Chapter 1

Deng –

Deng

Beyond the black forest, a bell rang out from afar to announce the end of the funeral. A group of people in black mourning clothes bowed deeply and paid silent tribute.

Slowly, the coffin began to descend into the pit. There were three tombs altogether.

Ran stared blankly at the coffin.

‘I couldn’t stop it.’

She knew this would happen.

Because she wrote this story.

Because she’s the original author.

So she knew it, but she couldn’t stop it.

She looked up at her brother. A brother without blood ties.

He was the hero of this novel.

Dressed in a dark blue academy uniform, he lifted his slanted eyes and looked straight at Ran.

His eyes which were as blue as glaciers stared at her without wavering. Ran avoided his eyes unknowingly. She looked at him again, but he had already turned his eyes.

When the last silence was over, soil began to fall over the coffin.

Father, Mother and little brother Tas.

Ran clasped the hem of her black dress. Then someone grabbed her shoulder.

“Ran.”

Ran raised her head.

“Uncle.”

Ran looked at him, trying to hide her surprise. The black veil shadowed her expression.

Her uncle, Baron Lindbergh, was an ambitious man. He was so ambitious that he wanted to overthrow Yustaf.

“It still hurts a lot, but I have something to tell you.”

“Please speak.”

“Ran, I treat you like my niece, but the people of Yustaf don’t. It’s only a matter of time before you get kicked out of the Duchy for being without blood.”

Baron Lindbergh looked around and whispered a little.

“But I want to follow my brother’s will, who gave you the duke’s surname. I think you should be the next head.”

“Then….”

Ran was embarrassed and muttered her words, Baron Lindbergh said with a hazy smile.

“Or you’ll be kicked out of the duchy. All you’ve had so far will be taken away. Your dress and hat, you won’t have bread to eat for a day, so you’ll die on the street.”

It was enough to intimidate someone who had just finished their coming-of-age ceremony. Baron Lindbergh gazed with satisfaction at Ran, and she bowed her head with her pale face.

“So trust this uncle. Huh?”

“Okay.”

Ran’s answer poured out, and Lindbergh sang with delight.

“Yes, think about it.”

“Uncle, can I see other guests for a while?”

At Ran’s words, Baron Lindbergh nodded his head. Ran escaped from the thought of rubbing the shoulder he had held.

When she glanced at the side of her younger brother, Yustaf, he was also surrounded by several people.

‘Ah, it’s really crazy.’

Ran squeezed her desire to run to Yustaf right away.

Instead, she approached the grave where the dirt fell.

“Lady”

Ran shook her head when one of the men was covered with dirt.

“It’s okay, keep going.”

As she glanced at them, the men started working again.

Soil quickly began to cover over the smooth coffin.

Ran looked at her stomach and fell into her thoughts.

4 years.

꒰♡ ˚₊︶︶︶꒷꒦꒷︶꒷︶︶꒦꒷︶︶꒷꒦

꒰♡ ˚₊︶︶︶꒷꒦꒷︶꒷︶︶꒦꒷︶︶꒷꒦

It has been four years since she fell into this world.

Ran was a mid-teen graduate student before she fell into this world. It was the weekend, and she was on her way back from her hometown to her house by driving her own car.

Then she suddenly thumps! She gets a huge shock and everything is dark.

When she woke up, she fell into a different world. It took her a week to understand what she barely knew, that she had become a character in her story.

She named it ‘Eternal Love’.

What nonsense.

She didn’t remember the folder that she found while cleaning up her computer at home.

At first she asked, “What is this?” but as soon as she opened it and looked at the file, she knew what it was.

It was fortunate that she had read the text but as she thought about it, she choked.

‘But even if I reincarnated.’

It’s as the daughter of a stepmother who traumatized the male lead.

‘Is this how it’s going to be even if I’m reborn? Besides, isn’t there still a long time before the beginning of the original story?’

When the male lead met his heroine, he was 20 years old.

Now, the male lead, Yustaf, is 17 years old.

There are still three years left before the original story begins. Since 4 years out of 7 years has passed.

She had possessed Ran’s body seven years before the beginning of the original work. So it was more difficult to understand.

‘Ran is supposed to be dead,’ said Ran de Lachia.

She was brought there by her mother when she remarried, and she did not even possess a drop of blood from the Duke of Lachia.

In fact, the original author herself did not even set a name for her.

It was here that she knew her name.

But the duke, who was so infatuated with his young new wife, willingly registered Ran to his house, so she became a duchess.

Then, when her mother gave birth to her new younger brother, Tas, the bullying began for the duke’s ex-wife’s son, Yustaf.

Ran also played a part in that. But it wasn’t that bad until she died.

‘Or the way it was, I should have been killed by Yustaf, who accidentally fell from the tree.’

Then the stepmother became half-crazy, and more persistently began to bully Yustaf. The tutor who was attached to him also dealt with Yustaf harshly to create a trauma against women.

‘But I’m still here.”

As she entered this body, Ran came back to life.

Then, earnestly asked the angry stepmother to send Yustaf to the Imperial Academy.

Her mother also praised Ran for being clever, in favor of a plan that would keep him far away.

Actually, I just wanted to stop Yustaf from meeting the tutor.

Yustaf seemed to be against it for a while and there was resistance from some retainers, but he eventually left for the Imperial Academy.

“Yeah, Yustaf would have wanted to get out of the hands of that tutor.”

Ran nodded inwardly.

I thought I’d been doing well.

‘I am….’

Eventually, both parents and Tas were killed in a carriage accident.

I knew this would happen, but I couldn’t stop it.

I was on my way to see Yustaf in the capital city. The Imperial Academy’s academic festival was being held, and Ran nagged her parents.

Let’s go to see Yustaf together.

Then, she suffered from a high fever to the point of losing her mind. Only her parents and younger brother, who couldn’t prepare for long, left when there was a sudden landslide.

They all died.

“This isn’t right.”

Apparently in her writings, her family died in a boat accident. So I thought all I had to do was avoid the boat.

But that wasn’t it.

Ran covered her face with both hands.

It was only four years, but it was a long four years. She was not a real family, but they treated her well when she was still confused about her memory.

“Sister.”

Ran looked up at the low voice she heard.

Yustaf was standing. Her younger brother, two years younger than her, was already about the same height as her.

“You’re not feeling well, so go in now.”

He had a cold face to worry about.

Ran looked at his face for a moment and nodded. She turned and looked at the mansion in the distance.

The Duchy at the foot of the mountain range can be easily seen in most areas that the Duchy manages.

The huge mansion standing against the backdrop of the endless high mountains was not built by human hands.

It was a work made by the magician’s hands with a huge mountain range standing behind the mansion.

The mountain range was called the Ice Wall, which was why the Duke of Lachia was called “Lachia on the Ice Wall.”

There is a beautiful white door in that huge mountain range. A white door sealed by the great wise man, Everia.

The Lachia family was the guardian of the gate.

A family older than the empire. Even if the continent was immersed in war, and the kings and princes changed, the family continued to exist here.

‘Yes, of course, it is because the land is barren.’

Ran sighed a little. Lachia’s land was barren.

The land is wide.

It is wide, but it’s winter for half the year. They couldn’t farm properly, and there was little land on which crops were grown.

As a result, the duke’s finances were always tight.

‘I’m on the verge of bankruptcy.’

It was because of the luxury of the duchess.

Please give me a crown.

It was a tradition from generation to generation for the hostess of the Lachia family.

The green Crown.

This is because the crown supposedly belongs to the hostess.

In the Duchy, where half of the year is winter, green is a noble color. Moreover, it’s a blessing to fill everything with so much greenery that it all looks beautiful.

So dark green emeralds are the most valuable.

It wouldn’t be strange if the platinum crown, which was engraved with emeralds, was called “The Viridescent Crown”.

Moreover, when the crown is attached to the head of the Duchess, it was said to be a blessing that spreads the Duchess’ mercy.

But my mother hated the crown. Instead, she made a new crown made of rubies or sapphires.

Necklaces, rings, dresses, earrings, bracelets, waistbands, and everything else that she bought was decorated accordingly. It overflowed.

And as I said,

‘The Duchy’s finances are tight.’

We have to prepare for the long winter, but she was buying luxury items.

It was natural that the debts doubled.

‘In addition, the current successor, Yustaf, is still underage.’

Ran glanced at her younger brother walking next to her.

His dark hair and bright blue eyes. In dramatic contrast, his pupils look bluer.

As sharp as he was, he was a capable man.

‘That’s the Master.’

However, since he was a master, he had many hardships.

‘There was stepmother and the tutor’s harassment, too’

There are also things after this.

Baron Lindbergh.

After his parents death, his uncle takes advantage of his pubescence to take over as regent.

And he parades around as if he were a peacock and he aims to turn the Duke’s property into that of his own.

The baron becomes a count, and in the end, he tries to force Yustaf to marry his daughter.

And tries to assassinate him, but with the help of his loyal escort, Yustaf survives.

‘The escort dies.’

With that thought, Ran stepped away and looked at Yustaf’s escort.

‘Wow, you’re staring at me completely.’

If he could do it with a glance, he would have already shot Ran.

Ross Wilde.

He is the person who would die for Yustaf in the original.

‘I have to stop it.’

Ran thought so and called his name.

“Yustaf.”

“Yes, sister.”

Ran felt weird whenever he called her sister so politely.

‘I don’t hate being called sister.’

But this delicate feeling…..

“I’m on your side.”

Yustaf did not stop and did not reply straightforwardly.

“I want you to know that.”

Whether he did or not, Ran went on talking. There’s not much time left.

“Uncle must be planning to make me to become head of the house”

Ran smiled and looked back at him.

“I will be the head of the house.”

“And?”

Ran’s smile deepened at his subsequent question.

“I won’t let our uncle put a finger on the duchy. When you come of age, I’ll give everything back to you.”

Ran said.

The two of them, who arrived at the carriage, were now scheduled to ride their own carriage. It showed the distance between the two, not getting in one carriage.

Ran bent his knees.

Ran was greeted with a polite greeting, and Ran whispered in a deep voice,

“May you grow out of your youth.”

It is a greeting to the owner of Lachia.

Yustaf didn’t even lift an eyelash and bow.

“May the flames be protected.”

Yustaf rubbed his temples lightly.

“What did the fox say?”

When asked by his knight, Yustaf replied and whispered,

“She’s on my side.”

Ross clicked his tongue furiously.

“That’s what she said?”

“Yes.”

“She is even worse than a fox.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right.”

Ross frowned and tried to say something more, but Yustaf was lost in thought.

Ran Romia de Lachia.

Of course, I didn’t forget my childhood bullying.

But when she fell from the tree.

Something had changed since then. She sent letters and pocket money to me too.

She was also the only family member to visit the academy.

‘I thought the next owner was trying to look good to me.’

Just as her mother bewitched my father with her beauty, she will try to seduce me.

Glittering, soft wheat hair, dark green eyes like a tree in summer.

The smell of ripe fruit and sunlight, which is not seen in the north, is certainly rare.

He fiddled with the ring on his neck.

This is the blue flame, the symbol of the family.

The ring, which is sealed with the spirit of the flame, burns people when a person who is not of Lacian blood wears it.

He, who wears the ring, can borrow the power of the Spirit.

This is what I’m saying to the blue flame.

-Get rid of the blaze.

That was the reason.

“But Ross, I’m still young. I’m not old enough to hold a family position.”

“It’s an emergency right now, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but what if my uncle insists on being the regent?”

Ross made a face at the words.

“You mean the raccoon?”

“You could see him drooling. That’s why he approached Ran earlier.”

That’s what Ran said to him.

Yustaf thought over what she said.

I remember.

‘What should I do?’

“There are few options.”

Yustaf said, smiling bitterly, and letting go of his hand touching the ring.

“The most important thing to do is to separate Ran and my uncle. It’ll be better.”

Ross also nodded at the words.

“I think that would be best.”