“Hm.”

Clea quietly opened her eyes and observed the scene before her.

She recalled the words she had heard from the man lying next to her just before losing her senses.

He had clearly told her not to regret it.

Remembering those words, she couldn’t help but laugh.

‘Could the word regret even apply when it comes to someone like you?’

The man who would inherit the next imperial throne.

Everyone, regardless of gender, aspired to get close to Admund.

Clea looked down at him, who was incomparable to her one and only fiancé.

Following his long eyelashes as he slept so soundly he wouldn’t notice if someone carried him away, her gaze reached his neck.

The area that had been as pale as the rest of his skin until just yesterday was now tinged red in various spots.

Seeing the unpleasant results left by someone, Clea felt satisfied.

That she had left marks on his body first, before even the female lead had touched it.

Though they were nothing to each other at the moment, this man would soon become lovers with Aria, just as in the original story. She had no intention of interfering with that.

Clea was simply grateful to Admund for creating a memorable last experience.

“This amusement will be the last for you too, anyway.”

She clicked her tongue regretfully, but did not take back her words.

The end of the original story was drawing near.

In the year they turn 22, Admund and Aria get married. The only remaining event was the death of the villainess – herself.

Although the process had changed slightly, nothing else would change.

She smiled bitterly.

After finishing her thoughts, Clea got up first.

Admund, who was sleeping as if he had fainted, still showed no signs of waking.

She didn’t think much of the previous night.

Just a mistake made under the influence of alcohol, she thought.

“But maybe I should leave something behind, or he might be surprised.”

As a gesture of consideration, she saw paper and a pen conveniently placed on the desk in the room and left a single line.

Perhaps when he woke up and saw the note, he would become furious and try to kill her, but she wasn’t particularly worried.

Death wasn’t so frightening to someone who didn’t have much life left anyway.

In that sense, her message was concise:

With that, she stepped out the door without any lingering attachment. A familiar figure was standing there.

The Crown Prince’s loyal servant, Duke Oberon Philip.

* * *

“The moment you reveal this, Your Ladyship’s life will be forfeit.”

“I have no intention of demanding His Highness take responsibility. So I’d appreciate it if you’d stop looking at me like that.”

“Then please sign this immediately.”

As soon as she stepped outside, the figure of Oberon, Admund’s faithful servant, came into view.

He who had always shown only a cold expression towards her was now glaring at her with killing intent.

As soon as she got into the carriage, he held out a sheet of paper and a pen in front of her.

‘A contract stating nothing happened last night.’

She thought it was too rigid, even if it was for his lord’s sake.

Given that a considerable number of people had already encountered them at the banquet, it seemed unlikely that news wouldn’t spread just by silencing the parties involved.

But Clea signed on the signature line.

Oberon snatched away the contract as soon as she signed, but Clea didn’t care.

In her state of impending death, a contract held no meaning for her.

‘Death.’

Her life was on borrowed time.

If asked whether it had been that way since birth, the answer would be no.

Originally, she had possessed Clea’s body.

More precisely, she was living and breathing inside the book “How to Survive a Curse”.

As could be inferred from the title, it was a world where curses existed.

And the one originally cursed was not her, but the female protagonist, Aria Hersher.

In the original story, she had finally broken the curse placed on her.

“He is not someone who should associate with the likes of you.”

“I suppose so. Not with the likes of me.”

Oberon’s gaze hardened coldly.

Although he had only encountered her a few times, Oberon had already heard more than enough about her.

That she had been behaving inappropriately towards Aria, the most likely candidate for the position of Crown Princess.

What mattered to him now was not whether everything Clea had done was true, but whether the one he served could be harmed because of her.

He only wished for Admund not to be damaged by scandal.

She laughed mockingly at Oberon’s sharp gaze that looked as if it could cut, but the real object of her derision was Clea herself.

Having already read the novel, she knew how to break the curse.

Yet she could not break the curse placed on herself.

She could only laugh at her own wretched situation, knowing but unable to break it.

‘Love, of all things.’

A method Aria could easily accomplish, but impossible for her at the moment.

It was ‘receiving the true love of another’.

Unlike Aria, there was no one in the empire who loved her.

Starting with her family, they were all thinking about how to sell her off for the highest price.

Her so-called fiancé was too busy staying by Aria’s side rather than hers.

When Clea first possessed this novel and still had some lingering attachment to life, she thought perhaps at least one person might be able to love her.

But no matter what she did, it was impossible to overturn the perception that had already been set from the beginning.

Even when she did good deeds, she was called insincere.

When her family was struggling due to consecutive business failures and she stepped up to help, no one even took notice.

Even when she stayed quiet as a mouse, someone would somehow bring her to the surface.

Years passed, but people continued to hate her, busy slandering her and delighting in her pain.

It was also the reason she completely let go of her attachments.

“What was it in the first place? The reason you targeted His Highness, abandoning the fiancé you supposedly loved so dearly.”

“I don’t love him.”

“Ha, My Lady. Have you forgotten your attitude towards Duke Lloyd all this time?”

“Right. I wonder why I did that.”

“How shameless.”

Ignoring Oberon, who was openly expressing his disgust, Clea turned her gaze towards the window.

The one who loved Lloyd was Clea, not her.

She knew the reason why Clea had loved Lloyd.

When everyone else shunned Clea Odoi, only the young Lloyd did not dislike her.

That remained as the reason she tried to approach Lloyd, even putting aside her dignity as a lady.

‘The Odoi Duke’s side also moved subtly, thinking it would be good if a marriage connection was made with the Grand Duke’s family.’

Somehow she became engaged to Lloyd Percy, but…

Lloyd, angered at being forcibly engaged to someone against his will, ended up disliking Clea.

Clea was shocked by this, but it was already in the past.

After that, Lloyd became practically Aria’s follower. Jealous of this, Clea became the villainess who tormented Aria.

Now all that remained was the death of Clea, whom no one liked anymore.

‘We’ve arrived already.’

Arriving at the gloomy ducal residence, she soon got out of the carriage.

As soon as Clea alighted, the carriage door closed roughly and it quickly headed elsewhere, as if fleeing.

Clea watched this for a moment before noticing someone standing in front of the mansion.

“There seem to be many people frowning upon seeing me today.”

“Clea Odoi, where have you been?”

The man she had just been thinking about in the carriage.

Clea thought as she saw Lloyd standing there like a watchdog guarding the house.

There were hardly any people who smiled upon seeing her in the first place, but Lloyd’s face looked particularly displeased.

He was glaring at Clea as if to ask if she had nothing to say to him.

Clea had nothing in particular to say, so she tried to ignore him and go inside.

“You have something to say to me.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“So that’s how you’re going to be?”

He grabbed Clea’s wrist as she tried to go inside, pushing past him.

She found his voice mixed with dissatisfaction absurd. She frowned at her captured wrist.

She tried to shake off his hand as it hurt from how tightly he was gripping, but Lloyd ignored her gaze and headed into the mansion.

As they went inside, Clea wondered.

Why had she liked such a man so much?

* * *

As soon as they entered, the people in the mansion had to prepare a tea set. It was because of Clea’s fiancé who had suddenly appeared.

Clea didn’t care, but they were bustling about trying to make a proper appearance since he was a grand duke’s son.

“What was yesterday about?”

“What do you mean?”

“What do I mean? Ha! Clea Odoi, are you defying me right now?”

What defiance.

She ignored Lloyd’s words and savored the aroma of the hastily prepared tea.

Though they were falling apart due to consecutive business failures, the tea prepared by the duke’s family was still top quality.

Meanwhile, Lloyd frowned, angered by Clea’s attitude.

If it had been the original Clea, she would have been afraid of his every gesture, but the current her was different.

She had no obligation to cater to his every mood like the servants working in the Percy household.

“Fine, Clea. I’ve left you alone until now. But does it make sense for someone with a fiancé to seduce another man?”

Clea almost burst out laughing at the brazen words coming from Lloyd’s mouth.

“Then is it alright for you to approach Lady Aria with impure intentions?”

“Why is Aria being brought up here now!”

It always ends up like this.

Clea was sick of this relationship.

She wished he would show signs of trying to correct the problem when it was pointed out, but in reality, the other party always showed an attitude of blaming her instead.

Clea was already tired of him repeatedly showing no awareness of what he had done wrong.

“Let’s break off the engagement.”

She conveyed her wish once again, which she had already expressed several times.

Whenever he heard these words, Lloyd would frown as if enraged.

In fact, Clea had thought that if she brought up breaking the engagement, he would immediately agree to it gladly.

But time and again, Clea was unable to break off the engagement.

In public, people thought Clea couldn’t break it off because she wouldn’t let go of Lloyd, but that was actually a misconception.

“That again.”

“If you’re tired of hearing it, you can just stop listening now.”

“I’ll say it one more time, Clea.”

The reason their precarious relationship remained unbroken was solely because of Lloyd.

“I have no intention of breaking off our engagement with you. Even if you were to die.”

Clea felt a headache coming on.

She wanted to get up from her seat right now, push him away, and be alone.

But if she did that, he would forcibly hold her back like he did at the door.

“So answer me. Where were you last night?”

She couldn’t understand why he was getting so angry when he didn’t even love her. Clea frowned, her delicate brow furrowing as she contemplated.

‘Should I slap his cheek? Or kick him there? Which would cause him more pain?’

There were no thoughts in Clea’s mind about how to answer him nicely.

Translation complete. 100% of original text translated.