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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: I Thought I Was the Protagonist
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One day, I woke up and found myself possessed into a romance fantasy novel.
I fully realized it when I was eight years old.
Memories came flooding in all at once, and I understood that Kim Suyeon had become Espin Samuel.
The beloved only daughter of the Samuel Count Family. Naturally, thoughts of 'me' sprang to mind.
At that point, I still hadn't figured out that I'd been possessed into a romance fantasy novel.
Because I had no idea who Espin Samuel was.
'What is this? What's going on?'
I was just bewildered by the sudden situation of having turned into a child.
I was in the middle of a garden where a Western-style tea party was being held, surrounded by people wearing dresses straight out of a novel.
'What on earth is happening?'
Several children who looked about my age caught my eye. I pinched my cheek in confusion.
It hurt so much.
But since I wasn't waking up, it didn't seem like a dream. I sat there dazed, trying to grasp reality.
Then I heard people gathering and whispering.
"Shall we do it again this time? You know, that thing."
"Ah, that? Of course we will."
'That thing? What's that?'
The voices mixed with curiosity and mockery drew my ears in despite myself.
"What's that?"
Fortunately, someone else asked the question for me, so I wasn't the only one in the dark.
But the person who asked was met with sneers from the others, as if to say they didn't even know that.
The questioner bowed their head in embarrassment, and the one who'd spoken first graciously explained.
"It's about finding playmates for Crown Prince Luciano."
"Ah...."
Seeing the 'Ah, that' expressions on people's faces now, it seemed I was the only one clueless.
But Crown Prince Luciano—out of nowhere, it felt like a name I'd heard before.
"Of course we're doing it. Everyone knows this tea party is for that."
"Come to think of it, Imperial Consort Isabel is really too much...."
"Shh! That's dangerous talk."
"Oh no!"
The person who'd reflexively complained about Imperial Consort Isabel's excess jumped at someone else's urgent warning and clamped a hand over their mouth.
They glanced around, turning their head. Then their eyes met mine.
I'd been eavesdropping, so I flinched. But they seemed to decide there was no need to be wary of a child like me and sighed in relief before turning away.
"Ahem, ahem.... Please keep it secret that I said that."
"We've got that much sense."
"I didn't hear anything."
They seemed to be in cahoots, as the conversation continued to cover for the slip-up.
Then the people lowered their voices even more and resumed their talk.
"More importantly, who would step up to be Crown Prince Luciano's playmate?"
"Yeah. Everyone knows it's not good to get too close to him."
"But you never know. A desperate family might. Like the Simon Marquis Family, for example...."
"The Simon Marquis Family? Briana? She has hopes of becoming a mage, so she won't step forward."
"The Simon Marquis Family has it rough too. They have to cling to anything to avoid losing their last thread of former glory."
"Then wouldn't they avoid Crown Prince Luciano even more? They wouldn't want to go down with him."
"Someone has to accept him first. Prince Steven's side won't even give him the time of day."
"They have to gamble to survive."
I didn't understand everything.
But as I listened to the noble ladies' chatter, the names sounded so familiar.
'I definitely know these names. Where did I hear them?'
While I racked my brain over the familiarity, a memory flashed.
They were characters from a romance fantasy novel I'd read a few days ago.
Wait!
Finding playmates for the crown prince?
It matched the novel's content exactly. So the conclusion I reached was obvious.
'I've been possessed into a romance fantasy novel!'
Sure enough, calmly listening to the others confirmed it.
The situation and content were identical to the novel [Your Majesty, Don't Obsess!].
[Your Majesty, Don't Obsess!] wasn't a particularly famous novel.
It was too predictable, so it didn't gain much popularity.
The heroine Briana's family, the Simon Marquis Family, had once been renowned for their magic.
They'd produced grand mages generation after generation and stood at the pinnacle of power.
But for the last few generations, no one with magical talent had emerged, and the family was declining.
Even the heroine was revealed to have no magical talent, so she approaches the male lead to save her family.
The male lead is Luciano Frederick.
As the first prince, he's first in line for succession, but after his mother the empress died young, he lives a precarious life under the schemes of the emperor's favored second consort.
Then he meets the heroine and finds spiritual salvation.
Of course, along the way, they clash, a villainess and a black幕 appear, and various events unfold.
But true to romance fantasy form, it ends with Briana and Luciano becoming absurdly overpowered and living happily ever after.
Having read the novel, I knew Espin Samuel wasn't even mentioned.
So, based on my long experience as a romance fantasy reader,
If you've been possessed into a novel
And become an extra whose name doesn't even appear, what conclusion would you draw?
This must be one of those extra possession stories!
'I’ve become the protagonist of the novel!'
It was natural to think that. I truly believed without a shred of doubt that I was the protagonist.
Romance is essential in the romance fantasy genre.
So who would be my love interest?
Trends in romance fantasy changed so quickly lately that I couldn't guess.
Extra possession stories had gone through phases: true love interests as male leads, then sub-males, and lately, ones where the black幕 was the true love interest.
Not knowing who my man was, I decided to meet everyone.
I reached all these conclusions just thirty minutes after possession.
While piecing it together, I fully grasped what this tea party was.
'Finding playmates for Crown Prince Luciano' was a scene from before the main story properly started, briefly appearing in a side story from the prince's perspective.
『Imperial Consort Isabel deliberately held these spring tea parties once in a while.
And Luciano hated these tea parties.
"Thank you all for coming. We've got a great turnout again this time."
"Hahaha, we had to come. Thank you for always hosting these gatherings."
"It's very important for noble children to build friendships. Holding events like this is the imperial family's duty, isn't it?"
On the surface, she framed it as a gathering to foster bonds among noble children.
But no one was unaware of the hidden intent.
Imperial Consort Isabel gazed at the table where her son, Prince Steven, sat.
Seeing him surrounded by noble children, she smiled warmly.
Then she checked on Luciano, sitting alone on the opposite side.
His appearance was so pitiful it was hard to believe he was the first prince, so she raised her fan to cover her mouth.
No one could miss the satisfied smile behind that fan.
Imperial Consort Isabel put on a kind expression.
"Crown Prince Luciano, alone again this year?"
"Yes."
"Oh dear, with such poor social skills. As a prince, being so introverted worries me enough to step in myself."
At Imperial Consort Isabel's feigned attitude, strength entered Luciano's fist.
He knew what she was leading up to, so his eyes cooled sharply.
But the tell vanished quickly, unnoticed by others.
"Is there no one to befriend Crown Prince Luciano? He's so alone it worries me to no end."
Imperial Consort Isabel shamelessly voiced insults against Luciano.
She'd created this entire situation herself, yet she humiliated him by pointing out how few people surrounded a prince.
It was the moment of giving him the humiliation of knowing his place, which people whispered as 'finding playmates for Crown Prince Luciano.'
He'd expected it, and it wasn't the first or second time, but every time he felt the pitying gazes of the nobles, a sense of misery washed over Luciano.
But outwardly, he suppressed his emotions, pretending nothing was wrong.
He endured and endured, waiting for that day that would eventually come.』
I remembered the side story so vividly, I wondered if my memory was always this good.
The reason it stuck with me so strongly was simple.
I empathized with how humiliating it must have been at such a young age, how deeply it scarred him.
Fundamentally, in this world, princes don't have servants—they have nobles as attendants.
They keep them close, turning them into closest aides to build power from childhood.
But Crown Prince Luciano had not a single attendant.
As royalty, he was in the unique position of being attended by mere servants and maids.
Imperial Consort Isabel was behind all of it.
The first thing she did after giving birth to Prince Steven was to isolate Crown Prince Luciano.
She'd assign unreasonable tasks to those close to him or fabricate incidents to put them in dire straits.
Nobles were experts in politics.
No one failed to notice what Imperial Consort Isabel wanted amid the string of events.
From their perspective, the setup was obvious.
The first prince with legitimacy but no backing, versus the son of the emperor's favored consort.
The emperor's attitude of watching her obvious maneuvers without intervening.
So if they had to choose between the two princes, naturally they'd pick the second prince.
Nobles even kept their own children from getting close to Crown Prince Luciano.
Gradually, people dwindled from his side, and by last year, not a single attendant remained.
It was to broadcast that Crown Prince Luciano had been abandoned and to ingrain in him his proper place.
Such a lowly目的 tea party was happening right now.
It was the perfect time to approach the male lead, Crown Prince Luciano.
'Let me get close to the male lead before the heroine appears.'
No sooner had I decided than the atmosphere shifted.
The tea party's stars—Imperial Consort Isabel, Crown Prince Luciano, and Prince Steven—arrived.
"It's an honor to behold such esteemed persons."
The nobles and their children, who'd been spending time separately, greeted the royals in perfect unison.
Still not adjusted to this world, I was a beat late following suit.
Then my eyes met Crown Prince Luciano's.
Startled, I hurriedly bowed my head.
But curiosity won out; I peeked up and found his red eyes still watching me, so I stared at the ground again.
My heart pounded.
'Why is he looking at me?'
A quick glance—he wasn't looking at me anymore.
'Was it my imagination?'
Thinking that, I kept stealing looks at Crown Prince Luciano.
As expected of the male lead, he already showed signs of striking beauty.
His bright golden hair and red eyes combined for a dazzling appearance.
If not for the chilling expression beyond his years, I might have stared in awe at how pretty he was.
"Have we kept you waiting?"
"No, Your Highness. Your timing is perfect."
"Hehe, shall we all sit comfortably?"
At Imperial Consort Isabel's words, everyone swiftly took their seats.
She took the best head seat, surrounded by her retainers.
Right next to her table sat Prince Steven, mobbed by all the children my age.
Crown Prince Luciano's table had only him.
To think they'd bully him so blatantly.
"Thank you all for coming. We've got a great turnout again this time."
"Hahaha, we had to come. Thank you for always hosting these gatherings."
"It's very important for noble children to build friendships. Holding events like this is the imperial family's duty, isn't it?"
I heard Imperial Consort Isabel conversing with the nobles.
It was exactly like in the novel.
"Crown Prince Luciano, alone again this year?"
"Yes."
"Oh dear, with such poor social skills. As a prince, being so introverted worries me enough to step in myself."
Even the dialogue was identical.
Unconsciously, I glanced at Crown Prince Luciano and saw his rigid state.
When reading the side story, it said he hid it well, but to others, his emotions were plain to see. Just like now.
Malicious satisfaction filled Imperial Consort Isabel's eyes.
I could predict what she'd say next.
"Is there no one to befriend Crown Prince Luciano? He's so alone it worries me to no end."
She said it as if concerned, but confident no one would, as she smiled and scanned the surroundings.
Silence spread.
Adults awkwardly averted their eyes, and children pretended not to notice.
Despite the crowd, no one stepped up.
I knew what would happen from reading the novel, but it was still too much.
I worried for Crown Prince Luciano himself.
He'd held his back straight, enduring, but now his gaze slowly dropped, unable to hold out.
Despair.
Resignation.
I couldn't bear seeing Crown Prince Luciano's expression mixing it all, so I shot my hand up.
"Me!"
The place was so quiet that everyone's eyes turned to me.
It was so out of nowhere that they all gave me baffled looks.
So I beamed brightly and shouted.
"I'll be your friend's friend, Your Highness!"
