Chapter 1
It was a beautiful moment—like a scene from a painting.
The fireplace crackled warmly, and a family sat in front of it on the sofa.
On the father’s lap sat a small, lovely girl with deep blue hair, almost so dark it looked black—just like her father.
Across from them sat the mother, whose appearance was a little different.
While the father and daughter had cool, winter-like colors, the mother had soft brown hair that looked warm and gentle, like a spring forest. Her eyes were a lovely pink, so pretty they made even flowers seem plain.
Even though they all looked different, the fact that they were a family made the picture more beautiful.
But they only looked lovely—from far away.
If you came closer, you’d see the father’s cold, stiff face and the mother staring at the floor, avoiding her husband’s sharp gaze.
“I don’t understand your wor—”
Slap.
Suddenly, the little girl sitting on her father’s lap smacked him right on the mouth.
His face, usually cold and unreadable, looked a bit shocked—he clearly didn’t see that coming.
“Mavis! That’s very rude to your father!”
“But… there was a huge bug on Daddy’s lips! I just didn’t want the bug to hurt him…”
The mother, who had been staring at the floor all this time, finally looked up at the sound of her daughter’s innocent voice.
And really—what could they say?
She was just a six-year-old girl trying to protect her dad from a “bug.” It was hard to scold her for that.
The father, unsure how to respond, sighed quietly.
The girl’s eyes narrowed as she looked at him.
“Watch what you say! What if Mom decides to divorce you right here?!”
Her dad probably thought he was the one struggling the most, but he had no idea.
Mavis was on a very important mission—one that neither of them knew about.
* * *
Vanessa felt something was wrong.
When she opened her eyes, she didn’t understand where she was.
Sunlight poured in through huge windows, and soft ivory moldings lined the clean white walls, making the room look fancy.
The ceiling was so high she didn’t even notice the chandelier above until she looked up.
The soft carpet under her feet was large and thick—definitely expensive.
This wasn’t her room.
Her real room was small and cold, far away in a poorly kept guest house.
The window was dirty, the cold northern wind came through cracks, and there wasn’t even a scrap of rug on the floor.
That room was tiny, old, and lonely.
But she recognized where she was now.
This was the master bedroom used by the Duke and Duchess—before her husband died and before her daughter became the family head.
“Oh! Madam, you’re awake. I won’t need to help you wash, then. I’ll just leave the water here.”
“Ah…”
The maid looked at her coldly, then left.
Vanessa knew her.
She was the maid who used to work for her daughter and constantly whispered lies about Vanessa behind her back. She had died before Mavis even became an adult.
“Then why is she here…?”
Everything felt strange.
Vanessa walked slowly to the bowl of water the maid had left, thinking maybe she was dreaming.
But when she looked at her reflection, she froze.
Her hands were smooth and young—no scars, no wrinkles.
Her brown hair was shiny and healthy, and her face looked fresh and full of youth—not tired and worn like before.
“Did I become young again?”
But with this room, and that maid, and everything here…
“No… I went back in time.”
Or maybe not?
Vanessa stared blankly ahead.
If she really was in the past, then why was she here?
“Mom! Look, flowers bloomed!”
“Yes… they did.”
“Mavis is going to make you a flower crown!”
The little girl’s chubby fingers were busily picking at the flowers.
Actually, it was more like squashing them.
Vanessa took a step toward her but stopped.
“Was Mavis ever this sweet to me…?”
No. After her husband’s death, it was Mavis who blamed Vanessa and had her sent away.
“Then why is she acting like this now?”
Vanessa pinched her cheek to see if it was a dream. The pain felt real.
“Mom… why are you hurting yourself?”
Mavis tilted her head in confusion.
“Um… Mavis, is this a dream?”
Because if it was, it would explain a lot. A stepdaughter suddenly being nice after a time-travel? People would laugh at that.
“Hmm?”
“S-sorry.”
But as she looked into Mavis’s pure eyes, Vanessa felt bad for even doubting her.
She remembered a saying: There are no bad children, only bad adults.
Children are shaped by the world around them, and even small things can change them.
Vanessa knew well—it wasn’t the child’s fault, but the people who made her that way.
Sure, Mavis wasn’t perfect. But this little girl hadn’t done anything wrong yet.
Now that time has rewound, even small changes could lead to a better future.
But still… It made her sad.
“If only we had met like this the first time…”
In this life, Vanessa had already decided to divorce. But seeing Mavis like this made her hesitate.
“Oh, sorry Mavis. I must’ve been so focused on your flower crown that I didn’t hear you. Did you say something?”
“Nope! I was busy making the crown too!”
Vanessa smiled brightly and turned to the girl.
She was still Mavis’s stepmother, and that meant she had to care for her.
Luckily, it seemed she hadn’t ignored her.
Meanwhile, Mavis—who had been secretly watching Vanessa—felt her hands getting sweaty.
“Whew… I thought she figured it out.”
She had been so tense, worried Vanessa might realize she wasn’t the real Mavis.
But it seemed safe… for now.
“Mom! The crown is ready!”
“Wow… it’s so pretty!”
“Really?”
“Of course!”
Mavis tilted her head. The crown looked… well, messy. Honestly, it was falling apart.
But Vanessa smiled and gently placed it on her head like it was the most precious thing in the world.
To her, the fact that Mavis had made it with those little hands was all that mattered.
“Then… let’s make one for Dad too!”
“Pardon? For the Duke?”
“Yeah! You and Dad are a couple, so a queen and king crown should match!”
“…I see.”
Vanessa’s smile faded a bit.
Her husband, who was usually off hunting monsters, had suddenly returned to the mansion.
“You must be happy, Mavis.”
“Aren’t you happy too, Mom?”
“Ah… we need more flowers. I’ll go pick some.”
Vanessa changed the subject. She wasn’t comfortable around her husband. She wanted to divorce him, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t scared.
Seeing her walk all the way across the garden just to avoid him, Mavis nearly cried.
“After everything I did to bring him back… she still wants to leave him…”
She remembered all the times she’d thrown tantrums, sent dozens of letters, and begged him to return.
Maybe she should’ve waited before dragging him home.
But it was too late.
The trashy Duke had arrived.
Now Mavis had to fix him, no matter what it took, and stop the divorce.
“You called me?”
A deep voice spoke behind the cheerful mother and daughter.
Just like saying his name made him appear—there he was.
The cold-hearted Duke, Mavis’s father and Vanessa’s soon-to-be ex-husband: Hiram Arsen.
Even now, he looked tired from working too much, with dark circles under his eyes.
But somehow, that made him look even more handsome.
With just one walk down the street, 8 out of 10 women would stare, and 2 would run up to ask his name.
He was the kind of man who could charm shopkeepers into handing him their best goods for free.
In short, he was the perfect male lead—for a romance fantasy novel.
“If only he stayed home once in a while…”
He couldn’t be a romantic lead if he was never around.
“…My lady. Did you roll through the bushes? There’s a clump of leaves on your head.”
“…Mavis made… a flower crown…”
“…”
“How rude! It’s clearly a flower crown!”
To be fair, the crown did look like a bundle of crushed leaves and petals. But Mavis truly believed it was perfect.
“Ugh…”
Mavis let out a small sigh.
Fixing this guy was going to be really, really hard.
