♧ Chapter 3 ♧
The truth was, every male lead in the original novel had something wrong with him.
Emperor Marius was obsessively possessive.
He would do absolutely anything if it meant winning the heroine’s heart.
Leopold, the strongest man in the world, was obsessed in a different way.
He was so devoted that he would give up everything for the woman he loved.
Those two showed their obsession through romance.
But François, the Head of the Magic Tower…
He was genuinely insane.
There were tragic reasons behind his madness.
But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
The important thing was that his insanity was like a ticking time bomb.
No one knew when it would explode.
He could be happily eating a meal one moment…
And destroy everything around him the next.
I was still just a child, so maybe I’d be spared.
But my youngest sister wasn’t a fighter either.
That made this meeting feel as dangerous as walking on thin ice.
“U-Um… Sister.”
I quietly tugged on Emilia’s sleeve, trying to pull her back.
She didn’t move at all.
“That’s right. I’m François Cassel.”
He smiled lazily.
“So you’re Emilia Berkio.”
Even without looking in a mirror, I knew exactly what my face looked like.
My eyes were probably shaking in panic.
‘How do these two even know each other?’
Ignoring my confusion, Emilia calmly pulled out a chair and sat down across from François.
“You received my letter, didn’t you? The paper about the relationship between ancient magic and supernatural abilities, along with the supporting materials. As the Head of the Magic Tower, you know better than anyone that those aren’t things you can obtain easily.”
“I certainly do. Ancient magical relics are already incredibly rare. Add supernatural abilities to them, and they’re a gold mine for any magician.”
“Exactly. Especially since supernatural abilities only exist in Trovanza.”
Supernatural abilities were special powers that only the people of Trovanza possessed.
Because of that, countless scholars across the continent wanted to study them.
The problem was that Trovanza strictly isolated itself from the outside world.
As a result, even seeing supernatural abilities in person was nearly impossible.
To magicians, even a single research paper about them was priceless.
‘Even if he’s the Head of the Magic Tower… how did he get into Trovanza? The coast guard isn’t that easy to get past.’
I sat beside Emilia and glared at François.
If he threatened my sister…
I was ready to bite his arm as hard as I could.
“So, Miss Berkio, what is it that you want?”
François brushed back his shining silver hair and smiled sweetly.
His smile was so dazzling it almost looked holy.
I couldn’t help staring at him with my mouth open.
Meanwhile, Emilia looked completely unmoved.
She casually patted my head as if his face didn’t affect her at all.
“How old do you think she looks?”
“Hmm… Four? Five? She’s obviously not your daughter… so your younger sister?”
“That’s right. She’s my little sister.”
Her expression softened slightly.
“My sister is sick. She was born prematurely, so she’s always been weak. Even a little shock gives her a fever, and catching a cold can turn into pneumonia.”
Then she added,
“Oh, and don’t call me Miss Berkio. Just call me Emilia.”
“So you want me to use healing magic on her?”
“I’ve read your paper. You said that drinking a mana potion whose mana structure is arranged similarly to holy magic increases the healing effect fivefold.”
She continued without taking a breath.
“Even if she isn’t seriously ill, wouldn’t that stimulate cell growth in a growing child and strengthen her body?”
Emilia spoke so many complicated words in one breath that my head started spinning.
François simply smiled.
“You aren’t a magician, but you know quite a lot.”
“I know enough.”
There was unmistakable pride in her voice.
She was one of Trovanza’s greatest researchers in magical studies.
For some reason…
I felt proud of her.
Then I remembered why she had contacted François in the first place.
It was all because of me.
“Sister.”
I hurriedly interrupted.
“Can we leave? I don’t like it here.”
Getting involved with François would never end well.
But instead of answering me, Emilia called over a waiter and ordered a glass of orange juice.
Then she continued talking with François.
‘This is dangerous… We really shouldn’t be here…’
Unable to stand it anymore, I pretended to drink my juice.
Instead…
I poured it all over my clothes.
“Ah!”
Emilia immediately took out a handkerchief and tried to wipe me clean.
But there was far too much juice.
The handkerchief wasn’t enough.
My clothes became sticky.
But if it meant escaping François…
It was worth it.
Still…
Why was François looking at me like that?
Resting his chin on one hand, he watched Emilia and me with amused eyes.
“…Anyway, I’ll contact you later with the exact date and place.”
Emilia stood up.
“We should get going.”
“Very well.”
She took me home while I was still soaked in orange juice.
I had tried my best to interrupt them.
But it seemed they had already finished discussing everything important.
I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in my heart.
“Sister.”
I looked up at Emilia.
“Are we going to see that man again? I don’t like him.”
“You couldn’t take your eyes off him because he was handsome.”
“Yeah… he was handsome…”
I pouted.
“But I still don’t like him.”
“If you want to become healthy, you’ll have to keep seeing him.”
She sighed.
“Do you know how difficult it was for me to arrange this meeting?”
Her firm voice left me with no energy to argue.
“Hmph…”
It was my tiny act of rebellion.
Of course…
Emilia paid no attention to it.
In the end…
The only thing I accomplished was ruining my clothes.
* * *
After Rebecca fell into the sea and died…
I spent a long time suffering from a fever.
The shock had made me physically ill.
I was so sick that I couldn’t even leave the house.
I had no choice but to quit kindergarten.
Now that I had recovered…
I faced a different problem.
I was unbelievably bored.
“I miss my friends! Francesca! Martina! Antonio! I want to see Antonio!”
Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore.
I threw myself onto the floor in protest.
My older brother had already moved to the southern region, saying he had done enough raising his younger sisters.
My eldest sister was busy with work.
That left only two targets.
My second sister, Regina, who worked freelance from home.
And Emilia, who happened to be on vacation.
“I’m boooored!”
“My princess.”
Regina smiled.
“Shall we play hospital?”
“No! You’ll just lie down and pretend to sleep again!”
“Hehe… You caught me.”
She laughed cheerfully.
I wrapped myself around her leg.
“Second Sister! Let’s go to the playground! Please?”
“No. What if you catch a cold?”
“Aaaaah! Pleeease!”
I rubbed my forehead against her leg for ten whole minutes.
Regina simply smiled her usual gentle smile and ignored my pleading.
Then—
Bang!
The bedroom door burst open.
Emilia staggered out after waking up.
“Just let her go dig in the sandbox or something.”
She yawned.
“She doesn’t even go to kindergarten anymore. How bored do you think she is staying home all day?”
She looked especially grumpy after just waking up.
As Regina always said…
The youngest troublemaker in our house became terrifying whenever she didn’t get enough sleep.
And today…
She looked ready to explode.
“I guess we don’t have a choice.”
Regina smiled.
“Lily, go change your clothes.”
“Yay!”
I quickly changed into my outdoor clothes.
Holding Regina’s hand as we walked to the playground…
I felt so happy that it seemed like I could fly.
“Are you really that excited?”
“Yes! I’m super happy!”
I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d been to a playground.
Even though I knew the original story…
I didn’t remember my previous life.
Mentally, I was only a little more mature than children my age.
Staying trapped inside the house had been incredibly frustrating.
‘Besides… I kept worrying that my sisters would meet the male leads from the original story.’
Regina had already turned down the job of cooking at the secret banquet.
But my eldest sister would almost certainly be assigned to escort the Trovanzan officials.
And Emilia…
She was already in contact with François because of me.
Nothing good could come from getting involved with the male leads.
I couldn’t stop worrying.
“Sigh…”
Regina chuckled.
She probably thought I was imagining strange things again.
Before long…
We reached the playground.
I let go of her hand and happily ran inside.
The colorful swings…
The sandbox…
The slide…
My heart raced with excitement.
“Lily! Be careful!”
I didn’t even hear her.
I climbed the stairs to the slide first.
“Wheee!”
I had missed this feeling so much.
After sliding down five times in a row…
I climbed onto a swing.
Meanwhile, Regina sat on a nearby bench and started knitting.
“Wahaha!”
As I happily swung back and forth…
Someone pushed me from behind.
It was probably one of the parents at the playground.
“Yahoo!”
“Having fun? Want to go higher?”
“Yes! Higher!”
I eagerly nodded at the man’s voice.
The swing rose higher and higher.
It felt like I was flying.
I laughed louder.
The sunlight sparkled around me.
I was having so much fun…
That I didn’t realize my hands were losing their grip.
The swing tilted almost ninety degrees.
And in the next instant—
I fell.
Across from me…
I saw Regina’s face turn completely pale.
Everything moved in slow motion.
The blue sky filled my vision.
I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting horrible pain.
“…Huh?”
Instead…
I felt something warm.
And solid.
Confused, I slowly opened my eyes.
A muscular man was holding me tightly in his arms.
“Huh…?”
Before I could react—
“Liliana!!”
Regina screamed as she ran toward us.
She quickly took me from the man’s arms and frantically checked my body.
Her face, always so lively…
Had turned deathly pale.
“Are you alright? Does anything hurt?”
“I’m okay.”
“Oh my goodness…”
She hugged me tightly.
I could feel her whole body trembling.
“Hey, little one!”
At that moment…
Another man with brilliant golden hair came running toward us.
He was probably the one who had been pushing my swing.
He was unbelievably handsome.
And he looked just as shocked as Regina.
“You didn’t hit your head, did you? Your arms and legs aren’t broken? You suddenly slipped right off the swing—I thought you were going to die!”
“M-Marius.”
The black-haired man who had caught me spoke calmly.
“Don’t worry. The child is safe.”
“Leo, thank goodness you caught her.”
The blond man let out a deep breath.
“I seriously thought something terrible had happened.”
The moment I heard their names…
I froze.
The blond man was called Marius.
The black-haired man who had caught me was called Leo.
‘The male leads from the original novel?!’
They were…
Emperor Marius von Chemelhoffen.
And Leopold von Waltrahen, Commander of the Imperial Knights.
“Liliana?”
My eyes shook violently.
My mind couldn’t process what was happening.
‘W-Why are they here…?!’
