Chapter 01
The grand chandelier illuminated the royal banquet hall brightly, and nobles gathered in small groups, engrossed in their own conversations.
But their main topic of discussion wasn’t the fourth prince, Edwin, the star of today’s engagement banquet.
It was Lucy Diallo. A mere daughter of an insignificant baron, yet a woman whose extraordinary beauty made her the subject of gossip wherever she went.
And today, she had appeared at the banquet as the partner of Duke Valon, who already had a lawful wife. For gossip-loving nobles, there was no more enticing prey than that.
“They say Lucy Diallo has become Duke Valon’s mistress. So the rumor was true. No wonder she’s been absent from social events lately.”
“She spent all that time teasing men, and in the end, she got exactly what she wanted.”
“Poor Duchess of Valon… I wonder how heartbroken she must be.”
A noblewoman, covering her mouth with a fan, clicked her tongue sympathetically.
“I heard the Diallo family once sent her a marriage proposal and was rejected. Well, the baron had every right to refuse, I suppose.”
The young noblemen nearby, having overheard this, began to chime in from various corners.
“You too? I sent proposals and even visited her multiple times, but it was all in vain.”
“To think we couldn’t even hope to reach that beauty… it’s heartbreaking!”
“Who knows yet? She was abandoned on her wedding day once already. Hahaha!”
Weaving through the noise of these mocking voices, Lucy scanned the hall anxiously and made her way across it.
Just a little further. Once she passed through that door, she would finally escape the story she was trapped in.
“Lucy!”
But just as she reached the exit, someone grabbed her arm.
“Lucy, I need to talk to you!”
It was Prince Edwin. The very fourth prince, today’s engagement banquet’s star, and the male lead of this novel.
With a desperate expression, as if he had much to say, Edwin turned her to face him.
“Let go of me! I have nothing more to say to Your Highness!”
“Lucy, I can’t let that Duke have you! Just listen to me for a moment. I want to clear up this misunderstanding!”
Lucy was dumbfounded by his shameless words.
“Misunderstanding? I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“I… I mean, I…”
Edwin hesitated, trailing off, his lips moving as if unsure how to continue.
“Please stop. I’m afraid people will see us.”
Only then did Edwin glance around and release her arm. Some nobles nearby were already sneaking peeks in their direction.
“Let’s go to the terrace instead of talking here.”
Noticing the stares, Edwin spoke softly to her.
“No. Speak here.”
At her firm reply, Edwin wiped his dry mouth and sighed.
“Lucy, before you lost your memory, we… we loved each other for a long time. I had my reasons… I was planning to come for you soon!”
Lucy could hardly believe her ears. The anger she had suppressed surged back through her body.
Shivering, she glanced once at the exit and clenched her fist.
Only a few steps to the banquet hall’s entrance.
Taking a deep breath, Lucy grabbed a champagne glass from a tray carried by a passing servant. Without hesitation, she threw the champagne at Edwin’s face.
Splash!
“You bastard! No, you worthless excuse for a man!”
The champagne soaked Edwin’s face with a satisfying splash. For the first time, the curse she spat out felt incredibly satisfying, and a crooked smile tugged at her lips.
She wanted to slap him across the face in that moment of rage, but her life was more precious than the fleeting thrill.
I have no desire to be executed for insulting royalty.
She was gambling with her life. Even now, her eyes kept darting toward the exit.
Normally, Lucy would never have dared such an act, but that just showed how full of rage she was.
Memories of the suffering she endured because of this man since she had possessed his body flashed through her mind like a panorama.
“Lu-Lucy! What are you doing?!”
Edwin wiped his face in dismay, frantically shaking the champagne off his clothes.
“Didn’t you realize? Did you think I wouldn’t know? You’re the one who abandoned me so miserably on my wedding day!”
Hearing this, Edwin froze mid-action, eyes wide.
“And not only that, you shamelessly call it a misunderstanding while being engaged to another woman? Or worse, leaving your fiancée to tell me I should be your mistress? Your audacity!”
Finally letting go of her remaining composure, Lucy shouted sharply. Edwin’s eyes trembled as if struck by a heavy blow.
In some novel, a villainess had no choice but to be sold to an old duke because the man who abandoned her on her wedding day had left her helpless.
In that story, the male protagonist criticized her promiscuity and vowed never to see her again.
“Did you think I didn’t know? That you toyed with me while seeing other men!”
“Edwin! What are you saying? Toyed with you? Other men? That’s impossible!”
As tears welled up in her large eyes, Edwin instinctively clenched his hands.
“I won’t be fooled by that innocent expression anymore!”
“Edwin, please! Listen to me! I can explain everything… please…”
Ignoring her pleas, Edwin turned away coldly. Beyond this terrace lay a new life waiting for him.
Lucy bit her lip, recalling the story she had read before. She couldn’t shake the suspicion that she might actually be that infamous villainess.
“Miss, I hope the day comes soon when I can take you as my wife.”
The old duke bowed slightly, leaving a lingering kiss on the back of Lucy’s hand. She felt his eyes burning with desire and greed, and shivers crawled over her body.
What is this old man saying? Wife?
Lucy froze, too shocked by the thunderous words.
“F-Father… what is happening?”
She asked in a trembling voice, turning to Baron Diallo nearby.
“Child, it’s not a dream. The duke has formally sent you a marriage proposal!”
“A-a proposal? What does that mean…?”
Before she could finish, the baron interrupted.
“It seems our Lucy is too excited to speak properly. Hahaha!”
Lucy was speechless at the absurdity.
“Then let’s meet on the day of the hunting tournament a week from now.”
With that, the duke left. Lucy finally turned to the baron.
“A marriage proposal? You’re not trying to marry me to that old man, are you?”
“This was meant to happen. That fraud almost sent you to some strange man! In the end, he didn’t have the courage to keep his word and ran off on the wedding day!”
Ran off?
So much for being dead, she thought. Lucy was confused, but at least she knew the baron’s story that the ‘fraud’ left a will and died was false.
“I can’t agree! This is my life, not yours to decide!”
Where did this courage come from? Infuriated, Lucy seemed to have lost her composure.
Though she had been treated poorly by the baron before, she had never spoken her mind like this.
“What did you say? You… you’ve lost your mind! I thought you were obedient lately!”
The baron’s furious voice boomed, and before she could react, Lucy was pushed to the floor.
Unable to dodge his strong grip, she thought: she must have really possessed that villainess from the novel.
Seeing the fat old duke who had just proposed to her only reinforced that certainty.
Huddled on the floor, she recalled the last memory of her previous life: the piercing sound of an ambulance siren, the familiar white ceiling, and the disinfectant smell that never got easier to bear.
These were the final fragments Sohee remembered after losing consciousness following a long battle with cancer.
