OPMC 02

Chapter 2

I opened the wardrobe with a feeling of despair. Perfectly tailored men’s clothes were neatly hung inside.

“I’m screwed……”

Do I really have to cross-dress?

Sitting down in front of the wardrobe, I organized everything that had happened to me so far in my head.

First of all, the character I had possessed was Muzel. In the original novel, he was a supporting character who formed a love triangle with the male lead over the female lead.

But as far as I remembered, nowhere in the novel did it say that Muzel was a woman disguised as a man. He was clearly male throughout the entire story—and completely straight.

Which brought up another question. If Muzel is a man, why am I in a woman’s body right now?

“Is it because my original soul is female?”

It wasn’t a confident conclusion, but it was the only explanation I could think of for now.

Anyway, sitting here crying wouldn’t solve anything. If Lumi had possessed someone just like I did, then I had to find her no matter what and get her out.

First, I needed to go outside.

I stood up in front of the wardrobe again and looked for clothes to change into. I took off my pajamas and stepped into a pair of trousers. Then I threw on a loose-fitting men’s poet shirt.

“Ah… my chest……”

No matter how loose the shirt was, the difference between a man and a woman was obvious. If I went out like this, I’d definitely be exposed as a woman.

I quickly took the shirt off again and started searching the room for something to tightly bind my chest.

But there was no way a room belonging to a male character would have anything like that. In the end, I had no choice but to tear up a bedsheet and use it.

“What a hassle, seriously.”

Grumbling nonstop, I somehow managed to flatten my chest. After putting the shirt back on and buttoning up a vest, I looked… more or less like a somewhat androgynous man.

A hollow laugh kept escaping me.

In the original story, Muzel was described as being so pretty that he could easily be mistaken for a woman.

But why is he actually a woman now?!

I should’ve been more careful when using that possession spell. Who knew drunken possession could be this dangerous?

But regretting it now was useless.

“Assistant, did you rest well last night?”

“Sir Muzel, have a good day today.”

As I stepped outside, people greeted me. Each time, I awkwardly returned their greetings, trying my best to imitate Muzel from the novel.

At this point, it’s worth going over what kind of character Muzel is.

Muzel appears early in the story alongside the male lead, Klaus.

As the second male lead, he possessed looks just as striking as Klaus, along with a cold personality and a brilliant mind.

And because he showed unwavering, devoted love toward the female lead, Evangeline, he had quite a large fanbase.

Right before the story began, Klaus had appointed Muzel as his new aide.

A minor countryside noble suddenly becoming the Crown Prince’s aide—naturally, the nobles of the capital looked at Muzel with a mix of curiosity and jealousy.

If he had seemed easy to push around, he would’ve likely been bullied or ostracized.

But he had been blessed with a powerful weapon by the gods.

His beauty—so captivating that anyone, regardless of age or gender, would want to strike up a conversation with him at least once.

“Whew… I guess that works in my favor.”

Muttering to myself, I walked down the hallway of the Crown Prince’s palace. As expected of someone who worked as the Crown Prince’s aide, my residence was also located within the palace.

Personally, I firmly believed in keeping work and home separate—but poor second male lead Muzel lived right next to his boss so he could be summoned at any moment.

However, from the perspective of me—the possessor, “Eojin”—there was something far more urgent than heading to the Crown Prince’s office.

“Where the hell is Lumi?”

First, I had to figure out who Lumi had possessed. To do that, I needed to understand how the story was currently unfolding.

“Haah……”

A sigh escaped me naturally. I had no idea where or how to even begin.

Just then, someone greeted me again.

“Oh! Assistant Muzel! Are you on your way to see His Highness?”

“Y-Yes.”

I answered reflexively, then blankly watched the palace servant walk past me.

“Phew……”

Taking another breath, I tried to calm myself.

Right. If I don’t know what to do, I should just follow the routine for now. Maybe I’ll find some kind of clue along the way.

I don’t have time to stumble around cluelessly. I need to use everything I’ve learned from reading romance fantasy novels and act as naturally as possible.

After taking a deep breath, I walked forward with determination.

When I reached the largest door in the palace, I steadied my breathing. A royal guard saw my face and immediately stepped aside.

“Sir Muzel, welcome.”

I deliberately only nodded without speaking. It might seem a bit arrogant, but I was afraid my voice would shake if I spoke.

Fortunately, in the novel, Muzel wasn’t particularly warm toward others. Because of that, I passed through without suspicion.

After turning down a slightly curved corridor, I finally saw the owner of the room. Before our eyes could meet, I quickly lowered my head.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince. This is Muzel.”

“Ah, you’re here.”

I slowly raised my head.

And finally came face-to-face with the handsome male lead of the novel.

“…!”

I quietly swallowed my breath.

He was even more stunning than I had imagined.

The sight of Crown Prince Klaus sitting on a sofa with his legs crossed, holding a teacup, looked like a painting.

He had smooth jet-black hair and mysterious purple eyes that were impossible to look away from.

His straight nose and sharp jawline looked like a sculpture crafted with utmost care.

And his proportions—his long, slender legs and elegant fingers holding the cup—made even professional models seem lacking in comparison.

“What are you doing? You suddenly spaced out.”

“Ah—my apologies, Your Highness.”

Startled, I quickly bowed again. Damn it. I must have been staring too much.

I heard Klaus chuckle.

“You’re acting strange too. Did everyone agree to start making mistakes today or something?”

“…Pardon?”

At my question, Klaus clicked his tongue.

“Yesterday, Lady Elfride made an unusual mistake at the party.”

“!”

My eyes widened.

Lady Elfride was a supporting character in the novel—a typical villainess who envied and hated the female lead, Countess Evangeline.

Klaus took a sip of tea and continued.

“She suddenly spilled wine on my clothes. For someone usually so composed, she looked pitifully flustered. Quite the overreaction.”

“…!”

A chill ran down my spine.

Spilling a drink on the male lead was originally the female lead’s event.

In other words, the monumental first moment that marked the beginning of the main couple’s relationship had been stolen by a villainous side character.

“…Ha.”

A sigh slipped out.

Damn it, Lumi. Don’t tell me you followed that cliché and possessed the villainess?

Klaus let out a dry laugh.

“Anyway, she seemed so discouraged that I decided to have tea with her today to cheer her up.”

“…I see.”

You idiot crane… you really went and twisted the original story.

My desk was located in what was called the antechamber, just before entering the Crown Prince’s main office.

I sat facing the entrance, making me the first to greet any visitors.

Instead of a door between the antechamber and the office, the space was divided by a partially open wall.

The best part about this structure?

The male lead’s gaze couldn’t reach me.

“Phew……”

I absentmindedly spun my pen, barely paying attention to the pile of documents on my desk.

There were generally two patterns in villainess possession stories.

Either the possessed villainess pushes aside the heroine and takes the male lead for herself, or she avoids her doomed fate by living quietly and staying out of the story.

Judging by Klaus’s words, it seemed my friend Lumi had chosen the former.

She had used her knowledge of the original story to steal the female lead’s event with the male lead.

I recalled the email Lumi had left behind.

‘My final attempt, gathering the last of my courage.’
She said she wanted to start a new life in a world that suited her perfectly.

“…Is this what you meant?”

From my perspective—someone who only ever saw novels as fiction—I couldn’t understand it at all.

The more I thought about it, the more I sighed.

Did she really believe this world suited her?

Was changing the original story into a possession scenario really the new life she wanted?

You foolish crane…

You have no idea how sad the people you left behind are.

Lumi always said she hated the world. She never paid much attention to the precious family and friends within it.

But she hadn’t always been like that.

At some point, her world had started to shrink.

As time passed, her self-esteem gradually crumbled, and she began to interpret even advice and concern born from affection as attacks against her.

Eventually, she became someone who wrapped herself in thorns and only listened to the voice inside her own head.

At first, my friends and I didn’t know how to deal with that version of Lumi.

When she stayed shut in her room all day, we suggested she try exercising out of concern—

[Exercise? Are you saying I’ve gotten fat and look disgusting?]

When we tried to introduce her to a part-time job, knowing she had little income—

[Just be honest. You think I’m just freeloading and wasting food, don’t you?]

That was usually the kind of response we got.

Of course, it was confusing.

But over time, I came to understand the symptoms of depression little by little.

Honestly, there were many times I felt hurt by Lumi’s reactions.

Even so, I never turned my back on her.

Because I believed that her sharp defensiveness didn’t come from a bad heart.

She was just hurting.

And underneath it all, she was actually a pretty good person.

That’s why… I didn’t give up on her.