Chapter 1
My mouth was bone-dry.
My fingertips trembled so violently that I ended up crumpling the fabric of my skirt.
As I stared at the stark white table with wavering eyes, a wave of dizziness washed over me.
Fearing she might collapse, Liliana reached out with a shaking hand. She grabbed a glass of cold water and gulped it down.
The tension eased slightly, but it was merely a temporary fix. Soon, her heart began to hammer against her ribs again.
‘The day has finally come.’
Liliana squeezed her eyes shut.
Eighteen years since I was reborn into this world. A life that could be considered short, or perhaps long, was about to end. I knew my fate all too well.
The life of a pathetic, minor character.
A pathetic end.
‘I ran away to avoid this moment. To think they would sell me off in the end—what wicked people!’
Liliana bit her lip hard.
The father who had always treated me like a slave, and the mother who ignored me simply because I was a daughter.
And my older brother, who subjected me to violence every day with eyes full of contempt.
As those horrific faces surfaced in her mind, her eyes welled up with tears.
‘I just wanted to live.’
I endured all their abuse just to survive.
Even when I was beaten until I was on the verge of fainting, even when I was forced to do backbreaking labor until my limbs wouldn't move, I held on to keep my life.
I endured and endured, and just before I was about to die, I finally managed to escape their shackles and avoid death.
And for a short, three-month period, I spent the happiest time of my life.
A quiet, cozy country village that always felt warm to look at, a small house with smoke rising from the chimney.
Momo, my pet, who would nap soundly under the warm sunlight.
If I could, I would go back to that time.
I didn't need anything else; I just wanted to spend a simple, happy life with Momo.
‘Momo, my little one. Are you doing well? You aren’t starving, are you?’
A small, gray ball of fur flickered before my eyes. Momo, the puppy who was a bit of a diva but had always stayed by my side.
*Creeeak.*
But the moment the door opened, the illusion vanished, leaving only the cold, harsh reality.
Pale, grayish-white hair was the first thing to catch my eye.
When those red eyes, devoid of any emotion, finally entered my field of vision, fear seized me.
‘Lajes Eberhardt.’
The head of the Eberhardt family and the villain of the novel. Standing at least a head taller than me, his sturdy physique was clearly visible even through his clothes.
It felt like standing before a wild beast, yet his face was undeniably beautiful.
But every time he took a long, heavy step toward me, I felt closer to death.
‘What do I do? Should I beg? If I kneel, will he spare me? No, if I beg, he might kill me even faster. He’s the type of man who would do exactly that.’
How could I possibly overcome this situation? I had pondered it countless times, but there was only one conclusion.
‘No matter what I do, I will end up like in the original story—my soul sucked out until I die.’
In the end, I was just an extra. Even if I was a "Cero," a soul considered special in this world, I was nothing more than a minor character with no significance. There was no way for an extra to change the future.
"Liliana Parvane."
A low, resonant voice that was chillingly seductive reached my ears. While I had been lost in thought, Lajes Eberhardt had arrived right in front of me.
He sat down opposite me with an indifferent expression.
"Are you cold? Why are you trembling so much?"
Is he really asking because he doesn't know? How many people could face the head of the Eberhardt family without trembling?
‘Wait a minute.’
A question suddenly arose regarding Lajes’s inquiry.
‘He was supposed to have killed me the moment he saw me, wasn't he?’
The situation had diverged, however slightly, from the content of the original novel.
Liliana struggled to recall the details of the original story, which were now growing hazy.
[Yes. I absorbed the woman who was my Cero the moment I met her—a woman whose name I don't even remember. Every bit of her soul, too. That’s more convenient for me.]
His line, which I had skimmed over, came back to me.
‘That’s right. He definitely killed her the moment they met.’
According to his own words, he should have killed me immediately without even asking a question—without even calling my name. Yet, here he was, asking me questions.
Liliana glanced at Lajes. But she was too afraid to meet his gaze, so she couldn't look at him properly. Then, his low voice sounded again.
"You seem nervous. There’s no need to tremble like a terrified chick. We met just a few days ago, didn't we?"
A few days ago? Did I hear him wrong? I couldn't make sense of it at all.
Liliana slowly lifted her head, then quickly bowed it again. Lajes was staring straight at her.
"I... I have never met you before."
My voice cracked due to the intense tension. But Lajes didn't even seem to care as he replied.
"What are you talking about? We’ve been together all this time."
A soft chuckle followed.
Why on earth is this man acting like this? I’m already terrified out of my mind because I don't know when I’ll die, and now he’s spouting nonsense.
Is he playing with me? Is he trying to play some kind of role-playing game?
I wanted to scream at him to stop talking nonsense.
But since I was nothing more than prey offered to a lion, I had to remain as still as the dead.
"Do you really not know?"
Lajes asked again. Was I supposed to guess the answer to this?
While I was unable to say yes or no, he must have taken my silence as an affirmation, for I heard him stand up.
‘Ah, I’m going to die now. If I knew it would come to this, I should have just said yes!’
Liliana deeply regretted it. In less than a few seconds, Lajes was right in front of me. He reached out with his large hand and gripped her small shoulder.
"Eek!"
Startled by the sudden physical contact, Liliana let out a shrill scream. This is the end of everything!
‘In my next life, please let me be born with a silver spoon in a happy family!’
Just as I was praying in my heart, Lajes’s face drew dangerously close.
Along with his hot breath, I heard something unbelievable.
"Why are you so surprised? It’s me, your puppy."
Liliana’s eyes widened. He wasn't trying to kill me? More importantly, what is he talking about?
As I stared at Lajes, unable to grasp the situation, a seductive smile played on his lips.
"Momo."
No, why is my puppy’s name coming out of his mouth?
* * *
When my warm breath touched the frost-covered window, the scenery outside was revealed.
Large, fluffy snowflakes were pouring down from a sky heavy with dark clouds.
‘If I go out like this, I’ll freeze to death...’
The clothes covering my body were nothing more than rags, barely worthy of being called clothes.
A sweater with frayed ends and unraveling threads, cotton pants that let the freezing wind blow right through, and a coat that had fur but lacked any real insulation.
The only saving grace was that my fur-lined shoes were warm.
‘Still, I need to bundle up more if I don’t want to die.’
Liliana took out a small box she had hidden under her old, narrow bed. Inside were a hand-knitted hat, a scarf, and gloves.
I had hidden them in case Tatan found them and burned them.
Once I put on the hat, scarf, and gloves, I felt a surge of confidence that I could endure the bitter cold.
Liliana immediately picked up the laundry basket and carefully left the room.
The old door creaked. I paused for a moment, fearing that someone in the family might wake up at the sound.
Fortunately, there was no sign of anyone.
Liliana walked on her tiptoes to avoid making any noise.
It was the dim hour of dawn when everyone was fast asleep, but I was extra careful not to run into my family.
As soon as I opened the door, a strong wind blew in. The winter chill was biting. It was a cold so severe it felt like it would freeze me to the bone.
"Haa."
My shallow breath turned into white mist and was buried in the falling snow. The snowflakes, the size of pinky nails, fell as if they intended to swallow the world whole.
A frigid wind whipped through them. If I hadn't been wearing the hat and scarf, I would have given up on the laundry and turned back.
‘Alright. Let’s finish this as quickly as possible.’
With a firm resolve, Liliana stepped into the snow-covered ground. The deep snow made it difficult to walk as her feet sank with every step.
Liliana didn't care and headed toward the water tap. If I delayed even for a moment, I really might freeze to death.
The tap was covered with a thick blanket to prevent it from freezing.
When I turned the handle, water trickled out. Fortunately, it hadn't frozen.
Liliana immediately set down the basket and began the laundry.
I took off my gloves, tucked them into my coat pocket, and wetted the laundry. The amount wasn't much, but my movements were sluggish due to the cold.
"Ugh, it's cold."
As the freezing water touched my hands and the biting wind lashed at me, I felt like my hands were going to turn to ice.
If I stopped moving even for a second, I would surely get frostbite. Liliana blew warm air onto her hands and continued the laundry.
The frigid wind didn't stop, blowing incessantly. The bone-chilling cold invaded not just my body, but my heart as well.
‘I want to escape this hellish place as soon as possible.’
Ripples formed in my shimmering golden eyes. I felt incredibly aggrieved and miserable.
Why on earth do I have to be treated like this?
‘It’s not like I wanted to come here, or be born into this family.’
I didn't want this. I swear, I never wished for this for even a single moment.
In the past, for a brief second, I had thought about wanting to see the scenes from the novel with my own eyes.
But that was only ever under the assumption that I would be born as a character living in luxury.
Liliana was not such a character.
‘Why on earth am I a Parvane?’
Liliana Parvane.
It was the name I had been given in this new life, after the horrific accident that had shattered my entire body.
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