Episode 1
My Stepdad Was The Mastermind
In the warm sunlight of a spring day, my beloved mother, Reina Arno, smiled brightly.
‘No… I guess I should call her Reina Decaran now.’
In front of my mother, who was wearing a beautiful wedding dress, stood a man with black hair.
Everyone congratulated them, saying they looked like a perfect couple, but my feelings were complicated.
Today, I was standing as the flower girl at the wedding, looking at my mother while not knowing whether I should smile or cry.
The reason I couldn’t celebrate my mother’s marriage was that black-haired man.
Klaus Decaran — a man said to have no blood or tears.
The heir of the Decaran Ducal Family, one of the most powerful families in the empire…
…and in the original novel, he was the hidden villain.
A man who was destined to die at the hands of the male protagonist.
“I, Klaus Decaran, swear before God that I will love Reina Arno for the rest of my life.”
That terrifying man was making a vow in front of the archbishop and many noble nobles.
Once this moment passed, nothing could be undone.
If I wanted to stop their marriage, this was my only chance.
But I could only sigh helplessly.
How did things end up like this?
—
1. Looking for a Stepfather
“The Illegitimate Prince Dreams of Revenge.”
That was the title of a romance fantasy novel that once swept across South Korea.
And eight years ago, I was reincarnated into the world of that novel.
I remembered my previous life when I was five years old.
At first, I didn’t realize this was the world inside a book.
When I regained my memories, I simply thought I had been reincarnated. But the family names and place names I heard for the first time strangely felt familiar.
Then one day, I heard about the disappearance of the young duke of the Decaran family, which shook the entire empire.
That was when I realized for sure that this world was the setting of the novel “The Illegitimate Prince Dreams of Revenge.”
The heir of the Decaran ducal family, who enjoyed everything as the highest noble of the empire, had suddenly disappeared one day.
People believed the young duke would soon return.
But even now, no one knew where he was.
Anyway, although I finally understood why things sometimes felt strangely familiar, the fact that this world was from a novel did not affect my life at all.
Because I, Valerie Arno, was never even mentioned once in the original story.
I was nothing more than Citizen No.1 of the empire, someone who would pass by unnoticed.
I wasn’t even a side character—just a random passerby.
So there was no chance I would get involved in the dangerous events of the novel.
Of course, that also meant I had no idea about my own future.
But that didn’t cause any problems in my life.
However, something sad happened three months ago.
Three months ago, my uncle Dietrich, who had sailed across the sea to another kingdom for a new business of the Arno family, was on a ship that sank.
After that day, no one knew whether Uncle Dietrich was alive or dead.
If I had been an important character in the original story—if my life had been written in the novel—maybe I could have used that knowledge to find Uncle Dietrich.
Maybe I could have prevented the tragedy in advance.
Thinking that my kind and loving uncle might never return made me cry for many nights.
“It’s okay, Vivi. Your uncle will definitely come back.”
“That’s right. Dietrich is strong, so he must still be alive. Maybe he’ll even bring lots of gifts for you.”
My mother, my grandfather, and I lived with the hope that Uncle Dietrich would come back.
But in the end, he never returned.
And today, I once again had to lament the fact that I didn’t know my future.
“Father… if you leave like this, what am I supposed to do?”
In the rain, I blankly watched my mother crying while holding my grandfather’s coffin.
Everything felt unreal, like a dream.
Why did something like this happen again?
A few days ago, my grandfather went out and returned as a cold corpse.
He had gone outside the territory for inspection and got into a carriage accident.
A broken piece of the carriage pierced his lung, and he died on the spot before a mage or priest could even be called.
If I had known the future, maybe I could have stopped this too.
Why did God give me memories of my past life if this was going to happen?
If I hadn’t known this world was inside a novel…
If I had just been an innocent eight-year-old girl…
maybe I wouldn’t hate myself like this.
“Reina, I understand how you feel, but we should let Uncle rest now.”
My mother’s cousin, Uncle Pascal, tried to comfort her.
My mother hugged him and cried like a child.
That was how my grandfather left us forever.
—
After the funeral, my mother, Uncle Pascal, and I returned to the mansion.
But someone was waiting for us in front of the house.
He was a young man with light brown hair and green eyes, wearing a dark navy suit.
I had never seen him before.
When he saw us, he took off his hat and greeted us.
“Sir Chepheldt, I’ve been waiting.”
Chepheldt was Uncle Pascal’s family name.
Who is he?
I peeked from behind my mother and observed the man.
When our eyes met, he smiled warmly.
Without thinking, I nodded slightly in greeting.
My mother, however, seemed too exhausted to notice him and went straight into the mansion.
The man followed us inside along with Uncle Pascal.
The uninvited guest even followed us into the family living room.
“Bring some warm tea and hot chocolate. Vivi has been in the rain for a long time and must be cold.”
“Yes, miss. But should I bring four cups?”
“Four?”
Only then did my mother notice the light-brown-haired man standing by the door.
“Oh, it seems we have a guest. Pascal, is he your guest?”
“That’s right. Let me introduce him. This is Simon Weaver. And as you already know, this is my cousin, Reina Arno.”
At Pascal’s signal, the man stepped forward.
His hair was neatly slicked back with pomade, and he wore glasses. He had a strict-looking face.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Arno. First, please accept my condolences for the deceased.”
“Thank you for coming all this way. Were you at the funeral earlier? I was too distracted to greet you properly.”
“No. I only just arrived in the Arno territory, so unfortunately I could not attend.”
If he was wearing a dark blue suit instead of mourning clothes, he probably never intended to attend the funeral anyway.
I narrowed my eyes at Simon Weaver.
When he noticed my suspicious gaze, he raised an eyebrow and smiled.
For some reason, I didn’t like him.
“Anyway, since you are Pascal’s guest, you are also my guest. I’ll have a room prepared for you. Please stay as long as you wish.”
My mother politely hinted that he should leave.
I hoped he and Uncle Pascal would leave soon so my mother and I could be alone.
But instead of leaving, Simon Weaver stepped closer to my mother.
“Actually, I came because I have something to tell you, Lady Arno.”
“To me?”
“More precisely, I came as Mr. Pascal Chepheldt’s legal representative.”
“Legal representative?”
My mother’s eyes became wary.
“Yes.”
Simon Weaver adjusted his glasses meaningfully.
My mother asked Pascal in a slightly sharp voice.
“Pascal, explain this. Why did you suddenly bring a legal representative?”
“Reina, I didn’t want to talk about this on the day of Uncle’s funeral, but I thought you should know about a realistic problem.”
“A realistic problem?”
“The inheritance of the Arno family.”
Both my mother and I were shocked.
But my mother spoke firmly.
“Why are we suddenly talking about inheritance? Dietrich will inherit the Arno family. The title and business were always meant for him. He has been trained as the heir since childhood.”
“Hmm, really?”
“You know that too, Pascal. I appreciate your concern, but this is not something you should interfere in.”
She politely but clearly drew a line.
Indeed, Pascal had no right to involve himself in the Arno family inheritance.
At that moment, Simon Weaver, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke.
“I’m sorry, Lady Arno, but Sir Dietrich Arno is currently missing, isn’t he?”
“He will return! There’s no way that child is dead. We’re all waiting for him. It may take time, but he will return and inherit the family. Until then, I will temporarily manage it.”
“I understand your feelings, but according to the Imperial inheritance law, the title and property must be inherited within three months after the death of the previous holder.”
“I know that.”
“If you know that, how can you say this matter has nothing to do with Sir Pascal?”
“…What exactly are you trying to say?”
Simon Weaver cleared his throat, as if he had been waiting for that question.
“Officially, Sir Dietrich Arno’s death has not been confirmed, so he is still the first heir. However, if he does not complete the inheritance procedure within three months from today, the inheritance will pass to the second heir.”
Simon Weaver pointed to the still-smiling Uncle Pascal.
“To Sir Pascal Chepheldt, who is standing right here.”
