***

“Nelia.”

She was about to get up, leaving Duke Hardt, who was sleeping, but his firm arms tightened as it wrapped around her waist.

“Aren’t you sleeping……..?”

Duke Hardt carefully opened his closed eyes.

“I was woken up.”

No, at least he should have woken up when hearing the sound of her footsteps. Isn’t it too much to wake up as soon as she was about to get her body up?

“It’s because Nelia is attempting to run away again.”

Duke Hardt glanced perseveringly at Nelia. Then he pulled her by the waist.

Nelia, unable to beat his strength, ended up lying down on the bed again.

“Why do you keep running away?”

“Because it looks like you’re asleep….”

As Nelia muttered apologetically, Duke Hardt proceeded to bury his face on her shoulder.

“Don’t leave.”

The murmuring voice tickled and brushed against her collarbone.

“Without Nelia by my side, I would change again.”

“I know, but….”

The end of Nelia’s words were unclear as she looked at the gorgeous man who was leaning on her.

The innocent-looking man who was hugging her without letting even just a little gap separating them, was actually the cold-blooded villain in the novel, Duke Hardt.

Hiding his identity as the cold-blooded villain, he had a reputation of being a handsome man who was admired by everyone in the empire.

However, beside the fact that he was the cold-blooded villain, he also had a huge secret that no one would believe.

Nelia shook her head mentally, recalling the day when she learned about his secret.

‘I never imagined it.’

She, the supporting character, would find out about the villain’s secret.

Just as the flapping of the butterfly’s wings caused the typhoon on the opposite side of the earth, the beginning of all this event was coming from a very trivial issue.

It was back when she hadn’t met the villain just yet.

***

In her past life, Nelia lived as a college student in South Korea.

She has to say that it was very unfortunate, too.

She experienced death from overworking when she was just twenty-one years old, and no one could deny it.

Due to the moneylender who came to see her every single day, there has been no part-time job that she didn’t do since she was a student, and her life as an adult turned to be even more difficult.

Others say that they would buy nice clothes and drink alcohol after they became adults, but it was just like a dream to her.

Anyway, her wish and goal everyday was just ‘filling herself with plenty of food’.

And then, one day.

While filling the convenience store shelves, she found a book that someone had left there.

No matter how much time had passed, no one came there to look for a book with a pretty pink rose illustration.

Due to that, she decided to read the book in her spare time when there were no customers around.

Now that she thought about it, there was nothing particularly special in the ‘Andrian’s Flower’, but she seemed to read it while feeling fascinated since it was her first time reading a romance novel.

‘Of course, until I realized I would be possessed into this novel.’

Upon her death, she was possessed by the character of this novel, ‘Nelia’.

At first, she had no idea what this was all about. All the hair was varied in colors and the houses here were western-style.

In her previous life, she was quite good at adapting to any strange and tricky situation quickly, but this time was an exception.

The environment that surrounded her, people, even her face looked really strange to her whenever she looked at the mirror, therefore it was hard to adapt to everything.

It was when the maid muttered the name ‘Andrian’ that she finally figured it out, after holding her breath for a while to concentrate on her attempt to apprehend the situation.

“…What now?”

“I was talking about the celebration of Andrian’s country establishment!”

Andrian was the name of the empire in ‘Andrian’s Flower’.

‘Don’t tell me it, it’s….’

She asked back again to confirm.

“Who is the current emperor….?”

“His Majesty the Emperor Arjen……?”

Hyung.

Arjen was the Emperor of Andrian Empire.

Nelia returned the maid’s gaze with a pale face, and got lost in thought.

Now, she was in a book called ‘Andrian’s Flower’. She learned that the empire’s name and its emperor in the book matched with what had just come out of the maid’s mouth.

‘Andrian’s Flower’ was a romance novel in which Charlotte, the pretty and kind-hearted female protagonist, fell in love while embracing Carlos, the feisty male lead who suffered a lot of pain mentally.

It seemed to be a common romance novel, but the fantasy-tinged universe was quite unique, the male lead’s impecunious past and the love triangle that would gradually lead to the destruction, which gave off a somewhat dark atmosphere.

Nelia, who recalled the content of the book, realized that there was one thing she was able to point out right away.

“They referred to me as ‘Nelia’……..”

……. Who is Nellia?

Her eyes opened widely when she thought about her own name.

She remembered it! Nelia!

However, Nelia’s expression soon turned grim.

Based on the original story, she would die soon.

In the book, Nelia grew up in a wealthy and harmonious family, but her personality was not really pleasant. Since she had been spoiled way too much by her family, she was childish.

The character eventually raised a great hackle.

The incident began when she attended a party hosted by the imperial family. That day, the Emperor was going to make an important announcement and requested all nobles in the capital to attend it.

“Nobody knew that the announcement was to introduce Prince Carlos, who had never appeared in public.”

It was the same for Nelia in the original story.

Nelia, whose eyes were wandering toward the imperial family’s bright jewel, had the guts to touch and damage it, and of all people, she was discovered by Carlos.

If she lowered her head in an apologetic manner there, she wouldn’t have provoked his temper, instead Nelia raised her voice without being aware that Carlos was the crown prince.

‘Tell me, what’s so great about this?’

Due to that, she was imprisoned for various charges of crimes, such as contempt toward the imperial family, breakage of jewels, demoralizing behavior, and was executed.

Just like that, Nelia in the original story was just a stupid one extra who failed to recognize Prince Carlos.

She was just a tool in order to show Carlos’ cruel personality, the male lead.

However, it was too early to lose hope.

Despite how Nelia acted in the original story, it would be fine if she didn’t act that way.

Above anything else, she knew how Prince Carlos looked like, and she wouldn’t be doing anything stupid to damage the imperial family’s jewels without necessary.

She got a new life at most, and she didn’t want to die in a ridiculous way anymore.

Although what happened to her at this moment was confusing, the circumstance she was currently living in was incomparably rich and stable rather than in her previous life.

‘Yeah, let’s see.’

Nelia heard her mother’s voice, Lily, downstairs as she clenched her fist and made a determined decision.

“Nelia, come down here and enjoy the strawberry tart.”

***

When she entered the dining room, there was a bright glistening strawberry tart on the table.

“I bought it since you seemed to run out of energy lately.”

Mother must have been worried about her daughter’s strange condition lately.

In fact, her daughter, who had been wandering around outside every single day, had locked herself up in the room for several days, therefore the parents were bound to be worried.

Nelia felt awkward with others, so she was afraid to talk to them. Therefore, she spoke as little as possible to others and stayed in her room.

But now, after she realized that this world was in the book I’ve read before with the sufficient amount of information about her identity, she didn’t have to keep hiding inside her room.

However, the truth was he felt a little gloomy.

It wasn’t easy for her to adapt to the changing circumstances, and moreover, becoming the daughter of some stranger.

They didn’t know, but for her, they were complete strangers.

So, sometimes she was lonely and felt confused.

Though, the frequency [of it happening] was decreasing bit by bit.

“Hurry up and eat.”

However, her mother, Lily, was speaking in a tone laced with worries regarding her daughter.

Nelia put aside her stinking thoughts and moved her fork to pick up the tart.

The sweet smell that stimulated her nose tip seemed to make her feel even more gloomy than before.

Chew.

‘…… Oh, It’s delicious.’

The tart was more delicious than she thought.

As she took a bite of it, the tart disappeared faster than she expected.

Thump, thump.

Then, she heard someone trotting down the stairs.

A man with light brown hair, similar to Nelia’s, came into the view in no time.

“What, You ate it by yourself?”

He was Leighton, Nelia’s the one and only brother.

“This is not the tart from Pashu Bakery! I’m disappointed, mother. Just take care of Nelia!”

While living her life as Nelia, there was one thing that pierced deeply in her mind.

This household certainly failed in raising the children.

It was surprising how not just Nelia, but also her brother, Leighton could be so childish despite being that old in the original story.

Look at him, he was piercing daggers into her mother with his eyes after finding out that her sister had been trying out a little slice of tart.

“I bought this because Nelia didn’t seem energized. Why don’t you just buy it as well if you want to.”

“You have to stand in line if you want to buy the tart! Go and tell Dina to buy it for me!”

Lily stroked her cheek at Leighton’s viciousness.

“Dina just left to do some errand, so she’s not here….”

Dina was the mansion’s maid. Dina often ran errands where she had to go to the bakery, and she just happened to be away at that moment.

‘Oh, that pathetic guy.’

Nelia sighed.

“Mother, I will go to the bakery.”

She could have requested another maid, but she thought she’d go there while taking a walk. Since she decided to adapt here, it seemed to be a good idea to leave the house and look around outside.

“All right, you should buy it for me if you have some conscience in yourself.”

As Nelia came forward, Leighton nodded as if she naturally had to do that.

Nelia also acted that way in the original story, so she wondered how upset her mother was to both of them.

Nelia clicked her tongue and prepared to go out.

“Hurry up and return. I have to go out in the afternoon.”

She clenched her fist once Leighton, who spoke in a mean way, revealed the back of his head to her.

***

The count’s mansion, which was located in the capital, happened to be close to the city.

Nelia was not in the bad mood anymore once she left the house after a long time.

However, as soon as she arrived in front of the bakery, she had to receive disappointing news that made her lose the strength in her body.

“Oh my, what to do. We just ran out of strawberry tart.”

Nelia bowed her head at the shopkeeper’s words, who was speaking as if they pitied her.

‘I’ve come all the way here……!’

It was when Nelia left the shop and was about to return back home.

“AHH!”

The scream of a slender woman came from behind her. Nelia reflexively turned her head around in a flash.

Several people gathered in one place and formed a circle.

“No problem. I got this!”

The man held the sack in his hand as he shouted confidently.

The sack seemed to shake slightly as if there was something alive inside.

“What is it?”

Nelia, who was curious, came closer to her.

“Phew, it’s monstrous. Come here, tie this up.”

The woman, who was assumed to have screamed earlier, took out a handkerchief and passed them over to the man who held the sack.

“That’s a good idea.”

The man coiled the sack with the handkerchief. Nelia asked with the gaze directed at the sack.

“What’s inside?”

The man, who was coiling the opening of the sack, threw a glance at Nelia.

“It’s better for you not to be concerned about that. Although it’s a superstition, there’s also some saying that if you have eye contact with it, you’ll be cursed.”

His tone was so stern that Nelia couldn’t bring herself to ask more questions.

“I wonder why they came all the way down to the city when they live in the mountains. Anyway, I’ll take care of this, so you don’t have to worry about it, young lady.”

It bothered Nelia a lot when he said that he was going to take care of that.

It seemed like a wild animal had come through the wrong path and was bound to be inevitably killed……

Then, Nelia came up with something.

That a wild animal had wandered off and got lost, it came down the wrong way which was similar to her situation.

A week ago, if she wandered around this unfamiliar city, it would not have been any different from that wild animal.

“From the size of the sack, it looks like a small animal…”

Perhaps, that was why Delia concealed herself and went after him.

He stopped at the stream that ran through the downtown.

And then.

The sack was thrown to the stream.

‘……!’

As he shook his hands and disappeared without any regret, Nelia hurriedly followed the sack that was drifting away.

The wild animal inside the sack thrashed around as if sensing a threat.

The thought that the animal in the sack might drown made Nelia’s heart racing.

Even though she extended her hand, she wasn’t able to easily reach it, so she turned around and looked for a long branch.

The matching branch came into her sight in no time. She grabbed the branch quickly and held it out toward the sack.

‘Gotcha……..!’

The sack barely reached the end of the branch. The sack was pulled back bit by bit by Nelia’s hand.

The sack was wet. The bag would get wet and sink down quickly if it hadn’t been pulled back by her.

‘It’s a relief.’

Nelia glanced around to look for a spot to release it.

However, this is in the middle of the city, so there was no suitable place to release it.

‘Right, now that I’ve gotten it away from the stream.’

Nelia took the hassle of riding a stagecoach on the street, traveling all the way to the outskirts of the town.

While on the way, Nelia stared at the bag with squinted eyes.

‘What kind of animal is inside…….?’

The sack was thick, so she couldn’t really feel the shape of it. However, she was certain that it’s quite light and not round.

While staring at the sack, the shaking movement inside the sack gradually subsided.

‘You’re not dead, are you?’

Nelia muttered in frustration as she looked down at the sack.

“Wait a minute, I will release in a moment. You can’t just die.”

Nelia stepped forward hurriedly as soon as she got out of the carriage.

The place where she arrived was a forest where there were only a few people in sight.

The bag flinched inside. Nelia crouched down and put down the sack in a haste.

Fortunately, it seemed to be alive.

‘Hm…….’

Nelia, feeling relieved, now wondered how to release the animal inside it.

It might be dangerous since it’s a wild animal, and what the man said before was bothering her.

‘Although it’s a superstition, there’s also some saying that if you have eye contact with it, you’ll be cursed.’

Okay, let’s just untie the coil. Then, let it come out on its own.

Nelia, who made up her mind, untied the coil that had tied the opening of the bag and quickly got up.

“This is probably not where you used to live, but I think you will be able to adapt well.”

Nelia hoped so.

Perhaps, it was an encouragement that she wanted to say to herself.

“Don’t ever come down to the city.”

After that, Nelia ran to the place where the stagecoach had been parked earlier.

Without knowing the identity of the living creature that she just saved today.

***

When the sack was left there alone, something came out from it.

Even if the surroundings were dark, its bright eyes were glued on Nelia’s back, which was fading away.

Until Nelia was completely out of its sight.

***

[t/n: Okay so let’s stick with the name ‘Hart’. After all, it’s easier to pronounce lol]

It had already been quite some time when she got home.

When Nelia arrived at her home, she thought again about how strange she had behaved earlier.

“Why did I suddenly have some empathy toward wild animals….”

Even so, she was pleased with what she did today.

She never had any influence toward anyone in her life, but today she had saved a life.

It was a precious experience for Nelia, who has always been busy saving her own life from the previous life.

However, a sense of satisfaction inside Nelia disappeared as soon as she got home.

“Did you get it?”

As soon as Nelia stepped inside the house, Leighton came up and demanded his strawberry tart.

“No.”

“What?”

Leighton’s expression immediately turned into a scowl.

“It was sold out.”

Leighton seemed unconvinced despite Nelia already explaining it to him.

“Ah, d**n you! How can’t you do anything right for once!”

Leighton was upset, like a refractory child that appeared on the Parenting Consulting TV Program.

Lily, who couldn’t endure the sight, stepped in.

“Leighton, I’ll get Dina to buy it tomorrow morning, so drop by the boutique first right away. If you don’t go today, the suit won’t come out until the day after tomorrow, which is on the day of the party.”

Huft, Leighton exhaled still with a scowl on his face, then spoke to Lily.

“Then you must buy me a strawberry tart tomorrow.”

After Lily told him several times that she would do that, Leighton left the house using a carriage.

‘Maybe I will put poison in the tart.’

Nelia glared at the carriage that just left.

“Nelia, it’s the same for you. The dress I set to be tailored for you has arrived, you can try it on.”

Oh, so she was going to the party as well.

Now that she was thinking about it, her mother seemed to talk about the party at breakfast.

“It’s a party hosted by the Imperial Family, so we can’t go there looking shabby.”

Party hosted by the Imperial Family…….?

Was she talking about the party where Nelia caused an accident in the original story?

‘This is where the Emperor said he would make an important announcement.’

…… Right.

That important announcement was to officially introduce Prince Carlos.

Carlos has never appeared among the public even though he was the Crown Prince.

‘He was ignored and received a lot of criticism for being an illegitimate child.’

People didn’t recognize Carlos as the Crown Prince, and Carlos knew about that, so he contemplated on appearing in public.

However, after he awakened as a swordmaster, he made a great contribution during the war, and finally got the recognition as the Crown Prince.

In other words, this party was the first time the Crown prince, who had been shrouded by the veil, appeared in front of people.

On the other hand, it was the last party Nelia would attend in the original story.

Nelia’s hand sweated immensely when she thought that this party was the gallows for her in the original story.

She thought for a moment that there was a way not to attend the party, but she also thought it would be difficult to figure out as she recalled Lily’s words before she came up to her room.

‘Nelia, I know you aren’t fond of going to crowded places lately, but at least you have to attend this party. If you don’t, it can result in punishment for the family.’

Lily notified her in advance as she was afraid that her daughter, who had recently confined herself in her room, would not want to attend the party.

‘Definitely…….’

It wasn’t just a random party, but an event for informing about the official announcement of the Crown Prince, whose presence was unofficial after all this time.

If she didn’t attend, it could have been deemed as an unwillingness to acknowledge the Crown Prince, a child born of a concubine.

Nelia nibbled on her lips.

The party she had to attend was where Carlos would appear.

Nelia, who appeared to be stiff, comforted herself right away.

‘No, I’m not going to act like Nelia in the original story.’

The original Nelia has caused her own death. If she didn’t act that way, she would not bring any problem to herself again.

Thinking that way, her rapidly beating heart seemed to slow down a little.

Nelia pushed back the uneasiness with a dry gulp.

***

That day came sooner than she expected.

“Nelia, are you ready?”

Lily’s voice came from downstairs.

The whole family was moving around busily for the special party. The imperial party was bigger than she thought, it was an important occasion after all.

All the important figures of the empire would gather there.

“Wait a little more!”

Nelia, with pale pink roses on her hair, has just finished dressing herself up.

As she was about to go downstairs, Nelia realized that she still wore slippers on her feet.

“Oh, I haven’t changed my shoes yet.”

Nelia looked around, then a maid showed up and put up a pair of shoes in front of her.

“I think these shoes would look best along with the purple dress you’re wearing now.”

The shoes held out by the maid were white-colored high-heeled shoes, and the pointed tip on the front definitely matched the sophisticated dress she was wearing.

‘Even so, the heels look too high and pointed.’

She wasn’t sure if she could walk well in those shoes. She had never worn high-heeled shoes in her life.

Nelia was agonizing by herself, and the maid came closer and whispered in her ears.

“The other pair of shoes that would go well with this dress are black, but if you wear them, you will look like they are matching with Master Leighton today. Master Leighton is also wearing black shoes to go with his dark purple suit today.”

“I’ll go with this.”

At the maid’s remark, Nelia chose the white shoes right away.

As expected, high-heeled shoes were difficult to get used to. As she walked down the stairs leading to the first floor awkwardly, her parents were already standing there.

“Our Nelia, you look like a blossoming violet today.”

Lily looked at Delia with an emotional look on her face.

Nelia has felt something lately.

And that was how Lily took good care of her.

When her spoiled and hot-tempered daughter became quiet, she looked very happy.

She seemed to be even more worried on the one hand when she acted even more normally than before. When would Leighton become mature?

Nelia unintentionally heard Lily mutter to herself.

“When would Leighton become mature……”

Perhaps she has been thinking that way recently because she compared him to her.

“Everything is ruined because of you!”

Just then, she heard the voice of childish Leighton coming down the stairs.

Lily turned her warm gaze away from Nelia and looked up the stairs with a tired face.

Soon, Leighton appeared along with thumping steps and angry expression. There was Dina stumping along beside him.

“I said I absolutely didn’t like this shoes!”

“What’s the fuss about, Leighton?”

Lily asked when Leighton finally came down to the first floor.

“I clearly told you to find shiny black shoes, but Dina found the matte leather one!”

Ah, this guy again.

She naturally made a face seeing Leighton pester the maid over nothing.

“Leighton, we’re going to be late.”

Leighton got into the carriage with difficulty when Father, Sean, spoke sternly.

He complained for a long time on the way to the party.

By the time the imperial palace’s glamorous party was in sight, Leighton seemed to get tired and shut up.

The same with Nelia. It wasn’t because she was tired, but because she was amazed.

As she opened the door and got off, the colorful scenery filled her sight.

The large garden was filled with a lot of people. Their glamorous appearances made her eyes hurt.

Nelia walked in carefully so that her high heels wouldn’t trip over the grass.

The party hall was even more crowded.

“As expected, there are so many people…….!”

“Every nobles in the capital have to attend without any exception. I’ve heard that Duke Hart, who rarely attends parties, will attend today at least.”

Lily spoke to Sean while looking at the party hall. Nelia’s look hardened as she listened quietly beside her.

‘…….Duke Hart?’

Nelia couldn’t hide her confusion as she remembered another main character in the novel who she had forgotten before.

Why did she not think Duke Hart would be coming to this party?

If the Emperor were going to make an important announcement, he would obviously attend as a high-ranking official.

Then, Lily extended her hand and pointed to the party hall.

“Duke Hart is over there.”

Nelia’s neck became stiff.

There were a lot of people gathering there from the moment they came into the hall.

Among them, she could see the face of Duke Hart.

“Wow………”

Contrary to her uneasy heart, Nelia unconsciously muttered an amazed sound.

That was not how a human looked.

She felt like he was completely different in person although his admiring appearance also used to be described in the book.

The young ladies who had dressed up to the best of their abilities seemed like black and white around him.

‘Is he really a human………’

His perfect features with elegant lines were closer to being beautiful rather than handsome.

The silver hair and eyes shone as they took the light, empowering his non-humanely appearance, reminding her of a mythical angel.’

‘But unlike his angel-like appearance…….’

His personality wasn’t like that.

At the beginning of the novel, Duke Hart was portrayed as an attractive sub-male lead who fell in love with the female lead at first sight.

However, the situation was reversed halfway through the story.

Actually, Duke Hart wanted to avenge his father’s enemy, the Emperor, the villain who managed his hand and foot.

[t/n: I wanted to say here that he was the one who took care of people working under his father and took revenge on the emperor for the sake of his father.]

If it was necessary for revenge, he would have to thoroughly figure out, hold, and shake the opponent’s residence, their family, and properties.

‘Where is that all?’

If it was necessary, he would have cut their tongues, broke their legs, and exoculated them. He didn’t even blink in the process.

Certainly, it was the cold-blooded villain of the novel.

“Let’s also greet Duke Hart, dear.”

“Yes, let’s do that, he’s hard to meet at parties.”

Nelia secretly backed away from her parents’ conversation.

“I’m going to go to take a look around the party hall. Mother and Father, please say my greeting to the duke.”

Others might have wanted to get along with him since they didn’t know his identity, but she didn’t. She wanted to avoid greeting him if it’s possible.

Lily said with a tilt of her head.

“Will you be okay on your own?”

“Of course, I’ll take a look around and return here after that. Please go ahead.”

“Yes, Nelia. Be careful not to bump into others.”

Nelia showed a reassuring smile at Lily who has a lot of worries to her, then quickly slipped into the crowd and disappeared from their sight. Nelia was going to find out the location of the jewels she had broken in the original story on her own.

She would figure out the location in advance and refrain herself from going in that direction.

Nelia went around the party hall and peered secretly at the door crevice leading to another place.

‘Hm……. Where is the imperial treasure that Nelia had touched in the original story?’

The treasure was a necklace with a gemstone named ‘Elena’s Tears’.

The price of the precious blue gemstone necklace was literally tremendous.

In fact, the true value of Elena’s Tears could not be converted into money.

No one here knew about it yet, but Elena’s Tears was an ancient relic that could find the heart of Gray Dragon, God of Wrath.

There was a legend that if someone found its heart, the gray dragon would make their wish come true.

Charlotte, the female lead, later went out to find its heart with Carlos, the male lead, to grant their wishes.

In other words, the main characters in this novel were to be the important keys of the story.

It was obvious, but she wasn’t interested in it.

In the original story, Nelia came to the party and touched the necklace, so the place must be close enough for her to commit such a mistake.

Then, she felt a sharp pain in her heels.

‘I wore shoes that I’ve never worn before, so my feet was quickly hurting.’

Exhausted Nelia plopped into the chair in the corner of the hall.

Then, she took off her shoes after sitting down and proceeded to look around the party hall.

‘Where is Carlos at this time?’

The party hasn’t officially started yet, but he must have already in the party hall and stayed somewhere. When the party began, the Emperor would take time to officially introduce Carlos.

Nelia’s accident in the original story was also at this moment, before the party officially began.

So, Nelia didn’t recognize Carlos, and made a mistake.

Nelia clenched her fist as the anxiety inside her crept up again.

‘No, there’s nothing to be anxious about, I know what Carlos looks like, and I’m not even trying to go anywhere near the necklace.’

Carlos has gray hair and black eyes. It was such a rare appearance in this world, so he shouldn’t be hard to recognize.

She didn’t even know the location of the necklace, so she couldn’t get close to it if she was careful as she was.

That was how Nelia reassured her, but she felt a gaze from somewhere.

The gaze was quite blatant.

To the point that Nelia, who was lost in her thoughts, was able to sense it.

When she turned her head, her eyes were met with silver eyes.

‘……..Huh?’

Nelia’s eyes widened.

It was none other than Duke Hart who she was looking at.

Surprised, Nelia turned her head away quickly.

‘……It’s just my imagination, right?’

When she casted a brief glance at the duke’s place once again, he was talking to the people near him.

Nelia became aware of the reality right away.

‘As expected…….’

Duke Hart had no reason to look at her while he was in the midst of many people.

His character wasn’t even related to Nelia in the original story, and her appearance didn’t really stand out.

Or, she might have turned her head and happened to meet his eyes.

Nelia was relieved and exhaled, as a sweet smell came from the side.

When she turned her head, she saw a strawberry tart on the catering table arranged beside her.

The reason why she just noticed the appetizing dessert now was the aftereffect of only eating a bit of simple dinner previously.

All she ate was just cabbage salad before they went, since her mother told her that the tight dress might not fit her and that she should eat just a little bit for dinner.

Due to that, her mouth was watering when she saw tasty food.

‘Right, don’t mind Duke Hart, let’s just have some desserts.’

Nelia took a small strawberry tart on the catering table.

It wasn’t as delicious as the famous bakery her mother gave her, but it was good enough.

‘Uhmm.’

The life of a noble is pleasant.

Being able to come to this wonderful place and eat tasty desserts for free.

Nelia, who was closing her eyes while savoring the strawberry tart, opened them again with a satisfied expression.

Then, she felt that intense gaze again.

She could not ignore it.

Nelia shifted her eyes slowly in an anxious manner.

Within her sight was Duke Hart.

The duke’s eyes were completely directed on her from across the noisy party hall.

‘What was that……!’

This time she knew for sure it wasn’t merely an illusion.

Come to think of it, the distance between them seemed to have gotten narrower.

They should have been far away from each other………?

Nelia put the remaining strawberry tart in her hand into her mouth.

Then she ran away.

The reason was due to some kind of anxiety inside her.

At first, she thought the two times he gazed at her were just coincidences, then she came to realize that the duke might have been looking at her with different intentions.

Then, the anxious doubt remained.

‘Why……?’

Why did he look at her?

If she were a living doll like the female lead, she might have been flattered by the duke’s gaze, but as a matter of fact, her appearance didn’t really stand out at this glamorous party.

That’s why she chose to avoid him rather than seeking the answer.

Just in time, Nelia met her parents who had returned after greeting others. She wondered where did Leighton go as there were just two of them standing there.

Lily asked with a worried look.

“Nelia, there you are. Do you happen to know where Leighton went?”

“Leighton…….?”

“He went to the bathroom and disappeared, I didn’t see him after that…….”

If it were someone else, she would wait for a grown-up adult to come back by himself, but she was anxious because it was Leighton.

Even during the first week after she woke up and realized that she had been possessed into the body of Nelia, Leighton used to get into accidents that she had never thought of. While following a stray cat, he jumped over the garden of people’s home, and drank late in the evening, even going as far as fighting the bully on the street.

She couldn’t believe he was an adult.

“I’ll look for him.”

“Yes, Nelia. Please.”

Lily patted Nelia on the shoulder and disappeared to greet others again.

Nelia wandered around in the party hall, desperately looking for the man in a dark purple suit.

‘Where did that punk suddenly go?’

Leighton was nowhere to be seen at the party.

In any case, she wondered if he was really getting into trouble somewhere.

She turned away her head while letting out a sigh, but then found the slightly opened door in the corner of the hall.

She had no idea where it led, but she thought it would be better to enter it just in case.

Creak.

The door led to the terrace which overlooked the first floor.

There was a large chandelier and small lamps on the ceiling, and something shining was placed under it.

This place, which had an atmosphere similar to a place for exhibition, seemed to have something important stored in here just by the sight of it….

Clink!

As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she heard something in particular break.

Nelia looked down slowly under the railing, feeling a bad hunch ran over her.

There stood Leighton, the person she had been looking for a while now.

He was really stiff.

‘Haa, don’t tell me…… he must have caused trouble there.’

As Nelia hurried down to the first floor, she spotted a broken necklace and Leighton was looking down at it.

“What, what have you just done!”

“Uh……uh, Nelia.”

Leighton looked at Nelia and blinked.

“I just wanted to take a closer look at this necklace, but I dropped it….”

Nellia put her hand on her forehead.

Did this guy not even have basic education?

When you go to the museums or art galleries, it is written that you should only look at the piece of work with just your eyes…….!!

“But what’s this, displayed alone in such a huge place?”

Does it matter now?!

The important matter is that you dropped this extremely expensive-looking necklace and broke it!

In the capital……!!

Her head was pounding at its greatest.

“…….Wait.”

The necklace which was displayed alone in this huge place……..?

And that bright blue gem in the middle of the necklace was clearly….

‘Elena Tears……..!’

Nelia felt a rush of pain in her already throbbing head.

Leighton committed the accident that the original Nelia had done in the original story.

“What should I do?’’

Should I call out others?

The moment Nelia was thinking about how to deal with the situation,

“Who caused this?”

A gruesome voice was heard from a distance.

Nelia turned her head in surprise. She saw a man leaning against the wall obliquely under the lighting.

‘Who….?’

The light of the lamp shone brightly from behind him, making it difficult to stare straight into his eyes.

First of all, instead of asking who he was, it’s all about someone else who had seen this situation.

While Nelia was thinking about what to say, Leighton scowled and asked the man first.

“Who are you?”

The man’s voice was heard by them.

“Were you the one who did it?”

“What if I wasn’t? No, I mean, you speak informally to me as if we had met before!”

It’s right that you did it……….!!

Not only was Leighton blatantly telling lies, but he also lost his temper.

On the contrary, the man didn’t budge. His face was unable to be seen, somehow his expression was carried by the cold blowing wind.

“The necklace was definitely intact until a while ago. But then, it appears like that now.”

“……it was already like this when I came.”

The man tilted his head slightly. The shadow under the lamp moved along.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes……..!”

Leighton answered loudly. His head was fixed at Leighton. He seemed to be staring at Leighton.

“I will give one last chance. If you tell me the truth now, I won’t ask you to pay for it.”

Leighton clenched his fists and stared at him.

“I told you I’m not……!”

He raised his hand and pointed to the corner of the ceiling.

“There’s a magic sphere that keeps watch on this place. Perhaps, the records will show who did it.”

Nelia suddenly questioned his identity.

‘Who is that man…….’

How did he know this place as much as his own home and talk about it as if he had the right to decide on compensation for this necklace?

The moment she was getting curious about the man, he walked forth.

Once he got out of the bright light, not just his face but his hair color was also clearly visible in her eyes.

Ashen hair that seemed to be dyed in monochrome on its own and coal-black eyes resembling the night sky.

Nelia realized at that moment.

This was Carlos, who she didn’t want to encounter so badly.

‘This is crazy.’

Nelia was standing in a daze momentarily at the fact that their opponent was Carlos, whom she really wanted to avoid as hard as she could, before Leighton’s voice was heard.

“W-What?!”

Leighton seemed seriously taken aback to hear that there was equipment monitoring this place.

And he was restless.

Just like someone who committed something.

Nelia became anxious.

Their opponent was Carlos, the male lead and the Crown Prince of this world.

However, Leighton didn’t know about it during this time.

Nelia threw a quick glance at Leighton.

Leighton, who was cornered, clenched and opened his fists, as if he was ready to swing them at any moment like a louts. He was doing that.

Nelia looked at Leighton in wonder. Then Leighton opened and closed his mouth while making an eye gesture.

‘I’ll knock him out, and run away.’

Nelia was appalled. She couldn’t believe Leighton was such a thoughtless man.

‘D*mn.’

Their opponent was a talented person who has risen to the rank of Swordmaster.

Leighton wouldn’t be able to knock him out as the best he could do was fool around at home.

Of course, he couldn’t!

Suddenly, she remembered what Carlos said earlier.

‘I will give one last chance. If you tell me the truth now, I won’t ask you to pay for it.’

She didn’t think that remark would still stand now, but she couldn’t bear to watch Leighton in vain like a fool.

Huft.

‘Leighton, this man. I’m going to kill you later.’

Nelia closed her eyes tightly preparing herself.

Then,

Thud-!

She knelt on the floor.

“I’m sorry.”

Nelia looked up slowly at Carlos.

“Actually…… I did it.”

She gritted her teeth inside.

Why did she accuse herself when she didn’t do anything?

Even so, it was better than seeing Leighton lunge at Carlos and break the family?

Carlos stared at Nelia.

“So you did it, not this guy.”

“Yes, it was really pretty that I stopped by and touched it……”

She could feel Leighton staring at her with his mouth open in shock.

But in the end, she knew he wouldn’t come forward.

“Do you know how much is the price of that necklace?”

She had been aware that it was incredibly expensive. Nelia just kept her mouth shut.

“It’s not worth the price even if you sell all the imperial stuff.”

The cold gaze of the crown prince pierced through her.

“I definitely gave you a chance earlier. If you confess, I’ll let you go.”

“…Please forgive me.”

Nelia lowered her head.

‘Is it too late?’

Then, she heard someone walking down the stairs.

As the footsteps reverberated in the room, they all looked up at the source of sound.

Nelia looked at the person who just appeared with her eyes wide open.

‘…..!’

The person who was walking down the stairs in leisure motion was clearly Duke Hart.

Before she knew it, the duke walked closer toward them and looked down at the necklace that had been dropped earlier.

“Oh my. I dropped the necklace earlier, and the number of witnesses has increased.”

The Crown Prince frowned.

“What are you saying, Duke Hart?”

“I dropped it by accident, so I was on my way to call for someone.”

Duke Hart replied with a gentle smile, the gesture certainly did not match his confession.

‘……What.’

What is going on here?

It was obviously Leighton who had dropped the necklace earlier.

But he admitted it was himself instead of Leighton.

And then suddenly, Duke Hart said he was the real perpetrator who dropped the necklace.

Nelia, Duke Hart, Carlos,  and Leighton.

In that chaotic situation, the eyes of four people there were entangled.

Carlos spoke up first with narrowed eyebrows.

“This woman already admitted that she dropped it while touching it because she thought it was pretty.”

“The necklace was originally broken, but the young lady must have misunderstood it turned like this because she touched it.”

Duke Hart, who answered Carlos in a composed manner, turned his head and reached out to Nelia.

‘Is he telling me to hold it…….?’

Nelia was just staring blankly at Duke Hart, so he reached out to Nelia first and raised her back on her feet. It was just for a fleeting moment, but the gesture was very polite and kind.

Nelia looked at the duke with a puzzled look, and lowered her gaze. The current situation was very confusing for her.

She was sure Leighton dropped the necklace and broke it.

“Right, Young Lady?”

Duke Hart asked as she contemplated. Nelia unexpectedly nodded.

“Right?”

“Yes…….”

Duke Hart gave off a faint smile, as if praising Nelia for doing a good job.

She knew it wasn’t the time to admire his face, but it was truly a charming smile upon seeing it up close.

Even in such a serious situation, she felt it deeply. He was surely dangerous in many ways.

The duke averted his gaze from Nelia and looked at Carlos.

“I thought the necklace seemed rumpled, so I was trying to fix it, and dropped the necklace in the process.”

“…….”

“There is a jeweler that I’m very familiar with, I will pass it to them so it can be restored. Fortunately, the gemstone is not damaged.”

Even though Duke Hart offered him the solution, Carlos still seemed dissatisfied.

“You will have to restore it the same way as it was.”

“Surely.”

Duke Hart replied with a gentle smile.

Regardless of his role as the villain, the way he handled the crown prince in a calm manner was an amazing sight to look at.

Carlos threw a ghastly glance at them before turning away and disappeared.

Leighton muttered after Carlos disappeared.

“that rude jerk. Who the h*ll is he……..”

“That is Crown Prince Carlos.”

Duke Hart filled in the answer for him.

Only then did Leighton learn that he had spoken informally to the Crown Prince and even go as far as raising his voice.

“T-That……..”

Leighton’s complexion became pale.

“I’m glad it turned out this way. The door leading to this room is supposed to be locked, but the guard must have made a mistake.”

So that’s why.

Somehow, it didn’t make sense that the treasure of the imperial family, Elena’s relic, was just anywhere like this.

‘So that’s why Nelia in the original story committed this mistake.’

Nelia was lost in her thoughts for a moment, and she raised her head at the pat on her shoulder.

She looked at the white-faced Leighton.

“Nelia……. I’m going in first.”

Nelia grabbed Leighton hastily. And then whispering quietly at him while watching Duke Hart.

“You’re leaving just like that? You shouldn’t have to do that to me, but you definitely have to thank the duke………!”

He was willing to restore the necklace for you!

However, Leighton, who just realized that he was close to getting into big trouble with the crown prince, seemed to have already lost his mind.

Leighton didn’t answer, but slipped out of Nelia’s grasp like a zombie, opened the door and disappeared.

“…….”

“…….”

In the end, she was left alone with Duke Hart.

‘……I should thank the duke in his stead.’

She didn’t know what Duke Hart was up to by saying he did it, but she assumed he knew the real culprit since she was on her knees when he came.

Nelia looked up with the intention of thanking Duke Hart.

His silver eyes were staring at her intently to the point she felt somewhat uncomfortable with them.