“Mom, what do you think about living with just me?”
“That would be nice.”
“Really?”
“Of course, it would be wonderful.”
Mom smiled and nodded.
As I watched her, I made a vow.
That I would use my own abilities to leave this house and give my mother a life of luxury.
Yes, that goal didn’t seem too far away…
I reached out toward my mother, who was gradually fading like an afterimage.
Don’t go, don’t go.
Mom…
“Gasp…!”
My eyes flew open.
What I saw above me was an excessively extravagant ceiling.
The same sight I had been waking up to for the past few days.
It really wasn’t a dream…
I had no choice but to accept this harsh reality now.
I had possessed a character in the novel I was reading.
And not just any character, but the body of a very young child.
“……”
I lifted my hand and stared at the small, delicate palm.
White and soft, the kind of hand that unmistakably belonged to a child.
I let out an involuntary sigh.
“Hm…”
As expected, Veronica was right beside me again today.
I turned my head to see her sleeping uncomfortably, sprawled across the bed.
Letting out a small sigh, I observed her.
Silky black hair like ebony.
And deep red eyes that shimmered like the rubies I had once seen.
The description from the novel was exactly the same.
She was labeled a villainess, but in terms of appearance, she was said to be the most beautiful woman in the entire world.
The author’s words were spot on.
How could a woman this stunning have clung to such a lousy male lead…?
Shaking my head, I recalled the original novel.
The title was .
A story told entirely from the perspective of two adulterers.
The worst kind of novel.
No offense to the author, of course.
The male lead’s name was Cedric Lionel.
Born as the illegitimate son of a count, he was never acknowledged by his father and lived as a commoner.
However, after discovering his talent for swordsmanship, he joined the Imperial Knights and later distinguished himself in war.
As a reward for his achievements, he was granted the title of marquis.
And in the midst of his reversal of fortune, there was a woman he had loved for a long time.
The female lead, Gloria.
She was a commoner who had worked as a maid in Cedric’s household during his difficult childhood.
The two had already fallen in love back then and had promised to marry once he returned from the war.
But then, the flag was set in motion.
Though Cedric won the war and achieved great merit, he was severely injured in battle… and lost his memory.
That was where all the misery began.
Unfortunately, the only thing he forgot was Gloria.
Upon his return as a marquis, he completely erased her from his mind.
And at the emperor’s behest, he was introduced to Veronica, the daughter of a duke.
Meanwhile, Gloria waited desperately for him.
But there was no way a man who had forgotten her even existed would come looking for her.
And to make things worse, she was already pregnant with his child.
Never once considering that Cedric might have lost his memory, she simply assumed he had abandoned her and left the capital without hesitation.
Leaving behind the grand wedding of the war hero and the duke’s daughter.
Meanwhile, Cedric, now married to Veronica, lived peaceful days… yet he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that he had forgotten something important.
Eventually, he recovered his memories.
And, of course, he was filled with regret.
Driven mad, he searched desperately for Gloria.
Even though he was already married. What a scumbag.
Regardless of the circumstances, by that time, he was Veronica’s husband.
They even had a daughter together.
Yet the moment his memories returned, he immediately changed his tune and started searching for Gloria.
Veronica must have been utterly bewildered.
In the end, Cedric found Gloria and did everything in his power to win her back.
And he succeeded in bringing both her and their child back to the capital.
“How… how could you do this to me?”
“……”
“Not just to me… but to our Dia… how could you…?”
The day Cedric returned to his mansion, Claudia—his daughter—had just died of a fever.
Yet, even after hearing that his child had passed away, he barely reacted.
Instead, he shamelessly declared that he would be bringing Gloria and their child into the estate.
Veronica, in shock, was utterly devastated.
Even thinking about it now, what a bastard.
The most infuriating part was that despite everything, Cedric never once suggested a divorce.
Most of his business ventures were dependent on the duchy’s support.
And since his marriage was arranged by the imperial family, it wasn’t something he could easily undo.
So his grand solution was to make Gloria his concubine.
And to bring her and their illegitimate child into the household.
That was when Veronica finally snapped.
“I’ll make you regret this. I’ll never forgive that woman and her child.”
“If you harm them, you won’t get away with it, my lady.”
“Oh? Well, I have nothing left to lose anyway.”
If Veronica was at fault for anything, it was for directing her rage at Gloria and her innocent child instead of the man who had truly wronged her.
She conspired with her family to eliminate them.
But Cedric, now fully awakened, joined forces with the Empress Dowager and turned the tables.
Not only did he protect Gloria and their child, but he also framed Veronica’s family for treason.
By then, he had already taken over all of their business enterprises.
With the Empress Dowager backing him, Cedric was unstoppable.
In the end, Veronica and the entire duchy were executed.
I had frowned while reading that part.
Wasn’t the real villain Cedric all along?
Losing his memory was one thing.
But he should have at least taken responsibility for marrying Veronica.
And he definitely shouldn’t have treated her that way right after she had lost their daughter.
Of course, most readers sided with Cedric and Gloria…
Aside from a handful like me, nearly everyone sympathized with them.
That was mostly because their past, revealed in flashbacks, was heartbreakingly tragic.
Especially Gloria, who had endured nothing but hardship.
On the other hand, Veronica, who had been obsessed with getting revenge, was universally despised by readers.
The novel ended with Cedric and Gloria’s wedding.
Despite facing a few more crises, they overcame them all and had their happy ending.
Honestly, after Veronica died, I didn’t even want to keep reading.
But I forced myself to finish, just to see what happened to them.
And once I confirmed that they got their happy ending, I shut off my phone with a bitter taste in my mouth.
I couldn’t even bring myself to read the epilogue.
I still vividly remembered the moment I was hit by the car.
I thought I had died.
Who would have imagined I’d wake up inside a novel?
“……Dia?”
“Hic.”
“You’re awake?”
“……”
I had been secretly watching Veronica when she suddenly woke up.
Her ruby-red eyes met mine.
I swallowed hard, unable to move.
A few days ago, when I still thought this was a dream, I had called her “Mom.”
But now that I knew this was real, I couldn’t bring myself to say it anymore.
