“Ophelia.”

He looked down at me, his gaze filled with adoration as if honey was dripping from his purple eyes.

He had a very charming look.

“I love you.”

The women of the empire would do anything to receive such sweet whispers from him.

Because he was the crown prince of this empire.

Sadly, however, there was only one answer I could give to this expression of his love.

“Cheep.”

That’s right. Whoever was in front of me, this was his bedroom, so none of the women who adored the Crown Prince could have entered. It didn’t work.

Because I was only a yellow little chick now.

“You’re so cute. Just the kind of person I chose.”

Clementz Resta Dushingen, who was smiling like he was dying of love, was a prince with silver hair.

He was the one who brought me in, a foolish aristocrat, to live trapped as a chick day and night in this painful palace separated from my family!

“Cheep! Cheep!”

I flapped my wings in protest. Y-You crazy– Do you know what kind of sorcery is going on in the palace right now?

“Cassius.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Ophelia didn’t eat anything. What happened?”

It’s because of you!

“Oh, no, she doesn’t seem to like the finest new Moi. I’ll tell them to change it back to the one she used to eat.”

“Lovely Ophelia, the prince’s chick with such a frugal appetite. It is indeed an example of this empire.”

What are you guys talking about?!

Even the most capable man in the empire, Marquis Cassius Dupre, was seriously supporting the prince’s play with his pet. Is the Empire going crazy because of me?

Clementz wasn’t the one who listened to me even when he saw what I was. I wonder what intentions he had. I don’t know what to say.

Having lost the will to resist, I sank into the bowl. My name “Ophelia” was carved in gold on a sophisticated Moi bowl. No matter how angry I was, I felt miserable for that precious man who just kept staring at me with awe.

“My Ophelia, do you have any concerns?”

Yes, it’s you! You are the cause of all my worries, anxiety, and disruptions!

Strange. Obviously, in the novel I read, Clementz was not a dork in a nutshell. He was a male protagonist, praised by all readers for his sweet attitude towards the heroine.

And even when he gets killed by my beloved female protagonist, Bellarusia.

As a reader, I couldn’t stand the tragic incident. So, I tried to stop him from dying after being possessed in a fictional world. By erasing all the misunderstandings between the male and the female leads so that they could be sincere to each other.

But things have been messed up in a good way and this was the result. It’s good that I am alive. But why did you take me, who’s just a chick, instead of the heroine? I was only an extra friend of the heroine.

“Your Highness, Crown Prince! Give Ophelia to me! Isn’t it my turn to take care of her lunch today?!”

A loud bang on the door rang through the room. There was only one person who dared to knock on the prince’s door like that.

Camille de Bayless, the daughter of Marquis Bayless. A beautiful woman with blond-green hair.

The woman who was most likely the candidate for the Crown Princess.

And in the novel, the woman who evilly wanted the attention of Clementz until his death.

But now, she was just a fiery competition to Clementz for having me, who was now a chick.

As soon as he saw me hearing Camille’s voice, Clementz’s expression hardened coldly.

“Return her back.”

“Leave it to me.”

Glances of planning a solemn strategy were exchanged between them before Marquis Dupre approached the door, leaving an afterimage of his red hair.

Camille, who knew I was here, wanted to come in, but Marquis Dupre lied from behind the door.

Camille was not a pushover. It probably took a while.

“You have nothing to worry, Ophelia.”

Meanwhile, Prince Clementz whispered sweetly, picking me up on his palms.

As if she was some lover I needed saving from.

Funny – Why is everyone so sincere to this chick?

“Cheep! Cheep! (I wanna go back home!)”

“Yeah, I feel the same as well.”

“Cheep! (You read my mind.) Chee. (Wait, you’re already there.)”

“There has never been such a cute being as you in my life, and there will never be. Next month…… let us have a ceremony with the elders of the imperial family.”

“Cheep. (What do you mean….?)”

He blushed in such a suspicious manner that it gave me the chills. This nuance was somewhat strange, but I tried to ignore it.

Finally, he removed the cover from the silver platter on the desk.

Below it were a white cotton dress, small rosebuds, and a tiara made of pearls.

“I wish to spend the rest of my life with a cute little thing like you.”

He couldn’t be more careful when he patted my head.

“Do you like it?”

I tried not to get stressed no matter how absurd it sounded.

I couldn’t stand it any longer. My wings and feet trembled uncontrollably on Clementz’s hard calloused palm.

Just as my father-in-law with high blood pressure collapsed while holding his back in the middle of a drama, I also went backwards, bending my small orange feet up.

A fluffy sound erupted when my body made contact with his broad palms.

“What’s wrong, Ophelia? Do you not like the dress?”

Uhh, how did things get like this?

Others may have possessed a dark supporting role or an extra, but at least they’re human.

I recalled my memories when I first entered the novel.

I was the daughter of a lowly aristocrat and entered the same province as the maid of honor of the daughter of the most influential Count.

Bellarusia Reyunis Monahan.

It wasn’t until I heard the lady’s name that I realized.

I was transferred into the free serialized novel “Beauty and the Beast” that I was reading.

***

“This can’t be happening!!”

The sentence on the screen remained the same even when I saw it after tearing my head off.

[That’s how Clementz Resta Dushingen died.]

“Hnnnnn…..”

A groan broke through my lips. Tears welled up in my eyes.

[Because he fell in love with the woman, he did not want to save himself.]

“Argh!!”

I couldn’t stand it, so I threw my cell phone. It bounced off my mattress and roughly contacted the floor. The fact that the installment agreement remained for it for more than a year did not even enter my mind.

I knew it was ridiculous to make this mess over the content of a web novel, but I really liked this novel, “Beauty and the Beast”. From the first episode I read, the novel was according to my taste, and I was waiting for the new episode that was uploaded every day.

The novel had always set a mysterious aura to the air. The origin of the mystery that lied in the female lead, Bellarusia.

Bellarusia Reyunis Monahan, the girl who used to turn into a black leopard every night under the curse of a devil.

Prince Clementz Resta Dushingen, the male lead, ran into her while visiting the west.

Although she was seemingly a calm and mature daughter of a Count, Bella was hiding her untamed wilderness. In the novel, Bella expresses her attraction to Clementz, desiring to eat him in her true nature. I wanted to break it.

Clementz was not an ordinary man either. He was definitely a human being, but somewhere, there was a part of him that wasn’t human. On a moony night, a deeper sense of dark aura always lurked around him.

[The first novel in which the FL wanted to eat the ML every time she saw him, literally……]

[Kya, I’m outta here.]

[This tense atmosphere. Is this novel suitable to read?]

[I don’t think it’s the bloody tension up there. I think it’s because of the style that emphasizes the atmosphere.]

I read the responses of the readers.

Anyway, the most beautiful women were attracted to him. However, Bella, the female lead, could not approach Clementz because of her curse, while Clementz grew more curious about her who was secretly pushing him away.

They go back to the palace together, riding a thrilling flirtatious journey through the novel, filled with the mysteriousness of an unspeakable secret in the middle.

However, there was Camille de Bayless, a social leader, who was considered a strong candidate for the position of Crown Princess.

Camille, whose world was turned upside down when she spotted Bella next to Clementz, tried her best to keep her weak feet planted on the ground.

[Camille; she was so annoying.]

[I was so confident. I was speechless when it happened. This is so frustrating.]

[Is this a good read?]

[Am I the only one who thinks he purposely did that as an excuse for Camille to fix Bella’s weakness?]

Immersed in the novel, I could feel Bella’s psychology, which was repeatedly expressed with heavy descriptions as if it was my heart. And Clementz’s love, which was always there for her, was also described beautifully.

Therefore, I put up something to defend my beloved main characters in the comments.

[Thinking of Bella’s condition, there was no way he could stand up to her in such a situation. Why are you doing this to Clementz? ㅠㅠ He was madly in love with Bella.]

Clementz died, filled with every affection to his last breath. And in Bella’s hands! It was literally a bolt out of the blue.

When I picked up the cellphone and looked at it, there were additional comments from readers who were in the pit of shock, just like me.

[That’s a waste……]

[Ha……]

[…….WHAAT?!!]

[The development was slow, and they’ve been feeding us sweet crumbs all the time……but what is this? It’s a romance fantasy, but they took the male lead away. The story had a good style, but I just don’t know anymore. I’m dropping this.]

[Clementz was fake and Medif was the male lead? Medif, please wake up.]

[Author-nim, please get the male lead back in the next episode as if nothing happened. I’ll pretend I didn’t know and just read it.]

In the midst of them all, the one that drove me crazy the most was a line of announcement.

《”Beauty and the Beast” Season 1 is over. I’ll be back with Season 2. I need some time to recharge. Thank you.》

‘What? You’re taking a leave of absence after this?’

I lied down with tears in my eyes, praying earnestly and hoping the second part will be there when I open my eyes.

And when I came to my senses, I found out I had possessed the 12-year-old Ophelia Leora, who was destined to become a handmaiden of the same age for the female lead.

A girl with acacia honey blonde hair. Her golden round eyes and impressions were quite cute, but she could not rival the beauty of Bella even if she grew up.

There was no noticeable mention of this character in the novel. When she heard about the Prince’s visit to the County, she only made an appearance to make a fuss, or helped in dressing Bella and had a stand by role. A typical role next to the heroine in any novel to convey the rumors of the palace and run errands.

It was such a light presence. I realized I possessed this girl when I heard someone call for me using her name.

“……I asked to be greeted with the second season of the story when I woke up, not to turn me into a supporting character.”

“Ophelia, what are you saying?”

That must be Ophelia’s mother. Her round golden eyes, very similar to her daughter’s, looked down at me. I replied with a big smile.

“It’s nothing, Mother. I just want to sleep a little longer.”

“Ah, go ahead. If you travel to the House of Monahan next month, you wouldn’t be able to sleep as you wish…..”

What a strange detailed dream.

‘Please wake me up when the holiday gets over this time.’

I closed my eyes without knowing who I was begging. Or at least, I was just hoping to wake up back in my bedroom the next morning.

But the situation did not change. Even when I closed my eyes several times. Whenever I opened them, I was still Ophelia Leora.

I was in shock and locked up in this body, but I didn’t know what I could do.

I spent my next few days thinking about it over and over again.

Maybe there was a purpose for which I was transferred to this novel. A chance to stop the tragedy at the end of the first season and save the two characters I loved.

I knew that love burned more when it came to adversity. But did they have to kill each other?

The greater the loss through adversity, the more impoverished it would be, and the more true the love would seem. Therefore, the readers were angry with this novel.

In this case, the possibility of a sad ending also increased. A sad ending to my favorite novel, Beauty and the Beast. That was what I had to stop.

To do that, I had to start with the incident in question. Why did Bella kill Clementz?

It was partly due to the growing love of Camille, the evil girl, but the more fundamental cause was Bella’s identity. Bellarusia Reyunis Monahan. She was a reincarnated witch.

The background of the novel, the Clatia Empire, was a country founded by a wizard who drove away the demons. A long time ago, all kinds of magical beasts, regular beasts, and demons were rampant on this land, making it impossible for humans to live in peace.

Demons used to be born from pure clumps of spirits.

However, the mana that aroused from them was dull and hazy energy.

Both of the tribes were togetherly called the Magical Beast.

One day, a genius wizard sealed all of the Magical Beast’s birthplace with his blood and ascended to the throne. This power had been handed down from generation to generation, and finally to the descendant family of Düshingen.

But even after the seal was made, the beasts were active in Hornwood, on the western end of the world and on the border with Magye.

When the mana of the earth itself was strong, even ordinary animals mutated into spirits. This was the reason why the fatigue of the royal family could not be eliminated.

There was an old witch who lived in the forest, whom every beast followed like a mother. She was a great woman, originated as a human being, who lived freely, ignoring the order of the human world.

After much consideration, the Emperor chastised the Magical Beast by killing the woman and hanging her body.

The frightened Magical Beast retreated into the deep forest, but the witch’s spirit remained long before entering the body of a noble lady born in Hornwood.

Right. That was Bella.

It was only in the second half of Season 1 that Bella was shocked to find who she truly was. She had been enemies with the Düshingen.

The reason why she was obsessed with Clementz’s blood was due to none other than the bloodlust of the original witch’s spirit.

How much bloodlust did Bella really feel for Clementz when that terrible thing happened?

‘But……’

When the claws finally struck Clementz’s heart, the spirit of the witch, who was captivating Bella, flew away with a chilling laugh all over the sky.

Leaving a crying Bella over the freezing body of Clementz.

The spirit of the witch laughed, while Bella cried. After all, the two were very different beings. Bella must have deeply regretted killing Clementz.

That’s why, I decided to make sure she would never have to regret.

Bella had suffered from loneliness and frustration since she was young.

For her, the night was more comforting than the day. She secretly used to play in the woods outside the mansion in the middle of the night. The ‘voice’ from somewhere inside the forest became her friend.

It turned out that the ‘voice’ belonged to the Magical Beast.

However, such secrets could not be tolerated by the aristocratic spirituality, whose purpose was to build up what was only right for a lady’s culture and for her to be married into a good family.

The aristocratic priests gave her a stern scolding, treating her like a strange lady.

It got worse after she escaped her room and returned back with a curse on her.

“You’re the most beautiful daughter of the night. Let me give you a better look.”

The curse of the spirit of night, which turned her into a black leopard, was like a blessing to Bella. She had always wanted to be able to travel more freely in the woods.

But freedom didn’t last long. Everyone hid and imprisoned Bella for fear that the secret of the famous Count’s daughter would be revealed. Bella eventually closed her mind to most people. She couldn’t understand others, and others couldn’t understand her either.

Could a woman, who grew up so oppressed, ever accept her fateful love should it come?

Could she tell the difference between the whisper of the spirit within her, telling her to bite off flesh, and the real idea of her love? It might have been very difficult.

But what if she had a friend who understood and supported her since childhood? What if she let her frustrated and repressed mind freely speak to someone?

What if there was someone to tell her she was different, and that no matter what she was in the past, she could live as she wanted?

Then, she might accept her feelings of love. She might stop herself from moving toward a catastrophe.

‘Okay, I’ve made up my mind.’

There were now eight years left before the beginning of the original plot. It was enough time to give a positive impact on a child’s growth.

When the novel would begin and Clementz would enter the plot, I would become a guardian angel of love to destroy the obstacles and misunderstandings between them.

That way, the ending of this story would not turn into exhaustion or sadness, but a sweet happiness, right?

‘You guys, I’ll make sure to have you both walk on the flowery path!’

I, a 12-year-old young girl, decided with my fists clenched before me.

***

“Bella. Bellarusia!”

On the first day of my meeting with the 12-year-old Bella, I grinned in delight at my determination and embraced the little lady of the Monahan family.

“W-What?”

‘Don’t worry about anything. You can live however you want. I’ll make sure of it.’

The girl within my arms had silky black hair.

I accompanied Bella every day. Although she was a maid, Ophelia was the daughter of a fallen aristocrat. So, I attended classes with Bella and joined her in activities as a friend.

As a constant reader, my affection for the heroine deepened as I watched her. Adding a little exaggeration, I could do anything for Bella.

“Bella, if you don’t like embroidery, you don’t have to. I’ll finish it for you, so have a good sleep.”

“Count Monahan is taking a walk outside. I think he’s looking for you. If you hide in the closet, I’ll cover you up to keep you hidden.”

“You can tell me anything. I will always be at your side.”

I said I’d listen to her, but Bella was usually the listener and I, the talker.

She wouldn’t change her personality so easily, I thought. She would have to open her heart to me little by little to share her thoughts and feelings.

Those eight years passed away like that.

There was something I worked on more than anything while being Bella’s handmaiden. Cooperating with her to experience a sufficiently secretive freedom without being caught.

Of course, it would have been dangerous for Bella to stay with the Magical Beast. But I thought it was a hundred times more dangerous for her nature to be suppressed.

In fact, every time Clementz appeared in the original novel, Bella had a hard time keeping her nature from exploding.

────────

‘And in the end, she lost her temper and killed the love of her life.’

Rather, I thought it would be better to freely talk to the victim to reach her heart and also let her enjoy her freedom.

As time went by, it turned out that my judgement came out correct. Bella was gradually able to control the wildness in her without losing her sanity as a person.

Bella, who got satisfied with just running around the mountains and fields and drinking lake water and chasing fireflies, and was a vicious addicted woman who killed countless people in the past with a single slash of her claws, could not be the same.

At night, Bella would step out of her room and walk towards the back door of the house. To avoid her from getting caught and getting forbidden from venturing out too late, I thought of using medicines to erase the evidence. Of course, it wasn’t meant to harm her life or anything.

The roots of the plant Harville, a powerful sleeping herb and hallucinogen, was harmless to the human body because it acted as a mana. After being taken when finely dried, the herb will help the person fall into a sweet slumber and wake up refreshed the next morning.

A perfect outcome with no side effects. Unfortunately, it was always on me to collect Harville roots that were so hard to acquire. I didn’t want the Count to look for sleeping pills or harmful hallucinogens for the young lady.

So that’s why I am now in the woods, digging for such a herb.

Wrapped in my cloak, I swirled around the misty forest. The basket on my wrist was still empty.

Usually, I could find the herbs in clear areas. But today, I had no choice but to avoid the foggy regions.

“Oh lord. I think I’ve dug up so much that I can’t find them anymore.”

A magical piece of land. In Hornwood, at the border of the human and magical worlds, all life was found to be formed under the influence of magic. They had insignificant shapes, but had a slight charm in their voice. Soon, I found a sign on my neck that seemed to have been made by stamping a small flower pattern with six petals.

This foggy forest, the boundary between the magical and human worlds, was particularly dense with mana, making it easier to gather rare herbs like Harville roots. However, it was dangerous. It was in these woods that Bella was cursed when she met the beast.

“I have to take at least one root.”

What if I run out of luck and meet a beast deep in the forest?

Bella was very pleased to get the curse of transformation, but I could not accept it as a very ordinary human being.

“Ugh, what should I do…….”

I peeked through the dense trees hidden in the thick fog, and suddenly realized.

‘This is fiction, right?’

Bella was cursed because it was reasonable.

For a girl who loved the wild, the curse gave her complete freedom during the night. In addition, the curse of transforming into a Black Panther secretly created a mysterious image about her, which found a meaning later on in her romance with Clementz.

In other words, the curse of transformation on Bella was destined to happen. It was inevitable.

But what about me?

Ophelia Leora was only an accessory to the heroine’s seat. She must be there to look after her and must never stand out.

Which meant, I would not be cursed. As the heroine’s maid, I only had the role to stand calmly beside her and say, “His Highness, the Crown Prince is looking your way!”. There was no way I could ruin the canvas by being caught in a useless curse.

“Heehee! I’ve done all sorts of things!”

As I organized my thoughts, I wasn’t afraid of that fog anymore.

The thick mist felt moist as if a humidifier had been turned on. The sensation of mana was cool.

I hummed as I made my way through the trees in search of the herb.

“Harville~ Where are you~ Oh, there you are!”

I bent down, clasping the handle of my basket with one hand. As I lowered my head, my jaw-length blonde hair fell in front of my face. I tucked it behind my ear and continued on with what I was doing.

“Oh, haven’t you grown up? You’ve grown up after eating a lot of mana fog~ haven’t you?”

Suddenly, I felt a gust of wind. It was more like a smash.

“Ack!”

I was smashed in the face by the wind-carried debris. Covering my face didn’t help much.

If the forest mana was mild so far, it seemed to have suddenly unfurled the seventh level of the storm of hell.

Why?

I boldly drew out my scissors on the thought that ‘If I touch the herb…….’ No, this snobbish world could not be influenced by only a supporting character!

However, to make matters worse, I could hear bone-chilling high and low voices. They grew as time passed. It sounded as if two mad women were quarreling with each other.

Ancient and advanced creatures could speak human language while staying in their human form.

‘I’m doomed. Is it a monster?’

I had walked in with much courage, but in this situation, my body was trembling with fear.

‘I have to hide first.’

My eyes landed on a nearby voluminous shrub. As a maid, I also had to take care of the Harville roots.

As soon as I hid myself, I heard the owner of those voices.

“I can’t believe you are my sister!”

“It is so unfortunate that you came out as my sibling!”

“Hand it over to me! It belongs to the day!”

“No, it’s mine! It belongs to the night!”

They were one of the most advanced creatures. Through the leaves of the shrubs, I saw a woman dressed in white and another in black.

One was in paper white while the other in pitch black. They apparently had feet, but it seemed they were floating over the ground. The glimpses of their faces were bizarre.

‘Ah, what is going on……’

Just moments ago, I was sure a supporting character was immune to any misfortune. But, this proved otherwise.

Sure enough, my concern turned out to be real.

They began to shoot magic blasts at each other. They skillfully avoided each other’s white and black clouds of mana, but it sure destroyed the vegetation.

Nevertheless, they were chortling. Were they fighting jokingly?

‘No, wait. They’re using magic in the woods? Then m-my safety is…….’

At that time, I heard a sound, and my view turned white. Then came a crackling sound from around me.

I couldn’t think clearly if I was in trouble. It was so dazzling and painful. It was not until a little while later that I could finally open my eyes.

“Cheep.”

‘Whew, thank goodness. I’m alive.’

Looking around, I saw no one in sight.

“Cheep, Cheep.”

Now, I could take the roots of Harville and return to the mansion. Bella would be worried if I arrived late. I’d also like a bowl of warm soup.

But why was I hearing birds chirping around me?

Something felt strange. The roots that I saw earlier were much larger now. I knew the mana was strong, but was it affecting me this much?

‘Compared to my hands, I’m sure…..’

“Cheep?”

Yellow fluffy wings?

“Cheep…….? Ch-Cheep? (Is this my voice?)”

“Cheep! (Is this a dream?!) Cheep? (I think so?)”

“Chee……(I’m hungry…..)”

Three things happened for sure.

First, I was turned into a little yellow bird. Seeing that my basket and the roots of Harville had fallen, my clothes and belongings seemed to have changed.

Second, whether this was a dream or a reality, I had to go back to the mansion.

Third, the best harvested roots were simply not possible for me to carry.

It couldn’t be.

‘For real? Am I cursed? Now of all times?’

Nothing had progressed as I wished it to be.

I didn’t have the slightest clue as to how I could get back, let alone run errands or play the role of a supporting character.

Fortunately, I knew the directions, but it would be a long walk with these feet of a chick.

Even when I tried my best to flap my wings, I couldn’t fly. Rather, it increased my hunger.

“Chee. (Huff). Cheeep…… (Huff….)”

The worldview of Romance Fantasy where you can’t even avoid an accident when you’re on duty!

Even when cursed, Bella could transform into a majestic black leopard. But a chick?! Why a chick?! Maybe it was what the extra deserved.

Walking through the giant gloomy trees, I felt hopeless.

I knew crying wouldn’t help, but I couldn’t stop crying. I didn’t know being a little chick that’d look cute from a human’s perspective could be this saddening.

Why wouldn’t I just wait?

I couldn’t tell how many night creatures, one of whom cursed Bella, and day creatures were lurking through this dense forest.

Just as Bella, cursed by the night beast, changed back to human during the day, wouldn’t I change back at night if I was cursed by the day beast?

But if I had to wait till night, that would be a problem. Ophelia Leora was a civilian who had not learned any self-defense skills and only had a little magical essence to her voice. It was dangerous enough to walk alone through the deep woods at night.

Besides, Bella would be worried if I didn’t return on time. It would be hard for her to go outside alone without someone to keep watch.

“Cheep……”

In the end, I couldn’t help but walk in an endless trail through the deep forest.

Suddenly, I felt the ground shake beneath me. Surprised, I paused. It was the sound of a horse’s hooves thudding on the forest floor. There was someone else in the forest besides me! That must be a human!

“Cheeeep! Cheep…..!”

At that moment, it didn’t matter if he was a bandit or not. If only he could give me a ride through this long forest road to the village.

Flapping my wings frantically, I ran towards the sound. There were two people. They got off by the spring and were now allowing their horses to drink some water.

‘Eh…..?’

I was only facing their back, but their aura felt unusual. The white and black horses who were drinking water were quite elegant looking. Plus, one of the two men had silver hair.