Chapter 1
<b><<Everyone Loved Her>></b>
I found myself immersed in this novel, where I was the wife of the supporting male character, Dante Petros. Dante was my favorite character when reading the novel and had received a terminal diagnosis in his youth. However, he overcame his illness and became the empire’s top knight. The narrative was flawless, but a man putting effort into things always looks sexy. The keywords inherent in Dante’s role as a supporting male character–such as ‘indifferent man,’ ‘restrained man,’ and ‘obsessive man’–were enough to captivate people.
However, Dante’s hardships did not end there. He faced constant constraints from the imperial family. Dante’s life took a turbulent turn. The reason Dante, with his narrative and specs, could only be a supporting male character was precisely due to these constraints. Now I had become his wife, and he experienced marriage with Chloe. It was only natural for Dante, who once had someone he loved, to resent Chloe. Probably, according to the original work, Dante still…
Nevertheless, despite everything, Dante respected me as his wife, and he did his best in a marriage that was undoubtedly dreadful. Even in bed. Seduced by Dante’s charm, I deluded myself into thinking that if I tried hard enough, I could overturn this fate. Foolishly.
The voice echoing in the soft and cool light of the study was Dante’s.
“Is contraception working properly?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The other person was Petros’ personal physician.
“Fortunately.”
“Contraception? What does that mean?” I wondered.
Late at night, I went out to find Dante, who hadn’t returned to the bedroom. Dante usually came to my room around 11 PM. He truly did his best for his wife, who was nothing but a substitute. But I shouldn’t have left the bedroom that night. Then I wouldn’t have heard those words. I could have remained in my fantasies and perhaps been happier.
“If Chloe gets pregnant now, it’ll be troublesome.”
“…She might be pregnant though.”
“But didn’t the examination results say otherwise?”
“We can’t always exclude the possibility of ‘what if,’ can we?”
Throughout the conversation, my heart felt like it was about to burst. I sensed that Dante’s next response would tear me apart.
“…We have to kill her.”
“If that happens…?”
My legs trembled. I had a premonition. In the original work, Chloe dies at Dante’s hands. It was natural since the person he loved fell into a coma because of Chloe. He did everything to stay alive.
“Young Lady Illyae…”
The name of the woman Dante loved echoed in my ears. After all, according to the original flow, the protagonist had to have a happy ending with the male lead. So, I thought Dante would be permitted for me. Unconsciously…
I was in love with Dante. However, Dante seemed to belong to the protagonist. I leaned against the wall and gasped for breath. Quietly, tears began to flow down my cheeks. What did you expect, Chloe?
<b>* * *</b>
…..More than a month had already passed.
If it wasn’t meant for me, I wanted to discard him before being discarded.
So, I decided to live well and eat well in a secluded place.
Where no one recognizes me.
I succeeded in escaping.
Even buying expensive hair dye and coloring my hair once a month with it was for that reason.
Fortunately, my hair is a jet-black color, so the dye worked well.
Thanks to that, no one recognized me.
Although sometimes I missed Dante, that was okay.
It was the right choice for everyone.
Until this morning, I was really okay.
Until I saw the gigantic shadow standing in front of the small house I had arranged with my own hands.
The basket in my hand made a thud as it fell.
The apple that rolled from the basket bumped against the shadow’s solid foot with a thud.
The owner of the shadow turned toward me.
‘Dante…!’
‘Why on earth is he here!’
“Chloe.”
Dante bent down to pick up the apple.
“So, you were here.”
“D-Dante…”
“Where’s Werner?”
Why is Werner looking for me here?
Weren’t the male and female leads supposed to live well and happily together?
“I knew you left with that guy, Chloe.”
I couldn’t comprehend the situation, and I was at a loss for words.
“It’s okay, Chloe. We can start over from the beginning.”
Dante smiled gently.
But why does that feel even more frightening?
“Even if you don’t know anything else, you’ve always liked our relationship. Let’s start from there.”
What on earth is he talking about……?
<i>Squash!</i>
The apple in Dante’s hand burst.
Juice flowed over Dante’s hand.
Is this supposed to symbolize my fate bursting like that apple?
The remaining apple rolled and lightly hit the tip of my foot.
In Dante’s wavering pupils, only I was reflected clearly.
Eyes that I thought I would never see again were looking at me.
Is this what they mean when they say you’re so shocked that you lose your ability to speak?
My lips were tightly sealed and wouldn’t part.
Can anyone tell me what’s going on…………?
No one.
Awkwardly, I took a step back.
Dante took one step closer to me.
I retreated three steps, but for him, it was only one step.
Dante bent from his waist and picked up another apple.
Juice dripped from his hand.
The sound was unusually loud.
“Don’t think otherwise. I’m going to kill that guy.”
Who is he going to kill…?
The male lead……?
<b>* * *</b>
I realized I had entered a novel when I was eighteen.
Exactly three years ago.
Until then, I wondered why my life was so miserable, whether I had picked up something by chance, but it wasn’t like that.
I just possessed a woman named Chloe, and I lived her life until now, discovering that there would be no twists in my life.
At first, I denied it, then denied it again, and only at the end did I accept it.
What could I do?
No matter how much I struggled, I was Chloe Tyrannia herself.
“Oh, right, miss, you’ve been starving for two days, right? So, I brought something to eat.”
My servant, Marian, offered a rice ball wrapped in a white handkerchief.
It was a shabby room farthest from Illyae.
Because Chloe’s presence was disturbing to Illyae.
I stared at it with a white complexion.
As Marian said, it had been two days since I had taken a sip of water.
“It’s nothing special. I’m sorry, but I can’t go to the kitchen right now, or I might get banned. This is all I have.”
“…..”
The warmth of Marian’s kindness was as comforting as the fist-sized ball of rice in my hands.
Hearing Marian sniffle, I picked up the rice ball with my slender hands.
The scent of salt and the smell of roasted vegetables made tears well up in my eyes.
The tear ducts that I thought would have dried up still seemed to linger.
The process of biting, chewing, and swallowing the rice ball was precious.
Observing me in that state, Marian sobbed.
Chloe Tyrannia. And the damn Count Tyrannia.
I was the mischievous troublemaker of this family.
For someone like me, there was a twin sister.
The heroine of this novel.
I, on the other hand, was the villainous Chloe.
In the novel, I was the character who wanted everything Illyae had.
Not satisfied with arranging a marriage with Duke Petros, I also loved Prince Werner.
I tormented the pregnant Illyae, and eventually died in an underground prison due to Illyae’s legacy.
The most remarkable part is…
「“That child is mine! It should have been my child!”」
It was Chloe throwing a tantrum.
Her remarkable personality traits were evident in several other extraordinary remarks.
「“From the beginning, he should have been my man. You’re just an obstacle.”
“Disgusting woman, you’ll die shedding filthy blood!”」
In contrast to Chloe, the novel’s Illyae was lovely, kind to everyone, and even loved her sister Chloe who tormented her.
However, my experience with Illyae was different.
On the day Illyae awakened as a saint, the priest who came from the temple prophesied to my parents.
<i>“Isn’t there a mutation in your family? That mutation will devour the fate of the saint. Be careful.”</i>
Any ignorant person hearing this might wonder what it meant.
But, as fate would have it, there was such an individual in the Count’s family.
The only person born with unique jet-black hair in the family full of silver hair.
The mutant the priest spoke of was undoubtedly me, as anyone could see.