Chapter 2


    <strong>Trantor:</strong> thursdays <strong>Editor:</strong> thursdays


    <span>***


    <span>Cayena slowly opened her eyes.


    <span>‘I’m really back.’


    <span>Lying on the bed, she thought about this chaotic situation.


    <span>Cayena was the viiness of the novel, ‘The Lady of the ck Rose’.


    <span>‘That’s right, it’s a novel.’


    <span>However, the situation was not as simple as that.


    <span>In the novel, she acted as a proper viiness and, as befitting of such a role, was killed by her crazy husband.


    <span>In her second life, she was born in the Republic of Korea. Of course, she didn’t remember her life as Cayena, but she had happened to read a novel called ‘The Lady of the ck Rose’. In that novel, Cayena was portrayed as a foolish and wicked character.


    <span>Actually, most of the characters were like that. All characters except the heroine were socially powerful but insane.


    <span>Rezef was a sociopath; Heinrich was mad with power; and Bayel—was he even human?


    <span>Among them, Raphael, the male lead, seemed to be the most normal, but he also had some mental problems.


    <span>‘The novel was about how all the characters were influenced by the heroine.’


    <span>The original heroine, Olivia, was a living stabilizer that filled the characters’ deficiencies.


    <span>Cayena was driven by her jealousy and tried to poison Olivia.


    <span>But even though she was the viiness, Cayena alone wasn’t evil enough to actually kill her.


    <span>Rather, she was used like a marite by her tyrannic younger brother.


    <span>Rezef wanted to get control of Olivia, so he controlled Cayena to poison her.


    <span>It seemed to be sessful.


    <span>But Bayel, the powerful magician and the owner of the ck Rose Garden, gave Olivia his power and revived her.


    <span>That was why the title of the novel was ‘The Lady of the ck Rose’.


    <span>Afterwards, the story predictably punished the wicked characters.


    <span>However, as the reader, she wasn’t impressed by the narratives of the main characters.


    <span>Rather, she was drawn to the life of the viiness, Cayena. The reason she was so concerned about her story, though, turned out to be because it was her previous life.


    <span>‘To think that I was the viiness of the novel.’


    <span>For some reason, she had returned to Cayena’s life. More than that, it was also when she was only 19 years old, before she came of age.


    <span>‘I probably died, right?’


    <span>She only knew the person who stabbed her by his face.


    <span>She remembered that there was a scandal at thepany—the man had been having an affair. He had to turn over the project he was working on because of that.


    <span>‘That’s already just a life gone by.’


    <span>She may have lost many things, but it had been a wretched life.


    <span>The woman had beenpetent. She was more thanpetent enough to be usable, and more than enough to pose a threat to others.


    <span>Executive Director Kim had coaxed her to follow hismands and controlled her. It was just like Cayena’s life.


    <span>‘How did I return as Cayena?’


    <span>She had been abandoned by Rezef and married—sold—to Viscount Gillian. Then, in the end, she was gruesomely murdered by her insane husband.


    <span>Suddenly, she realized why she was in this condition.


    <span>‘This is when I drank the poison.’


    <span>Not too long ago, she was at a banquet when she drank some alcohol and began spitting up blood. The Grand Hall had echoed with screams and cries.


    <span>“Of all things…”


    <span>Why did she have to return to this time, when her body was still sick?


    <span>“Have you woken up?”


    <span>The maid who was stationed in the room approached her.


    <span>The maid wiped her face with a wet towel and arranged her hair, as if it was only natural to do so.


    <span>It was bizarre. She had nearly died, but the state of her beauty was still more important.


    <span>However, she only closed her eyes, having no power to stop the maid and no reason to do so.


    <span>“I’ll begin wiping down your body.”


    <span>Herdies-in-waiting began to wash her body and change her into new clothes, and Cayena lost herself in her thoughts.


    <span>Rezef was a terrible tyrant, a poor ruler, and as his older sister, Cayena matched him in her viciousness.


    <span>They were not born good in the first ce.


    <span>He was cruel, impatient, and impudent. Cayena’s ruin was not knowing that he would be the same to her, too.


    <span>Rezef, her younger brother.


    <span>‘You never thought of me as family.’


    <span>Cayena had been thoroughly abandoned.


    <span>“Bring me a mirror.”


    <span>Ady-in-waiting lifted arge mirror and ced it in front of her.


    <span>With her blue eyes, she looked at herself in the mirror and brushed the cheek of her reflection.


    <span>‘How terribly beautiful.’


    <span>The novel had repeatedly described Cayena’s beauty to the point of exhaustion.


    <span>Looking at herself, though, she thought that this sort of beauty was almost a talent.


    <span>‘But in the end, this beautiful form will only be used as the emperor’s doll.’


    <span>This was the extent of Cayena’s current value.


    <span>Motionless, she nced at her lemon-colored hair in the mirror.


    <span>‘Will things be all right if I don’t live as a viiness in the future?’


    <span>No. She was still a princess of the Empire.


    <span>As long as her children were viable sessors to the throne, she would be subject to constant check for the rest of her life.


    <span>‘Right now, I don’t have any power.’


    <span>All she had was this terribly beautiful face.


    <span>She knew that its value was no better than a rare white tiger.


    <span>‘Beauty is not true power.’


    <span>That was the reality that Rezef had taught her.


    <span>She had personally experienced how her power was merely a mirage, and it could be stripped from her any time he wished.


    <span>‘I’m d that I at least came back to a point before it was toote.’


    <span>Their father, the Emperor, was still alive. This meant that there was still a way to contain Rezef.


    <span>‘But there’s not much time left before Rezef takes the throne.’


    <span>Cayena needed to find a ce to escape Rezef.


    <span>‘The only way to achieve that is to get married.’


    <span>Of course, she couldn’t marry someone like the insane Viscount Gillian.


    <span>‘How can I run away while deceiving Rezef’s eyes?’


    <span>She didn’t want to live as a princess any more. Even so, she couldn’t run away without a n.


    <span>‘Marriage…’


    <span>Cayena, from the moment she opened her eyes, didn’t have the time to get angry or hesitate because of the situation.


    <span>The pce was filled with schemes and tricks.


    <span>She had returned to a poisoned body, and it had been like an rm; her consciousness was immediately put on edge.


    <span>‘I need someone who will help me.’


    <span>If she wanted to influence Rezef, she needed someone to move on her behalf.


    <span>However, all the people around her were ced there by Rezef.


    <span>Cayena’s eyes looked at all of herdies-in-waiting, one after the other. They were all unimportant characters.


    <span>Then, her gaze settled on one ce. It was Vera, the seniordy-in-waiting.


    <span>Cayena remembered that in the past, it was Vera who was in charge around here.


    <span>Vera was also one of Rezef’s people. In other words, Cayena’s cute younger brother was controlling her even before she reached her age of majority.


    <span>She knew that she was already in Rezef’s hands, a dancing marite.


    <span>‘There isn’t anyone here that isn’t one of Rezef’s people, anyway.’


    <span>She recalled how frequently Vera showed up in the novel.


    <span>It could be useful to bring Vera over to her side.


    <span>Cayena asked Vera where Rezef was. “What about Rezef?”


    <span>“I believe that His Highness has been working since early in the morning to investigate your attempted assassination.”


    <span>Vera looked at Cayena and added, “This is a major incident. I’ve heard that he has managed to narrow down the suspect list quite considerably. His Highness will never forgive the one who has harmed you.”


    <span>Many eyes were following Prince Rezef, who was greatly angered that someone dared to poison the imperial family.


    <span>“I see,” Cayena answered gravely.


    <span>Vera handed over the wet towel and bucket to the maid next to her and nced at the princess.


    <span>Cayena leaned back on the cushion with a faraway stare and a bluishplexion.


    <span>Her calm expression was very much unlike her usual self.


    <span>‘I had expected that she would hit me, at the least.’


    <span>Cayena was not poisoned in her room, but rather at the party.


    <span>However, considering Cayena’s personality, it had been likely that she would have still beat her innocentdies-in-waiting, saying that they had not supported her.


    <span>But Cayena did not cry out to summon Rezef to her or ask about what he was doing.


    <span>‘Was she that shocked?’


    <span>Cayena didn’t look shocked or scared.


    <span>It would be a little strange to say that she was acting this way because she was hurt, but Vera had no other way to exin the situation.


    <span>Vera couldn’t help but feel that a storm was brewing.


    <span>Her mind was filled with spection.


    <span>“Vera.”


    <span>Cayena called out to Vera somewhat kindly.


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