TTM CH 02

The guard looked down at the young lady standing before him and spoke with concern.

“Miss, are you really going to see that guy?”

“Mhm—”

Kinemia Lyon, now eleven years old, nodded with a bright, angelic smile.

As her soft, pale golden hair swayed gently with the motion, the guard clutched his chest, overcome.

‘So cute…!’

People in the Grand Duke’s castle would often say, almost out of habit, that their greatest wish was to have a daughter like Miss Kinemia.

Soft, light golden hair, large round eyes, and plump, rosy cheeks that made one want to bite them without thinking.

The young Grand Duchess before him was someone far too precious for a mere dungeon guard to see often.

And yet, she had just dropped a bombshell, saying she wanted to meet a prisoner.

The guard glanced back at the nanny standing behind her and spoke hesitantly.

“But that man isn’t someone fit for you to meet, Miss…”

The nanny let out a small sigh. Even she, who had served the young lady all her life, could not bend her stubbornness.

“He’s a dangerous individual.”

Half a month ago, a boy had trespassed into the Grand Duke’s hunting grounds.

Covered in blood, tilting his head slightly to the side.

Upon seeing the dozen or so startled knights, he simply smiled and muttered:

“I thought I killed them all. To think there were still some left.”

Rather than being frightened in front of the knights, he seemed completely at ease, which instead made them tense.

But shortly after, he suddenly collapsed.

The guard believed that was the only reason they had managed to capture him.

The unidentified boy, drenched in someone else’s blood, was now imprisoned in the underground dungeon on suspicion of harming someone.

Despite the guard’s concerns, Kinemia spoke firmly.

“I know, so just lead the way.”

Her resolute gaze showed no sign of backing down.

No matter that she was only eleven, the girl before him was the future Grand Duchess and the master of this castle.

A mere guard could not defy her orders under the pretense of concern.

“…Yes, Miss.”

The guard began to lead the way.

“Please watch your step, Miss.”

“I’m fine.”

“There are rats sometimes. Not often, but…”

Kinemia, who had confidently said she was fine, quietly reached out and held her nanny Vanessa’s hand.

Vanessa squeezed it gently, her expression clearly saying, “Then why did you insist on coming down to the dungeon?”

Pretending not to notice, Kinemia subtly turned her head away.

‘Sorry, nanny. But there’s a reason for this…’

Coming down to this damp, dark, gloomy dungeon full of rats to see a creepy twelve-year-old boy was not something Kinemia found pleasant either.

But contrary to what Vanessa thought, she wasn’t here because she was bored with her life as a Grand Duchess and wanted some excitement like, “Let’s go on an adventure in the dungeon!”

‘This is all for my safety and my family’s future prosperity!’

Of course, she couldn’t logically explain any of what she knew to others.

In truth, Kinemia had a secret she could tell no one.

First, that Kinemia Lyon had reincarnated.

Second, that this world she was reborn into was the very same world as the web novel she used to read in her past life, Aldium Chronicle.

And third, that Kinemia Lyon was destined to die before long.

‘How am I supposed to explain that…?’

She bit her lip in frustration.

‘It’s so cringey I can’t even bring myself to say “Aldium Chronicle” or “reincarnation” out loud properly.’

She had regained her past-life memories in the spring when she turned ten, shortly after her father passed away.

There had been no dramatic incident. No hitting her head, no near-death drowning.

She had simply fallen asleep crying into her pillow, as usual, and then—

‘Ah, that dream just now. That was my past life.’

The moment she woke up the next morning, she realized that everything from her dream had been memories of her past life.

‘…Just like that?’

It would have been better if it had come with thunder, lightning, and some grand divine revelation.

But no.

“I woke up and realized my dream was my past life!”—who would ever believe that?

But the bigger problem lay elsewhere.

Because Kinemia had been born into the very world of the web novel she had read.

A generic fantasy novel introduced as: “A foreigner falls into another world and experiences endless fantasy!”

‘It was a terrible novel…’

At some point, the main plot had been abandoned, replaced with endless herb gathering and dungeon grinding.

A true “protagonist labor fantasy.”

And Kinemia Lyon was a villainess in that story, one with a tragically unfortunate fate.

‘…Why did it have to be this character?!’

To explain Kinemia’s miserable fate, one had to first look at her family history.

Her grandfather, Kenneth Lyon, had been a “righteous madman” who took over as regent in place of the ailing emperor.

At the time, corruption and decay were rampant in the empire.

Kenneth Lyon, who lived by justice and principle, could not tolerate it.

“How dare you talk back to me with that filthy mouth?!”

With such a temper—

“I am the empire! The empire’s power is my power!”

—he purged nobles and tormented his vassals.

And how did his life end?

He was poisoned.

The culprit was never found, but it was clearly a revenge killing.

After his sudden death, the Lyon Grand Ducal House fell into chaos.

Amid the struggle for power, the one who rose to lead was Kinemia’s mother, the former Grand Duchess, Ireia Lyon.

“Magic may have passed me by, but the sword was my destiny.”

Though she lacked magic, her swordsmanship was beyond imagination. She conquered neighboring kingdoms and brought glory to the empire.

The Lyon name rose again.

But where there is light, there is shadow.

To the conquered nations, she was an enemy.

During a victory celebration, she was struck in the heart by an arrow and died.

The assassin, the third prince of a fallen kingdom, shouted at the guillotine:

“Ireia Lyon, the demon of the empire, beheaded my parents and crippled my siblings! I have no regrets killing that embodiment of evil!”

Again, undeniably, a revenge killing.

And so, crisis struck Lyon once more.

Kinemia’s father, Troy Lyon, who had only secured his position thanks to his lineage and his wife, possessed nothing but the most beautiful face in the empire.

Even his marriage to Ireia had been 20% bloodline and 80% looks.

After losing his capable wife, Troy resolved to stand again—for his daughter.

“Daddy, don’t cry.”

“Mi… sob… Daddy’s okay… sob…”

From a weeping wreck, he tried to rise as head of the family.

Using his looks, he ventured into business.

“You there, madam with such beautiful hands. I have a fine business proposal—care to hear it?”

Whether by insight or sheer luck, he succeeded, using the capital he gathered through charm.

“Mi, Daddy made lots of money! See? I told you I’m okay.”

“Daddy, you’re amazing!”

But not long after, Troy Lyon was stabbed to death.

The culprit? A countess entangled in a love quadrangle with him.