"Romantic Passion" is the last novel Lucie read before she ended her life. The story was about Odette Picard, a young orphan who is adopted by the Le Blanc family. She was a beautiful little girl who easily won the affection of her new parents, except Noelle Le Blanc, the couple's biological daughter. Noelle was indifferent towards Odette and always grew angry whenever Odette tried to be her friend.

When both girls turned fifteen and made their debut in society, Odette asked that they donate the money from her celebration to an orphanage, while Noelle requested a luxurious party attended by influential nobles. At the event, the queen was enchanted by Noelle's beauty and compelled the crown prince to dance with her. Shortly after, Noelle is forced into a political engagement with Diamond's heir, Prince Francis Roche. Although it was a forced arrangement, Francis tried to get along with Noelle. However, she was a selfish and materialistic girl driven solely by wealth, which displeased Francis. Especially because he had met Odette earlier, who was the complete opposite of Noelle. They became great friends, and as Noelle started feeling jealous, Francis and Odette fell in love.

Francis did everything he could to break off his engagement, and eventually, Noelle realized she couldn't force the prince to marry her. Unexpectedly, the Baron decided to send Noelle to marry Raizel Ivanov, the Grand Duke of the neighboring Darklands, a land filled with monsters, danger, and shadows. Noelle's journey to those lands was even perilous, but she finally married the Grand Duke, a womanizer who cared little for Noelle's presence, continuing his eccentric life of parties, alcohol, and women.

Noelle became the laughingstock of society because she lost her engagement to the prince and married a man who didn't care for her. One night, while returning alone from a party, Noelle's carriage was intercepted by bandits. She tried to escape as those men not only wanted her jewels but also desired to take advantage of her. Although she managed to flee, Noelle was relentlessly pursued until she was struck by the bandits' arrows. She died alone in the middle of a forest, where she would likely be devoured by beasts. By the time Regis found her, she had already passed away, indifferent to her fate.

After several months without news of Noelle, Odette went to the Grand Duke's castle only to learn of her death. At that moment, Raizel fell in love with Odette and asked her to stay with him. Upon her rejection, Raizel became obsessed as no woman ever refused him and forced her to stay. When her father tried to take her away, Raizel killed him. Learning about Odette's love for the crown prince, Raizel initiated a rebellion to eliminate the royal family and have Odette solely for himself. Unfortunately for Raizel, Odette managed to escape and warned others about his plans. In this way, they gained the advantage and defeated Raizel, who was one of the main villains in the novel. Lucie remembers finding it absurd that a villain would start a war just to possess a girl; it made no sense.

At the age of eight, Lucie realized that she had been reincarnated as Noelle. Her memories flooded back to her when she fainted, remembering the story and her past life. At such a young age, Odette had already been adopted, fortunately Noelle was not a villain harassing her adoptive sister; she was simply indifferent. Lucie also didn't care about getting along with that girl, all she wanted was to prevent her death. So, as soon as she recovered, she asked her father to allow her to learn how to fight. The Baron and his wife were surprised but, after some discussion, they decided to grant her permission to train and even arranged for the best instructors for her.

"Sister, learning to fight is for boys, you are a girl."

"Evil people don't are whether you are a boy or a girl, they will still kill you."

"Do you want me to die? But I haven't done anything wrong..."

Odette immediately started to cry, causing the maidens to look at Noelle as if she were the one to blame. Ignoring that, she decided to distance herself from the scene. Odette undoubtedly had the sympathy of everyone, who were oblivious to how foolish their actions were. She hadn't even threatened Noelle, yet she took it as if she had.

During her childhood, Noelle fills her time with training, though she also socializes with other girls and manages to make friendships. However, she knows that these girls won't remain close friends in the future as they will likely be the first ones to turn their backs on her when the time comes. Similar to her, Odette also has her own group of girls who always look at Noelle with disdain, for some reason.

"What's wrong with those girls?" she asks.

"They are probably jealous of Miss Noelle's beauty," says someone.

"I don't blame them. They can only be friends with the adopted one," another responds.

The girls burst into laughter. Noelle remains silent. These girls have always been cruel since they were little, though she has no interest in defending Odette, whose attitude is annoying, always crying and complaining about everything. To think she is the center of attention, how ridiculous. Noelle wonders what kind of terrible taste the prince must have, who, by the way, should be at this party. Soon enough, she hears the girls getting excited. As she predicted, it is the prince who has approached them to say hello. After greeting everyone, he approaches Noelle, demanding that she rise and make a curtsy.

"Miss Noelle, a pleasure to meet you. Your father informed me that you were at the party, so I thought it proper to come and greet you."

"Thank you, Your Highness. It is a pleasure for me to greet you as well."

"I heard that you have a sister, I would like to meet her."

"Oh! Of course, she is right over there."

Noelle points to Odette, who stood beside the other girls. When Odette notices Noelle pointing at her, she approaches and curtsies. However, due to wearing high heels, her foot bends causing her to fall at the prince's feet. He offers his hand to help her up, while the sound of giggles can be heard.

"Are you alright?"

"I-I'm sorry, Your Highness..."

Tears were already welling up in Odette's eyes. Noelle merely grimaces, finding the girl quite annoying.

"I told you to wear low-heeled shoes, but because of your stubbornness, you just made a fool of yourself."

"I-I'm... so... sorr...y..."

Odette was already sobbing from the scolding. The prince looks at Noelle with some annoyance.

"I don't think it is right to correct her in front of everyone, Miss Noelle."

"I do it because maybe it will embarrass her a bit and make her stop behaving like a spoiled child. She's eleven, not five."

"I'm sorry, sister. I didn't mean to do this... but... those are the shoes you gave me..."

Noelle looks at Odette in surprise. As far as she remembers, it was the girl who chose those shoes. Even their mother warned her that they were too high for her, but she threw a tantrum and they ended up buying them for her.

"Miss Noelle, it shouldn't be like this."

"Yes, I knew that Miss Odette couldn't handle high heels, yet she made her wear them."

The girls who always accompany Odette were already gossiping. Noelle pouts, realizing that Odette is not the "innocent white dove" described in the novel. She can even see a mocking smile on her face, and the prince continues holding her hand.

"And why would I want her to wear those heels? If you want, we can go to my mother and ask about the shoes Odette is wearing..."

Odette pouts, but she lifts her eyes and smiles.

"D-Don't worry, girls. Your Highness, thank you for your help. I will go change my shoes."

"I'll accompany you. Miss Noelle, I didn't think you could be so malicious."

Noelle just clicks her tongue and returns to her seat. She doesn't care about what the prince thinks of her because, unlike the real Noelle, she is interested in another man: the Grand Duke Raizel Ivanov. That man is a thousand times better than the prince. According to the novel, he is described as a hot man with black hair and sharp scarlet eyes. He is tall, with broad shoulders, a perfect Adonis, and since the novel is for adults over 19, it describes scenes where he sleeps with different women. Those scenes are steamier than the ones described between the prince and Odette. Odette is a boring and timid girl who lets the prince do everything, although the prince is also very sweet when it comes to intimacy, his sweetness is almost too much, causing diabetes even in a bedroom scene.

"Grand Duke, it will still be years until we meet... but... I already want to taste you."

Noelle licks her lips and smiles with excitement. It is frustrating to have to wait so long.

"Are you alright, Miss Noelle?"

The girls heard her mutter something, but luckily for Noelle, no one heard it. In the carriage, Odette cried in front of the prince as she told him how Noelle is always mean to her, always correcting her during their classes and treating her like an incapable person. It was annoying for Francis to know that the girl they have arranged for him to marry is a malicious girl.

After that party, the Baron called for Noelle, solely to scold her because she embarrassed Odette in front of the prince, who seemed annoyed that his potential betrothed was not a good girl.

"Father, Odette wore high heels even though Mother told her they were too much for her."

"I understand, but you must pay better attention to what she does, don't let her overshadow you, as she needs to behave properly or she will bring shame upon the family."

"Alright, father, I will be more attentive."

"The prince will be arriving soon, remember to behave well and keep an eye on Odette's actions."

"But father... alright."

Noelle doesn't understand why she has to take care of this whiny brat, but at least she will let her cling to the prince. After all, her goal is to survive and she will do so in Darklands, not by marrying a tasteless prince. She left her father's office to go to her usual training. As she passed by the garden, Odette was having tea with two of her friends. Noelle walked by without even looking at her.

"Oh! Sister, we're having tea. Would you like to join us?"

"No, that's only for spoiled girls."

The other two girls took offense, while Odette just looked sad. The other girls consoled her. What a nuisance they all are. The day of the prince's visit arrived. Noelle welcomed him in the garden, and Odette was present, dressed in her best clothes. It was obvious she was trying to get the attention of the young prince. Noelle wore something more casual and comfortable due to the heat. During the visit, Odette wouldn't stop talking about trivial matters with the prince. However, she soon started feeling suffocated by the layered clothing. Her maid noticed and suggested she retire to change.

"Miss Odette, are you alright? You seem distressed."

"Isn't it obvious? She wore clothes that are unsuitable for this weather, just to impress."

"Miss Noelle, your sister might be sick."

"Well then, let her maid tend to her. That's what she's there for. I'm not her nurse."

Odette immediately looked down, while the prince seemed annoyed by Noelle's indifference toward Odette.

"Miss Noelle, you shouldn't treat your sister like that."

"Am I wrong to send her to rest? You just said she looks sick. It's not my fault she wore that dress in the middle of summer."

Apparently, she's considered mean just for telling the truth or rather, just because Odette is a sweet girl.

"But the way you speak to her is not appropriate."

"Oh! It seems that His Highness likes Odette. Shouldn't you ask for her hand, then?"

"What? How can you say that?"

"Sister, don't say that. It's as if you're implying that I am..."

"A what? Don't worry, I won't speak ill of both of you. On the contrary, it will make me happy to know you're happy together."

Both remain silent while Noelle calmly drinks her tea. Francis, on the other hand, appears somewhat uneasy with Noelle's words, as he didn't expect her to reject him like this.

"Miss Noelle, it's better not to say those things; they could lead to misunderstandings later on."

"In that case, it won't be my fault, it will be yours for defending Odette when I've never done anything wrong to her."

"Your Highness, my sister is right. Maybe we're just misinterpreting her, and she only wants to help me."

Odette wipes away her tears, but Francis only seems annoyed.

"She's being rude. It's normal for me to defend other people."

"Then I won't always obey what you say just because you're the prince. No man will command me."

Noelle forcefully hits the teacup on the table, causing the small plate used to hold it to break. Noelle stands up after delicately wiping her lips.

"I'll take my leave since my presence seems to bother Your Highness. It's sad that you only want to be alone with my sister."

Noelle

wipes the tears from her eyes and runs off. Francis and Odette are surprised by what was said, but Noelle did it because her mother was nearby. The Baroness appears upset; her daughter has just been rejected by the prince and, on top of that, he prefers to be in the company of Odette. Approaching with annoyance, she gazes at the girl.

"Odette, I told you this was a date between His Highness and your sister. You've made Noelle cry. Your Highness, I believe it's unnecessary to inform you who your future betrothed is. I will bring this to the queen's attention."

"Uh? But Baroness, I didn't..."

"No excuses are needed, Odette, and make sure this doesn't happen again. Remember to apologize to Noelle."

"Yes, Mother, I'm sorry... I just wanted to say hello..."

The girl apologizes, intending to leave with her maid, while the prince must also depart. He is somewhat nervous because if his mother finds out what happened, she will scold him. The queen seems to prefer Noelle more ever since they talked a year ago. Noelle remembers that time when she visited the palace with her father and decided to explore in search of the place where the knights trained. She entered the queen's garden, where the woman was enjoying tea. Noelle simply told her that she appreciated the invitation but was looking for the training grounds.

"Why would a little girl be looking for the training grounds?"

"Because I'm very interested in learning how to fight. If the need ever arises, I want to be ready to protect those I love."

The queen smiled at the words of the young girl and later learned that she was the Baron Le Blanc's daughter.