Chapter 1: Milenia

It rained on the day my husband’s mother died.

After all, it was not like I was in a book so this could be a scene from a novel [1]. My husband watched the coffin slowly getting swallowed down by the ground, and he seemed to have a lot of thoughts.

I shifted my gaze and looked at the wedding ring on my finger by this time. It was a luxury product that would have been proudly kept in the show window of the most famous jewelry store in the Empire. Some were envious, but there was not much difference between my marriage and this ring. It was luxurious and nice to see, but it was not sincere.

We’ve been married for exactly two years, so…. It has been two years since I entered this body.

‘The exact time must have been when Mrs. Roam died.’

And from today I would die at the hands of my husband… In a week!

It was about a week away.

Hmm, there was a passage like that in the original.

And this body belonged to that obsessive wife.

Milena Roam.

She died because she was obsessed with the male lead without knowing the consequences.

A supporting tool character to add to the sexy charm of the deadly beast male lead.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

The lady, who was standing next to me, said with a sad look.

“The old lady was always kind to Mrs. Roam.”

Milena Roam was the famous daughter of a wealthy family in a typical villainess position that was often seen in dramas. My mother-in-law, who persecuted the female protagonist, welcomed the villainess with open arms.

“Thank you, Lady Cobalt.”

I smiled and ignored the contempt in her eyes. Society sympathized with and looked down on me for losing my greatest ally.

People were finally showing their true colors.

“She was a very respectable woman.”

And I was a woman whose position as a duchess was at stake, who only had her mother-in-law’s affection as a card.

I knew my place too.

‘Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m satisfied with this situation.’

If my husband wanted a divorce, I was willing to agree with it. Anything was better than dying. I tried my best and I had no regrets. I didn’t ask my husband anything, who had many secrets, was kind to his beautiful sister, and was always kind to his adoptive son whom he picked up from somewhere.

And it took a lot more effort than I thought it would take to be a villainess.

‘No matter how much I think about it, the piano I had practiced before helped me in saving my husband’s face, huh…’

Disciplined.

Showing off my perfect self.

Leading the fashion.

In the future, even if I went back to my world and watched dramas, I think I would not be able to hate bad elite girls as much as before. I knew how hard they tried.

I couldn’t even play <Dae Jang Geum>[2] on a recorder in my previous life, but here I have mastered the civilized piano forte of the social world. Once again, I realized that the limitations of human beings were endless.

‘I have also trained in magic!’

I learned magic like crazy because I thought I needed at least one ability to survive by being a possessed character in a book.

My husband was covered in blood when he came into the room on the first night but I didn’t ask him anything. The next time he did it again, I quietly healed him with the magic I had learnt.

I was buried in the joy and pain of learning, so I didn’t know when the day would pass, and it was hard to see my husband’s face. Like that, two years had passed.

Two years.

‘What is my noble husband thinking?’

Raindrops rolled down his chin and fell on the nose of his neat shoes. People looked at the statue-like man as if possessed, and he simply remained frozen with a blank face.

I always thought I understood this man but I didn’t.

Anyway, one important thing was that my only reinforcements had passed away due to a long-term illness, and the only moral shackles that bound the male protagonist were gone.

… Now he didn’t have to play the role of a good son anymore, and in other words, the reason why he should keep his marriage with me was gone too.

***

Siegfried Roam was a really neat man when he wanted to.

Although he was indifferent, he was kind, and he did a good job of being my husband outwardly, and he was always upright.

He was a good husband and a good son.

My eyes scanned the huge portrait in the chilly hallway. Of the four elegant people, my gaze turned to the overwhelming woman sitting in the center.

‘Madam Margaret Roam.’

The always elegant figure of the woman with straight eyes and a straight neck which seemed to come out of the portrait at anytime. A strong cane, which ran from the floor, was locked under her outstretched palm, firmly supporting the weight of a person.

‘I wish I had corrected her.’

When the duke died early, the employees used to say that she was a strong woman who protected the family by gracefully fighting with the collateral relatives. I understood why my husband wanted to be a good son in front of his mother. She was indeed a respectable person.

‘You really cared about me.’

How warmly you held my hand, saying that you also had an arranged marriage. I could still hear her voice.

‘I’m sorry, madam.’

I couldn’t make eye contact with her any longer and lowered my head.

‘…but I don’t think I can keep my promise.’

Her image, which was still visible beyond the opaque canopy curtain, was clear. She asked me to be a good Duchess. Just like her, she asked me to become a great Phoenix of Roam.

Even if she died, Roam would never die.

‘The original Milena didn’t want to leave Roam either.’

She was a woman who loved luxury, and she was also the famous daughter of the proud Rochester family, so there must have been no treasure that satisfied her as much as Roam’s fame and reputation.

My gaze shifted to the handsome man standing to the right of Madam Roam. Siegfried Roam. He was a man who looked like he had the whole Roam family’s style and elegance.

‘I heard that Rochester had to offer a lot for Milena to get married to Roam.’

Just as manufacturers of products with low unit prices were competing for client’s purchase, the bridal market was filled with showing off their value by raising their dowry. Milena complained so much that she had to have that man that her two older brothers’ didn’t like her decision at all.

“I led the army to war to get the territory you wanted. I’ve given you the red diamond that you’ve wanted so much, and the dress that the princess of another country took away, but how could you….”

Be so indifferent? That was probably what he wanted to say.

“They cannot be trusted.”[3]

The second son confessed to his father about how reluctant he was to become a member of the Roam family. The memories in Milena’s body were vividly replayed in my head. Perhaps Milena wasn’t happy with their decision, seeing the angry emotions rising somewhere in my heart.

‘She’s the golden jade leaf of Rochester.’

Was this what it meant to be born with a golden spoon? Well, it was a good option.

‘Except that man is going to kill me exactly a week later, of course.’

Boom!

A flash of light engulfed my husband’s face, and a powerful thunder roared. Then, the sound of rain pouring down was very depressing.

Yes, it was a perfect time to look at the portrait of my husband’s family.

‘The tanned one.’

My gaze shifted to the faceless man standing on the left side of the Duchess. He gently pressed her shoulder with one hand.

‘Is he the Duke?’

I didn’t know who did the painting like that, but it seemed that the resentment against the previous duke was strangely too much. I turned my head and looked out the window. Roam, soaked in rain, was grimly majestic.

‘My husband is not here today.’

When I thought I should lay down my tired body, the sound of footsteps in the distance approached me. My alert ear instinctively searched for signs.

‘Butler.’

And my guess was right. A man like a shadow was coming closer and closer to this place from an endless passageway. As he got closer, his outline became clearer.

The pale man stood in front of me and scanned me up and down. As if it was not only Mrs. Roam who died, but also my husband. The man’s lips slowly open. The drops of water on the collar of his shirt were signaling that he had been outside, or at least close to outside.

“…Lady.”

His voice was very strange right now.

“…His Grace is back.”

And there was only one person in this mansion who was addressed to using that title.

My husband.

I followed him quickly to the first floor.

With every step I took, the maids with gloomy faces followed me. Even the sound of their footsteps was buried in the carpet, and the only sound in the empty hall was the sound of my footsteps.

This was the result of two years of trying to make people come to my side in vain. I always had to be informed of the consequences of them leaving me. I wanted to complain to my husband, but he wasn’t usually in the mansion, and the maid repeated the same thing like a parrot.

As if Milena’s toxic nature remained in this body, my eyes kept on following the maid’s cheek, and my fingers were itchy as if I would slap her cheek at any moment, but it was only for a moment.

The anger died down in the face of the underlying fear of death.

There was no need for me to create any more reason for my husband to kill me.

“Open the door.”

The servant opened the huge door of the mansion with all his might. The shadows disappeared at the same time, and the cool light from outside rushed in. Shwaaa. The rain fell steadily and hit the ground. The sharp smell of rain permeated at once.

Soon his silhouette drenched in rain came near. Perhaps because of the rain and wind, his arms, riding on a huge black horse, were clearly visible outside of his robe. The hand holding the reins was big even from a distance, and the muscles of his arms where the rainwater was flowing were as delicate as the muscles of his horse.

Splash.

As his black boots hit the floor heavily, blood seeped into the pool of rainwater. My heart pounded with fear. It was like seeing him with a different and dangerous atmosphere.

Not afraid of the rain, the man pulled back the hood that obscured his view and let the raindrops pour over his black hair. His deep blue eyes were no different from the portrait in lightning that I saw earlier.

The man in the rain covered with red stains was like a picture. The rain dripped down his face, got mixed with the bloodstains, and rolled down.

He moved his steps towards me. The coldness of the rain alone made my body tremble, but the smell of fishy blood, not knowing whether it was from a beast or a human, stimulated my fear even more.

I wanted to run away, but I knew that I would die the moment I showed my back in front of this beast.

My chest rose and fell sharply. At that time, he looked at me with a nonchalant look on his face.

He came right in front of me and looked down at me. I had to open my mouth and say, “Are you back?” but my mouth didn’t move. My legs were shaking.

That man was dangerous.

It felt like my whole body was saying that.

“Oh… did you?”

I wanted to leave him if I could run away.

However, his eyes continued to stare at me, and my hand holding the hem of my dress was shaking.

The man bent his head closer to me, and my shoulders shrank. It was an instinctive defense mechanism. The skin of my neck got goosebumps strangely as if it were about to get bitten.

Then something fell on my shoulder.

“…Milena.”

A subdued voice that seemed to scratch iron entered my ear. The injured beast took a breath and said those words to me as if he was in pain.

“I’m hurt.”

It was a completely different attitude from the usual polite respect. The white shawl I was wearing quickly got covered with blood, and fell. The man was in a critical condition.

The man who will kill me.

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

[1] this is the usual ‘this is not a novel so this situation can’t happen’ kind of thing, but she’s being sarcastic because she’s in a book for real.

[2] Daejanggeum is a Korean drama that translates to Jewel in the palace and she was maybe trying to sing the OST on her recorder but failed.

[3] They as in the Roam family, more precisely Siegfried.

Meaning of the name Siegfried: A hero in Germanic legend who slays a dragon guarding a gold hoard and wakes Brunhild from her enchanted sleep.

Meaning of the name Milena: is a feminine given name of Slavic origin derived from “mil” meaning “gracious”, “pleasant” or “dear”.

Meaning of the name Rochester : A British surname. Etymology: Old English Hrofæcæstir, probably meaning ‘Roman town called Hrofi (an ancient Celtic name)’.