A creepy desolate Dungeon of Imperial Palace where only darkness exists.

The Iron bars opened with a grotesque sound.

In the distance, the sound of two footsteps broke the silence that came toward the Iron fence.

It wasn’t long before the two people stopped in front of the iron fence.

The man who came up first said to the man who was behind him.

The gaze remained fixed only inside the iron cage.

“I’ll talk with the two of you.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The knight standing right behind him turned right away and left.

The man who was left alone stood outside the iron fence silently for a while.

Soon after, when he gave strength to his hand, the lock wrapped in the Iron fence was released.

He walked into the prison and stared at the woman crouching on the floor.

A significant moon light flowed under the palm-sized window, gradually making the other person’s appearance clearer.

A woman wearing a crumpled dress with disheveled, pale platinum hair, buried her head on her knees and didn’t even move.

“Merria Rackester.”

Flinch

There was a small wave in the body that was not moving.

As the crouched woman raised her head, beautiful bright red eyes filled with tears were revealed.

Light returned to her dark pupils, and the tail of tears in her eyes collapsed in an instant.

“Your Highness…?”

“You dare do that to Shannon and hope to survive.”

Altheon, who endured the feeling of vomiting at Merria’s softly shaking voice, said bitterly.

Her bright red eyes, which came to sense from hearing his angry voice, gradually became filled with madness.

Merria spits out obsessive words, twisting her dry lips.

“Hah, you’re mine. I can’t allow you to have another girl.”

“You’re crazy. Maybe you want to die right now.”

“Can you put my blood on those hands? Will you be able to rise to the throne with turning your back on the House of Rackester, you the Scarecrow Prince?

Altheon with his crumpled face at the mockery and ridicule of Merria.

A woman like a witch.

He stared at her, swallowing his words.

“…”

Altheon, who clenched his fist that his nails were stuck in his palm, soon turned around.

BANG

The iron door was locked tightly.

As the sound of footsteps were moving away, Merria laughed with her twisted lips.

“You don’t need me anymore. Is this it? You came to me first because you needed the Rackester to back you up.”

Only insane laughter was heard from the quiet prison.

.

.

.

“I will perform the execution of the sinner.”

The executive officer’s low voice rang out in the air.

The family of Merria, whose blood had disappeared, stood under the execution stage in the square.

Some of them were bound by force and some cried and begged, but none of them paid attention to the sinner’s family.

Merria clenched her teeth that her jaw twisted.

She screamed at Shannon, who was in the arms of Altheon.

“What have you than for Altheon!”

When Altheon wriggled his eyebrows and glanced, two knights bound Merria’s arms.

Merria did not stop shouting as her head was pushed under the blade.

Merria, who did not bend her head despite the strength of the two knights, stared at Altheon until the end with bloody eyes.

BANG!

The sound of the blade touching the floor echoed, and a platinum-haired head rolled over the floor.

* * * * *

Merria’s eyes flashed open.

“Phew…”

With a sigh of relief, Merria blinked slowly.

The first thing that came into view was an unfamiliar ceiling that she has never seen before.

Her forehead and neck were full of cold sweat, as if she had a nightmare.

While taking a deep breath for a while and raising my hand to wipe the sweat from my forehead, I realized that someone was holding my hand.

“Hmm?”

As I lowered my eyes to look at my hand, feeling a light pressure, I saw a stranger lying beside me on a wide bed.

His hands were large enough to cover all her hands, and his hands were full of wounds.

Merria’s pupils, who looked at him, shook violently.

‘Who is this? Who is he? He’s sleeping next to me holding my hand…?’

As I glanced up along his hand, I saw the man’s face with his eyes closed like a picture.

Half of his face was covered by his arms over his eyes, but he was handsome even if I looked at him this way.

The thick, red lips, and sleek jawline alone showed that the man’s appearance was quite outstanding.

‘Rather than that, where am I now… ’

Merria tried to recall the situation before she fell asleep, holding her forehead with her uncaught hand.

I definitely went to a party that was popular in the capital city yesterday because of Lilith’s recommendation.

It was a party where I had to change my hair color and eye color with potion and enjoy it all night wearing a mask.

It started among the nobles who were bored with ordinary banquets.

Although Merria was refraining from social gatherings as much as possible, she was shaken by the fact that she did not reveal her identity and that she had endured until the beginning of the Original Story.

In the end, I impulsively headed to the party, I drank too much because I was excited by the noisy heat and the expression of the people who were enjoying it.

By the time Merria’s cheeks turned red with alcohol, Lilith had already disappeared.

She wanted to fix her dizzying vision first before looking for Lilith somewhere.

Merria, who was looking for a place to rest, asked the staff who was carrying alcohol about the location of the Lounge.

‘What’s happened next?’

I don’t remember.

No matter how hard I rolled my head to recall what happened, I couldn’t think of a memory that was cut like a torn newspaper.

When Merria rolled her eyes to check the situation, it seemed that the place she was lying on was a bed in the Lounge.

It looks like I made it to the Lounge somehow.

It was somehow a problem.

When I woke up, I was holding a man’s hand.

Alcohol, night, bed…

Merria hurriedly checked her clothes.

The mask I was wearing fell down, but it was quite the same as if I was faintly asleep.

The man sleeping next to her was dressed a little uneven, but there were no signs of his clothes being taken off.

‘Well done, I didn’t let go of the last string of reason.’

Merria nodded a couple of times with a stiff face.

For a while, I calmed my beating heart, and looked around at the sudden thought.

“But what time is it now?”

Unfortunately, there was no clock in the room.

However, seeing that the leaking light was dim, it seemed that it wasn’t morning at least.

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It was late at night when the two left the mansion because of Merria’s impulsive decision.

Therefore, the maid, who is completely unaware of Merria’s sudden outing, will be surprised to see an empty bed.

I had to go back to the mansion as soon as possible to stop Ollexy from screaming in the morning.

Merria, who fixed her hair with her fingers, looked down at the man who fell asleep before getting up.

‘Since nothing happened, I can just go right?’

The man holding her hand slightly shook and her hand slipped out.

Merria pulled herself out of bed very slowly so that the man wouldn’t wake up.

“Uh…”

The man suddenly groaned, perhaps because he felt the movement.

Merria stopped her foot in the air before the sole of her feet reached the floor and glanced toward the man.

‘You’re not awake, are you?’

I held my breath for a moment and looked at him, the man frowned, but he didn’t wake up.

It was obvious that the man also drank too much like Merria last night.

Merria, who had been agonizing for a while, soon remembered and recited to herself.

“I’ll do this for you because you’re the man who stayed with me last night.”

Merria patted the man’s cheek lightly.

Then something pale blue from her hand was absorbed by the man.

Merria quietly left the room when she saw the man’s breathing changing evenly again.

“The Duke Rackester. Please do it as soon as possible.”

A carriage prepared by the party organizer for the guests to return in the morning ran through the cool air.

By the time I arrived at the mansion, the sun was slowly rising.

In order not to make a fuss, she sent a carriage at the entrance to the mansion and started walking quickly.

The early morning air was still fresh with moisture.

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On the way, Merria washed away all the hangovers and fell into thoughts with her clear head.

‘The war is finally over. Now the novel will begin.’

When she was young, she had a severe flu.

My fever hasn’t gone down the whole time, so I’ve been sick enough to keep myself in bed for days.

And for some reason, I’ve had a dream that I’ve often had since.

A dream in which she was decapitated in the middle of the Execution Square.

But Merria knew.

“It’s not just a nightmare.”

Because the dream was the same as the scene in the novel she read in her previous life.

At first I tried to deny it.

It wasn’t a pleasant thing to see my gloomy future.

She stayed sleeplessly for fear that she would have that dream again, but the fierce nightmare continued to grab Merria’s ankle.

As a reminder that this is my future.

By the time she got used to such anxiety, she finally decided to see the nightmare and compromise.

Her conclusion was that even if the future was right, shouldn’t it be changed?

Originally, the plan was not to go outside at all, but the only thing to enjoy in the mansion was to read a book.

At the age of 12, Merria, who could not endure boredom in the end, changed her direction to not socialize.

I was forced to make my debut because I couldn’t beat my

[Flower path before Shannon]

It was a book I started reading because of the hopeful and romantic title.

Shannon, the heroine of the novel, was an extraordinary character with pure eyes, a slim face, a clear voice, and a friendly character.

Especially, her clean silver hair without impurities was a hint of the secret of her birth.

Shannon’s father, Count Magner, went to visit the estate and spent the night with a beautiful commoner woman he met.

It was Shannon who was born between the two.

The life of the female protagonist was a series of numerous hardships and overcomings that everyone could expect.

Her mother, who gave birth to Shannon alone, soon died of illness, and she headed to the capital with a letter containing her mother’s will.

Considering Shannon’s heart, she wouldn’t have thought of getting money from her father.

Maybe she just wanted to escape the harsh life as a commoner without a mother.

Shannon was as lonely as her friendly personality.

When Shannon, who looked just like her mother, as beautiful as her, visited Count Magner.

Count Magner gladly accepted Shannon to his home.

-I’ll take you in, but instead work as a maid in our Mansion

For Count Magner, Shannon’s appearance was an opportunity, not a crisis.

The greedy Count Magner recognized young Shannon’s extraordinary appearance and made a long-term investment with the intention of selling it to a high-ranking noble later.

Shannon grew up among other maids, hiding the fact that she was an illegitimate child.

So around the time she became an adult, it was heard that a large-scale banquet was held at the Imperial Palace.

It was a banquet celebrating the return of the Male Protagonist Altheon after a long war.

– A banquet for the Crown Prince, who has returned from winning the war, and all the nobles will show their respect and greet him. Because he’s finally useful.

The Count thought it was the right time to present Shannon, who became more beautiful as she grew of age.

Shannon attended the Victory Banquet, led by the Count.

But Shannon couldn’t stay long in a strange place where she came without knowing anything.

Shannon went straight outside while Count Magner took his eyes off her for a moment.

At the same time, Altheon, who returned from the battlefield, was also suffocated in this space.

‘His Majesty the Prince. It is an honor to meet you.’

People sang praises to the Crown Prince to get his attention.

-There are many rumors in the capital that praise your Majesty’s bravery.

-Your Grace, our family will serve you.

People who used to treat him like he didn’t exist before, were rubbing their feet like a swarm of flies.

Just looking at it seemed to cause an unpleasant headache.

And the most annoying thing among them.

-Your Grace, where are you going? You’re going to dance with me.

It was Merria Rackester, a prospective fiance, who followed him around and became obsessed.

Eventually, Altheon escaped from Merria and headed for a place to rest, and met Shannon, who had escaped the crowd as well.

The beginning of the novel was that the two felt the same and talked for a long time in a small greenhouse.

‘Since then, the two fell in love, went through many obstacles and got married, and that kind of rising romance was fun.’

I decided to accept that point simply.

That’s why I stayed in seclusion far away from society.

I wanted to get rid of myself as one of the obstacles of being a fiancee from the love of the two main characters.

“Merria was the most cumbersome villain, so wasn’t it a huge help to just stay still and do nothing unlike the original story?”

Just a while ago, this Merria was the one who followed Altheon in the original.

Merria Rackester was executed after hating Shannon for the love of the prince.

Well.

As the resentment soared, Merria gritted her teeth.

Merria was the youngest daughter of the Duke of Rackester, who has been the only duke in the Empire for generations.

The platinum blonde hair that fluttered around the waist, the raised tip of the eyes, and the white and fine skin looked as if it would be bruised just by touching it.

Merria, with her bright red eyes descending as a symbol of the Rackester, was very beautiful.

As the only Duke family in the Empire, she was born with honor and wealth in her hands.

It was not unreasonable for the original Merria, who was raised up like this, to grow up to be a selfish and overbearing aristocrat.

For Merria, who was naturally considered a Princess due to her beautiful appearance and noble status, Shannon was just an illegitimate child with a prominent appearance.

“But the problem was that Shannon, who was neglected, even captured Altheon’s heart.”

It was in a certain order that Merria’s anger, who thought she had lost her place, turned to Shannon.

Of course, the relationship between the main characters only became close, and it was all in vain.

“Merria, blinded by jealousy, was caught trying to poison Shannon and disappears with the dew of his brother… Haha.”

On second thought, I burst out laughing in despair at my gloomy future.

On the day she remembered her past life, Merria had a hunch.

This was an opportunity, and I’m sure there’s a turning point that will change my life.

In the original work, there were four reasons why Merria was mentioned as Altheon’s prospective fiance.

Appearance, status, love for Altheon, and social power.

Appearance and identity are already innate and cannot be changed.

So there were two other things that Merria had to change.

“I wouldn’t do stupid things that like chase after Altheon, unless I’m crazy.”

Fortunately, she wasn’t crazy, and she knew how to cherish her life.

Of course, I could give up socializing.

Her status as the highest princess of her age and her beautiful appearance made her the center of the social world at once.

But to Merria, who knew that the end was destruction, social society seemed to be one of the steps towards death.

Even though I was trying to avoid it, I couldn’t escape the debutant.

It was like the duty of those born as nobles of the elEmpire.

In the end, Merria, who made her debut and ate a mustard while she cried, declared that she would never socialize after that.

Sometimes my parents looked worried, but her plan went smoothly.

“Well, thanks to someone, she has earned the name of a dark princess.”

The corners of her mouth went up, but there was no displeasure on her expression.

On the contrary, she felt relief.

Thanks to such efforts, society was now led by Marquis Karina Delphi.

As Karina shone, the presence of Merria faded.

At this rate, Altheon’s fiance, who will return from the war, will be mentioned as Karina, not Merria

Everything was according to her plan.

‘If Karina tries to walk the path of a wicked woman, I’m thinking of interrupting her a few times.’

If you disturb the love of the protagonists, the only thing that will return will be death and destruction.

Could it not be possible to keep Karina, who fell victim because I tried to save my life from execution.

Merria, arriving at her mansion, headed straight for the room.

As she grabbed the handle and turned it with silence, she made eye contact with an unexpected person.

“Lexie?”

Lexie was stamping her feet in the room where I thought no one was there.

Merria greeted her with a pouting mouth like a child who had caught her doing something wrong.

“I’m back, Lexie.”

“Miss!”

Lexie made a new sound with a voice that rang in silence.

Just a couple of steps away, Lexie whispered in my ear.

“Where did you go? She’s here. Miss Lilith was also worried.”

“Is Lilith here?”

When another unexpected figure was mentioned, Merria whispered to Lexie.

Before Lexie’s answer, I heard an unpleasant voice from behind.

“Yes, I’m here.”

I turned my head and found a fresh smell of soap coming out from the bathroom.

Lilith, with her wet, light purple hair pulled back, naturally went to the dressing table and sat down.

Lilith was a cousin of the same age who had been close since childhood and was the one who took Merria to the party last night.

“You disappeared in the blink of an eye.”

Lilith shook her head and said.

Mary immediately refuted the content of what she said that was quite different from her memory.

“I only drank in the same spot? You’re the one who disappeared.”

“…I couldn’t find you after all, so I’ve been waiting here.”

The words of excuse, which skillfully changed the subject, continued.

“I was thinking about what to say to my uncle. I’m glad you came back before breakfast, though.”

Lilith’s expression, speaking with exaggerated gestures, seemed casual, unlike her words.

Lilith, who enjoys partying with a lively personality, would have known that Merria would return without any problems.

Nothing really happened…

Merria tilted her head slightly when she recalled a strange man who slept soundly beside her.

Then, she shook her head lightly as if she was shaking off her thoughts.

Merria walked toward the bathroom and said to Lilith.

“I’ll wash up. Have breakfast before you go.”

I sat in a bathtub filled with warm water, listening to Lilith, who had been drying her hair with Lexie’s help, giving a positive answer.

Merria recalled what she heard from her father last night.

‘Since the war was over, the story of victory will spread throughout the entire Empire, starting with the capital.’

Now, there will be a victory banquet held for Altheon and the knights who proudly returned to the capital.

Until then, if I don’t stand out, the ten-year long journey will end.

“It would be most convenient not to go to the banquet in the first place, but… ”

In the original novel, the Emperor’s order was for all high-ranking nobles to attend this victory banquet.

No matter how much I think about it, I think it’s the intention of the author to bring Shannon to the banquet.

“If I’m only in the corner, it will be great.”

Anyway, that day, Altheon would be busy being caught in the midst of numerous nobles.

Besides, the most important meeting with Shannon should be done.

Altheon, who met Shannon, will soon end his worries about “Who suits the Crown Princess” position.

Merria laughed as she recalled the upcoming Freedom Day.

Despite enjoying the party while staying out overnight, Merria was living her normal daily life which was not different from before.

Currently, Merria was having tea time with her mother in the mansion’s greenhouse.

As expected, the Emperor declared that he would hold a banquet to celebrate the return of Altheon with the proud news of victory.

When he pushed the young prince to the battlefield, I always thought that he was a brazen emperor.

Merria lifted the teacup with a smooth movement, kicking her tongue inside.

“Merria, are you seeing anyone?”

When asked out of the blue, Merria managed to resist spitting out her tea.

I pressed down on the cough that was coming out and asked again.

“What?”

“You’re an adult now. Even if you don’t get married right away, you have to get engaged, so if you have a lover, bring him and introduce to us.”

Her mother Raven answered, putting down the teacup gracefully.

Most of the aristocrats got engaged early, some of whom got married immediately after the age of 20.

So, Merria, who became an adult without a fiance, was a little unusual.

My sister, Serinia, also got engaged to Miles, whom she met at the academy, as soon as she graduated.

As the two are currently busy working for the academy, the marriage has been delayed for a while, but it will be soon.

‘An engagement…’

She focused only on not being mentioned as Altheon’s fiance, so she had never thought deeply about engagement or marriage.

Since Serinia will become the Duchess anyway, there was no restriction on Merria’s marriage.

If there was a restriction, it’s just as long as it was not a commoner?

Although there were very few cases of aristocrats marrying commoners, they did not adjust to the aristocratic society, but were treated by the government and ended up being cheated or divorced.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have one. I’ll look for someone who I can get engaged with.”

“Lilith told me that there’s a party for single aristocrats these days? If you like someone there, make sure to catch him. You can find someone at this victory banquet.”

It was clear that Raven didn’t know what else Lilith said was just a party for entertainment.

Merria had no intention of bringing in a well-off commoner and bothering him.

Sooner or later, she returned to her room thinking of finding someone among the nobles in the capital.

Lexie, who was organizing the room, asked if she needed anything, but she thought for a moment and answered that she didn’t.

“Oh, I’m going to get a dress this weekend. It’s convenient to go before people gather.”

“Yes! Miss. Then call me if you need anything.”

“Yes.”

After Lexie left, the room became quiet.

Merria slowly closed her eyes, feeling the silence with her whole body.

She took a deep breath and began to organize what was to come according to the original novel.

The battle for succession to the throne will take place in earnest, rebellion will occur once, and the Crown Prince will be rebuked by next year.

‘By then, would I be able to do something like engagement with someone with ease?’

Merria, who pursues a more peaceful life than anyone else, was comforted by the fact that after the novel’s completion, there was no war or rebellion.

All novels usually end with ‘And all lived happily ever after.’

As Raven said, Merria frowned as she was agonizing over who to be engaged with.

It was because a person who had been put off to the end of my memory came to mind.

“Duke Frederick….”

He was the man who competed with Dominique, the second prince, in Merria’s ‘Husband’s Candidate List’

No, I actually eliminated him from the preliminary round of my list.

As Merria was the villainess in the original, there was a person in charge as the Final Villain.

That was Reukis Frederick.

Although he was a Sub-Male Lead, he failed to achieve love in the end, and he even seeks treason to take over the Female Lead with his strength.

Frederick, who has continued the blood of a dark sorcerer for generations, was the only Grand Duke of Tristan in the Empire.

Their power to deal with the darkness was so threatening that they often made in-laws with the royal family that they became allies of the Emperor.

Previously, there was an incident in which the doors of the Fredrick family, which had a strong tendency to be closed, were completely locked.

The original book called it ‘The Tragedy of the Grand Duke.’

Born with the power of a dark magician as a child, Reukis grew up with the expectation of his father and the affection of his mother.

Then one day, the runaway Reukis couldn’t control his power, and the Grand Dukes in the room died.

The servants of the Grand Duke defended their masters while covering the deaths of the Grand Duke and his wife.

However, in a calm lake, a small stone rippled.

When the maid, who had just arrived, stopped working because she was having a nightmare, words began to circulate that Reukis was cursed for trying dark magic.

Eventually, all the servants who made such rumors were expelled.

The door was locked firmly, leaving only those with tight-lipped servants at the Grand Duke’s Palace.

Reukis then resorted to swordsmanship instead of the dark magic that killed his parents while living.

The Emperor sent only Altheon to the war in the name of comforting Reukis, but ordered Reukis to participate a year after the war when the war that even the crown prince had hardships.

It was around the time that Reukis learned his outstanding sword skills.

The vassals of the Grand Duchy did not actively oppose sending their only successor to the battlefield.

They were reluctant to send Reukis, and if Reukis died before he became an adult, they were willing to pursue the title of anti-Duke.

Young Reukis, helplessly, headed for the battlefield of blood and death.

However, Reukis not only survived by betraying everyone’s expectations, but rather made a remarkable contribution.

After giving the victory to Altheon and returning to the capital, Reukis officially became the Grand Duke, but he was stuck in the Grand Duke’s residence and did not appear in the society.

And then, by chance, He met Shannon.

It was Reukis, who was furry like a wild cat to everyone, but couldn’t resist Shannon, who came out of the mansion and approached him gently without hearing the rumors of Reukis.

However, Shannon became Altheon’s lover, and Reukis, who had disappeared, declared treason at the end of the novel.

However, no matter how strong Reukis was, the main character did not lose.

Instead of dying at Altheon’s hand, Reukis, who only killed the Empress, left the novel with the curse of being trapped in eternal darkness on himself.

“He’s a terrible person, too. Well, maybe it’s Reukis who will be Shannon’s lover this time.”

Merria nodded at her own thoughts and headed to the restaurant to have lunch.