DVDD 01

Chapter 01

 A Different Beginning

It seems I’ve been transmigrated into a novel. At first, I couldn’t make sense of anything and was completely flustered.
I clearly remember being hit by a car on my way home, but when I opened my eyes, I was in an unfamiliar place. People with dazzling appearances and unfamiliar clothing were bustling around.

The people claiming to be my parents had brightly colored eyes and hair, and they wore voluminous dresses that looked like something from the medieval era.

“It seems you have amnesia.”
“Amnesia? You mean I don’t remember anything?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”

And just like that, I was diagnosed with amnesia. All of this happened within just thirty minutes of waking up.

“El.”
“Am I… El?”

No matter how closely I examined my new appearance, I looked entirely Western. There was no trace of the East Asian woman named Song I-rin.

“Yes.”

The person who introduced himself as my father was the duke of the kingdom.

“….”

I couldn’t easily accept my situation. Of course not. I had been living peacefully in my own country, and suddenly, overnight, I had become someone else entirely.

Even if my life had been average, it might have been bearable—but I had lived a life where I was loved and had everything I needed, even if not wealthy.

Was this a dream? But how could it feel so real?

While I was still in shock, the man claiming to be my father dropped a bombshell.

“You are to marry the Second Prince of the Lenne Empire in a few days.”

So, the original owner of this body was about to become a fiancée.

For the next few days, while preparing to leave for the Lenne Empire, I tried to think things through.

El’s parents seemed almost completely indifferent to her. Even though their daughter had lost her memory, they wore calm expressions and only provided her with a doctor.

Or maybe they were lying.

The maids attending to El trembled with fear whenever she did anything, probably worried about getting caught doing something wrong.

No one wanted to tell El what kind of person she had been or what she had done. Her days were spent sitting alone in a vast room, drinking tea, or eating.

But the moment I heard my full name, I realized that this was the novel.

“Raela Landmiken.”

The title was Love Bloomed in the Desert, a romance fantasy. The story was clichéd, but the author’s skill made even the most predictable moments feel magnificent.

I had read it often. And in that story, Raela Landmiken was the villainess.

She grew up thinking she would naturally become queen as the duke’s daughter, a vain and spoiled individual. When the female protagonist, a minor noblewoman, captured the king’s love, Raela tormented her, eventually attempting poisoning and ultimately causing the downfall of the entire duke’s household.

In truth, she wasn’t even a major villain. She existed merely as a device to highlight the love between the emperor and the heroine.

Her relationships with others weren’t detailed, but anyone she disliked was mercilessly beaten—no one liked her, not even her family.

“….”

In reality, after the accident that supposedly killed her, no one came looking for Raela, except the duke and duchess who visited initially. Even her parents never appeared again.

If I were the original Raela, I’d likely stay in the Lenne Empire, committing even worse misdeeds.

But now that I had taken over her body, I didn’t have to follow that doomed path. There was no reason to go down a road that clearly led to hell.

Ideally, returning to my original life would be the best option. But if I had died and come here, I couldn’t go back. And dying once more wasn’t an option either.

I considered my options for a while, but ultimately collapsed in helplessness. Such a position was unimaginable for the original Raela, who had always valued her noble bearing. The maid by my side gasped quietly.

“Um, maid?”
“Yes, yes?”
“When is the wedding?”
“…Ah, as soon as you arrive in the Lenne Empire, it will be… immediately.”
“Immediately?”
“Yes…”
“When are we leaving?”
“In three days. Miss, why are you speaking formally to me…?”
“Oh.”

The maid shrank low, trembling, begging me to speak casually. I just nodded and buried my face in the table.

It had only been two days since I woke up in this body. I was beginning to question whether this marriage was actually arranged. Everything was being rushed so suddenly.

“….”

Being trapped in this place, I had no way of knowing how far the novel’s story had progressed. Had the heroine already been tormented? Had the male protagonist, the emperor, taken notice?

I didn’t know. I didn’t want to think, and I didn’t want to do anything.

“I’m depressed…”

El muttered through a sigh, her cheeks pressed into the table.

My depression continued until the wedding.

After being teleported instantly to the Lenne Empire, I finally realized that my husband was the empire’s Second Prince.

Love Bloomed in the Desert was set in my home kingdom, the Sahad Desert Kingdom, while the Lenne Empire was mentioned as a defeated, powerless nation during the war.

And now I was being married into that empire, to a Second Prince who wasn’t even mentioned before.

To make matters worse, although we arrived in the afternoon via teleportation, the wedding didn’t happen until the dark of night.

Even if the Second Prince had no claim to the throne, having a wedding at night seemed strange.

And I was a duke’s daughter. Even if the Landmiken family had defied me, they wouldn’t have treated me like this—they would never go out of their way for Raela.

I could only assume that the Second Prince was just as much of a discarded child. Maybe I should just live my life quietly and escape if I could.

In the end, I wore a wedding dress I didn’t choose. There was no officiant, and the guests were only the duke, duchess, and household staff. Even the emperor didn’t attend his son’s wedding.

Still, I went along with it as best I could. It was so dark with hardly any lights, and with a black veil covering my face, I couldn’t even see the color of my husband’s eyes.

The absurd wedding ended quickly, and the duchess left with the wizard who brought them here, leaving only a polite wish for happiness.

When I was left alone with the maids in the room I’d been assigned, a maid approached.

“Your Highness, I’ll help you get ready for bed.”

I hadn’t brought any maids from the duke’s house. I had never been comfortable with servants, so they were mostly useless.

“I can manage myself.”

Still, after a few days, I had corrected the habit of speaking formally.

“Yes.”
“When will the prince come?”
“…The prince?”

I assumed he would consummate the marriage. But I had no intention of sharing my bed with a man whose face I didn’t even know. I hoped he was at least reasonable enough to understand if I refused.

The maid’s expression darkened as she trailed off.

“Why do you ask?”
“…The prince probably won’t come.”
“I see.”

No need for a long explanation—great. I barely lifted the corners of my mouth and answered indifferently.

“Yes?”
“I want to rest alone, so please leave.”

I hoped I would never have to meet the prince again until I died.

After the wedding, my days in the prince’s palace consisted of eating, sleeping, and using the bathroom. Except for my only maid, Lari, no one came looking for me, and I grew even more listless.

Lari often had to coax me out for walks; otherwise, I would stay holed up in the room all day.

Since Lari spent all day with me, I was allowed to call her by a nickname. Being called “Your Highness” was awkward. At first, Lari resisted, but eventually gave in.

At first, it was awkward, but after a few days, she realized I wasn’t a difficult mistress and began responding naturally. Not too familiar, just comfortable enough.

“Here’s a fig pie, just how you like it.”
“I don’t like fig pie.”
“But you ate only this last time…”
“It was the closest thing at hand.”
“…Ah, then what do you like?”
“The closest thing at hand.”

I was too lazy to reach out.

“Lari, will you feed me?”
“…El.”

I couldn’t resist my superior, only giving her a look of silent complaint, like the old me in Korea.

I awkwardly took a bite of the fig pie in front of me. Seeing me eat with my hands something that wasn’t finger food, Lari, who had been shocked at first, had gotten used to it and watched quietly.

“But why is this palace so gloomy…”