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Chapter 01
Right now, I am extremely flustered.
Because of that man sitting with his legs crossed, lazily gazing at me.
“Gongnyeo.”
(young noble lady)
“…Y-Yes?! W-Why?”
“…Have you come to dislike me now?”
“No! That’s not it!”
“Hm… Then why is it that you haven’t been looking for me lately?”
“Th-That’s because…”
Dian leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand, and smiled faintly.
“Did you perhaps find a face you like more than mine?”
“…Uh, um…”
As I fumbled for an answer, he stared at me for a moment before letting out a quiet chuckle in a husky voice.
“I hope that’s not the case, Gongnyeo. I’m not very patient when it comes to you.”
How am I supposed to say, ‘Because I know you’re the villain’s younger brother who dies after unrequitedly loving the female lead!’?!
Of all people, I had to flirt with the villain’s younger brother…
What am I supposed to do?!
“Miss! How can you still be sleeping?!”
As warm sunlight suddenly poured in, I squinted and flailed my hand to pull the blanket over my head, only for the owner of the sharp voice to start pounding on the bed.
“If you don’t get up right now, there will be no cookies for breakfast today.”
At those merciless words, my sluggish body froze.
“Th-That’s so cruel…!”
“That’s why hurry up and get up. Even if you wash and get ready starting now, it’ll be cutting it close.”
In the end, I crawled out of the warm blanket, gulped down the cold water Silvana handed me, and stood there blankly, looking around the still-unfamiliar room.
A lace bed with an adorable design, soft blankets, elegantly designed sofa and furniture—everything was perfect, nothing out of place.
And yet, this place was still unfamiliar.
This was the room of Anastasia di Yusupov, the younger sister of the male lead who had less presence in the novel than dust.
In other words… this was now my room.
Thinking back to when I first woke up here—
“Ugh… my head…”
When I opened my eyes while holding the stiff back of my head, I found myself in a room I’d never seen before.
At the same time, the memory of my death in South Korea resurfaced vividly.
The metallic stench in the air.
My home in complete chaos.
Time felt as though it had stopped, while I was swallowed by endless darkness.
Relatives who only coveted my deceased parents’ fortune stormed into the house, turning it upside down in violent fights.
In the middle of it all, I stood there in resignation—until someone shoved me, I fell, and blood burst out like a fountain.
That was the last thing I saw.
Despite having wealthy parents, I grew up without ever receiving their affection. I was always starved for love.
The thought that “Maybe someday they’ll look at me, even for a moment” didn’t last long.
So when they died, I was confused—but not sad.
I thought I wouldn’t regret a life in which I’d never been loved.
But ironically, right before losing consciousness, the fleeting memories of happiness filled me with regret for not having lived my life to the fullest.
And then…
“When I open my eyes, I end up here.”
Since arriving here, I’d been eating the one morning cookie Silvana brought every day.
“G-Goodness! Miss! You can’t stuff the whole cookie into your mouth at once!”
“Mmm… Silvana, this isn’t exactly a formal setting, is it?”
Watching her lady chew noisily and brush crumbs from her lips, Silvana let out a deep sigh.
Miss often—no, honestly, frequently—did things that earned scolding.
“If Madam Ava heard you, she’d be horrified.”
“…Don’t say such terrifying things.”
Madam Ava.
Just thinking of the Yusupov family’s etiquette instructor—who had scolded me mercilessly when I first arrived—made my body tremble.
That experience had been horrific.
It made me realize just how brutally noble ladies of the past were trained to become elegant.
“Miss. How is it possible to forget every single rule of etiquette at once? Would you teach me your method? I’d like to forget the memory of failing to teach you properly.”
Madam Ava was someone who could break bones with words alone.
If words could truly strike like blows, I’d already be reduced to minced meat.
And yet, there was a reason I had no choice but to learn.
“Miss, you should stop eating cookies and hurry up and get ready. Today is the day Young Master returns, so the feast will probably be magnificent.”
“Oh come on. He’s already back?”
“My goodness! Miss, where did you learn such language? A Gongnyeo of House Yusupov must not speak that way!”
Right.
I was now the precious youngest daughter of the most prestigious sword family in the Belshkin Empire.
The Yusupov Ducal House.
They were a family that utterly dominated the sword.
And by ‘dominated,’ I mean anyone who crossed blades with them would be the one utterly destroyed.
From the founding head who built the family with nothing but a sword, to my father—the current Duke of Yusupov—every generation was an unparalleled genius of the blade.
And I had an older brother who inherited all that genius.
“Silvana. Did my brother win again this time?”
Dragging my heavy body toward the vanity while enduring Silvana’s sharp gaze, I asked casually.
“Yes. And according to the rumors, it seems Young Master brought someone back with him—a hostage who had been captured. We’ll know for sure once he arrives.”
At that answer, I froze completely.
…What?
A hostage?
Did she just say hostage?
I blankly replayed her words—then jolted upright in shock.
“A hostage?!”
“Yes, a hostage. It seems he rescued someone who had been taken prisoner during battle. My goodness, Young Master is truly amazing.”
“Aaagh…”
Silvana, this is not about whether he’s amazing.
Your lady is about to die!
It had been one year since I possessed this body.
And now, I had finally reached the point where I was about to die.
It felt like hell.
That might sound extreme, but considering I was originally destined to die, it was accurate.
The peaceful life I’d enjoyed until now rang like a death bell over my head.
Of course, I understood why Silvana found him amazing.
My brother was the male lead and hero of this novel.
Seizar Yusupov.
But that’s exactly why I’m in danger!
I realized this right after I possessed this body.
While enjoying this comfortable life, I’d forgotten—until the sudden moment of realization.
This novel is called <I Won’t Live Just as a Flower>.
The story begins when Seizar rescues the heroine, Floe, who had been taken hostage.
After discovering that she is the Saintess the Empire had been searching for, Seizar allows her to stay in the ducal residence.
They spend time together and fall in love.
However, the princess who had been in love with Seizar becomes jealous of Floe, endangers her, and comes to hate even Seizar for rejecting her.
As a result, House Yusupov falls into a trap, wavers, and ultimately collapses.
Seizar and Floe awaken their powers, overturn the Empire, succeed in their revenge—
Happy ending.
Sounds fine, right?
Except for one problem.
I die when the family falls.
That’s the problem!
That’s why, the moment I possessed this body, I panicked, expecting Seizar to bring Floe back immediately.
But surprisingly, despite countless battles on the border, Seizar never once brought back a woman.
He always returned alone, bragging about how amazing he was.
So I thought this time would be the same.
“Silvana, if I die, scatter my ashes into the sea. I want to travel far away.”
“Miss, why would you suddenly say that? Your last health check showed you were extremely healthy.”
“Ugh, you don’t know anything!”
I did have some kind of plan, but still—
I was basically someone waiting for an execution.
Silvana, watching her lady mutter to herself, carefully continued tending to her skin, hoping no one else would witness these strange monologues.
For the first time since coming here, I couldn’t swallow my steak.
“Seizar. Shouldn’t you explain who this person is?”
“Yes. You should introduce her to us properly.”
…He brought the heroine home.
Calm down. Stay calm.
Though my lips trembled, I forced a composed expression and looked at the beautiful woman sitting across from me.
Golden hair like the sun.
Blue eyes like the sea.
A woman with an enchanting presence.
“Hello. My name is Floe Diante.”
She introduced herself clearly, unfazed by the three pairs of eyes fixed upon her.
Seizar quickly added,
“She is the hostage I rescued from the Destiny battle.”
“Why did you bring a hostage back? Couldn’t you have simply released her?”
Exactly.
Just let her go and save your sister while you’re at it.
Completely agreeing with Mother, I shot Seizar a resentful glare.
At Mother’s sharp question, Seizar replied calmly.
“She possesses an ability that makes it impossible to simply release her.”
“What ability?”
I already knew.
Holy power.
“She has holy power. Though I’m not entirely certain yet.”
“…Holy power.”
I heard my parents sharply inhale.
There was a reason for their reaction.
The Empire had been plagued by endless conflict because the Saintess had been absent for decades.
With no Saintess, chaos spread.
The imperial princes fought over the throne.
Borders were constantly under attack.
And eventually, it was House Yusupov that brought order to the chaos.
Even after the Third Prince ascended the throne, the Empire’s efforts to find the Saintess had all failed.
And now, this woman before us possessed holy power.
Of course they’d be shocked.
“It may be too early to report this to the imperial family. And if the palace finds out now…”
“Yes. It would bring nothing but trouble.”
At Seizar’s words, Father nodded and turned to Floe.
“Floe Diante. A daughter of House Diante.”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“I once received help from House Diante. Though they have fallen now.”
As Father spoke with gentle eyes, they suddenly sharpened as he examined her.
I felt anxious.
Father, no! Your daughter dies because of this!
But he spoke anyway.
“Would you like to stay with our family for a while? As far as I know, House Diante has already been scattered by invasion.”
“…Yes. I would be grateful.”
And just like that, my death sentence was officially handed down.
