Chapter 1

I reincarnated as the daughter of the runaway side heroine - Chapter 1 (1/171)

Other people's failed love is delicious.

I was no exception. While watching the romance fantasy novel <The Wind and Flowers Spoke to You>, I was more engrossed in the tragic story of the side couple than in the happy ending of the main couple.

This quite popular novel had a rather bland main narrative, while the side couple had plenty of elements that readers would enjoy.

For example, the side male lead, who held the position of Duke of the North, was the main male lead's friend and the ultimate villain. He lived a life filled with vengeance and ultimately met his own destruction.

This Duke had an old lover, and due to excessive denial, he only realized his feelings for her too late. Right after she took an arrow for him.

It was only after she fell to the ground, bleeding, that he realized his feelings for her were not mere possessiveness but true love.

However, tragically, the side heroine died immediately. She never knew that he loved her until the moment of her death.

"Even if you don't love me, I love you."

Those were her last words.

Realizing he had lost the most precious thing in his life, the side male lead chose to end his own life, abandoning all his vengeance.

Someone's sad ending can become someone else's happy ending. In this novel, the main couple's happy ending was completed through the tragic sacrifice of the side couple.

In fact, as someone who enjoyed the tragic love of the side couple, I found it to be a quite satisfying conclusion.

The problem was that this was the story of my mother and father.

I reincarnated as the daughter of the side couple whose love ended in failure.

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"See the person riding the black horse at the front? That's Duke Iskars."

I looked down from the roof as Tom spoke. In the middle of the street, lined with red roofs, armored knights were marching in a line.

Their chests bore the emblem of a black dragon, the symbol of the Duke of the North, the protector of the North.

"Ar, are you really going to do it?"

Tom had been looking at me with a worried expression. I nodded without hesitation.

"Yes, I am."

"But you could die. The moment you jump in front of the Duke, you'll be cut down by a sword!"

Tom's face was already pale. I replied calmly.

"There's no other way."

I had tried every method to get close to Duke Iskars, but all of them failed. As a common girl from the village, I couldn't even get near him.

So, this is the only method left to me.

"If I don't do this, my mother will die."

Not long ago, our village was attacked by monsters. Many people died and were injured.

Unfortunately, my mother was also attacked by a monster. The wound itself wasn't large, but she was poisoned by the monster's claw. She soon lost consciousness and was on the brink of death.

We managed to bring a doctor to our house, but after examining my mother, he said:

"It's too late. The poison has already spread throughout her body. She will die within a few days. You should go to a priest."

My mother's face was pale, as if she were about to die.

In the original story, she died in place of Duke Iskars. But by altering the original story, I inadvertently put her in a position where she might die even sooner.

"Recently, many people have been dying due to monsters, so it's not easy to receive a priest's blessing. If you don't want the body to rot, listen to me."

In this world, a priest's blessing was required for a proper funeral. Without it, the body was considered impure and could not be buried in a cemetery.

The doctor was telling us to go to a priest if we wanted to bury the body properly.

Our neighbors said the same thing. There was nothing more we could do, so we should let my mother go.

But I couldn't do that.

It was because I loved this woman, my mother, so much and felt so much sympathy for her.

Born into a poor family and sold to the Duke's house by her father, she fell in love with a man but was always ignored by him. In the end, she sacrificed herself for him, a foolish and pitiful woman.

Despite living a hard life, she poured all her love into her daughter, me. She would bring me warm bread even if she herself went hungry for days, and once she even ran into a burning house to save me.

I didn't want to give her a miserable end.

But as I was at a loss for what to do, I heard an unexpected piece of news. Duke Iskars was coming to our village to fight the monsters.

Was this God's arrangement for my mother, or a cruel joke to show that we couldn't escape our fate?

Regardless, I decided to make him aware of my mother and me. It would be best if he could save my mother, but even if he couldn't, she had to meet him before she died.

Her final moments must be in the arms of that man. That would be the happiest death for her.

"Ar..."

I reminded Tom, who was still full of worry.

"Remember, if something happens to me, you have to take that man to my mother. Got it?"

"What does Duke Iskars have to do with you to make you do this?"

"My father."

"What?"

Leaving his shocked exclamation behind, I immediately jumped up and ran to the edge of the roof. I planned to jump down when Duke Iskars passed by. That was the only way to meet him.

Knights, trained through rigorous training and real combat, act instinctively when faced with danger.

When I suddenly appeared in front of them, I might be cut down by a sword.

'But there's no other way.'

I bit my lip.

'I can't let my mother die like this.'

I gripped the ring hanging from a chain around my neck. He would surely recognize this ring.

It was the ring he had given to my mother.

The roof, which sloped downward, wasn't very high, so I wouldn't break any bones if I jumped. Of course, the biggest problem was that I might die before breaking my legs.

The procession was now approaching where I was. The moment they got close, I jumped off the roof without hesitation.

"Who are you!"

As soon as I hit the ground, the knights drew their swords at the speed of light. A sharp flash of steel flew toward me.

Seeing the sharp sword about to pierce me, I closed my eyes. Would I die without even getting a chance to speak, just as Tom had warned?

Clang!

At that moment, a sharp metallic sound rang out. Soon after, the rough breathing of an animal.

Neigh. Neigh.

The sound of a horse neighing rang in my ear. Only then did I realize I was still alive.

When I opened my eyes, I saw the hooves of a horse standing on the ground. Lifting my head a bit more, I saw the black mane of the beast.

And on the horse, there was a large man. His shadow blocked the sun's heat. Through the backlight, I could see dark, dark black hair and contrasting refreshing emerald green eyes.

The man's sharp, intense gaze was fixed on me.

"Your eyes are just like your father's."

My mother used to say this whenever she looked at my face. She always had a nostalgic expression, saying that the oasis in the distant desert must have this color.

So, I was certain. This man was really my father.

"Your Highness, Duke?"

A surprised voice rang out then. The sword the knight had swung at me was blocked by the Duke.

I swallowed, seeing the two swords overlapping in front of my neck. If the Duke hadn't blocked it, I would have really died.

"It's dangerous. You shouldn't let your guard down just because it's a child."

Despite the knight's warning, the Duke's gaze remained fixed on me. More precisely, on the ring hanging from my neck.

"Step back!"

However, the Duke moved in the opposite direction. He pushed the knight's sword away with force and moved his horse closer to me.

"...That ring."

The moment the man muttered those words in a strange tone, I pulled the leather necklace and broke it. The ring hanging from it sparkled in the sunlight.

I held it out to him.

"Your Highness, you must know what this is."

His gaze fell on the surface of the ring. The moment he saw the black dragon emblem engraved there, his dark eyebrows twitched.

"Olivia Hazel, my mother's name!"