The moment Noah's army disappeared beyond the horizon, I finally remembered something extremely important.
Something terrifying.
Something capable of destroying my peaceful new life.
I froze.
"...Oh no."
The maid beside me blinked.
"Lady Alice?"
I slowly turned toward her.
My face was pale.
Very pale.
The maid immediately looked worried.
"Are you feeling unwell?"
"No."
"Then why do you look like that?"
Because I was an idiot.
A complete idiot.
A first-class idiot.
How had I forgotten?
How?
HOW?
The original Alice hated this marriage.
Absolutely hated it.
In fact, before my possession
No.
Before I became Alice
She had spent months trying to cancel the wedding.
Months.
She argued.
She protested.
She cried.
She threatened.
She even locked herself inside her room several times.
And then...
What did I do on the very first day?
I worried about Noah.
Fed Noah.
Embarrassed myself for Noah.
Grabbed Noah's sleeve in public.
And practically begged him not to get hurt.
I slowly covered my face.
"...I'm doomed."
The maid looked alarmed.
"Lady?!"
I was doomed.
Completely doomed.
What if someone noticed?
What if Noah noticed?
What if the original Alice's family noticed?
People weren't stupid.
If someone who hated her fiancé yesterday suddenly acted like a devoted wife today
That was suspicious.
Very suspicious.
The kind of suspicious that got people investigated.
And in fantasy novels?
Investigations usually ended badly.
Sometimes with priests.
Sometimes with magic.
Sometimes with both.
No thank you.
I wanted none of that.
Absolutely none.
By the time I returned to the mansion, I had made a decision.
A painful decision.
A heartbreaking decision.
I had to act.
Not too much.
Not enough to hurt Noah.
But enough to resemble the original Alice.
Just enough.
The moment I entered the dining room, my father looked up from his tea.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Why was he staring?
My instincts screamed danger.
"Father?"
The Marquis slowly put down his teacup.
"Alice."
"Yes?"
"...You seem different."
My soul nearly left my body.
IT WAS OVER.
I WAS CAUGHT.
THIS WAS THE END.
I hadn't even survived three days.
The priest was probably already on his way.
The Marquis narrowed his eyes.
"You used to throw teacups."
"..."
"What?"
"When you were angry."
"..."
"I am beginning to miss my teacups."
"..."
What kind of father says that?
I stared at him.
He stared at me.
Then unexpectedly
He laughed.
Actually laughed.
A small laugh.
A tired laugh.
The kind of laugh a father made when his troublesome daughter finally stopped causing disasters.
"...Maybe the accident wasn't entirely bad."
I immediately relaxed.
Barely.
That was close.
Too close.
Unfortunately...
My plan to act like the original Alice immediately failed.
Spectacularly.
Catastrophically.
Completely.
Three days later.
A messenger arrived from the northern border.
The moment I heard the words "northern border," I nearly jumped from my chair.
The butler calmly handed me a letter.
My hands trembled.
No.
No.
No.
Please don't let him be injured already.
Please.
I quickly opened the envelope.
Inside was a short message.
Very short.
Painfully short.
Lady Alice.
The border remains secure.
The monster subjugation proceeds smoothly.
I am unharmed.
— Noah Alden
"..."
"..."
"..."
That was it.
That was literally it.
I stared at the letter.
Then stared again.
Then again.
And again.
The maid beside me looked curious.
"What's written inside?"
I slowly raised the paper.
"...Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"This man writes reports more romantically than letters."
The maid choked.
Meanwhile, I continued staring at the message.
I am unharmed.
Four simple words.
And yet...
I felt relieved.
Ridiculously relieved.
My shoulders relaxed.
My chest loosened.
The knot of anxiety I'd been carrying for three days finally disappeared.
The maid watched my expression.
Then smiled.
A very suspicious smile.
Oh no.
Not again.
The next morning.
Rumors spread.
Of course they did.
Because rumors moved faster than horses.
And servants.
Servants were terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying.
When I entered the breakfast room, everyone looked strangely happy.
Too happy.
Suspiciously happy.
Dangerously happy.
I sat down slowly.
The head maid approached.
"Lady Alice."
"Yes?"
"We heard Sir Noah sent you a letter."
I froze.
"...Who told you that?"
The maid smiled.
"Everyone."
What did she mean everyone?
How?
Why?
The messenger had arrived yesterday afternoon.
It hadn't even been twenty-four hours.
Was there a secret servant organization?
A servant intelligence agency?
A gossip empire?
I wouldn't be surprised.
The maid leaned forward.
"What did he write?"
"Nothing."
"What?"
"He wrote absolutely nothing."
"..."
"He basically sent me military paperwork."
"..."
The maids looked disappointed.
Very disappointed.
As if their favorite romance story had failed to deliver.
That night.
Another problem appeared.
A much bigger problem.
The Duke.
Ace de Rubius.
The male lead.
The future emperor's lover.
The reason Noah dies.
The reason everything goes wrong.
And according to the original story
He was supposed to visit soon.
Very soon.
I sat up straight.
My heart pounding.
This wasn't good.
Not good at all.
Because the original Alice was obsessed with him.
Hopelessly.
Pathetically.
Embarrassingly.
Anyone who knew Alice expected her to react dramatically when Ace appeared.
Which meant...
I had to pretend.
Just enough.
Not too much.
Just enough to avoid suspicion.
Unfortunately
I had no acting talent.
None.
Zero.
Negative numbers.
Three days later.
The Duke finally arrived.
The entire mansion became busy.
Servants running everywhere.
Knights standing guard.
Nobles preparing greetings.
And me?
I wanted to run away.
Far away.
Preferably to another continent.
The carriage stopped outside.
The door opened.
A tall man stepped out.
Silver hair.
Golden eyes.
Perfect appearance.
Exactly like the novel described.
The famous Duke Ace de Rubius.
The male lead.
The problem.
The disaster.
The walking red flag.
The man who eventually destroys Noah's life.
Our eyes met.
And immediately
I remembered every chapter where I wanted to throw a book at his face.
Oops.
That was not a good expression.
Not at all.
Ace paused.
A strange look crossed his face.
"...Lady Alice?"
I immediately forced a smile.
A very fake smile.
Painfully fake.
The kind of smile one makes during an awkward family gathering.
"Your Grace."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Why did this feel so weird?
In the original story, Alice practically glowed whenever she saw him.
Meanwhile, I felt like I was looking at a future workplace problem.
Ace continued staring.
His brows furrowing slightly.
And for the first time
A small sense of danger appeared.
Because Duke Ace de Rubius was smart.
Very smart.
Far smarter than most people.
The kind of person who noticed details.
The kind of person who remembered behavior.
The kind of person who could notice changes.
And suddenly...
I realized something.
Maybe Noah wouldn't suspect me.
Maybe my father wouldn't suspect me.
But the Duke?
The Duke might.
And that realization made the smile on my face feel heavier than armor.