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Prologue
Clang!
“A-ah, no! Tani, don’t eat that!!!”
The birthday banquet, which should have been filled with happiness, was pierced by a sharp, jarring sound.
The adults around us turned with startled faces, but my eyes were fixed on only one person.
“Uh? Tani, dis no eat?”
The child who had been about to pop the chocolate into her mouth widened her eyes.
It was Titania, today’s beloved protagonist—and my younger sister.
I stepped past the broken shards of porcelain and hurried to her side. My gaze immediately dropped to her tiny hands, anxious.
“Let’s eat something else instead, okay?”
“But… but Tani… wants this one…”
The chocolate in her chubby hand gleamed ominously—bright red, like a perfect little jewel.
Yes. Exactly like in my dream. The root of everything.
“If you eat that, it’ll hurt. And Tani doesn’t like getting hurt, right?”
“Mmm…”
Her lips puckered as she hesitated, cheeks puffing out in displeasure.
Ten minutes ago, I would’ve melted at her cuteness.
But not now. Not when I knew what was coming.
“Edel! Are you hurt?”
‘Ah… even Father’s here.’
He rushed over from where he’d been chatting with guests, alarmed that his eldest had caused a scene.
After confirming I wasn’t injured, his voice turned stern.
“Edelweiss. Explain why you broke the plate. And why you won’t let Tani have that chocolate.”
“Father, it’s just—”
The words caught in my throat.
Meanwhile, tears welled up in Tani’s big eyes.
“D-daddy… Tani… can’t eat choco…?”
“Let her have her way just for today, hm?”
“But…!”
“Edel. It’s her birthday.”
A cold dread sank through me.
‘No matter what I say, he won’t believe me.’
Never had being trapped in the body of a seven-year-old felt so suffocating.
‘This is the only way.’
“I’m sorry, Tani!”
“My choco…!”
I shut my eyes tight.
And in that instant, I snatched the chocolate from her hand—
and shoved it into my own mouth.
The sickly-sweet taste melted instantly on my tongue.
“Uwahhh! S-sis ate my choco…!”
Tani burst into tears.
But this time, I couldn’t comfort her like always.
“…Kh.”
Agonizing pain twisted through my stomach.
My body collapsed forward, the world tilting as dizziness washed over me.
“Edel…!!!”
Father barely managed to catch me before I hit the marble floor.
But perhaps the stone would’ve been kinder. From my solar plexus, a fire ignited, searing outward until every inch of me burned.
‘So this was the curse… This unbearable pain… Tani, you went through this…’
Darkness swallowed my vision. The shouts around me grew muffled.
“Sis…!”
“Tani… don’t… hurt…”
‘And then, live boldly. Go forth as the heroine. Never let anyone call you a burden.’
.
.
.
And so, like a proper older sister, I collapsed—
only to open my eyes again in the dark.
“…Why are you in my dream?”
I stared at the boy in front of me.
A familiar face. The one I had recently spent the most time with.
“Zar? Why are you here?”
The boy named Zar broke into a radiant smile.
His crimson eyes sparkled with pure joy, as if overjoyed to see me.
And yet… something about it felt ominous.
The chocolate.
The same cursed glow as the one that had bewitched Tani—
and poisoned me.
“You came to me, Edel.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You swallowed the invitation I sent you.”
My unease sharpened instantly.
‘An… invitation?’
That chocolate wasn’t candy at all. In the original story, it was the bead that cursed Tani—
the trap set by the hidden villain.
And you’re saying… you’re the one who sent it?
“You… You… Don’t tell me…”
I pointed a trembling finger at him, words faltering.
Zar only took my hand gently.
Then, with the poise of someone imitating adults, he brushed a soft kiss against my fingertips.
It should’ve looked childish. But instead, it carried no awkwardness at all.
“Yes. We were drawn to each other. You won’t deny it, will you? Fate has bound us like this.”
I had no idea what he meant by “drawn to each other.”
But one thought echoed loud in my head.
‘What if… you’re the hidden villain?’
Because in that case—
I’ve been trying to pair you with Tani instead of the original male lead—!!!
