Chapter 2

I blinked in surprise.

Is she an ultra-powered introvert too?

Why was everyone’s reaction so extreme?

It definitely wasn’t because they’d been dazzled by my beautiful face and fainted from sheer awe.

After all, if she was really my mother, she’d spent her whole life looking at this face.

“Excuse me, but… why did she faint? Is Mother sick?”

I turned to another maid standing behind Reta’s mother and asked as politely as I could, considering this seemed to be the Middle Ages.

“Ugh…”

Thud.

Oh, come on…

What was I supposed to do if everyone kept fainting?

…Wait.

A mansion packed full of introverts like this?

If that was really true, then this place was…

Heaven?

Calm down, most beautiful woman in this world.

There might be another explanation.

I should confirm it first.

“Phew.”

Next, I decided to ask the middle-aged man standing perfectly still like a stone statue.

Just from his eyes—which resembled mine—and his casually swept-back platinum-blond hair, it was obvious he was Reta’s father.

He’s handsome.

Lowering my eyebrows with concern, I asked,

“Father, is Mother ill? I’m worried.”

“…Physician.”

Reta’s father merely tilted his head toward the man guarding the door.

If he was calling for a doctor, perhaps Mother had some chronic illness.

“Mother and the maids must be seriously sick…”

“One more.”

“Huh?”

What did he mean?

There wasn’t anyone else unconscious.

“Y-Yes, sir!”

The man hurried away with a horrified expression.

Reta’s father clicked his tongue and muttered something under his breath.

“…That Crown Prince and his pointless remarks… Hm.”

Wow.

There’s even a Crown Prince?

This setting is really detailed.

Which novel is this supposed to be?

The only one I’d read recently was…

…Wait.

The heroine in that novel wasn’t named Reta.

Am I just some extra?

Or is this not even that novel?

Time to test the waters.

“His Highness Crown Prince Imel?”

“…Who else would it be?”

Reta’s father—let’s call him Dadta—answered with an unmistakably annoyed expression.

Gotcha.

So it was that novel.

Then the heroine’s name was…

“Is this because of Dragon Master Gawen?”

“…You’re saying the same thing again.”

Oh.

Perfect.

Everything was lining up.

One important character after another kept appearing.

This really was the novel my classmate had described as ‘Introvert Paradise’—

I’m Going to Tame a Dragon.

Now let’s figure out exactly where we are in the timeline.

If there was one thing I was good at…

It was making educated guesses.

Let’s think.

Based on what Dadta had said…

“So His Highness Crown Prince Imel told me to stop getting strange ideas because he has no intention of marrying me… and that’s why everyone thinks I’m acting like this?”

“…Yes. I’m busy enough already, and now you too…”

Early in the story.

Before the villainess completely destroyed herself.

In other words…

Still at the point where redemption was entirely possible.

So who was I?

Obviously…

The villainess, Reta Lora.

I had become Reta Lora, the woman who stood in the way of the two protagonists’ love.

Using the analytical skills of someone graduating with a 4.25 GPA, I mentally summarized everything I knew.

The story takes place in the Benoit Empire, a romance fantasy world founded under the blessing of dragons.

The imperial family inherited dragon blood, granting them immense power and authority.

However, that power was dangerously unstable and could go berserk at any moment.

The only people capable of stabilizing them were Dragon Masters, who were trained at a specialized academy called Meliora.

During the male protagonist’s generation, however, no Dragon Master existed who could control him.

As a result, he endured a miserable childhood.

Then one day, the heroine appeared from a third organization—the Mage Tower.

She was the true Dragon Master.

The original story revolved around the male lead obsessively relying on the heroine while she quietly remained by his side.

My favorite character had always been the second male lead—the one who acted cold on the outside but was warm inside.

He lingered near the protagonists before quietly disappearing from the story.

As for Reta Lora…

She was the sole heir of the wealthy Count Suspenter family, the shadowy power manipulating events behind the scenes.

She repeatedly obstructed the protagonists…

Only to end in the complete destruction of her family.

A flawless summary.

Honestly, I didn’t even need to reread the novel.

I didn’t recognize him because of the nickname.

I guess the villain’s family is actually pretty close?

…Although, judging from Dadta’s expression, which suggested he’d rather stare at a wall than hold this conversation…

Maybe not.

Anyway, I’d finally figured out why everyone looked at me as though they’d seen a ghost before collapsing.

The reason…

Was me.

Or rather—

The original Reta.

Like the rest of her family, she was known for wearing an expressionless face while suddenly doing incomprehensible things that terrified everyone around her.

But I knew the truth.

She was simply…

An extreme introvert.

The novel portrayed her as one of history’s greatest villainesses.

But I alone understood exactly how she kept being misunderstood until she met such a tragic end.

Explaining the whole thing would take forever, though.

Besides…

It looked like I was Reta now.

“No more wasting my time.”

A firm warning.

Well…

I couldn’t really blame Dadta.

In the original novel, the Suspenter family served as the main antagonists opposing the Crown Prince.

As leaders of the noble faction, they were constantly at odds with the imperial family.

Their relationship couldn’t have been worse.

And Reta was their only heir.

A remarkably capable one.

The Suspenter household had never heard of fixed working hours or work-life balance.

Because they deliberately kept their staff small for the sake of secrecy, everyone worked constant overtime.

The lights in this mansion never went out.

Meaning…

There was an overwhelming amount of work.

Too little manpower.

Too little time.

And now their most competent heir had suddenly caused a massive disturbance.

No wonder he’s irritated.

He’s going to be even more frustrated from now on.

What should I even say?

What would make me look like the perfect transmigrator?

Though honestly…

I’d already made several introverts faint.

I was probably beyond saving.

Should I act like the original Reta?

Or not?

Just then…

The physician arrived.

“Her body is perfectly healthy. Did something happen that could have emotionally shocked the Countess?”

“……”

Instead of answering, Dadta looked at me.

The physician followed his gaze, visibly startled.

After examining me, he frowned in confusion.

“She is completely healthy.”

“…Healthy?”

“I cannot determine the cause, so for now I recommend plenty of rest.”

Dadta listened with his arms crossed.

Without changing his posture, he simply said,

“Rest. Once you’re better, there’s plenty of work waiting.”

“W-Wait. Plenty of work?”

“…How troublesome….”

The words utter disappointment practically appeared in Dadta’s dead-fish eyes.

Meanwhile…

My brain suddenly started working at full speed.

You’re assigning work… to someone who knows absolutely nothing?

All I knew was the general plot and the introverts’ love lives.

The novel had never once explained what the heir of the villain family actually did.

More importantly…

I didn’t want to work!

I’d definitely be exposed.

The moment they realized something was wrong…

They’d probably conclude some demon had possessed their daughter’s body through dark magic.

Best case?

An exorcism.

I’d only just confirmed this wasn’t a dream by slapping myself.

If torture got added to the mix…

I was absolutely dead.

In that case…!

The classics never fail.

Strike first.

“Father.”

“I’ve lost my memories.”

“…What?”

His response sounded halfway between disbelief and a sigh.

For Dadta—the man who clearly found everything in life exhausting—I carefully emphasized every syllable.

“I. Lost. My. Memories.”

Long-winded excuses?

Unnecessary.

Just deliver the important point.

Look at those eyes.

“…Hmm.”

The trademark dead-fish eyes every exhausted introvert seemed to possess.

There’s no point giving long explanations to someone who can’t even be bothered listening.

Besides…

Whether I’d transmigrated, reincarnated, or was secretly an alien—

How would he ever know?

Exactly.

“I barely remember anything. I’m sorry I can’t explain it properly.”

I deliberately let my voice tremble a little.

Maybe because these eyelashes were so long, controlling my expression was even easier.

Perfect.

“……”

I’d already figured Dadta out.

He had little interest in anyone else.

Even this brief conversation seemed like a tremendous hassle to him.

Someone who wanted to achieve maximum efficiency with the absolute minimum effort.

Ending this situation as quickly as possible is the most convenient option for you.

How could I understand him after exchanging only a few sentences?

Simple.

Experience.

Years of accumulated social data.

When it came to dealing with people…

I was confident no one could beat me.

“…Come with me.”

Dadta let out a short sigh before speaking.

“Are you trying to make a fool of me?”

His voice was laced with irritation.

Those lazily narrowed eyes fixed squarely on me.