🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 2
As Ha-yoon stood there blankly, the red-haired woman grabbed her wrist and dragged her away.
Ha-yoon tried to resist, but her body was so weak that she was pulled along helplessly like a paper doll.
“There’s no better cure for oversleeping than this.”
The redhead dragged her into the nearby washroom and splashed cold water directly onto her face.
“Kyah!”
Being doused with freezing water right after waking up had the same effect as a bolt from the blue.
The water was cold, but sparks practically flew from Ha-yoon’s eyes.
Never in her life had anyone treated a world-class celebrity like her with such disrespect.
Smack!
Ha-yoon immediately swung her arm and slapped the red-haired woman across the face.
Then, glaring at her with an expression fierce enough to devour her whole, she spat out every word.
“What do you think you’re doing right now? Do you even know who I am? You dare throw water at me?!”
The redhead stared back in disbelief and shouted,
“Y-you just hit me? I’m telling Miss Rosaline everything!”
“You keep saying Rosaline this, Rosaline that—who the hell is Rosaline anyway?”
“You’ve completely lost your mind, Arabelle!”
Ha-yoon brushed the water from her hair dramatically like a shampoo commercial and answered defiantly,
“And who’s Arabelle supposed to be? Some newly debuted girl group? Names these days are seriously ridiculous.”
“What do you mean, who’s Arabelle?”
The way Ha-yoon remained calm—almost too calm—made the redhead feel like she was facing a genuine lunatic.
“Are you seriously insane? You’re Arabelle!”
“What nonsense. I’m not in the mood to listen to your crap.”
Ha-yoon immediately lost interest in her.
True to a world star, the only person who mattered most to her was herself.
“So annoying.”
She had been thoroughly soaked, and brushing it off with her hands wasn’t enough.
As Ha-yoon looked around for a towel, her eyes caught the reflection in a tiny hand-sized mirror hanging on the wall.
A completely unfamiliar face stared back at her.
Startled, Ha-yoon rushed toward the mirror.
She couldn’t tell whether she was still half asleep or if the cold water had somehow ruined her vision.
The reflection showed not Ha-yoon, but a blonde girl with green eyes.
Panicking, Ha-yoon grabbed the small mirror with both hands and frantically examined the face.
‘It’s an amazing face, but why is it in such terrible condition? She’s pretty enough to look ugly because of how neglected she is.’
Ha-yoon moved the unfamiliar face reflected in the mirror.
It clearly was not her face, yet it mimicked every expression she made.
The bizarre sensation sent chills down her spine.
Then another unfamiliar voice spoke.
“What’s going on? Why is there such a commotion this early in the morning?”
The red-haired maid immediately complained to the middle-aged woman who had appeared.
“Head Maid Marsha, Arabelle overslept, so I woke her up, and then she threw a tantrum and slapped me.”
As the redhead thrust forward the cheek she’d been slapped on, Ha-yoon fired back without hesitation.
“Hey! You splashed water on me first while I was just minding my own business. So technically what you did was assault, and mine was self-defense.”
Marsha looked slightly surprised as she examined Arabelle.
Unlike usual, her gaze was defiant, and her entire atmosphere felt different.
Marsha disliked this rebellious side of Arabelle.
“Arabelle, are you suddenly expecting to be treated like a young lady? If so, then you should first earn recognition from Duke Lewin instead of taking your frustrations out on Eva here.”
Marsha approached threateningly, intending to crush this insolent rebellion before it grew.
“You’re nothing but a bastard child who isn’t even allowed to live in the main residence. Do you need another trip to the punishment room before you come to your senses?”
Ha-yoon understood absolutely nothing happening around her, but as a celebrity with ten years of experience, she kept a straight face while thinking rapidly.
‘What are they even talking about? Duke Lewin? Why are there so many foreigners around? Ah! Wait… could this be some hidden-camera prank filmed on a surprise set?’
Even she knew it sounded ridiculous.
At the height of her acting career, there was no way her agency would throw her onto some random variety program.
Most importantly, Ha-yoon chose her own schedules.
That was how high her status was.
‘But why do these names sound familiar? Arabelle… the Lewin Ducal House…’
Her thoughts didn’t last long.
“You’re late, so hurry up. Miss Rosaline is waiting.”
The red-haired maid dragged the dazed Ha-yoon out of the annex and toward the main building where the ducal family lived.
The moment Ha-yoon stepped outside, her jaw dropped on its own.
As a top celebrity, she had visited countless luxurious places, but even by her standards, this place was extraordinary.
‘Where the hell am I? Is this some kind of European palace?’
Thus, Ha-yoon entered the main residence—a dazzling masterpiece built of marble.
“Miss Rosaline is attending a party today, and because of you we’re already late.”
The redhead anxiously climbed to the second floor and opened a door.
A lavish room filled with expensive-looking furniture came into view.
‘It hurts my pride that this room is nicer than mine. They seriously drowned this place in money.’
Rosaline, who had been sitting on the bed in her pajamas, stood up and strode toward Ha-yoon with savage eyes.
Slap!
Rosaline struck Ha-yoon across the face in an instant.
“Ah!”
Ha-yoon collapsed like a leaf blown in the wind and screamed involuntarily from the intense pain.
“You don’t even greet me? Insolent bitch! I let you serve me because at least you’re useful with your hands, and this is how you repay me? Maybe getting beaten and thrown into the stables will teach you your place!”
That was the moment—
“Hey!”
—Ha-yoon grabbed Rosaline by the hair.
Caught completely off guard, Rosaline crumpled onto the floor in shock.
And because Arabelle’s body was so frail, she herself collapsed even more pitifully beside her after putting every ounce of strength into the attack.
Afterward, Arabelle’s body was carried away and locked inside the punishment room reserved for servants who committed offenses.
I organized my thoughts inside the punishment room, which looked exactly like a prison cell.
Arabelle.
Rosaline.
The Lewin Ducal House.
Head Maid Marsha.
There was one thing all those names had in common.
They were characters from the web novel First Love of the Crown Prince, which I had been obsessed with lately.
‘I transmigrated. Me—the person who only ever lived as the protagonist inside dramas—actually ended up inside a book! But why am I a supporting character instead of the lead?! Even my debut role was a lead!’
There was no time to be shocked or excited over such an unrealistic phenomenon.
Because while the novel’s main storyline was romance, the Lewin family and Arabelle belonged to the utterly miserable tragedy route.
“Ah!”
A flood of unfamiliar memories suddenly rushed into my head, and the overwhelming dizziness caused me to collapse.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw the same old ceiling I had first seen after arriving here.
Apparently, after collapsing in the punishment room, I had been moved back to my original room.
The moment I became aware of the transmigration, Arabelle’s entire life flowed into me.
I had always been empathetic because of acting, but Arabelle’s emotions and memories felt especially vivid.
As though they were my own.
Creak.
At that moment, the door opened, and someone peeked inside.
The person who met my eyes was the red-haired maid, Eva, and she immediately ran off screaming at the top of her lungs.
“Head Maid! Head Maid! Arabelle’s awake!”
What insane vocal power. If she’d been born in Korea, she could’ve mastered traditional singing and become a legendary vocalist.
Stopping her useless thoughts, Ha-yoon tried to move her body, but she lacked the strength and simply lay there blankly.
‘What am I supposed to do now?’
Before she could think properly, the door opened again.
A middle-aged woman with gray hair and brown eyes entered.
The moment I saw her appearance, I immediately recognized her as Duchess Cecilia.
Cecilia gestured for Marsha and the red-haired maid behind her to leave.
After confirming the door had closed, Cecilia looked at me and said,
“Get up at once.”
I disliked her overbearing tone, but since we needed to talk, I forced myself upright and leaned against the wall.
Since the bed had no headboard, the cold stone wall pressed directly against my back.
I was about to prop a pillow behind me to block the chill when I noticed Cecilia raising her hand high beside me.
‘That angle is definitely…’
Not only was I an idol trained through dance, I was also agile enough to place first at the Idol Star Athletics Championships.
Even in my weakened state, I successfully twisted my body aside and dodged her strike.
Cecilia’s hand sliced through empty air, throwing off her balance and forcing her to catch herself awkwardly on the bed.
I could practically see flames of rage blazing in her eyes in real time.
Why was the attempted assailant acting so offended?
“You truly have gone mad.”
