Chapter 1

'Everyone is looking at me...!'

Her heart pounded with the numerous gazes. It was the first time she had been the center of attention, and she felt as if she might lose her senses, but she couldn't hide behind someone or leave the spot as she usually would. Today was her wedding day, and she was the bride.

'They said the ceremony would only take thirty minutes...'

To prepare for the wedding, she had read all sorts of etiquette books. She didn't want to make a mistake in front of everyone and be embarrassed. Thanks to that, she didn't make any major mistakes, but she hadn't expected an unexpected variable.

'The groom hasn't shown up for over an hour.'

Thinking about standing alone at the altar, enduring the many gazes, still made her break out in cold sweat. Perhaps feeling sorry for her long wait, a kind subordinate of the groom volunteered to act as a proxy, which helped avoid any further awkward situations. The priest, who was officiating the wedding, folded his hands and offered a short prayer before beginning to read the marriage vows aloud, so that everyone in the wedding hall could hear. It was a blessing for the two people who would spend the rest of their lives together.

"Do the groom's proxy and the bride swear to be faithful to the contents of the marriage vows?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

The priest then handed the marriage vows to her and the groom's proxy.

"You'll see a blank space at the bottom. When both of you sign here, the marriage will be official."

As the priest said, the only blank space on the densely written document was where the groom and bride were to sign.

"Please sign first, bride."

A young priest quietly handed her a pen. This signature would conclude the ceremony, and she would finally be free from everyone's gaze.

'But people will mock me for getting married without the groom...'

She glanced at the entrance, hoping the door might open and the groom would appear, but it remained firmly closed. With a heavy heart, she inscribed her name in the blank space. Nadia Vain. From today, she would use her husband's last name, making this her last signature with her maiden name. Her hand trembled with nervousness, and her writing was wobbly, but the priest and the groom's proxy didn't seem to mind. They were truly kind people.

"Now, please sign, groom's proxy."

The young priest retrieved the pen she had used and approached the groom's proxy.

'So, I'm officially the bride who was abandoned by the groom on the wedding day.'

Just as the groom's proxy was about to take the pen, a 'squeak' and a burst of bright light came from the entrance. Turning her head, she saw that the door, which had been firmly closed, was now wide open.

"I guess I'm quite late."

A man's voice echoed from the light. It was deep and resonant. The man was slowly walking down the carpeted aisle. She could only see his silhouette, but he seemed to have a very good build. As he approached, the light that had been shining like a halo dimmed, revealing his figure more clearly, and a strange smell began to fill her nostrils. It was a scent she had smelled before.

'What is this smell?'

But she didn't need to ponder the smell for long. The answer was in the appearance of the man who had emerged from the light.

'Oh!'

The man was covered in blood.

'Oh!'

As the blood-covered man approached, her strength drained away, and her hands began to tremble.

'Blood... blood...!'

She had a phobia of blood that made her faint. But she couldn't faint here and now. She had to finish the wedding ceremony. Despite her determination, her vision kept going dark and then bright again. In the midst of this, the image of a man with black hair, red eyes, and a blank expression, walking like a harbinger of death, was etched in her mind.

"Lord!"

The man who had volunteered as the groom's proxy let out a shocked scream.

'Lord?'

Is this man the lord of this place, who is to be my husband?

'But I heard he was a cripple who couldn't even walk...'

That rumor was completely wrong. Every step the man took exuded an overwhelming presence that made her heart race. While she was observing the man in shock, he had already reached her and was wiping the blood from his face with a gloved hand. Only then did she get a clear look at his face. The teardrop under his left eye was particularly vivid.

Though he had a cold and stern expression, he was a very handsome man. If they hadn't met in such a state, she would have been impressed by his striking appearance, but this wasn't the time to evaluate his looks. Her throat went dry with tension.

'But why do I feel a sense of déjà vu? I've never seen this face before, but it feels familiar...'

Before her thoughts could continue, the groom's proxy handed the pen to the man.

"At least you're not too late. Please sign it yourself, Lord."

"Alright."

The man took the pen calmly and wrote his name in the only blank space. Altear Eilsworth. As she read the name, she looked at the man in surprise. The black hair, red eyes, and teardrop under his eye, which she had almost overlooked, made her realize the identity of the man.

'Wait a minute...'

A man with black hair, red eyes, and a teardrop under his eye, with a cold expression...

'That's the crazy villain, the Duke!'

Why... why are you here...? * * *

I was reborn into the world of a book. Or should I say, I was possessed? In fact, I didn't realize this from the beginning. Before I was reborn, I was a very timid and weak person. Interacting with people was the most difficult and exhausting thing for me. Even after being reborn, my timid nature didn't change, and I often avoided crowded places. I hated social gatherings like balls and tea parties that noble ladies enjoyed. Fortunately, my parents were understanding and accepted their daughter who didn't participate in any external activities. However, in the year I turned an adult, I had to attend the debutante ball to meet the Emperor and Empress, which I couldn't avoid. It was there, seeing the shining heroine Abeline, that I finally realized I was in the world of the novel, *The Betrayal of the Black Rose*!

*The Betrayal of the Black Rose* is a grim novel where all the main characters die. It shocked readers who thought, 'The protagonist will survive, right? Because they're the protagonist!' by killing off the protagonist as well. And here I was, reborn as a minor character, Nadia Vain, in this very novel! I had only read this grim novel to try to build up my courage, as I wanted to live a less timid life. Despite the many disturbing scenes, I had read it 50 times, eyes wide and hands trembling!

'Being reborn into a grim novel... I wanted to overcome my timidity, but I didn't want to build up my courage this way...'

In this book, there is a terrifying villain. The character I found most frightening while reading the novel was the mad duke, Altear, also known as the 'Harbinger of Death.' He mercilessly purged the opposing noble families at the behest of his lord, the third prince, who dreamed of rebellion, beheading people one by one. The author's vivid descriptions made me feel as if I could sense Altear's chilling gaze even as I read. In the end, Altear, the duke, was also killed by the third prince, who wanted to cleanse himself of his dirty deeds. In a fitting final act, Altear bit the third prince's neck as he died, leading to the legendary ending where all the main characters died.

'There was a huge backlash against this crazy ending.'

Nadia Vain was one of the characters killed by Altear.

'He cut off her head, and it rolled on the floor...'

In fact, Nadia wasn't a major character. She was a minor character, a friend of Ruby, the heroine Abeline's rival, and was often seen nodding along with Ruby's words. Apart from her distinctive pink hair, she wasn't described much.

'If I had been the heroine Abeline, or even Ruby, I would have realized I was in a novel right away.'

Recalling the story slowly, I remembered that there was always a silly girl with pink hair behind Ruby. If it weren't for this distinctive feature, I might not have realized I was a minor character in the novel. Yet, I was to be beheaded by a character from a grim novel!

'Usually, when protagonists are possessed by a book, they try to change their fate and act wisely.'

That's all possible in novels. How could I, who trembled while reading grim novels, prevent the tragedy that was about to unfold in the capital? It might seem cowardly, but avoiding it was the best option! If I thought that way, my next steps were clear.

'I need to leave the capital. That way, I can save my life.'

However, I was now an orphan living in the house of my mean uncle. After my parents died in a sudden accident after my debutante ball, my title was passed to my uncle, and I was left penniless. My uncle, the powerful Baron Vain, was very wealthy but extremely stingy and wouldn't give me a penny for my independence. I thought and thought about how to leave the capital and save my life. But as a newly adult, penniless noble lady, I had no options except marriage.

Marriage was also scary, but it was a hundred times better than staying in the capital and having my head cut off. After all, I would have to get married at some point in this world, right? When I expressed my desire to leave the mansion through marriage, my uncle, who had always seen me as a leech, was delighted and quickly found me a suitable man. That man was Baron Eilsworth. According to my uncle, he was a man of my age who owned a poor fief in the easternmost part of the empire, a rural backwater.

'But I'm also penniless and have nothing to offer.'

Perhaps I should be grateful that he was willing to take me in with such a small dowry. According to my cousin Melissa, my uncle's daughter and my age,

"He's completely broke. His fief is so poor that he's nicknamed the 'Pauper Baron.' That's why no one wanted to marry him. Who would want to become the wife of a pauper baron?"

...she said.

"I understand. The eastern border is a poor and barren place, so it's hard to accumulate wealth. But I'm worried about you going there. And that husband of yours... he's ugly and crippled!"

...she also said.

"Oh, don't be too upset. Think of it as a blessing. You won't have to spend nights with an ugly husband. I heard he can't even walk properly... he seems to be in poor health, so he might die soon. After that, you can enjoy life with the money from your dead husband... Oh! Your husband is the Pauper Baron, isn't he? What a dilemma. Ohoho!"

...My uncle seemed to have found a much worse match for me than I had thought, but leaving the capital was important. So, I didn't complain much and hurriedly got married. However, Melissa's words were all wrong. Instead of being ugly, he was incredibly handsome, and instead of being a cripple, he was standing there, covered in blood, glaring at me. How could I have believed her lies again!

I was drenched in cold sweat as I looked at the man in front of me. I knew this man well, having read the book dozens of times. This man, who is now Baron Eilsworth, will later be granted the title of Duke Zetland for his great contributions in war and will become the right-hand man of the third prince, purging the major noble families.

'I was so focused on getting married quickly that I forgot he was originally a border noble who became a duke because of his war achievements.'

Even if I had known, it wouldn't have made much difference.

'Who would have known that the Pauper Baron, who was called a pauper, would become the future villainous duke?'

I was doomed. I had walked into the tiger's den to avoid the tiger. Who would have thought I would find my own death trap?

'My first life ended in a traffic accident, and my second is destined to end at the hands of a mad villain?'

It was unfair. I just wanted to live an ordinary life and die an ordinary death...

'No, Nadia Vain. C, calm down.'

I was extremely tense, my eyes darting around.

'Just because he's a villain doesn't mean he was born a villain. The original story hasn't started yet, so if I can somehow reform him and prevent him from becoming a villain...'

I tried to think positively and looked at Altear. Sensing my gaze, Altear, the future villain, looked at me with his cold eyes. It was as if he was about to draw his sword and cut off my head. The blood on him made him even more terrifying.

'Ah!'

The descriptions from the book came to mind, making me shiver. Moreover, it was strange that no one was reacting to the blood-covered lord.

'Why is everyone so quiet? The lord is covered in blood...'

No one seemed surprised or disturbed, as if this was a common occurrence. My positive thinking was shattered.

"Did you sweep them all away, my lord?"

"I made sure they were dead."

The ominous conversation made my legs tremble.

"I left one alive to make him talk."

Altear's lips curled into a sinister smile as he gave his subordinate an order and then looked at me. His eyes were still cold.

"You. Take care of yourself."

"Excuse me?"

"Stay alert. If you act foolishly, your head will roll. I don't want to clean up my wife's corpse. Understand?"

Oh my.

'This is a threat to cut off my head if I act foolishly...'

The villain was a villain even before the story began. My positive thinking crumbled, and my mind, which had been struggling to hold on, finally snapped. My body, suddenly drained of energy, collapsed to the ground, and that was the last thing I remembered. * * *

"What's the problem?"

Altear urged the doctor, looking at Nadia, who was lying limp on the bed. The new bride, who had fainted during the wedding, looked pale and as if she might die at any moment. The doctor's calm demeanor suggested it wasn't that serious, but to Altear, who had never fainted in his life, she looked like she was on the brink of death.

"The journey from the capital to the east is long and arduous. She must have been very tired. There's no serious problem, so there's no need to worry."

"Hmm."

Altear let out a hollow laugh.

"Does fatigue make people faint? I've never heard of such a thing."