Chapter 2
Life never goes exactly as planned.
It was a cliché proposition, but no one felt the weight of that truth more keenly than Lobelyn Dines had recently.
Originally, Lobelyn Dines was just an ordinary viscount’s daughter in the Heriet Empire.
But one day, she suddenly realized she was a character in a novel.
There were no dramatic moments—no sudden tremors coursing through her body, no sharp screams from a piercing headache.
Lobelyn had simply been struck on the back of the head by a baguette swung by a merchant in the market.
And that impact had triggered the memories of her past life.
‘Is this really okay? Is this actually how it happens?’
However, Lobelyn didn’t even have time to shed tears over such an ungraceful awakening.
The reason was simple: the character she had been reincarnated as was none other than…
‘The one destined to have her head chopped off on the guillotine!’
In the original story, Lobelyn was the villainess who stole the husband of the female lead and her best friend, Cornelia.
She didn’t stop there; she committed all sorts of evil deeds until her fixed destiny eventually led her to the guillotine.
“My lady, are you alright?”
The merchant who had just slammed the baguette into the back of her head asked with a worried look.
Lobelyn, who had been standing there dazed, finally snapped back to reality.
“Ahaha, I’m fine! No, thank you!”
If she had continued living in ignorance, she would have stepped steadily down the path toward death, just as the original novel dictated.
‘You saved my life!’
Lobelyn grabbed the merchant’s hand and shook it vigorously before hurrying away.
Meanwhile, the merchant stood there with a bewildered expression, staring blankly at Lobelyn’s retreating figure.
“What a strange lady… getting hit in the head with a baguette and saying thank you…”
“Reincarnation? What kind of novel-like situation is this?!”
Back home, Lobelyn paced her room with an anxious expression.
Just as she had realized earlier, this was the world inside a novel titled <The Lady of Vengeance Who Returned Alive>.
True to its title, it was a “cathartic revenge” story where the female lead, betrayed by her husband and her friend, turns dark and exacts cold-blooded revenge.
Lobelyn had enjoyed reading this novel in her past life, but…
‘To think I’m the one on the receiving end of that revenge…’
She hadn’t exactly wanted to step inside the book.
Knowing her fate, Lobelyn clutched her head.
In two seasons, Cornelia and Crown Prince Ian would get engaged.
Then, when the year turned, a grand wedding would be held for the two of them.
And the fickle Ian would eventually grow tired of Cornelia and turn his eyes toward his wife’s friend, Lobelyn.
If things unfolded according to the original plot, Lobelyn would end up ascending the guillotine while being pelted with stones and spat on by the crowd.
She couldn’t die such a miserable death.
“What should I do? How can I survive?”
Lobelyn chewed on her fingernails as she agonized.
To make sure Cornelia never had a reason for revenge…
“That’s it! I just need to get rid of that pathetic original husband beforehand!”
Her eyes sparkled at the sudden idea.
In the first place, all the tragedies in the original story stemmed from the female lead’s terrible husband.
Cornelia was a kind and gentle woman, but unfortunately, her taste in men was abysmal.
After all, the husband she trusted was having an affair with her best friend.
She would prevent the marriage that was the root of all evil and pair Cornelia with the original male lead early on!
If she did that, Lobelyn’s sacrifice wouldn’t be necessary.
Having finally found a way to live, Lobelyn nodded with a triumphant smile.
“Connecting those two will be easier than eating a cupcake.”
The original male lead, Brian, was also a long-time childhood friend of both Lobelyn and Cornelia.
Since they were destined to fall in love anyway, she just needed to fan the flames a little.
Knock, knock—
Just then, a maid interrupted Lobelyn’s excitement.
“My lady, an invitation to a banquet has arrived from Count Cale’s estate.”
At the maid’s words, something flashed through Lobelyn’s mind.
‘Count Cale’s estate… isn’t that where Cornelia and Ian meet for the first time?’
That was where their first encounter happened, and Ian, taken by Cornelia’s beauty and background, would propose to her.
In other words, it was the place where all the trouble began.
“My lady? Do you have other plans? Shall I tell them you won’t be attending?”
“No. Tell them I will definitely be there.”
Lobelyn replied with a determined expression.
There was no way she would miss a golden opportunity to sever the ill-fated connection with that bastard Ian Heriet from the very start.
“Understood.”
Watching the maid leave after bowing, Lobelyn clenched her fists.
‘Just you wait, Cornelia. I’ll clear away all the obstacles in my life—no, in your life!’
…Or so she had intended.
‘Oh my god, a one-night stand.’
The day after fleeing Count Cale’s estate.
Lobelyn had spent the entire day holed up in her room, curled up on the sofa.
Her mind was in utter turmoil over last night’s events.
What made her feel the most self-loathing was the fact that not a single shred of memory from last night remained.
It really felt like she had become the promiscuous villainess of the original story.
“But that was an accident.”
Even though no one was listening, Lobelyn spoke as if making an excuse.
In the novel, Lobelyn had clearly seduced Ian with malice.
But this time, the circumstances were different.
And anyway, she had prevented the first meeting between Ian and Cornelia, so in a way, she had achieved her primary goal.
Instead of spending time in the garden with Cornelia as in the original, Ian had spent the night with her in bed—
“Ahem, cough.”
Embarrassed by the thought, Lobelyn cleared her throat and decided not to think about it any deeper.
“Right, instead of wasting time on useless things, I should focus on Cornelia—”
“Me?”
Lobelyn jumped in surprise at the voice that suddenly came from behind her.
A woman with navy hair like the night sky and vivid purple eyes was entering the room.
“Cornelia!”
It was the original heroine and Lobelyn’s best friend, Cornelia.
Lobelyn quickly rushed over to her friend.
In any case, <The Lady of Vengeance Who Returned Alive> was Lobelyn’s favorite novel from her past life.
Naturally, the protagonist Cornelia had also been her favorite character.
‘My favorite character is walking into my room alive and breathing!’
Before her awakening, this had been a given.
But to the current Lobelyn, who had regained her past memories, it was a deeply moving experience.
“I thought I heard my name… Oh, Bell. Why are you looking at me like that?”
Cornelia let out a chuckle at the sight of Lobelyn staring at her with watery eyes.
At that, Lobelyn couldn’t help but laugh as well.
‘My goodness, even her laughing face is beautiful!’
And she even called her by a friendly nickname!
Lobelyn was overwhelmed by it all.
Before turning dark, Cornelia was a kind and sweet lady.
And above all, she loved Lobelyn the most.
She was the type who would smile and eat a scone even if Lobelyn baked it out of dirt.
Of course, the current Lobelyn also cherished Cornelia, so she had no intention of making scones out of dirt.
“You know, Connie.”
“Yes?”
“I really, really like you a lot.”
“W-what are you saying all of a sudden!”
Flustered by Lobelyn’s sudden confession, Cornelia’s face turned red.
Even that look was incredibly cute.
Actually, expressing affection at any given moment was usually Cornelia’s role.
But Cornelia didn’t seem to mind Lobelyn’s uncharacteristic behavior.
“My lady, I’ve brought some snacks.”
The two ladies, who had been squealing and fussing over each other, only pulled apart after the maid arrived with the refreshments.
“Bell, more importantly, where did you go yesterday?”
Cornelia asked gently as she poured tea into a cup.
She had been so anxious last night.
That was why she had come to the Dines Viscounty as soon as she opened her eyes.
Of course, despite her worries, Lobelyn was perfectly fine.
“Ah, that… I suddenly felt a bit unwell. So I came home early.”
“Really? You should have told me. We could have come back together.”
Are you feeling better now? Cornelia worried about Lobelyn with total sincerity.
She didn’t doubt Lobelyn’s lie about being sick for a second.
‘You’re so pure… I’m sorry for being such a trashy friend, Connie.’
Deceiving Cornelia made Lobelyn’s conscience prickle.
But she couldn’t exactly say, ‘I rolled around with the Crown Prince all night, but I don’t even remember it.’
She could only smile quietly and say she was fine.
“Anyway, I’m glad you went home early, Bell. Apparently, there was quite a commotion last night.”
“A commotion?”
“Yes. His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince was staying in the Count’s annex, and some lady supposedly snuck in there secretly.”
At Cornelia’s words, Lobelyn almost dropped the teacup in her hand.
“They say His Highness is currently searching for that lady in secret. Oh, I heard this privately from Bri, so you mustn’t tell anyone, okay?”
Cornelia said with a little scrunch of her nose.
It seemed Brian, who served as the Crown Prince’s aide, had told her about last night’s events.
Lobelyn’s heart began to pound with shock and fear.
“…Is that true? That the lady entered His Highness’s room first?”
