I felt my tears falling from my eyes, but I was too stiff to even wipe them away with my hand.

I didn’t know what time it was, or how long I had been standing there like a statue, looking at my brother’s face as he lay peacefully on the deathbed.

“Miss, these are the things your brother had in the office.”

His coworker gave me a box full of his belongings. Inside it was a frame of us, looking so happy. It was taken when I graduated last year.

My hands trembled at the sight. I hugged his things as if my life depended on it.

My only family—my beloved brother—was gone.

He had a car accident on his way home.

Time passed. I didn’t even know where I found the energy to finish the funeral. When I looked around, I found myself back in our apartment, his things still in my hands.

I could still feel his presence there, in the place where we had spent so much time together.

I went straight to my room and looked through his belongings.

Papers with his handwriting on them.

A frame with me and our family.

Once again, I couldn’t stop myself from crying.

I didn’t know what to do with my life, knowing I would now be alone.

After calming myself down, I found a book among his things. I remembered it was his favorite novel.

I had never asked to borrow it because I wasn’t interested in reading novels.

*“THE CROWN HEART”*

I started reading while sitting on the floor. With every page I turned, my mind kept drifting back to him.

ARZHEL RAVENDISH, a poor baron’s son living with his beautiful sister.

Their life was happy even though they no longer had parents. They were poor, and the two of them lived alone in a big mansion without a single maid. They were also on the brink of bankruptcy because of their parents’ debts.

So his sister looked for a job and became one of the maids of a rich marquis in the capital. Meanwhile, seven-year-old Arzhel waited every month with a maid that his sister had hired to take care of him, since she was required to sleep at the house where she worked.

Life was peaceful.

Every month his sister came home and brought him sweet food and new clothes. After six months, she managed to pay off their parents’ debts.

But one day, his sister came home looking exhausted and somewhat scared.

When he asked what had happened, she insisted it was nothing.

That night, she went out, saying she had been invited to a gathering…

…and never returned.

Then the day came when he received the news.

His sister had died.

They said she committed suicide because she couldn’t accept that the marquis she loved had gotten engaged. She was found among the roses near a balcony.

They said she had jumped.

The seven-year-old Arzhel didn’t believe it.

Crying, he ran to the marquis’s mansion, but the guards didn’t let him in.

“Get lost, little shit. Commoners should not wander into the marquis’s mansion.”

“No! My sister! Let me in!” he forced his way forward, only to be beaten by the guards.

“You are stubborn. See what you got.”

He felt like he was dying, but he couldn’t stop. He wanted to see his sister.

“Maybe she’s at home, right? She told me she would come back.”

Arzhel couldn’t believe the rumors. He hoped his sister was just at home, cooking his favorite food since she had a day off.

But on his way back home, he found a large crowd around the mansion where he and his sister lived.

Their mansion was on fire.

No one knew what had happened or what had caused it.

“Have you heard? The woman who lived there died last night. She was obsessed with her boss and committed suicide after finding out he was engaged,” someone said, looking both disgusted and pitiful.

“What a problematic girl. She must have gone crazy after her parents died.”

The young boy cried beside them, but no one paid him any mind. They had never seen him before, so they simply assumed he was just afraid of the fire.

With no home left, the boy wandered around.

After that event, nothing remained.

He became a thief, taking food from the trash. Sometimes he was beaten after being caught stealing.

At the age of fourteen, someone took him from the slums and turned him into a test subject for an adult man working at the Magic Tower.

Every night became hell.

He became a human test subject. Every night he was forced to swallow poison and drink substances that slowly destroyed his body.

He wanted to die.

Now his only wish was to die and be with his sister.

Until one night, the man suddenly exclaimed:

“Yes! Success! My research is complete!”

He laughed maniacally, dark circles under his eyes.

“You are my masterpiece. With you, I will become the most powerful human being in the world.”

“You—my weapon. My powerful weapon. With you, I can defeat every man in this world… or even destroy the world itself.”

Arzhel awakened upon hearing those words.

Strength filled his body. He clenched his fists and destroyed the chains around him.

Energy surrounded him, healing the wounds and cuts on his body.

Before the man could react, Arzhel didn’t hesitate.

He strangled him.

“H-how dare you…” the man gasped, looking at him with disgust as he struggled to breathe.

Arzhel picked up a piece of glass and slit the man’s throat.

For the first time, he had killed.

He had murdered someone.

But he didn’t regret it.

He smiled like someone who had lost his mind and wiped the blood from his face.

“And I thank you for that power.”

With his power, he became the Master of the Magic Tower at the age of seventeen. Every person who got in his way either went missing or died in mysterious incidents.

No one dared doubt him.

Now he wanted only one thing.

Revenge.

Arzhel wanted revenge. He wanted to know the truth behind his sister’s death.

He knew it wasn’t suicide.

Even though he had never seen her body, he knew it wasn’t something his sister would do.

He investigated every noble who had been a friend or acquaintance of his sister.

During his journey, he met the female lead—Lilith Lioven, the beautiful lady of the House of Count Lioren.

At first, he only intended to use her.

But as time passed, he fell in love with her.

She was kind, sweet, and lovely.

She became the light of his world.

But everything was ruined when Lilith fell in love with the Crown Prince.

He couldn’t accept it.

He didn’t want to accept it.

So he decided to start a rebellion against the royal family to take Lilith by force.

Obsession and resentment consumed him, causing the power inside him to become chaotic.

He became chaos itself.

In the end, Arzhel died at the hands of the Crown Prince.

Alone.

Bleeding.

Kneeling under the rain.

⸻

Alexandra Felther’s world felt suffocating after the ending of the character she had been rooting for.

He had died.

Just like her brother.

Fighting for his life… but still dying.

I knew I was overreacting. He wasn’t even the protagonist of the novel.

But I couldn’t accept his fate—just like I couldn’t accept my brother’s.

They deserved to be happy.

“I can’t… His life… his ending was miserable…”

I cried the whole night until my body became heavy with exhaustion.

Eventually, I fell asleep.

⸻

In my dream, I saw him.

The sword in his chest.

Eyes closed.

Kneeling under the rain.

Alone.

Miserable.

I ran toward him, desperate to hold him—to let him know he wasn’t alone.

But I couldn’t reach him.

Suddenly, I woke up.

But I wasn’t in my room.

I was in an unfamiliar place.

The room was large and aesthetic, with a historical design—like something out of Bridgerton.

My body felt strangely light.

Before I could process anything, someone entered the room.

She was wearing a maid’s uniform.

“My lady, are you awake? Are you alright?”

Her voice was filled with concern, and she looked genuinely worried.

“W-who are you? Is this… a dream?” I stammered.

“I’ll fetch a physician, my lady. Please wait.”

She rushed out.

A few minutes later, she returned with a man in a lab coat, who immediately began checking my condition.

“Sir, what happened to my lady?” the maid asked nervously.

Before the physician could answer, another couple entered the room—both in their mid-forties.

“Elyndra! What happened, darling?” the woman asked, hugging me with concern.

“Elyndra…?”

The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I had heard it.

“Elyndra Windmere, my dear,” the woman repeated.

My heart skipped.

That name…

It was from the novel.

“Elise Windmere… and Johnson Windmere…” I whispered, staring at them in shock.

They looked confused, trying to understand my reaction.

Before I could say anything, a sudden headache struck me, and memories forced their way into my mind.

Now I understood where I was.

Unbelievably…

I was inside the story.

I still couldn’t believe how I had gotten here.

I pressed my cheeks and arms repeatedly, hard enough that they started to sting. I wanted to wake up from this world. Maybe this was just a dream.

But the pain I felt proved otherwise.

This was real.

I had become one of the characters in this novel.

A strange feeling filled my chest when I realized that a part of me had actually wished for this to happen.

Arzhel… I wanted to see him.

Even if this was only a dream, I still wanted to go to him.

But Elyndra Windmere wasn’t just a random character in the novel. Even though she was only an extra who barely had any scenes, her position in Arzhel’s life was significant.

She was the daughter of his greatest enemy.

The family suspected of killing his sister.

Even if it was never proven in the story, this mansion was the place where his sister had worked… and where she had died.

Which meant the main suspect was the Marquis.

My father.

I looked sadly out the window.

I couldn’t go to him.

I couldn’t get close to him.

“Arzhel… what am I supposed to do?”

Tears slid down my face as I gripped the fabric of the gown I was wearing while sitting on the couch.

I was alone in my room, trying to process how I had ended up here—and why—when I couldn’t even go near the person I wanted to see the most.

Suddenly, the door opened.

Ciela, the maid, rushed into the room.

“My lady! Is something wrong? Are you hurt?”

“N-no… I just felt like crying. I missed you.”

I didn’t know why I said that, but being around Ciela made me feel strangely comfortable.

Her worried expression softened immediately, and a shy blush appeared on her face.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

She was so cute.

After wiping my tears, I turned to watch her while she tidied my bed. I felt embarrassed seeing her clean the room.

After waking up, I had been so devastated about my role in this world that I hadn’t even noticed the mess I had made.

Scraps of paper were scattered across the floor.

The plate I had used earlier was still sitting on the table.

To be honest, even though I had now become a noble lady who didn’t need to do anything, I wasn’t used to it at all.

Back home, I had always done everything myself.

We never had a maid.

It had only been my brother and me, helping each other through life.

Thinking about my brother again made my chest ache.

But I didn’t want to cry anymore, especially since Ciela was here. She might start worrying that something was wrong with me.

“Ciela… what do I usually do? What’s my schedule like?”

She looked confused that I didn’t know, but she still answered politely.

“Currently, my lady is preparing for her coming-of-age celebration.”

Her words immediately made something click in my mind.

I remembered.

In the novel, there was a gathering at the Windmere mansion.

It was the very place where the female lead and Arzhel first met.

The moment their relationship began.

Arzhel couldn’t miss this opportunity to investigate his sister’s death, because during the ball the mansion would be open to all nobles.

And this was also the mansion where his sister had died.

Which meant the main suspect… was Marquis Johnson Windmere.

“When… is the celebration?” I asked.

“Tonight, my lady. Your dress for tonight is already downstairs. Would you like to see it?”

Ciela looked excited, probably hoping it would lift my mood.

But my mind was somewhere else.

Tonight.

Tonight was the night Arzhel’s plans would be ruined after meeting the female lead.

“T-tonight?”

I suddenly felt drained.

“Yes, my lady! This is a party you should be excited about. Your father even gave you a necklace for tonight. It’s called the Tears of the White Dragon. It matches your dress perfectly.”

Then she clapped her hands.

“My lady, we should start preparing you now!”

I simply nodded.

Before I could react, she pushed me toward the bathroom.

She wanted to bathe me herself, but I insisted on doing it alone.

In the end, I won.

It was just too embarrassing to let someone bathe me.

Now that I was alone, my thoughts returned.

What should I do?

Should I stop Arzhel from meeting the female lead?

Or should I leave everything the way it happened in the novel?

I didn’t know anymore.

I stayed in the bath for several minutes, lost in thought.

When I heard Ciela calling my name outside, I stepped out and wrapped myself in a towel.

Soon after, she finished dressing me and began applying my makeup.

“Done, my lady. You look gorgeous.”

I turned to look at myself in the mirror.

Elyndra was truly beautiful.

Straight red hair that reached her waist.

Long lashes framing emerald-green eyes.

Smooth, pale skin.

Glossy red lips.

She had a delicate beauty—like a deer—innocent yet elegant.

“I can’t believe it…” I murmured softly.

For the first time in my life, I didn’t find my reflection in the mirror boring.

“She’s so beautiful,” I whispered.

“Yes, my lady. And she is you,” Ciela said happily. “I’m truly honored to serve you.”

She waved her hands excitedly in the air.

I couldn’t help giggling.

She was really adorable.

When I walked down the stairs, I saw Elyndra’s parents waiting for me.

As I approached them, the woman immediately hugged me and kissed my head.

“My baby is now a woman.”

I became flustered. I wasn’t used to such affection.

Then the man hugged me as well.

When I looked into his eyes, I could clearly see love and genuine care.

If I didn’t know the story of the novel, I would have believed he was a good person.

But I knew.

He was the main suspect in Arzhel’s sister’s death.

A heavy pain settled in my chest.

Even though I had only been here for two days, they already felt like family to me.

Soon, we walked toward the grand doors of the ballroom.

Music could already be heard from the other side.

When the doors opened, I saw a crowd of nobles dressed in elegant gowns and suits.

Everyone turned to look at us.

My eyes immediately searched the room for him.

But he wasn’t there.

Instead, I spotted the female lead standing with her parents.

She had curly pink hair and emerald eyes—just like mine.

Of course.

We were cousins.

She looked just as cute and sweet as the novel had described.

Then I noticed someone walking behind her.

Long straight hair.

But before I could see her face, she quickly moved toward the food table.

Soon, the female lead’s parents approached us.

“Good evening, Marquis Johnson. Your daughter is truly beautiful. Now that she has come of age, I’m sure many men will be lining up at your door.”

I felt uncomfortable with the way the man looked at me.

Fortunately, the woman beside him spoke.

“That’s right. Congratulations, young lady, on your coming of age.”

But I could see a hint of wariness in her eyes.

They were the parents of the female lead—Count Dylan and Countess Cecelia Lioren.

“Thank you, Countess. I hope you enjoy your time here,” I said politely, forcing a smile.

After a while, I excused myself.

The room suddenly felt suffocating.

I stepped out onto the balcony to get some fresh air.

The cold breeze brushed against my face.

For the first time since arriving in this world, my mind felt calm.

For a moment, the pain of losing my brother and the sadness I felt for Arzhel faded away.

Then suddenly—

I heard someone step onto the balcony.

I turned around.

And immediately recognized him.

Shiny silver hair.

Ocean-blue eyes.

He was tall, with a broad build.

He wore white clothes that resembled a priest’s robes, covering most of his body so that only part of his neck, his face, and his hands were visible.

My lips parted in shock as I looked at him.

I knew.

This was him.

Arzhel Ravendish.

Chapter 3

⸻

“Ah… so someone was already here.”

He ran a hand through his hair when it fell over his right eye, then smiled at me.

“I wanted some fresh air, so I came to the balcony. I’m sorry—did I disturb you? I didn’t know someone else was here.”

My eyes remained fixed on him.

I couldn’t believe he was standing right in front of me.

I didn’t move, afraid that if I did, he would disappear like an illusion I had created in my mind.

“A-ahem… miss?”

I snapped out of my thoughts and quickly looked away.

I had been staring at him for far too long.

“O-oh, please excuse my rudeness. I was thinking about something else.”

I gripped my dress when he stepped forward.

“Would you mind sharing this balcony with me? I’m just tired of being inside and wanted some air,” he said softly, his voice piercing my ears.

“I-… you can. Do as you like. I’ve already had enough air—you can enjoy it here.”

Even though I wanted to stay with him a little longer, I shouldn’t.

The family whose body I now possessed was the one he would eventually destroy.

As much as I wanted to support his revenge, I also had to survive in this world. I didn’t know what would happen if I died here… or if it would affect my life outside this world.

If I could even go back at all.

I bowed slightly to signal that I was leaving.

But as I walked past him, he suddenly grabbed my wrist.

I flinched when our skin touched and instinctively tried to pull my hand away. His hand was colder than mine.

“Oh—I’m sorry for touching you without permission,” he said quickly. “I only wanted to ask… could you stay a little longer? I don’t like being alone, and I would feel guilty if you left when you had the balcony first.”

The word alone caught in my throat.

I knew too well what kind of life he had lived.

Hearing him say that hurt more than it should have.

Before I realized it, tears were already falling from my eyes.

The longing and sadness returned once again.

“Oh… why are you suddenly—”

Arzhel stopped when he saw the tears on my face.

“Why are you crying? Did I make you cry?”

His voice turned colder, the corner of his lips twisting slightly.

I took two steps back and quickly wiped my tears.

“N-no. Something just got in my eyes. I’m not crying.”

How embarrassing.

It was our first time meeting, and I was already acting like this.

I might know him from the novel… but he didn’t know me.

His hand hung in the air before he slowly withdrew it and slipped it into his pocket.

“Everyone has secrets they don’t want to share,” he said quietly. “Whatever it is… those tears don’t suit you.”

He leaned closer and gently touched the place where my tears had fallen.

I flinched again at the contact, my face turning red at his sudden action.

He held my hand carefully, as if it were something precious.

“Your hands are cold.”

Then he smiled faintly.

“My mother had cold hands too, so I used to warm them with mine.”

His words struck me like thunder.

Something was wrong.

He was lying.

He had never met his mother.

She had died while giving birth to him.

So why was he lying?

“I remember her whenever I do this she always pats my head,” he continued softly. “But she passed away long ago.”

A strange feeling ran through my body.

Then suddenly, another thought hit me.

Why was he here?

He was supposed to meet the female lead tonight.

That was how their story began.

There was no scene in the novel where he came to the balcony for fresh air.

My mind began to panic as I realized something.

“My mother also liked balconies,” he continued. “You can see the view from here.”

He glanced toward the garden.

“Those roses… they’re my favorite flowers.”

Then he looked back at me.

“Now that I think about it… your hair looks like a rose.”

His hand slowly brushed against my hair while the other still held my hand, keeping me close.

I could feel his breath against my face as he spoke.

“You look like a rose, my lady… Elyndra Windmere.”

My heart pounded.

No.

This didn’t make sense.

He hated flowers—especially roses.

And this balcony…

This was the place where his sister had died.

Even though he hadn’t witnessed it himself, he knew she had fallen from one of the balconies in the marquis’s mansion.

So why was he saying these things?

Was he trying to…

…seduce me?

Slowly, I looked into his eyes.

Even though his voice was soft and his expression gentle, something about those ocean-blue eyes made a chill run down my spine.

I could clearly see the darkness hidden within them.

Dangerous.

He was dangerous.

“By the way,” he said calmly, “my name is Arzhel Ravendish.”

Hearing his name snapped me back to reality.

Yes.

He was Arzhel Ravendish.

The man who would kill anyone who stood in his way.

The man who hid behind an innocent facade to manipulate people… to use them… and destroy them.

I quickly pulled my hand away from him.

“My lady Elyndra?”

He flinched slightly at my sudden rejection.

For a brief moment, I saw annoyance flash across his eyes before he quickly hid it.

“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “My family is waiting for me. I must excuse myself, sir.”

Without waiting for his response, I turned and walked away.

Away from him.

This was crazy.

What did he want from me?

Then I remembered something.

In the novel, Arzhel had originally planned to use the real Elyndra for his revenge.

But unlike me real Elyndra didn’t go to the balcony before anyone approached her because she suddenly felt unwell andd get back to her room.

So Arzhel had changed his target and approached the female lead instead, since she was Elyndra’s cousin.

⸻

Arzhel Ravendish

Bothersome.

People with fake laughter, greedy eyes, and endless chatter.

I hated parties.

Not only because of these people… but because of the events that had happened here long ago.

Yet everyone acted as if nothing had happened.

“Your Grace, it’s a pleasure to see you here! This is my daughter, Grisly Elowen.”

Greedy nobles.

They only cared about power, reputation, and status.

“Your Grace,” the young lady said as she bowed, looking at me with seductive eyes before raising her hand toward me.

I swallowed my disgust and irritation, forcing a smile as I kissed the back of her hand.

Her perfume suffocated me even more than her presence.

I wanted to erase her existence entirely.

“Lovely evening, my lady.”

Before she could continue speaking, the grand doors opened.

Three people entered the banquet hall.

Marquis Johnson Windmere and his family.

My eyes followed them and caught a glimpse of the young lady standing between them.

She was the center of this celebration.

As I watched her enter with her parents, a smirk formed on my lips.

This girl would be my way in.

My prey.

Soon, I saw her excuse herself from the crowd and walk toward the balcony.

My lips curled into a smile.

It would be easy to get close to her.

I pretended I didn’t know she was already there.

When she saw me, she froze in shock—like a deer caught by a lion.

But when I held her hand…

Something unexpected happened.

Her cold hand warmed instantly in mine.

It felt… strangely good.

Her presence was warm, almost like sunlight.

And her scent…

It was pleasant.

The thought irritated me.

But at the same time, it made things easier.

It wouldn’t be difficult to pretend I wanted to get close to her.

Then suddenly—

She cried.

My heart turned colder.

I didn’t know why she was crying.

But I didn’t want to see it.

It felt as if she were looking straight into the darkness inside me.

Then she pulled away from my grasp.

I hated that feeling.

She had rejected me.

No one had ever rejected my touch before.

People usually craved it.

My hand tightened into a fist.

Before I could ask anything, she ran away.

“Ha…”

Amusement and madness danced in my eyes.

“Should I just break her neck?”

There were many options.

But she was the best one.

And strangely…

A part of me didn’t want to do that.

It would have been easy to slit her throat and end her life.

And I wouldn’t have felt guilty about it.

Yet something stopped me.

I remembered the way she had flinched when I touched her.

I laughed softly at the memory.

Then I looked toward the path where she had disappeared and smiled darkly.

“Elyndra…”

The way her name rolled off my tongue felt strangely satisfying.

Yes.

She was exactly what I needed.