Everything was so dark that my eyes could hardly see anything... 

Such an empty place... 

There was no sound, nothing at all... 

Only silence enveloped me. 

My body seemed to float aimlessly in that vacant, dark room, a strange sight.

I saw strange bubbles slowly beginning to surround me. 

My hand reached out to touch one of the bubbles, which immediately burst into my body. 

["Kaelan… why did you choose Lilia? Is there something wrong with me?"] 

There, I saw Yuna Rochefort sitting in her room, crying bitterly.

["I can change, Kaelan! As long as you still want to be with me, I can change!"] 

["You want me to look more innocent and pure like Lilia, I can do that!"

[You want me to be smarter in politics, I'll study harder!"] 

["You want me to be more beautiful and obedient, I'll do that too…"]

Her unadorned face was swollen, pale, and covered in thick dark circles under her eyes. 

Around her were countless books she had to study. 

Her body was so thin, as if she had neglected her diet and health… 

Her eyes held no life, only despair and resentment toward Lilia.

Was this Yuna's life before I took over her body? 

A Yuna like this… no wonder she'd choose to kill Lilia to achieve her dream of becoming Kaelan's lawful wife. 

But to me, that was a silly reason. 

Why was she so eager to become the tyrant king's wife, thinking it was a noble goal? 

Why did she want to marry Kaelan so badly?

Why didn't she have a more reasonable dream, like entering a military academy? 

In this world, military academies didn't discriminate based on gender. 

As long as there was a desire and you pass the selection process, everything would be fine. 

Becoming the strongest female general would be far cooler than becoming an empress.

[You have just read one of Yuna Rochefort's memories.] 

[This is the free version. Do you want to pay for the next memories?] 

Pay to read the next memories?

Of course, duh! 

How much is it anyway? It might not be that expensive.

[Yes.] 

[Cost: 15,000,000 Gold] 

[Your savings: 14,000,000 Gold]

Huh?! 

Are you kidding me?! 

Just to read one memory, I have to pay almost all of my savings in this world?! 

That's crazy! 

You damn cheat system! 

I laughed bitterly to myself. 

Even here, as the daughter of a middle-class noble, my savings are just as pitiful as when I was still in my old world as a copywriter.

Is this a joke? 

At least give me three memories I can use to portray Yuna Rochefort's role more deeply! 

I immediately pressed the [Cancel Transaction] button and closed the system page.

[Do you want to return to being Yuna Rochefort without viewing memories?]

[This offer is valid only once.]

[Are you sure?] 

Damn this system... 

How could I possibly choose three options when each memory is that expensive?! 

With unwavering determination, I immediately selected the [Yes] button, taking me out of that empty room. 

*** 

I awoke as sunlight illuminated my vision.

I was at a loss for words when I realized I was in the royal residence, not Rochefort's residence.

Beside me, Kaelan slept in a seated position, still holding my hand tightly.

As if afraid I'd disappear from his sight.

If it were someone else, they might feel touched, reminding me of a puppy that didn't want to be separated from their mother.

However, when I recalled how casually he had ordered Lilia to be imprisoned for unclear reasons, I clearly questioned his sanity. 

"Lady Rochefort, have you regained consciousness?"

My eyes widened as I saw Lilia stroll into the room where I was, looking so cheerful and relieved to see me.

There were no signs of torture on her body.

Strange. Shouldn't she be in prison? 

"I made chicken porridge and mashed potatoes. It will restore your energy."

Lilia's eyes fell on Kaelan's hand, which was still holding mine. 

Quickly, Lilia pushed Kaelan away until he flew out of his chair, then used the same chair to sit beside me. 

Just seeing that scene made me shudder.

How could Lilia so casually treat the tyrannical king so brutally as if it weren't a big deal? 

I blinked in shock at how brutally Lilia had pushed Kaelan earlier.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, noticing that Lilia still didn't seem interested in Kaelan as she should have been in the plot, but was instead interested in me.

"Lilia! Do you want to die?"

Instead of taking Kaelan's threat seriously, Lilia approached me. 

"Can you eat on your own, or do you want me to feed you? I can feed you if you want~"

"Before that, I want to ask...," I looked alternately at the food Lilia had brought, then at Lilia and Kaelan. "Aren't you in... prison? How did you get out?"

"Oh, it was easy. He released me from the prison," Lilia pointed with her eyes behind her, finding Kaelan, who was now grumbling angrily because he had been kicked.

I tilted my head, confused by Lilia's answer. "Huh? Why did he ask you..."

"Because you said I was selfish. You hate me," Kaelan interjected, patting the spot where Lilia had kicked him, then walked toward me after shooting Lilia a sharp, piercing glance.

He leaned toward me and planted a quick kiss on my forehead.

"I don't want you to hate me," he said again after stepping back, "but I can't stay here much longer. Father is calling me."

"Just go already! What are you still doing here?!" Lilia shoved Kaelan to make him leave.

"When did I say that?" I asked in surprise.

Kaelan, who was about to retaliate against Lilia, seemed so shocked by my question.

"You… don't remember?"

At first, I thought you were a bad person for sending Lilia to prison without a reason.

But seeing Lilia looking fine, even calling him to accompany me, changed my opinion of Kaelan.

Maybe… maybe he was actually a good person.

Huh…

Why were the male lead and female protagonist in this story so beautiful?

Being surrounded by such beautiful people clearly made me feel awkward.

Not that I didn't enjoy it, though…

"When you were unconscious, you kept saying that I'm selfish, and you hate selfish people," Kaelan rubbed the back of his neck. "Does that mean you forgive me?"

Hmm…

There was something odd about this person's mind.

I finally remembered that I had said that, but only a few words before I lost consciousness.

So how did he understand the meaning of my words with just a few words?

My heart felt warm.

In nearly 30 years I've lived, I never met someone like Kaelan, the only one who's really gotten me—he just knew what I was thinking without asking me!

"Kaelan?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you," I said awkwardly, "for listening to me."

He remained silent, his face flushing so much that it showed in both his ears.

My heart raced as I looked at him.

How could a tyrannical king show such a cute expression?!

***