Summer checked the gossip magazines that Mary had collected all night. It was as Mary had said.

‘Why did Duke Lancaster go to the Lindsey estate?’

‘Who is Duke Lancaster’s lark?’

The gossip magazines were full of rumors about Summer and Ian. However, after Julian appeared, all stories about Summer disappeared.

“I’ll have to test it.”

“Test what?”

Mary asked as she set down coffee in front of Summer, who had been reading gossip magazines all night.

Summer took a sip of coffee without taking her eyes off the magazines.

“How the world sees me.”

If it had bothered them, they could have deleted stories about Summer from the beginning.

But at first, they let Summer be featured in the gossip magazines. Something changed drastically after the poisoning incident.

“I need to go see Julian. Help me prepare.”

“Yes. I’ll get ready right away.”

There’s no need for letters in novels. Just go. As soon as preparations were complete, Summer got in a carriage and headed straight for Julian’s mansion.

Upon arriving at the Dudley estate, there were no guards in sight. It was strange.

Summer carefully opened the door and entered. The mansion was eerily quiet.

“Is anyone here?”

No one answered Summer’s question. Feeling ominous, Summer grabbed her skirts with both hands and ran frantically.

The mansion was clean as if someone was maintaining it, but no one was around.

Feeling alone in the vast mansion, Summer felt her shoulders grow cold.

Unlike a typical noble’s mansion, Summer easily made it to the entrance and climbed the stairs quickly.

“Julian, please…”

Summer searched room after room frantically.

And she found her. Julian Dudley lying in her room as if dead.

“Why… How?”

Summer’s eyes widened in disbelief as she covered her mouth with both hands.

She unconsciously took a few steps back.

Julian Dudley is the female protagonist.

But judging by the atmosphere of the mansion and various other factors, she was…

“Dust.”

A mere extra, like dust, not receiving any attention from the creator.

Coming to her senses, Summer quickly ran over to check on Julian. Julian looked as if she was merely sleeping.

“Julian! Julian, open your eyes. It’s me, Summer!”

“…”

But Julian’s closed eyes wouldn’t open. Summer gently placed her fingertips on Julian’s neck.

Fortunately, there was a pulse and she was breathing. It meant she was simply asleep.

If so, someone was needed to wake her up. Who would be needed?

Summer jumped up. There was no time to hesitate.

Summer went back down the stairs and started searching each room to see if anyone was there.

Not even a maid or servant that would normally be attached to extras could be seen.

“Please, just one person, just one!”

As Summer used all her strength to fling open a large door, a middle-aged man was quietly reading documents.

The room, which smelled strongly of books, was alone peacefully quiet as if nothing was wrong.

“Excuse me!”

The man slowly raised his head at Summer’s call.

“Who are you? There should have been guards at the door.”

“I’m Summer Lindsey of the Lindsey family! Please listen to me!”

“The Lindsey family? Ah, I know them well. So, what business do you have with me?”

“Excuse me, but who are you?”

“What?”

“Are you perhaps Earl Dudley?”

The man let out a scornful laugh with an incredulous expression. Summer glanced at him nervously.

This was turning out to be more nerve-wracking than a job interview.

“Yes. I am Earl Dudley.”

“Please, could you take a look at Julian just once?”

“Julian?”

“Yes. Your adopted daughter Julian! It’s a strange request, but could you please go up to the room right now and check on Julian just once?”

“Even for a mischievous noble young lady, this is too disrespectful.”

Earl Dudley’s eyebrows twitched.

“Please, I’m begging you. Just check on Julian once right now!”

“Sigh. I will definitely report this to Earl Lindsey.”

“That’s fine with me.”

Earl Dudley stood up.

He shot a stern look at the unexpected visitor before heading up the stairs towards Julian’s room.

The door opened, and the sleeping Julian came into view.

Julian still had not opened her closed eyes.

“Gasp!”

At that moment, Summer leapt up as if having a fit and stared at the open doorway after entering the room.

The noise of bustling people. The light clanging of cleaning tools.

“Oh, good morning, Master!”

A servant who seemed to have earned some trust bowed to Earl Dudley before leaving.

Summer stared blankly at the suddenly busy hallway, looking dazed.

“Is that enough now?”

“E-Earl. You saw it, right? There was no one here when we came up!”

“How excessively aristocratic. Are you saying you don’t even consider the servants as people?”

“That’s not what I mean, Earl!”

“Enough. Julian seems to be sleeping, so let’s leave now.”

Summer felt like she was losing her mind. Or maybe she already had.

“Summer? When did you get here?”

Summer turned her head with a squeak. Julian was getting up with a refreshed look, as if she had never fallen into a deep sleep.

“Summer. Were you that worried about me?”

“What?”

“Summer. What’s wrong? You’re sweating so much. Are you okay?”

Julian approached with a worried face and gently wiped Summer’s sweat with her sleeve.

Only then did Summer feel the cold sweat trickling down the nape of her neck.

It was scary. An instinctive fear.

“What about Julian?”

It was a probing question. There was no way Summer would have rushed here out of concern for Julian.

“I don’t know why Lady Legacy tried to poison me. We barely even spoke to each other.”

“You were… poisoned?”

“Summer? Are you really okay? You seem to have been shocked. I think you were more affected than me.”

She was shocked alright. For a different reason.

Julian’s memories had changed too. Then why was Julian alone and unconscious in an empty mansion?

She came looking for answers, but felt more lost instead.

“I met Lady Legacy in the dungeon.”

“Oh my, Summer! You need to be careful of Lady Legacy.”

“She said she was framed. It seemed like there was a separate mastermind.”

“There’s… a mastermind?”

“Yes. Someone must have instigated her. Someone that even Lady Legacy is too afraid to speak about.”

“Oh my.”

“Julian. Be careful. Remember what I said.”

“Summer, thank you.”

Summer left the mansion only after earnestly urging Julian to be cautious several more times.

Even after leaving the mansion, the questions didn’t end. Julian is none other than the female protagonist.

Yet the empty mansion she just saw, Julian unconscious and in a deep sleep all alone in a house with no one else.

What in the world was going on?

“I should just hurry back.”

People have intuition.

Ever since landing here, the uneasiness that something was seriously wrong had been snowballing inside Summer.

“If things really go wrong.”

She might be trapped in the book forever, unable to return.

Summer urgently knocked on the wall to call the coachman.

“Yes, my lady.”

“Take me to the city center.”

She would have to conduct the experiment she had been hesitating about right now.

After getting off in the city center, Summer walked hurriedly, frantically scanning shop signs.

“Found it.”

What Summer found was a weapon shop.

Entering the weapon shop, an elderly woman glanced indifferently at Summer before lowering her head again to polish a sword.

“I need a dagger.”

“They’re on the right.”

The woman’s voice was gruff.

Summer quickly went to the right and examined the daggers one by one. She wanted one as plain and inconspicuous as possible.

A small dagger with no decorations caught her eye.

Summer took it out without hesitation and placed it in front of the woman.

“I’ll take this one.”

“…You have good taste for a young lady.”

After completing the payment, the woman sheathed the dagger and handed it over. Summer carefully cradled the dagger to her chest as she went back out to the street.

This wasn’t to die. It was to gain certainty.

Summer went deeper and deeper into a deserted alley. With each step, filthy water splashed.

But she paid no attention. More accurately, she had no room to care.

A damn world where even the female lead wasn’t safe. Cursing under her breath.

“No one should be around here.”

Summer carefully surveyed her surroundings.

The alley was so dirty and deep that other than the occasional scurrying rat, there were no signs of life.

Summer slowly removed the dagger she had been holding to her chest and gazed at it.

As she pulled the blade from its sheath, the cold steel was revealed. It looked sharp enough to cut with just a touch.

The sheath fell to the ground with a splat.

Summer gripped the dagger’s handle tightly with both hands and slowly raised it. Her eyes were squeezed shut.

Though her mind was resolved, her body feared, causing the hand holding the dagger to tremble.

She wanted to go back, not die. She wanted to go back. To when she smiled with her shoulders straight.

To when she smiled happily.

To that day when she casually browsed for something interesting.

As the dagger forcefully aimed for Summer’s nape, a large hand knocked it away.

The dagger grazed Summer’s neck, leaving a shallow cut. Summer captured that moment in slow motion with wide eyes.

A pale, long hand, his rarely agitated expression, the beautiful face revealed as the deeply pulled-down hood was pushed back.

“…Your Majesty?”

“What are you doing!”

“Your Majesty, how are you…”

“…Summer.”

His ominously muttered voice was terribly gloomy and chilling.

“This doesn’t make sense. How can Your Majesty be in an alley like this? And wearing a suspicious hood too.”

“…”

Who did she want to confront? Summer opened her mouth, sniffling from the sense of defeat.

“I think I understand now.”

She couldn’t die by ordinary means. The world was intervening. The world wanted something from Summer.

Vague suspicions solidified into certainty.

From the beginning, the world had no intention of letting Summer go easily.