* * *

Heaven is so indifferent. Just when I thought of a way to win over Duke Carlotte, I fell ill with a cold.

There was nothing I could do.

The fear of possibly dying was more powerful than I imagined.

Even lying in bed, my heart pounded so loudly that I couldn’t sleep.

The same went for food—anything I put in my mouth, I ended up vomiting.

But it was inevitable; Jeanne’s body, which had to live as a woman, was extremely fragile.

Considering the dilemma of life and death with such a weak body, it’s no wonder I fell ill.

Since my body was in such a state, even the wound on my hand didn’t heal well.

Nevertheless, despite being sick, I locked myself in my room and organized the original work.

“Why is this room so cold?”

I rubbed my shivering arms and sat up. Even though I was unwell, I couldn’t just lie down forever.

After all, a mountain of impending misfortunes was looming.

I picked up a pen adorned with the duke’s feather and started writing down the names of the characters.

“First, the main character.”

---

Name: Carlisle Etrange
Occupation: First Prince of the Kaisar Empire
Personality: Cheerful and outgoing
Danger Level: (★★★☆☆)
Notes: Was nearly poisoned as a child. Does not eat food given by others lightly. Has a personality like an adult man one can rely on. Not particularly dangerous as long as you don’t offend him.

---

“After all, his concept was to be everyone’s prince…”

Carlisle was a flawless character. His family background, appearance, and personality were all perfect.

If I had to point out a flaw, it would be his arrogance, but even that was wrapped in self-love, giving him an endearing vibe.

I pressed my throbbing temple with the pen as I thought.

‘Well, I should be grateful. It’s unlikely that someone as perfect as Carlisle would take an interest in Jeanne.’

In the original novel, Luke promotes an engagement between Carlisle and Jeanne to bring down the Efilia Duchy.

Considering Luke’s influence, it seemed impossible to break off the engagement at my will.

Moreover, Carlisle was the first prince of the empire.

The chances of Jeanne rejecting a royal engagement proposal were zero.

So, there were two options. Either create a plausible excuse for Jeanne to reject the engagement or make Carlisle reject Jeanne.

The best approach would be to secretly foster a love connection between Luke and Carlisle, but… there was a problem.

“Luke isn’t the kind of guy who would abandon his grand cause for mere love.”

With a more troubled expression, I wrote down the details for the main character.

---

Name: Luke Bernie
Occupation: Adopted son of an esteemed servant family
Personality: Cool and emotionally stable
Danger Level: (★★★★★) A person of interest, but if made an ally, very reliable
Notes: A brilliant strategist. Doesn’t hesitate to use people if they irritate him. Orphaned from the slums. Master of pretending to be harmless. His entire family was killed by someone from Sacre.

---

Wait a minute!

Let me briefly delve into some boring background details.

Luke was from the Aileen tribe, which was enemy to the Sacre. When the Sacre seized control of the island, all the Aileen tribe members were killed by them.

This meant that Luke’s animosity towards Jeanne wasn’t solely because of love.

It was a much deeper and more complex emotion.

In a way, using Carlisle to kill Jeanne was a form of revenge.

I began to realize that Luke might be even more dangerous than Carlisle.

While Carlisle only cared about his place in the line of succession and could be avoided, Luke was different.

The moment I caught Luke’s attention, the novel would likely follow the original plot.

I slumped over the desk with a deep sigh.

Only about two years remained until Jeanne’s engagement to Carlisle.

In the original, Jeanne spent those two years confined in a asylum.

Organizing the timeline made me realize just how precarious my situation was.

At least Carlisle and Luke wouldn’t meet for the next two years, but the last one was truly a spectacle.

“And… there’s Jerome.”

---

Name: Jerome Howard
Occupation: The empire’s top swordsman
Personality: Antisocial personality disorder
Danger Level: Unknown
Notes: Incarnation of the great demon Mephisto. Met Jeanne in an asylum. Has the ability to brainwash and control others. In the original, Jeanne killed him after breaking free from his brainwashing. The only one who knows Jeanne is a man.

---

I tapped the pen on the parchment and murmured.

“Under no circumstances can I allow myself to be taken to the asylum because of this bastard.”

I recalled the chapter where Jerome first appeared. Sometimes, when writing, characters take on a will of their own.

It’s as if the character decides to ostracize the writer.

Jerome was just that kind of guy. I couldn’t even predict his actions in the next chapter.

Honestly, it was due to my lack of writing ability.

Jerome was created as a supporting character to deepen Jeanne’s trauma.

That’s why I still didn’t know what Jerome truly desired.

“I ended up killing him off because I couldn’t handle it anymore.”

Jeanne, barely breaking free from the brainwashing, notices that Jerome had embraced him, which enrages him.

In the end, Jeanne stabs Jerome with a dagger while he sleeps.

With blood-soaked hands, Jeanne sobs. Jerome grabs a handful of Jeanne’s hair and kisses it, saying,

“This memory will become your worst nightmare.”

“But Jeanne, you must not wake up…”

“Live forever in this nightmare with me.”

Suddenly remembering that scene sent chills down my spine.

Some readers were captivated by Jerome’s obsessive fixation on Jeanne, but many found it creepy.

As Jerome predicted, Jeanne gradually goes mad, hearing hallucinations and engaging in self-harm out of guilt for the murder he committed.

If Carlisle and Luke complemented each other, Jerome and Jeanne were destined to destroy one another. I added five stars next to Jerome’s name and scribbled another note.

[Even if you’re offered a billion, never meet him.★★★★★]

“I think this should be enough for now… but why has the room been so cold for a while?”

I frowned, rubbing my frostbitten fingertips. It wasn’t that the duchy couldn’t afford to heat the room, and I had a hunch why.

The servants in the duke’s household were known for their pride. When I sent the maid away in tears, the head maid was likely offended.

An adopted child like me, causing trouble instead of living quietly, must have been seen as a challenge to their authority.

Since I had expected this outcome, I wasn’t angry—just rather annoyed.

I wrapped the shawl that was draped over the chair around my shoulders. In such cold, my already poor health would only worsen.

After some thought, I made up my mind.

“If I stay like this, my face will freeze off. I should go and say something.”

✽ ✽ ✽

The mansion of the Efilia Duchy was vast and splendid. To my eyes, which had spent a lifetime as a Korean, it felt more like a landmark than a home.

The carpet on the floor, the paintings on the walls, the chandeliers… nothing looked cheap.

As I walked down the hallway into the central hall, I was greeted by a fountain made of glass.

“…I could probably sell just that fountain and have enough money to escape.”

However, no matter how beautiful it was, to my eyes, facing a guillotine execution ending, it only appeared as a source of quick cash.

I quickly memorized the locations of these luxurious items, unsure of when I might need to run.

By the time I saw the taxidermied grizzly bear and wondered how to carry it out, I noticed a group of maids gathered in the hallway and called out to them.

“You there.”

The maids, who had been laughing and chatting merrily, immediately stopped and turned to me with icy expressions.

One of them opened her mouth, her tone dismissive.

“My lady, what brings you out at this late hour?”

“My room is too cold. Hasn’t anyone started a fire in my chamber?”

I could tell just by looking at their eyes—I had become truly despised. I had intended to provoke them, but seeing them gossip about me like this was still annoying.

One of the maids, who had been discreetly observing my condition, responded with a nonchalant expression.

“The room you’ve been given doesn’t heat well. Are you dissatisfied with the bedroom the Duke has provided?”

I quietly observed the maids, who were giggling at my situation.

“If I answer ‘yes’ here, the word will immediately reach Duchess Carlotte. They’ll say the extravagant lady is now even throwing a tantrum about her bedroom.”

I gripped the shawl tightly. I wanted to snap back and tell them to try sleeping in that cold room themselves, but I had to be careful with my words and actions until I gained Duchess Carlotte’s favor.

With a sigh, I turned away.

“No, it’s fine.”

To gain something, you must inevitably lose something.

I had to hide that Jeanne was actually a man, but in doing so, I earned the maids’ hatred.

Well, it’s better than being executed, isn’t it?

As I turned my back in silence, mocking words filled with ridicule hit me.

“Don’t you smell goat?”

“Right? Someone must have visited the stables.”

My steps faltered.

That was clearly a slur aimed at the nomadic Sacre people.

Even though I wasn’t the real Jeanne, I felt my ears burning with anger.

The maids burst into laughter, enjoying my reaction.

‘I have to endure this. If I cause a scene now, I’ll lose Duchess Carlotte’s favor.’

It wasn’t just the maids; my head was spinning from the fever.

I certainly didn’t want to collapse in front of these maids who already looked down on me.

I barely managed to pull myself together and started walking again, but then—thud—I hit something big with my forehead.

“What’s going on?”

I groaned, clutching my aching forehead, and then froze.

That insolent voice… it was definitely Cedrick.

I quickly looked up. Cedrick was staring down at me with a cold gaze.

Seeing him frown in displeasure made me let out a sigh.

“Nothing.”

I answered cynically and tried to walk past him, but he grabbed my wrist.

When Cedrick suddenly touched my forehead, my mouth dropped open in shock.

“What are you…?”

“You have a fever.”

So what if I have a fever? What does that have to do with you?

I glanced at the maids, who had fallen silent the moment Cedrick appeared, before answering.

“The room is too cold.”

“That’s impossible. The room you’re staying in is the one Marie used. It’s the warmest room in the entire mansion.”

So it wasn’t a coincidence that I found Marie’s pendant under the dresser.

But that didn’t change anything.

The maids who disliked Jeanne had deliberately not lit the fire.

Cedrick, who had been silently examining me, now grabbed my injured hand.

The pain of the wound reopening brought tears to my eyes.

“What happened to your hand?”

“Ugh…”

“Answer me. How did this happen?”

What a guy. He’d probably step on your IV line if he came to visit you in the hospital.

I was about to snap that it hurt more because of him but stopped short.

The moonlight streaming in through the window cast shadows on Cedrick’s face, making him look like a painting.

‘Wow, he really is handsome.’

Even as a fellow man, I couldn’t help but admire his broad shoulders and the way the moonlight gave his dark red eyes a melancholy air.

I was briefly mesmerized by his face before snapping back to reality.

‘Wait, this isn’t the time to be admiring Cedrick’s face… What’s with this guy all of a sudden?’

But something about Cedrick’s demeanor was off.

Not long ago, he seemed eager to tear me apart, but now he looked angry for a different reason, one that had nothing to do with me.

‘Why?’

The more I didn’t understand, the more panicked I felt.

While I was lost in thought, Cedrick tilted his head slightly.

His gaze shifted to the maids standing behind me.

In the tense silence, Cedrick’s cold voice echoed through the corridor.

“Was this your doing?”

* * *