TVDWD 05

Chapter 5

“Princess Taylor?”

Monica, upon arriving at the Riat Trading Company, was guided by Lowe into the office of the head of the company.

Taylor remained behind the curtains, seemingly deep in thought, until Monica greeted her and took a seat on the sofa.

Lowe followed Monica in and addressed the princess again.

“Your Highness?”

“Oh, oh.”

Finally snapping out of her thoughts, Taylor opened the curtain and spoke.

“Ah! Monica.”

“What were you thinking about so deeply?”

“It’s nothing. I heard there was a carriage accident at the palace today. Were you there by any chance?”

“Yes.”

“Are you hurt?”

“Fortunately, I wasn’t in the accident. I’m okay. But why did you suddenly call me here?”

Though there was an appropriate physical distance between them, Monica observed Taylor carefully, as if searching for something in her expression.

She paid close attention to the little things she would normally overlook, wondering what trait had made Taylor one of the “Rejectors,” as Evasso had mentioned.

Then Taylor spoke again.

“Monica, I need you to find proof of the information you gave me earlier—about the royal event this month.”

“You mean regarding Marquess Andre?”

“Yes. I need solid evidence to shake the Empress. This upcoming event is probably the best time to get it. What do you think?”

“…It’s possible. In the past, Marquess Andre and Lady Irez exchanged secret letters at crowded royal events.”

“So the Empress’s spy must be in Andre’s household.”

“Pardon?”

“Otherwise, why would they go out of their way to secretly exchange letters in a crowded place?”

“Ah…”

A sigh of realization escaped Monica’s lips. The Empress seemed even more cunning than she had initially thought.

Taylor continued.

“Bring me that proof this time.”

“I’ll try.”

“Trying isn’t good enough. You must get it. If you’re not confident, start planning for a backup right now.”

“I’ll do my best. But… why are you in such a hurry?”

“Hm.”

Taylor fell silent, contemplating whether she could trust Monica fully before revealing everything.

She also considered that if things went wrong while getting the evidence, Monica might be put in serious danger.

Exchanging a meaningful look with Lowe for about two seconds, Taylor signaled. Lowe bowed and quietly left the room.

“Monica, let me warn you in advance. If we get caught by the Empress while carrying this out, you’ll have to take the fall alone. Don’t even think about dragging me into it.”

A chill ran down Monica’s spine. She hadn’t realized that helping Taylor could potentially risk her life.

A deep wrinkle formed on her forehead. She gave Taylor a questioning look, silently asking for an explanation.

“If you try to involve me, I’ll act first.”

Monica’s instincts screamed danger. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked,

“Are you saying… you might kill me?”

“…If you drag me into it. But if you take the fall quietly, I’ll help you from behind. So don’t betray me. We made a deal, didn’t we? Of course, I’ll compensate you for the risk and help you out.”

Monica nodded solemnly on the outside. But her mind was swirling.

Even though she had prevented the divorce from Liam, Monica now faced another threat to her life.

‘Is this also because of the “Protectors”? No… Evasso said Taylor is a Rejector. So why am I constantly being threatened?’

Maybe she could never escape the threat of death. Even Taylor was now openly speaking of her possible demise.

Unable to find an answer to her own question, Monica swallowed dryly.

Only one thought remained in her mind.

The world of the novel wasn’t fixed—it was alive, moving, and complexly structured.

She decided to dig deeper into Taylor’s motives.

“Please tell me what’s going on. Why the urgency?”

“…In a few months, our empire will send envoys to the Eastern Kingdom. For the past few years, Theodoro has represented the empire. But now there’s a rumor that Marquess Andre will go instead.”

“You believe his trip is connected to the Empress?”

“Yes. The Emperor has long been interested in astronomy—especially the literature that studies the heavens. That’s why he sends Theodoro each year with treasures and gifts.”

“Is he trying to invite Eastern astronomers here?”

“Not exactly invite them, but hoping they’ll share their knowledge. However, the Sultan of the East has rejected both sending astronomers and sharing their knowledge. Even if Theodoro goes, the result will be the same.”

“Then… does the Empress believe Marquess Andre can succeed?”

“Maybe… If Andre’s going, the Empress must know something—probably something that will catch the Sultan’s interest.”

Realization dawned on Monica.

Taylor wanted to use Andre as leverage in a negotiation with the Empress.

‘But… astronomy? Did I even write about that in the original story?’

Monica’s memory had faded, and she couldn’t recall exactly.

“Why is astronomy so important?”

“Because of agriculture and predicting the weather. The Eastern astronomers are so skilled they can predict the seasons, planting time, fruiting time, and harvest—all with great accuracy.”

“Is that… really that important?”

Taylor gave a short laugh and looked directly at her.

“Monica, you really sound like a noble lady right now… tsk.”

“I’m not asking because I’m ignorant. I’m asking because I really want to understand. Please explain more.”

Taylor noticed the genuine curiosity in Monica’s eyes—so different from the rumors about her being superficial and vain.

“Alright. The empire is divided into five main regions, including the capital. While the capital has four distinct seasons, the others have erratic climates. Each region—Eid, Wed, Sade, and Nod—has different seasonal patterns. It’s all very irregular.”

That could be expected, Monica thought, considering how inconsistent and chaotic the novel’s world-building was.

“So introducing astronomy is crucial.”

“Yes. It could be an opportunity to gain the people’s support. No, it is an opportunity.”

In other words, it was a chance for Taylor to prove her worth as a potential ruler.

A thought formed in Monica’s mind—what if Taylor brought astronomy to the empire and led a shift in thinking? It could change everything, including how the people viewed their world and their place in it.

However, major change always comes with major resistance. Maybe this was why Taylor was struggling to gain succession.

Again, Monica recalled Evasso’s words:

“You can’t fix a living world with printed letters. Our lives are no longer bound by ‘settings’ or ‘hypotheses.’ That’s why you have to enter this world and fix it from the inside.”

The mission she had accepted might be more dangerous and difficult than she had imagined.

She steeled herself.

“I’ll do my best.”

“If you need anything while preparing, send word to the Riat Trading Company.”

“I will. Also… there’s a personal favor I’d like to ask.”

“Go on.”

“Please… find Evasso.”

Taylor had expected Monica to ask for more debt help, but instead, she uttered a strange, unfamiliar name.

“Evasso? What’s that?”

Taylor looked intrigued.

“…I’m not exactly sure. But if I had to compare it to something… I’d say it’s like a tree.”

“Are you asking me to find a tree?”

“Yes.”

Taylor stared at Monica, speechless. A strange atmosphere lingered between them.

‘A tree? Seriously?’

She barely held back a laugh but realized Monica was dead serious.

“I never expected such a ridiculous request. Asking for more money would’ve been more realistic, Monica.”

“I know it’s strange, but… it’s important to me.”

“…Alright. I’ll look into it. By the way, Monica—Liam’s attending the royal event this month, right? Is the Orsay Duke’s household rejoining society?”

Taylor gave her a sly smile, lifting her chin expectantly. She had another motive for asking. She’d also received reports that Liam had acted hostile toward Theodoro today—which likely had to do with Monica.

‘Why the sudden change?’

Liam had always pledged absolute loyalty to the current Emperor. He’d never openly opposed Theodoro before. But after Monica boarded the carriage to return to the Duke’s estate, Liam and Theodoro had stared each other down like duelists.

‘Could it be…?’

Taylor couldn’t stop herself from hoping that maybe she could sway Liam and the Duke’s household to her side.

“I haven’t heard anything from Liam,” Monica replied, tilting her head.

“This is getting interesting.”

“What is?”

“The way Liam suddenly opposes Theodoro… it seems connected to your desire not to divorce him. I wish Liam would side with me…”

Taylor trailed off, then slowly stood and approached Monica.

She leaned close, studying Monica’s face carefully, and asked in a voice full of hope and curiosity:

“What do you think, Monica? If I repay all your debts, will you help me get closer to Duke Liam? Ah! No need to answer now. Take your time to think about it.”

Monica’s expression stiffened slightly. She had considered this possibility before coming here but hadn’t thought of a concrete method.

‘Could I really do what she’s asking?’

Delaying the divorce had already been difficult.

‘And now this?’

She remained silent.

Something told her she’d have a lot more to talk to Liam about—starting tonight.

Chapter

Liam let out a long sigh. Monica spoke to him again.

“Don’t you have any questions for me?”

“I have a lot. But I can’t stay up all night again.”

“Then just ask one for tonight. Who knows, maybe your question will help both you and me organize our thoughts.”

“Then… what do you plan to do from now on?”

“…Hmmm. That’s an important question. Well, since we’ve postponed the divorce, I plan to help Princess Taylor.”

“You keep saying incomprehensible things.”

“Why?”

“How are you going to help Princess Taylor when you haven’t even met her?”

Liam looked at Monica with a puzzled expression.

“Oh, the Riat Merchant Group. That’s the group secretly led by Princess Taylor. I’ve already agreed to help. And I believe helping Her Highness is the right thing to do. I think to end this world on a good note, we need to destroy all of the original settings.”

Only then did Liam understand why Monica had been visiting the Riat Merchant Group so often. Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his head.

“I’ve heard so many unbelievable things from you today that I need to sort them out on my own. Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

“So, you believe that if we destroy the foundational settings of this world, the ending will change?”

“That’s right. I think it has to. In the end, everything changes through interaction. Liam, even you have changed.”

He understood her words perfectly.

When he first noticed Monica had changed, he was confused. And on the day of the carriage accident, when Teodoro provoked him, something felt off.

That sense of being off was actually a pleasant sense of escape for Liam. Acting without suppressing his emotions made him proactive.

Of course, this was only possible because he was sure Monica had changed and wouldn’t push him away anymore.

Even now, he couldn’t stop wanting to dig deeper into the woman in front of him. The desire to know more about her kept growing.

“Soo-jung… I think you’re making me even more confused.”

Monica looked slightly flustered.

Although she hadn’t been in this world long, being called by her original name repeatedly gave her a strange feeling.

Maybe that’s why, without realizing it, she grabbed a pen and wrote “Soo-jung” in her notebook as he called her name.

“Just believe what I say. That’ll help with the confusion, won’t it?”

“Ah.”

Liam frowned slightly.

“What’s wrong?”

“I felt something strange on my back for a moment.”

“Let me see.”

She got up and approached him quickly. With a sigh of resignation, Liam took off his shirt and showed her his upper body.

“Liam, it looks the same as before. Where exactly did you feel something?”

“It felt like a sharp, prickling sensation on my back.”

“Turn around.”

When Liam hesitated, Monica urged him again, impatiently.

“Come on!”

“Soo-jung, do you even realize what you’re doing right now? If you keep touching my body like that—”

Before he could finish, Monica suddenly let out a short shriek.

“Oh my!”

She suddenly lunged at him and started rubbing his back.

“What on earth is this!”

“What now?”

Liam turned to look at her.

“Wait a minute. Stay still. No, come with me to that big mirror.”

Monica grabbed him and pushed him toward the large mirror on the side of the room.

Liam twisted and turned his body to check his back. The word “Soo-jung” was inscribed on his skin—the same word Monica had just written in her notebook.

“So, you’re saying that as soon as you wrote this, I felt something strange and the same word appeared on my back?”

“Let me try again.”

“Wait! Are you using my body as a notebook now?”

“That’s not what I mean, but we should confirm this. Then maybe you’ll believe me completely.”

“Using this to make me—!”

He tried to refute her words. Honestly, Liam was confused. The reality felt surreal.

He was fascinated by the letters appearing on his body. Monica, who could read and interpret them, felt unfamiliar.

And…

He was surprised at how his attraction to her kept growing.

Before Liam could stop her, Monica wrote “Liam” on the notebook. Soon, a ticklish sensation appeared on his forearm, and the word was etched into his skin.

“Ha. I really am turning into a notebook. What did you write this time?”

He held out his forearm to show her the letters.

“I wrote ‘Liam.’ I think this is probably… the ability Evaso said he gave me.”

“Who the hell is Evaso? I need to catch and kill him. Giving you a power that turns my body into a notebook? How do I erase this?”

“…Evaso said he’s in the shape of a tree. As for erasing it… sorry, I have no idea.”

Liam sighed deeply. Monica cautiously spoke again.

“Liam, at least you can cover it with clothes, so don’t feel too wronged. I mean, you’re not in as bad a situation as I am. I haven’t even returned to my world yet, and I’m under constant threat here—with no one helping me. I could die at any moment—”

“Why would you die!”

Liam cut her off sharply before she could finish.

He instinctively felt that he couldn’t let the woman in front of him die—not with this strange attraction and yearning he felt for the first time.

“Well, it could happen.”

Monica blinked at Liam, surprised by his sudden firmness.

She turned her head slightly and massaged her temple. Liam spoke again.

“Get some sleep. You’re red-eyed from staying up talking all night. Sleep a bit, and we’ll talk more later. I need to rest too.”

“Alright then.”

Monica got up, intending to return to her room. But Liam’s voice called out again.

“Soo-jung, where are you going? Didn’t you say your life is in danger? Didn’t you ask for my help today? Then sleep here. Since we postponed the divorce, it makes sense to use the same room.”

“Oh… I forgot. I’m just so tired, Liam.”

Having shared everything with someone, the tension drained from her and exhaustion overwhelmed her.

She dragged herself to the bed and collapsed onto it, quickly falling asleep.

“…Liam, I’m sorry.”

Liam looked at the inscriptions on his body, then turned to gaze at Monica’s sleeping face.

She looked exactly like Monica, breathing peacefully in sleep. Yet, the soul inside wasn’t hers.

He instinctively knew—the woman inside Monica was Soo-jung.

The original author who created this world, Soo-jung.

There was something he wanted to ask her.

Why did she make him so miserable?

But the question stuck in his throat.

During their talk, she had suddenly said sorry for hurting him, claiming she had her reasons.