Chapter 3
“Shouldn’t we call a doctor for a house visit? Are you really okay?”
“My family would just say I’m overreacting again. But thanks. You’re the only one who really cares about me.”
I was grateful that Anna was still on my side.
Anna felt like the only bit of happiness this world had given me.
“This isn’t right. It’s them who are weird for treating you like this!”
Anna looked at my scraped and bruised skin and got angry.
“You’re the direct daughter of a noble Viscount family. You weren’t born to be bullied or laughed at!”
“…But what if this really is my fate?”
I trailed off sadly, and Anna looked shocked.
“Oh my! No one is born with a fate like that!”
“Really…? I wonder.”
Honestly, I was feeling lost.
Even if I had made up my mind to change everything, breaking the world I’d lived in with just my bare hands wasn’t easy.
But then—
“…What is this?”
When I woke up, something had changed again.
Unlike yesterday, it wasn’t just that I realized I’d been reincarnated into a novel.
Now, I could remember the entire story of the original book—so clearly, as if I had just read it yesterday.
Was this what they call “hyper memory”? The plot I had read before came back vividly and played over and over in my head like a parrot.
– The heroine’s name and hair color are…
– The male lead’s location at the start of the story is…
My mind was completely filled with someone’s constant chatter, like it was desperate to remind me.
“Enough already!”
I struggled with all this information for half a day. Rolling around in bed in frustration, the noisy voice finally faded, and new thoughts began to form.
‘Wait… this is actually really useful, isn’t it?’
I felt like I had become an all-knowing god. Not even the emperor would know everything about this world like I did.
I knew important secrets about the future that no one else knew. What if I could use that as a weapon?
To test my thinking, I asked Anna, who had come into the room to help me:
“Let’s say you were born to play a role where everyone ignores you. But one day, you suddenly gained all the knowledge in the world. What would you do?”
“…Huh?”
Anna, who had been worried about me ever since I fell down the stairs yesterday, tilted her head and replied,
“A role? Like in a play? Then of course I’d use that power right away! In today’s world, information is money, and there are tons of ways to succeed!”
Her words lit a spark in me.
I could change my fate. If the heavens gave me a disease, they also gave me the cure.
Even someone like me—who thought I was just a background character—could rise to a leading role using this story knowledge.
If I was willing to try, that is.
So I made a small decision: I would use this situation to my advantage as much as possible.
“Anna. Can you bring me a pen and some paper?”
* * *
Scratch, scratch.
I sat down and started writing in a notebook everything I could remember about the original story.
First, I figured out exactly which novel I had reincarnated into.
I was sure because of my family name—Viscount Starace.
This world was from the last novel I read before I died.
In that story, the Starace family only appeared for a brief moment—by episode 5, they were already a joke.
They tried to offer their daughter as a bride to the male lead, Ezequiel, but were harshly rejected.
– Your Highness, we have a lovely daughter in our family…
– Get lost.
– Y-yes, sir!
‘They hinted at this scheme for four episodes, then boom—it ended. Immediate exit.’
The sudden shift in the story was so ridiculous that it stayed in my memory.
‘But… when exactly did our family try to offer a daughter to Ezequiel?’
Suddenly, I realized something.
No matter how hard I searched my memories, that part hadn’t happened yet.
That means… the original story hadn’t even started.
‘Wait a minute. Am I the daughter who gets rejected and humiliated later?!’
Please, let it not be true.
Anyway, the nonstop chatter in my head helped me remember the main characters of the story.
[Title: The Sunshine Saintess Saves the Male Lead
Male Lead: Ezequiel Vetra
Female Lead: Monica Conte
My understanding of the story: ☆☆]
Honestly, I never read to the end. I only got through the first 20 chapters, so I’ll just give it two stars.
In the story summary, Monica was described as a sunny girl from the slums who later becomes a saintess. She’s supposed to save the cold-hearted duke Ezequiel.
“Hm.”
But I didn’t really get what was so “cold-hearted” about him.
In this world, Ezequiel simply dislikes having his personal life appear in the newspapers.
Even in the novel, it just said he gave off a cool, distant vibe.
I was still new to this, awkwardly mouthing unfamiliar words.
“Maybe he’s the typical cold Northern Duke type?”
Maybe he’s a bit gruff.
But since he’s the male lead, I believed he’d at least be a decent person.
[Male Lead Analysis: ☆☆☆ (Probably)]
If Ezequiel is your standard male lead, then his personality would be similar to those in other romance novels.
That means his actions would be predictable, and his future would be smooth and successful.
‘If his life path is already secure, then I could join him on it, right?’
Honestly, could I ask for a better match?
- Wealthy
- High status
- Super handsome
- Most likely has a good personality
For noble daughters like me, marrying a good man is usually the cleanest way to leave their families.
In my current situation, this was the bravest decision I could make.
Besides, there’s one unchanging rule in every romance novel.
[Contract marriages never break apart.]
No matter how much they talk about divorce or sign contracts, they always end up in love.
The fake couple falls for each other and lives happily ever after.
So, if I could turn this world into a “contract marriage story,” I could live a stable life for a while.
Honestly, the thought made my heart flutter.
The idea of someone who would never mistreat me.
Someone who would always be on my side.
I had longed for someone like that so much, that even just the possibility of it made me excited.
“Alright. I’ll propose to Ezequiel Vetra.”
That was my first goal.
Secure the male lead as my strong ally and plan for the future.
I’d become the new protagonist of this world, take over the original story, and escape from my family.
‘Then I’ll show up everywhere as the Duke’s wife and build my network.
I’ll find a way to survive by using future plot points to my advantage.’
Just then, Anna came into the room carrying a tea tray and today’s newspaper.
“Young Lady, please have something to eat.”
I took a bite of the apple and patted her back.
“Anna, thanks to you, I realized something important.”
“What is it?”
“That whether I’m a side character or the main one depends on my mindset.”
“…Huh?”
“Starting today, I’ll be the main character of this world. And I’ll live happily ever after.”
Anna looked confused, not understanding what I meant.
But maybe she liked seeing my change in attitude, because she smiled too.
“Alright. Also, here’s the morning paper you always ask for.”
The headline on the front page of today’s paper caught my eye instantly.
[Vetra Duke Family Facing Collapse?]
It felt like someone had thrown cold water on me.
Right after I decided to propose to Ezequiel, the whole world started talking about his family.
“According to imperial law, the Vetra Duchy’s special autonomy must be revoked as there is no legitimate heir, making its annexation inevitable…”
This was actually the perfect time to offer a contract marriage to the Duke.
This news about the Duchy being annexed was part of Ezequiel’s backstory, which was briefly mentioned at the start of the novel.
Meaning—it was still before the original story truly began.
“Anna, listen. The Emperor doesn’t like the Vetra Duchy because it’s too independent.”
The root of all problems was the Duchy’s autonomous rights.
Hundreds of years ago, during the empire’s unification, the Vetra territory gained permanent self-rule.
From the Emperor’s point of view, it was like there were two rulers in one land.
Of course, he hated how independent Vetra was.
“So His Majesty the Emperor used the inheritance issue to pressure him?”
“Exactly! Ezequiel’s older brother disappeared, and he has no other relatives, so the Vetra Duchy is unstable right now…”
Because there was no one to immediately inherit the land, the Emperor used that to corner Ezequiel.
Basically saying: Join us again—be part of the Empire.
The key word here was “immediately.”
According to the Empire’s unique succession laws, Ezequiel actually had a nephew who would become a legal heir the following year.
But the Emperor used that underage nephew’s life as a threat to pressure Ezequiel.
“I’m going to stop that from happening. I’ll throw myself in the way.”
Of course, I didn’t plan to throw myself in for free.
he best solution to the problem was marriage between the Duke and me.
I said proudly:
“Ezequiel Vetra has to hold on to me to survive.”
