CHAPTER 01 …………………………..
Prologue
The original story I possessed, The Fate of Triya, featured a dark, shadowy noble family.
Its name — the Duke of Kereis.
Their fame began when they defeated an army of one hundred thousand enemies at the founding of the Triya Empire.
But fearing their growing power, the Emperor banished them to the western frontier under the pretense of rewarding them with fertile land — far from the southern capital.
The Kereis family accepted this and gradually expanded their influence.
Generations passed until the 12th Duke of the family came to power — Getre Kereis.
A man of unspeakable cruelty.
And that man had three sons who looked just like him.
Shevert.
Ron.
Crimu.
“These are the infamous three brothers.”
The shadowy trio who appeared in the novel —
the name alone sent chills down readers’ spines.
The Kereis Brothers: heartless, merciless, and terrifying.
All three shared the same blue hair and crimson eyes — and equally terrible personalities.
Though, of course, each had his own quirks.
First, the eldest — Shevert Kereis.
“You little brat, did you just glare at me?”
He was strikingly handsome, but his mouth was foul — the kind that spoke before thinking, like a weapon of mass destruction.
If someone so much as brushed his nerves, he’d snap like a wild beast and tear them apart — leaving not even bones behind.
No one, not even nobles, were safe from his wrath.
A proud firstborn of the fearless Kereis family.
“Still, compared to Ron, Shevert’s tantrums are almost cute.”
The second brother, Ron Kereis, had the darkest blue hair and the brightest blood-red eyes.
He was pure madness — a homicidal maniac.
The most dangerous of the three.
“Anyone who catches my eye… dies.”
If Ron went a day without shedding blood, he’d lose his mind.
He always carried a sword that reeked of iron, and wherever he went, darkness followed.
Some said the only reason he lived was to kill.
He was known as the Cursed Seed of Calamity — later, as an adult, he massacred thousands and destroyed his own house.
“Ron is truly insane.”
And finally, the youngest — Crimu Kereis.
“I won’t be like my brothers. So let’s just end this with one hit, okay?”
Unlike his brothers, he didn’t enjoy bathing in blood.
He even frowned when he saw cruelty.
But that didn’t make him kind.
He simply preferred to end fights in one blow — a quick, precise strike to the vital point.
And as he grew older, his strength became monstrous — his very existence a weapon.
Despite being the youngest, none could match him in sheer power.
As a reader of the original novel, my conclusion was simple:
“Shevert, Ron, Crimu… none of them are normal.”
What was the author thinking when she made them?
At any rate, they were people I had to avoid at all costs.
If I ever met them on the street, I’d turn and run — or pretend to faint.
But that resolve didn’t last long.
“Aaaaaah! No! I don’t want this!”
Because I, who possessed the body of a character in that very novel, ended up in their den almost immediately.
One saving grace — I arrived six years before the original story began.
Meaning the Kereis brothers were still children.
“Huh? They’re… not scary at all.”
The young Kereis brothers were not cruel or frightening — just a little… cute.
And somehow, I helped them a few times — saved them from danger, saved their lives, became their friend.
And then… something unexpected happened.
“…Huh?”
A world straight out of a fairytale — soft flower fields under a bright sky, clouds like cotton.
Ah, so peaceful.
But then, the bushes rustled — and three identical boys popped out their heads.
The eldest, Shevert, winked playfully.
“Ahit.”
Before I could react, the youngest, Crimu, waved with a dimpled smile.
“Hehe. Hehehe~.”
Too cute!
I almost smiled without realizing it — until I locked eyes with the calm boy beside them.
“Hi.”
Both hands under his chin like a flower, smiling with crescent eyes.
Deep blue hair, glowing red eyes — Ron Kereis.
“He’s… beautiful.”
How could someone smile like that?
But I shook my head. Focus!
These boys were the Kereis brothers — future villains of darkness!
“Hahaha.”
I forced a laugh and stepped back, but the boys chased after me, insisting I was their savior.
Please, just stop clinging to me!
And that’s how my fateful entanglement with the Kereis brothers began — when I was thirteen.
“Ugh… too bright.”
The maid opened my curtains wide. I was still half-asleep.
“I’m still tired!”
The sunlight made me cover my eyes. The maid pouted.
“Miss Anne, you’ve really changed. You used to be so diligent.”
In this world, my name was Maryanne — “Anne” for short.
I sat up on my bed, a small thirteen-year-old girl with long, glossy red hair falling over my shoulders.
“Yawn…”
The maid handed me a glass of water.
“Your uncle is coming today.”
“Right. I’ll get ready.”
“…”
The maid gave me another strange look.
“My lady… you really have changed.”
Since I possessed this body, she’d often say I felt like a completely different person.
Honestly, I couldn’t blame her.
I couldn’t believe it either — I had possessed a web novel character.
In my past life, I was chased and killed by a murderer in the dark of night.
When I opened my eyes again, I was inside The Fate of Triya.
At first, I thought it was a dream — but deep down, I had always wished to escape my miserable reality and live in another world.
So maybe… this was my wish granted.
After weeks of disbelief, I accepted it.
“I’m hungry.”
When the maid gave me a suspicious look, I blinked my black eyes innocently.
“Yes, breakfast will be ready soon, miss.”
Following her, I stepped out of the room.
“Are you going to the back garden again?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Don’t be late for breakfast.”
“Got it.”
The back garden was my favorite place — wild and unkempt, but quiet enough to think.
I crouched before a lone tree standing proudly in the center.
For some reason, my memories felt clearer when I was near it.
“Okay, let’s go over this again…”
Because I had read the novel before dying, I knew the story well.
The Fate of Triya — a tale of tragic love between the male and female leads.
And the character I possessed, Maryanne, was the villainess —
an orphan who later married into the dark Kereis family and became utterly corrupted.
Fortunately, this was before she turned evil — when she was still thirteen.
“That means I have time before I become an adult… yawn.”
So sleepy again.
Sometimes, while thinking like this, I’d doze off.
And every time I did, I dreamed.
Sometimes of Shevert and Ron slaughtering monsters.
Sometimes of the enraged Duke of Kereis.
Nightmares — scenes straight from the novel.
But today’s dream was strange.
“I… really like you a lot!”
A boy confessed shyly, lips curved in a soft smile.
I couldn’t see his face clearly — the sunlight was too bright.
But my heart pounded at his warmth and sincerity.
Then, for a fleeting second, I saw his eye — glowing red.
“A crimson eye…!”
The mark of the Kereis family.
Could it be—
“My lady? My lady!”
The maid’s voice woke me.
“You fell asleep in the garden again! Breakfast is ready!”
“Oh… okay.”
I walked to the dining room in a daze.
“Was that man… from the Kereis family? But who?”
No matter how much I thought, I couldn’t remember.
The Duke? One of the brothers?
Most likely Shevert — since Maryanne eventually got engaged to him in the novel.
A shiver ran down my spine.
Dreaming about him?
I must be overthinking. Just a meaningless dream.
I shook it off.
“Anne! Maryanne!”
Looking out the window, I saw my uncle waving as he stepped out of a shabby carriage.
I smiled like an innocent child.
But inside—
“Ugh. Damn old man.”
That uncle was here to take me to his house — only to sell me off later.
Maryanne’s parents had died, leaving behind no inheritance — just an old house and one maid.
The uncle had taken her in not out of kindness, but because he’d learned from an old family record that Maryanne’s parents had possessed pure magic.
And perhaps… their daughter did too.
In the Triya Empire, there were no longer any natural-born magicians — only those who learned magic later in life.
So my existence was extraordinary.
“Anne, my dear niece Maryanne!”
When we met in the main hall, my uncle clasped my hands like a loving guardian.
“It’s been a while, Uncle.”
“Yes, yes, you’ve grown so much!”
I forced a polite smile.
Before I possessed her, Maryanne had been meek and obedient —
until she was sold to the dark family and turned evil.
“Are you ready to leave?”
“Yes, Uncle.”
He smiled kindly — but I knew better.
No one else did.
To others, he seemed like a benevolent man taking in a poor orphan.
“Get in the carriage first, Anne.”
“Yes.”
But I knew — in just a few months, he would sell me to the Kereis family.
That was where everything began.
The start of Maryanne’s descent into villainy.
I had tried everything — begging, running away, planning escape routes — all failed.
I even considered dying, but—
“No! Please… save me!”
—my trauma wouldn’t let me.
Whenever I remembered my death — the killer’s eyes, the dark train car —
my body froze in terror.
No. I had to focus on the present.
“Anne, what are you thinking so deeply about?”
Alone with him in the carriage, my uncle’s expression changed.
I smiled sweetly.
“I was just thinking how happy I am to live with you, Uncle.”
“Ha… happy, you say? Yes, of course.”
He forced a laugh.
I stroked a small twig in my dress pocket — from the tree in the garden.
It was silly, but it grounded me — reminded me of the story I was in.
The Delve family, Maryanne’s house, was poor and powerless.
A family of fools who squandered every bit of wealth they ever had.
If there was even a hint of money, they’d pounce.
Like now.
“Uncle, is that a money pouch you’re holding?”
He flinched.
It was the money he’d earned selling Maryanne’s estate.
“Ah—no, no, it’s nothing!”
I smiled innocently, pretending not to notice.
“Wow, what a beautiful garden.”
I winked playfully — but he didn’t look amused.
Well, fine.
My plan was simple:
Act cute. Stay safe. Live quietly until adulthood.
I absolutely refused to die as the villainess.
So I had to make my uncle like me enough not to sell me.
If I could delay that sale for even a month, I’d be free.
That evening, we had dinner together.
I chattered endlessly while my uncle sat in silence.
After dessert, he went to his study — and the next day, a guest arrived.
“Greet him properly. This is Doctor Huyas.”
“Hello, Mr. Huyas.”
The old man with silver hair nodded.
But I knew — he wasn’t a doctor, but a magician.
An alcoholic one, who had long forgotten most of his spells.
By day, he just pretended to be normal.
Of course, my uncle didn’t know that.
“Huyas will examine your health. You’ll need to be strong to live here.”
In truth, he wanted to confirm if I’d inherited my parents’ pure magic bloodline.
“Hmm…”
Huyas pressed his fingers to my wrist, blinking his bloodshot eyes —
then let out a quiet, astonished sigh.
