Chapter 1

She opened her eyes to light.

Not the sharp white of a hospital, but something warmer. Gold-edged curtains stirred softly beside tall windows. The ceiling above her was carved with unfamiliar patterns, elegant and old. The bed beneath her was too soft, too wide.

This was not her room.

Before she could move, a sharp breath cut through the silence.

“My lady!”

A maid stood frozen near the bed, eyes wide as if she had seen a ghost. Then she ran.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Voices followed. Panic. Relief. Orders barked without hesitation.

Elina closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again. The room didn’t disappear.

So this wasn’t a dream.

The door burst open.

A man strode in, tall, broad-shouldered, his presence filling the room like a drawn blade. Silver-streaked dark hair, sharp eyes that softened the instant they landed on her.

“Elina.”

His voice broke.

He crossed the room in long strides and stopped at her bedside, as if afraid to touch her.

“You’re awake,” he said, almost to himself. “You’re fine. You’re alive.”

She watched him carefully. His hands trembled before he clenched them behind his back.

“I promise you,” he said quickly, “everything will be fine now. You won’t suffer again. I will arrange your marriage with the Crown Prince. You don’t need to hurt yourself anymore.”

Her mind be like

Marriage?

Crown Prince?

The words hit her one by one, refusing to connect.

Her throat felt dry. “Who… are you?”

The room went silent.

The man stared at her, shock flickering across his face. Behind him, a doctor stepped forward, brows knitting together.

“She may have struck her head,” the doctor said carefully. “ it looks like Memory loss .”

“My name?” Elina asked again, testing the sound of her own voice.

“You are Lady Elina Ardent,” the maid said softly, almost afraid. “Daughter of Duke Kaelen Ardent.”

Doctor. Duke. Ardent.

Her heart sank.

Those names were not unfamiliar.

They were identical to the novel her roommate used to read aloud late at night.

The duke turned sharply. “Leave us.”

The doctor hesitated, then stepped closer. “My lord, it would be best to let her rest for now. We can speak outside. U should come too ”

The duke looked at Elina again he doesn't want to leave her side ,

. Her eyes were open, calm, but distant. Not the frantic gaze he had seen before.

“…Very well,” he said quietly.

He turned back to her. “Rest. I’ll return soon.”

The door closed behind them.

Silence settled in the room.

Elina stared at the ceiling.

Then the memories came.

A narrow room filled with noise.

Sweat-soaked practice clothes.

Bruises she laughed off.

Endless auditions where she was told to wait, to try again, to be patient.

The role she had almost given up on.

The call that changed everything.

She remembered laughing, celebrating with her friends.

The ones who hugged her too tightly. The one who smiled the widest.

a old voice

" If you die… I’ll become the next star."

The words echoed in her mind like poison.

Her fingers curled into the sheets.

How stupid.

How weak.

She had trusted them. Believed in shared dreams. Believed effort was enough.

Her chest burned with anger, sharp and cold.

She opened her eyes.

In

A villain’s body.

A new life.

“…A second chance? ” she murmured.

This time, she wouldn’t live desperately.

This time, she would live long.

And she would live on her own terms.

Outside the room, the doctor lowered his voice.

“It’s a miracle she woke up at all,” he said. “To be honest, I feared she never would. Perhaps the temple’s blessing truly worked.”

The duke exhaled, tension draining from his shoulders.

“Her memory loss,” the doctor continued, “is not a serious concern. But you must ensure she never harms herself again. Miracles do not repeat.”

“I understand,” the duke said firmly.

Relief spread through him like warmth.

If marriage would protect her… then he would make it happen.

He turned away, resolve settling in his expression.

“I will speak to His Majesty,” he said

. “A direct request from House Ardent cannot be ignored. ”

Without another glance back at the door, the duke left for the palace.

For his daughter’s future.

For his daughter's happyness .

For make sure she don't hurt herself again

The imperial palace had never felt welcoming to Duke Ardent.

Its walls were polished, its halls bright, yet everything about the place reminded him that power here was measured in distance. Distance from blood. From loss.

He stood before the king with his back straight, his expression calm. Only those who had stood beside him on the battlefield would notice the tension coiled beneath his composure.

“She nearly died,” the duke said, his voice low but unyielding. “I will not watch her walk that edge again.”

The king studied him in silence.

“Your daughter’s feelings for the Crown Prince are well known,” the king finally said. “But marriage is not a small matter.”

“Nor is my daughter’s life,” the duke replied immediately.

There was no anger in his tone. Just certainty.

The king exhaled slowly.

“… Very well,” he said. “When they come of age, the Crown Prince will be formally engaged to Lady Elisa Ardent. Until then, she will be recognized as his future fiancée.”

The duke bowed deeply.

“For her safety,” he said. “And for her peace.”

The decision was sealed.

...----------------------------------------------------------...

Inside duke palace

Elina walked its outer corridors alone.

She moved slowly, pretending curiosity. The high ceilings, the painted walls, the noble crests carved into stone. This place was beautiful more than ever written on that novel.

She turned a corner—and stopped.

Three maids stood together near an open window, their voices lowered but careless.

They hadn’t noticed her.

“…I’m telling you, she’s different,” the first maid said. “She eats properly now. Even thanked me ”

The second maid laughed quietly. “Don’t be naive. That’s an act.”

“A bad one,” the third added. “Didn’t you hear? After the Crown Prince rejected her, she jumped straight into the lake.”

The first maid hesitated. “But His Highness didn’t even visit her afterward…”

“Of course not,” the second maid said. “He was tired of her tricks. Always playing the victim, always begging for attention.”

“And now she pretends she lost her memory,” the third said. “Give it time. She’ll show her real self again.”

The first maid lowered her voice. “I heard the duke went to the palace today. For her marriage.”

The second maid scoffed. “See? Father’s love. Without him, she’s nothing.”

Elina stood perfectly still.

Their words didn’t hurt her because it was for the real Elina

So this was how she was seen in this body.

A spoiled girl.

A desperate lover.

A liar protected by her father.

She stepped back silently and turned away before any of them could notice her.

As she walked, one thought repeated in her mind, sharp and unforgiving.

If the duke ever finds out the truth…

She didn’t finish the sentence.

She had read this story before. Duke Ardent was no gentle noble. He was a monster on the battlefield. A man even royal soldiers feared. If he learned that the soul inside his daughter’s body was not his real child—

She wouldn’t even be granted a peaceful death.

She thinks

So this is my position, she thought. Protected. Loved. And trapped.

For now, the duke’s love was her shield.

She straightened.

“Then I’ll use it,” she murmured.

She would act the part.

The daughter who lost her memory.

The girl who needed guidance.

The noble lady learning herself again.

Until she understood everything.

Until she was strong enough.

“This time,” she whispered to her reflection, “I’ll live longer. And I’ll live happily .”

After the duke is gone

The duke’s presence lingered long after he was gone.

The Crown Prince walked on, hands clasped behind his back, irritation crawling under his skin. Duke Ardent never visited the palace without reason. Men like him didn’t wander halls out of habit.

Troublesome, he thought.

And the source of that trouble had a name.

Elina Ardent.

He scoffed quietly.

And his daughter

A spoiled noble daughter raised by a war beast. Always fragile. Always dramatic. and acting as though the world owed her comfort.

A few days ago, she had stood before him with flushed cheeks and trembling hands and asked him to marry her.

Marry?

She asked it like if ...

As if affection could be demanded.

As if titles were toys to be grasped.

Prince, prince, he mocked inwardly. And I’ll be your princess.

Ridiculous.

She didn’t want him. Not really. She just wanted the position beside him. The attention. The security. Another pretty ornament for a girl who had never been told no.

And when i did refuse?

She jumped into a lake.

He exhaled sharply through his nose.

A performance. Nothing more. The duke had always indulged her excesses. Wrapped her weakness in silk and called it love.

Who would want to marry a woman like that?

all she have , that her father is always protecting her , nothing more than another heartless noble lady ,

He doesn't want to remember her face, her greedy self, her behavior, he thinks how much he hated her …

his thought interrupt by a person foot step

Footsteps approached from behind.

“Your Highness.”

He looks at him , A palace servant bowed low, voice careful and soft.

“May I report… the matter has been decided your highness ”

The prince frowned. “What matter?”

“The engagement,” the servant said. “Between your highness and Lady Elina Ardent. "

Prince is shocked asked

"what ...?"

The servant bow lower and explain

"His Majesty has approved it. The announcement will be prepared.”

The words didn’t land properly.

“…What?”

For the first time in years, the Crown Prince felt the ground shift beneath him.

he did not believe it first

Engaged?

To her?

His chest tightened, shock cutting through irritation. His mind raced, searching for logic, for warning signs, for anything he might have missed.

The servant kept his head bowed.

“Yes , It was finalized earlier today, Your Highness.”

The corridor suddenly felt narrower.

The duke’s quiet departure replayed in his mind.

Realization crept in, slow and unwelcome.

This wasn’t Elina’s doing.

This was her father.

And unlike Elina’s so-called performances, Duke Ardent never acted without intent.

The Crown Prince clenched his jaw.

…So that’s why he was here.

Somewhere deep inside, beneath pride and irritation, a thin thread of unease pulled tight.

This engagement was not a request.

It was a decision

The decision, prince don't like

But have no choice other than accept it

His father is the king and King decision is the order