UDBUL CH 02

CHAPTER 02

Riana was just about to speak when the girl suddenly called out, “Daddy!”
A moment later, a young man stepped into the room.

The moment their eyes met, Riana instantly understood.

This place wasn’t an organ‑harvesting gang or a thieves’ den.

And her reason was simple:

That man’s face…!

She’d seen him before—in another webtoon!
It was that dad from that heart‑warming child‑raising story, the cool and handsome father everyone loved.

Riana’s gaze slid back to the girl.

Soft, bouncy orange curls tied into two pigtails. Eyes sparkling like juicy slices of orange.

This girl—who would one day overcome her family’s old rule that only men could inherit titles, and rise to become a marquess in her own right—was smiling brightly at her.

Riana forced herself to smile back, though inside she was screaming.

Wait… this world is also from a story?!

She had just barely escaped one story, and now—another one?! You’ve got to be kidding me!

Before she could recover from her shock, a second horrifying thought struck her.

A highlight scene from that webtoon flashed through her mind:

“You deceived the Marquisate with lies and trickery. Let’s see if you can keep lying with your head cut off.”

And then—
A head rolled across the floor.
Short hair like a boy’s. A pale face without makeup.

The final moment of the villainess who had disguised herself as a boy to infiltrate the Marquisate.

Riana blinked and caught sight of her own reflection in those big orange eyes.
Still wearing a hat hiding her hair.
Dirty face.
Boy’s clothes.

…Did I just trigger that flag?

Am I… the villainess here too?!

Tears burst out before she could stop them.

Without even wiping her eyes, Riana ripped off her hat. Her long pink curls spilled down over her shoulders.

Forcing a shaky smile, she waved frantically at the stunned little heroine.
“H‑hi! I’m a girl.”

Instead of saying her name, she gave the most important information.
That’s way more important than my name right now!

Then she spun toward the dad and yelled with all her might,
“Hello, sir! Thank you so very clearly, without a doubt, for helping me—an obvious GIRL!”

She couldn’t risk being mistaken for a boy and accused of sneaking in.

Thankfully, the little heroine’s misunderstanding cleared up quickly—her eyes wavered, proof enough.
“I… I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”

The girl’s voice shook, and her father stepped in, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“Rest for now. Let’s go, Cecilia.”

When the two of them left the room, Riana immediately jumped to her feet.

Now’s my chance. Time to run!

There was no way she was staying in this dangerous place a second longer.

But first, she needed to find something.

Riana, still wearing her hat, scanned the room.
Where’s my bundle?
She’d been holding it right until she blacked out…

Then she heard a rustling sound. She thought it was the wind through the window, but when she listened closer—no.

Crunch, crunch.

She knew that sound well.
That’s the sound of biting into the sugary crust of a heart‑shaped palmier!

“My food!”

Riana let out a squeak and rushed toward the sound.

She yanked open a closet—and froze.

Inside was a boy, just as scruffy as she was, staring up at her silently.

His legs were as thin as Riana’s arm, his black hair long and messy, covering his eyes.

Creak.

Riana quietly closed the closet door.
“E… enjoy it,” she mumbled through the crack, trembling all over.

It’s him. That’s the male lead.

The illegitimate son of the duke, cast out of his family and raised by a maid of the Marquisate.
The boy who would one day become the strongest in the whole world and claim the dukedom.
And one of his future achievements would be—

“Let’s see if you can keep lying with your head cut off.”

—executing the villainess.

A chill ran down her spine. She could almost feel the blade.

I need to get rid of this villainess flag—fast!

“I’ve gotta run. Right now.”

Panicked, Riana scanned the room.
She peeked out the window. First floor. Perfect.

She abandoned her bundle, climbed through the window, and ran.

Looking like a ragged beggar, it didn’t take long for the guards to spot her.
“Get out of here, you beggar! Do you even know where you are?!”
One guard lifted her up and carried her all the way out the front gate.

What a kind man, Riana thought.
And just like that, she escaped the Marquisate.

Back in the marketplace, Riana grabbed a random passerby and asked for directions to the next town.
“It’s about two hours by carriage, but there’s a shortcut. Walk through that forest for 30 minutes and you’ll be right there.”

“Thank you!”

She planned to find a church and get help entering a poorhouse.
Sure, there were churches here too, but staying near that “child‑raising story” family was way too risky.

But a few hours later, an angry cry echoed through the forest:
“You said thirty minutes!!”

She had been walking for two hours and still nothing but endless trees.
She even thought, Maybe my legs are too short? and kept going, but the forest only grew deeper.

Then the sun set.
Wolves howled in the distance.
And soon—drip, drop—rain began to fall.

Going back was no use; she couldn’t see the markings she’d made on the way in. Clouds hid the moon and stars.

Growl…
Her stomach rumbled.
“I’m starving…”

She was going to die out here.
A tired, hungry ten‑year‑old couldn’t survive the night.

If only that boy hadn’t stolen my food, I’d be fine!

With her last bit of energy, she ground her teeth in fury.
She had fought so hard to escape the villainess fate, only to die because of the male lead?!

Then—
Flash!

A light.

Riana spotted a clearing ahead.
Wait—it wasn’t just a clearing.

“A cabin…”

In the center of the round patch of grass stood a small wooden hut, its windows glowing with light.

Maybe a woodcutter lives here?

Half‑doubting but desperate, she approached.
She couldn’t guarantee it was safe, but she had no choice. She needed walls and a roof to escape the cold rain.

Knock, knock.

She held her breath as footsteps sounded from inside.
The door creaked open, letting out warm light, cozy air, and a delicious smell.
And there, in the doorway, stood a man.

“Roshanaq? Is that you?”

Thud.

Riana collapsed on the spot.

Long red hair, gold‑rimmed glasses, and beastlike slit pupils.

That face…!
The immortal male lead from another webtoon.

Was this the place where he waited for his reincarnated lover to return?
Oh no. It really is.

He’d been cooking potato soup—her favorite—for her every single day while he waited.
And now Riana was smelling that soup herself.

Memories from the story raced through her mind.
Especially the scene where he tore apart—literally shredded—the soul of someone who pretended to be his lost love.
Tears pricked her eyes.

Why… why is there a male lead everywhere I go?!

It’s not like she’d wandered into a Disney princess park! Was there nowhere safe from storylines in this world?!

Desperate, Riana buried her face in the dirt and sobbed.
Then, clinging to her will to live, she shouted:

“My name is Riana! I am NOT Roshanaq! Absolutely NOT!”

“But only Roshanaq knows this place…”

“It’s a coincidence!”

“Rosha—”

“I said I’m not!!”

Thankfully, the man didn’t seem interested in killing her.
He welcomed her inside, gave her a blanket and a fire to dry her clothes, and served her potato soup.

And the soup…
It was shockingly delicious.

How can anything taste this good?!

She devoured the whole bowl, then another, and another, while the man kept talking to her.

“Do you remember 200 years ago, the Yevnok Falls on the Crescent Peninsula?”

“I don’t know anything about that.”

“That’s where Roshanaq first whispered her love to me.”

He kept trying, clearly unwilling to let go of his hope.
“Ten months later, a child was born.”

“That’s an inappropriate topic. I’m ten years old.”

“…Right, of course.”

He drooped like a heartbroken man but didn’t stop questioning her.

Even after they put out the candle—Riana on the bed, the man on the floor—he kept talking.

“Roshanaq was always sensitive to the cold. Even in summer nights, she would shiver…”