Chapter 01
The world was red. A reflexive cough escaped me as a strange pressure filled my lungs.
Then, with a sound like something boiling in my throat, a red lump gushed out, spilling onto my palm that hadn’t even covered my mouth in time.
Beyond my blurred vision, a silver gleam flickered coldly, moving in a dizzying pattern.
“The last mercy for Lady Erina Marvas, the shame of the nobility.”
A cold, emotionless voice buzzed in my ears.
Pain surged through my body, which had felt nothing but the sticky liquid creeping down my throat.
I didn’t want this—I hadn’t failed my Awakening willingly. And yet, the price of failure was death.
‘My fiancé abandoned me, everyone points fingers at me wherever I go… am I not even worthy of living?’
After the Awakening ritual, even my family turned away from me. Perhaps… maybe it’s better to die like this.
My vision tilted to the side. Someone’s foot came dangerously close.
The moment they bent down and whispered something to me—
* * *
“…! Hah… huff…!”
I snapped awake as if doused in cold water. Gasping for breath, clutching my chest, no matter how deeply I inhaled, it never felt enough.
“Ah, damn it… a dream.”
A disgusting dream. Why, of all things, would I dream of being mocked to death by an assassin? Have I been reading too many romance-fantasy novels lately?
I paused mid-breath at the unnervingly vivid dream.
…Wait, this blanket is soft. None of my pajamas were this airy and silky, like a dress.
Before I could fully process the familiar “novel opening” feeling, I bolted upright and scanned the room.
“…Wow… this is insane.”
It was dazzling. So flashy and glittering that I pinched my cheek, questioning if I was still asleep.
The sting on my cheek confirmed I wasn’t dreaming. Could this… be the classic “possession” trope from novels? But where had I ended up?
I ran to the full-length mirror. What I saw made me chuckle bitterly.
“What is this… familiar-looking beauty?”
The word “beauty” slipped out naturally. Even with my stunned expression, I couldn’t help but feel she was gorgeous.
Amethyst-colored eyes, black hair with a hint of red flowing all the way to her waist, glossy and radiant.
Her pale skin contrasted perfectly with her black hair, almost translucent.
The problem? This beautiful lady matched the description of a character from a novel I’d been reading.
“Crazy… Lady Erina Marvas?!”
Why was the villainous sister from the novel here?
She was a character in the ongoing web novel <I Did Not Wish to Be Loved>—a prime example showing that even nobles face ruin if their Awakening fails. That character was Lady Erina Marvas.
Honestly, I had rooted for Erina more than the heroine.
Being half-failed in your Awakening, abandoned by your fiancé, ignored by your family, and constantly gossiped about by nobles… anyone would go dark-hearted.
It’s one thing to be devastated by a failed Awakening, another to be compared constantly with the heroine. No wonder she turned into the villainess.
“Her family, without exception, treated her with ultimate indifference.”
In the novel, Erina ultimately was assassinated.
What made it worse? The novel only hinted at who might have done it—never revealing who had ordered it.
Even as the ongoing story, the author made it clear: “The villainess’ death isn’t important~”—and that annoyed me even more.
—The evil sister Erina was far better than the bland saintly heroine! Author, save Erina!
I had repeatedly left comments like that, and now… I had become Erina.
I sighed, overwhelmed by the feeling.
Erina looked slightly younger than described in the novel. How old was she now?
Knock knock.
“Have you risen, Lady? I brought your washbasin.”
A maid stood there, holding a large basin. My heart raced as I closed my mouth. Better to assess the situation than say something suspicious.
Perhaps because I said nothing, the maid’s expression grew concerned:
“Shall I call a healer? You’ve been restless at night recently.”
“No, it’s fine.”
A healer? No, thank you—I was already mentally scattered from being possessed; I didn’t need more people involved.
I shook my head, but the maid didn’t easily accept it. Instead, she spoke with pity:
“Such nightmares are to be expected. The Duchess’ funeral only ended yesterday… Heaven is indifferent… To think she never saw you since you were seven…”
From her words, I gained a clue: if the Duchess’ funeral just happened, Erina was currently seventeen.
‘Then there are two years until the Awakening ritual.’
A relief. I had no intention of repeating Erina’s tragic life from the novel.
‘I’ll just nip the villainous seeds in the bud.’
I could skip the Awakening entirely. Though the ritual is meant to turn a seventeen-year-old into a dragon, in the novel it mattered less what she became and more what power she gained. Plus…
‘There’s already a dragon on the surface.’
A human awakened as a dragon after centuries—Prince Shurandis, ruler of the Empire’s southern lands and a dragon who stayed aboveground.
He was supposed to help the heroine awaken as a dragon, a candidate for the true male lead.
The novel wasn’t finished, so the main male lead wasn’t confirmed. But one thing was clear:
‘Erina’s Awakening must fail.’
Miserably, so she wouldn’t even manifest full power.
Her father, the Duke, ignored her. Her eldest brother ruled strictly without giving her anything. Her second brother snapped at her constantly…
‘Good. Time to run.’
No matter her status, I wasn’t about to walk through a thorny path straight to a one-way ticket to the afterlife.
Yes. Run. If I hide my identity, I don’t have to undergo the Awakening!
While changing into clothes provided by the maids, I resolved to escape from the Duke’s household.
No one in my family truly cared about Erina, so I could disappear quietly without them even searching.
Since the funeral had just ended, the maids suggested calm, black dresses.
Anything was fine; I changed, fixed my hair, when suddenly the door flung open.
Only three people could barge into the lady’s room without knocking:
“Erina!”
The urgent voice made me turn.
“F-Father?”
What was the Duke doing? He had always been distant, even to his youngest daughter. Why this frantic, disheveled rush?
Confused, I watched as he approached.
“…?!”
Then, he hugged me. So tightly I had to twist to breathe.
“F-Father.”
“Erina, you…!”
His body trembled. Wait… who are you? In the novel, he never showed affection to Erina. Why now?
“Father, it’s suffocating…!”
I pushed him back, unable to tolerate the awkward closeness. He released his arms without protest.
“Why…?”
Why was he acting like this? He had contributed greatly to Erina turning dark in the novel. Always busy, distant to his children, yet suddenly this?
I noticed him pause, hands awkwardly hovering, then he stepped back several paces. Smart—he couldn’t know I wasn’t really Erina.
A tense silence fell between us. I had nothing to say, and he seemed unsure what to do.
I hoped he would leave, but footsteps approached urgently from afar, and that hope vanished.
“Erina!”
Bang! Another door burst open, almost tearing from its hinges.
Two men entered: one in uniform with a sword at his waist, another wearing a magician’s symbol necklace.
“Sirs, Gawain and Russell,” I sighed.
Why were they here now? They barely cared about Erina before—why show up suddenly?
I could barely comprehend it. If I’d done something drastic after possession, maybe it’d make sense. But I had only changed clothes—from pajamas to casual wear! Nothing else!
Yet here they were, staring at me as if the world had flipped upside down.
