Prologue
It was nothing more than an ordinary day—just one with especially pleasant weather.
Having just stepped off the kindergarten bus, I helped the children down one by one, holding their hands as they followed after me. Then, almost absentmindedly, I looked up at the sky.
It was a clear blue expanse without a single cloud, and a gentle breeze brushed past. Carried by that wind, a single flower petal drifted lazily through the air.
Spring has already come.
Come to think of it, it had already been a year since I started working as a kindergarten teacher.
I had always wanted to become a teacher. I loved children, and I had a natural talent for caring for them. After working hard, I finally achieved my dream—and at the age of twenty-five, I became the youngest teacher at the kindergarten, Lee Yerin.
“Th-thank you for bringing me… Teacher!”
Jeongan, who had just hopped off the bus on his short little legs, looked up at me and spoke. I smiled softly at how adorable he was and took his hand as we started walking.
He had only just turned three, so it was dangerous for him to cross the street alone. That was why I always made sure to walk him safely to the other side.
“Teacher, be careful on your way!”
Standing on the opposite sidewalk, holding a balloon in one hand, Jeongan waved at me with a bright smile.
“Alright, Jeongan. You be careful too.”
Smiling, I turned away from him and headed back toward the bus.
And then—
Honk—!
At the sharp blare of a horn, a chill ran down my spine. I instinctively turned around.
What I saw was Jeongan chasing after his balloon… and a car speeding straight toward him.
“Jeongan!”
The moment I saw it, all rational thought disappeared. I ran toward him without hesitation.
Crash!
A deafening impact rang out, and in that instant, I felt my body lift into the air.
For a brief moment, I was suspended—weightless.
They say that when a person is about to die, countless thoughts flash through their mind…
But mine was completely blank.
The next moment, I slammed into the ground.
As I lay collapsed on the road, my vision caught sight of Jeongan. His wide eyes trembled, filled with tears, frozen in shock.
“T…Teacher…”
I wanted to take his hand, to walk him home, to make sure this moment wouldn’t become a trauma for him.
But my head—no, my entire body—ached so badly that I couldn’t move.
And just like that…
I lost consciousness.
* * *
Rattle, rattle.
The ground beneath me shook, and the movement pulled me from my sleep.
Annoyed, I brushed my hair back.
I must be in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.
I had been certain I would die, so the fact that I survived felt like a relief.
Once I’m feeling a bit better, I should call Jeongan first… tell him I’m okay so he won’t worry.
…Wait.
Why doesn’t anything hurt?
I reached out, feeling along my body and moving my limbs—but there were no wounds, no pain.
And now that I thought about it… I couldn’t hear any sirens either.
Instead, I heard something else.
Hoofbeats.
Frowning, I opened my eyes.
But what greeted me was not the white ceiling of an ambulance.
Instead, above me was a ceiling adorned with jewels—and even gilded with gold.
“…What?”
Absentmindedly, I reached out and touched one of the gems. It was enormous—larger than anything I had ever seen in my life.
Is this… a dream?
…Yeah. It had to be.
A dream full of gold and jewels—surely that meant money would be coming my way soon.
As I continued to toy with the gem, it caught the light and sparkled. Following the ray of light, I turned my head toward the window.
Outside, the scenery was moving.
Moving scenery. The sound of hooves. A jewel-decorated interior.
Only then did I realize—
I was inside a carriage.
At that exact moment, the seat jolted violently.
Bang!
With a loud crash, my body shot upward, and I smacked my head against the ceiling.
Pain exploded through me, tears instantly welling up in my eyes.
Clutching my head, I froze.
Wait…
They say you can’t feel pain in dreams.
Then—
“…This isn’t a dream?”
A creeping sense of dread began to rise from deep within me.
Did I get kidnapped?
No… what kind of lunatic kidnaps someone in a carriage decorated with jewels?
Then what…?
Stunned, I stared out the window again.
Reflected in the clear glass—
was a face.
Not mine.
I pressed closer to the window, disbelief flooding me.
“What is this?!”
Startled, I stumbled backward.
The face staring back at me was that of a breathtaking beauty—with silver-white hair and piercing blue eyes, like something straight out of a fantasy novel.
Unable to believe it, I touched my face, then glanced down.
A luxurious dress, the kind one would only see in medieval Europe, adorned my body.
“…What… is going on?”
My fingers trembled as I brushed through the long, silver hair that flowed down to my waist.
This couldn’t be real.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Just then, the carriage came to a stop.
Knock, knock.
The door opened.
Standing outside was a neatly dressed man who looked like a butler, accompanied by several maids and attendants.
“Welcome to the Child Ducal House, Her Highness Princess Fiora Tiane de Daemon.”
Though it was a language I had never heard before, I understood him perfectly.
I stared at him in silence.
His gaze remained fixed on me—as if I truly were this “Fiora.”
“…Ha.”
So this was what it felt like to lose your mind.
I covered my mouth, trying to suppress the laughter bubbling up.
“Please, take my hand and step down, Your Highness.”
The butler extended his gloved hand.
I stared at it… then quietly shut the carriage door again.
Because I knew that name.
Fiora.
And the Child Ducal House.
They were from a novel I had once read—
<The Duke’s Children>.
Fiora was the villainess who was eventually cast aside.
“…Don’t tell me.”
Slowly, I looked around again.
This wasn’t a set.
There were no cameras.
Everything felt too real.
“…So this is reality.”
I pushed my hair back.
“I’ve… become Fiora.”
The memory of my final moment as Lee Yerin resurfaced, and I let out a long sigh.
At least I had saved a child.
Even if it was unfair… I had no regrets.
But still—
“Of all people… why her?”
I clenched my fist, recalling Fiora’s actions in the novel.
She had bullied the children relentlessly.
When the female lead, a maid named Reria, tried to expose her, Fiora even kidnapped her to silence her.
And in the end—
She was executed.
“…Just like that.”
A chill ran through my entire body.
I had been given another chance at life.
I couldn’t die again like this.
If I treat the children well… will that change things?
No.
The male lead would fall in love with the heroine at first sight.
Our engagement would be broken.
The children would be hurt.
…Then—
“I’ll stay away from them.”
I would avoid getting involved.
Wait until the heroine appeared.
Break off the engagement.
Take the compensation money and—
“Open my own kindergarten.”
And maybe…
just secretly help the children from afar.
Having made up my mind, I took a deep breath and pushed open the carriage door, extending my hand.
But the butler had stepped back, merely watching me.
Did I already ruin my image…?
Cold sweat ran down my back.
Just as I was about to step down on my own—
Two small hands suddenly reached out toward me.
“Welcome to the Ducal House.”
A soft, adorable voice came from below.
Looking down, I saw two beautifully dressed boys holding out their hands to me.
…Is this heaven?
Before I could even process it, three girls ran up to me.
“Hello! I’m Lemon!!!”
“Welcome.”
“We’re glad you’re here.”
They held out a small bouquet—clearly handmade.
Five pairs of sparkling red eyes looked up at me.
And just like that—
my carefully constructed resolve shattered.
I clutched my chest.
“…This is too cute.”
How am I supposed to stay away from them?
As I stood there, wavering, a thought suddenly struck me.
A way to stay close… without ever having to leave them.
Smiling brightly, I took the bouquet in one hand—
and a child’s hand in the other.
“Thank you.”
Their faces lit up instantly.
Watching them smile, I made my decision.
I’m not going to be a villainess.
No… I can’t be one.
I’m going to stay with them.
And so—
“Your Grace, I’ll do whatever you say. If you want to break the engagement, I will… so after that—could you hire me as a teacher instead?”
