Prologue: I Guess I Was Too Obsessed
The answer is simple: to survive. That was all, but somehow, I ended up caught in the middle of a fight between two handsome men, like a shrimp between two whales.
“Donāt you hear me? Let go of her hand.”
“You should let go of her hand, Count.”
“Please, both of you, calm down.”
I tried to speak to the two men holding my hands, but they were too busy glaring at each other to listen. I had wanted a romance-filled love triangle, sure. But this? This wasnāt what I had in mind.
“Did you think my warning was a joke?”
I swallowed hard as I looked into the Countās green eyes, now stormy and fierce. He was usually calm, but seeing him curl the corner of his lips into a low snarl was never a good sign. The golden-haired, handsome man provocatively chuckled, fueling the tension.
“I am the one engaged to Lady Sheinford.”
Count Mond seemed prepared for a fight, showing no signs of backing down.
“Lady Sheinford already rejected you.”
“The engagement between our families is still valid.”
“Thatās because youāre desperately holding on to it.”
“Is that really the case?”
If I didnāt intervene soon, it looked like the situation would escalate into a full-blown fight, so I quickly tried to mediate. The person I liked was the Count, and I never intended to marry Count Mond, so I was determined to settle this.
“Everyone, pleaseā”
I was about to make my stance clear when someone grabbed my shoulder, cutting my words short.
“What are you two doing?”
The sharp voice of Inspector Pionel rang out as two navy-clad figures stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
“Yeah, the lady is in trouble!”
The sight of two grown men, now backpedaling and looking at me helplessly, reminded me of a large dog being yelled at by a small, yappy dog. I was afraid one of them might charge at the other, but just before I could call out to Inspector Yansen, whose name I had in mind, a pair of deep amethyst eyes met mine, filled with concern.
“Lady Sheinford, if you need an order of prohibition for their proximity, please let me know.”
Inspector Jaiyaās determined face appeared before me, as if offering to help in any way possible, even through his family’s connections. His words were meant to reassure me, as he seemed ready to offer his assistance at any moment.
I was about to correct the misunderstanding, but before I could, another bombshell dropped.
“Why donāt you just come to me? I didnāt send you away just to see this! You donāt know what I gave up to let you go…!”
What kind of timing is that?! I froze, not sure whether to stop Inspector Pionel from speaking or just let it all unfold.
“Now Iām not giving up either!”
It felt like a signal for the five grown men to start bickering with each other, and I closed my eyes tightly.
āUghā¦ I miss my mom.ā
I wonder how sheās doing, Mrs. Park Young-sook? Iām doing okay. After all, I had decided to embrace the romance genre of this damn novel, sneaking into the heroineās seat after seducing the protagonist. But maybeā¦ I got too obsessed with romance. Thatās probably why this disaster happened.
Even as I opened my eyes again, the chaos was still unfolding in front of me, and I couldnāt help but reminisce about the first day I woke up on the cruise ship.
Case File 1: The Murder in the Cruise Cabin (3)
āIāve told you several times, itās not me!ā
My curly ginger hair bounced up and down like a spring in sync with my angry voice, but what mattered right now wasnāt that my hair was burning bright red instead of the usual black, or that a strange voice, like a diction fairy, was coming out of my mouth. The most important thing was that I had been accused of murder, and I needed to clear my name quickly! If not, I’d end up in prison!
āNo, youāre the one who did it!ā shouted a middle-aged man who looked like a raisin, pointing at me while raising his voice.
I didn’t know why I woke up surrounded by detectives instead of being in my room, but I had to get out of the suspect list, because right now, I was being accused of killing someone!
āStop this nonsense, you incompetent detective!ā
Unable to hold back my anger, I almost attacked the man, who looked like a raisin, but two detectives quickly grabbed my arms to stop me. They couldnāt control my mouth, though, and I cursed them out loud, making one of the younger detectives almost cry.
āYouāre still going to claim you didnāt do it?ā
The detective yelled as he took a step back, and I could tell he was especially shocked by the curse I had thrown at his bald head.
āEven if you keep struggling, the fact remainsāyou killed someone!ā
I was really frustrated. Other people get to be in romantic or adventurous fantasy novels, but I ended up in a suspense-filled detective novel, and not just any character, but the murderer!
I had somehow been transported into a novel called The Detective Earl. I had no idea how I ended up here, but it was clear that the character I was now inhabiting was in serious trouble.
When I woke up, I was in a luxury cabin on a cruise ship, and the first thing that happened was being accused of murder by a man who looked like a raisin. The handsome blonde man lying unconscious on the floor didnāt even stir.
āConfess, my lady!ā
I instantly remembered the plot of The Detective EarlāI had just been reading the latest chapter, and the story ended with a similar scene. The murder was still unsolved, and now here I was, accused of being the murderer!
The detective kept pointing at me, saying, āThe evidence says youāre guilty.ā
I didn’t want to face it, but it was all so familiar. In the novel, the character had red hair just like mine. Normally, I would have marveled at this ānovel body-switchingā experience, but now, with the accusations flying, I couldnāt relax and just enjoy the situation.
The novel was poorly received, with critics saying the mystery was boring. But the real draw was the character of the detective, who had a complex and mysterious personality, sparking romantic tension with his partners.
But here I was, stuck with a plot I didnāt want to be a part of.
The detective continued accusing me, showing photos and claiming I was seen near the victim. And then, he presented a photo of a couple on the cruise ship.
At first, I thought it was just a normal photo, but as he zoomed in, I saw it. My own familiar red hair was in the corner of the image!
“Why am I in this photo?!” I screamed inside my head.
