Chapter 1
It’s already been four years since I got engaged to Cassien Ersian… no, the male lead.
To put it another way, it’s been four years since Cassien has hesitated to marry me for no clear reason.
And when he suddenly showed up at my house, this is what he said:
“I was thinking we could delay our wedding for one more year.”
He didn’t even bother to greet me, nor did he look the least bit sorry.
“What do you think?”
What did I think? Seriously?
I was too stunned to speak. Not long ago, he had told me he wouldn’t delay the wedding anymore. He must have forgotten that entirely.
There was a long silence, and just as it started to feel awkward, his gaze, which had been fixed outside the window, finally turned to me.
“Loelle. Did you hear me?”
“Yeah.”
“So we’re delaying it, then?”
Without even waiting for my answer, Cassien moved on like he already knew what I would say.
“Oh, and about our meeting tomorrow—something urgent came up, so I don’t think I can make it.”
Again, he didn’t look sorry at all. After saying something so ridiculous, Cassien turned back to the window.
“Cassien.”
“Yeah, Loelle?”
At his mechanical response, I felt something snap inside my head. What I said next was something the old me would never have dared to say.
“Let’s break off the engagement.”
It was all because of Cassien.
I had known for as long as I could remember—
That the world I lived in was actually the setting of a novel I read in my past life: How to Tame Your Arrogant Lover.
For short, Taming.
The story was about a carefree male lead who falls for a strong, determined female lead. But unable to accept his feelings, he becomes the classic “regretful ex.” In the later part of the story, he desperately clings to the heroine. A typical regret-and-beg-for-forgiveness story.
In Taming, my role was just a side character.
A tool meant to show what kind of person Cassien, the male lead, was. Used and tossed aside without hesitation.
After Cassien dumps me, I get engaged to Duke Reus of the Rochester family, following my family’s decision.
Sounds like a better deal than being abandoned by the male lead?
“Yeah, right…”
I have serious complaints about my role and background in the story.
Especially the engagement to Reus Rochester.
Because Duke Rochester—Reus—is actually the villain in Taming.
Not long after our engagement, Reus storms the imperial palace with his knights. But the rebellion fails. In the end, Reus, his fiancée (me), and my entire family are annihilated.
As if it weren’t enough to be dumped by the male lead, I’m fated to a tragic end.
Still… I didn’t try to change the original story.
In fact, I followed the plot faithfully for 22 years.
I was afraid that messing with the story would come back to bite me. That I’d die even earlier if I tried to change it.
“Oh right… there was a time I tried to change it, because of Cassien.”
But it didn’t last long.
I realized no matter what I did, Cassien wasn’t going to change, so I gave up quickly.
Anyway, from then on, I stayed in line with my role in front of the male lead.
But just now, Cassien crossed the line.
So I told him I wanted to break off the engagement—out of pure frustration!
And this jerk didn’t take it seriously at all.
With his usual smile, he calmly asked,
“Huh? What did you say, Loelle?”
What did I ever see in him that made me love him like I’d give him my heart and soul?
“Loelle?”
I used to think his face alone was enough to make me happy, but now just looking at him made my blood boil.
Barely holding onto my temper, I said with some irritation,
“I said, let’s break up. Our engagement.”
Cassien, who had been lounging with his legs crossed and staring at the garden, finally turned to face me.
“What?”
He squinted, like he couldn’t believe his ears. I smiled brightly at him and ended it.
“Let’s call off the engagement, Cassien.”
“Ugh, so annoying.”
I had finally worked up the courage to say it, but Cassien seemed to think I was just being a little whiny. He said he had an urgent appointment and left the parlor, telling me we could talk again tomorrow.
Left alone, I sat where he had just been and stared out the window. The rare flowers in the garden bloomed in full, each flaunting their colors.
“It is pretty.”
So pretty that you could forget who you were talking to—just like my mother, Peria.
Thinking that made my mother’s face pop into my head. She’s not going to hear I asked to break off the engagement… right?’
I had acted on impulse because I felt backed into a corner. But if Peria found out, it would be the end for me.
“As long as it doesn’t reach her ears, it’s fine…”
Ugh, whatever. It’ll work out somehow.
Cassien didn’t even take it seriously anyway. He’ll probably forget after seeing another woman. He said he’d come tomorrow, but I doubt he actually will.
No use thinking about it. Wasting energy on pointless things, I got up and left the parlor.
As I walked through the corridor connecting the main house and the annex to head to my room, I saw someone standing at the entrance.
It was my half-sister, Briella, who tilted her head and smiled.
“He cheated on you again, huh?”
They say if you hold back three times, even murder can be avoided.
‘Deep breath…’
I tried to walk past her, calming myself down. But then—
“This time it’s Lady Verodica, right? Oh… you didn’t know? That woman who always pretended to be sweet to you. Ring any bells?”
At the name “Verodica,” I automatically stopped walking.
That woman with the bright violet hair and red eyes—she was one of the villains who tormented the female lead in the original story.
‘So this is when Cassien and Verodica meet.’
What Briella said was surprising, but it didn’t make me angry.
‘I really don’t feel anything. I should’ve been like this from the start. Why did I try so hard to follow the original plot?
Even if I break off the engagement with the male lead, it’s not like I immediately get engaged to the villain.
That only happens because Reus thinks my family will be useful when he starts his rebellion.
Reus’s rebellion doesn’t happen for another two years. Me breaking off the engagement doesn’t move up the timeline, right?
Of course not.
‘Even if it did, I’d probably just change my identity and run away first.’
Then Briella said,
“They’re going on a cozy little date tomorrow… to the theater, I think? Too bad for you, sis.”
I didn’t know if Cassien and Verodica were really meeting or going to the theater.
“Is that so? Thanks for the info.”
Still, I answered like that.
Briella looked confused for a moment, but quickly smirked again. She must’ve thought I was just pretending not to care.
“He canceled your plans today because of her, didn’t he? If it were me, I’d be too ashamed to show my face.”
“You’ve been engaged for four years already. How pitiful. Oh, let me guess—he’s going to delay it again?”
When I didn’t respond, Briella got excited and really started laying into me.
“What are you going to do if Cassien actually dumps you? At least try to keep him, sis. Who knows? If you beg hard enough, he might marry you out of pity.”
“Yeah. He did say he wanted to delay it again. As for trying… I’m not so sure.”
“W-What?”
Briella looked shocked, like she expected me to cry this time.
“I think we’ve said all we need to. I’ll be going now, Bri.”
Her sharp voice called after me.
“Hey! Are you insane? Stop right there! Hey! Loelle! Hey!!”
When I didn’t turn around, she started screaming that I’d lost my mind, that I’d only come to my senses after marrying some old man, throwing all kinds of curses.
I ignored her and kept walking toward the annex.
‘Not that it matters. I plan to leave the empire before any of that happens.’
With lighter steps. Maybe it was the relief, but I slept deeply for the first time in a while.
Then suddenly, early in the morning, a bunch of maids barged into my tiny room.
Before I could even open my eyes properly, they dragged me to the room in the main house.
When I asked why, all they said was:
“It’s Madam’s orders.”
‘Couldn’t they at least give me a heads-up when there’s a guest…?’
Normally, I lived in the annex.
In a dusty little storeroom tucked away in the farthest corner—because that was the only space my mother, Peria, allowed me to have.
But on days like this, when we had unexpected guests, I had to sit in the fancy room prepared just for show.
If I have to sit here anyway, wouldn’t it be easier to just let me live here…?’
I complained inwardly, but I knew the truth.
Peria was the kind of person who would go out of her way to make sure I never felt comfortable or happy.
