Chapter 2
‘I thought… no matter what, I’d make Siklaen happy….’
Lia stared blankly at Jen, who was kneeling on one knee in front of her.
“I’ve decided… that in this life, I’ll choose you.”
At the nonsense he was spouting, Lia could hardly believe it.
Everything was ruined. She hadn’t been able to slap him. She hadn’t even met Derren. Getting expelled like this was impossible.
She was furious. For this day, she had spent an entire week forcing herself into the role of a villainess. She had deliberately picked fights with Siklaen whenever they met at school and refrained from being kind to the servants. It had been mentally exhausting.
And now, this man had ruined it all.
Jen Wydia—the sole heir to the throne of the Vaisen Empire, the setting of “Fluttering Hearts Royal Academy.” Thinking about how he acted in the novel, this situation was simply absurd.
‘That Jen Wydia would abandon Siklaen when she fell? And on top of that, he kisses my hand and says he chooses me? Impossible.’
Lia shook her head roughly, trying to snap herself out of it, and yanked her hand free from his grasp. This truly made no sense.
‘If Jen chooses me… then Siklaen will die.’
Because Jen Wydia was the tragic sub-male lead who saved Siklaen in the novel, only to die in her place.
Lia recalled the main storyline of “Fluttering Hearts Royal Academy.”
Siklaen, Derren, Lia, and Jen—all childhood friends—entered the royal academy together.
Though she carried a painful past, Siklaen was always bright and resilient, which made both Derren and Jen fall for her. Meanwhile, Lia, who was beautiful, harbored feelings for Derren.
Angered that Derren didn’t return her feelings, Lia bullied Siklaen out of jealousy. Eventually, all her wrongdoings were revealed, and she met a lonely end.
Naturally, Siklaen and Derren fell in love and reached their happy ending.
In other words, Siklaen was the heroine, Derren the male lead, Jen the sub-male lead, and Lia the villainess. Their roles were set in stone.
Now Lia found herself staring at Jen, who acted as if nothing had happened.
In the novel, Jen had been an immensely popular character—utterly devoted to Siklaen, to the point of being excessive. The very picture of pure, one-sided love.
‘He even gave up his life for her.’
Her head ached. Not only had she failed to play the villainess properly, now she was suddenly tangled in a romance line with the sub-male lead? At this rate, she couldn’t predict how the story would unfold.
Worse still, if Jen didn’t truly love Siklaen, then Siklaen might actually die—because he wouldn’t sacrifice himself for her.
“What do you mean by all this, suddenly? That you’ve chosen me?”
Lia demanded sharply.
Jen just shrugged. “Because that’s what I’ve decided. Do you have a problem with it?”
“Of course I—!”
She tried to retort but the words stuck in her throat. Every time she looked at his face, she found herself tongue-tied.
It had only been a week since she possessed this body, and she still wasn’t even used to her own reflection. This was the first time she had actually faced one of the novel’s male characters.
Pale skin, flowing silver hair, and cool blue eyes gave him a pure, ascetic aura. His tall frame, well-toned muscles, broad shoulders, and large hands made him look more like a beast than a boy.
In short—Jen Wydia was too handsome. The kind of handsome that never grew tiresome, no matter how long you stared.
Perhaps it was because he was a fictional character, but he seemed more striking than any celebrity she’d ever glimpsed in her past life.
And truth be told, when she had first read the novel, she had liked Jen second only to Siklaen. She had admired how he always supported Siklaen, and in the end, even gave his life for her.
After all, Lia had never had anyone like that by her side. Maybe she had been envious of such blind devotion.
‘Way better than Derren, who only ever pretended to be cool.’
But she quickly shook her head. None of that mattered.
Because the Jen standing before her now was not the same as in the original. He didn’t seem kind. He didn’t even look like he loved Siklaen.
Swallowing, Lia tried to keep calm.
“What nonsense. Weren’t you just recently in love with Siklaen?”
Jen chuckled faintly. “Recently? Recently, huh….”
It sounded more like he was muttering to himself than speaking to her. That bitter tone made her flinch. Something was very wrong.
In the novel, Jen had never been like this. He was the sole heir to the Vaisen throne, admired since birth. Handsome, skilled in swordsmanship, spear, and martial arts, brilliant in his studies—everyone expected him to become a great emperor. He basked in that attention and carried himself with confidence.
But now? Something was off. His appearance hadn’t changed, but the atmosphere around him had, along with his way of speaking and acting.
‘Those aren’t the bright, confident eyes I remember. If anything… they’re fierce. Predatory.’
She studied him carefully, trying to find the source of the unease. Noticing her gaze, Jen suddenly leaned close.
“Do I seem strange to you?”
Startled, Lia flinched back.
Yes. That was what was strange. He didn’t seem like an eighteen-year-old boy at all. He seemed more like a man in his thirties—someone who had seen and endured much of the world.
Lia was eighteen, but in her original world she had been twenty-three. By rights, Jen should feel five years younger to her. But he didn’t. Not at all.
“…Are you really Jen?”
At her sharp tone, Jen’s eyes widened before he burst into laughter.
“Interesting. Is this the result of my actions? Or maybe…”
This time, his gaze swept over her.
“…maybe you’ve changed as well.”
Lia looked away, uneasy. She had tried to act like the villainess, but of course she couldn’t perfectly mimic the original Lia.
‘So he noticed I’m not quite the same?’
Jen shrugged and leaned back again.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. For me, change is always a good thing.”
“What do you mean, ‘change is good’?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, a cold smile curved his lips.
“Choosing you seems to have been the right decision.”
From that smile, Lia realized something with frightening clarity.
Jen hadn’t abandoned Siklaen and chosen her on a whim or as a prank. If this continued, the story would twist beyond recognition. Her instincts screamed it at her.
She frowned. Already, the original plot was breaking apart, and she wasn’t about to allow that.
After much thought, Lia decided to quit the royal academy. That was the only way to stick to the original story.
Originally, she was supposed to be caught in her misdeeds by Derren and expelled in disgrace for tarnishing her family’s honor. But since that had failed, she had no choice but to leave on her own.
‘Doesn’t matter how—I just need to disappear. Expelled, dropped out, whatever.’
The setting of “Fluttering Hearts Royal Academy” was, as the title said, the academy itself. Stories outside the school were scarcely mentioned. Even in the novel, after Lia was expelled, she never appeared again.
Which meant if she could just leave the academy, she’d be able to escape the novel entirely—while still fulfilling her role as the villainess.
And that way, Siklaen could still reach her happy ending.
That was why Lia now stood in her father’s office—the Duke of Kaeblik.
Ignoring the servants trying to stop her, she burst through the door. The Duke looked up from his desk, startled.
“Lia? What’s the matter?”
As expected of a father who doted on his youngest daughter, he didn’t scold her for barging in rudely. Instead, he immediately rose, his face filled with concern.
Lia still found that awkward. Not just because the Duke wasn’t her real father. She had never had parents before, so she didn’t know what normal parent-child behavior even looked like.
But awkward or not, this had to be done. Forcing herself to stay composed, she strode toward him.
She didn’t know how the original Lia had treated him. The novel had barely mentioned the Duke, focused as it was on the academy and Siklaen. He had appeared only fleetingly.
But since possessing Lia’s body, she had met him several times—and she could tell he genuinely cherished her.
“Father!”
She slammed her hand down on his desk. It was outrageously rude, but just as she expected, the Duke merely blinked in surprise.
“Lia? What’s wrong?”
“I want to quit the royal academy!”
“…What?”
The Duke shot up from his chair as if ready to storm out.
‘Here it comes. He’ll tell me that’s nonsense, refuse, try to convince me otherwise. What excuse should I use?’
But instead of protesting, he said something Lia never could have predicted.
“What do you mean? Is someone bullying you?”
“…What?”
“Tell me. Who is it? Which family? Which child dares?”
‘What…?’
Lia gaped. Considering her reputation, wasn’t she more likely to be the bully than the one being bullied?
“Who dares to lay a hand on a daughter of House Kaeblik….”
As she struggled to respond, baffled, the Duke strode around his desk, brimming with intensity, as if he might draw his sword and march out immediately.
“Don’t worry, my child. Whoever it is, I’ll—”
“W-wait! Please, wait!”
Lia frantically waved her hands to stop him.
