CH 2

It was the worst.

She would feel the pain of death and could possibly end up turning into a man or woman. In other words, her body will randomly change, not knowing if it would be a baby’s or an old man’s.

Right now, she was a noble, but if she were to unluckily synchronize with a slave… she didn’t even want to think about it.

‘I have to wait no matter what since I can’t even die .’

Hence, while the system is being restored, her priority was to survive in this uselessly realistic dream or virtual world.

“Dreamcatcher!”

[Yes. Please tell me I’m listening.]

“Do I have to speak with my mouth to answer?”

People don’t talk to themselves unless they have a mental problem.

Whether it be a regressor or a transmigrator, the main characters of Romance Fantasy novels start with receiving privileges or blessings one by one. If a normal-looking young lady suddenly shouts ‘Dreamcatcher’ out loud then says that she wants to use the ‘search function’—which was her own privilege—it’s highly likely that anyone would misunderstand and think that she was not in her right mind.

[If you specify a code name, you’ll be able to call me just by thinking it.]

“I’ll register a code name.”

[Please say the code name.]

“Dream.”

[Code name registration is complete.]

Eun-chae finally felt her heart calm down a little.

‘Dream’

[Yes, I am listening. Please select the desired function.]

‘Can you plant the contents of the novel <A Broken Clockwork Doll> into my memory?’

[The user safety system is active. Memory manipulation is not possible.]

‘But the synchronization is at a transmigration level?’

[Mind and memory manipulation is an ethical issue, therefore the user safety system is automatically activated.]

Memory manipulation.

After thinking a little more about it, the system was right. If the developer even had the slightest bit of evil intention… there was a possibility that he could destroy people in an instant by inserting fake memories.

‘Then can I view the search results?’

[Provides a pop-up window that only the user can see.]

‘Start with the first chapter.’

[Data search has been completed.]

Like a projector, the searched content appeared as text in a small pop-up window made of light.

‘Dream.’

Eun-chae called the system again before reading the contents of the novel.

[Yes, I am listening. Please select the desired function.]

‘Search, Eliana Aclera.’

Eliana was a character who did not appear in the original story. Since she had become the owner of this body, she had to figure out the basics.

[Data search has been completed.]

Another pop-up window immediately came to mind. It was almost like searching for a celebrity profile on a media website.

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Keyword: Eliana Aclera

Full Name: Eliana Aclera

Age: 19

Image: [Portrait]

Nationality: Wespera Empire

Affiliation: None

Body: 159 cm, 38 kg

*Special Note: Has an eating disorder (anorexia) and toxic substances remain in the body. Health condition is ‘at risk’.

===============================

What she found from the searched profile was ‘basic information’.

‘Wow, is this weight even an adult’s? Oh… Anorexia.’

It was a shocking health condition. After taking a look at her own body, Eun-chae was immediately convinced.

‘Well, the world in the novel is certainly fair.’

Her face was definitely pretty, but the ‘flesh’ is missing. It was a realistic and fair world in useless areas.

‘Dream’

[Yes, I am listening. Please select the desired function.]

‘Search, Duke of Atcher.’

Eun-chae, who quickly grasped the state of Eliana’s body, searched for the question that suddenly crossed her mind. It was because she was somehow familiar with the family of the ‘Duke of Atcher’, the one this body was going to marry.

[Data search has been completed.]

===============================

Keyword: Duke of Atcher.

Name: Mihalis Atcher (Private)

Age: 27

Image: [Portrait private] (no data)

Nationality: Wespera Empire

Affiliation: Duchy of Atcher, Southern Navy

Body: 187 cm, 82 kg

*Special Note: He inherited the noble title due to the death of the former duke a month ago, but has not yet made an official announcement. Officially, the current known duke is Theopa Atcher.

===============================

‘Twenty-seven? As expected, the duke is not an old man.’

Eun-chae, who carefully examined the search result, began to slowly realize the overall situation.

She was at a point before the original story began.

‘It can even search private information. It might be more helpful than I thought…’

That ‘private’ part was the problem.

Eliana, the original owner of this body, thought that she was being sold to an old duke who was notorious for his s*d*stic s*x*al preferences. She didn’t even know that it was his son that she was marrying.

‘But, of all people, it had to be the Duke of Atcher.’

The problem was that the Duke of Atcher was the sub-male lead who doesn’t appear until  chapter 30. And the even bigger problem was that the contents of <A Broken Clockwork Doll> has been serialized only up to 33 chapters, and the series is currently on hiatus.

‘I don’t know much about the Duke of Atcher.’

Had she known it would be like this, she would have chosen a completed novel. Knowing the contents of the novel was now of little help to her.

***

Together with the others, Eun-chae, now ‘Eliana Aclera’, reached the duchy in the southern part of the continent 15 days after the synchronization was completed.

In the first place, the Northern countryside did not have any portals allowing them to freely move between cities. After taking the portal to a metropolitan city, it was a long journey from then on.

‘Wow, isn’t this similar to the Mediterranean?’

It felt like she had gone for an unexpected trip. Once Eliana was freed from the pain of the ‘Severe Motion Sickness’ aftereffect of using the portal, she became immersed in sightseeing.

There were rows of white buildings on both sides of the well-paved road with flat stones, and the roofs painted with blue dye reminded her of European landscapes she had only seen in pictures.

‘Are we arriving soon?’

“My lady, I see a castle over there.”

As Amy was not yet aware of the Duke’s identity, her voice was not very bright when she said it.

“Yes. It’s a beautiful castle.”

Along the endless coastal cliffs, a massive castle with white walls and 12 spires was gradually getting closer.

Famous for being a fortress that prevented numerous foreign invasions, it was even known as ‘The White Shield’, but from afar, instead of a defense facility, it looked more like a work of art.

By the time the smell of the sea, which she had occasionally felt in the wind, filled her lungs, the carriage carrying Eliana arrived at the front gates of the white outer castle.

“Greetings, Lady Aclera. My name is Iadis Concerto, deputy to the Duke of Atcher. I will be serving you from here on.”

“It’s nice to meet you. Sir Concerto. I am Eliana Aclera.”

When the carriage arrived in front of the castle gate, the person who had been contacted in advance came to greet her. He was a handsome man with thin gold-rimmed glasses.

“Since there has not been a mistress in the duchy for a very long time, it may look a little desolate because of the lack of detailed management. We kindly ask for your understanding.”

The word ‘fortress’ definitely struck her upon entering the outer castle.

Dozens of soldiers stood at regular intervals on the high walls, monitoring the shoreline, and occasionally, men dressed as knights could be seen moving in rows.

“Ah, yes.”

“The castle is divided into two parts: the outer and inner areas. Any citizen of the empire with a clear identity can freely enter and leave the outer castle, but only the Duke’s family and his vassals can enter the inner castle. Only guests scheduled to visit are allowed to come in.”

Next to Eliana’s carriage, Iadis rode on horseback and gave her a brief introduction to the castle’s interior.

“If you could wait for a moment in the drawing room, I will bring the Duke.”

“Yes.”

Iadis, who had guided her from the entrance of the outer castle to the drawing room in the inner castle, briefly bowed and left. A maid brought a trolley and set down cold drinks and some light snacks.

‘We’re finally meeting…’

The ownerless teacup across from her weighed on Eliana’s heart for some reason.

It was still before the original story began.

[I’ll snatch the Duke before he meets the female lead.]

Eliana’s primary goal was to survive in this world.

‘We should get along well.’

Tension started to build up. In the story, the Duke of Atcher was ‘unmarried’ until he met the female lead, and had no scandals with the opposite sex. There was no way for her to predict how such a duke would treat his betrothed who had died before they could even meet.

‘Anyway, I’m glad it’s a cold drink.’

Eliana was left alone in the drawing room for about ten minutes before she took a sip of her drink.

It was an ade from a fruit she didn’t know. As she was in the most southern part of the continent, it was certainly hot, she was even sweating a little and couldn’t imagine touching a hot drink.

Knock, Knock, Knock.

Eliana stood up, the momentary ease she had felt quickly turned into tension at the sound of the light knocks.

“Lady Aclera. I have brought His Excellency.”

“This is Eliana from Baron Aclera. Greetings to the Duke.”

As soon as the door opened, Eliana greeted the man standing next to Iadis, lifting her skirt and bowing slightly in accordance with etiquette.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, I am Mihalis Atcher.”

As she gazed at his feet for a moment, the voice she heard for the very first time sounded calm. It was a pleasant low-pitched tone.

“You have worked hard to come this far. Please sit down.”

She followed his guidance and sat down before looking up and seeing his face.

‘Wow, he’s really handsome…’

His appearance matched exactly how he was described in the novel. Because it was a face she had never seen in real life, Eliana’s jaw almost dropped without realizing it.

‘Is this the decadent beauty they mentioned in the novel?’

Neatly arranged dark hair on moderately tanned skin. His deep cobalt blue eyes stole her gaze as if she was being sucked in.

He had broad shoulders, and his muscles, though not bulky, were sharp, reminiscent of an elegant beast. When she saw the veins on his forearm protruding under his white short-sleeved shirt, she immediately swallowed her saliva.

Rather than calling him handsome, the word ‘sexy’ suited him more.