Chapter 01
“Then, did you two marry for love?”
It was, in a way, a rather rude question.
The ladies invited to the mansion didn’t bother with formalities and instead bombarded me with their curiosity.
Johannes Schultz, who had disappeared after leaving behind countless rumors, had finally appeared. And he had married a commoner woman at that.
It was natural for them to be curious.
Their openly intrigued gazes felt quite burdensome.
“Of course. We’re completely immersed in newlywed bliss.”
I didn’t react to their excessive interest. Instead, I simply gave an appropriate response and took a sip of my tea.
“To think you married Duke Schultz, the idol of all! You must be overjoyed, Duchess.”
“I’ve always dreamed of living in Müssen. It’s such a beautiful place.”
“I’m curious about how you first met. Where and how did it happen?”
At that last question, all eyes turned to me.
I hesitated among the eager, expectant ladies.
How on earth was I supposed to explain this?
“Our first meeting? Well… How did we meet again…?”
Sensing my reluctance to speak, the ladies waved their hands dismissively and urged me on.
“There’s no need to be shy.”
“Exactly! This is how we all got to know each other.”
“The Duke, who never kept a woman by his side, must have been charmed by something special about you.”
They seemed to think I was just being bashful. But I was far from shy.
I was simply at a loss for words.
“Haha…”
I answered with another sip of tea.
Though they looked a bit disappointed, they brushed it off with, “There will be plenty of chances to ask later.”
At least I had dodged the immediate crisis.
Hiding my unease, I smiled lightly at them, silently praying they wouldn’t ask any more difficult questions.
Then, with a faint, unreadable expression, I gazed out the window, letting out a barely perceptible sigh.
I thought about the person who had upended my perfectly normal life.
Lately, I had been enjoying a seemingly perfect newlywed life with an ideal husband.
But there was one problem.
I was starting to think my husband might be a serial killer.
This is not the world I used to live in.
I realized this fact not too long ago.
While enjoying what seemed like an objectively perfect marriage, I suddenly remembered something I wished I hadn’t.
It happened exactly a week ago, during a conversation with my husband.
“What do you think of ‘Primwood’?”
Johannes wanted to give our mansion a name.
As we exchanged ideas, he brought up the name “Primwood.”
“Primwood…?”
“It’s after your name. And the mansion is surrounded by a forest, after all.”
He smiled as he spoke, but something felt eerily familiar.
I couldn’t recall exactly, but I was certain I had heard that name somewhere before.
And it wasn’t in a good way.
I pushed the unease aside and carefully objected.
“After my name? But this is the Schultz family estate. And we’ve only just married.
It might be too soon… Things could change.”
“Are you suggesting we might divorce?”
His voice was unexpectedly cold as he cut me off.
His extreme reaction caught me off guard, but I understood that we needed to appear perfect to others.
I gently tried to soothe him.
“That’s not what I meant. Just that we could take our time. Besides, naming the mansion after me… What would the late Duke think?”
“The opinion of a dead man hardly matters now.”
“But…”
“Edith Schultz.”
He firmly called my name.
I didn’t know why he was so insistent on using my original surname, but I knew better than to argue with him.
“…Alright.”
And so, the mansion became “Primwood.”
But I couldn’t shake the discomfort the name gave me.
Even though it was supposedly named after me, it felt ominous.
I wanted to dismiss it as just a feeling, but the growing unease refused to leave me, even as I lay in bed that night.
I tossed and turned, trying to figure out why the name unsettled me.
Then, as the name settled in my mind, a fog lifted, and memories of my past life came rushing back all at once.
The Kingdom of Dochilia—one of the leading nations in railroad development.
The most beautiful city—Müssen.
The guardian of Müssen—Duke Schultz.
And…
The Schultz mansion—Primwood.
“My God. Johannes Schultz.”
My heartbeat quickened, and my vision seemed to tilt.
How had I not realized it sooner?
This world was from a novel.
A novel I had read in my past life.
The details were hazy, but I was sure of it.
And my husband, Johannes Schultz, was the male lead of that novel.
“Isn’t that a good thing?” someone might ask.
But I would bet my life that it was not.
“Johannes Schultz is…”
He’s a deranged serial killer.
No one noticed because of his charming and flawless facade—except for the female lead.
He had killed countless women.
Of course, he eventually fell in love with the heroine, and they had a happy ending.
But…
“That heroine isn’t me.”
My face twisted in horror.
Did I stop reading before finishing the story? I wasn’t sure. But I remembered the ending had been controversial.
I jumped to my feet, pacing anxiously.
“I was insane.”
I stopped abruptly, hitting my forehead before resuming my frantic steps.
“Why on earth did I walk into this hell?”
“He’s rich, tall, and even handsome. He’s perfect.”
“No, wait. Johannes is kind.”
“Or is he just acting?”
I began arguing with myself like a madwoman.
But this was a life-or-death matter.
“Maybe I’m the heroine.”
Desperation kicked in.
“Not a chance.”
The hope was immediately crushed by cold logic.
I had several reasons to believe I wasn’t the female lead.
First—
My name was Edith Prim. The heroine’s name was Joanna Tenet. Not even a single letter matched.
Second—
The heroine was described as having a delicate, fragile beauty. I wasn’t exactly rough-looking, but delicate? Not.
And third—
The name “Primwood” had existed before the heroine ever appeared.
Johannes had named it after me.
Which meant she hadn’t shown up yet.
No one knew exactly when his killing spree began.
That meant he could kill me.
Or he could spare me.
But…
“He’ll probably kill me.”
This was ridiculous. I had walked straight into a nightmare.
Staring blankly, I dragged myself toward the mirror, gripping its frame with trembling hands.
The reflection staring back at me looked like someone doomed to die.
Long brown hair and emerald-green eyes.
The exact features all his victims had in common.
