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Chapter 01
Sophia’s life was perfect, and she was happy.
She married the man she loved and finally became pregnant with the child she had long wished for.
She believed she would live happily ever after, just like the characters in fairy tales.
“You’re pregnant with my child? That’s impossible.”
Until she heard those words.
Just moments ago, her husband had been listening to her—but now his eyes were filled with deep betrayal, contempt, and disgust.
“Whose child is it?”
“W-what do you mean?”
“I asked whose child you’re carrying!”
It was a tragedy that happened at a surprise party meant to celebrate her pregnancy.
The duchess, once loved, instantly fell into disgrace as a woman accused of being with another man.
Sophia could not understand her husband’s reaction.
How hard had she tried to have his child?
At last, the result of all that effort and love was growing inside her.
Why was no one congratulating her?
Why was her purity being doubted?
She had loved only one man her whole life—only him.
“My dear, please talk to me. This child is truly ours!”
When Caesar returned home after a long time, Sophia pleaded sincerely.
But what came back to her was…
“You still haven’t gotten rid of it?”
“……What?”
Ah, foolish and naive Sophia.
From the very beginning, Caesar had no interest in her sincerity.
“You’re carrying another man’s child—how can you still act so confident?”
The answer had already been decided.
“As expected of a commoner’s daughter. In the end, you’re just a vulgar woman.”
With a face like he was the victim of something terrible, Caesar walked past his wife.
A few days later, rumors spread that he would take a second wife.
Unlike Sophia, who was an illegitimate child, the new woman was said to be a noble’s legitimate daughter.
Sophia completely collapsed.
“Ah… ugh… my stomach…”
It was a time so painful that she wished she could die.
In terrible loneliness, giving birth alone without even a midwife, Sophia made a desperate wish.
‘I want to turn everything back… I want to make it as if nothing ever happened.’
Even her childhood, when she became close to Caesar because they both had commoner mothers.
Even everything she did to place Caesar on the duke’s seat over the rightful heirs.
Even the fact that she loved him more than her own life.
Even having this child!
She wanted to erase everything.
But God did not grant her wish.
“Waaah… waaah…!”
In the cold room of the duchess, the baby was born.
And then…
And then…
……
“……What was it again?”
The child tilted her head.
The story that had been playing in her mind like a movie suddenly stopped.
She tried to remember more, but unfortunately, the rest did not come back.
“Still, that’s a relief. I remember most of it.”
The child muttered, finished tying her messy hair, and looked into a broken mirror.
A little girl with messy purple hair and red eyes was reflected.
Her name was Maybel Ashilonia.
She was the child abandoned by the runaway female lead Sophia, and the real daughter of the regretful male lead Caesar.
‘And now I’ve realized this world is actually inside a novel!’
About three hours ago—
A miracle finally came to Maybel, who had survived for eight years in the attic without anyone taking care of her.
The contents of a novel suddenly filled her small mind.
She didn’t remember anything else besides the story, but she thought—
Maybe she was a reincarnated person.
According to the flow of the story, the male and female leads would soon reconcile.
‘Right in front of my grave.’
Did that even make sense?
Eight whole years.
‘All that time, I was treated like I didn’t exist….’
Around the time Maybel started walking, Sophia ran away.
After that, everyone in the Ashilonia family treated Maybel as if she didn’t exist.
They saw her but pretended not to.
They heard her but acted like they didn’t.
As if “Maybel Ashilonia” had never existed in the first place.
Maybel grew up alone in that cold, uncaring time without understanding why.
Sometimes, she even wondered if she was a ghost.
She hurt herself just to check.
Only after feeling pain and seeing red blood did she feel relieved.
I’m human.
I’m still human.
She endured, hoping that someday her parents might look back at her.
‘But I die, and then in front of my grave they say, “So it was all a misunderstanding!” and “I only loved you!” and get their happy ending?’
“Yeah, no. I absolutely refuse to see that.”
Novel or not, she had to survive—even if it was out of resentment.
Even though Maybel had no special abilities and no secret birth—just a “real” extra.
“I may not have parents, but I do have a family name to use.”
Thankfully, the Ashilonia ducal family had many enemies.
Of course, she had no intention of making deals with villains or relying on them as protectors.
She remembered something—a good orphanage from the side stories.
‘I’ll just get a little money and go to the orphanage. The one from the side story… that place. The director there seemed like a good person.’
Anyway, Maybel had no plans to take reckless risks.
She just wanted to survive…
‘And I will definitely ruin my parents’ happy ending!’
With her small bag packed tightly, Maybel opened the attic door.
The moment she peeked out, she met eyes with two maids passing by in the hallway.
“Gasp…!”
Her body froze.
What should she say if they asked why she came out?
What if they tried to lock her up again?
Her heart pounded rapidly.
“Hey… did you hear that story?”
“Huh? What story?”
But the maids continued talking among themselves as if Maybel didn’t exist at all.
“Ah…”
Her gaze dropped.
Of course.
‘There’s no way they’d pay attention to me.’
The ghost princess of the Ashilonia family.
Someone who must never be seen, spoken to, or even acknowledged.
That was Maybel.
‘Caesar was publicly known to be impotent… or rather, infertile.’
That was why she wasn’t recognized as his daughter, even though she really was.
But that truth would only be revealed far in the future.
Right now, Maybel was seen as the child of another man born from the duchess’s affair.
……
Holding her bag tightly, Maybel walked through the mansion.
Sometimes the servants glanced at her, but their eyes quickly moved away.
Because of that, she managed to leave the mansion without being stopped.
“Y-yeah… woohoo! Long live being treated like I’m invisible!”
After escaping, Maybel shouted on purpose as if she was excited.
If she didn’t, she felt like she would burst into tears.
In truth, she was already at her limit.
“Uu… hic…”
Her vision blurred with tears filling her eyes.
‘I don’t have time to cry… I know I don’t….’
But in the end, hot tears rolled down her thin cheeks.
The novel memories were both a blessing and a curse.
They gave her the courage to run away, but also showed her how miserable her life had been.
Why did she have to live like this?
Why was she someone who didn’t exist to others?
She was here.
She was alive right here…
Then suddenly, a frightening thought came.
‘What if the villains don’t believe that I’m Maybel Ashilonia?’
What if they didn’t even know that such a person existed?
‘Come to think of it… was there ever a part in the novel where anyone outside the ducal family knew about me…?’
Only then did she realize how reckless her escape had been.
‘W-what should I do? Should I go back now? Or….’
She stood there, unable to move, lost in the harsh reality.
Then—
“……Maybel?”
At someone calling her name, Maybel flinched and quickly looked up.
