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Chapter 3
The visual shock left my head spinning. Did I really just vomit blood? At that moment, another wave of nausea hit, and more blood burst forth.
“Riela!”
Aria, anticipating any possible situation, was held back by the maids and couldn’t approach me. In the end, she was chased out of the bedroom.
I struggled as the physician forced the bitter medicine down my throat. It was overwhelmingly bitter.
“Riela, no matter what happens, you have to take it. Shii, everything will be alright soon,” Veronica whispered gently, her voice trembling.
Memories I hadn’t yet recalled surged to the surface, splitting my head with pain.
Only after forcing down all the medicine did I slump weakly. With the help of the maids, I changed out of the blood-soaked clothes.
As I lingered on the bitter taste left in my mouth, I thought:
‘Right… I’m on borrowed time.’
The silver lining was that I had been reborn as my favorite childhood friend. The misfortune was that I was still on borrowed time.
And not just any body—this was the weakest physique in this world, allergic to divine power.
Shouldn’t someone have warned me about this ahead of time? The absurdity of having to witness everything firsthand made me chuckle dryly.
At the same time, I felt a twinge of pity for the physician being scolded outside the bedroom by the Duchess. His medical notebook was full of notes on how to treat the illness.
Of course, I knew the cause but couldn’t say it aloud. I couldn’t just declare, “Actually, my illness is a divine power allergy!”
If I did, I’d have to explain how I knew about my allergy, and a ten-year-old’s word wouldn’t hold much credibility.
With unfocused eyes staring into space, I chuckled nervously, which made the maids worry.
But that wasn’t what I was concerned about.
‘My favorite is going to awaken as a saint in just a few years, and I have a divine power allergy? This is insane…’
My plan to make my favorite happy had to start with ensuring my own health.
It was for Aria, who couldn’t go out and play because she was worried about my health.
Noticing my sullen mood, Aria brought a mountain of storybooks, promising to read to me until I fell asleep, while Daniel offered to give me a massage.
‘Could life get any more indulgent?’
After taking the painkillers and digestive medicine prescribed by the physician, I felt better almost immediately. Bored of lying down, I got up, only to be forced back into bed by the fiery gazes of the Maynard siblings.
“At this point, a side character should appear,” I muttered.
“How did you know? The prince comes up next!”
“Well, there’s a way to know everything,” Aria said, shrugging casually, eyes sparkling.
Of course, she was talking about the prince in the storybook, and I was thinking of the side character from the novel I’d been possessed into.
“I want to marry a gallant knight, not the prince.”
“Why?”
“If I marry the prince, I have to become queen. I don’t want that. I want to live freely, play, and eat comfortably. So I’ll marry the knight.”
I was speechless at Aria’s unexpected declaration. She was already thinking about marriage at such a young age? Not that it was inherently bad, but…
Whether she knew it or not, Aria then began explaining, in a serious voice, the “proper behavior of a husband.”
Daniel didn’t look very pleased either, perhaps equally bewildered.
But watching my favorite chatter like a little sparrow made my heart swell with joy.
“Riela.”
“Hm?”
I answered absentmindedly to Aria’s call, her gaze fixed on me.
How could my favorite be so beautiful even when just sitting still?
“Your expression is odd. Are you feeling unwell?”
“Yes, if something’s uncomfortable, don’t hold it in—just say it.”
Ah, it wasn’t like that.
I turned my head to the mirror by the bed to check my expression.
Why did I look so strange to warrant that look?
In the mirror, my face looked like I was forcing a smile—which could be described nicely—or smirking lecherously, which was less flattering.
Right, it’s understandable why I looked odd.
“No, I’m fine. The medicine is working great!”
I flexed my arm like an athlete to show I was okay. Though it was just a thin arm, I still felt a little proud.
“Riela…”
They probably thought I was smiling through my pain to not worry them, and they couldn’t take their eyes off me.
Just then, a knock at the door was followed by the butler’s voice.
“Master, a guest has arrived.”
The elderly butler looked fondly at the children huddled on the bed.
“Go ahead. If Norton came, it must be someone important.”
Despite my whisper, Daniel didn’t move.
“Daniel.”
I gently grabbed Daniel’s arm, frozen like a statue, and nodded toward the door.
“Master,”
Norton called out, glancing at me, “Then you should come along too.”
“…Huh?”
Wait, this feels suspicious.
Ignoring my apprehension, Daniel leapt off the bed with a bright smile, as if he’d thought of the perfect plan.
I had just remembered something: one more rule for beginners in possession stories:
Rule 4: Do not casually meet characters from the original work, whether main or side characters.
The butterfly effect is real. I had no idea what consequences my actions as a character might trigger.
So I hesitated to answer.
Of course, my desire to make my favorite happy remained. But humans are complex; fear could coexist with that desire.
“Alright, Riela, let’s go together!”
Aria’s assertiveness left me dumbfounded, rolling my eyes helplessly.
“Since he came without notice, it must be Leo. He’s a bit selfish and temperamental, not great at conversation, but he has a good heart.”
That sounded like praise, right?
Daniel held my hand. I wasn’t sure if it was my hand that was cold or Daniel’s hand that was unbearably hot, but it felt like my hand was on fire.
“Want to meet him?”
Norton, who had come to fetch Daniel, had been standing at the door for over ten minutes, unable to do anything else.
“Tell Norton to wait a little while—Riela needs to prepare,” I said.
Norton looked like he might cry. Feeling a pang of guilt, I stood and shouted loudly:
“No! Let’s go right now!”
Time to get this over with.
Like a street preacher, I stood determined, and Aria and Daniel looked up at me.
What are these kids? Why are they so cute?
I couldn’t help but catch my breath at the flawless faces of the siblings, as if sculpted by a god.
‘What’s it like to live with a face like that… Wait, that’s not important right now!’
Shaking off the distraction, I slipped on my neatly arranged shoes and, holding the siblings’ hands in case they resisted, followed Norton.
Norton kept glancing back to make sure we were following, and I smiled reassuringly. After all, even with a class system, respect for elders was necessary.
“Who’s that?”
Then who are you?
I glared at the boy hiding behind Aria, pointing at me, and he flinched.
“He’s staying at our estate temporarily because he’s unwell.”
“Unwell? Where? You look fine to me.”
He looked me up and down, suspicion in his eyes.
“I don’t know the reason. However—”
“Hey, you think I came to bully him?! And speak comfortably, no one’s watching.”
“Then why did you come?”
“Just visiting, isn’t that allowed?”
“Nope.”
“Unlucky.”
“You too.”
Daniel relaxed his expression at being told to speak comfortably. I continued to observe the boy hiding behind Aria.
Who was the boy with pale silver hair and green eyes who seemed friendly with Daniel?
Ah, Aria said his name was Leo…
“Ah! Leonite!”
Leonite Vilter Adelin!
Yes! The villain who had tormented Aria and couldn’t escape punishment!
“How dare you speak informally?”
His eyebrows shot up.
“Yes. I am the only prince of this empire, Leonite Vilter Adelin.”
A twelve-year-old bragging…
I snorted and ignored him. Not exactly mature behavior for a child, but I didn’t care.
His face turned red as he shouted, “Show proper respect! Kneel and obey me immediately!”
Good heavens, how spoiled must he have been to act this rudely?
