Chapter 2: Think of it as Being Bitten by a Dog

“Hmm.”

Clea quietly opened her eyes and looked at the scene before her.

She recalled the words she heard from the man lying next to her just before losing her senses.

He had told her not to regret it, hadn’t he?

Remembering those words made her laugh.

‘How could anyone regret being with someone like you?’

The next heir to the Empire’s throne.

Everyone, regardless of gender, desired to be close to Edmund.

Clea looked down at him, who was incomparable to her one and only fiancé.

He was sleeping so deeply that he wouldn’t notice if someone carried him away. Following his long eyelashes down, her gaze reached his neck.

Places that had been as white as the rest of his skin until yesterday were now marked red in various spots.

Clea felt satisfied seeing the harsh results someone had left behind.

That she had left marks on his body first, before even the female lead had touched it.

Though they were nothing to each other now, this man would soon become Aria’s lover as in the original story. She had no intention of interfering with that.

Clea was just grateful to Edmund for leaving her with a memorable last experience.

“This amusement will be the last for you too, anyway.”

She clicked her tongue regretfully but didn’t take back her words.

The end of the original story was approaching.

Edmund and Aria would marry in the year they turn twenty-two. The only remaining event was the death of the villainess – herself.

Although the process had changed slightly, nothing else would change.

She smiled bitterly.

After finishing her thoughts, Clea got up first.

Edmund, who seemed to have fainted in his sleep, still showed no signs of waking.

She didn’t think much of the previous night.

Just considering it a mistake made under the influence of alcohol.

“Still, I should probably leave something behind or he might be surprised.”

As a gesture of consideration, she saw paper and pen conveniently placed on a desk in the room and left a single line.

Perhaps when he wakes up and sees the note, he might furiously try to hunt her down to kill her, but she wasn’t particularly worried.

Death wasn’t so frightening to someone who had little life left anyway.

In that sense, the message she left was concise.

[Think of it as being bitten by a passing dog.]

With that final note, she stepped out without any lingering attachment. There stood a familiar figure.

Duke Oberon Philip, the Crown Prince’s loyal servant.

* * *

“The moment you reveal this, your life will be forfeit, my lady.”

“I have no intention of demanding responsibility from His Highness. So I’d appreciate it if you’d stop looking at me that way.”

“Then please sign here quickly.”

As soon as she stepped outside, she saw Oberon, Edmund’s faithful servant.

The man who had always shown her only cold expressions was now glaring at her with murderous intent.

As soon as she got into the carriage, he presented her with a piece of paper and a pen.

‘A contract stating nothing happened last night.’

Though it was for his master’s sake, she thought he was being too rigid.

Given how many people had already seen them at the banquet, silencing the parties involved wouldn’t prevent the news from spreading.

But Clea signed the signature line anyway.

Though Oberon snatched the contract away as soon as she signed it, Clea didn’t mind.

To someone facing death, a contract held no meaning.

‘Death.’

Her life was terminal.

If asked whether it had been that way since birth, the answer would be no.

Originally, she had possessed Clea’s body.

More precisely, she was living in a book called ≪How to Survive a Curse.≫

As evident from the title, it was a world where curses existed.

And originally, the person cursed was not her but the female protagonist, Aria Hersher.

In the original story, she had finally managed to break her curse.

“He is not someone who should associate with the likes of you.”

“You’re right. Not with someone like me.”

Oberon’s gaze hardened coldly.

Though he hadn’t encountered her many times, Oberon had heard enough about her to be sick of it.

About how she had crossed lines with Aria, the most likely candidate for Crown Princess.

What mattered to him now wasn’t whether all of Clea’s actions were true, but whether his master could be harmed because of her.

He only wished to prevent Edmund from being damaged by a scandal.

She smiled mockingly at his sharp, threatening gaze, but she wasn’t really mocking him but rather herself.

Having read the novel, she knew how to break the curse.

Yet she couldn’t break the curse placed on her.

She could only laugh at her own pathetic situation, knowing but unable to break it.

‘Love, huh.’

While Aria could easily break it, it was an impossible method for her right now.

The method was ‘receiving true love from another person.’

Unlike Aria, there was no one in the Empire who loved her.

Starting with her family, who were all thinking about how to sell her off for the highest price.

Her so-called fiancé was too busy staying by Aria’s side rather than hers.

When Clea first possessed this novel’s character and still had some attachment to life, she thought maybe at least one person could love her.

But it was impossible to change the perception that had been fixed from the beginning, no matter what she did.

Even when she performed good deeds, they were called pretentious.

When her family was struggling with consecutive business failures and she helped them wholeheartedly, they didn’t even care.

Even when she stayed quiet like a mouse, someone would somehow bring her to the surface.

Years passed, but people continued to hate her, busy slandering her and enjoying her pain.

This was also why she completely let go of any attachments.

“What was it in the first place? Why did you target His Highness while abandoning your fiancé whom you claimed to love so dearly?”

“I don’t love him.”

“Ha, my lady. Have you forgotten your attitude toward Young Grand Duke Lloyd all this time?”

“You’re right. Why did I act that way?”

“How shameless.”

Ignoring Oberon, who was openly showing his disgust, Clea turned her gaze toward the window.

The person who loved Lloyd was Clea, not her.

She knew the reason why Clea had loved Lloyd.

When everyone avoided Clea Odoi, only the young Lloyd didn’t dislike her.

For that reason, she tried to approach Lloyd, even putting aside her dignity as a noble lady.

‘The Odoi ducal family also subtly moved to connect with the Grand Duke’s family, thinking it would be good to form an alliance.’

Somehow she became engaged to Lloyd Persi, but…

Lloyd, resenting being forced into an engagement against his will, ended up hating Clea.

Clea was shocked by this, but it was already in the past.

After that, Lloyd became practically Aria’s follower. Jealous of this, Clea became the villainess who tormented Aria.

Now all that remained was the death of Clea, whom no one loved anymore.

‘We’re already here.’

After arriving at the gloomy ducal residence, she got out of the carriage.

As soon as Clea alighted, the carriage door closed roughly, and it quickly headed elsewhere, like it was fleeing.

Clea watched this before noticing someone standing in front of the mansion.

“There seem to be many people frowning at me particularly today.”

“Clea Odoi, where have you been?”

The man she had just been thinking about in the carriage.

Clea looked at Lloyd, who was standing like a guard dog at the house.

Although there were hardly ever people who smiled at her in the first place, Lloyd’s face seemed particularly full of displeasure.

He was glaring at Clea, seemingly asking whether she had nothing to say to him.

Clea had nothing particular to say, so she tried to ignore him and go inside.

“You have something to say to me.”

“I have nothing to say.”

“So that’s how you’re going to be?”

He grabbed Clea’s wrist as she tried to pass by him.

She found his voice filled with discontent ridiculous. She frowned at her captured wrist.

She tried to shake off his grip as it was painfully tight, but Lloyd ignored her reaction and headed into the mansion.

As they went inside, Clea wondered.

Why did she like such a man so much?

* * *

As soon as they entered, the mansion’s staff had to prepare tea sets. This was due to the sudden appearance of Clea’s fiancé.

Though Clea didn’t care, they were bustling about trying to maintain appearances since he was an heir apparent.

“What was that yesterday?”

“What do you mean?”

“What do I mean? Ha! Clea Odoi, are you defying me right now?”

What do you mean defying?

She ignored Lloyd’s words and savored the aroma of the hastily prepared tea.

Though they were falling due to consecutive business failures, they were still a ducal family, and the tea they prepared was of the highest quality.

Meanwhile, Lloyd frowned, angered by Clea’s attitude.

If it had been the original Clea, she would have feared his every gesture, but the current her was different.

She felt no obligation to cater to his moods like the servants in the Persi household.

“Fine, Clea. I’ve left you alone until now. But how can someone with a fiancé seduce another man?”

Clea almost burst out laughing at Lloyd’s brazen response.

“Then is it alright for you to approach Lady Aria with impure intentions?”

“Why are you bringing up Aria here!”

And here we go again.

Clea was sick of this relationship.

When she pointed out problems, she hoped he would show signs of trying to fix them, but instead, the other party always showed an attitude of turning the tables.

Clea was already tired of him showing no awareness of what he had done wrong.

“Let’s break off the engagement.”

She repeated her intention, which she had expressed several times before.

Whenever he heard these words, Lloyd would frown as if enraged.

Actually, Clea had thought that if she brought up breaking the engagement, he would readily agree.

But time and time again, Clea couldn’t break it off.

While society thought it was because Clea wouldn’t let go of Lloyd, that was actually a misunderstanding.

“That again.”

“If you’re tired of hearing it, you could just end it.”

“Let me tell you once more, Clea.”

The reason their precarious relationship couldn’t end was solely because of Lloyd.

“I have no intention of breaking off my engagement with you. Even if you were to die.”

Clea felt a headache coming on.

She wanted to get up right now, push him away, and be alone.

But if she did that, he would forcibly grab her like he did at the door.

“So answer me. Where were you last night?”

She couldn’t understand why he was so angry when he didn’t even love her. Clea frowned her delicate brows and contemplated.

‘Should I slap his face? Or kick him there? Which would hurt him more?’

In Clea’s mind, there was no consideration of how to give him a nice answer.