TVWRL 01

Chapter : 01

Prologue

“Are you alright, Grand Duke?”

I slowly approached the man who had collapsed on the ground. In the silence, my footsteps echoed unusually loudly.

In the middle of the burning Royal Library, he was gasping weakly. His pristine white uniform, once flawless, had long since been stained with the blood of monsters.

“Erika… why…?”

His cobalt-blue eyes trembled faintly. Surprise, disappointment, doubt, betrayal… every emotion imaginable pierced me through his gaze.

“How could you… betray me?”

It was a cry filled with blood. The man’s eyes, filled with anguish from the betrayal of the woman he loved and trusted, were swallowed by pitch-black despair.

If only I had been just an extra with no name.

If only I had never met you from the beginning.

His scream became a blade piercing my heart.

I gave a bitter smile and gently stroked his black hair.

“My loyal knight, Calix.”

I slowly traced his jawline, damp with sweat, and whispered sweetly.

As I raised my hand, the now-familiar black energy swirled. Monsters summoned by my call began appearing one by one beyond the broken walls.

Amid suffocating smoke, flames, and shattered stone, the monsters all knelt before me.

With embers dancing red behind me, I forced a bright smile.

“Where is the final grimoire?”

Unfortunately… the final villain of this story is me.

Episode 1: Fleeing an Abducted Marriage

“There she is! Catch that woman immediately!”

Angry shouts echoed through the alley. I grabbed the hem of my heavy dress and ran with all my strength.

Of course—it’s the capital. Fortunately or unfortunately, even the back alleys were wide.

I had pretended to get fitted at a dress shop and slipped out the back door, but my cousin’s men were annoyingly quick-witted.

Damn them. Did they really think I’d be caught so easily?

I sprinted through maze-like alleys, taking shortcuts I had memorized from maps so many times I could walk them blindfolded.

The problem was Erika’s pathetic stamina. My breath was already tearing at my throat, and my legs were shaking.

I never asked for this damn possession!

Not long ago, I was just an ordinary library clerk. A tired rookie office worker from Korea, more familiar with overtime exhaustion than youthful romance.

That was before I read “Secret Love in the Royal Library.”

A cliché romance fantasy about Calix, the Grand Duke of the North known as the sword of the Kingdom of Ruberia, and the beautiful noble lady of House Frisia overcoming trials to find love.

I thought it was just a good way to pass time during overtime…

But the moment I closed the book, a blinding light burst out.

That was my last memory of the real world.

When I opened my eyes again, I had become “Erika Diel.”

Not just any side character—but an extra who joined a rebellion out of love for its leader and was executed as punishment.

In the original story, I was beheaded by the male lead. My role was barely “Rebel Faction E-Class Extra.”

Not even A or B—E!

Isn’t the industry rule that if you get isekai’d, you at least become a villainess rival?

There was no time to curse the heavens. I was too busy trying to avoid Erika’s miserable fate.

Her only family, her father Viscount Diel, had long since died from illness.

In the old manor, only a nanny, an elderly butler, and a young maid remained.

To make things worse, the Diel family had no heir.

Her cousin Verdi, who exploited Erika’s misfortune, seized the estate, lands, and even the title of viscount.

At first, he pretended to care for her like a brother. But soon, he flipped his attitude.

He tried to marry her off to an old baron, claiming he had found a “good match.”

He even said a fragile girl like Erika needed a guardian, while secretly pocketing a hefty dowry.

What a bastard. If it’s such a good marriage, why doesn’t he do it himself?

Just as I was considering poisoning him like a proper “sister,” the nanny made a suggestion.

“Miss, don’t you remember? The master once told you to seek help from Director William at the Royal Library if anything happened.”

That’s right. Erika had a connection to William, a powerful figure in the kingdom and a sub-male lead in the original story—though this relationship never even appeared in the main text.

“And… there’s also this. If you ask the Director…”

The nanny handed me a sheet of paper.

<154th Royal Library Honorary Assistant Recruitment Notice>

The repository of human wisdom, the center of knowledge and learning.

The Royal Library is recruiting noble young ladies to study culture and knowledge.

Applicants: Noble ladies of the Kingdom of Ruberia, age 17 or older.

※ Lodging and monthly stipend provided.

Free accommodation and salary? Perfect for escape!

Most importantly, everyone in the Royal Library is granted immunity privileges.

That meant protection from punishment for rebellion—even execution could be avoided.

The Royal Library was considered a sacred place of knowledge, and even rulers hesitated to interfere with it.

So I lied to Verdi, saying I would marry the old baron.

I even asked to visit a dress shop in the capital, pretending I wanted a beautiful wedding dress for my “once-in-a-lifetime marriage.”

Verdi agreed easily and even provided a carriage—but sent two men to watch me.

At the dress shop, I pretended to rest while taking measurements, then slipped out the back door.

“Where is she? We can’t even catch one woman?”

“She must’ve gone that way!”

Their footsteps closed in relentlessly.

I ran barefoot, shoes in hand. My feet were torn and bleeding, but I couldn’t stop.

Finally, the Royal Library came into view.

A magnificent white stone building, glowing like an oasis in the desert.

I rushed inside and pushed open the massive doors. Bright sunlight blinded me.

As my vision adjusted, I saw countless bookshelves stretching across the vast interior.

Dust particles floated in golden light streaming through the glass ceiling.

I collapsed to the floor in relief.

As expected of a librarian—being in a library calms me down.

After catching my breath, I stood and put my shoes back on.

No time to relax. Verdi’s men could arrive any moment.

I headed toward the director’s office—

“Are you sure she came here?”

The library doors slammed open.

I quickly hid behind a bookshelf.

Verdi’s men stormed in.

“Yes. She definitely entered here.”

“Then what are you doing standing around? Find her!”

They searched aggressively, shouting.

Seizing the moment, I rushed up the spiral staircase.

On the 2nd and 3rd floors, unfamiliar doors lined the hallway.

This wasn’t a normal reading area anymore.

“Miss, please come out peacefully!”

A lazy voice echoed from below.

A library staff member tried to calm them, but they only got louder.

I ran up to the 4th floor.

The air there was heavy with silence, as if it rejected all intrusion.

At the end of the corridor was an ornate golden door.

Strange symbols were carved into it, glowing faintly like fireflies.

I approached unconsciously.

Though unfamiliar, the writing strangely felt readable—as if my body already knew it.

I traced the words.

“Books are doors to new worlds.”

The letters briefly shimmered gold before fading.

A perfect description of my situation.

Maybe… beyond this door, there was a way back?

I grabbed the handle.

Click.

The door unlocked and opened.

Inside was a luxurious archive filled with furniture, ceramics, and decorations.

A single bookshelf held dozens of thick leather-bound books.

Heavy curtains blocked sunlight.

I quickly closed the door behind me.

Then I pulled the curtains aside.

Sunlight filled the room.

On a small table at the center—

A golden compass lay on a cushion.

“Why is something like this here?”

I touched the engraved twin serpents biting each other on its frame. A green gem was embedded in the needle.

“It’s beautiful…”

Then suddenly—

The gem burst into light.

“What—what is this?!”

The needle began spinning wildly.

Before I could react, the door behind me opened.

“…A magic archive is off-limits to outsiders.”

A low, cold voice echoed.

I slowly turned around.

“A thief, huh.”

A man in a purple frock coat leaned against the door.

Black hair. Cobalt-blue eyes. A presence like the center of the world itself.

I knew immediately who he was.

Calix Reinhardt.

The Grand Duke of the North.

The male lead of “Secret Love in the Royal Library.”