Chapter 1

Prologue

A new day dawned at the Duke’s House of Deremond.

The servants were all bustling about. For the first time in a long while, the duke was preparing to embark on a long journey.

The staff diligently focused on carrying out their assigned duties. Soon, it would be time for the duke to depart.

However, one servant, unable to suppress their curiosity, glanced around before quietly asking a colleague in a voice low enough for only them to hear:

“Is it… really happening this time?”

Without needing any further explanation, the colleague immediately understood the meaning behind the question.

“Surely he won’t cancel it again, will he?”

It was said that the duke had finally located the whereabouts of the man he had been pursuing for a long time. This outing could be considered the culmination of his long efforts to capture that man.

The duke was someone who had even killed his own half-brother to seize the ducal title.

He was also the kind of person who, once he set a target, would act without ever looking back.

…At least, until not long ago.

But the servants were quietly worried.

What if their master postponed the departure again? Would the duke truly proceed with the journey this time without canceling?

In truth, this concern was shared by everyone in the estate that morning.

…Even by the lady of the house, Ekette.

At the same time the servants were busily preparing for their master’s departure, Ekette Deremond, the duchess upstairs, was steeling herself with one firm resolve: she had to send her husband off today no matter what.

Only then could she finally enjoy life in peace.

If he left today, it would supposedly take at least a month before he returned. No matter what happened, she would make sure he left.

As the time of departure approached, Ekette clenched her fists and went out to see her husband off. Though her body was weakened by illness, seeing him off was something she could manage.

“…You’re not feeling well. Why did you come downstairs?”

That was the first thing her husband said the moment he saw her.

Why else? To make sure you actually leave.

Ekette carefully concealed her true thoughts and smiled gently.

“I’m not feeling unwell at all.”

She deliberately spoke in a bright voice, smiling lightly.

“I feel especially good today.”

Today of all days, she must not appear weak.

“I’m in perfect health, so don’t worry and go on your trip.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. The doctor said so as well—that I’ve improved a lot and there’s nothing to worry about anymore.”

If not for the doctor’s words, the duke might never have even planned this trip.

Of course, the reason the doctor had said such things was because Ekette had earnestly begged him to.

“…Make sure you take care of your health until I return.”

“Of course.”

Finally. He was really leaving.

Imagining the free days she would spend alone in the ducal estate for the next month made her heart race.

The days when she couldn’t even step outside without worrying about her husband’s gaze were finally over.

At last, she would be able to live the married life she had always dreamed of—her husband never at home, and her enjoying everything by herself!

As her heart swelled with anticipation, the duke turned to leave the mansion. Step by step, he began walking out.

At last!

His departing figure looked almost moving. She felt as if tears might well up.

Overcome with emotion… a slight itch rose in her chest.

“…Cough!”

A small, weak cough slipped out, like the chirp of a chick.

Huh.

Realizing what sound had escaped her lips, Ekette hurriedly covered her mouth.

But it was already too late.

The duke had not even taken more than a few steps past the front door, and there was no way he would miss the sound of her cough.

His steps came to an abrupt halt.

Ah, no!

Without hesitation, the duke turned sharply back toward the mansion.

Ekette, panicking, quickly began to explain as he approached with heavy footsteps.

“I—it’s not because I’m sick! I just choked! I swallowed wrong, that’s all…!”

Unlike Ekette, who struggled desperately, the servants of the estate quickly realized that today’s departure had once again been canceled and quietly resigned themselves.

Some of those who had been hoping their master would be away for a month shook their heads and returned inside.

“Looks like the trip won’t happen after all.”

The duke, at some point, had even taken off his outer coat and handed it to a servant beside him.

“Handle the planned matters yourself.”

He gave the order to a trusted subordinate.

“You are to take responsibility and bring me that man’s head. I believe I should stay by my wife’s side.”

He gave a command to bring him someone’s head with complete composure, yet could not overlook even a single cough from his wife.

What kind of contradiction was that?

Ekette felt both absurd and wronged.

“I’m really not sick!”

She protested indignantly—though, in truth, she was.

And even if she were sick, she was the patient—there was no reason for the duke to cancel his trip.

But the duke seemed to have made up his mind.

He strode over and gently stroked her cheek.

“How could I leave you like this?”

Ekette could not understand her husband’s behavior.

Why was he acting like this when, not long ago, he had not even spared her a glance?

* * *

I was born with a weak body.

Even the doctors could not determine my illness. No matter how many tests they ran, they could not find a cause.

There were no similar cases, and all test results were consistently clean.

It felt as though I alone in this world suffered from a disease that did not exist here.

With no diagnosis, there was naturally no treatment either.

I lived a life where I never knew when or where I might suddenly suffer a nosebleed, cough up blood, and collapse.

Still, aside from those occasional symptoms, I was otherwise fine and managed to adapt.

Then one day, I had a dream.

“Don’t you want to escape this miserable illness?”

A Western man who looked as if he had stepped straight out of a romantic fantasy novel appeared.

That transparent, radiant silver hair and medieval-style clothing—what on earth?

It seemed I had been too immersed in novels lately. To even dream something like this.

He stood alone in a pitch-black space like the universe, shining as though under a spotlight. His silver hair swayed as if caught by an unseen wind. He extended his hand toward me.

“Aren’t you tired? I can help you recover. I’ll solve your problem.”

What kind of nonsense was this? His tone sounded like a scammer or a loan shark, making me suspicious.

I looked back and forth between his outstretched hand and his handsome face.

“I’ve been managing just fine even while being sick.”

“Then you don’t need my help?”

How could someone from a dream claim they could help at all?

“In novels, it’s usually the suspicious people who end up stabbing you in the back.”

In my dream, I scoffed at the silver-haired man.

“Well, if that’s your decision, it can’t be helped.”

The man shrugged as if it didn’t bother him and turned away.

“If you change your mind, tell me. Next time we meet.”

With that, he turned, flicked his nose slightly, and disappeared.

That was it. He vanished, promising a future meeting, and I woke up.

What a bizarre dream. I should be careful not to get too absorbed in novels.

That brief dream featuring the silver-haired man was soon forgotten.

And then, a few days later—

On my way to the hospital, I got hit by a truck.

I hadn’t even opened my eyes yet, but the bed felt unusually soft and cozy.

My own bed didn’t wrap around my body like this.

Thinking something was odd, I slowly opened my eyes. A strange ceiling came into view.

“…W-what?”

I jolted awake. Trembling, I sat up abruptly.

The room I was in was large and elegant. A European-style room filled with intricate decorations, framed paintings that looked like they belonged in a gallery, and a large bed in the center…

Wait a second. This scene looked familiar.

Could it be… a romantic fantasy cliché?

Waking up in a lavish medieval-style room like this was the classic setup of a reincarnation novel.

I searched my memory of what happened before I lost consciousness.

I had been on my way to the hospital for a routine check-up, walking a familiar route I had taken countless times.

Letting my guard down on that familiar road, I ended up getting hit by a speeding truck.

So getting hit by a truck really did result in transmigration into a romance fantasy world? Then was that silver-haired man from my dream some kind of premonition?

I glanced down. Sure enough, instead of my original short black hair, I now had dazzling golden hair. I had really been transmigrated.

Wait… what did that silver-haired man say again? Something about freeing me from my miserable illness?!

The strength drained from my hand as I fiddled with the ends of my hair.

Ah! Only now did I understand the true meaning of that suspicious-sounding promise.

He meant to transmigrate me here so I could escape my illness!

Of course.

In typical romance fantasy transmigration stories, one receives a new body and appearance and begins life in an entirely different world. The pains of the past become irrelevant.

Alright! Suddenly, I felt energized. My body was no longer my frail past self—it must now belong to a character in this novel!

Filled with anticipation, I began to look around properly.

Judging by the lavish room, I was definitely of noble birth. Healthy and wealthy? It couldn’t get any better.

On the bedside table was a small framed photo. Inside were a couple with hair identical to mine and a young girl.

Given the matching hair color, it seemed to be a portrait of my family and myself in childhood.

Just in case, I checked the drawer in the table. Thankfully, there were no medicine bottles inside. That meant this body was healthy.

Relieved for now, I pulled the call cord. It was time to confirm who I was.

Almost immediately after pulling it, a maid entered.

“You’re awake?”

Judging by her respectful attitude, my life in this world seemed like it would be comfortable.

“Do you know my name?”

“Pardon?”

“Can you tell me my name?”

Her eyes filled with confusion.

“My name?”

“Yes.”

“Madam… why are you asking such a frightening question? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Her words felt oddly out of place.

Unwell? This body was newly born into this world.

“I’m perfectly fine. Not even a little sick. So please answer my question.”

The maid still looked completely bewildered.

“You are the Duchess Ekette Deremond…”

Ekette… Deremond?

The name Ekette didn’t ring a bell.

As I tried to recall the romance fantasy novels I had read, I suddenly let out a small gasp.

I remembered the Duke of Deremond—Kairon Deremond. Wasn’t he the mastermind villain in a novel I had recently read?

The shock of discovering that he, who seemed to be a supporter of the female lead (a saint), was actually the hidden antagonist still lingered in my memory.

But did that duke even have a wife? I couldn’t recall it being mentioned much in the novel.

Still, a duchess would likely have lived in good conditions and be healthy.

I decided to be satisfied.

In the story, the Duke of Deremond was the kind of person who would betray the female lead, the saint, and even kill the second male lead.

Being busy playing the villain, he probably never even had meals with his wife.

In fact, he rarely stayed at the estate at all, always out scheming and acting.

So the duchess was essentially a background character who never properly appeared in the story—completely nonexistent.

Ah, so I’ve transmigrated into the wife of a busy, indifferent husband.

“Not bad.”

I murmured to myself, causing the maid beside me to look startled again.

“W-what did you say?”

“Nothing.”