~Chapter 01~
“It’s Lord Ricardo!”
Rayla nudged me excitedly in the ribs.
I stuffed the macaron I was holding into my mouth in one bite and silently watched a man walking across the ballroom.
Ricardo Hessen.
The one and only heir to the Empire’s only ducal family.
“Shouldn’t you at least say hello?”
Rayla asked me urgently.
Say hello? No way. Pretending not to know him was clearly better for both of us.
See? We definitely made eye contact, but he’s walking straight toward the heroine.
Ricardo gracefully kissed the back of Idette’s hand for all to see.
The noble ladies around us fainted in excitement.
Some even gave me looks of pity, but it didn’t matter to me.
I had no expectations, so there was no disappointment.
But Rayla seemed to feel differently.
Looking a bit down, she murmured,
“I thought he’d come to you first…”
“…”
“But he’ll be kinder once you’re married.”
She added gently, as if trying to comfort me, and softly patted my shoulder.
I appreciated her kindness, but it wasn’t something I wanted.
Ricardo? Kind? Even a stray dog passing by would laugh at that.
Still, I couldn’t blame Rayla for being so worked up.
Why?
Because Ricardo was my fiancé.
Even if neither of us wanted the engagement.
“Five Ways to Tame Evil”
That’s the title of the novel I’ve been reincarnated into.
It’s a cliché-packed romance fantasy where three male leads compete for the heroine, Idette.
I became Bianca, the fiancée of one of those male leads, Ricardo.
In the original story, she begged her grandfather to force an engagement with Ricardo.
Well, Ricardo was handsome, just like a proper male lead should be, so I thought I’d benefit from it in some way.
At first, that’s what I thought.
But…
“Just because we knew each other from childhood, don’t think that means I’ll treat you kindly.”
The cold look Ricardo gave me was terrifying.
Yes, that’s right.
Ricardo hated Bianca deeply.
They had known each other since childhood, but young Bianca tormented him terribly.
She had a crush on him and didn’t know how to handle rejection, so she acted out.
That turned into trauma for him.
And now, to Ricardo, I was just someone he despised.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Once I realized the full story, I tried to cancel the engagement.
But…
“Haha, seeing you both grow up so well makes me feel truly proud.”
“Now that I’ve witnessed my grandson and my dear friend’s granddaughter engaged, I can die without regrets.”
The House of Hessen and the Marquisate of Roigin.
Ricardo’s grandfather and mine were best friends.
They met on the battlefield and made a promise in the face of death:
If they both survived, they would marry off their grandchildren to each other.
And now, here we are.
On the day of our engagement, Ricardo was furious.
It’s hard even to think back on it.
“Are you finally satisfied? I can’t imagine what you said to Grandfather to bring about this ridiculous childhood promise.”
“Hey, I’m not happy about this either!”
“…You expect me to believe that?”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
I told him the truth, but Ricardo clearly didn’t believe me.
Just like in the original story, he thought I threw a tantrum and forced the engagement through.
It was so unfair. I could scream.
Who said I ever wanted to marry you?
I fiddled with my wineglass and watched Ricardo dance with Idette in the ballroom.
He always looked annoyed when he saw me, but now he was all smiles.
Ugh.
Are you that happy?
Fine. I’ll find someone who actually likes me!
Not someone like you!
As always, the second male lead is only ever in love with the heroine.
Getting married to someone like that is just absurd.
I made up my mind.
I would not be swayed by that handsome face.
It is best to treat a second male lead like a rock.
Is there a simpler rule than this?
Compared to math formulas, this is the easiest one.
After the party.
Grandfather welcomed me home warmly.
“Sweetheart, how was your day?”
His gentle hand reached out to me, and I almost cried.
He smiled softly and brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
He was the only guardian of Bianca and Cedric, having lovingly raised them after their parents died young.
The reason I was able to adjust so quickly after being reincarnated into the novel was all thanks to him.
“It was fun, but…”
It would’ve been a perfect party if Ricardo hadn’t been there.
As my face darkened at the thought of him, my grandfather’s expression also turned gloomy.
Oops—
I didn’t mean to make him worry.
I quickly smiled and said,
“I’m just a little tired.”
My grandfather quietly patted my hand as he stared at me.
“…Is it because of Ricardo?”
As expected, you can’t fool age and experience. I hadn’t even mentioned Ricardo yet.
“That boy can be a bit blunt, but he’s still a kind child.”
…That only applies to the heroine and older people.
It seemed my grandfather didn’t know about Idette’s existence yet.
I thought about telling him that Ricardo loved someone else, but I hesitated.
I had been considering it for a long time, but in the end, I swallowed my words.
‘…Now isn’t the right time.’
Grandfather’s health was poor.
And his biggest wish was for me and Ricardo to be engaged.
He wanted me, who had lost my parents early, to start a family and become a woman who was loved.
I didn’t want to burden him with more worries by telling him about Ricardo.
I didn’t care if Ricardo loved Idette or not.
But to Grandfather, it wouldn’t be such a simple matter.
He might be consumed by guilt, thinking he forced the engagement on us.
And then, what if his condition got worse because of that…
I held my grandfather’s hand tightly.
“I know. The Duke is much kinder than he seems.”
In the original novel, that was true.
But Ricardo already loved Idette.
Even in the epilogue, he couldn’t forget her and lived alone his entire life.
That image of him was still vivid in my mind.
I was lost in thought, but snapped out of it at the sound of my grandfather coughing.
“You should get some rest. It’s late.”
“Yes, Bianca. You have a good night too.”
He kissed me gently on the forehead.
His gaze briefly fell on the key hanging around my neck.
Creak…
I quietly left my room and pulled out the key I had tucked inside my clothes.
It was something I’d had since I was a child—so long ago I barely remembered.
It was the only item that proved my reincarnation wasn’t a dream.
It had crossed over into this world with me, and that alone amazed me.
Just then, I saw Cedric walking toward the hallway, maybe going to see Grandfather.
Cedric Roigin, Bianca’s older brother.
He was five years older than her.
You’d think Cedric and Bianca would be close, since they lost their parents early.
But in reality, they weren’t.
Not enemies or anything, just distant.
Neither of them had warm personalities, so their relationship was just plain and indifferent.
A sibling bond with barely any conversation.
There are plenty of novels with siblings who are super close… but not in this one.
I hoped Cedric would just walk past me.
But unexpectedly, he stopped right in front of me.
A heavy silence fell.
Feeling awkward, I darted my eyes around and tried to break the silence.
“Are you going to see Grandfather?”
“…Yeah.”
“He said he’s sleeping. Maybe you could go tomorrow instead?”
Was I meddling too much?
Cedric didn’t reply.
Instead, he just stared at me.
His gaze made me uncomfortable, so I lowered my head and nervously fiddled with my hands.
Eventually, he looked away.
I finally exhaled the breath I’d been holding and quickly spoke.
“Well then, have a good night.”
I turned to leave—
“…Bianca Roigin.”
“Yes?”
Cedric calling me by my full name…
That’s not normal.
Something’s definitely up.
Definitely interesting 🤔