IWEML 01

Chapter  01

My fiancé was lying in bed with another woman.

With an affectionate expression — one he’d never once shown me — he was giving her his arm as a pillow.

“Polius.”

“Melanie? What about your birthday party—why are you here…?”

His usually confident face twisted in panic, and the sight was almost amusing.

“You said you’d never been emotionally involved with another woman.”

“I can explain. This is really a misunderstanding.”

A misunderstanding? I wonder how many coincidences have to overlap for a man to end up in bed with another woman.

I didn’t want to hear his excuses — they’d only make him look even more pathetic. I turned and stormed out of the room before he could get out of bed…

After that, I remembered nothing.

Damn it…

My weak body couldn’t handle the sudden shock, and I fainted.

Nothing new — it was probably the hundredth time I’d passed out.

I once read a fantasy novel titled “He’s an Illegitimate Son but the Most Successful Businessman!”

In short, it was about a bastard son, Polius, who overcomes hardship and discrimination to achieve great success in business.

But his success didn’t come from exceptional talent or noble character.

His true skill lay in one thing only — stringing women along.

He made countless women fall for him and used their devotion to advance his business.

Among his many “fish” in the pond, one stood out in particular — a certain duchess’s daughter.

She lent him her name for his ventures and kept pouring money into him.

“Melanie, aren’t you curious why I need such a large sum?”

“If you’re asking, Polius, you must have a good reason. I know you have the kindest heart of anyone.”

Yes — such a kind heart that he spent all that money helping another woman.

The duchess’s daughter even took out loans just to keep funding him. And Polius? He didn’t even feel guilty. He just kept asking for more.

And then, he’d brag about it to the woman he helped.

Seriously? It wasn’t enough to take her money, now he makes her take loans in her own name? And both of them think this makes sense?

Eventually, when she couldn’t repay the debt, her family’s trading company was on the verge of being seized by a loan shark.

When her father, Duke Clotilde, found out, he exploded with rage.

“You mortgaged the Clotilde Trading Company? What on earth were you thinking? Were you trying to get your inheritance early—just to hand money to that man?”

And there was a reason the usually gentle Duke was so furious.

“That trading company was your late mother’s legacy to you!”

That’s right — the Clotilde Trading Company had originally been managed by his late wife.

For the Duke, who still mourned her and had never remarried, this was like a blow from heaven.

But his daughter didn’t care.

“It’s what Mother left me! Why are you the one angry? You’ve never done anything for me when I was sick — unlike Polius!”

“Melanie… how could you say that…”

“I love him more than I love you. I’ll never regret it.”

Oof. Selling off your late mother’s legacy and stabbing your devoted father in the heart? That’s some next-level filial balance — equal opportunity unfilial conduct.

After that, she ran away from home to be with Polius.

And what was he doing at the time?

Flirting with other women, of course.

“I’ll prove that I love Polius more than the Duchess’s daughter ever could!”

“Ahaha, the one I should love is my fiancée… but thanks for your feelings. I’ll never forget it.”

‘Should’ love? Wow. And he keeps accepting every woman’s affection while pretending to be reluctant? Please.

He could at least admit his “success” came from his fiancée’s money!

I wanted to throw the book across the room, but since it was the final volume, I clenched my teeth and kept reading.

Wait… there’s not many pages left. How’s the main conflict going to end?

There was a reason.

“What? It ends here?”

The story had been unpopular — for obvious reasons — and ended abruptly.

In the rushed finale, Polius lived happily ever after.

And the duchess’s daughter?

Suffering from a rare illness, she overworked herself trying to pay off the debt and died.

“So only the male lead gets a happy ending? Seriously?”

I’d felt an odd attachment to the frail, devoted duchess’s daughter — so her tragic end made me furious.

I still remembered throwing that book in disgust.

But now… her name sounded painfully familiar.

Melanie Clotilde.

That’s my name.

That’s right — He’s an Illegitimate Son but the Most Successful Businessman! was a novel I’d read in my past life.

And I… had been reincarnated as that tragic heroine.

So I’m the unfilial idiot?

Remembering my past life, I sat up violently — and instantly regretted it as pain shot through my body.

“Ugh…”

“Miss, you mustn’t get up so suddenly!”

My maid, clearly used to this, fussed over me — but it didn’t help. Pain tore through me like fire.

“Everything hurts… especially my head. Get me some painkillers…”

After swallowing a dose large enough to choke me, the maid hesitated and whispered,

“Miss… since Lord Polius isn’t here, I’ll say this — you really must reduce the dosage. You know what will happen.”

“Yes. Keep this up and my whole body will stiffen from the side effects.”

My illness was incurable — and normal medicine didn’t work on me. These strong painkillers had terrible consequences.

“The way you can only digest porridge… and those seizures last week…”

I knew all that. But without them, I couldn’t bear the pain.

In the novel, the reason Melanie clung to Polius was that he possessed a fairy’s blessing that could ease her pain.

Ever since I was told I wouldn’t live long, I’d relied on his visits — his touch was the only thing that relieved the agony. That’s how our engagement came to be.

But really, was that love? Or just addiction to my living painkiller?

With my throbbing head, I sorted through the thoughts.

Just another fish in his pond…

A dying, foolish duchess’s daughter — the very “unfilial” girl I’d cursed in my previous life.

But that was me now.

Past and present memories tangled together, but one truth stood out:

I couldn’t keep living like this.

“What did Polius say when I collapsed?”

“Well… um…”

Polius did show up eventually — not out of guilt or worry, but with a very different purpose.

“It’s been a while. The loan finally went through, so the mine purchase is complete. The papers are under your name, so I thought you should see them.”

So that was why he came.

He came to talk business.

I glanced at the documents — ownership papers and loan contracts.

He said, ‘It’s under your name, so you should take a look.’

Right. Because I’m the one who’ll have to repay that loan.

Wasn’t there a lady who cried because no one would buy her family’s worthless mine?

And Polius, that genius, bought that useless mine at an outrageous price — all to “help” her.

And he still claims they’re just friends.

Even if I were generous enough to accept that, why use my name and my money?

This was insanity — I was the very definition of a deluded woman.

“Melanie…?”

“…”

“What’s wrong? Are you in pain? Here, let me use my blessing to ease—”

I raised a hand and blocked his touch. No more depending on my human painkiller.

“Don’t you have something to say first?”

“Huh…?”

So this is what they meant when the novel “made him look good.”

In the book, it only said they “cleared up the misunderstanding.”

Apparently, this is what “clearing up” meant — showing up late, ignoring her collapse, and talking about money first.

I couldn’t help but laugh. What a fool I’d been.

“Is this about the other woman? I’m sorry. I was just using my blessing to relieve her pain, and our posture must’ve… looked bad.”

So he just remembered his infidelity. How convenient.

“If you get any more comfortable relieving other women’s pain, every child born in the Empire will be yours.”

“Haha… what?”

I smiled sweetly. He started to laugh — then froze.

“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m apologizing, and you’re being sarcastic?”

“Fine. I’ll be direct.”

Still smiling, I said,

“Let’s break up.”

“…What?”

All my devotion had earned me was my family’s ruin and my father’s heartbreak.

But not this time.

Polius isn’t curing me. If I can hold on until the Saint appears, I’ll be fine.

In the novel, a Saint appeared later who could heal incurable diseases.

If I avoided debt and stress, managed my health, and found the Saint first, I could survive.

So—

“This is the end for us.”

Goodbye, my dear protagonist.

I’m leaving your little fish tank now.