Chapter 1: CH 1

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a woman in a pure white dress in front of a mirror.

I blinked my eyes several times then closed my eyes again.

But soon.

Clap clap–!

“My lady, wake up! Your hair is going to get ruined. I’ve been working on it for hours.”

“…Huh?”

“Go ahead and straighten your head.”

“Where is this…?”

A woman wearing a maid’s uniform tilted her head and burst out laughing. “Are you so happy that you think you’re dreaming?”

“Ah, that’s understandable. In the end, your wish came true. That’s admirable, your tenacity–no, your love,” said another person in a maid outfit as she put a white veil over my head.

What the hell was going on? I felt like I was half-asleep.

“What exactly do you mean…”

“Wait, don’t move. We’re just about done now.”

They only stepped back after placing a massive tiara decorated with seemingly countless diamonds on top of my head.

There’s no way those diamonds were real.

I looked at the reflection in the mirror and saw a woman wearing a shiny white dress, a white veil draped over her face, and a tiara on her head.

That was no doubt the appearance of a bride.

That, in itself, was disconcerting, but there was something more.

Fluttering rose pink hair, which could never be achieved through bleaching and dyeing, was styled half up and finely combed on both sides of the shoulders.

I made eye contact with the woman in the mirror. This was me, but it wasn’t.

Bright, golden-yellow eyes were looking back at me.

Only then did it sink in that something was wrong.

Ah, that’s right. This was definitely a dream.

Before I could worry about how to wake up from the dream, someone came through the door and knocked.

Immediately, the chattering maids stopped and excused themselves.

The man by the door wore something like a uniform. His light blond hair was slicked back, revealing his handsome face.

Who was that man?

He leaned against the wall and looked at me with heartless eyes. The blue eyes looking at me were so cold.

“Listen carefully, Erin Spilet,” he said in a tone as cold as his stare.

So that’s the name of this body… but where did I hear that before?

“I’ve done as you wished, so don’t interfere with what happens after this.”

I looked up at him blankly.

I still didn’t know what was going on, but one thing I was sure of was that a man who’s getting married would not say that to his bride.

“No matter who I meet or where I go, never try to find out and look for me. Don’t expect anything from me. Do you understand?”

With that, the man turned around and left.

I was in a daze before he arrived but came to my senses as if his words had beaten me.

I frowned. “Wow, what… t-that guy.”

Meanwhile, the maids who had left before came back and fussed over my clothes and hair again.

They carefully looked at me.

“My lady, are you okay?”

It looked like they heard everything outside the door. I gave the most straightforward answer that came to mind.

“I’m okay.”

“You don’t seem like you are. Why did he raise his voice?”

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“No wonder you’re in shock… Now, get up. It’s time for the bride to enter soon.”

I really was okay.

I didn’t know that guy. I didn’t even know who I was.

Erin Spilet.

I muttered to myself, trying to recall any memories. One person grabbed my arm to guide me, and the other lifted the hem of my dress from behind.

As soon as we passed through the long hallway, bright light poured in from the large hall in front of us.

I naturally frowned at the sight of the hall. Countless people sat on both sides of the podium, and a gorgeous chandelier hung from the ceiling.

The groom had already entered.

Everyone’s attention was now on the bride who was about to enter. Some looked on in contempt, some in envy, and one avoided my gaze altogether.

My feet hurt from wearing the unfamiliar high heels. I wasn’t supposed to feel pain if this was a dream… right?

There were beautiful flower arrangements on both sides of the carpet lined in front of me. I stood at the end of the flower road and tried to figure out the situation while waiting.

Who am I, and where am I?

I made eye contact with the man standing in front of me, and his expression noticeably hardened. He looked as if he saw something he hated.

He looked away first. He looked around the hall, and when his gaze reached a particular spot, his face softened.

Why all of a sudden…?

A slender, brown-haired woman was sitting in the place where he had his focus, and while I could only see the back of her head, the woman seemed to be staring back at him.

The man looked almost as if he was about to cry. His lips faintly moved as if wanting to speak.

I saw it clearly.

The man was mouthing ‘I love you’ to the woman sitting in the distance.

That’s amazing. He had to say that here, at this moment.

It was so absurd that I couldn’t help but laugh.

Honestly, it I felt like I was watching a comedy movie.

Meanwhile, the bridal procession music started. As soon as I took a step along with the tune, my body faltered, and I collapsed.

The bride fell at her wedding. The moment I fell, a memory came to mind.

Erin Spilet.

It was the name of a supporting character in a novel.

After Erin married the hero, she became jealous of the heroine.

She tried to kill her countless times and failed just as much; she was consumed by her obsession and eventually tried to kill her unrequited love.

Erin Spilet was now a bride, but in this novel, she was clearly an uninvited guest.

The hero, my groom, and the heroine, a wedding guest, couldn’t stop staring at each other.

I could only hear the murmurs around me now.

Really, I’m Erin Spilet…?

As I tried to get up and walk again, I noticed a broken heel. Ha, no wonder I fell.

I took off both shoes on the spot and held them in my hand. The wide-eyed crowd turned to me. The hem of my dress was also crumpled, so I picked it up and briskly walked toward the platform.

It didn’t matter what the crowd thought. They were people I didn’t know anyway.

I also wanted to ask the hero to stop this wedding and just marry that woman.

But in the novel, while it wasn’t obvious, Erin had her own reason to marry the hero. She was in debt was on the verge of being sold off if she didn’t pay it back. This wedding was a means to settle that huge debt.

When I stood face-to-face with the hero, I lowered the hem I had been holding and stood straight.

He held my gloved fingertips very lightly, and we stood side-by-side in front of the podium.

Instead of a bouquet, I held the broken shoes in one hand and the hand of a man who hated me in the other.

“Do you, Lord Rupert Clifford[1], take Lady Erin Spilet as your wife…”

Lines

Lines I was familiar with because it was in a novel passed by quickly, but the man’s name stayed in my head.

Lord Rupert Clifford.

The moment I heard the name, it finally sank in that I really was in a novel.

My body was covered in goosebumps.

Meanwhile, Rupert was trying to somehow look behind him. I felt bad to see a handsome man doing it and wanted to put a pair of eyes on the back of his head.

After the bishop’s long speech, it was finally time to kiss.

“The bride and groom must kiss in front of the goddess Tersa and all of the guests here to seal the marriage.”

Oh, how I hate this moment.

As we faced each other, I saw his frown once more.

It couldn’t be good for me.

No, Erin Spilet liked Rupert, so she would probably like it.

I saw Rupert clenching his teeth and clenching his fists. I gripped the side of my dress and closed my eyes.

This was all for show anyway, so I could just touch his lips or pretend to touch it. I closed my eyes to comfort myself, but no matter how long I waited, no kiss came.

When I opened my eyes a little, Rupert was still standing stiffly.

What, you’re not gonna do it?

I felt my face heat up as the guests started whispering.

I wouldn’t even guess how funny and desperate it looked to see a woman closing her eyes and puckering her lips out alone at a wedding.

I was angry, embarrassed, and wanted to cry, but the ‘woe is me’ act didn’t suit Erin Spilet or me.

In a quiet voice that others would not hear, I said to Rupert, “Why don’t we just pretend we’re doing it? You can’t even do that?”

In the end, I reached out first. After pulling on his coat, I pretended to kiss him before pulling away.

No big deal, right?