YMLTM 01

Chapter 1

The long, drawn-out music finally came to an end.

Couples who had been on the dance floor returned hand-in-hand, looking affectionate.

Soon, the Emperor would come to me and graciously—almost condescendingly—ask me for a dance.

He always did this. After openly displaying intimate gestures with another woman in front of me, he would immediately ask me to dance, as if testing my feelings.

And every time, I would desperately push him away to protect what little pride I had left.

This repeating situation at every ball only twisted the Emperor’s temper further. And honestly… it did the same to me.

“Isanna.”

At his voice, I lifted my head. I couldn’t even guess what expression I was wearing right now.

“…Your Majesty.”

The Emperor, impeccably dressed, was blinding.

His black hair shimmered like scattered black pearls. His well-built body—honed through years as a swordmaster—was enough to shake the hearts of countless women.

What completed his appearance was his slightly lowered, indifferent gaze.

Beneath his black lashes, his clear eyes carried a cold yet decadent charm.

“You seem different today.”

“…Do I?”

Sensing something off about me, he gave me a suspicious look, but said nothing further.

“Let’s dance.”

“With pleasure.”

The fact that I, who usually refused him with polite deflection, agreed so readily only deepened his suspicion.

As a crown prince who had been forged on the battlefield, he was distrustful and did not easily believe others.

And among those he distrusted was also his fiancée—Isanna Delorvant—whom he stubbornly continued to deny his feelings for.

As we stepped into the center of the hall, the music shifted into a livelier tune.

I followed his lead as we began to dance.

This damned Emperor even danced well. That only made him more irritating.

“What exactly are you thinking with that small head of yours?”

Of course I’m thinking about how much I hate you.

“Your Majesty, why do you always begin your first dance with other young ladies?”

I lowered my gaze and let my eyelids tremble slightly, pretending to be a fragile girl overwhelmed by sadness.

“…So you do care about such things.”

Care? You think I don’t hear everyone whispering about it?

I almost scoffed out loud.

“Well… I am your fiancée, after all.”

I forced down my twisted expression and put on a sorrowful look again.

But this wasn’t enough. To fool a suspicious Emperor, pretending alone wasn’t sufficient.

So I squeezed out tears, recalling my miserable past life—failing exams and even being dumped by my boyfriend.

I had to look like a woman heartbroken because the man she loved was paying attention to someone else.

“…What?”

His confused voice came.

This was it.

I lifted my head.

“I’m tired of waiting. I love you, Your Majesty.”

This time, my voice was steady and clear—unlike before. I made sure it sounded sincere.

“…Say that again.”

The Emperor looked as though he couldn’t tell whether he was dreaming or awake.

But I didn’t repeat myself.

“Say it again, Isanna.”

His commanding tone made me tremble slightly, and I turned my face away as if distressed.

“You already heard me… didn’t you? Or… were you only using me for my family?”

At my tearful refusal, the hand supporting my waist visibly flinched. He was clearly shaken.

“Isanna!”

A man’s voice cut through the elegant music, filling the hall.

It was my brother, who had noticed the unusual atmosphere.

“Lord Delorvant.”

The Emperor called out coldly as my brother pushed through the crowd toward us.

“Ah…”

“Isanna!”

“I—Isanna!”

Feeling all eyes turn toward me, I swayed as if I might collapse at any moment.

This attention was dangerous.

“Suddenly… I feel dizzy…”

“I will take Isanna with me.”

“…Very well.”

The Emperor’s expression when I glanced at him was priceless.

Ah, I should’ve enjoyed that properly… but there was no time.

For today, planting the groundwork was more important.

I allowed myself to be led out of the hall by my brother.

“Are you alright, Isanna?”

“Yes. I’m fine, Brother.”

A smile naturally formed as I met his worried gaze. For nobles of such high status, we were unusually close siblings.

“Isanna… are you truly alright? I could speak to Father and end this engagement—”

“No.”

I stopped him immediately.

If he did that, my entire plan would collapse.

And besides… until the heroine appeared, the Emperor would never let me go unless I died.

There was no need to complicate things with talk of breaking off the engagement.

“Let’s just go home.”

At that moment, our carriage arrived.

Though my brother looked dissatisfied, he silently offered his hand.

Using his support, I stepped into the carriage.

The carriage followed a neatly maintained noble road and soon arrived at the ducal estate.

“Welcome back, young lady.”

“Lima. I’d like to rest early today.”

“Then I’ll prepare your bath right away.”

I decided to lie down on my bed until the bath was ready.

I needed to sort out the memories of my past life that had suddenly resurfaced.

Isanna Delorvant. The only daughter of the Delorvant Ducal House, a founding noble family. Raised from childhood as an heir and educated in all scholarly fields.

And, if I may say so myself… Isanna Delorvant was a beauty.

To my past self—“Han Ji-i,” who once lived freely without restraint—my current appearance looked almost divine.

Soft wavy blue hair, carefully maintained each day. Deep black eyes with an enigmatic glow. Perfectly balanced features.

But what did that matter if the Emperor was playing around with other women?

Maybe our engagement had been wrong from the beginning.

I recalled the moment he proposed.

In the original story, I had been infatuated with Salavar Grand Duke, the second male lead.

I had chased after him for nearly two years, captivated by his beauty.

Even thinking about it now is humiliating.

I must have been insane back then, pursuing him so relentlessly.

In the end, I was publicly rejected by him at a royal celebration. Brutally.

Heartbroken, I was then proposed to by Calisers, who was still a prince at the time—despite opposition from his faction.

Looking back, he had better options.

He was the hero who ended the brutal conquest war, while I was nothing more than scandal material tied to the Grand Duke.

I hadn’t understood why he insisted on making me his empress despite rejecting his advisors.

And now I supposedly had to believe he “liked” me.

A dry laugh escaped me.

Anyone seeing his behavior would never believe such a thing.

“Hah… I thought I was just a political tool. So he actually liked me…”

Once, I had been the flower of high society. Now I was nothing more than a subject of whispers.

The result of the Emperor’s twisted personality… and my past scandal with the Grand Duke.

“Why am I only remembering this now…? If I had remembered six years earlier, I wouldn’t be suffering like this.”

I sighed and held my head.

Why did he act like this after going through so much trouble to make me his fiancée?

“Is it because I liked Salavar Grand Duke?”

That was the only explanation I could think of.

But I hadn’t shown any interest in him since becoming engaged to Calisers.

Those feelings had long since faded.

Now, he was nothing but a humiliating memory.

“Whatever the reason… I need to marry the Emperor quickly.”

Even if I endured until the heroine Claira appeared, that would still take a year.

By then, I would be far past marriageable age, and finding another engagement would be difficult.

And no one would want a woman who had been engaged to the Emperor for years and then divorced.

Remaining unmarried was also impossible—Imperial law prevented unmarried noblewomen from inheriting family wealth.

“What a ridiculous law…”

But if I divorced the Emperor?

It had happened before in history, though rarely.

That would mean I could still inherit my wealth… and even receive alimony from the imperial family.

I had no intention of dying.

And I had no intention of living a miserable life after the heroine appeared.

So I would become Empress.

And one year later, when the heroine appeared, I would divorce the Emperor.

“I’m quite experienced when it comes to courtship.”

Letters, gifts, handmade cookies… following Salavar Grand Duke around endlessly.

My brow furrowed at the memory.

“Damn it.”

But that was only a humiliation because he never liked me.

According to the original story, the Emperor did like me.

So this plan… was perfect.

It had to be.

“Fufu.”

“Lady…? Are you feeling unwell? It’s a bit chilly today.”

“I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

Lima had entered without me noticing.

“I knocked several times… I’m sorry! I was worried you might have fainted!”

“It’s alright, Lima. But don’t enter without permission next time.”

“Y-yes…”

She shrank back nervously, looking pitiful, but I had to warn her.

I sank into the bath, letting the maids wash away the tension.

A private bathroom larger than my old studio apartment… a bedroom ten times its size… jewels, dresses, servants waiting on me.

This is heaven.

And I knew it all came down to one thing: money.

A fallen noble’s life was worse than that of a wealthy commoner. I had lived in poverty before, but now I lived as a noble all my life.

After experiencing both, I never wanted to give this up.

First, I need to give a warning.

I thought of the young lady the Emperor had danced with earlier.

The daughter of the Viscount Pio family.

In truth, she might not even be at fault. How could a minor noble girl approach the Emperor when I was standing right there?

Most of the rumors were created by the Emperor himself.

Still… now that he would be busy dealing with me, I only had to handle people like her.