TMWL 02

Chapter 2

When Pesha was around nine years old, she fell from a tree and hit her head. That was when she realized that she had been reincarnated into a romance-fantasy novel.

In the original story, “Pesha Rydell” was a wicked villainess who bullied the female protagonist, Io Clark.

According to the novel, “Pesha” was Io’s childhood friend of the same age. She had always subtly looked down on Io, but when Io’s circumstances began to improve, Pesha could no longer control her jealousy and relentlessly tormented her.

But the end of a villainess was always merciless.

After marrying the male lead, she still doesn’t come to her senses. She keeps plotting against him until he eventually kills her.

And it happened early in the original story, meaning she didn’t even live long enough to grow old.

How could this be so unfair?

She had been born as the daughter of a prestigious ducal family, only to end up with such a miserable fate!

Pesha racked her brain.

If doing bad things is the problem, then can’t I just live a good life?

Yes. That was all she needed to do.

I’ll be kind to Io and become a helpful friend to the male lead instead of a villainess!

Though it would be even better if the two of them had absolutely nothing to do with her!

The two protagonists would fall madly in love, just as they had in the original story. If Pesha simply helped their love along, everything would work out.

Io would live happily ever after, while Pesha would stay as far away from the original plot as possible and spend a leisurely old age living off the wealth of the ducal family.

It was a perfect plan.

“…Or so I thought.”

When she muttered those words under her breath, Duke Rydell shouted at her with a face red with anger.

“Are you listening to me or not?! How dare you treat your father like a fool?”

Pesha let out a deep sigh inwardly.

Then she twisted her eyebrows into a sorrowful expression and shook her head.

“Of course not, Father. I just think Count Namoi is far too good for me. Wouldn’t my friend Io be a better match for him? It might not be too late yet. Even now, we could…”

Smack!

Before she could finish, Pesha was slapped across the face, her head whipping to the side.

Her cheek stung from the blow of her father’s hand, nearly as large as a serving tray.

A burst of anger rose in her chest, but Pesha endured it like a proper lady.

“Are you still going on about that? Lady Clark is a precious purification mage! Do you really think His Majesty would marry her off to some lowborn commoner like him?”

Then what about me?

The words rose to the tip of her tongue, but even if she asked, she already knew what her father would say.

Yet contrary to her father’s words, if Io really was a precious purification mage, then she should marry Owen Namoi even more.

She was probably the only person capable of purifying the contaminated eastern lands.

“Do you feel it’s unfair? Then you should have been born with purification magic too!”

Her father spoke as if purification magic were something that could be picked up at a market along with carrots or potatoes.

But people who possessed that power were so rare that they could be counted on one hand throughout the entire country.

Naturally, Io’s value was astronomical.

Since Io possessed purification powers, Pesha had always assumed she would eventually marry Owen.

In the original story, Io lived a miserable life, never even knowing that she possessed purification magic, until the Emperor ordered her to marry Owen against her will.

At first, she was treated poorly because Owen was wary of her and his subordinates were rude to her.

Then, after accidentally discovering her purification powers, she began purifying the contaminated territory and gradually earned recognition for her abilities.

As the relationship between the two progressed dramatically and Owen learned about the wounds Io had suffered, he eventually dealt mercilessly with Pesha, who had tormented her…

No matter how much Pesha had tormented Io over the years and grown cunning in the process, there was no way she could escape the male lead who had conquered the entire eastern region.

But I’m the one who’s supposed to marry him now? How does that even make sense?

While her father continued shouting, Pesha kept her head lowered and stared blankly at the floor, counting the patterns in the flooring to distract herself.

Then her father’s furious voice came crashing down over her head.

“You have brought immeasurable shame upon me by daring to refuse His Majesty’s command. You are forbidden from leaving the house until your wedding day!”

“F-Father.”

“I don’t even want to look at you! Get out!”

Her father, furious to the very top of his head, drove Pesha out of his study.

Bang.

She stood silently in front of the closed door.

Only then did she finally let out a deep sigh.

“This is really bad…”

At this rate, she really was going to have to marry Owen Namoi.

He must have made a deal with Father and the territory while looking for a duke with a daughter.

Her father had probably received some of the land belonging to the Kingdom of Clapton that Owen Namoi had driven out.

It was exactly the same situation as when Io was sold off into marriage in the original story.

The only difference was that Io had been replaced by Pesha.

She had tried her absolute best to live a good life, only to end up becoming an obstacle standing between the male and female leads.

She had already grown distant from Io as they grew older. If she interfered with their love as well, there was no telling what kind of consequences awaited her.

Yet no matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t come up with a way to avoid this marriage.

Maybe I could sneak away in the middle of the night, or find a powerful ally…

But who could I hide behind to escape the strongest man in this entire world?

Pesha kicked the wall in frustration.

“Ow!”

All she accomplished was hurting her foot.

“If only he were a little less powerful. Then I could at least find someone stronger.”

That man’s absurdly overpowered abilities made finding another ally nearly impossible.

He drove back an entire kingdom’s army? Wiped out foreign tribes? What is this, some legendary general who can teleport across the battlefield?

At this rate, he’ll be riding down on leaves next.

“Haa…”

Pesha grabbed her hair in frustration.

“There has to be some way…”

She was muttering to herself when someone approached her.

“What are you doing here?”

The mocking voice was familiar.

Pesha turned around listlessly.

Her younger brother, Jeremy, was looking down at her with an intentionally arrogant posture.

“What are you doing in Father’s study?”

She had already been scolded by their father, and now she had to deal with Jeremy, who looked almost exactly like him.

Her mood instantly worsened.

“……”

She ignored him and tried to walk past without answering.

But Jeremy suddenly grabbed her forearm with considerable force.

“Did you forget that I told you not to wander around the main house whenever you please?”

His tone was as hostile as ever.

“How dare someone like you even set foot in here?”

Her head began to ache.

Ever since realizing she had been reincarnated, Pesha had tried harder than anyone to be a good person.

For example, when she was young, Pesha had shown remarkable talent in herbal studies and once received an opportunity to study abroad in a duchy where medicine was highly advanced.

The problem was that, around that same time, Jeremy had suddenly developed an interest in swordsmanship.

Her father had made it painfully obvious that he would rather invest in the son who would inherit the family than in his daughter.

So the rare opportunity to study abroad had gone to Jeremy instead.

If he was going to steal my opportunity, he could at least have studied hard.

But after only two years abroad, Jeremy returned home on his own, claiming that he had grown tired of swordsmanship.

Their father, who had placed great expectations on Jeremy, was deeply disappointed.

And that disappointment spilled over onto Pesha.

Her younger brother, who had previously treated her with little more than ordinary indifference, began actively competing against her.

He had always assumed that, as the son, he would naturally inherit the family.

But when he noticed that their father’s attitude had become strange, he grew anxious that Pesha might somehow inherit his share instead.

Pesha had never had even the slightest intention of fighting him for the succession.

Still, seeing Jeremy so openly trying to crush her pride naturally brought out her stubborn side.

And now that Pesha was being married off almost like a commodity, Jeremy seemed delighted and was determined not to give her even the slightest opening.

“Oh, I get it. You begged Father to cancel the marriage, didn’t you? And naturally, he gave you a good scolding.”

He was slightly off the mark, but he wasn’t entirely wrong.

“Don’t you have anything better to do? Go do your own work.”

Even though she answered coldly, Jeremy wasn’t bothered in the slightest.

“How dare you act so arrogantly… When I inherit the family soon, do you really think someone like you will even be able to make a peep?”

He had been spoiled rotten since childhood, never having to struggle for anything, and as a result, his pride had reached the heavens.

Every word he said was so irritating that Pesha wanted to punch him.

But she soon abandoned the thought.

The Emperor had already announced the marriage directly to Owen Namoi after his victorious return.

There was no turning back now.

Even for the sake of the adults’ reputations, this had become a marriage that could not be undone.

When water had already been spilled, there was no point blaming someone else. She had to find a way to clean it up.

But I really can’t stand seeing this brat getting so full of himself.

Pesha crossed her arms and gave a mocking little laugh.

“Really? Well, I’m going to become Count Namoi’s wife now, so I’m not interested in this family that you’re going to ruin anyway.”

“What?”

“That’s right. The House of Namoi will continue rising after this marriage, having secured His Majesty’s trust even more firmly… But, hmm, I have absolutely no expectations for the House of Rydell once you become its duke.”