Chapter 2

“Oh my, our young master—no, young lady…!”

“Stop crying, Beth.”

“How can I not cry!”

“I told you not to come with me in the first place.”

“How could I not follow you! I’m your personal maid!”

Clunk.
The carriage jolted along the rough mountain road.

Instead of replying to Beth, I scratched my itchy waist.

Beth, sitting across from me and dabbing her tears with a handkerchief, scolded me when she saw it.

“Stop fidgeting! You’re ruining the dress I worked so hard to fix!”

“Well, the corset’s uncomfortable.”

“That’s because you’re not used to wearing one. You’ll get used to it—wait, why should you have to?! Why, my lady?!”

“Calm down, Beth.”

“Marriage is one thing, but to the Monster Duke?!”

Beth huffed and puffed in frustration.

I rolled my eyes and shrugged.

‘I’m not really complaining though.’

Rather, I was relieved to come in Raina’s place.

‘What kind of sister would knowingly send her own sibling to die?’

Yeah. This was all part of my plan to save Raina.

It happened the day I was guarding the captured enemy princesses.

Right before I was stabbed by a dagger one of the princesses had hidden—

I suddenly realized something.

‘…Wait, this is the story I read!’

That this was the world inside a novel.

According to the story flashing through my mind, Elaine Pascal dies here, and the princesses escape.

The emperor, enraged by the death of his child, vents his fury on the innocent Pascal family. In the end, Raina is sent off as the Monster Duke’s bride.

‘And she died not long after arriving at the duchy.’

A barren, forsaken front line with no one to rely on.

The gentle Raina, in search of something to hold on to, falls deeply in love with the Monster Duke.

But the Duke never returned her affection.

When Raina eventually dies of heartbreak, Istar, the captain of the Third Holy Knights who had secretly loved her, descends into madness.

Being the pope’s illegitimate child, he deserts the order in order to kill the Duke—and along the way, he meets the saintess, leading to a twisted new romance…

‘Ugh, it’s so messy.’

In short, Raina, me, and the entire Pascal family…

‘We’re all just the disposable catalysts for the male lead’s descent into darkness.’

At least I figured it out before dying. Lucky me?

Besides, the moment I remembered my past life—how I’d been stabbed to death by a robber—I wasn’t about to get stabbed again!

So in that brief window, I squeezed out the tiny bit of holy power I had to shield my abdomen.

And then…

‘Go.’

‘…!’

‘Run, before I change my mind.’

I let the tear-streaked princesses go.

‘They’ve already lost their country. Forcing them into humiliating marriages too? That’s just cruel.’

But letting them escape at the cost of Raina’s life? That wasn’t acceptable.

So there was only one option.

Quit being a holy knight—and become the bride myself!

Luckily, I had no lingering attachment to being a knight.

‘Pascal men must become soldiers!’

‘But I’m a girl.’

‘…Then you must live as a man, Elaine!’

‘Me? Here?!’

From the start, I only joined the Holy Knights because of Father’s pressure.

I failed the physical tests at every other place, but unfortunately, I had just enough holy power to qualify.

Being a holy knight only requires holy power, after all.

‘I was destined to die in the original story anyway.’

So, while freeing the princesses, I quickly rewrote my life plan.

Sure enough, the imperial order would soon come to send Raina to the Monster Duke.

Then I’d just reveal I was a woman and take her place.

Wouldn’t that fix everything?

The biggest problem was that the groom was the Monster Duke, but honestly, I wasn’t too worried.

‘What’s so monstrous about him?’

According to the novel, he wasn’t the beastly man the rumors made him out to be—he didn’t even hurt people.

‘Sure, he was a cold-hearted man who let Raina wither away without giving her any love.’

Letting a good, lovely woman like Raina die from neglect?

Everyone feared the “Monster Duke,” but he was probably just a pitiful eunuch.

And the good thing about that was—

‘No bedroom duties, thank goodness.’

There’d be no need to bother with the duties of a married couple.

A husband who was too busy hunting monsters to meddle in my life? Not a bad deal.

‘Even if it’s a barren land, he’s still a Duke—he must have some wealth.’

In my past life, that’d make him top-tier husband material.

‘When it’s time to make a baby… I’ll just figure something out then.’

In the meantime, I could secretly build a safe hideout for my family with the Duke’s money.

‘It’s the least I deserve for saving Raina from suffering.’

In other words, I did have a plan.

But Beth still seemed full of complaints.

“Cursed dragon blood that might kill his wife?! That man doesn’t deserve you, my lady!”

Though, I couldn’t say much in return—I had my own curse to worry about.

“…He probably won’t like women who cross-dress due to a prophecy either.”

“That’s not your fault!”

Beth quickly changed her tune.

Classic double standard—but I didn’t point it out.

Twenty years ago, a famous prophet appeared before the late Marchioness of Pascal and delivered a prophecy:

‘You’re carrying a daughter.
And she is destined to be taken by the devil.’

The Pascal family turned pale and tried to drive the prophet away.

But he continued to pour out his dire predictions before leaving:

‘No matter where she goes, the devil will come for her.’

Months later, the Marchioness gave birth to a small, round, and beautiful baby girl.

And after seeing the child’s eyes, the Marquis made a decision.

If there was a way to change fate, he’d take it.

Maybe if they tricked the devil.

So I, Elaine Pascal, lived my entire life as a boy—up until just a few days ago.

‘But seriously, would a devil really be fooled by a disguise?’

I shrugged and looked out the window.

It was all in the past now.

Others might be losing their minds over my decision, but I was satisfied.

I saved Raina and kept our family from becoming disposable stepping stones for the male lead.

The only bitter part was that said male lead happened to be my superior—and that I had rather liked him.

‘Well, that’s over now anyway.’

‘You were a woman…?’

Suddenly, I remembered Commander Istar’s eyes trembling at my confession.

His large hands had gripped mine so tightly, I had a hard time pulling away.

‘And now you’re going to marry another man?’

That line sounded oddly possessive.

I gave him a couple of pats on the shoulder and walked away.

After that, I said my goodbyes to the stunned, slack-jawed Third Holy Knights who couldn’t believe I was wearing a dress, and headed off to the Monster Duke’s domain.

‘Actually… now that I think about it, I’m kind of pissed?’

Istar, those idiot knights—just because I wore a dress?

Did their eyes pop out because I was so ugly?

‘I used to get called handsome all the time while cross-dressing…’

While I was sulking—

“Whoa!”

The coachman’s voice shouted, and the carriage jolted violently as it came to an abrupt stop.

I caught Beth, who nearly fell onto me, while reaching toward my waist.

“You’re going to ruin the corset again!”

“No, I’m just looking for a weapon…”

“A weapon?”

“Don’t you hear it?”

SCREEEEECH!

Right after I spoke, the screech of a monster echoed outside. Beth’s face went pale.

“Get behind me, Beth.”

“But, my lady—!”

“I’m stronger than you.”

At that, Beth immediately ducked behind me.

I instinctively tried to draw my weapon—only to find nothing at my waist.

Well, of course. This ridiculous dress didn’t even have a place to attach a weapon.

Clicking my tongue, I changed my approach.

‘I’ve still got years of experience as a knight… maybe hand-to-hand combat will work.’

If I just wrapped my fists in holy power?

I still had my pride as a holy knight.

Meanwhile, our elderly coachman outside was probably shaking in his boots.

“Ugh, whatever.”

“My lady?”

Rip!

Tearing the side of the dress to move more freely, I threw open the carriage door—

SCREECH!

THWACK!

A wolf-like monster that had been charging at me was suddenly smacked aside with tremendous force.

“…?”

My eyes instinctively turned to where the blow had come from.

‘Whoa.’

And then—my gaze locked onto him.