ALL NOVEL Chapter 1
“Ugh….”
It felt like needles were poking at my temples. Even in the midst of this, my thirst surged, and my throat felt on fire.
Johan clutched his head and sat up.
The room was dark. Looking out the window, it seemed like dawn with the sun just beginning to rise.
‘How much did I drink last night? I can’t remember a thing.’
Just yesterday, there was the debutante ball of the Marquis’s daughter. Despite being the third son of a viscount, it was an honored event since the lady had personally invited him, and he recalled indulging in drinks after meeting some familiar faces for the first time in a while.
But this was an excessive amount of drinking, wasn’t it? Johan groaned, clutching his pounding head.
“Ugh…”
As he sighed, the smell of alcohol assaulted his senses. His stomach churned.
‘This is why I tried to avoid alcohol as much as possible…’
Originally, he had a body that could handle liquor well. But ever since reincarnating into this world, even a single glass of wine could send him spiraling.
Was that all? He couldn’t even touch cigarettes, as his respiratory system was weak. His nose was sensitive too; just a whiff of bad odor could make his head spin.
Smoking aside, for Johan, who enjoyed drinking in his previous life, such a hangover after reaching adulthood was hard to adapt to.
‘Looks like it’s time for me to drink again.’
With that thought, Johan threw off the covers. His eyes widened once the white blanket was lifted.
“What the…”
He wasn’t wearing any pants. Not even any underwear. Johan couldn’t comprehend the situation.
He didn’t usually sleep without clothes. That had been drilled into him.
‘Wait, I don’t even have a shirt on.’
Shirtless? Absolutely not. What if a maid came in and saw him?
There was a deep-seated reason for this.
Johan was known for his stunning appearance, to the extent that he had become a trophy in society.
A trophy that noble ladies and daughters eyed hungrily, eager to take him for themselves.
That was Johan Harsen, the third son of the Harsen viscount family.
So, he took great care to present himself well, perhaps more than any noblewoman would.
‘What on earth is going on—’
At that moment, a sharp pain pierced his head. Johan instinctively touched his forehead.
“The headache is brutal.”
And his throat was parched; his voice cracked as he spoke.
Just then, as he stood up to grab a glass of water—
“…!”
Now his back was stinging. Horribly so. It felt like he had been scraped somewhere; even moving his muscles made it throb.
“Ah, this is maddening.”
It was a total disaster. He couldn’t remember what had happened the previous night, and now his body was in shambles.
“Um, are you awake?”
Just as Johan was writhing in pain, a clear female voice suddenly chimed in from beside him.
“…?”
He was completely baffled by what was happening. Why, who was this unknown woman lying beside him?
Turning his head, Johan met her gaze. She had long eyelashes and striking red eyes hidden under them, reminding him of rubies.
“…….”
Her long, black hair was splayed out across the bed. The tips of her hair emanated a scent like freshly picked fruit. Each time she blinked, the aroma of flowers wafted toward him, captivating him.
But admiring her beauty was momentary. Johan was still at a loss.
Who was she? Why was she… lying in the same bed as him?
As she attempted to place her hand on his cheek, he instinctively recoiled and asked, “Excuse me, who are you?”
“Uh…?”
“Why are we… together like this?”
Johan genuinely asked, as he couldn’t remember anything from last night.
He strained to recall but could only remember drinking heavily with friends.
“Um… could this mean we’re in a bit of trouble?”
There was a murmur, laced with a dangerous undertone.
A shadow passed across her face.
Feeling the ominous atmosphere, Johan hurriedly asked, “What do you mean by ‘in trouble’… cough!”
As his voice cracked, she handed him water from a nearby shelf.
“Here… drink.”
“…Thank you.”
Once he quenched his thirst, Johan could finally see her body. There were bite marks all over her skin.
“……”
If he wasn’t an idiot, he would have realized what had happened.
He had spent a night of forbidden passion with the woman next to him.
“…I understand that something happened last night. I sincerely apologize, but may I ask your name?”
If he were to dismiss it as something he didn’t know, he would be no different than trash.
He had to take responsibility for this, so it was best to maintain calm.
Thus, he asked for her name. Surely, he at least needed to know which family she belonged to.
The era and background of this world had strict notions of chastity.
If this was her first time, it could complicate matters regarding marriage.
The first time of a noblewoman was of utmost importance.
Johan intended to take full responsibility and even marry her.
“As I mentioned before, I’m Fransia. Fransia Ferbache.”
“……”
Upon hearing her name, Johan’s jaw dropped, and he found himself speechless.
A name he could never forget.
The protagonist of the reverse harem romance fantasy work, “Surviving in a Crazy World Full of Villains.”
Fransia Ferbache.
The only daughter of the Ferbache Duke House, doted upon by the Duke.
The very heroine of the world Johan had reincarnated into.
*
Johan Harsen. The third son of a viscount family.
He was born with exquisite looks but had always been cautious due to his lower noble status.
Though not particularly clever, he had managed to navigate life by utilizing the knowledge from the modern world and the faint memories of the original story to glean small benefits.
He sought a peaceful existence, knowing what could happen if he got entangled with noblewomen.
What if he got too close to counts or marquises? As the third son of a viscount, he would surely be executed for having eyes on their daughters.
Yet, what if the woman he had relations with was the one and only daughter of the Empire’s duke?
Especially if this world, which was already rooted in romance fantasy, was full of madmen and wicked women?
“This is a real disaster.”
After living quietly for 21 years in this world, it felt like everything would unravel.
He would be involved with not only insane male leads but also ridiculous villainesses.
Fransia had to suffer from all kinds of crazies before she even met the main male character.
If he got involved with her, there was no doubt that any fallout would hit Johan too.
After all, he had become an enemy to their rivals.
Johan could not hide his despondency.
“Um, Johan? Is something wrong? You look serious.”
“……”
“Did I… do something wrong…?”
Fransia looked up at him, her eyes trembling.
“No, it’s nothing.”
He shook his head, forcing a wry smile. He wasn’t a madman getting angry at a woman he had bedded.
“I believe I drank too much last night and can’t quite remember. Could you tell me what happened…?”
He cautiously asked to avoid upsetting her. The real issue was that he couldn’t remember a thing.
“Well, you see…”
Fransia averted her gaze, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger.
“I was drinking alone yesterday when you approached me, asking if we’d drink together.”
“Me? Well, anyway. Then what…?”
“I happily agreed. Because my family is quite strict, I don’t often get the chance to drink with a handsome man.”
“And then…?”
“Well, both of us drank too much and ended up here, right? Ah, I don’t hold any resentment. I enjoyed it….”
In short, she had approached him while he was minding his own business.
Him.
The one who sought tranquility in life…
“Life just went to hell.”
Fransia must have picked up on the depth of his feelings as her lips turned down.
“Could it be that you don’t like me…?”
Her words tumbled out in a flurry.
“I’m sorry about my behavior. I scratched your back and made crude noises… It was my first time feeling like that, and I didn’t know what to do…”
At her words, Johan waved his hands desperately.
“That’s not something for you to apologize for, my lady. It’s just how it is. I’m not disappointed, not at all.”
The true issue was with him.
“Anyway, I’m sorry I can’t remember. I made quite a nuisance of myself.”
Thus, Johan bowed his head, offering a sincere apology.
Given that they shared an intimate night, it was proper for him to apologize.
“No, I drank too much as well.”
Fransia subtly leaned her body against his arm as she continued speaking.
“I had a wonderful time last night. It was so blissful. You might not remember, though…”
“I’m so sorry.”
Each time the topic of last night came up, Johan could only look down and offer a heartfelt apology.
“It’s fine.”
“……”
“Memories can be created anew.”
Fransia pressed closer, and he could feel a soft sensation on his arm. A man’s body was quite honest in such matters, and he found himself rising to the occasion.
“Oh my.”
Fransia covered her mouth with her hand as she looked at him, her cheeks flushed.
“Should we do it again…?”
“Um…”
To be honest, he wanted to feel the experience from the previous night that he couldn’t remember.
After all, she was the heroine of the story, the central figure in this tale, and without a doubt, a beautiful woman.
But at that moment, reason prevailed over instinct.
If he were to do it again, there would be no turning back…
“Doing it again might put a burden on you, Miss Fransia.”
It might be too much for her, having just had her first experience.
Johan seized on this point to refuse.
“…Now that I think about it, you’re right.”
Fransia smiled bashfully as she played with her waist. The tip of her tongue peeked out, rosy.
“Right now, my whole body hurts so much that just sitting up is tough.”
How much had they done? Johan felt resentment towards his past self. Hatred, even.
Of course, it wasn’t that a night with a woman was bad. It was simply that it was with Fransia.
“This is really a disaster.”
If she had merely been an ordinary noblewoman, Johan might have thought, “Well, I couldn’t hold myself back,” and moved on.
But Fransia Ferbache was different. She was the protagonist of this world and would soon become entangled with all sorts of madness.
It was clear he would get wrapped up in that fate, too.
“At least there’s comfort in that this all happened before entering public service, and the story is still in its early stages.”
The story would properly begin when Johan’s generation—Fransia and the other characters—entered the Royal Office of Public Affairs.
That was when Fransia would officially be recognized as the heir and the foremost lady of the Ferbache Duke House, and her name would spread through society.
Having participated in the party yesterday and relaxing like this until today meant she likely hadn’t yet become a public affairs officer.
“But still, better to ask just in case.”
Johan forced an awkward smile and stroked the back of Fransia’s hand.
“Do you have any work right now, my lady?”
“Yes. I’m a public affairs officer. I was just appointed as an Archmage.”
“Oh.”
The happiness he had been circling around moments ago vanished like mist; the story had already begun.
That meant he would have to take center stage in the upcoming incidents and do battle with the male leads and villainesses.
“This is truly a complete disaster.”
It was the moment when his life took a sharp turn for the worse.