1.
I was especially fond of child-rearing stories among all romance fantasy novels.
Watching a forsaken heroine meet a new family and finally be loved—it warmed something deep in my heart.
It felt… healing, somehow?
Maybe it was because I grew up in an orphanage. I could relate to the heroines in those stories.
Just seeing them find comfort in their new families made me feel content and happy.
But perhaps I overindulged in those child-rearing stories.
No matter what I read, nothing stirred me anymore. To be blunt—it all felt boring and predictable.
And that’s when a fantasy novel caught my eye.
Returnee of a Dying World
Shortened to ReturnDoom. The title was a little cheesy, but it was one of the most popular fantasy novels at the time.
The plot was simple: the male lead fails to stop the apocalypse and dies, but then returns to the past to defeat the Evil God and save the world. A classic time-rewind story.
But despite the cliché premise, the male lead’s relentless progression and the fast-paced plot kept me glued to the screen.
It was so thrilling that I didn’t regret a single penny I spent.
At least—until I reached the ending.
“Wait a minute—he loses to the Evil God again?”
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
After a final, desperate battle, the male lead lost—again—and died.
And the world… was destroyed. Again.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. What the hell kind of garbage ending is this?!”
The whiplash from the unexpected bad ending left me reeling.
Of course, the comment section exploded.
– Did the author get shot in the head?
– I must be out of my mind to pay for this crap.
– Is this some big brain move for a second part?
– Why bother with the time travel at all lol
– I’m so pissed I can’t sleep. Going to demand a refund.
They were furious, and honestly, I felt the same.
It wasn’t like I had to have a happy ending—but the betrayal of that unexpected bad ending left me drained.
Sigh…
Unable to shake the frustration, I buried my face in a pillow.
Maybe some sleep would help shake off this terrible feeling.
But when I opened my eyes… the world had changed.
I was in Gracia, the continent where Returnee of a Dying World takes place.
Possessed in the body of Kiana von Brünnack, one of the infamous villain heirs of the Brünnack Ducal House—the northern rulers who played a key role in reviving the Evil God.
The first thought that struck me was the horrifying future now ahead of me.
“What am I supposed to do about the doom ending?”
That unforgettable bad ending had left a scar.
Even with the male lead’s best efforts, the world still ended in destruction.
As a reader, it was just an annoying twist. But now that it was my future, it was terrifying.
“Forget the world ending. I’ll be dead at the male lead’s hands way before that…”
Kiana—the character I’d possessed—was a significant villainous side character in the original story.
Together with Duke Meckenro von Brünnack, she orchestrated the revival of the Evil God.
And as with all villains, her fate was sealed: she was brutally killed by the male lead in the latter half of the story.
If the plot followed the original, I’d die long before the apocalypse even happened.
“Okay, fine, let’s say that’s years down the road…”
There was an even bigger problem than those two death flags.
“How the hell am I supposed to survive in this psycho family?”
In the novel, Kiana had already been crowned the official heir of House Brünnack.
She acted with full authority under Duke Meckenro, plotting in the shadows and playing a major role in the Evil God’s revival.
But right now? That wasn’t the case at all.
All the half-siblings who were supposed to be dead in the novel were alive, and Kiana was just one of several candidates for heir.
“Seriously? I got possessed six months earlier than the novel even begins?!”
Just thinking about the doom ending and male lead’s kill flag was enough to drive me insane.
But now I had to survive in this house of horrors, too?
What made it worse was that the novel never explained how Kiana ultimately became the heir.
All it said was that she “devoured” her half-siblings and emerged as the sole successor.
“First thing’s first—figure out what the hell is going on. I can’t plan to survive otherwise.”
I decided to lie low.
At this point, I couldn’t even rely on the original plot knowledge.
My priority was to assess my current status in the family, my capabilities, and the general atmosphere.
But this insane family didn’t even give me time for that.
“Maria is dead.”
Duke Meckenro casually wiped his mouth with a napkin as he made the announcement.
“Wait—what?”
My knife, which had been mindlessly sawing at a steak, froze in place.
He said it so indifferently, like he was talking about someone he’d never even met, and I wasn’t sure if he meant that Maria.
But then I noticed the empty seat across the table.
“So… that’s why she’s not at dinner.”
I swallowed hard.
Maria was my younger half-sister, the youngest of the six Brünnack siblings.
She had the personality of a demon spawn and was impossible to like, but she was also a prodigy with dual blades—strong enough to toy with most knights.
I could still remember how she sneered at me in the hallway just two days ago.
And now she was dead?
A chill crept down my spine.
“Let us offer our condolences,” the duke said solemnly, folding his hands and closing his eyes.
He looked completely reverent, not a trace of insincerity.
I quickly followed suit, clasping my hands and shutting my eyes as well.
“This isn’t someone else’s problem…”
If Maria could die just like that, it could be me next.
“That’s enough,” the duke said, and everyone opened their eyes.
“Now, let us raise a toast.”
“…What?”
I stared at him, bewildered.
“To the one who has proven himself the better Brünnack,” he said.
“……”
“To Leon von Brünnack, who has brought honor and prosperity to our house.”
I stared, stunned, as Duke Meckenro raised his glass.
“He’s lost his damn mind.”
