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Chapter 01
“Huh? It’s the Duke.”
I pointed at Cardin, who appeared just as I was placing my finished drink back on the table.
“My goddess Harna, I think it would be better if you stopped drinking now. Of course, you look cute and lovely when you’re drunk, but I’m worried about your health.”
“No way! I’m going to drink more!”
I shot Cardin a defiant look as he tried to stop me, then downed the drink the maid had just brought.
“I’m good at drinking, right?”
Fueled by confidence from the alcohol, I moved closer to Cardin. Perhaps noticing me getting warm, Cardin fanned my face energetically. I reached out and held Cardin’s hand, which fluttered like a butterfly, and asked:
“Do you want a drink too, Cardin?”
“Gulp!”
“Gasp!”
Before I could finish speaking, Mei and Cardin’s aide Trin, who were beside us, both made surprised noises.
‘Why are they reacting like they just saw something they shouldn’t?’
I tilted my head, confused by their reaction, and then picked up a wine glass from the table and handed it to Cardin.
“Here, drink.”
“If it’s from you, I’d even drink poison willingly.”
“Yes, yes. Since it’s from your goddess, drink it all at once—no leftovers!”
Cardin obeyed and drank the wine in one go, then placed the empty glass on the table. He smiled at me, as if asking for praise.
Soon, his amethyst-like eyes caught mine. I instinctively reached out and touched his face. He gave a small, charming smile, seemingly enjoying the gesture.
“Cardin.”
“Yes?”
“Your eyes… they’re beautiful, sparkling like stars. I love stars. Huh? Is that a star?”
While admiring the beautiful light in Cardin’s eyes, I suddenly pointed at something shining on the ceiling.
“Do you wish for it?”
“Yes!”
“Then I shall pluck it and present it to you.”
Cardin knelt solemnly, kissed the back of my hand, and placed one hand on the table.
“Your Grace! Are you insane? This is the royal palace!”
Trin tried to stop Cardin from stepping onto the table, while Mei, next to me, spoke as if calming a child.
“Sis, that’s not a star. It’s just a jeweled decoration.”
“No, it’s a star! It’s sparkling! Pick it!”
Drunk, my possessiveness surged wildly, and I started throwing a tantrum.
“For my goddess, I will offer anything—even the moon and the sun!”
Hearing this, Cardin grabbed a bread knife and managed to place one leg on the table to reach for the star.
“This is crazy! Someone, hold Miss Jurn tight!”
“Don’t worry about me! What are you doing? The Duke is almost there!”
Mei tried to restrain me, Trin struggled while almost holding Cardin, and the chaotic royal ball night grew ever more intense.
The night was dark, with the faint moonlight hidden behind clouds.
While everyone was deep asleep, candles burned in a small room, illuminating it. Numerous candles were arranged in a magical circle.
A shadow flickered over the candle flames. It was a frail woman.
She nervously touched her dry lips while looking at the magical circle she had created herself, then nodded as if making a firm decision.
Carefully, she placed the object she had been holding in the center of the burning candles and took a deep breath.
It was a fully prepared magical circle. There was no turning back or regretting now.
Shaking from nervousness, she clenched her fists to stop trembling. Then, she recited the incantation she had repeated dozens of times silently.
“O ruler of the dark shadows!”
Something welled up in her chest. Blood suddenly flowed from her mouth, but the spell had already begun, so she pressed on.
“O master of death… ugh!”
Unable to withstand the dark magic, blood gushed from her mouth.
“…I summon you to come before me!”
Swallowing the flowing blood, she completed the spell. Suddenly, a strong wind blew, extinguishing all the candles. She collapsed as her legs gave out.
At that moment, the object within the magical circle glowed. The light instantly pushed back the darkness and filled the room with a blue glow.
Her golden eyes widened in shock at the blinding light and the sudden gust of wind. Her trembling orange hair whipped violently as she covered her mouth with her hands.
After a moment, the wind and light vanished, and the small room returned to darkness and silence.
A strange sound emerged as the space horizontally split. A white arm shot out, followed by a man appearing from the torn space.
“Were you the one who called me?”
The man’s red lips contrasted against his pale face as he spoke.
“Th-that…”
As the woman stammered, lightning struck outside the window.
“Hahaha! You dared call me without fear?”
He laughed loudly, then approached her face in an instant and asked,
“Now, what is it that you desire?”
Another lightning strike illuminated her face. Despite seeing the terrifying man up close, she smiled with exhilaration rather than fear.
“What I desire is…”
When she finished speaking, the man laughed, and as if nothing had happened, the room sank back into quiet darkness.
The night of the film festival was a celebration where actors gathered in one place.
From the rookie award, which can only be won once in a lifetime, to the leading actress award, the “highlight of the festival,” the ceremony was underway.
After introducing the notable nominees, a middle-aged actress at the microphone opened a white envelope. Checking the name, she smiled and said:
“Now, the winner of the Best Actress award is… Yoon Seung-ah, for her role as Park Bit-na in Love Takes Flight! Congratulations!”
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Surprised by the unexpected announcement, the actress stood, receiving congratulations from fellow actors.
At thirty-one, Yoon Seung-ah, already a great actress, held her fifth Best Actress trophy.
“Congrats, sister!”
“Thanks.”
After a few hours, her manager Dong-su congratulated her, and she got into the van. She exhaled deeply as she sat down, exhausted from wearing an uncomfortable dress and being tense throughout the ceremony.
Before getting into the van, she had already changed into a hoodie and sweatpants. Relaxing in the back seat, she looked at the trophy beside her.
She hadn’t expected to win, but receiving it gave her a sense of pride for her acting.
‘I’ll bring you to meet your friends soon.’
She carefully wiped the sparkling trophy with her sleeve.
“Heh heh.”
She laughed foolishly at the trophy, then froze briefly, worried Dong-su might have noticed. Even in close relationships, image management was important.
Fortunately, Dong-su focused on driving. She relaxed her face and took out her phone.
“Dong-su, call me when we get home.”
“Reading web novels again?”
“Yes. I haven’t had time because of my schedule. This is the crucial scene.”
Trusting her veteran manager’s steady driving, she immersed herself in the novel.
She had been reading a predictable romance fantasy, The Beautiful Countess and the Cold Duke. It told the story of Mei, the eldest daughter of a poor count, meeting a cold-hearted duke and falling in fated love.
“Ugh, what is she even doing?”
She clicked her tongue at the villainess Harna, the duke’s fiancée, who constantly troubled the protagonist. Her hobbies seemed to be annoying people and screaming. She feared Harna might cause a huge accident soon. Indeed, Harna tried to poison Mei.
Reading the scene where the male lead Cardin gets furious at Harna, the van suddenly jolted violently.
“Dong-su, what’s happening…?”
She called out, but her words were cut short as a large truck reversed rapidly toward the van. The impact flipped the van despite their seatbelts, tossing them around.
Pain overwhelmed her, and consciousness began to fade.
The phone she was holding began to glow, filling the van with light. That was the last thing she saw before she closed her eyes.
Perhaps it was the aftereffect of immersing herself too much in acting this year. She had been acting continuously without a break, and both her body and mind were exhausted.
‘Hmm, maybe I should take a break now.’
She imagined going on a trip to a hotel with beautiful scenery and water activities. In her imagination, she wore a lovely swimsuit and swam in the blue water.
“Is Harna okay?”
“It seems she fainted after hitting her head when she fell.”
The sound of voices nearby gradually brought her back to reality, and the swimming pool disappeared.
‘Harna…?’
Awakening, she focused on the conversation to understand the situation.
‘Wait, Harna… that’s the villainess I just cursed in the web novel!’
Startled, she nearly opened her eyes but managed to just twitch her eyebrows.
“It seems the young lady is waking up, Your Grace!”
Startled by the old man’s voice, she feigned unconsciousness again. She felt piercing gazes even with her eyes closed, but her acting did not falter.
“Hmm, why isn’t she waking?”
“I saw her eyebrows move… I think if she rests a bit longer, she’ll wake.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll leave.”
A strange hand touched her forehead, brushing aside a few strands of hair.
After a while, footsteps faded, and the door opened and closed.
The surroundings became quiet. She continued pretending to be unconscious and slowly opened one eye. Seeing no one, she quickly stood and looked around.
“There should be a mirror. Ah, there it is!”
She hurried to the mirror nearby.
Looking at her reflection, she gasped, then pressed her lips tightly together.
It wasn’t her original face. She muttered in disbelief:
“I’ve become Harna…?”
