Chapter 02
People keep calling me by this name.
Louisa Messena.
I’ve heard this name before.
In a novel.
The fantasy novel I had once been asked to adapt was filled with countless villains who stood in the protagonist’s way.
Among them, the one with the most miserable ending was Louisa Messena.
The sole legitimate heir of House Messena, once the most prestigious ducal family in the Empire.
In modern terms, she was the daughter of an old-money conglomerate family. Having grown up surrounded by masterpieces of art and extravagant luxuries, she never came to her senses even after her family fell into ruin, drowning herself in gambling, alcohol, and lavish spending.
But the thing she was most obsessed with…
…was men.
More specifically, handsome men.
Ever since childhood, she had adored beautiful things—designer clothes, priceless jewellery, anything exquisite—and made it her mission to possess them.
That obsession eventually extended to the handsome male protagonist.
She became infatuated with him, developed an unhealthy fixation, and even imprisoned him, turning into a complete psychopath.
In the end, after the male protagonist became ruler of the Empire, she was publicly executed in the streets.
“Everything beautiful belongs to me!”
That was her final line.
In hindsight, she was nothing more than a deranged collector obsessed with possessing beautiful things.
That was precisely why her fiancé had been Count Arnaud Dience, one of the Empire’s most famously handsome men.
Arnaud Dience.
Snow-white hair.
Violet-tinted eyes.
An illustration depicting a man whose gaze carried a trace of arrogance.
“Louisa.”
And now…
That very illustration was speaking to me.
While looking straight at me.
“Did you truly purchase the theatre to preserve the late Duke’s legacy? Or…”
This man.
The head of the Empire’s wealthiest merchant family.
A cold-hearted businessman who invested only in ventures he considered worthwhile.
That was why he had never objected to becoming engaged to the ill-tempered Louisa.
To him, even this engagement had simply been another profitable investment.
Although the Dience family possessed enormous wealth, rumours claimed they’d even bought their noble title with money. Their reputation among the aristocracy was abysmal, so an alliance with the ancient and prestigious House Messena had been an invaluable opportunity.
But now that House Messena had fallen…
His investment had become a complete failure.
In other words, although he was still technically Louisa’s fiancé, he was now only supporting her out of reluctant obligation after the ducal house’s collapse.
So what exactly…
…was I supposed to say to this man?
To make matters worse, I’d impulsively raised the bidding paddle earlier and ended up buying a theatre.
He had paid the entire bill.
“Was it merely an impulsive decision, Louisa? A theatre isn’t something you purchase on a whim the way you buy dresses or hats.”
Given the circumstances, it was hardly surprising that he looked exhausted.
It had only been an hour since I realised I’d been transported into the world of the novel, but I already understood the situation.
The auction of the Grand Duchy’s estate.
One of the brief episodes depicting Louisa’s wickedness.
After the Grand Duchy of Messena collapsed, Louisa found herself short of money to fund her extravagant lifestyle.
So she gathered all the holders of the duchy’s bonds and auctioned off every remaining possession belonging to the family.
Among the items were centuries-old historical relics.
Even the private diary entrusted to Louisa by her grandfather.
In other words, the lunatic had waited until the very moment her family fell before selling off her own ancestors’ belongings at a public auction.
The creditors eagerly snatched up the duchy’s treasures at bargain prices.
After that incident, Louisa’s reputation plummeted.
Previously, people had dismissed her cruelty as youthful immaturity.
But after scattering the Grand Duchy’s cultural heritage across foreign lands…
She became known as the villainess who had destroyed her family’s legacy.
Although… I couldn’t say I completely failed to understand her.
If I’d desperately needed money, I probably would’ve sold off anything I didn’t need too.
A sword hundreds of years old or my grandfather’s diary certainly wouldn’t put food on the table.
Even so…
Everything has its proper time.
What Louisa did—
Selling off the duchy’s entire legacy at the worst possible moment, immediately after her grandfather’s death, through a public auction—
That crossed the line.
Because of this disgraceful act, even the count’s household, which had continued protecting her, eventually abandoned her.
When she was later executed in the streets…
The count didn’t even spare her a glance.
I’m not ending up like that.
It was already infuriating enough that my perfect life—filled with flagship smartphones, air purifiers, designer clothes, and luxury handbags—had somehow been replaced by this outdated fantasy world.
And now I was supposed to die in a public execution?
Absolutely not.
Think, Shin Geurim.
No.
Louisa Messena.
From this moment onward… I will play the role of Louisa.
If film is the art of editing, then theatre is undoubtedly the art of acting.
Naturally, directing for the stage also required a deep understanding of performance.
Realising that early on, I took far more acting classes than were required while studying theatre in New York.
As a result, after appearing as an extra in a film just for fun, I was even offered auditions for small speaking roles.
“Not only could I act, but I had the looks for it too.”
Back then, I judged my appearance objectively.
Thanks to inheriting the genes of my actress mother, I had a face that was attractive enough. But it wasn’t the kind of face that stood out as an actor’s face, nor one that could easily pull off a wide range of characters.
My mother had told me that herself when I was very young.
“You take after me, so you’re beautiful. But sometimes it’s impossible to tell what’s going on inside your head. An actor can’t be like that. You should seem mysterious, yes—but your inner emotions have to shine through. You’re like a doll with no feelings.”
A doll.
What a funny thing to say.
I wonder whose fault it was that I grew up like one.
Well, to be fair, even if my face hadn’t been the issue, if I’d tried to become an actress back then, Shin Seonghyeon would have foamed at the mouth trying to kill me.
But Luisa Messena was different.
This woman…
“…is unbelievably beautiful.”
She was described as both the Empire’s greatest villainess and its greatest beauty.
Even from the reflection in the carriage window, it was obvious.
She had an extraordinary face.
When she frowned, she looked like the kind of reckless noblewoman who would set an entire city ablaze without hesitation.
When she stared blankly, she still radiated an aloof, arrogant elegance.
It was the perfect face for a villainess.
This… this is an actor’s face.
Then I’d make full use of that image.
Calm. Proud. Unapproachable.
“…Would you believe me, no matter what I said?”
Keeping my eyes on the carriage window, I delivered the line with quiet resignation.
“……”
Arnaud Diente said nothing.
I didn’t even need to look.
He was probably wearing the expression that said, What nonsense is she spouting now?
“When I was little, my grandfather once took me to the theatre.”
That never happened.
Well…
I had gone once with my mother.
Some of her university friends were performing in a play.
Compared to the blockbuster film sets where my mother usually worked, the theatre had been old and shabby.
We sat side by side.
Normally, she was always conscious of other people’s eyes.
But that day, she took off her sunglasses.
She removed her hat.
And simply sat beside me.
When the lights went out, she whispered into my ear.
“Are you scared?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll hold your hand. You’ll forget you’re frightened soon enough. You’ll become absorbed in the play.”
As she said that, she took my hand.
The stage lights came on.
And just like she’d promised, I’d already forgotten my fear.
“It was a memory I could never forget.”
As I recalled the warmth of that hand, I spoke in a voice tinged with nostalgia.
Of course…
This was merely an acting technique.
Emotional memory.
You recalled a similar experience to draw yourself into the role.
It absolutely—
Absolutely—
did not mean I missed her.
I was Shin Geurim.
Someone incapable of feeling things like that.
“If you were told that even someone like me—someone who sold everything her family owned—still has something precious… would you believe it?”
As I said those words, I slowly turned to face Arnaud.
The instant I met his eyes with the calmest expression I could manage—
“…!”
Just like the moment an actor could sense an audience’s emotions from the stage…
The instant I saw my fiancé’s expression, I could feel exactly what he was thinking.
Should I believe her?
Or not?
He was wavering.
A truly skilled actor could always tell how they appeared to those around them.
That was why every movement—even the slightest twitch of a fingertip or the position of a foot—had to be under complete control.
The infamous villainess suddenly pretending she’d turned over a new leaf?
No one would buy it.
The original script had already been written.
Which meant…
I’d have to rely on the direction instead.
I’d live as the villainess.
But I refused to die as one.
I couldn’t change the fact that I’d ended up inside this doomed web novel.
Nor could I change the fact that Luisa had held the auction.
But…
A little rewriting should be acceptable.
“I’ll repay the money somehow.”
“…”
Arnaud’s expression stiffened almost imperceptibly.
“I don’t intend to put a price on my memories over something as insignificant as money.”
It worked.
My performance had landed.
Just then, the carriage came to a stop.
I got out without looking at Arnaud again.
The moment my feet touched the ground, one thought crossed my mind.
‘The real problem is figuring out how I’m actually going to repay all that money.’
Damn it.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Are you truly ordering us to renovate the theatre, my lord?”
The auction that had thrown the Empire into an uproar had finally ended.
The notorious villainess, Luisa, had sold off every possession of her duchy before her grandfather’s body had even gone cold.
Everyone cursed her.
Naturally, that included the servants of Count Diente’s household.
“Poor Count. How did he end up burdened with a woman who’s not only cruel but has ruined her own family?”
“Now that House Messena has collapsed, His Lordship will surely break off the engagement, don’t you think? Besides, the Count has always been ruthless in matters like these.”
“Watch your tongues. If His Lordship hears you gossiping about his affairs, you’ll be dismissed on the spot.”
Although Alfred, the head butler, reprimanded the maids, he privately thought much the same.
The Count will cancel the engagement.
With the auction, the young lady had disgraced House Messena beyond repair.
Even if the Count abandoned her now, no one could accuse House Diente of betraying their allies.
After all…
It was Luisa who had abandoned House Messena first.
The cold-hearted Count had absolutely no reason to tolerate someone like her any longer.
The man Alfred knew would have thrown her into the streets without a second thought.
And yet—
“Yes. Respect Lady Luisa’s wishes as much as possible. Renovate the audience hall, rebuild the stage… and hire actors.”
Forget calling off the engagement.
He was ordering them to restore the very theatre that Luisa had impulsively bought back during the auction.
Alfred couldn’t begin to understand his master’s intentions.
Could it be…
Did His Lordship actually have feelings for Lady Luisa?
For the same woman who started every morning by slapping a maid across the face?
Don’t tell me… that’s his type?!
While Alfred stood there in silent horror, the Count calmly set down his teacup.
Clink.
The tea inside was a blend he had imported from another continent not long ago—a product that had become a phenomenal success.
The Count possessed no appreciation for the arts.
But when it came to business…
He was unmatched.
After all, he carried the blood of House Diente.
Cold-blooded merchants.
The uncultured, merciless Dientes.
He knew every epithet attached to his family’s name.
Ordinarily, he couldn’t care less what people called him, so long as he made money.
But sometimes…
Those labels interfered with business.
Then I’ll simply erase them.
Thinking that, he quietly began planning his next venture.
