~Chapter 1~
It was a peaceful afternoon filled with the scent of flowers and soft music in the air.
In the Butterfly Garden—one of many royal gardens in the Diorneta Empire and the Empress’s personal favorite—a tea party was in full swing.
As I listened to the noble ladies chatting at the table, I quickly raised my fan to cover my face.
I couldn’t keep my expression under control.
A tea party, seriously?
Wearing a fancy, expensive dress and being invited to a party hosted by the Empress herself—
I still couldn’t believe this life was mine now.
Hooray for transmigration!
I barely held back the urge to jump on the table and laugh from my belly when one of the noble ladies sitting next to me spoke up.
“Young Lady, are you alright?”
It was Lady Rene Zellweger, daughter of a marquis, looking at me with concern in her green eyes.
I quickly fixed my expression and lowered the fan with a calm face.
“Hm? What do you mean, Lady Rene?”
“Oh! I must’ve misunderstood. I thought you were crying.”
She must’ve misread my shaking shoulders, which were actually from holding in my laughter.
With a graceful smile, I gently shook my head.
“Oh no, not at all. How could I cry on such a lovely day?”
“Right? The Crown Prince is finally getting engaged. Her Majesty the Empress must be overjoyed,” Rene said, smiling.
Then Lady Christine, another marquis’s daughter, chimed in cheerfully.
“Of course! Her Majesty worked so hard to arrange the engagement between the Crown Prince and Lady Larienne of House Torned.”
It was true.
Not just the Empress, but the Emperor also had high hopes for this match.
The peace of the Diorneta Empire basically depended on the marriage of Crown Prince Haid and Larienne, the daughter of Duke Torned.
Too bad that toxic couple still had a long, rough road ahead of them.
You see, I had transmigrated into the story “Secret Romance in the Butterfly Garden.”
From here on out, the royal family and Duke Torned’s house were going to be in complete chaos.
And Haid and Larienne were going to be dragged through every possible kind of emotional mess.
Since I already knew the whole plot, I just nodded quietly—when Rene suddenly made a pointed comment toward me.
“Still, don’t you feel a bit disappointed? Wouldn’t it have been better if His Highness had chosen a partner from a loyalist noble family? Someone like, say, Lady Airevet Titanoa here?”
“Absolutely not.”
I shook my head immediately and firmly.
Rene looked surprised, but I gave her my fiercest eyebrow raise to make my point.
What kind of curse is it to wish someone becomes the Crown Prince’s partner in this drama-filled mess?
I’ve had more than enough suffering in my previous life, thank you very much.
I was so happy to have been reborn as a background character completely unrelated to the story.
And not just any character—I’m the only daughter of a super rich and powerful Duke.
Plus, House Titanoa is part of the pro-Emperor faction that supports the Crown Prince.
Which means while the male lead is busy smashing anti-Emperor enemies, I get to clap from the sidelines and live my best life.
Yep, sweet life unlocked.
I made a firm decision: I was going to enjoy the easiest, chillest transmigration life ever.
No stress.
Just full-on lazy mode.
I’ll be the queen of doing nothing.
Muahaha.
Trying not to laugh out loud, I lowered my gaze at a 45-degree angle and faked a fragile, emotional voice.
“I’m too weak to be an Empress. I wouldn’t be a good fit.”
Everyone nodded in understanding.
It was already known that Airevet Titanoa was a sickly girl.
According to the background (since I didn’t appear in the original story), the Duke’s daughter had been in a coma for a long time from a serious illness.
A fragile duke’s daughter who just woke up after ten years?
Is there any better setup for living a comfy, chill life?
I tried to hold it in, but I could feel the laughter coming again.
So I excused myself from the table and stood up.
I needed to go somewhere quiet and laugh it all out.
As I strolled through the Butterfly Garden, bathed in warm spring sunlight, I thought—This is it.
This is life.
Who cares if I’m just a background extra?
This world has crazy romance and political drama—but no dungeons!
No monster gates, no beast invasions, no emergency calls!
I smiled so wide it reached my ears and looked up at the clear, cloudless sky.
“What a beautiful day. The sky’s so clear and blue—just like my future.”
As I chuckled and turned my head, I spotted a chubby little bumblebee bouncing from flower to flower.
“Hey there, bumblebee. Are you enjoying the sweet life too?”
‘Cause I sure am.
With my life now filled with sweetness, everything around me looked bright and happy.
Even the butterflies fluttering by seemed like they were blessing my honey-drenched reincarnation.
“Hi, butterfly. Lovely weather, isn’t it?”
I followed the butterfly deeper into the garden, and that’s when a cat suddenly appeared from the bushes.
It had a white body with gray tabby markings—looked well-fed and super cute.
Must be a royal garden cat getting spoiled daily.
I crouched down and held out my hand, speaking softly.
“Hi there, kitty. Aren’t you just the cutest thing?”
The cat stared at me with wide eyes for a moment, then came waddling over.
“Yo.”
…Yo?
Did it just say “yo” and not “meow”?
I was still trying to process that weird sound when the cat stood up on two legs.
Then it dusted off its front paws and stuck one out—as if asking for a handshake.
What the heck? Is this a dream?
As I blinked in confusion, the adorable kitty opened its mouth again—not to meow—but to talk?!
“Yoon Ah-hee, or should I call you Airevet now?”
“Whaaaat?!”
I fell straight on my butt, scooting backward in shock.
Not only was the cat talking, it knew my name from my previous life.
What is this, a nightmare?
I looked around in panic, but everything still looked like a peaceful palace garden.
Then the cat said something even crazier.
“I’m Himong from the Dimensional Management Bureau. I’ve got a notice for you, Airevet!”
Whatever nightmare or Himong this was, I immediately shut the cat’s mouth.
If anyone heard this chubby cat talking, I’d be so screwed.
The first real crisis in my sweet, easy reincarnated life…
And it came in the form of a talking fat cat.
