Pain came first.
Sharp.
Blinding.
And entirely undignified.
"...ugh..."
Esmeralda groaned as consciousness returned, her body aching in places she didn't even know could ache. The world swayed as she opened her eyes, her vision swimming beneath the glare of a grand chandelier above her.
"...What... happened...?"
Panicking voices murmured around her.
"My lady!"
"Call the physician-quickly!"
"She fell from the stairs!"
Fell...?
The word echoed strangely in her mind.
And then-
Something snapped into place.
Memories-no, not just memories, but an entire lifetime-crashed into her like a tidal wave.
A cramped apartment.
Cold nights.
Skipping meals.
A worn-out book clutched tightly in her hands.
A story.
About a kind girl who was loved by everyone. But it was not her-
She was Esmeralda. The villainess of the story.
Her breath hitched.
"...Ah."
Before she could even gather all her thoughts, she had fallen to the ground and lost consciousness.
---
When she woke up, her eyes were fixated on the ceiling. It had a unique design that matched her taste.
There was a series of pain she felt-
Physically and mentally.
She didn't know how this happened. Why she remembers a life before this one.
But it all made sense to her.
The fall.
The pain.
The sudden clarity.
And the story she had once read.
...What the hell just happened? The last thing I remember was getting excited to see the Crown-
She couldn't continue her thoughts.
She pinched her head like it could instantly cure the sudden headache.
Slowly, she pushed herself upright despite the protests of her body.
She already knew what she would see.
Marble floors.
Grand pillars.
Luxury beyond reason.
The kind of life she once could only imagine.
...So it's real.
Her lips curved faintly, not in fear, but in quiet awe.
In her past life, she had been poor.
The kind where comfort was a distant dream, and survival came first.
That was why she had loved that book.
It was her escape.
A world filled with elegance, beauty, and indulgence-
And a foolish villainess who wasted it all chasing love. She stood up in front of the mirror and looked at herself.
Now she was that very girl.
Esmeralda.
The villainess who would lose everything.
Who would be cast aside.
Who would die.
She looked at herself in the mirror and cupped her cheek.
With this look, no way...
She wasn't wasting the life she has nor the beauty she possessed.
She had no intention of following the story.
No intention of fighting over a man.
No intention of suffering for a narrative that had once merely entertained her.
To hell with that prince, I just want to live comfortably.
The words felt almost sacred.
I want to eat well... sleep well... and never worry about money again.
No drama.
No heartbreak.
No execution.
Just a peaceful, luxurious life.
Her gaze sharpened.
And at the center of everything she needed to avoid-
Was one person.
The crown prince.
Rael.
No-Israel Sullivan.
The male lead.
The man the heroine would fall in love with.
The man Esmeralda, in the story, had loved to ruin.
She exhaled softly, unimpressed.
...He isn't even that likable.
Yes, he was handsome.
Yes, he was powerful.
Yes, he was everything the story painted as perfect.
But she wasn't about to throw her luxurious life for an overbearing prince.
If she stayed engaged to him, she would inevitably be dragged into the story-into jealousy, rivalry, and her eventual downfall.
Absolutely not.
She refused.
Her plan formed instantly.
Clear.
Efficient.
The festival ball.
A perfect stage.
A public event where she could sever ties cleanly-before the heroine, Amaria, even appeared.
Before the story truly began.
If I break the engagement there...
She smiled faintly.
..maybe I'll be able to detach myself from the story.
A peaceful ending.
Exactly what she wanted.
-
The night of the festival ball arrived in a cascade of light and music.
Everything was just as she remembered from the book.
Glittering chandeliers.
Elegant nobles.
Hidden schemes beneath polite smiles.
It was beautiful.
And entirely exhausting.
Esmeralda stood at the center of it all, poised and graceful, though internally she felt nothing but determination.
Tonight was the night.
Break the engagement.
Escape the story.
Secure her peaceful life.
"...Esmeralda."
She resisted the urge to sigh.
That voice.
Smooth. Confident. Familiar.
Rael approached her, every inch the crown prince described in the book-golden hair, sharp features, and that quiet, ever-present superiority.
Once, she might have admired him.
Now?
She just saw a problem to eliminate.
"You seem distracted," he said.
"You seem observant," she replied lightly.
A flicker of confusion crossed his face.
"Will you walk with me, my Lady?" he said. "We need to talk."
Perfect.
She thought.
I didn't even have to request an audience.
"Of course, Your Highness."
Esmeralda exhaled slowly.
Stay calm. Stay elegant. Break it cleanly.
She reached for a glass of wine.
Just a little.
Then another.
And perhaps-
One too many before following Rael.
They stepped away from the ballroom, the music fading into a distant echo as they entered a quiet corridor lit by soft candlelight.
"I want to talk to you about the Duke, your father," Rael started, "he proposed something to me about the infrastructure near the slums area. Since he is not present today, I hope you convince him to rethink his decision on-"
When he turned around, Esmeralda was standing right behind him.
Her gaze was unlike before.
She used to have this excited look whenever she talked to Rael.
No matter what topic they had, she would look as if excitement was the only emotion she knew.
But this time, she was just standing there.
No hint of affection could be traced in her face.
He forgot what he was about to say. All he could think about was how his fiancée's eyes no longer looked the way they once had.
"...You've been acting differently tonight," Rael said.
"Have I?"
"Yes."
There it was.
Expectation.
Ownership.
She smiled faintly.
"Well... people change."
He frowned. "Esmeralda-"
"You know," she interrupted, her tone drifting slightly, "I read a story once."
"...What?"
"A tragic one." She started. "About a girl who ruined her life over a man who wasn't worth it."
"She was very stupid."
A pause.
"Really, really, reallyyyy stupid."
"...What are you talking about?"
Ah.
This was going poorly.
Also-
The floor was moving.
That's not good.
"I was supposed to do this properly," she muttered.
"Do what?"
"The engagement," she said, nodding to herself. "Break it off at the ball."
Rael stilled.
"...Break it off?"
"Mm-hmm." She looked at him, far too honest now. "Because I don't love you, anymore."
Silence.
"In fact, I didn't kind of even like you that much," she added.
Ah.
That slipped.
"You're kind of... exhausting," she continued. "And too upright."
His expression darkened.
"Excuse me? Lady Esmeralda, I think you've had too many drinks tonight. "
"I used to think you were amazing," she said, swaying slightly ignoring his words. "But that's because I didn't know better. Now I do."
Then-
Her stomach dropped.
"Oh no."
Rael frowned. "What-"
"I think-"
And then-
Everything went horribly, catastrophically wrong.
-
Silence.
Esmeralda stared at the very expensive, very ruined front of Rael's formal attire.
Her mind caught up slowly.
...I threw up on the crown prince.
Rael stood frozen.
Utterly shocked.
And somehow-
She made it worse.
"You see," she mumbled, swaying, "this is why I don't want to marry you, anymore."
"...What? Esmeralda, we can talk about this another time." Rael said with his lips curved, "Right now, I think you need to return home."
"You're too self-centered," she continued, ignoring Rael's words. "It's tiring."
A pause.
"I think I hate your personality."
Another pause.
"...and maybe your face a little, now."
Somewhere in the distance, Esmeralda realized-
This was not how she planned her peaceful drama-free life.
Then-
She collapsed.
-
When Esmeralda woke the next morning, she stared blankly at the ceiling.
"...I just wanted a quiet life."
"...Why did I ruin it immediately?"
She covered her face with both hands.
"...This is the worse."