AMNL 01

~ Chapter : 1 ~

Everything began at the Imperial Academy’s graduation party.

True to its name, it was a lavish event. Cocktail glasses were stacked high in neat pyramids, and the professors, eager to put on a show, even used fire and ice magic to mix the drinks.

Even at a party meant to be enjoyed, I have to see magic….

Since my grades in magic studies were so bad that I’d nearly been held back, a strange sense of rebellion welled up inside me.

I don’t like this. I should drink them all and make them disappear.

I took two cocktails at a time, one in each hand, and alternated between them. As soon as I emptied a glass, I went back for another.

“Esmeralda, since when did you like alcohol?! Don’t tell me you’re trying to torture the professors!”

“If you turn into a drunken mess, we’re just leaving you here!”

Of course, none of my friends’ worried voices reached me.

The rage of wanting to wipe out every magically made drink, combined with the excitement of finally graduating, made me feel invincible.

And so the empty glasses kept piling up.

Once I was pleasantly drunk, boredom set in, and I started dragging my friends into games—to kill time with every game I had ever introduced to them.

Naturally, I added all kinds of punishments and penalty drinks.

But things didn’t go my way.

“Fold a finger—someone who almost didn’t graduate.”

“……”

At my friend’s words, I tried to play dumb. She immediately grabbed my finger and bent it back painfully.

“Esmeralda, that’s you! You almost gotiled, remember?”

The rules were simple. Anyone who fit the condition folded one finger. The first person to fold all their fingers had to drink a penalty shot.

I lost three rounds in a row.

“Cut me some slack.”

“Nope. Instead, I’ll treat you to something amazing. Don’t refuse—drink up!”

Ignoring my plea, my friend bragged about her skills and prepared the penalty drink.

In the end, I downed the glass she handed me in one shot. Well, might as well get my tuition’s worth.

“Let’s play another game.”

I slammed the empty glass down confidently. My friend snorted.

“Nope. I’m going home now.”

“Are you kidding me? I didn’t win even once!”

I wasn’t particularly fond of alcohol, but it felt unfair that I was the only one losing.

Perhaps feeling sorry for me, my classmates suggested a few more games—number games, word chains, passing the handkerchief, and more.

And I lost every single one, getting completely plastered.

“Mmm… just one more round…”

“You know that’s the fifth time you’ve said that, right?”

“But I even looked up a golden recipe just to make you drink…”

When I clung to my friend’s arm, the others started whispering among themselves.

“Sorry, but let’s ditch Esmeralda. She’ll keep insisting until she wins.”

“What if we just let her win once?”

“Then penalty drinks lose their meaning. Besides, she’s bad at games, but she’s sharp. I’d bet ten diamonds she’d notice.”

“In that case… there’s only one option.”

They exchanged solemn looks. Then, before I knew it, my friend slipped out of my grasp.

“Esmeralda, we’re leaving! Send a carrier pigeon once you get home!”

And with that, everyone but me rushed out the door.

That was how I got abandoned last night.

After that, feeling miserable, I probably turned into a belligerent drunk and grabbed someone by the collar. It definitely wasn’t one of my friends—because the traitors had already fled.

Honestly, my memories after the drinking games were hazy. The fact that I made it home at all was a miracle.

But… how did I get home?

Because I’d gone to bed so late, it was hard to open my eyes, and my body felt stiff enough that I didn’t want to move.

Just then, I heard footsteps approaching the bed. A cool, refreshing citrus musk scent washed over me. If someone tried to wake me, I was fully prepared to shout five more minutes in my head.

Thankfully, no one did. I curled deeper into the blanket and turned over, but for some reason, my head hurt especially badly today.

I should take some headache medicine and sleep more.

I always kept it on the bedside table, so I only needed to reach out.

Frowning, I groped around the surface—

“Ah, you’re awake. Do you need something?”

The voice was a warm, gentle baritone. I froze mid-reach.

The moment I realized something was wrong, my hand was softly taken.

“Is this what you’re looking for?”

Something warm and gentle brushed the back of my hand. In my half-asleep state, it felt unmistakably like lips. My headache vanished instantly, replaced by a sinking feeling in my chest. No matter how heavy a sleeper I was, I’d never had a hired servant wake me with a hand kiss.

I snapped my eyes open—and froze.

No way… this man is…

His black hair still looked slightly damp, as if he’d just finished showering. His violet eyes were so striking I’d never forget them once I met them. A breathtakingly handsome man stood there. With pianist-like fingers, he held my hand and pressed his lips to the back of it.

Smack.

The sound was gentle—and dangerously suggestive.

“Gah!”

I yelped and yanked my hand away. It was only a kiss on the hand, yet my face burned as if he’d kissed my lips.

He looked at me with the forlorn expression of a puppy that wasn’t allowed to go for a walk.

“R-Rosio Agnis?”

“Yes, Esmeralda.”

So he really was the male lead.

Deep eyes that seemed like they’d listen to anything, sharp yet cool eye lines, neatly groomed eyebrows, and lips curved upward with quiet confidence. His clear, pale skin paired perfectly with his healthy, rosy lips.

No matter how I examined him, there wasn’t a single flaw. He was a flawless beauty, fully deserving of the title the Great Empire’s signature heartthrob.

The top graduate of the Magic Academy, the peerless male lead destined to end up with the stunning heroine he met at the graduation party—

“W-Why… why are you in my room?”

And dressed in a pure white robe that clearly showed off his solid chest, no less.

***

“So you don’t remember.”

Rosio looked genuinely hurt. When he sat up, the robe parted slightly, revealing a glimpse of his well-defined muscles. A grand mage with a physique like that was downright unfair. Without realizing it, I swallowed hard.

“It’s a shame that I’m the only one who remembers such a wonderful night. Maybe this will jog your memory?”

With a mischievous smile, Rosio tucked my hair behind my ear. The touch was so natural—as if this level of intimacy meant nothing to him.

T-This close… it feels like the first time I’ve seen him up close…

Or was it?

Fragments of last night suddenly resurfaced.

“Esmeralda, please be gentler.”

Rosio beneath me, his lightly bitten lip painfully restrained. It suited him—the Rosio who always wore his academy uniform immaculately, tie pulled tight. I wanted to ruin him even more as he let out those soft moans.

“I won’t go easy on you either.”

Rosio above me now, brushing a light kiss against my neck before smiling leisurely and interlacing our fingers. We stayed like that for a long time, hands clasped together.

Honestly, it had been an incredible night.

I stopped trying to count how many times we’d switched positions. It was too many—and far too good. But dealing with the aftermath came first.

So I delivered the one magical sentence meant to neatly wrap everything up.

“…Rosio, we were drunk too, right?”

His eyes grew even lonelier than before, and in a low, subdued voice, he replied,

“No.”

Huh? It wasn’t a drunken mistake?!

***

I decided to quickly retrace where everything had gone wrong.

Embarrassing as it was to admit after causing such chaos, I had possessed a novel five years ago.

It was after the college entrance exam, on my way back to my tiny one-room lodging. The street was eerily empty. I’d retaken the exam with difficulty, but I could already tell I’d failed again. Still, I had done everything I possibly could.

My parents were, unfortunately, the kind people would call despicable. I’d been tossed around since childhood just to survive into adulthood.

Unsure of what to do next, I walked while reading a web novel I’d fallen behind on.

A romance fantasy titled The Elite Male Lead Needs Me.

The heroine, Camilla, had an unhappy childhood. She lost her mother early, and her father abandoned her and ran away. From a young age, Camilla had to take responsibility for her own life. No matter what she tried, nothing went well—an extreme setup.

It was a completely different world, but somehow, it felt similar to my own life.

Camilla had magical power but couldn’t attend the academy because tuition was exorbitant. She was often chased out for auditing classes without permission.

Eventually, she took a part-time job helping out at the academy’s graduation party.

Late at night, while cleaning the ballroom alone, Camilla met the male lead, Rosio.

Seeing how late it was, Rosio offered to help her clean up. Camilla refused, saying she was being properly paid for her work. Through this, Rosio learned about her circumstances.

Feeling sorry for her, he supported her tuition and even helped her debut in high society. Talented Camilla studied magic and awakened as the world’s first spirit mage.

As befitting a male and female lead, the two shone brilliantly and grew their love. Camilla wondered whether the path of spirit magic was truly what she wanted—but in the end, she ate well, lived well, and received the love of the perfect male lead, Rosio. A happy ending.

Capable, passionate, beautiful Camilla. Overpowered, gentle, and handsome Rosio. With the two of them together, it was more than happy enough, wasn’t it?

Just as I was about to start the side stories—

Boom.

A loud noise made me look up from my phone. The sidewalk rippled like waves before collapsing inward.

W-What? A sinkhole?

Nearby, there was only an elderly man. The ground ahead had already caved in, turning pitch-black, and the old man staggered. Startled, I rushed forward and reached out to him. Just as I thought his face looked familiar—

The ground beneath my feet collapsed too. I didn’t even have time to scream.

Why did I try to help him?

No one had ever helped me in my life. I should’ve turned around and run without hesitation. It was a stupid thing to do.

It was too late for regret. The drop was deep—I kept falling. If I hit the bottom like this, I’d die.

I should’ve just lived chasing small pleasures.

I’d worked tirelessly to improve my life. I was proud I’d lived more earnestly than anyone. Yet nothing had changed, and I regretted the life I’d lived as if constantly being chased.

I always sacrificed the present for the future…

To die because I tried to help someone—how pointless.

Then the phone screen in my hand began to blaze with bright light.

The blinding glare made me squeeze my eyes shut.

When I opened them again—