Chapter 1 …
My chest hurt.
It was painful, suffocating, and heartbreaking—so much so that I felt like I might as well die like this.
Tears streamed down my cheeks.
My hands and feet were trembling.
At last, the strength left my legs, and I collapsed onto the spot.
(What is this…? Why is this happening?)
Even though despair filled my heart, I had no idea what I was grieving over.
Still, I forced strength into my trembling limbs and somehow steadied myself.
(Calm down… Let’s think this through slowly.)
I took a deep breath and looked around.
People dressed beautifully were watching me from a distance.
Their reactions varied—some looked at me with disgust, others with sympathy.
And in front of me stood a man.
He was a young man with shimmering golden hair and well-defined features. He wore formal attire, as if attending an evening party.
Judging by his looks alone—he was top-class.
But his eyes, as he looked at me, were extremely cold.
(Who am I? What is this situation?)
I desperately tried to remember my name.
Then, for some reason, two names surfaced in my mind.
One was Misa Tachibana.
She was twenty-eight years old and worked as a local government employee.
She had many hobbies and was an active person who spent her days off going out.
The other was Chloe Mertigall.
The daughter of the Marquis Mertigall family, and the fiancée of the second prince of the Kingdom of Adanani—Kirif.
Chloe was seventeen years old.
She was timid and quiet, the type who obeyed her father and fiancé without question.
(Ah… that’s right…)
As I recalled the names, I gradually began to understand the situation.
My name—right now—is Chloe Mertigall.
Pale golden hair. Light blue eyes. Fair skin.
Her overall coloring was faint, giving her a vague and subdued impression, and she had been looked down upon as a plain noble lady.
Her father, Marquis Mertigall, was the commander of the knights—and a man who embodied blatant male supremacy.
Only his sons mattered.
To him, his daughter—and even his wife—were nothing more than tools.
And the young man standing before me now, sending me that icy gaze—
It was that very father who had ordered me to marry the second prince, Kirif.
Though I had become his fiancée, there was no guarantee until the marriage was complete.
“Win the prince’s heart by any means necessary.”
That was my father’s command.
But Chloe, who had never spoken to any man other than her father and brothers, had no idea what to do.
All she could do was cling to the prince, desperately trying to make him acknowledge her existence.
From the perspective of the “other me,” it was obvious that this only had the opposite effect.
Thinking carefully through the memories, it seemed that Misa Tachibana was my previous life.
Misa had lived an ordinary life in a country called Japan. Though I couldn’t remember the cause, she had apparently died.
And then she was reincarnated as this girl, Chloe.
(So… reincarnation into another world really does exist?)
Still sitting on the ground, I turned my gaze to the building.
A beautiful and luxurious palace, reminiscent of European architecture.
Everyone around me wore splendid dresses.
It seemed Misa had been reborn into a fantasy-like world as Chloe, a noble lady of a marquis family.
But something shocking must have happened to Chloe, triggering the memories of her past life.
(Um… what happened exactly?)
Now that Misa’s consciousness had become clear, the painful sorrow that made me want to die had faded.
Calmly, I tried to recall Chloe’s life up until now.
A party held at the royal palace.
Chloe had arrived not with her fiancé Kirif, but escorted by her older brother.
Kirif hadn’t come to pick her up, nor had he sent any accessories or dress.
She waited until the very last minute, but received no contact from him. Scolded harshly by her father, she rushed to the venue.
And there, what Chloe saw—
Was Kirif escorting a beautiful baron’s daughter.
He held her hand, smiling gently—a smile he had never once shown Chloe.
The moment she saw that, shock rushed to her head, and before she realized it, she had confronted the girl.
“Lord Kirif is my fiancé. Please don’t take him away from me!”
Fear of her father’s anger. Fear of being abandoned by Kirif.
Those were the only things in Chloe’s heart at that moment.
Kirif, with a cold expression, shook off Chloe’s hand as she clung to his arm.
Smack. Her hand was struck away, and her vision blurred with despair.
“I do not belong to you. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
A cold voice.
A freezing gaze.
Trembling, Chloe collapsed—and from that shock, she regained the memories of her past life.
(I see… so that’s what happened.)
Now that I had just regained my memories, the life of Misa felt more real, while Chloe’s life felt distant—almost like someone else’s.
Even Chloe’s memories felt somewhat vague.
And looking at Kirif’s expression, it was obvious how much he despised Chloe.
Being followed around by a woman he disliked, and having his beloved partner accused—it must have been extremely unpleasant for him.
(But if he hates her that much, why not just break off the engagement? Ignoring her, refusing to escort her without even contacting her, and then knocking her hand away in public…)
Chloe was certainly at fault.
Even if she didn’t know what to do, clinging to him like that must have been nothing but a nuisance.
But I didn’t think she was the only one to blame.
While maintaining a political engagement with Chloe, he was freely enjoying a romance with another woman.
The arm he wrapped protectively around his lover—
Was the same hand he used to violently push Chloe away.
Did he think that because he was a prince, he could get away with infidelity?
(So… what should I do now?)
Looking up at Kirif, who stared down at me coldly, I thought.
My father would never forgive this disgrace.
Not only had Chloe failed to win over her fiancé—she had angered him in front of everyone.
When her hand was struck away, it felt like a familiar pain.
Her father likely raised his hand against her as well.
Chloe feared her father deeply—that’s why she obeyed him and clung to Kirif.
(Looking at it this way… Chloe wasn’t even in love with him. She just obeyed out of fear.)
This engagement would only bring unhappiness to both of them.
Even if they married, he would surely continue his affairs.
Chloe would only be a decorative wife.
And even if she didn’t marry, she couldn’t imagine being happy with that kind of family.
Since she had been reborn, she wanted to enjoy her life more.
And it seemed that Chloe could use magic.
From her memories, she had been vaguely aware of magical power within her, but feared it and desperately hid it.
So neither her fiancé Kirif nor her father knew.
In this country, only a few people could use magic.
If others knew, Chloe’s evaluation would have been completely different.
But with this magic, she could survive even without being a noble.
(Living as a commoner… becoming an adventurer sounds fun.)
I’ll leave this house.
And live freely.
Just as I made that decision, Kirif spoke with irritation.
“I never thought you were this kind of woman. If you do not change your behavior, I will have no choice but to break off the engagement.”
