AMNL 02

 ~ Chapter : 2 ~

‘W-what…?’

Before me stood an extremely handsome man and a beautiful woman.

The man had brown hair and sky-blue eyes, while the woman had pink hair and turquoise eyes. Their outfits were stylish, like illustrations on the cover of a romance fantasy novel.

‘What’s going on?’

I looked around. The furniture I could see was antique yet lavish—like items used by very high-ranking nobles, even in a fantasy world.

“Esmeralda~”

The woman looked at me with a voice dripping honey. Her gentle features made her seem very warm and affectionate.

‘Did she just call me Esmeralda? My name is…’

I glanced around and noticed a magnificent mirror behind me. Turning to face it, I could see my reflection—or rather, I didn’t. Instead, a pretty young girl, about high-school age, with pale skin and delicate features, stared back.

Her pink hair, like cherry blossoms, was tied with a ribbon, and her clear, light-blue eyes trembled in surprise. When I tilted my head, the girl in the mirror tilted hers too.

The stranger, squinting her sky-blue eyes and mimicking every gesture, down to her fingers curling, was definitely… me.

‘This can’t be real!’

On top of that, she wore a blouse with silver buttons, a jacket with a snowflake-shaped emblem, and snug, high-quality slate-blue pants. This was unmistakably the uniform of the Royal Academy that the female protagonist would later attend.

Everything about her face was completely unknown to me, but it looked like I was in a world similar to “The Elite Male Lead Needs Me.” Pressing my fingers against the mirror, leaving prints, made it feel a little more real.

‘Could this… be possession, like in the novels?’

To think something like a novel would happen to me.

I quickly organized my thoughts. If this really was possession, it must be a gift from a merciful god.

But the fact that I had never heard the name Esmeralda before bothered me. I racked my brain, but it was unfamiliar—likely the body of an unnamed extra.

‘She must be an academy student. If the timelines overlap, maybe I’ll meet the male or female lead.’

Even if I didn’t get involved with the protagonists, it was fine. My original life had no money or proper family. Seeing the kind faces of the man and woman, who must be the parents of the body I possessed, gave me a sense of peace.

I wasn’t entirely sure, but just having wealth and a loving mother made me satisfied.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door, and a servant in neat attire entered.

“Count Saint, please hurry. Miss Esmeralda’s enrollment ceremony is about to begin.”

Saint? Another unfamiliar family.

Still, this wasn’t a family that would fall or be wiped out because of the protagonist. A count was a fairly high rank. The rest of the details could be learned later.

“The carriage is ready soon.”

The woman replied softly. Since she answered when the servant called, it seemed the head of the Saint family was the mother. Her voice was warm when speaking to me, but sharp when addressing the servant.

‘The enrollment ceremony… must mean she’s a first-year. She should be around eighteen, then. No wonder the uniform looks brand new, never worn.’

The age difference was only about two years from my original self. Being in such a young body, I had no worries about adjusting.

Thank you, God! I won’t ruin the original story, so please don’t send me back to my old world.

I was thrilled at the thought of this new life.

But as a possessed body, I immediately faced my first crisis.

At first, I thought this was just a peaceful, doting-family situation.

My mother’s hands smoothing my hair were full of love. My father kept commenting on how handsome I was, like I had inherited the best of him. I didn’t even know people used so many flowery compliments.

“Ah, Esmeralda. I hope you like the bag we prepared as a gift for your enrollment.”

Her warm voice made my heart swell.

I smiled brightly to meet her expectations. My father had brought a slate-blue bag that matched the uniform perfectly.

Even without effort, the leather looked high-quality, and the finishing was neat. My lips naturally curled up. It was completely different from my old life, where I had only used a worn-out bag.

“Honey, it looks like our daughter likes it.”

My mother said to my father with a beaming smile.

“See? Choosing this bag was the right choice. After all, a father knows his daughter best.”

As my father looked pleased, a spark flew from my mother’s eyes. And from there, the atmosphere gradually became tense.

“What are you talking about? I have over a hundred brand-new custom bags.”

“Then I’ll have to ask her directly. Daughter, do you like daddy or mommy more?”

My mother shot a look demanding I answer “mommy,” while my father mouthed “daddy, daddy!” This was the first crisis I faced after possession.

The couple who had seemed so warm and gentle suddenly went into competitive mode.

Moreover, that question seemed universal across all times and places. Even though the term “our daughter” still felt unfamiliar, it helped me quickly adapt to this world.

“…That’s a difficult question.”

When I spoke, my voice came out like a little bird’s song. I could naturally speak this world’s language as if it were Korean.

“To a teenager, parents are an absolute presence ensuring their survival. Such a question creates psychological pressure, and generally, answering based on who spends more time with them reduces credibility.”

It wasn’t just natural—it was fluent. All thanks to reading countless passages in my previous life from non-fiction and English comprehension tests.

‘Oh no, what if this is nothing like the original Esmeralda’s personality? I should’ve just said I liked both!’

I panicked, worried I’d be discovered immediately. But a few seconds later, the Saint couple almost simultaneously shouted:

“Did our daughter study ahead?”
“You didn’t even have to try so hard!”

Esmeralda was going to attend the academy almost as a hobby.

“Esmeralda, the academy is for developing social skills. Even if you’re a genius, you can’t be raised like your older siblings. Focus moderately on academics, and make lots of friends.”

“Yes, our daughter. There’s more to life than just studying.”

Count Saint and his wife added their words. Their children were an older sister, an older brother, and me, the youngest.

From there, Esmeralda’s memories naturally merged. My extremely prickly older sister had a natural talent for swordsmanship, while my socially withdrawn older brother excelled in magic.

As for me, that was my smartest moment.

After entering the Royal Academy, I kept two rules in mind: I wanted to live off the Count family’s wealth quietly and comfortably.

Rule 1: Don’t stand out too much.

The academy taught all subjects—magic, swordsmanship, herbalism, theology. The only thing I was somewhat good at wasn’t even tested: teleportation magic.

Though I majored in magic, I gradually gave up studying and mingled with noble friends.

My grades were always below average, and I almost repeated a year a few times, but the Saint couple never got disappointed. They found me cute, saying I had a warmth unlike my siblings. They gifted me expensive dresses and luxury items made with magical textiles along with letters every day.

The academy fees, unaffordable for commoners even in a lifetime, were like pocket change for the Count family. Naturally, I grew to love my parents.

Rule 2: Avoid Rosio and Camilla as much as possible.

Rosio was the male lead, and Camilla was the female lead.

After graduating, major incidents always involved either Rosio or Camilla.

Their lives weren’t just sweet romance. As Camilla grew more successful, she became embroiled in power struggles and clashed with villains, putting herself in danger.

‘I’ve finally become the youngest daughter of a wealthy family. Why interfere with the original story? Even without me, the leads will thrive.’

I had no intention of involving myself unnecessarily. Falling into this world finally allowed me a peaceful, comfortable life. I didn’t want to be friends—or even acquaintances—with Rosio or Camilla.

Rosio and I were the same age, so naturally, we were in the same grade, which meant encounters were inevitable. Whenever Rosio appeared, I avoided him.

Even if we had the same class and major, the academy had split classes to prevent overlapping paths, which I used to my advantage.

Of course, he had tried to talk to me in class once. Whatever his reason, it was the second crisis I faced after possession.

“Esme…”

Most of the time, I passed him at the speed of light before he finished speaking. Sometimes, I even used teleportation magic. Crises kept coming, but I always avoided him. Sorry, but I couldn’t give up my comfortable life.

Although I didn’t interact much, I also met Camilla fairly often. One day, she had come early to clean the classroom with a friend because she hadn’t done her assignment. Then, there was a rustling in the closet.

“Esmeralda, there seems to be a mouse in there.”

My friend shivered, pointing the broom at the closet. I stepped forward confidently.

“I’ll check.”

Having survived countless insects reminiscent of Fabre’s Insects in my previous life, and having occasionally seen rats in building crevices, I wasn’t afraid to peek inside.

I gently opened the closet. Camilla was crouched inside. Her golden hair shone so brightly it made the closet look like a jewelry box. Though her clothes were shabby, her emerald-green eyes with a hint of sky-blue gleamed with intelligence. Her small frame invoked a protective instinct.

‘Wow, she’s really beautiful.’

Rosio—or anyone—could fall for her at first sight.

Camilla, flustered, tried to stand, but I simply closed the door for her. I told my friend there was nothing there.

‘She probably sneaked in to skip class—magic class, no less.’

Camilla had a considerable amount of magical power. As a future mage, she wouldn’t starve, so she resolved to become a mage regardless of her personal interests. She later awakened as a spirit mage, but that was another story.

Sometimes I would run into her behind closets or stacks of books, but I always ignored her. I even secretly left pre-packaged snacks for her, just in case she couldn’t eat proper meals like in the novel.

I also left a few unused magic books occasionally… but I didn’t think I helped her significantly.

I quietly endured the story without intervening for five years. Finally, at twenty-three, the Royal Academy’s graduation party was held—the day I would soon be free from the protagonists.