TMFC 01

Chapter 1

When I opened my eyes, I felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity.

It was a feeling that was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

Lying in bed, I blinked and muttered softly,

“No way… did something amazing like that really happen to me too?”

My heart pounded.

I had read romance fantasy novels every single day. Because of that, I knew very well the common cliché at the beginning—waking up inside a novel.

This large ceiling, the soft blanket, the wide room filled with sunlight. Even this light body that felt like mine, yet not mine.

If my guess was right, I had entered a novel.

…Or could I really say that?

This body was mine, yet it wasn’t.

It felt like my original self still existed too.

Maybe it would be more accurate to say that, all of a sudden, someone else’s memories had seeped into me.

From the moment of birth… ages one, two… memories of the past rushed in like a flood.

Elle Natasia.

That was my name.

The reason I could realize this so quickly was probably because, ever since I was born, I had constantly seen another life in my dreams.

But now that it had actually happened, it was quite confusing.

First of all, I wasn’t even sure if the “original me” had truly existed.

Even though it was clearly me, having two sets of memories didn’t feel good at all.

‘How am I supposed to explain this…?’

I sighed while looking at my hands.

There was no denying it—this was a completely different world from the one I used to live in.

“But it feels familiar.”

When I stared into the mirror, I saw myself—with red hair.

Even with dye, it would be hard to create such a beautiful shade of red.

“Pretty!”

It felt a bit embarrassing to say it myself, but I was quite pretty.

Ah… saying it myself was a bit awkward though.

Like I said earlier, I was in a very confused state. But still, being amazed by my appearance was unavoidable.

I looked about five years old.

Thankfully, I was past the stage of speaking like a toddler. Still, I gave off a strange kind of presence.

“Ahhh, what is going on…”

When I spoke, my pronunciation was clear.

If I had been reincarnated into a childcare story… I might not have been able to handle the embarrassment and would’ve kept my mouth shut.

I continued examining myself with curious eyes.

‘I look like I was raised well.’

Even though I was a child, I looked like someone who had grown up without lacking anything.

I stared at my face for a while, then turned away in embarrassment.

“Miss Elle Natasia, did you wake up?”

Ah, so this was the time I usually woke up. That must be why my body had naturally opened its eyes.

I hurried back toward the bed.

“Come in!”

Erasing my awkward expression, I greeted them with a bright smile.

With my short legs pattering quickly, I climbed onto the bed and sat down, struggling a little.

A few days ago, I had been happy thinking I’d live comfortably.

But now, I sat with my arms crossed, wearing a sour expression.

This overly luxurious place… was none other than the mansion of a wealthy count family that played the role of villains in the novel.

No wonder it felt somewhat neglected.

Still, even though I didn’t properly know my father’s face, I didn’t feel particularly upset.

That meant this body was already used to living like this.

Edgar de Bellua Natasia.

My father was a dangerous man to Rion and Jenis.

Because for the sake of his goals, he would drive the two of them into a corner.

Edgar was extremely selfish and never swayed by emotions.

Even when doing wrong, he never once regretted it.

According to the maid, he changed after my mother died.

So that meant he hadn’t originally been this insane… but now he had become like this.

Still, I had no power to stop that wild, uncontrollable father.

Reforming him? That only works on people who can be reasoned with.

If I said the wrong thing, he might cut off my head.

And I was just a powerless child.

What use would it be to say anything to a man who didn’t even care about his own daughter?

This wasn’t a warm childcare story.

It was a dark, tragic novel that ended in misery.

If I recklessly confronted my father without even being able to properly hold a sword… my head would probably be cut off.

Good grief.

My head throbbed.

What’s the point of having money?

I wouldn’t even get to spend it before dying at a young age.

At just five years old, the only thing I could do was act cute and try to please others.

‘No.’

I needed a card to play.

Even if I died, I wanted to die peacefully in old age.

A miserable death like getting my head cut off? I didn’t even want to imagine it.

Did I really have to die for something I didn’t even do?

That was far too unfair.

‘I need to find the male lead.’

Someone who would stand on my side no matter what my father did.

Whether he later found the female lead or not didn’t matter—I just needed to become his lifesaver and beg for my life.

‘Even if it’s shameless, so what? I need to survive first!’

I had no intention of becoming a villain, nor of dying without doing anything.

So the one who needed help should be the one to act.

That meant I had to bring the male lead to my side as soon as possible.

“Miss, have you been losing your appetite lately?”

Diria asked with concern as she noticed me picking at my food.

She was my personal maid, the one who helped me grow up properly despite my father’s indifference.

She was practically like a nanny, staying by my side all day.

Judging by how no one else was around, it seemed she was the only one taking care of me.

“Hmm… I guess autumn has already come.”

Which meant I would soon turn six…

It was depressing.

The age of being adored for being cute was coming to an end.

That also meant I wouldn’t be able to just laze around doing nothing much longer.

“Miss, sometimes the way you speak sounds like an adult.”

“That’s because of my childish father.”

Rather than childish, he was closer to a rampaging beast.

I clicked my tongue lightly and sighed.

Startled, Diria widened her eyes and quickly glanced toward the door.

“Miss, you shouldn’t say things like that.”

“Why? Is he going to kill me?”

Hmph.

I rested my chin on my hand with a small snort.

If he was the kind of person who would kill his own daughter, then how hopeless was he?

I had never even seen him, but maybe it was better that way.

“Still, Miss…”

“That’s enough. Save the boring stories. Did he even love my mother when he married her?”

I turned away with a sulky expression.

I didn’t want to hear about that headache of a man.

I was curious about my mother, who didn’t exist in my memories.

How did she die?

Did she pass away while giving birth to me?

‘I have no memories of her. That’s strange.’

Maybe no one had ever told me.

But the fact that not even a single fragment of memory existed felt odd.

“Of course he loved her. You may not know yet… but the Count also had the same mark appear, as if by fate.”

“Even someone that cold got a mark?”

Well, they must have, since they got married.

But I wondered what kind of feelings led her to marry someone like him.

“Miss… you’ve been quite mischievous lately. Though you were never interested in your father to begin with…”

In this world, when one becomes an adult, a mark appears on their body.

Matching marks signify a destined partner—a bond tying them together for life.

“Marks are like something out of a fairy tale.”

A fairy tale?

Maybe Diria thought that way because she didn’t have one herself.

“If you didn’t get a mark, you’d stay alone forever.”

“Pfft—ah, sorry. I choked.”

Diria quickly composed herself, but I already understood the meaning behind her laughter.

‘She agrees with me.’

So in the end, it wasn’t really love that led to marriage.

Could emotions even exist in this world?

My mood suddenly sank.

The more I learned, the less I liked this setting.

“Then he must’ve neglected me because he didn’t love my mother.”

“Um… rather than that, it’s fate!”

Diria tried to steer the conversation in a better direction.

She even clapped her hands with a dreamy expression, clearly full of fantasies about the mark.

But no matter how I looked at it, it seemed more like a shackle.

‘This feels uncomfortable.’

Well, I wasn’t the protagonist of the novel anyway.

There was no way a mark would appear for me.

That was my instinct.

“Good!”

This was actually good for me.

The male lead would fall in love with the female lead anyway, so I didn’t need to worry about that.

Having read countless novels in my previous life, I knew it was best to live quietly.

I had seen too many stories where the original plot got twisted after someone unintentionally took the female lead’s place.

‘But I’m safe.’

Because I had no intention of doing that.

‘Then what if I use Rion? Before my father finds him… I’ll keep him with me until he becomes an adult.’

This was my chance.

A chance to help him, secure my survival, and avoid complicated future problems.

The destruction of my family.

My tragic ending—dying unfairly at a banquet without knowing anything.

So there was only one thing I could do.

Find the male lead, Rion Davis, and come up with a plan.

If I introduced him to my father in advance and built some familiarity… maybe things would change a little.

No.

It might be safer to just bring him here and keep him by my side without letting them meet.

I had no confidence in persuading that insane man.

So instead, if I made it so they naturally came to see each other as family… wouldn’t that be better?

Before someone else took him away—

I had to get Rion into my hands first.