her death and showed open hostility to me during the funeral.
That look in his eyes meant only one thing.
He’s still suspicious.
Whether I’m truly his blood.
Maybe he just hasn’t found proof yet. Or maybe he already knows.
It felt like I’d been exposed, completely vulnerable, to the one person I most needed to hide from.
The Emperor could dispose of me at any moment. Now more than ever, I needed to resist.
If the original story really contains the future, it’s the best source of information I can get.
And I had to consider Moren’s future as well.
My only sibling—Moren, who was born with the Emperor’s red eyes and was undoubtedly of Lornord blood.
But because he shares blood with me, his future had become uncertain too.
I have to secure a way for us to survive.
Mother surely hoped this original story would help us do just that.
And it’s a keepsake from her.
Like the diary in my hands.
If her daughter didn’t protect it, who else would?
Suddenly, a knot of guilt clouded my thoughts.
If only I hadn’t taken my eyes off her that day…
Then this keepsake wouldn’t exist.
If I had been just a bit more careful, a bit quicker, hadn’t hesitated…
Then—
I squeezed my eyes shut.
No. Regret can come after revenge is over.
Luckily, I had already replaced all of Mother’s maids with my loyal people.
They wouldn’t be able to discard her belongings without my permission.
Shaking off my thoughts, I stood from the chair.
I need to go to the Empress’s palace immediately—
“Ugh.”
Suddenly, my legs gave out and I grabbed the nearby table.
The spirits rushed to my side to support me with their tiny bodies.
[See~? Told you this would happen~!]
[You rascal, Marin! Don’t tease your sick master!]
[Master, you really need to rest now! You’ll collapse for real!]
“Sigh… fine.”
Time was of the essence.
But I couldn’t ignore the worried spirits watching me.
Truthfully, my condition was terrible.
Fine. I’ll lie down early today, just this once.
I had taken my own medicine here in the alchemy room. A good night’s sleep should help.
“Neroli doesn’t exist in the original story.”
As I forced myself to walk, that sentence flashed through my mind.
Not in the original story…
Did that mean, to Mother, I was someone who should never have existed?
Is that why she was sometimes so afraid of me when I was little?
My mouth tasted bitter as my head grew fuzzy.
Trying to look unfazed, I headed toward my room—
When suddenly, a strong hand yanked my wrist.
