CHAPTER 001
It was only fifteen days ago that I realized the place I lived in was a novel.
My past life's memories suddenly returned one day.
I lost consciousness after slipping on the stairs while playing at my friend Bella’s mansion, and when I woke up, unfamiliar memories flooded in.
Scenes I had never imagined in my 19 years of life.
A world with science and flying airplanes.
I instinctively knew that this was my past life.
This place was exactly like the novel I read in my previous life.
The empire named Ravens, the infamous Croft duchy.
This was undoubtedly the novel <Charlotte’s Daily Life>.
And I recalled the surname of my dear friend, Bella.
Bella Croft.
In the original story, she was nicknamed the Witch of Croft.
Though she had a straightforward personality, her occasional scary actions earned her that nickname despite being a duke's daughter.
‘Why is my friend a witch?’
When I recalled my past life, I denied this reality.
Bella and I were already friends.
How could I be friends with someone so scary? Bella isn’t like that!
I didn’t want to believe it.
How kind is our Bella?
I thought of the Bella I knew.
First of all, Bella’s closest friend is me.
‘I don’t know why people lower their eyes when they see me. Am I scary?’
‘No way!’
…Looking back, I was Bella’s only friend.
At that time, I said to her,
‘People don’t know how good you are.’
If they got to know you, they would be touched by your character and all that…
Bella, who seemed to be seriously pondering, burst into laughter at my words.
‘Of course. What’s so scary about me?’
But now that I think about it, they were probably lowering their eyes out of fear.
I remembered Bella coming to our mansion with an axe.
‘Bella, what’s with the axe?’
‘I’m going hunting. I stopped by because your mansion was on the way.’
Dressed in black like mourning clothes, with her black hair down.
‘Suddenly hunting?’
‘Yeah. Frank cheated on me.’
I naturally thought Bella was going hunting to relieve stress from her heartbreak.
But now I understand.
‘Selina, you fool. She meant she was going hunting for Frank!’
I had naively thought, ‘How wild our Bella is, going hunting with an axe!’
Since then, I never saw Frank at social gatherings…?
No, I only heard he went down to the estate and that was it.
Creepy.
Now that my past life memories have returned, the things I took lightly are so horrifying.
I was so engrossed in living as a supporting character!
How diligently I lived!
But as soon as I sighed, holding my head, I realized one more thing.
In the original story, Bella wasn’t friends with Selina?
If I had lived as the original Selina, I couldn’t have been friends with Bella.
How did we become friends…?
Well, what’s the point of worrying about that now?
The important thing is, I have become friends with the scary Bella.
Ah, I’m doomed!
* * *
The Croft duchy was the most renowned for magic in the empire.
Bella, who grabs axes and hammers when angry, also knew how to use magic like the rest of her family.
“Welcome, Selina. I baked some cookies for you!”
This handsome man who greeted me with a bright smile and cookies was Michael.
Bella’s twin brother.
You might be horrified by the thought of another scary person, but don’t worry.
Michael is gentle.
…Except when he treats a fire-created Cerberus like a puppy.
“They’re delicious. Have a bite.”
“Um… they seem a bit burnt?”
“Great timing, Selina. Why don’t you stay over tonight?”
This lady burning her cookies when Michael isn’t looking is the Duchess of Croft, the twins’ mother.
‘I wish she would burn mine too…’
The Croft family consisted of these three, but that wasn’t the end.
There was one more person.
The reason the Croft family became notorious was because of the second male lead, Lewis.
Lewis was the son of the Duke’s sister, if I recall correctly?
He was about to receive a title and a new surname, but for now, his surname was still Croft.
It was said he took his mother’s surname and grew up with his maternal family from an early age…
Why Lewis kept his maternal family’s surname, I don’t know the details.
I only knew what was known in society; even the original story skipped some details.
Anyway, Lewis in the original story was an extraordinary genius.
In a time when one’s abilities could earn them a title.
Lewis, with the most powerful magic in the empire’s history, received the surname Bloomberg and became a marquis.
But was his magic too strong to handle?
Lewis was mentally precarious.
[“Are you okay? It’s raining so hard…”]
When the heroine Charlotte approached Lewis standing alone in the pouring rain in the original story, he said this.
[“My mind is noisy.”
“What?”
“When the rain is loud, I can’t hear the noise.”]
Yes, he wasn’t normal from the beginning.
How cruel he was, in the original story, Lewis would smilingly pierce someone’s stomach.
[“Do you know what today is?”
“What…? I don’t really…”
“It’s the day you get quartered.”]
Ugh, terrifying! He said that with a smile!
He didn’t see anyone but the heroine Charlotte as a person.
He would kill people on a whim, not someone the emperor could control…
‘Every novel needs a character like this!’
It didn’t seem significant while reading the novel, but now that it’s reality, it’s horrifying.
And he’s so close!
A cousin who grew up with Bella like family!
‘This is too dangerous.’
It’s been three months since I became friends with Bella.
Fortunately, I haven’t met Lewis yet. When I became friends with Bella, Lewis had already gone on a long trip.
He must have gone to rest, knowing he would be extremely busy when he returned.
So I hadn’t met Lewis yet, but that peace was now over.
“Come to think of it, there’s only a week left.”
“Huh?”
“The day Lewis returns.”
Michael, you too…
I was already thinking about that.
Lewis is scheduled to return in a week!
I was anxious to death, but Michael smiled innocently, oblivious to my feelings.
“You must be curious since you’ve never met him. I’ll make sure to introduce you.”
No, I’m not curious!
“No, you should have a family reunion. I’m just an outsider…”
“What are you talking about? Of course, I should introduce my only friend!”
But Bella firmly refused my refusal.
“It’s really okay…”
“It’s the day Lewis returns after half a year. Of course, I should invite my precious friend on such a special day. You’d invite me on such a day too, right?”
“Ah, of course I would!”
But killing people like it’s nothing is scary!
Who knows what Lewis and Bella, who act on whims, might do, with Michael and the Duchess not stopping them!
Now that I realized the notoriety of Croft, I wanted to slowly distance myself from them.
“You’re my best friend.”
Bella seemed completely unaware of my feelings.
“Haha, right…”
“And my only friend.”
“Of course!”
“We’ll be friends forever, right?”
“What?”
I want to slowly distance myself…
Bella laughed heartily and hugged me.
“It’s settled. No need for an answer. Friends for life!”
“…”
“Until death!”
Why emphasize that?
At this point, I seriously thought.
I’ve come too far to back out now.
* * *
‘Yes, we’re friends for life. Forever friends!’
I gave Bella a firm answer.
Who could say ‘No’ to that?
‘Invite me when your cousin returns. I’ll be there too.’
Let’s go to hell together!
What were those tears in my eyes when I said that?
Well, it’ll be fine. On the way back to the mansion, I forced myself to think positively.
“Bella and I have gotten along well, right? Just keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
Surely Lewis wouldn’t kill his cousin’s friend!
As long as I don’t get on his nerves.
“It’s going to be nerve-wracking…”
I was crying inside when the carriage arrived at the mansion.
I need to go in and rest.
I was heading straight to the entrance when I heard loud voices from the garden.
This is promising... She is like a chick between bunch of crocodiles. :3
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