"I, ZOE KIM, twenty-five-year-old restaurant owner, humbly dedicate myself to Her Majesty, Empress Liane Sulien of the Great Sulien Empire," Zoe said while on her knees, her forehead kissing the floor. "In return for saving my precious customers and my restaurant, I shall enter your world and save the abandoned Crown Princess."

Now that she was sober, she finally accepted the fact that Liane was real.

To be honest, she had a laid-back personality. The adults around her told her that she wasn't smart. Apparently, since she was slow-witted, she was the type of person who'd rather accept things without questions than overwork her brain.

That's usually the case but it's kind of different this time.

How could she deny the truth when the heroine really turned back time?

Thanks to that, she was able to fire Jeong-hoon before he could execute his evil plans. No one died in her restaurant. Her life wasn't ruined by her crazy assistant chef.

She still couldn't believe it even after spending a whole day 'normally' at her restaurant. At first, she thought she just had a long dream. But when she was left alone in the restaurant after it was closed, Liane once again appeared before her.

Like the first time that the heroine showed up, she was still literally glowing.

That was when she knelt and bowed before the empress.

She wasn't a good person but she wasn't ungrateful. She knew how to return the favor. Moreover, Liane was her savior now.

"Thank you, Lady Zoe," Liane said in a relieved voice. "You may rise now."

She raised her head and smiled when she saw Liane's beautiful face again.

Even though the heroine was seated on one of the restaurant's plain black chairs, Liane's beauty and grace made it look like she was seated on a fancy throne.

"I won't ask how you ended up coming to our world because my brain shuts down when it comes to complicated stuff," she said, then she sat on the chair across from Liane. "But I want to know how you plan to help me blend in once I entered your world."

Liane smiled before she explained. "You're going to take over Lady Zoanne Rochester's character once you entered the novel, Lady Zoe."

"'Zoanne,' huh? It's kind of similar to my name," she commented, then her brows furrowed while she was trying to use her small brain. God, she rarely used her head for things that weren't related to her restaurant. So now she was having a headache. "I don't remember that name though. The only characters that I can remember as of this moment are Runa, Eunice Harper, and Duke Isaak Viotto."

Runa was Liane's daughter, the abandoned Crown Princess.

Eunice Harper was the young lady who rescued and took care of Runa. The woman was depicted in the novel as Runa's mother figure.

And finally, Isaak Viotto.

"The ghoul duke," she said when she remembered Isaak's 'selling point.' "Isaak is the most famous character from the webnovel. Readers pity him because he was forcefully turned into a Grimling– the book's official name for the ghoul race."

She remembered the ghoul race's official name because 'Grimling' sounded like 'gremlin' in her head.

Anyway…

"Isaak is depicted as manipulative and cruel but the readers still like him because he's hot," she said with a shrug.

"Is that how readers see Isaak?" Liane asked in an amused voice. "I didn't really notice because in my eyes, Isaak will always be a child. After all, he's my husband's brother."

Ah, right.

Duke Isaak Viotto was the half-brother of Emperor Rino Sulien– Liane's husband and Runa's father.

If I remember it correctly, Isaak gave up his right to the throne when he was turned into a Grimling.

"Lady Zoe, do you remember what role did Lady Harper and Isaak play in the novel?"

"Eunice and Isaak rescued Runa from being sold as a slave when she was ten years old," she said in a careful voice. After all, that part of the novel made millions of readers cry. "That was the first time that Runa manifested her power." She paused before she continued. "Runa unconsciously annihilated everyone in the auction house except for Eunice, Isaak, and the rescued slaves."

Liane's jewel-like blue eyes darkened. "Lady Zoe, that's the thing that I want you to prevent at all cost. I don't want my poor daughter to become a slave, let alone a mass murderer. Because that's the catalyst that will drive Runa to become a tyrant empress in the future."

Oh, that was right.

In the novel, after that tragic event, Runa swore to get her revenge on the people who kicked her out of the Royal Palace.

"I don't want Lady Harper and Isaak to raise Runa as a future tyrant," Liane said in a sad voice. "I understand that both Lady Harper and Isaak have their reason for destroying the empire. But as a mother, I don't want to see my daughter be used as a weapon." When she spoke again, her voice cracked a little. "You've read the novel, Lady Zoe. You know that His Majesty will die before Lady Harper and Isaak get to prove that Runa is the real Crown Princess. I want my daughter to be reunited with her father as soon as possible."

"Then, I have to take down the bitch asap," she said while nodding her head.  "The current empress is the novel's villainess. As far as I remember, that bitch was the mastermind behind Runa's disappearance."

Plus, the new empress had a sly younger brother who would often mess with Eunice Harper and Isaak Viotto to hurt Runa.

I think his name is Vaughn-something.

"Lady Veronica wants her daughter to be His Majesty's heiress," Liane said while nodding her head thoughtfully. "Thus, she'll do everything to get rid of my daughter."

"But Princess Vera isn't the emperor's real daughter. That girl isn't even a real human," she said. She knew because she read the book. "Miss Liane, the emperor never slept with the current empress or any other women for that matter. Your husband remained faithful to you even after you're gone."

"I know that, Lady Zoe," the heroine said softly, her face lighting up from happiness. "But to be honest, I don't mind if His Majesty finds a new love. My only wish is for that woman to accept and love my daughter as well." Her face suddenly turned sad. "That person can't be Lady Veronica. After all, she's the person who wants to kill my daughter the most. She can be the empress for all I care. But I can't accept her as Rino's new wife."

She smiled because she finally heard Liane call the emperor by his name.

In the novel, the former empress would only call her husband intimately when the two of them were alone. But it seemed like Liane had been carried away by her feelings. Thus, the slip-up.

It's a shame that Liane died early in the story.

"I think my small brain finally understands what you want me to do, Miss Liane," she said. "I have to save Runa before she gets brought in the auction house. Since I've read the novel, I know where to find her."

She had only read the first and second volumes of the story.

But all the information that she needed to find and rescue Runa was in the first volume. Even a dummy like her could do a good job with a 'cheat code' like that.

"I will help Runa prove that she's the real daughter of the emperor and not Princess Vera," she continued. "And finally, I have to reunite the real Crown Princess with her father so Eunice and Isaak don't have to raise her as a tyrant."

"That's right, Lady Zoe," the heroine said, her face a little brighter now that they weren't talking about the villainess anymore. "I won't send you in my world without protection. So I will give you three privileges: first, not only your soul will take over the body of the character that you're about to possess. Your vitality and skills will also be transferred to that body."

She tilted her head at one side. "What does it mean?"

"It means that you will be able to move Lady Zoanne Rochester's body as if it's your own," Liane explained cheerfully. "Your cooking, fighting, and flirting skills won't disappear just because you're using another person's body."

Now that she was sober, the fact that she said that those three things were her strong points made her cheeks flush from embarrassment. She was a little shy to brag that she was good at acting. On the other hand, she was ashamed of the fighting skills that she gained during her delinquent years.

And lastly…

A twenty-five-year-old virgin really said that she's good at flirting, huh?

"Aside from that, you will also obtain all the skills that the real Lady Rochester possesses," the heroine continued.

"That's convenient," she said. "What are Zoanne's skills?"

The heroine smiled awkwardly. "To be honest, Lady Rochester is a sickly noblewoman. She also spent her youth in the temple because she wanted to be a priestess. Unfortunately, her weak body hindered her from achieving her dream. Thus, the temple sent her back home."

Oh. Thankfully, my healthiness will be transferred to that weak body.

"Lady Rochester's Mana or magical abilities are also weak," Liane continued softly. "But like most noble ladies, Lady Rochester is good at embroidery, dancing, flower arrangement, organizing tea parties, and anything related to art."

"That's cool!" she said, excited to gain the skills that the heroine mentioned. "I've always wanted to try embroidery."

But her stupid hands were better at holding a knife instead of a needle.

"I'm glad to hear that," the heroine said, relieved. Then, she changed the topic. "The second privilege that you will get is the permission to bring one thing from this world to my world."

The first that entered her mind was her smartphone (that was miraculously fixed after Liane turned back time). But she realized that it would be useless since wifi didn't exist in the novel. She could use the other functions of the smartphone such as the camera or the audio recorder. But what would she do if the battery died?

Thus, she opted for her most prized possession.

"I'll bring my pink knife then," she said proudly. "It's my lucky charm."

"Alright," the heroine said. Then, she turned serious. "The last privilege that I will give you is the ability to summon my Light. It's called 'Helion.' If you show that to His Majesty, he will believe you when you say that I sent you in our world. But you can only use it once so please use it wisely."

She groaned in complaint. "Miss Liane, I already told you that I'm not smart."

"That can't be true, Lady Zoe," the heroine said with a smile. "Now that I've told you the privileges you'll get to help you navigate my world, it's time to tell you something about Lady Zoanne Rochester's character."

"Fire away."

"Lady Rochester and her family was the marquis family that Isaak executed in the novel."

She almost choked on her saliva when she remembered the event that Liane mentioned. "I remember a certain daughter of a marquis that tried to humiliate Isaak. I think it happened during the banquet where his character was first introduced. So, that was Zoanne Rochester?"

"Yes, Lady Zoe," the heroine said. "Don't worry because you'll receive Lady Rochester's memories once you possess her body."

"Again, that's so convenient."

"I won't let you enter my world without giving you all the help and protection that I could offer, Lady Zoe."

"Thank you, Miss Liane," she said, then she snapped her fingers when she remembered something. "How will I enter your world? Don't tell me, my smartphone would turn into a portal?"

Liane laughed softly while rubbing her hands together. "Lady Zoe, please open your mouth."

Since she was a sucker for pretty faces, she opened her mouth without thinking.

Then, much to her shock, Liane put a small crystal-like blue mushroom in her mouth.

What the…

Zoe swallowed the whole strange mushroom out of shock. "Miss Liane, what did you just feed me?"

"A poisonous mushroom," Liane answered brightly, her blue eyes sparkling like a piece of jewelry. She looked so dazzling that she couldn't find it in her heart to get upset with the heroine. Plus, it was her fault for being too trusting. "Lady Zoe, you have to die to enter the novel."

Yep, dummies like me really die early in the story.

Zoe even forgot to ask why she was the 'Chosen One.'

***

I DIDN'T expect to meet Isaak Viotto, the ghoul duke, as soon as I entered the novel.

Scratch that.

Zoe should say that she didn't expect to find the ghoul duke in a dark alley but there she was.

Isaak Viotto was crouched down at the corner while holding a dog. Considering the fact that he had his mouth wide open as if he was about to bite the dog, it was obvious that she just interrupted his meal. He only closed his mouth when he felt her presence, then he turned to her.

Oh no, he's hot.

The ghoul duke had black hair and glowing violet eyes. Yes, his eye color was unique but instead of thinking that his eyes were beautiful, she thought they were yummy. After all, his eyes reminded her of violet pansies that she would often throw in her salad to add color to it.

Isaak Viotto snarled at her, baring his fangs at her. "What are you looking at?"

"Your eyes," Zoe said without thinking. Dammit, thinking was really her weakest point. "They look yummy."

"Huh?"

"I like putting violet pansies in my salad," she explained. "They're delicious."

He just looked at her as if she was crazy.

She was aware that Duke Isaak Viotto was a GHOUL and ghouls, apparently, eat human flesh. But...

Dang, he's really hot.

"Give me the dog," Zoe told the ghoul duke. "I'll make you steak tartare in return."

So, how did I end up in this situation again?