I, the Female Lead, Ruined the Original

* * *

The room was luxurious. Candles on the floor. Wisps of smoke create a dreamy atmosphere. A faint, sweet scent in the air.

She was sitting on the bed. Layers of thin silk hang down, creating a secretive ambiance. Rose petals scattered on the bed….

What was this romantic atmosphere? It felt like a bridal chamber…?

Selleana was startled and checked her appearance. She was wearing a thin nightgown.

There was a ring on her fourth finger. Small diamonds bordered the pearl, increasing in number as they went down, forming a crescent moon shape.

While a full moon symbolized the empress in the Nepelsian imperial family, the crown princess was symbolized by a crescent moon. A ring representing the crown princess, an interior decorated with a mysterious atmosphere.

So this place was.

It was inside that damn original work!

Just then, the door opened. Light from outside streamed in, casting the visitor’s silhouette. The figure, with their face obscured by the light….

The shadow approached step by step….

She tried to escape immediately, but her body wouldn’t move.

The shadow came close and bent down. Were they going to face each other…?! Goosebumps covered her whole body at that moment.

It felt like time and space had stopped, and everything started to rewind. As if someone had pressed the rewind button.

Soon, Selleana was being attended to by maids and taking a bath. It seemed to be right before the bridal chamber. A moment of Michi’s face was captured like a freeze frame.

Could it be the future awaiting her if she followed her original fate?

As she was confused, the scene kept rewinding. Taking off her evening dress to enter the bathtub, shaking her glass at the reception in her evening dress, day to day… The city parade celebrates the imperial wedding, and eventually, she is in the grand temple.

<I, Selleana, 47th descendant of Elard, take on the holy union with the imperial family with a pure and clean mind. Firstly, as a member of the imperial family from now on…>

Wearing a wedding dress, she declared smoothly, her hand on an old-looking leather-bound book.

As Selleana finished her declaration, a white light emanated from the bible.

<This confirms that Selleana, 47th descendant of Elard, is qualified to become a member of the imperial family.>

With the solemn declaration of the high priest, applause filled the hall.

When she looked up, she saw Agnesia assisting behind the high priest, and when she turned around to look at the guests, she saw Doloret sitting in the back row.

At the moment of her doubt, the scenes changed again. Bridal lessons at the palace, final greetings with her parents, the crown princess selection… and then.

<Make sure to visit once you get settled, okay? Lea, good luck with your boring palace life.>

It was late at night, Doloret’s office. Her friends were sitting around with red eyes and noses. It seemed to be right before Rosalli left for Laten. Since it was something that would soon happen, Selleana’s heart also felt heavy.

And then the time rewound again… This time, it was in Selleana’s room.

<Are you sure this is a crime of insulting… the imperial family?>

<Even if Nesia is indifferent to the affairs of the temple, she wouldn’t lie about something like that….>

This was a familiar scene. No. It was Selleana’s own memory. This was a few days after learning from Agnesia that there would be a virginity verification at the wedding ceremony. She was agonizing over it.

<Still, there must be a way to get through it somehow, right? I am Elard, and you all are here.>

Huh?

At that time, she had definitely decided not to participate in the selection.

* * *

“

, so that’s what happened….”

A space blocked from sunlight. Mirrors were sporadically hung amidst the rising incense smoke here and there. No, the mirrors were floating in midair. Each surface reflected a different landscape.

In the clear mirror fixed by the priestess, Arshilla’s black eyes showed the lake on one side of the Bellanyu forest. The landscape moved here and there as if reflecting someone’s view. Finally, the fixed scene shows Lady Elard just after falling into the water. Her ponytail, which had been tied high, was rippling in the water.

Soon, a man appeared in the moving view. The silhouette jumped into the water without hesitation.

“Indeed….”

The man embraced Lady Elard from behind and pushed her to the shore. He checked her safety hurriedly, and then Lady Elard cupped his cheek with her hand.

“What you see in a crisis is true nature.”

Despite her warnings…

Arshilla’s fingers, with her arms crossed, tapped her lips slowly.

Her lips formed a faint, satisfied smile, but her gaze fixed on the clear mirror was emotionless.

The gaze was like that of someone assessing various moves on a chessboard.

No, it was the gaze of a hunter waiting for the prey to take the next step into the trap set before them.

“To think it’s the same leaker….”

* * *

“

…”

It was in the Duke Elard’s office. The duke cleared his throat quietly, facing someone he never imagined meeting like this.

The guest was the fifth prince, the tower master. The one his daughter was campaigning to marry and the one who had saved her life recently.

The duke bowed deeply from his seat. “First of all, thank you, Your Highness.”

“No need. I just….”

I just did what had to be done, intended Rakrensius, but his throat tightened. It was because hidden beyond him was his own cowardly emotion.  It wasn’t a purely humanitarian act to save a life.

“Since you participated in the hunting competition to strengthen ties between the Magic Tower and the Imperial Family after a long time, I wonder if you wasted your time because of my daughter…”

“It’s really fine. Rather, I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

“No, really. If Your Highness hadn’t discovered her…”

The duke’s face darkened. It reflected his deep affection for his daughter, and Rakrensius felt his throat tighten again. The name of that emotion was guilt.

Rakrensius slowly bit the inside of his mouth.

The duke added quickly, perhaps noticing his distressed look. “Please don’t worry too much. Lea hasn’t woken up yet. She’s fine.”

“Pardon? What do you mean…?”

“When Lea was young, she fell into the water too, and she was severely ill then too.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s okay for the lady to be severely ill now.”

“That’s true, but if you hadn’t helped, the situation would have been worse.” The duke smiled painfully. “I just hope our benefactor isn’t too worried.”

When news was delivered to the duke, who was enjoying hunting with the emperor and various nobles. The duke immediately returned to the campsite, withdrew from the hunting competition, and dismantled Elard’s camp. It was a strategic decision to somehow impose a debt on everyone involved. After all, there were discussions regarding Selleana and the imperial family. Regardless of logical calculations, he couldn’t shake off the worry for his daughter, who was bedridden with a high fever as soon as he returned home.

“As I mentioned in my letter, I asked to see you to inquire about the circumstances of that time.”

“Yes…”

It was this prince who had brought Selleana to Elard’s camp. They said he was a wizard, but he was drenched as if he had used magic. Selleana didn’t have a drop on her, but the child kept coughing as if her nose was red.

According to his wife, he looked very worried.

‘I thought Lea was the only one causing a fuss, but it seems that’s not the case….’

Then again, his daughter was the most revered lady in Nepelsian. He was a foolish father, but it was an objective fact.

While the Duke was lost in thought, Rakrensius cautiously spoke. “First, I temporarily sealed her memories.”

“Sealed her memories?”

“I made her remember the circumstances differently, but I can restore her memories at any time. She needs to remember exactly what happened if she wants to demand compensation.”

It was a measure that left both possibilities open. The duke quite liked the keen judgment of the fifth prince, whom he properly faced today for the first time.

“And, also.” Rakrensius took something out of his pocket. “Could you give this to the lady when she wakes up?”

He placed a small glass bottle on the table.

“It’s a potion from the Magic Tower. It’s a kind of supplement… it should be more effective than what the healers use.”

“

, I’ve heard about the potion.”

A health recovery drug developed through alchemy research at the Magic Tower. The price and technology were secret, so it was not easy to obtain. But Rakrensius offered it as casually as if it were a common syrup.

“…”

After staring at the bottle for a moment, the duke spoke. “Your Highness, perhaps.”

A face devoid of any desire turned towards the duke.

“If you have time, would you like to see Lea for a moment?”