Chapter 2
“So… this is me.”
I stared at the unfamiliar woman in the mirror as if we were locked in a staring contest.
Pink eyes that didn’t feel like my own gazed back at me with startling clarity.
How is this even possible?
I’d hoped it had all been some bizarre dream brought on by working too much.
But the next day…
I was still Serphine Mirabel.
I’d grabbed and released my waist-length silver hair dozens of times by now.
At last, I decided to accept reality.
Fine. Maybe this is actually a second chance.
Perhaps heaven had taken pity on an overworked office drone who had died young from exhaustion.
The only problem…
…was that I was destined to die soon.
There wasn’t much point celebrating a new life if I was going to be killed before I even got the chance to live it.
Now then… how exactly did Serphine die again?
I’d finally been given another chance at life.
I had no intention of ending it with another gruesome death.
I searched every corner of my memory, trying to recall the original novel.
“In other transmigration stories, the protagonists can quote the novel word for word. Why can’t I remember anything?”
Maybe not everyone was cut out for transmigration.
Unfortunately, my memory wasn’t nearly good enough to recall entire passages like those lucky protagonists.
All I could remember were the major plot points and a handful of insignificant details.
Everything else had to be pieced together by guesswork.
With a heavy sigh, I flipped open a blank page in Serphine’s notebook and picked up a quill.
Thinking back over the story, there were only two things I knew for certain about Serphine’s death.
- She accepted a request from the Empress and brewed a deadly poison.
- She was quietly murdered on the Empress’s orders.
But I don’t know when she died… or how.
That was the most important part.
No matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn’t remember the novel ever mentioning it.
It had only implied that the Empress was responsible for her death.
Come to think of it, Serphine barely appeared in the story at all.
There was no reason for the author to devote much attention to a villainous side character who only appeared briefly before disappearing.
Either way, Serphine died a meaningless death… and now that’s going to happen to me.
There was no point agonizing over details the novel had never revealed.
If I wanted to survive, I needed a plan.
How much time is left until Founding Day?
My eyes shifted to the imperial calendar standing on the desk.
Among the countless notes Serphine had scribbled all over it, I found the date of the Founding Festival.
“…Twenty days.”
I checked the date because I wanted to estimate when the Empress’s request would arrive.
The Empress intended to poison the Crown Prince before the Founding Festival so that her own son could appear in his place, gain public favor, and establish his presence.
If that was her plan…
Then the request for the poison would reach me shortly before the festival.
That means… I really don’t have much time left.
My blood ran cold.
The Empress killed Serphine to eliminate evidence.
Which meant the moment I received that request—
Whether I accepted it or not—
My life would already be in danger.
What could an insignificant supporting character possibly do against the Empress of the Empire?
After a long, agonizing deliberation, I reached a conclusion.
…Run!
At the moment, it was the only solution.
I’d disappear somewhere no one could find me until the events of the original story were over.
If I vanish, the Empress will just have to find another way.
The plot might change slightly, but it shouldn’t affect the protagonists too much.
If Serphine had truly been that important, she wouldn’t have died so pointlessly at the beginning of the novel.
“Alright. I’m quitting.”
First, I had to leave the Magic Tower.
I’d resign, hide somewhere until the protagonists defeated the Empress, and then return to society afterward.
Scratch, scratch…
Without hesitation, I wrote my resignation letter.
Holding it with solemn determination, I headed for the very top of the Magic Tower.
The novel had only described Serphine as “a witch of the Magic Tower.”
It never mentioned…
…that she was actually the Tower Master’s secretary.
Naturally, if I wanted to quit, I’d have to tell the Tower Master.
So I climbed toward the highest floor of the Magic Tower, where he resided.
“Whew… This isn’t a staircase. It’s a torture device.”
The stairs just kept going.
And going.
And going.
It was the kind of staircase that would haunt your nightmares.
The Tower had clearly been built with absolutely no regard for convenience.
I guess they all just teleport everywhere.
But teleportation wasn’t nearly as simple as it sounded.
One small mistake could tear your body to pieces.
It was an extremely dangerous spell that only highly skilled senior mages could safely use.
Most of the mages in the Tower qualified.
Unfortunately…
Despite being described in the novel as a terrifying witch, Serphine possessed almost no magical power.
How does that make any sense?
As a bottom-tier mage, teleportation was completely beyond my abilities.
So I had no choice but to climb the stairs the old-fashioned way.
Finally reaching the last step, I bent over to catch my breath.
“Huff… Huff… I’m dying.”
There was only one room on the top floor.
The Tower Master’s office.
Walking across the long crimson carpet, I knocked on the door.
I waited for permission to enter.
Instead…
Creak.
The door opened by itself.
…Magic!
Opening doors with magic might be completely ordinary in this world.
But to someone who had only just transmigrated…
It was fascinating.
I guess that’s my invitation.
Carefully, I stepped inside.
Trying my best not to look around too obviously, I walked farther into the room.
At the far end, seated behind a desk covered with paperwork, was the Master of the Magic Tower.
Beside him sat a black cat lazily swishing its tail with an unmistakably smug expression.
Lucifer!
One glance at its glossy black fur was enough.
This was Lucifer—the Tower Master’s familiar.
Just as the novel had described, it looked irresistibly adorable.
I desperately wanted to pet it.
Unfortunately, Serphine’s memories warned me otherwise.
The cat had an absolutely horrible personality.
Better not touch it.
Avoiding the feline’s piercing glare, I approached the desk.
I quietly slid my resignation letter across it.
The Tower Master slowly raised his head.
“What is this?”
…Holy—
The moment I saw his face, every word vanished from my mind.
Can a person actually look like that?
His face was breathtakingly beautiful, as though sculpted by an artist.
Yet it still possessed the sharp, masculine lines that gave it an almost dangerous charm.
There was something decadent…
Fragile…
And strangely alluring about him.
He looked exactly like I’d imagined while reading the novel.
He’s far too handsome to be just the second male lead!
How incredible must the Crown Prince be to beat this face and remain the male lead?
Well… the heroine and the Crown Prince were childhood friends.
I guess you just can’t beat a childhood-friends romance.
Back when I’d read the novel, I’d been firmly on Team Second Male Lead.
Even now, I couldn’t help feeling it was a waste.
“I asked what this is, Serphine.”
Roakin’s voice pulled me back to reality.
Right.
I’m here to resign.
Even after transmigrating, I apparently couldn’t stop getting distracted by handsome faces.
I clenched my fist, reminding myself of my objective.
“It’s my resignation letter. I’m quitting.”
Ah…
That felt amazing.
In my previous life, I’d fantasized countless times about saying those words to my boss.
Actually saying them out loud was unbelievably satisfying.
“…Perhaps I misheard.”
“What did you just say?”
His sharp violet eyes stared at me blankly.
…Huh?
According to Serphine’s memories, the Tower Master was always cold as ice.
He never let his emotions show.
But now…
He looked genuinely stunned.
Honestly, I was more surprised than he was.
Well… I suppose anyone would be caught off guard if their perfectly reliable secretary suddenly quit.
I nodded firmly.
“I’m resigning.”
“…Why?”
“I’m afraid it’s a personal matter.”
“So you’re quitting without even explaining your reason?”
I nodded again.
As soon as I did, every trace of warmth disappeared from his face.
W-What’s with that expression…?
Even though the room was pleasantly warm from the fireplace, a chill crawled down my spine beneath his icy gaze.
It wasn’t like I wanted to quit for no reason.
But how was I supposed to tell him the truth?
“Actually, I’m someone who transmigrated into this novel, and if I stay here any longer, the Empress is going to murder me.”
He’d think I’d gone completely insane.
“I’d appreciate it if you could hire my replacement as soon as possible.”
Despite my request, Roakin merely tapped the desk with one long finger.
Silence filled the room.
Only the crackling of the fireplace could be heard.
“I don’t want to.”
Then he finally spoke.
And his answer was the last thing I’d expected.
“…Excuse me?”
“D-Don’t want to?”
I was so flustered that I could barely get the words out.
“You should at least fulfill the contract we agreed upon, Serphine.”
“…?”
With a flick of his hand, golden lines appeared in the air.
A sheet of paper materialized, densely covered in glowing letters.
The written language of this world resembled a mixture of pictographs and mathematical symbols.
Oddly enough, I could read it as naturally as my native language.
I quietly scanned the document.
This is… an employment contract!
It looked different from modern contracts, but there was no mistaking what it was.
One line shone especially brightly.
—Contract Duration: Three Years.
Quickly calculating from Serphine’s memories, I realized…
There was still one month left before the contract expired.
A whole month?
You’ve got to be kidding me.
By then, the Empress’s request would have arrived long ago.
If I obediently stayed until the contract ended…
I’d be a dead woman.
“There’s only one month left anyway…”
“Couldn’t you just terminate it now?”
I pleaded as earnestly as I could.
Without saying a word, Roakin picked up my resignation letter.
Then…
He crushed it in his hand.
Fwoosh.
Flames erupted from his fingertips, instantly engulfing the paper.
Within seconds, my resignation letter turned into black ash.
“…!”
I froze in shock.
The meaning of his actions couldn’t have been clearer.
Rejected.
“We’ll discuss it again in a month.”
The crimson firelight flickered across his eyes.
The moment our gazes met…
I knew, instinctively—
Something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.
