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Chapter 36
Riana knew it too. She knew that the cat hadn’t really come and talked to her.
The cat—Veloci—was probably fast asleep downstairs, not even aware of what he had done.
Only after the friendship was over did Riana finally let out her true feelings.
“It pisses me off that I lost a friend like you because of you, you jerk.”
She sighed at her own words and flopped onto the bed.
And then, once again, the cat’s voice echoed in her head.
— Shouldn’t you try to live a normal life?
If the cat—her only friend—really knew everything she’d been through, he probably would’ve nagged her like that.
“…That means I have to figure out where this world went wrong first, right? When would I have the time for that? I’m just trying to survive.”
Sure, it would be great to uncover the secrets of this weird world and find a way to avoid becoming the villainess.
But what if she couldn’t?
Then she’d just die—like every other villain in every other story.
“So yeah. I’m still going through with my plan to escape to that island. No matter what’s happened, no matter what will happen.”
Riana imagined how the cat would react if he were here.
— …….
He probably wouldn’t respond. He was never one for reactions.
In a sulky tone, Riana muttered,
“See? You weren’t even that good a conversation partner anyway.”
So she would be fine without him. There was no reason to feel sad just because he was gone.
The next day, Riana was overwhelmed with anger.
‘Damn it, I miss him! I really do!’
People cry when their pets die—even more so when the pet could talk like a person.
Of course she felt heartbroken. Damn it all!
With her eyes red from crying, Riana went to the third floor of the main building and pounded on Duke Veloci’s door.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The door opened. The same dazzlingly white and shiny man greeted her.
“Riana…?”
“We need to talk!”
Veloci bit his lip like he was seeing a hallucination. It shocked him to see Riana back at Droche Castle—and even more so that she had come looking for him.
Riana glared at him, waiting for an answer.
This man had taken away her friend. He was her enemy. And he was also the male lead of the villainess story she was stuck in.
‘He makes me furious and I hate him…’
But he was still her only friend. He had been a good assistant too.
She didn’t want to leave him depressed, believing the curse would never be broken.
She had to tell him she wasn’t the prophesied woman. That the real duchess-to-be was someone else.
‘And then that’s it. I’ll be done with Veloci and his story.’
She would act like she was settling a debt.
Veloci, not knowing what was on her mind, gave his usual lukewarm response and agreed.
Duke Veloci was Killian’s cousin, and one of only two dukes in the entire country. So, among the guests staying at Droche Castle, he was the most important.
That meant getting a meeting room was easy. With just one word from him, a private dining room as big as an airport lounge was opened just for the two of them.
A feast was laid out on the large table, but there were no servants. In the vast, quiet space with no eavesdroppers, their low voices echoed.
“Were you originally a cat, or a human?”
“I was born human. The curse took effect on my ninth birthday.”
Riana muttered as she mentally traced the timeline.
“So that was two months after that banquet…”
“Yes.”
Her brow twitched. She remembered that in the original story, Duke Veloci had turned into a wolf.
“You’re not lying, are you?”
“I have nothing left to hide from you.”
“Then how did you turn back into a human?”
“Thanks to your kindness.”
Riana narrowed her eyes. Veloci quickly explained.
“When I absorb the ‘light’ you give me, I can maintain my human form for about half a day.”
Her mouth felt dry, and she gulped down a glass of water.
‘In the original, the curse could only be broken by finding the real duchess-to-be!’
She had only come here to clear up a few questions before cutting ties—but now she was being forced to realize just how different this world was from the original story.
After steadying herself with some cold water, Riana finally asked,
“You said it was the light I gave you. You mean the magical energy I fed you?”
Veloci looked puzzled at the word “magical energy.”
So he didn’t even know he’d been feeding on mana?
‘Well…’
That made sense. She hadn’t known until recently either.
Even in a world where magic items were common, magical terms weren’t.
It was like how people use hair dye but don’t know the chemical names. Mana was like that—a core component, but rarely discussed.
So, Riana gathered some magic at her fingertips and showed it to him.
“This.”
“Yes.”
It made sense that he hadn’t known it was mana. But… how could mana turn him human for half a day?
“Why would that…”
She was mumbling to herself when he answered clearly.
“Because you are the destined duchess.”
Ah, right. That’s exactly the misunderstanding she came here to clear up.
Riana opened her mouth to say what she’d prepared—but Veloci spoke first, his deep voice cutting in.
“The child who was born twice.”
There was no introduction, but Riana knew immediately. This was the prophecy—the way to break the Veloci family’s curse.
“The woman who appears on the ‘Day of Cold Dew’ wearing a crown of spring flowers.”
Born twice.
That meant a child with two birthdays—like an orphanage record date and a real birthdate. Riana had both.
And the ‘Day of Cold Dew’ in Korean terms meant the seasonal marker “Hanro.” Riana had been entered into the orphanage records on Hanro, with her pink hair like spring flowers.
“And the one who can light the world with a single gesture.”
Riana looked at the glowing light on her fingertip. She really could light up the darkness with a wave of her hand.
“Among those who meet all three conditions, the destined woman will be found. Dress her in peony robes to break Veloci’s curse.”
It meant marriage. In the original, the curse broke on the wedding night.
And now…
“That’s… really accurate.”
Ironically, Riana met all three conditions.
‘No wonder Veloci believed it when the original villainess claimed she was the destined one.’
But Riana had no intention of playing the villainess.
It was time to free Veloci from his curse—just as she planned.
“I’m close, but I’m not the one. All I did was share my magic.”
Riana poured the gathered mana from her fingertip into an empty glass. The glowing glass was placed on the table near Veloci.
“But I’m not the only one who can do this. Allen could, or any skilled mage. If you can be replaced, it’s not destiny.”
“…”
“I know who the real duchess is.”
Even the prophecy said the destined one would be among those who met the three conditions. That meant others could qualify.
Riana was one of them, but she wasn’t the one.
The real duchess was…
“Angelique Effindor.”
The heroine of “Finding the Real Duchess.”
“I was entered into the orphanage on the Day of Cold Dew, but I don’t know my real birthday. Angelique was both born and entered on that day.”
Riana continued in a calm voice.
“She had deeper red hair than me. She left the orphanage early because of health issues and was admitted to a medical facility. That’s probably why the Veloci family couldn’t find her.”
They would’ve only checked the orphanage records.
Riana’s memories of Angelique were blurry. She left soon after Riana possessed this body.
So she added more based on the novel.
“Angelique is a mage. A pretty talented one. She can literally and figuratively light up the world.”
Compared to herself, Angelique fit the prophecy far better.
If this were a test, Angelique would’ve scored 200% more points.
Veloci looked convinced.
Riana felt herself moving further away from the role of the villainess in “Finding the Real Duchess.” At this point, she looked more like a matchmaker helping the main couple get together.
“I can only give you half a day.”
She drove the final nail in.
“Go find the woman who can give you a whole day… no—a lifetime.”
Duke Veloci stared at the empty seat where Riana had been for a long time.
Just like during their conversation, his face showed no emotion.
The food on the table remained untouched—still exactly as it had been when first served.
