<CHAPTER 1>
Everyone has probably imagined, at least once, what it would be like to wake up in another world for absolutely no reason.
But if it actually happened, anyone would surely be overwhelmed with panic and confusion.
Jang Hyojoo, however, was different.
A six-year veteran romance fantasy novelist whose works had become massive hits across multiple platforms, she reacted in an entirely unexpected way.
“Oh my goodness… Is this a dream, or is this real?”
She hadn’t been hit by a truck.
She hadn’t fallen down the stairs.
She hadn’t died from an illness.
Yet when she opened her eyes, she found herself in another world.
She had read thousands of novels.
She had written dozens herself.
The moment she woke up, instinct told Hyojoo exactly what had happened.
She had transmigrated into the world of a novel—the very thing she had always dreamed of.
If the readers of one of her books saw this, they’d probably be screaming in the comments about how the story had completely abandoned logic.
Fortunately, there was no chance Hyojoo would ever read those comments, so that problem solved itself.
“If this is a dream, then please… never let me wake up. And if it’s reality… thank you.”
Interlocking her fingers, Hyojoo offered a heartfelt prayer to whatever god might be watching from somewhere above.
Then, following the universal rule of every transmigration novel heroine, she walked over to the mirror to inspect her new appearance.
Please be beautiful. Please be beautiful…
She didn’t necessarily need golden hair with sapphire or emerald eyes.
As long as she was a beautiful character, it meant she had some kind of role in the story.
An extra.
Unnamed Girl No. 1, 2, or 3.
Those kinds of characters simply didn’t suit someone as hopelessly obsessed with appearances as she was.
Standing before the mirror, Hyojoo stared at her reflection.
She bit her lower lip tightly.
Yes!!!
Thick, glossy chestnut-brown hair.
Flawless skin without a single blemish.
Deep green eyes that reminded her of a quiet forest.
Even without makeup, naturally rosy lips completed an appearance that felt elegant and refined rather than flashy.
If I can’t immediately recognize who this is just by looking at her… then this probably isn’t one of my own novels.
Not bad at all.
Not stunning enough to be the heroine.
But far too gentle-looking to be a villainess.
With those slightly drooping puppy-dog eyes, there was no way she was an antagonist.
She was almost certainly the protagonist’s friend…
…or perhaps a reliable ally.
“Exactly. A bestselling author like me wouldn’t transmigrate into some insignificant extra who has nothing to do with the story.”
Of course, a clever author might deliberately subvert expectations by making someone with an innocent face the mastermind behind everything.
Still, Hyojoo couldn’t help congratulating herself on what seemed like remarkably good luck.
Feeling thoroughly impressed with herself, she tilted her head this way and that, continuing her analysis.
“Eighteen? Maybe twenty?”
After muttering to herself, she looked away from the mirror and examined the room.
It wasn’t extravagantly luxurious, but everything was made from high-quality materials.
The room was neat and tasteful, completely free of overly cute decorations, loud pink colors, or excessive lace.
If she had to describe it…
It looked exactly like one of those warm, cozy interiors that kept appearing whenever someone selected Nordic, Natural, or Lovely & Romantic in an interior design app.
That means I’m probably not the neglected daughter or family outcast.
So this wasn’t one of those growth stories.
Nor was it a childcare novel.
Well… I suppose I could still be a nanny.
But there was no way a noble young lady from such a wealthy household would voluntarily become one.
No.
It definitely wasn’t childcare.
“What a relief…”
It wasn’t that she disliked childcare stories.
They were simply her greatest weakness.
Publishing companies had tried countless times to persuade her to write one, insisting they were guaranteed bestsellers.
But as someone who had grown up an orphan…
That genre touched the part of herself she wanted to avoid the most.
“Well, who cares what genre it is? The important thing is that I’ve made it to another world.”
She had prepared over a hundred different contingency plans for the day she might transmigrate.
With modern knowledge, she could become a wealthy business magnate.
Or she could finally experience the romance with a handsome man she’d never had in real life.
As for the profound question of what had happened to the original owner of this body…
She decided to firmly keep her eyes closed to that issue.
Having gathered the minimum amount of information she could on her own, Hyojoo suddenly felt that something was missing.
“At this point, someone should’ve shown up to explain everything…”
The room had been noisy enough that someone should have noticed she was awake.
Just as she found that strange—
Knock. Knock.
The door opened, and a red-haired maid in her thirties, her face sprinkled with freckles, stepped inside.
“Lady Alosha, you’re awake?”
Alosha.
For some reason, the name sounded strangely familiar.
Even better.
If it sounded familiar, that meant it came from a novel she had read before.
It was frustrating that she couldn’t remember the title right away.
Still…
She could figure that out little by little.
“My lady?”
“Ah! I’d like some tea… Could you bring some cookies with it?”
“Tea and cookies? But, my lady, you’ve never been fond of sweets.”
The maid’s answer struck Alosha like a hammer to the back of the head.
Wait… what?
After all those endless tea-party scenes in romance fantasy novels…
This Alosha didn’t like sweets?
How is that even possible?
For a brief moment, something about the situation felt oddly unsettling.
Then again, the world was vast, and fictional characters came with all sorts of preferences.
A modern person possessing the body of a noblewoman who disliked sweets wasn’t exactly impossible.
“And in a little while, Count Alexis and his friend will be arriving at the estate. Wouldn’t it be better to enjoy them together?”
Count Alexis?
Once again, a strange sense of familiarity tugged at her memory.
Alosha… Alexis…
I’ve definitely heard those names before.
So why can’t I remember the title?
She had always had an excellent memory when it came to romance fantasy novels.
But over the years…
She’d purchased hundreds of series, binge-read a hundred chapters, then dropped them halfway through.
It was probably just one of those novels she’d abandoned around Chapter Fifty because it hadn’t matched her taste.
“Word arrived two hours ago, so unless something unexpected happens, the Count should arrive within thirty minutes. Shall I help you get ready?”
“Sure… I’d appreciate that.”
She was wondering what to call the maid when she noticed the embroidered name on the woman’s uniform.
Marsha.
“Marsha.”
The maid smiled warmly and nodded.
“Leave everything to me!”
Personally, Alosha couldn’t understand why anyone needed to dress up just to have a meal with family.
Still…
Since she had gone through all the trouble of transmigrating into this world, she might as well follow its customs.
Marsha walked to a sliding door at one side of the room and pulled it open.
Inside was an enormous walk-in wardrobe filled with elegant dresses.
Every single one looked breathtakingly expensive.
No way… Are those real gemstones?
Seeing the dazzling jewels decorating dresses of every imaginable color, Hyojoo felt tears threaten to spill from sheer excitement.
Yes! This is what romance fantasy is all about! Gorgeous dresses! Sparkling jewels! Nobility is the best!
For a brief moment she’d worried she might have ended up in some bizarre genre.
But then—
The maid pulled out a soft lavender dress and held it before Hyojoo—or rather, Alosha.
“My lady, I know you always wear blue whenever the Count’s friend visits. But since it’s a special occasion, how about trying this lavender dress today?”
At those words, Alosha glanced toward the countless blue dresses hanging nearby.
She always wears blue whenever her brother’s friend comes over?
Less than thirty minutes after arriving in this world…
She smelled romance.
Her lips refused to stop curling upward.
Her brother’s friend.
Always wearing the same color.
That was the unmistakable behavior of a girl nursing a secret crush.
He probably once told her blue suited her… or maybe he gave her one as a gift.
Though she’d never dated anyone herself, Hyojoo had accumulated plenty of secondhand romantic experience through novels, dramas, and countless hours listening to her friends’ relationship problems.
Satisfied with her deduction, she nodded.
“Really? Then let’s go with that.”
If Alosha truly had feelings for her brother’s friend…
Then this was almost certainly her first love.
And in stories…
First loves rarely worked out.
But this isn’t my novel.
And I’m not the heroine.
So it doesn’t really matter.
She decided she’d judge whether he had potential as future husband material after seeing his face.
With Marsha’s help, Alosha changed into the lavender dress.
Her thick brown hair was carefully braided.
When she looked in the mirror again, she seemed even more graceful and innocent than before.
Just as the maid had predicted…
The pale lavender complemented both her fair skin and her emerald-green eyes perfectly.
“I had to hurry, so I couldn’t do much. Do you like it?”
“…It’s pretty.”
Her answer sounded calm.
Inside, however, she was completely losing her mind.
Holy—I’m unbelievably gorgeous!
Is this what people call a Winter Cool Tone?
How can lavender suit someone this perfectly?
I’m not even the heroine, and I look this good?
Is that even fair?
As she continued admiring herself, another thought suddenly struck her.
A chill ran down her spine.
Then just how beautiful are the heroine… and the villainess?
Even by her own impossibly high standards regarding appearance…
Alosha was undeniably beautiful.
If this is the supporting cast…
Then what happens when I meet the heroine or the villainess, who’ve probably received the full beauty buff?
“…Whose side am I supposed to take?”
She hadn’t even met either of them yet, but she was already imagining the inevitable conflict between heroine and villainess.
Couldn’t everyone just get along?
As she seriously pondered whose hand she would eventually raise in support—
Marsha opened the door.
“My lady, Count Alexis has arrived.”
“…All right.”
Alosha descended from the second floor and headed toward the entrance hall.
A tall man—around six feet—was handing his coat to the butler.
He had warm brown hair, handsome features, and such a gentle expression that anyone would instinctively trust him.
“My beloved little sister, Alosha! Did you come to welcome me home?”
The moment he greeted her with that sweet, affectionate voice…
Alosha encountered the first great obstacle of every transmigrator.
Do I speak casually… or formally?
She was desperately trying to decide how to address her newly acquired brother without sounding suspicious.
Before she could say anything—
The man broke into a radiant smile, strode over, wrapped her in a warm embrace…
…and kissed her on the forehead.
Normal siblings definitely don’t do this.
Casual speech it is.
Her novelist’s instincts immediately went to work.
These two had probably lost their parents at a young age.
Surrounded by relatives unhappy that young Alexis had inherited the title, he must have been forced to grow up far too quickly in order to protect his little sister.
If he’d filled the role of both brother and parent…
Then Alosha could only have grown into one of two kinds of people.
Either hopelessly spoiled…
Or impossibly lovable.
“Hm? You always insist on wearing blue. What made you choose a different dress today?”
“Oh… I just thought this one was prettier.”
“It’s the dress I bought for you last time, isn’t it? It suits you beautifully.”
As Alexis spoke in that endlessly gentle voice, Alosha felt a strange warmth blooming somewhere deep inside her chest.
It was soft.
Ticklish.
Embarrassingly sweet.
What… is this feeling?
Is this… Alosha’s emotion?
