In the stillness of the night, a sudden knock echoed at the door.

“Tok… tok…”

Eve flinched slightly. Slowly, she walked toward the door.

As it creaked open, a servant stepped in and said softly,

“Miss Eve, Lord Greed is asking for you.”

The moment she heard the name, Eve froze.

“Eve… the Greenheart?” — She had heard that name somewhere before.

She couldn’t remember when, but something about it felt deeply strange.

Then, like a flash of lightning, it struck her —

That name belonged to the villainess in the noble novel “Pink Flower and Sword!”

Her eyes widened, her lips trembled.

“No… no! That can’t be true!”

She ran to the mirror and whispered in disbelief,

“I… I’ve become the villainess’s sister in this story?”

Why? Why wasn’t she the female lead instead?

The one who wins the prince’s heart, who lives a happy ending—

Why did she have to be born into the cursed family of the villainess?

Eve the Greenheart — the only daughter of Michael the Greenheart.

Her father had loved her more than his own life.

But fate had played a cruel trick.

The prince had fallen in love with the female lead of Pink Flower and Sword.

The villainess, consumed by jealousy and misunderstanding,

grew to despise that girl — humiliating her and envying her wealth and charm.

As a result, the two male leads of the novel came to hate her.

In the end, when the prince saw the villainess raise her hand against the woman he loved,

he lost control — and killed her in his rage.

Thus ended the life of the “villainess.”

Afterward, her father — broken by grief and guilt —

declared war against the royal family.

The kingdom fell,

and he, unable to bear his failure to save his daughter,

took his own life.

That was how the tragic tale had ended…

But now, Eve found herself living inside that very story.

Tears welled in her eyes.

“No… I won’t make the same mistakes again,” she said firmly.

“I know my father loved me.

I won’t let him die…

And I won’t let myself die either.”

She turned to her reflection in the mirror and whispered,

“I will rewrite this story.

The ending will change.

This time—

no one will die.

--

The first light of dawn streamed through the window,

softly brushing across the room.

The curtains swayed in the gentle morning breeze,

as if humming a tender song.

Eve sat silently on her bed for a long time.

After everything that had happened last night,

her heart still carried a strange heaviness.

She knew — she was no longer dreaming.

She was living inside a story.

A story where her death was already written.

She stood before the mirror,

fear glimmering in her eyes, yet burning with fierce determination.

“No… I will not die as the story says,” she whispered.

“I will write my own destiny.”

Then she reached for the old book lying on her desk —

“The Tale of Pink Flower and Sword.”

She flipped through the pages

and stopped at the part where the villainess’s tragic end was written.

Eve read those lines carefully:

> “The villainess, consumed by envy, met her tragic end…”

“No,” Eve murmured, her voice trembling yet steady,

“I will not burn in jealousy.

I will live so that no one has to cry again.”

She picked up a quill pen

and on a blank sheet of paper, she wrote:

“I am not the villainess of this story. I am my own heroine.”

As her vow echoed in her heart,

it felt as if the entire mansion trembled.

Outside, birds suddenly took flight,

and the air itself seemed to shimmer with magic.

A golden butterfly fluttered in through the open window

and landed gently on her shoulder.

Eve smiled softly.

“So, you’ve come to bless me, haven’t you?”

Just then, a knock came from the door.

Eve was lost deep in thought when her servant’s gentle voice broke the silence.

“Miss, what are you thinking about?”

Hearing that, Eve blinked — returning from her dreamlike thoughts to reality.

She smiled faintly and replied, “It’s nothing.”

Her eyes lifted toward the young woman before her —

Ella Freya, her personal maid.

Ella had been by Eve’s side since childhood,

yet Eve had never treated her kindly.

The former Eve was cruel,

so cold that servants trembled at her presence

and whispered behind her back in fear.

That memory made Eve’s chest tighten for a moment.

Just then, Ella said softly,

“Miss, the Duke will be joining everyone for breakfast this morning.

You should start getting ready soon.”

Saying this, Ella disappeared into the bathroom

and began preparing the bath.

Eve turned toward the mirror.

“I’ve decided,” she whispered,

“from now on, I’ll treat everyone with kindness.

And I’ll stay far away from the male and female leads of this story.”

She gazed at her reflection.

Truly, Miss Eve was breathtakingly beautiful.

Silver hair that shimmered like moonlight,

skin pale as milk,

and eyes red as rubies —

together, they gave her an ethereal, almost divine beauty.

She stood 168 centimeters tall — only seventeen years old.

But her heart ached with a single truth:

“I’m not used to this face… because I’m from the modern world.

I don’t even know if I’ll ever return home.

But as long as I’m here,

I’ll rewrite the fate written in this story —

and no one will die because of it.”

While lost in thought, Ella’s voice came again,

“Miss, the bath is ready. Please hurry, breakfast is about to begin.”

Eve nodded. “All right, Ella.”

After bathing and dressing, she made her way to the grand dining hall.

At the head of the long table sat Michael the Greenheart,

the Duke of the Northern Lands.

With silver hair and red eyes like hers,

he possessed a regal beauty that seemed almost inhuman.

One would hardly believe such a man could be anyone’s father.

Eve looked at him —

and to her surprise, he was already watching her.

His gaze was deep, unreadable, yet strangely warm.

“What’s wrong, Father? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Eve asked softly.

He paused for a moment, then said, “It’s nothing.”

But his eyes didn’t look away.

There was a faint light in them — something like affection.

Eve felt a small flutter in her chest.

He was happy —

happy that his daughter had called him Father for the first time.

Yet he showed no emotion on his face.

He simply finished his breakfast in silence.

When the meal ended, Eve rose quietly and returned to her room.

As she entered, Ella asked with a bright smile,

“How was breakfast, Miss?”

Eve smiled back.

“It was good. I’m… happy.”

At that, Ella’s eyes shone with genuine joy

Castle Sky...............

The morning light had not yet fully entered the room.

Ella, with a faintly tired smile, said a few words and slowly walked away toward her room.

She busied herself with other work, and I kept watching her leave—

the whole day passed in silence, calling her now and then, but she never returned.

When night came, Ella came back.

Dad and I sat together for dinner.

The night felt calm, peaceful, almost tender.

The Duke’s face held no anger today—only a soft smile.

After dinner, I lay down on my bed,

and as soon as I closed my eyes, sleep came quietly like a gentle shadow.

---

The next morning,

sunlight streamed softly through the window.

I woke up to Ella’s voice—

“Miss! Do you know what time it is? It’s already 8:45! Today’s your first day at the academy!”

Rubbing my eyes, I sat up as Ella almost ran to my bedside.

Excitement sparkled in her eyes, and a bright smile played on her lips.

“Today, I’ll make you so beautiful

that no one will be able to look away from you!”

I laughed. “How could I ever get ready without you?”

She giggled. “Miss, just wait—everyone at the academy will be staring at you today.”

Then she opened the wardrobe and took out a red dress—

soft as silk, glowing like the flame of sunset.

I stared at it silently.

She combed my hair and placed tiny pearl earrings on my ears.

“Now, look in the mirror,” Ella whispered.

When I did, I was stunned—

the face staring back wasn’t quite mine;

there was a new light in my eyes, a quiet confidence on my lips.

Ella said softly,

“Miss, today you look like a princess.”

I smiled gently and replied,

“Thank you, Ella. In your hands, I feel like I’ve become someone new.”

---

After getting ready, I sat down for breakfast.

Ella soon announced, “Your carriage is ready.

But before you go, you should meet the Duke.”

I nodded. “All right.”

At the door of his workroom, I knocked lightly.

A calm voice answered, “Come in.”

Papers were spread across his desk,

but as soon as he saw me, he stopped working.

He looked up—

his gaze was different today, softer, filled with affection.

“Eve,” he said, “today is your first day at the academy.

I want you to enjoy every moment.

You look so grown up today…

it feels like my little girl has finally grown.”

There was pride in his voice.

Something in my heart tightened, warm and full.

“Thank you, Father,” I said softly.

“I’ll do my best to make you proud.”

He smiled and nodded.

“You will, Eve. I know you will.”

---

As I was about to step into the carriage,

his butler came forward and said quietly,

“Sir, Miss called you ‘Father’ today.

I believe she truly accepts you from her heart.”

The Duke paused for a moment, then smiled faintly.

“Yes,” he murmured, “I think so too.”

A tender glow flickered in his eyes.

---

The carriage began to move.

The wind played with strands of my hair,

the sunlight warmed my face,

and inside me, a quiet peace unfurled.

Looking out the window, I whispered to myself,

“Perhaps this is how new chapters begin—

not with fear, but with love.”

The wind seemed to whisper back,

“I love you, Eve.”

I closed my eyes and smiled softly.

“I love you too… more than you’ll ever know.”

---