I was an ordinary student preparing for exams in South Korea.

I felt like quitting due to the self-loathing of repeatedly failing and having my self-esteem chipped away, but I had already invested too much time and money.

There were countless days when I slept only two hours.

It was a repetition of days where I would occasionally tear up my study books while sobbing, then meticulously tape them back together.

Now, I bid farewell to all of this. Finally, I can escape this 3-pyeong hell.

I passed the civil service exam. After a whole 5 years.

I called my mother first. Beyond her voice, I could hear the noise of busy customers. My throat tightened, and I made a sound like a bleating goat.

“Mom, I… I passed.”

Thinking of my parents who had worked tirelessly day and night to support me, tears suddenly poured out.

I could proudly say it was the happiest moment of my life. Fortunately, my parents and friends had believed in me and waited.

That’s really how it was.

The problem was that I didn’t go to sleep until dawn after the congratulatory party ended. It might have been a mistake to pick up my phone and browse, stumbling upon a novel I wouldn’t normally read.

I had only fallen asleep while reading the novel, but when I opened my eyes, I experienced the tragedy of being possessed into the novel.

It was an absurd situation.

There are so many people in the world who want to be reincarnated by truck.

So many people who want to be possessed into a novel.

Of all people, of all people! I never dreamed that I, who had suffered for 5 years and finally seemed to see the light, would be the one possessed.

As Summer was tearing at her hair in disbelief at this impossible reality, the door opened and a gentle-faced lady entered.

“Summer. Wake up. The sun is already high in the sky.”

“…Summer?”

Summer asked, dazed. The woman stroked Summer’s hair with a loving expression and said,

“Yes. My season, my beloved daughter. Hurry and get ready, then come downstairs. We’ll have a meal together.”

Summer? Is this a dream? For a dream, it was as vivid as a lucid one. In this incredibly luxurious setting, bewilderment outweighed fear.

When Summer went down to the dining room with the help of maids, a middle-aged couple, beautiful beyond compare as if painted, greeted her.

“Welcome, Summer! Today we have veal, your favorite. Let’s eat.”

They seemed to be Summer’s parents. Summer bowed slightly and sat at the table, awkwardly picking up the fork and knife.

Someone who had been eating rice with a spoon and chopsticks in Korea couldn’t suddenly employ aristocratic etiquette. Summer carefully observed them from the corner of her eye, afraid of being found out.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too difficult, and she was soon able to finish the meal pleasantly.

“Summer, would you like to take a walk with Mom today?”

“Uh… yes, that would be nice.”

Summer awkwardly walked side by side with her mother in the garden. The garden was fantastically beautiful. It was so vast that it would take well over an hour to walk around once.

It was early spring, with buds sprouting here and there and green grass growing. The wind was chilly, but perhaps because of the warm clothes she wore, even that felt pleasant.

“Summer, your debut is coming up soon. Is there anything you want?”

“Not particularly.”

“Ah, you said you wanted a music box, didn’t you? I can’t believe I forgot about that.”

“What?”

“My cute daughter. Mom will prepare an amazing gift, so look forward to it.”

“Thank you.”

The walk was quite enjoyable. Every time she saw the woman smiling kindly, it made the bridge of her nose tingle as she thought of her mother in Korea, but both the conversation and the scenery were satisfying.

After the walk, when they returned to the mansion, maids bathed Summer and gave her a massage with oil.

It was the height of luxury. Add to that the warm and cozy bedding and soft nightgown.

“Sleep well, my daughter.”

“Good night to you too, Mother.”

She thought that if she fell asleep and woke up, the dream would end.

But the scene that greeted Summer when she woke up was a bit strange. The same scenery, the same time as yesterday.

“Summer. Wake up. The sun is already high in the sky.”

Countess Lindsey, Summer’s mother, who came in opening the door and spoke warmly and playfully.

“I woke up too late. I’m sorry.”

“Yes. My season, my beloved daughter. Hurry and get ready, then come downstairs. We’ll have a meal together.”

It felt a bit strange. But Summer got up again and repeated the day. The next day too, and the day after that.

The dream was peaceful and beautiful. The sunlight was always warm, the room was clean, the maids were cheerful, and the parents were kind.

But Summer wanted to wake up from the dream as soon as possible. She wanted to wake up and live her familiar reality.

When she lived in Korea, she often fought with her parents. Her self-esteem, which had been eroded by exam preparation, made her react sensitively to even a single word from her parents.

‘Are you telling me to quit now? Everyone around me has already gotten jobs and promotions! Only I, only I am unemployed!’

‘Mom is just worried that you might be struggling…’

‘Please don’t say anything! I’m already having a hard time, please don’t do this to me too, Mom!’

In the cozy bed, on the soft sheets. It was unclear why, of all scenes, that one came to mind just as she was drifting off to sleep. A tear like a crystal bead rolled down from under Summer’s eyelashes as she closed her eyes.

What are my parents doing now?

Are they shaking their daughter who won’t wake up from this dream? Or have I died in reality, like being hit by a reincarnation truck?

Summer’s eyes flew open. Cold sweat ran down her spine. What if this wasn’t just a simple dream, but something truly unbelievable had happened?

Summer curled up into herself.

Summer began to grow a little afraid that this world might never end.

Once the thought of fear crept in, it felt like something was wrong with this world. It seemed to repeat one play over and over again.

“Summer. Wake up. The sun is already high in the sky.”

Countess Lindsey always woke Summer with the same expression and words. And they always ate the same menu at the same time.

After meals, she would take a walk with Countess Lindsey.

The conversations were always the same, as if predetermined.

Then one day, finally, a new topic of conversation emerged.

“Your debut is really coming up soon. I hear there’s going to be a big banquet at the Imperial Palace. I wonder if our Summer will find a husband there?”

“Don’t say such things, my lady. Our Summer doesn’t need to marry if she doesn’t want to.”

“But if she misses the right age, it’ll be difficult to marry later.”

Summer didn’t know what they were talking about, so she just focused on eating her veal. She was tired of this veal now. She felt like she’d have no regrets if she could just eat pork once.

“I hear Lancaster is coming to this debut as well.”

“Lancaster?”

Summer lifted her head abruptly. It was a familiar name.

“Duke Lancaster is the same age as you, Summer, so he’s coming out for this debut.”

“What’s his name?”

“Ho ho, Summer. Are you already interested? Still, you should meet a person before deciding. Even if he’s a war hero, you need to see how he treats his wife.”

“His name!”

Damn it. Count Lindsey was too busy reciting his predetermined lines to answer Summer’s question. Feeling frustrated, Summer unconsciously raised her voice while lightly hitting the table. Not that it would make him answer.

The disappointment was as great as her expectation. She had thought that with the change in dialogue at the table, she might be able to communicate with them a little, but it was an absurd delusion.

“Ah. You’re wondering how a duke can attend a debut banquet? Well, since he’s the same age as you, he hasn’t been able to participate in a debut yet.”

“Haa… I’m a fool for expecting anything.”

As Summer was sighing with her head in her hands,

“Ian Lancaster. Don’t you know? The cold-blooded war hero who even killed his own blood to become a duke.”

Ian Lancaster. Only after hearing that name from the Count’s mouth did everything become clear.

This wasn’t a lucid dream, a fantasy, or reincarnation.

It was the romance fantasy novel “I Will Become the Emperor” that she had stumbled upon in an advertisement and read by chance.

The male protagonist of that novel was named Ian Lancaster.

She couldn’t forget it because it was the only work she had ever read. She had been possessed into the first and last romance fantasy she had ever read.

Unfortunately.

Her luck was just rotten.

“Then, will Julian Dudley also have her debut?”

“How do you know about the Dudley family’s daughter? You shouldn’t have met her before.”

Countess Lindsey tilted her head. This made it clear.

Summer had entered the novel, and in the book she had read, there was no memory of Summer Lindsey.

It meant she was neither the lead nor a supporting character.

“I just… want to be friends with her. I heard she has a kind and cheerful personality.”

Summer made up an excuse as she poked a tomato with her fork.

“Well, it wouldn’t be bad to be friends with the Dudley family. I’ll introduce you at the banquet, so try to get along well.”

“Thank you, Father.”

After the meal, Countess Lindsey suggested a walk again. But Summer needed time to think and politely declined.

“I’ll rest in my room today.”

“……”

Countess Lindsey walked slowly down the corridor with a picture-perfect beautiful smile. Summer was a bit worried that Countess Lindsey, who left without a word, might have been slightly offended, but soon headed to her own room.

“Ian Lancaster. Julian Dudley.”

Summer lay face down on the plush sofa and quietly repeated the names. Julian Dudley was the cheerful and bright female protagonist. That’s why she liked her.

“And Summer Lindsey.”

A character who was neither the protagonist nor a supporting role, one she couldn’t even remember.

An extra who had no connection to the protagonists, neither a villain nor a hero, just briefly used to describe aristocratic society.

“Can you bring me some cold water?”

At Summer’s request, the maid immediately brought a basin of water. Summer didn’t hesitate to plunge her face into the basin full of cold water.

‘If this isn’t a dream, what should I do now?’

The cold water stung her skin. The sensation was too vivid. Then she heard voices from afar.

Summer lifted her head abruptly and approached the window. In the garden was Countess Lindsey. She was taking a slow walk. As she did every day.

When she opened the window, Countess Lindsey’s voice became clear.

“Summer, your debut is coming up soon. Is there anything you want?”

A chill ran down her spine. Summer’s ears froze as she heard Countess Lindsey’s laughter. Countess Lindsey continued speaking with a kind face, looking to the side. There was no one beside the Countess.

“Ah, you said you wanted a music box, didn’t you? I can’t believe I forgot about that.”

Countess Lindsey was now speaking to thin air. To a ‘Summer’ who wasn’t there.

Summer stepped back unsteadily. Then she ran to the basin as if falling and plunged her face in again.

“Please let this be a dream…”

Summer sobbed.

Possession is a terrible thing. This was the conclusion Summer reached after a month of being possessed. Summer had to survive in this bizarre world. This life that might never end.

Summer Lindsey became more terrified of the damnably lovely and gentle Lindsey family than any horror.

“Hic… ugh…”

Mom. Dad. Our black cat at home. Friends. The diary where she had written down all the things she wanted to do after the exams were over.

These were precious things that filled her mind but were out of reach. The farewell had been sudden, and Summer was not at all prepared to accept it.

In the large, luxurious room, Summer’s sobbing continued for hours.