“What is this……”

An involuntary laugh escaped at the sight before my eyes. The training ground was empty, and the wooden practice swords that should have been in the lockers were scattered everywhere.

Come to think of it, wasn’t today the last day of the festival?

Before coming here, I had encountered Lucas, who was in high spirits.

He asked me to go to the square together, but I declined. However, if it was Lucas, who leads the atmosphere within the knighthood…

“He must have stirred things up here and there.”

A slight headache arose at the easily imaginable scene.

Even if it’s the last day of the festival, still. Just how urgently did they drag everyone out to leave it in this state?

A suppressed sigh escaped between my teeth. I had resolved not to clean up after others in this life, but I couldn’t just walk past this sight.

I untied the string around my wrist and tightly tied up my golden hair that reached my waist.

Just as I was about to reach for the wooden sword at my feet.

“Senior.”

My shoulders flinched at the pleasant baritone voice.

It was clearly a voice I was hearing for the first time, but what was this ominous feeling?

“……”

“Senior?”

As I turned towards the source of the voice, I saw a man standing there. I blinked blankly as I slowly raised my gaze.

I knew this face well.

Hair that seemed to be pitch black, yet at times appeared to be a deep navy, like the night sky brought down.

Under it, eyes of an even lighter shade…

So, the man standing before me now was the male protagonist from the book I read in my previous life, the coldhearted war maniac who never fully reciprocated the feelings of the terminally ill original female lead.

And though he was merely a supporting character in the original work, he was hailed as the Empire’s First Sword, the tyrant who dies fighting Rosebelia, the protagonist of this body.

Ian Klein Martinez.

In the middle of the novel, Rosebelia, who had exiled herself to another country, repeatedly encountered Ian, who had become a tyrant and started wars, on the battlefield, and she too met her death fighting Ian.

If things went according to the original work, he would be the one to kill me, and I would be the one to kill him…

In other words, we would fight like dogs and both end up dead…

Recalling the terrible ending from the original work, I felt my breath catch in my throat.

“… What’s the matter?”

“I’ll take care of the cleanup, Senior.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

As Ian began picking up the remaining wooden swords, I retreated step by step. As distance grew between us, I finally felt I could breathe.

Stay calm. It’s not like I’m going to kill Ian right now, nor is he going to kill me, right?

Yes, right now we’re just senior and junior knights, that’s all.

After composing my breath, I noticed Ian’s back as he silently cleaned up the training ground alone.

As I stealthily approached to help, I felt his glance turning towards me. There was a puzzled look in Ian’s eyes.

“……”

“It’ll be faster if we do it together.”

An abrupt tone came out due to my awkwardness. Ian shrugged his shoulders and continued picking up the wooden swords.

Eventually, Ian approached with his arms full of wooden swords, and I gestured towards the storage cabinet with my eyes.

I knew he was tall, but he really is tall.

And that’s not all. In the original work, it was described that his solid build, features like a sculpture, and eyes of unfathomable depth made women’s hearts flutter.

I thought it was just the male lead buff, but Ian’s appearance was so excellent that even that description seemed inadequate.

To the point where I unconsciously stared for a moment.

“Have you thought about it?”

“Thought? About what……”

I felt my train of thought slowing down. I couldn’t understand what he was talking about at all.

“I didn’t expect you to play dumb.”

“Huh?”

Ian’s gaze, seemingly scrutinizing my expression, made tension rush in.

Though his attitude was polite like addressing a real senior, the eyes looking at me were strangely insolent.

Well, no matter how hard one tries to hide their identity, the pride unique to royalty wouldn’t be completely concealed.

I had already learned from the original work that Ian, the First Prince of the Fonnes Empire, had hidden his identity and joined the White Knights as a new recruit.

But this situation now…

“As I remember, Senior, you weren’t even drunk.”

My Adam’s apple twitched at Ian’s sudden words.

“I could have been drunk.”

“Are you saying you were drunk and don’t remember what happened that day?”

“That day being……”

“The eve of the festival.”

The eve of the festival? My mouth went dry at the unexpected word.

The eve of the festival would refer to before the festival started. I heard the festival here lasts for 3 days.

Since today is the last day of the festival, that day he called the eve of the festival was exactly 4 days ago.

I lightly bit my lower lip, trying not to make it noticeable. Although it was just 4 days ago, I had no memory of that day.

What should I say to cover it up? Should I insist till the end that I was drunk that day?

“Well… There are people who don’t show signs even when they’re drunk, right?”

As I forced a smile, Ian’s expression hardened instantly.

“Did you forget? Or do you want to forget?”

“No, I just… want to treat it as if it never happened?”

Was I too honest?

I quietly averted my gaze as I met Ian’s wavering eyes.

“I don’t think I can do that.”

“What?”

“It was the first time I’ve ever felt such a sensation.”

“……”

“That moment when we shared breath, though brief, I can’t forget it.”

What? Shared what?

“I have no intention of taking it back. Even if it’s a rejection, please give me a proper answer. This kind of evasion is unlike you, Senior.”

So what answer exactly?

Junior? No, original male lead? I don’t know anything about this?

As I struggled to hold back the words that rose to the tip of my tongue, Ian bowed his head briefly and left the training ground.

Only after Ian’s presence had completely disappeared did I clutch my head.

Let’s think calmly.

“So at the eve of the festival… It seems something happened, but……”

I understood it in my head. The problem was that I had only opened my eyes in this world, in this body, just 3 days ago.

In other words, I had no memory of the eve of the festival.

The original male lead was demanding an answer about a day I didn’t even know about.

And I seemed to have already messed up.

No, weren’t you two on bad terms in the original work?

“What on earth happened between the two of you?”

*

“Miss, how would you like your meal?”

As I came out of the bathroom after washing up, a maid in uniform approached and asked.

“Could you bring it here?”

“Yes. Please wait a moment.”

As soon as the door closed, I, who had been sitting on the bed, let out a faint sigh.

As I slowly laid back, a soft sensation and a strangely uncomfortable feeling hit me simultaneously.

“It’s natural… to feel awkward.”

I calmly recalled what had happened a few days ago. So, on that day…

‘Do you want to disappear like this too?’

That voice came when I realized I was lying on cold asphalt.

I could only hear the urgent sound of an engine fading away, but no sign of anyone approaching.

I couldn’t tell where the voice was coming from. I just had a clear sense that someone’s voice was being transmitted to me.

‘I was thinking of making you a proposal.’

I, who had been writhing in pain, gently opened my eyes. In that darkness where everything seemed to have flickered out, I thought I saw a flash of light for a moment.

‘Would you like to live the life you’ve always wanted?’

It wasn’t a particularly satisfying life. There was a time when I believed I was a special being, and thought my life was in the center of light.

But that was my arrogant delusion.

I had endured tenaciously even when my mother and maternal grandmother passed away one after another, and when I had to quit fencing due to an injury before entering high school.

I just worked hard to be recognized by my father and stepmother…

After realizing that to them, I was just a piece on a game board, my life turned into a shadow.

I thought that perhaps it was a failed life.

Nevertheless, was it an manifestation of the desire to live? Did I still have lingering attachments to life even while saying ‘whatever happens, happens’?

Before I could clearly recognize what that question meant, I clenched my palm with all my might.

‘Yes, that answer is enough.’

At that moment, a warm energy enveloped my body. All pain subsided, and when I opened my eyes, it was this world.

The world inside the book that I had read dozens of times.

The original content was simple. It was a story of the female protagonist, Daisy, having a one-sided love for the male protagonist, Ian.

Daisy, who had a terminal illness, coincidentally received help from Ian and fell for him, but Ian showed little interest in Daisy.

In fact, Ian was famous in the original work for being an iron wall who didn’t let any woman get close, not just Daisy.

Even when he became the Crown Prince, and soon after ascended to the Emperor’s throne, the seat beside him was always vacant.

The original work ends with a sad ending where Daisy continues to have a one-sided love for Ian, the coldhearted tyrant who never looks back at her, until Ian dies on the battlefield and Daisy breathes her last.

That’s why when reading the original work, I rooted for Edwin, the sub-male lead who had a one-sided love for Daisy, rather than Ian.

“What I liked in this book were Daisy, Edwin, and……”

The protagonist of this body.

“Rosebelia.”

The voice that flowed between my teeth felt unfamiliar, causing goosebumps to rise on my arms.

Rosebelia Winters.

Although she was merely a supporting character in the original work, she was the strongest in the world setting.

She was in the White Knights of the Fonnes Empire, but suddenly defected to the Lenore Kingdom and became the captain of their knights, repeatedly encountered Ian in the war that lasted nearly a year with the Empire, and finally killed Ian.

And Rosebelia too received a fatal wound and breathed her last on the spot.

That’s not all. She was also the lady of the Winters Marquis family and had such a splendid appearance that she was praised as the greatest beauty in the Empire.

Although a supporting character, she had such a strong impact that after reading the ending, I went back to read from the beginning, looking for mentions of Rosebelia.

Especially the part where the Fonnes Empire was stirred up when it was revealed that a female knight of the White Knights turned out to be a Sword Master was a part that gave me goosebumps every time I read it.

And I think I had such thoughts while reading the original work recently.

If it’s a life with such impact even as a supporting character, it might be okay.

I thought it would be much cooler to be an impactful supporting character than to live thinking you’re the main character only to be backstabbed.

“That doesn’t mean I wanted to become a character who just fights and dies……”

The ending for the character Rosebelia was clear, but the process wasn’t explicitly stated.

The original work was from Daisy’s first-person perspective, and there weren’t many mentions of Rosebelia in the first place.

If I, make different choices from Rosebelia…

Could I change the ending?

“If only that were possible……”

As I unconsciously clenched my fingertips, the sound of a trolley being pulled faintly reached my ears.

“Miss, I’ve brought your meal.”

Hearing the maid’s voice from outside the door, I quickly got up.

“Come in.”

The maid approaching wore a faint smile. This girl was Ann, Rosebelia’s personal maid.

She should certainly be unfamiliar to me, who had only opened my eyes in this body 4 days ago.

“If you need anything else, please let me know.”

“Alright, you can go now.”

“I’ll stay by your side, Miss. The chef asked me to watch and make sure you eat well.”

“Is it surveillance?”

Ann waved her hands at my mischievous question.

“No, the chef is just worried about you……”

“I know. Mark still treats me like a child even though I’m all grown up.”

It was fascinating how the conversation flowed so naturally. It wasn’t just pretending to know, I really knew about Ann and about Chef Mark.

As soon as I opened my eyes here, Rosebelia’s memories flashed by like a panorama, and memories flowed in as if someone was pointing out signposts.

From the moment Rosebelia was born into the world, her childhood, showing talent in swordsmanship and joining the White Knights, the Empire’s most elite unit, to encountering Ian, the original male lead who had recently joined as a new recruit.

That was exactly where the memories of Rosebelia that I saw ended. I, who opened my eyes here, spent a whole day sick, reading through all of Rosebelia’s memories.

Thanks to those memories, it wasn’t too difficult to adapt to this place.

That wasn’t all. The etiquette gestures and movements that flowed naturally as if I had learned them, even Rosebelia’s swordsmanship that was praised to have reached the realm of the divine, flowed out naturally as if engraved in my body. As if synchronized.

The problem was.

‘It was the first time I’ve ever felt such a sensation.’

‘……’

‘That moment when we shared breath, though brief, I can’t forget it.’

I heaved a deep sigh as I mulled over what Ian had said yesterday.

The starting point of the original work was after the festival ended, so this was before the original work began.

But a small incident had already occurred between Rosebelia and Ian?

As I vaguely recalled a part of the original work, I gently put down my fork.

‘It seems the Winters family has seriously offended His Majesty.’

‘The eldest daughter of the Winters family, who was considered the next candidate for the captain of the White Knights, defected to the Lenore Kingdom. I heard that His Majesty personally visited several times to ask her to become the captain of the White Knights, but she refused and crossed over to the kingdom to become their knight captain……”

Was it the scene where Daisy overheard her father’s conversation just before the war broke out?

Ian exterminated the Winters family during the war with the kingdom.

Although the relationship between Rosebelia and Ian wasn’t clearly described in the original work, I inferred while reading the book that their relationship probably wasn’t very cordial.

So I tried to start off on the right foot with Ian, but.

‘This kind of evasion is unlike you, Senior.’

Why do I only lack memories of the eve of the festival!

“Miss, are you alright?”

“Ah, I’m fine. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

“Are you sure you’re really okay?”

Ann’s voice was full of concern. And for good reason, the people in this household treated my being sick for a whole day as a big deal.

It’s understandable that they would make a fuss, since Rosebelia, who had never even had minor illnesses before, suffered from a high fever.

“Yes, you don’t need to worry.”

I forced a smile and looked around the bedroom. Portraits hung on the teal-colored walls, a fireplace occupied one wall, and a small but ornate chandelier was placed in front of the bed.

Rising from my seat, I approached the gold-rimmed window. The window stretched from ceiling to floor, and just by getting close to it, sunlight poured over my entire body.

Quickly turning away, I stood in front of the long mirror beside the window. Smooth-looking white skin, golden hair resembling brilliant light, and beneath it, pale green eyes.

Even in my previous life, I was often told I was pretty, but Rosebelia’s appearance was beyond any adjective.

“……She really is beautiful.”

Ann immediately reacted to my near-mumble.

“Pardon? Do you need anything?”

“No.”

Four days had passed since I opened my eyes in this body in this world, but nothing had changed.

There was nowhere to return to anyway, and if someone really had given me an opportunity……

“First, I need to avoid the death flags……”

“Pardon?”

“Ann, I’m going out for a bit.”

“Are you going to the Knights’ Order again? You said you didn’t have to go today. Miss, you haven’t fully recovered yet, if you overexert yourself……”

“I’m not going to the Knights’ Order. I’m just going for a short walk.”

I hurried out of the bedroom before Ann could stop me.

As I passed through the long corridor and looked around the interior of the mansion, I marveled anew at the overwhelming scale.

The Winters family is a marquis household, yet it’s this splendid. Moreover, this mural continues up to the ceiling?

It was at that moment when I stopped in place, enchanted by the details of the mural.

“Rosebelia?”

It was just my name being called, but goosebumps rose on my cheeks. The warning sent by my senses, which had instantly become several times more sensitive, was clear.

Before the death flags in the relatively distant future, this person was the one I should be wary of first.