HTNSA 1

Chapter 1

Prologue

The entrance of Reiod Imperial Academy was unusually crowded, likely because it was the first day of the semester.

At the center of the commotion stood a grand four-horse carriage, its doors emblazoned with a crest of two crossed swords beneath a red dragon—the symbol of House Azenta, the empire’s most formidable military power.

And now, the long-lost heir of that house was about to make his appearance.

As the carriage door opened, a hushed excitement rippled through the crowd. Then, a young man stepped onto the footboard, his silver hair fluttering in the wind, brushing against his sharp nose before revealing his emerald-green eyes.

The moment they saw him, the crowd fell silent.

“No way…”

Those who recognized him paled.

Felix.

The boy they had once mocked and ignored was now the heir to the Duke of Azenta—the man who commanded the empire’s most prestigious Kystar Knights.

Among them, Cadin, who had led the bullying against Felix, twisted his face in disbelief.

“Felix? Why is he stepping out of that carriage?”

Beside him, Rosia quickly interjected, her voice laced with forced optimism.

“He must be the Duke’s disciple. Maybe they just rode together?”

But as time passed, no one else emerged from the carriage.

Then, the knights escorting the carriage approached Felix with a disciplined bow.

“Young Master, was your journey comfortable?”

With those words, the academy gates erupted into chaos.

“Felix… is really the Duke’s son?”
“How is this possible?”

Rosia stood frozen, her mind reeling.

Just a short while ago, Felix had been nothing but a commoner with no prospects.

Now, not only was he the Duke’s disciple—he was his long-lost heir?

And worst of all, he was dating Eila, the girl Rosia despised most.

Her friend Freya, equally stunned, finally managed to speak.

“Well… this is for the best. Now that he’s the heir to a ducal house, he’ll know who he should associate with. He’ll drop Eila in no time.”

But as if to defy her words, Felix scanned the crowd—until his eyes locked onto Eila.

Without hesitation, he pushed through the throng toward her.

Eila’s face flickered with discomfort under the sudden attention, but when Felix stopped before her, her lips curved into an irrepressible smile.

As they exchanged quiet words, Felix grinned back.

Then, with deliberate care, he took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

Gasps erupted across the plaza.

“Wow, Eila’s so lucky! Did she even know Felix was the Duke’s son?”
“No way. She just got lucky. But hey, without those glasses, he’s actually really handsome.”
“He’s got such noble bearing now.”
“Right? I should’ve been nicer to him. And look—he doesn’t even care that she’s a commoner!”
“Honestly, they look good together.”

Rosia gritted her teeth.

While Felix and Eila stood close, Cadin—her own fiancé—wasn’t even looking at her. His gaze was fixed solely on Eila.

The contrast was stark: Felix couldn’t tear his eyes away from his beloved, while Cadin barely acknowledged Rosia.

As the couple walked arm-in-arm toward the academy, Eila glanced back—just once—and met Rosia’s eyes.

Her lips curled into a slow, knowing smile.

“So,” she murmured, voice barely audible. “Are you satisfied with that spot, Rosia?”

Rosia’s heart pounded.

She wanted to retort, but her throat clenched shut.

By the time she regained her senses, Eila was already walking away.

Rosia couldn’t bring herself to chase after her.

Stuck in place, she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.

Was this anger? Helplessness?

She should’ve been happy. She had the title, the status, everything—yet why did she feel so hollow?

Eila, bathed in Felix’s adoration, shone brighter than Rosia ever could.

Her fists trembled.

“…Eila.”

But the name was swallowed by the wind.

Later—

Eila stared at her reflection, gripping her own hair.

Pink locks, golden eyes like narcissus flowers.

She forced a smile, and the girl in the mirror mimicked her awkwardly.

‘I’ve seen this face before…’

She sighed.

‘She’s stunning. Gorgeous.’

But what did it matter?

Eila Blanche was the tragic heroine of a regret-filled novel.

Her fate? To weep pathetically until her death.

‘How did this happen?’

Memories of her past life and Eila’s own swirled chaotically in her mind.

‘I transmigrated into a novel I once mocked.’

A novel where the heroine was bullied, betrayed, and left to die—only for the truth to be revealed too late.

“Seriously? She just takes all this abuse?”
“Wait, she dies right when everyone finds out the truth? Lame!”

She’d scoffed at the clichés.

And now, she was living it.

Yesterday, the villainess had appeared.

Rosia—her pink hair obnoxiously vibrant—had arrived with her uncle and dropped a bombshell:

“I’m the true daughter of House Blanche. A maid switched me with her own child at birth.”

At first, the Duke and Duchess refused to believe her.

But when a magical blood test confirmed Rosia’s claim, their warmth toward Eila froze over.

“Eila, explain this.”
“You were a fake all along?”
“How dare that maid do this to us!”

Even her brothers turned on her.

“Tell me you weren’t in on this.”
“If you deceived us knowingly, you’ll pay.”

Rosia, of all people, had to step in.

“Please, don’t blame Eila! It’s my fault!”

The shock sent Eila collapsing into unconsciousness.

And when she woke up—

She remembered everything.