Chapter : 01
I Thought the Original Story Was Over, but Episode 1
Ivelyn Ashford, the heroine of this novel, is a young woman who flew in from a distant foreign land, bearing the destiny of saving this world together with the Sword Saint Crown Prince Leopold, the Tower Master Elwin, and Asad of the Round Table.
And her closest friend—
Tina Valentine.
…That’s me.
Without any fancy modifiers, I existed solely as “the heroine’s friend,” someone who lived only to make her shine.
And today—
Ivelyn completed all of her destined trials.
The original story ended.
“Ivelyn.”
“Tina! Thank you for coming!”
The heroine, dressed in traditional bridal attire, was more beautiful than anyone else in the world.
With her blonde hair and green eyes, she was a peerless beauty—so stunning that even if she were wearing a sack instead of a wedding dress, she would still be the most beautiful person in the hall.
Today was the wedding between Ivelyn and the true male lead with the greatest presence among the three—Crown Prince Leopold.
Ah, even though I was a transmigrator, I wasn’t the protagonist of this story.
In most transmigration stories, the possessed extra steals the hearts of all the male leads and agonizes over whom to choose…
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen to me.
Because the original story had already ended like this.
“Congratulations on your marriage.”
“Thank you.”
I smiled as I congratulated Ivelyn, and she replied with a radiant smile. It was so beautiful it almost felt blinding.
But the groom who should have been by her side—Crown Prince Leopold—was nowhere to be seen. Feeling puzzled, I asked her,
“Where did the groom go?”
“He’s such a busy person.”
Ivelyn answered with a smile that said, It can’t be helped.
That damned crown prince—there’s really nothing about him I like.
“Congratulations, Lady Ivelyn.”
At that moment, a man standing beside me offered his congratulations in a low voice. He was Asad of the Round Table, one of the four main characters attending the wedding—and my partner for the day.
And my fiancé.
Seeing Asad escorting me into the banquet hall, Ivelyn seemed to remember something and asked,
“Tina, you’re marrying Asad, right? Congratulations. Since when have you two been like that?”
Asad, one of the Knights of the Round Table, was the man who loved Ivelyn the most in the novel. He always stayed by her side and swore to protect her until death.
But he never got to marry her. A classic pitiful character that every reverse-harem novel has.
When it became a foregone conclusion that the heroine would end up with Crown Prince Leopold, readers flooded in with requests saying, Please give poor Asad a partner!
And so, the partner assigned to the leftover second male lead Asad… was me. In the original story, we barely had any interaction—it was clearly a hastily patched-together couple.
Asad married me, but as they say, people never forget the one who expanded their world. In the end, he left the story lonely and regretful, unable to forget Ivelyn even on his deathbed.
“You didn’t even tell me—how could you make me jealous like that?”
Ivelyn pouted as she spoke.
…It’s not like I had a chance to tell you. The marriage was hastily arranged by the elders of our families—I was only notified a week ago myself.
Finding out that the two people she considered closest to her were getting married without saying anything, Ivelyn seemed to feel deeply betrayed.
“But Asad will always be my knight, and Tina will always be my friend, right?”
Just as I was about to answer—
“Of course.”
Before I could speak, a confident, low voice answered from beside me.
Turning my head, I saw Asad responding with a faint smile, his expression unusually relaxed.
…Even if you don’t have feelings for me, isn’t this a bit much to say in front of your fiancée?
Anyway, Ivelyn seemed very pleased with the answer and smiled brighter than ever.
“Then that’s enough.”
What would she have said if we’d answered no?
“Hehe.”
In her good mood, Ivelyn suddenly hugged me tightly. No matter what, she was my good friend.
Just as I lifted my hands to hug her back—
“Ivelyn.”
A cold, warning voice rang in my ear.
Turning around, I saw a strikingly handsome man with silver hair and golden eyes approaching us.
It was Crown Prince Leopold, another protagonist of today’s wedding. His lips spoke Ivelyn’s name, but his golden eyes were fixed on me.
…That guy always glares at me like he’s cursing me with his eyes. Lately it’s been even worse. Is he jealous or something?
I lowered my hands.
“Go on. Go to your groom.”
“Ah, okay.”
And with that, I practically handed Ivelyn over to Crown Prince Leopold.
Right, right. I’d been monopolizing the bride at her wedding—of course he’d be annoyed. I’m generous, so I’ll yield.
“……”
Yet even after taking the bride, Leopold frowned deeply and bit his lip, clearly displeased. It seemed he was unhappy that I had even come to the wedding.
Leopold was jealous even though Ivelyn and I were just friends.
Every time we were together, he tried desperately to separate us.
He looked exactly like a man driven mad by jealousy, afraid of losing even the smallest bit of attention.
He often sneered, saying things like, “You don’t suit Ivelyn,” or “You’re not on her level.” I’d also heard threats like, “Don’t hang around her,” or “If I see you two together one more time, I won’t let it slide.”
But that would end today.
“Then I’ll be over there. See you later.”
“Ah… okay.”
Ivelyn replied while watching Leopold’s mood. Since I couldn’t very well start a fight at someone else’s wedding, I decided to retreat first.
Just for today.
Still, before turning away, I didn’t forget to shoot Leopold a sharp glare.
“……”
I turned around and walked away, and Asad followed after me with footsteps heavy with lingering regret.
Married life was hell.
Married off to a ducal house like I was being sold, I became the hated lady of the house.
There was no sweet skinship between Asad and me—no intimate conversations, either. I was treated like a complete nonentity. Since the master of the house treated me that way, the servants gradually began to ignore me too.
Contract marriages were common in noble society, but ours felt especially severe.
Since it was a union formed solely for the family’s利益, it was only natural… but there was one thing I absolutely couldn’t tolerate.
Even after marriage, Asad always prioritized Ivelyn. I hadn’t realized a knight’s oath could be so powerful.
And later I learned that after returning from Ivelyn’s wedding, Asad had asked to call off our marriage.
The one who persuaded him not to was Ivelyn herself. “I want you to be happy with someone precious to me,” she said.
To Asad, married life with me was nothing more than proof of his loyalty and devotion to Ivelyn.
When would he finally acknowledge that his partner wasn’t Ivelyn, but me? I waited, hoping time would change things—but Asad still put Ivelyn before his family.
I hadn’t married Asad out of love either, but at least I didn’t give my heart to someone else like that.
“Ha… If I’d known it’d be like this, I never would’ve married Asad.”
I muttered bitterly to myself as I swallowed harsh liquor alone.
Back then, I thought I had no choice but to follow the original story—but if I could go back, I’d never marry Asad. No—actually, I wouldn’t marry at all. I was sick to death of marriage.
If I went back in time, I’d make a ton of money, revive my barony, become rich, and live well—eating well, playing well.
By myself!
But what was the point of such hypotheticals?
The original story had already ended.
“Do you mean that?”
“Huh?”
Someone responded to my bitter soliloquy.
I sat up and looked around.
A beautiful silver-haired, golden-eyed boy was standing inside my room. He was the crown prince of this country, the true male lead of the novel, and the man who had married Ivelyn not long ago—Leopold.
…But he looked kind of small.
He looked exactly like how Leopold had been when I first met him.
“Is this a dream?”
Startled by his sudden appearance, I pinched my cheek like someone seeing a hallucination. The sharp pain was vivid.
It didn’t seem like a dream.
As I was thinking that, the silver-haired boy urged me impatiently,
“I asked if you meant it, Tina.”
“What? Meant what? Is this really a dream?”
The voice and speech were unmistakably Leopold’s. It sounded a bit awkward coming from a child’s body, but there was no doubt.
Still, Leopold would never call my name in such a gentle voice.
…Did that guy already have a son this big with Ivelyn? No—he looks so identical it’s like he was molded from the same cast.
It was honestly easier to believe that than to accept that this was Leopold.
Leopold and I had never gotten along.
When I first transmigrated, it was before the original story began—I was a thirteen-year-old girl.
The original Tina Valentine was slightly chubby, with a plain appearance. Back then, I was nothing more than a background extra to the heroine.
Now I’d slimmed down so much people said it was like a complete rebirth.
Anyway, at our first meeting, Leopold had stepped over my fallen body in the palace corridor and ignored me completely. We’d never gotten along since.
So this had to be a drunken hallucination, right? But even if it were, why Leopold—and why in such a cute form?
Hallucinating about a friend’s husband… even drunk, that was pretty messed up.
“Answer my question, Tina.”
The childlike apparition of Leopold kept pressing me.
I’d known Leopold for a long time, but I’d never seen him talk this much.
Well, it was just a hallucination anyway.
“Of course I mean it. If I could go back, I’d never marry Asad.”
I spoke in a voice packed with sincerity.
For a moment, I thought I saw the corners of mini-Leopold’s lips lift slightly.
Huh?
As I stared blankly, wondering what I’d just seen, he suddenly stepped closer.
“……”
Leopold lifted the end of my loosely spread brown hair.
“Don’t make the same mistake twice.”
He kissed the tip of my hair and spoke in a voice strangely softer than usual.
Make the same mistake twice?
Before I could process the meaning, my consciousness faded into darkness.
