“This can’t be happening.”
I trembled as I held my phone tightly in my hand.
The fantasy romance novel I had sobbed over for the past year, The Curly-Haired Grand Duchess, had just ended.
And with it… the tragic death of my favorite sub male lead, Sion Luxior.
“This just can’t be real…!!!”
I buried my face into the bed and let out a guttural scream.
Sion Luxior.
Who was he?
In a world overflowing with Emperor male leads, Duke male leads, northern Grand Duke male leads, and the like, he was that rare gem—a knight male lead.
And not just any knight. A cold and lonely northern knight who showed warmth only to his beloved woman!
A loyal, one-sided love character.
He was the one who got me hopelessly hooked on second male leads. A character so perfectly tailored to my taste, it felt like he was crafted down to the cellular level just for me.
“Sniff sniff, Sion…”
And true to the fate of all sub male leads, Sion died a lonely death on a cold, snowy field—his unrequited love never returned.
Even in his final moments, he clung to his pure and earnest love for the female lead.
“This is… this is just too unfair. Sion deserved her love more than anyone!”
I sobbed and pounded the bed with my fists. Then I glared at the novel’s cover, where the female and male leads smiled blissfully, and hurled curses at them.
“You ungrateful, heartless jerks! Get divorced in the side stories!”
But unlike my bitter feelings, the comment section was already overflowing with readers celebrating the protagonists’ happily-ever-after.
Comments
◇ This is insaneㅠㅠ What a god-tier perfect endingㅠㅠ
◇ F-I-N-A-L-L-Y complete!!!! ;ㅁ;
◇ Truly, this novel healed my year-long slump… Thank you for an amazing story, authorㅜ_ㅜ
◇ My babies went through so much! Now go live happily ever after! (Grandma smile)
◇ Starting the wait for the side stories today!
◇ 222 Let’s go newlywed stories!
◇ 33333 Bring on the parenting arc!!!
◇ Now what do I live for…
◇ I loved you so much, Theon.
◇ ? Who are you, talking about my man?
◇ ?? And who are you, taking my husband??
◇ ??? Who are you two to claim someone else’s son???
Only a handful of readers, like me, mourned the tragic and meaningless end of Sion.
◇ Author…? What the heck is this…?
◇ So it’s really over. Delisted for good, huh… LOL…
◇ Msdlfjweoiur… (incoherent sobbing)
“Haa…”
With a sigh soaked in tears, I hurriedly checked the author’s afterword.
(To all the readers who loved The Curly-Haired Grand Duchess, I sincerely thank you. If the opportunity arises, I hope to return with side stories that capture the warmth of the North’s winter.
— Winter Goddess)
As expected—but still disappointing.
Not even a single line… not a single word about the sub male lead who was discarded like a used rag after serving the main characters.
I flopped onto my bed and stared up at the worn-out ceiling of my tiny rental apartment, mumbling to myself.
“…What a crappy world.”
I mean, yeah, I know the world’s unfair and dirty—but I had hoped the fictional world would be different.
Even if my real life was a mess, I wished my favorite character could at least find happiness in my place.
But sadly, my fave was a sub male lead.
A character doomed never to find love.
Unlike the main male lead, who stumbled into luck and miraculous encounters every time he breathed, Sion never got even a sliver of fortune.
“Sure, not everyone can be a main character… but come on. This is just cruel.”
Sion went through hell—facing danger and hardship behind the scenes for the female lead, sacrificing everything—and this is how it ends for him?
“Sniff. If only there had been at least one person… someone who supported Sion’s love.”
Just as I muttered those hollow words—
Ding!
A notification popped up on my phone.
“…Huh?”
[Event Host: Congratulations, dear reader Kim Lin! ^0^/
You’ve been selected for the hidden event celebrating the completion of <The Curly-Haired Grand Duchess>:
<Become Your Bias’s Devotion Fairy!!>
A legendary event made for true fans who care more about their faves than their own real life!
Would you like to participate?
[Accept] / [Decline]
Note: Participation is final and cannot be withdrawn. Please consider carefully!]
“…<Become Your Bias’s Devotion Fairy>?”
I stared at the message with cold, dead eyes.
From my years of web novel experience, I could already guess what this was.
Some greedy marketing ploy using reader loyalty to push overpriced merch under the guise of an “event.”
“What a joke. What even is this—”
…Like they even need to ask.
Without hesitation, I hit [Accept].
“Sion merch? Count me in.”
My heart pounded as I stared at the screen.
But no matter how long I waited, the dark screen didn’t change.
Just when I started wondering what was going on—
Whooooosh—
“…?”
Something small and white fell gently across the screen.
Snow.
Snow was falling… inside my shabby semi-basement apartment.
I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was hallucinating.
Ding!
“…???”
This time, what appeared in front of me was what they call a system window.
[Event Host: Thank you for accepting the invitation to the <Become Your Bias’s Devotion Fairy!> event!
From this moment on, we welcome you into the world of The Curly-Haired Grand Duchess!
May the blessings of the goddess be with you! ^0^/]
And with that—I blacked out.
***
“Ugh…”
When I opened my eyes again,
I was somewhere completely unfamiliar.
“W-Where am I…?”
It looked exactly like the inside of a medieval castle—straight off the cover of a romance fantasy novel.
Even snow was falling outside the window.
Whoooosh—
“Achoo!”
Shivering from the intense cold, I looked around.
But something felt… off.
“…What the heck…”
My jaw dropped.
The height of the hallway ceiling, the size of the floor tiles, even the little weeds growing by the wall—
Everything was absurdly oversized.
“…????”
My head was spinning with question marks when—
Ding!
[Event Host: Welcome to the world of <The Curly-Haired Grand Duchess>, dear Devoted Fairy! ^0^/
From now on, you’re no longer just an ordinary reader—
You’ve been chosen by the world itself as a certified Devoted Fairy! (DUN DUN!!)
Feel free to fan over and support your favorite character to your heart’s content!]
“…This is insane.”
I cursed out loud.
“So you’re telling me… that ridiculous event message was actually real?”
All I wanted was to buy some Sion merch—and now here I was, suddenly possessed and dropped into the story.
The setup was flimsy and totally lacked effort.
And on top of that…
“‘Devoted Fairy’… seriously?”
Feeling a deep sense of unease, I nervously gulped.
Then I slowly looked down to check my appearance.
And sure enough—
“…Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
Just one glance was enough to know—I wasn’t human anymore.
My proportions were comically unrealistic, barely two or three heads tall.
Except for the skin on my hands and limbs, my entire body and hair were a painfully vibrant shade of pink.
And my outfit?
The pink fleece pajamas and fuzzy slippers I had been lounging in before this happened.
Humiliating, to say the least.
And worse…
“….”
I felt a strange, alien sensation at my shoulder blades.
Turning my stiff neck with some effort, I peeked behind me.
There they were—
A tiny, pitiful pair of wings fluttering on my back.
“What the hell is this?!”
I yelled at the top of my lungs in utter rage.
It was bad enough that I was randomly transported into a fantasy world—but this ridiculous, cheap-looking character design?
Unacceptable.
But what really made zero sense about this situation was—
“‘Devoted Fairy’ my butt! My favorite character, Sion, is already dead! What am I supposed to fangirl over now?!”
That’s right.
My fave—the very one I was supposed to support and obsess over—was already dead, buried, and had a gravestone erected in the original story.
“I’m not doing this. Send me back, now!”
I stomped my feet furiously and shouted.
And then—
Ding!
[Devotion Goal: Help your favorite, Sion Luxior, find love and happiness!]
Ding!
[Event Host: This event begins in Northern Luxior Grand Duchy, year 918 of the Continental Calendar!
Once the fangirl mission is complete, the event will automatically end!
Good luck and happy fangirling!!! ^0^/]
I opened my eyes wide.
“…Year 918?”
That’s when the original story began.
Which meant—
“Sion… is still alive!”
A shiver of electricity jolted through me like a bird struck by lightning.
And I clenched my fists with fiery resolve.
“…Alright dumbass. It’s over for everyone now.”
Until this ridiculous reincarnation ends, I’ll make up for all the fangirling I couldn’t do in real life.
“I’m coming for you, Sion.”
Your Tinkerbell.
Your fairy godmother.
Your devoted Fangirl Fairy is on her way!
“No matter what it takes, I will change Sion’s fate into a happy ending!!”
My solemn declaration echoed grandly through the halls of the Northern Grand Duke’s castle.
I wonder how a human-fairy hybrid would look like. Or how one would even be conceived.