CHAPTER 1
I gazed at the slightly protruding lips of the peculiar child and calmly asked, “Thanks for making time today. I brought this to share. Won’t you have some?”
I extended a delicious-looking nut-filled pie towards the child.
At that, a hint of life returned to their dry eyes.
“I knew you’d like it. It was a good idea to ask the chef,” I thought to myself proudly, waiting
eagerly for Cassel to eat.
“Sir, please try it just once, for Madam’s sake,” the maids beside me urged Cassel.
Reluctantly, as if begrudgingly reaching out, Cassel took the nut pie.
Although he seemed to be trying not to show it, Cassel’s lips hinted at some dissatisfaction.
“Is it good, Cassel?”
Cassel, who had been hesitating for a while, looked at me and spoke soberly, “It’s not good. We might need to change the chef.”
I felt crestfallen at his words.
“What went wrong? Was there not enough sugar? Was the dough not properly cooked?”
Today was the first time we had enjoyed tea time together like this, as I usually kept my distance. But now, it seemed that my attempt to make something he liked had backfired and left Cassel in a bad mood.
“I’m sorry. I must have been clumsy.”
Cassel hesitated at my apology before asking, “Did you make this yourself?”
“Since you like it. I haven’t cooked much before, so it might not taste right…”
Crunch.
“Huh? Cassel?”
Cassel, who had set the pie down, began eating again. He stuffed his cheeks with it like a squirrel.
Startled by his voracious appetite, I widened my eyes.
“You don’t have to force yourself!”
“It’s not like that. Do you know who I care about? I’m eating it because I like it.”
“But you said it doesn’t taste good…”
“I’ve eaten more, so it’s not so bad.”
With that, Cassel swallowed three more pieces of the nut pie right there.
Watching him eat so eagerly, I couldn’t help but laugh.
I laughed, remembering that I had been possessing this body for three months now.
The child enthusiastically devouring the nut pie in front of me was none other than the male lead from the novel I had possessed.
Cardiselle Lophram.
That was the name of the male lead in the R-rated novel “Torn Wings” that I had binge-read until my last moments.
And Cheryl Lophram. That was the name of the body I had possessed.
I had become the negligent mother who abandoned the young male lead in the trashy novel.
***
When I first opened my eyes, I found myself inhabiting a woman’s body that I didn’t recognize.
As I touched my forehead in pain from a severe headache, fragments of unfamiliar memories from the woman began to trickle in sporadically.
They seemed to be memories of the original body’s owner.
Realizing that I had just awakened from the accident, along with the voices calling me “madam,” I became aware of where I was.
Being touched by people I didn’t know made me feel like I was dreaming.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes, what is it, madam?”
“…I want to go out for a moment.”
Confused, I decided that I needed to get out of here and look around.
Then a maid answered, “But you were in an accident and your body…”
“Madam!”
As I tried to get up from the bed, my whole body protested.
Eventually, as I hesitated, I sighed and sat back down.
A glimpse of my reflection in the mirror next to the bed caught my eye.
My silver hair cascading down to my waist swayed gently.
My flawless skin and harmonious facial features surprised me, although the slightly raised eyes seemed cold, the bright eyes seemed to captivate people.
Unconsciously, I let out a sigh of admiration.
“…You’re beautiful.”
Upon hearing my own mutterings, the maids glanced at me cautiously and said, “Yes! You’ve always been beautiful, madam!”
“You’re known as the Empire’s most beautiful woman!”
“The esteemed Lady Cheryl Lophram, wife of the noble Lord Lophram!”
Their awkward compliments made my face flush.
Then I noticed something strange and asked.
“I heard the name Lophram somewhere… Do my name is Cheryl Lophram? And do I have a son named Cardiselle Lophram…?”
As if my question were absurd, the maid laughed and replied, “Yes. The esteemed Lady Cheryl Lophram is the only one. And you do have Master Cardiselle. Why do you suddenly ask?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just a mistake.”
I despaired.
Before his death, Cardiselle Lophram was the name of the psychopathic male lead in the R-rated novel “Torn Wings” that I had read.
“Moreover, Cheryl Lophram! She’s the mother who abandoned the young male lead.”
I recalled the sporadic memories that had come to me.
I wondered if there were any useful memories among them.
But my memory of the nobleman’s life was vague.
It seemed that only the part I didn’t want to remember had been erased, so it was of no help.
I was in a state of confusion when it happened.
I heard a steady footstep approaching.
The bustling people all lowered their heads at once.
Thunk. The sound of a door opening accompanied the entrance of a man.
His beautiful features and sharp nose captivated everyone’s attention. His thick eyebrows and
the glint of gold beneath them were visible. The man’s tall figure seemed to loom over me, exuding an intimidating aura as he looked at me with a piercing gaze.
“I thought you’d scream or throw something at me as soon as you saw me…”
His low voice sent shivers down my spine.
‘Who is this threatening yet dangerous-looking man? He seems vaguely familiar from my memories…’
The maid beside me cautiously responded to his gaze.
“Sir, the lady has recently had an accident and needs rest. So, if you could refrain from…”
At her words, he curled his lips into a smirk. His intense gaze swallowed me up like scorching sunlight, making me swallow dryly.
“Ha. I see. As always.”
Slowly, he approached me.
I wondered if he was trying to threaten me, but there was a strange resignation mixed in his expression, so I just blinked blankly.
His outstretched hand ruffled my hair.
I involuntarily flinched, and he withdrew his hand, then clenched his fist so tightly that his veins bulged.
And he whispered to me so that only I could hear.
“My lady. Now you’re even faking fainting spells. It must have been quite difficult to fake something so unconvincing. You should have waited a little longer. I won’t be around the mansion for a while.”
His voice, devoid of any emotion, echoed weakly in my ears. Without any remorse, he left my room.
As he left, the tension that had settled in the air dissipated.
Though I couldn’t understand the whole situation, one thing was clear:
The owner of this body, whom I had possessed, did not have a good relationship with her husband.
In my confusion, not knowing what to do, I rubbed my temples.
“Madam, are you okay?”
A worried voice from the maid.
I nodded and made a request.
“I’m feeling hungry as soon as I wake up. Could you bring me some clear soup? And there are too many people around, making me feel uneasy. Could you please clear them out?”
Upon hearing this, the maid nodded and led the other maids away.
I reviewed the current situation now that I was alone.
I could somewhat understand being possessed by someone else. But why me?
Whenever I think of Cardiselle, all that comes to mind are his bloodthirsty and insane remarks. The dialogues he used on the fleeing heroine came back to me as well.
“If you want to leave, you can. I’m generous. But if you decide to stay with me, be prepared. I’ll make sure you never leave my side by chaining your ankles.”
The mental state of the male lead in the R-rated novel, where he isolated and imprisoned the heroine under the guise of love, was obvious from the start. It was often commented that just getting entangled with such male leads in these trashy novels meant certain death.
To be possessed not as the heroine, not even as a supporting character, but as the mother!
Thinking about it, in the original novel, there was no mention of the male lead’s parents at all.
“Could it be that I’m going to die? In these trashy novels, the male leads often eliminate anything or anyone that hinders them, especially if it’s their bad parents…”
“What am I going to do now?”
I despaired, envisioning my future.
Until I saw my puffed-up cheek before it popped.
***
“Madam, are you feeling better now?”
I nodded in response to the concerned question.
It had been a few days since I was possessed by this body.
At first, I was worried about being inside Cheryl Lophram’s body.
But surprisingly, life here was more peaceful than I expected.
As a noblewoman, there were tasks to attend to, but I rested in bed as the doctor advised me to take it easy until I recovered.
Eating the food brought by the maids and resting in bed, my body quickly regained its strength.
During the rest, I calmly organized my thoughts.
Being in this situation was inevitable, so I had to accept the current circumstances.
And I needed to approach my son to improve our relationship.
But then, as I rested, I realized that my son hadn’t come to see me even once.
“It seems like our relationship is worse than I thought… Is he okay?”
