Chapter 1
_Shifting the Course of the Novel
"I would like four chicken skewers, please."
A young woman, with a beautiful voice, spoke kindly to the elderly vendor. Despite her strange and simple appearance, her long black cloak, and her face well-concealed beneath the veil, her gentle manner made the vendor overlook all of that...
While waiting, she kept looking towards the dark alley, where a muscular, exceptionally tall man stood leaning against the wall with his overwhelming aura. His gaze, sweeping the area, was dark and cold.
'Is he angry?'...
"Here you go, Miss."
The old vendor's voice cut through her thoughts. She turned her gaze back to him, smiled gently, handed him the money, and took the skewers, which smelled fragrant with spiced and grilled chicken.
She eagerly headed towards the man standing coldly and spoke in a sweet voice:
"Raf."
When he heard her warm voice and saw the bright look in her sky-blue eyes, he dropped his cold expression, smiled, and spoke in a cheerful manner, as if he hadn't been acting aloof moments before:
"What are you going to show me this time?"
She laughed playfully:
"This time, I'm going to feed you."
She proudly handed him two skewers and said:
"Taste it and give me your opinion."
Before putting the food in his mouth, he smelled it, and it seemed to appeal to him. He spoke in a sarcastic tone:
"Aya, doesn't this food affect your health?!"
She frowned at him and bit into the skewer with appetite, disregarding all aristocratic manners:
"I've always wanted to try this food. One time won't hurt."
Raf laughed wholeheartedly and said:
"You look like a mischievous child."
She puffed out her cheeks, and her frown deepened. She retorted:
"Eat your food in silence."
He ate his food while watching her surprising actions. Despite her odd behavior, he was fond of it...
Aya looked at him and smiled when she saw him eating with appetite. Then, she recalled how all this had happened.
I woke up to a severe coughing fit. After emptying what was inside me, as usual, I wiped my mouth and tried to get up even before opening my eyes. Opening them was always difficult due to the accumulated fatigue and the pain that accompanied me every night. But I felt that the air had gotten colder and the bed had become softer. I touched it again, but it was different from the hospital's hard bed.
'Did they change it, or has my imagination become wild?'
Another severe coughing fit brought me back to consciousness. I felt my body was even weaker...
"Young Miss, are you alright?!"
'Miss, young madam.... this...'
The worried voice made me open my eyes to see the strange place I was in.
A large, luxurious room with pure white walls, opulent furniture, and a magnificent bed from which sky-blue curtains hung, fluttering with the gentle breezes. The sun outside was bright, and clean air streamed in from the large window. I stood up weakly; I almost fell, but the young woman rushed and held my hand. From her clothes, she appeared to be a maid.
'She called me Miss! Does that mean I'm a young noblewoman?? But my sickness hasn't disappeared! It seems I'm suffering from daydreams... but the pain throbbing in my whole body makes it impossible to be a dream.'
I looked at the maid with long orange hair and honey-colored eyes—she was beautiful with pure features—and I smiled faintly, then nodded towards the full-length mirror in the room. She helped me reach it, even though it was quite close. But when I saw my reflection, I saw a beautiful face with pale white skin, long light honey-brown hair that reached below the waist, and sparkling sky-blue eyes, a slender and petite body...
'Have I transmigrated?! But into which novel? I've read so many, but strangely, only one novel keeps recurring in my mind.'
I tried to recall the descriptions, but my mind was tired. I looked at the maid watching me anxiously. With her help, I moved away from the mirror and spoke calmly, trying not to sound strange:
"What happened? I feel very weak today."
The maid held me and returned me to the bed, saying with worry and a sad face:
"My Lady, your illness worsened yesterday, so we contacted the priest, and he tried to heal you with divine power, but your symptoms always get worse."
She was speaking, but I couldn't gather any useful information from her words. However, I tried to prompt her for useful conversation, so I asked:
"Is there anyone in the mansion?"
Inside, I prayed that I had asked the right question. I didn't want to draw attention. It seemed my luck was good, as the maid said kindly, despite the sadness in her tone and the resentment directed at the person she started talking about:
"The Marquis Silas went out early this morning to meet the Duke."
'Marquis Silas? The Duke?'
"The Duke?"
My voice was puzzled, so she replied excitedly:
"Duke Silvano is your fiancé, Miss. It seems they will discuss wedding matters. I don't know why the rush, as it's only been a week since your engagement."
Without even needing to retrieve the body's memories, I remembered the matter and spoke palely:
"Marian, can you deliver a letter to the Duke?"
I had figured out the name of the novel and the body I had possessed.
«Devils in Angels' Clothes»
I am Hye Ran, an ordinary Korean citizen, 29 years old, and ill. I spent my final period in the hospital because I had Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and during the last phase of my life, I could no longer live without artificial oxygen.
I used to read novels as a way to alleviate my suffering. This doesn't mean I didn't love them; on the contrary, I loved reading and learning since childhood. But even before graduating from my final year of high school, I was struck by the disease. My health wasn't good from birth, but I was someone who coped well with illness. Despite that, I continued my life normally, but as the years passed, my condition worsened, and I spent the last three years in the hospital.
I read the novel "Devils in Angels' Clothes." The title was intriguing, so I read the novel with enjoyment. Despite my admiration for it, it doesn't mean I didn't skip some details that, in my opinion, weren't important.
The male lead of the novel was Duke Philip Silvano, one of the strongest mages in the Cassian Empire.
He initially married a political match, the sick daughter of Marquis Albin Silas's brother, who died while giving birth to his child.
The kind Duke was good to his wife despite having no feelings for her. His affections were reserved for his assistant and childhood friend, Elena Brion, who helped him care for his son. He discovers his feelings for her and fights the world for her and with her.
He fights the madness of the Emperor, who is consumed by his inhumanity and seeks to destroy the country. The Emperor desires Elena, who possesses a Sacred Power, and tries to obtain her by force. But the Duke resists and seeks to overthrow him. The Temple volunteers to help the Duke. After the Duke allies himself with many people, he manages to kill the young Emperor, and everyone nominates him to take the position. Thus, he became Emperor, as I recall, and married his beloved and lived happily ever after, like all the novels I've read. I read the novel passionately, including most of its side chapters.
...But what bothered me in the novel was what happened to the Emperor and how he was deposed like that, and what happened to Ariana. Perhaps my sympathy for Ariana stems from sharing the illness and the determination to survive.
Ariana Silas, the daughter of the late Marquis Seeman Silas, who died in an accident with his wife while traveling to the estate when she was only eight years old. Ariana was not with her family; she was in the capital at the house of her uncle, Albin Silas, her father's elder half-brother. Considering she was still a child, her uncle took over the family leadership. After her parents' death, Ariana became sicker, which everyone interpreted as grief for her parents. They felt sorry for her and considered Albin a great man for taking care of her. Despite her illness worsening more and more, Ariana was raised as an ideal aristocratic young woman, but she rarely left the mansion, hardly ever leaving her room. Thus, she only appeared at her wedding to the Duke, and once afterward, before retreating into her isolation. Ariana was a dutiful wife, despite having no feelings for her husband. In fact, she felt his heart beating for his assistant, Elena, so she didn't object, knowing her only duty was to be a wife and mother. When she became pregnant, she took care of herself as someone bidding farewell to life. She gave birth to a child who resembled only her—her facial features and her eyes that held the sky—and named him Aidan, and she died peacefully... thus the novel begins.
She appeared only briefly in the novel, but I loved her and wished that the fate of one of us, which ends in death, could be changed.
.I found myself transmigrated into her sick body. It wasn't difficult; I had lived with the disease for more than eleven years, so I accepted it. But inside, I made a decision:
'I will change Ariana's destiny.'
After I woke up, Marian helped me change out of my nightclothes. After having breakfast and taking my medicine, she gave me the luxurious paper, ink, and a quill to write the letter.
.Before I wrote it, I spoke between my barely settling coughs:
"Marian, bring me eucalyptus tea. My throat is dry."
She looked at me in confusion:
"Is it beneficial for your condition? I mean, I don't want to give you anything that might negatively affect my Lady."
I smiled at Marian. According to the novel, she was a person loyal to Ariana, so much so that she became Aidan's personal maid. I said with a smile:
"Marian, rest assured, it's fine. I don't know, I read somewhere that it's useful."
It seemed I was a skilled liar. Marian believed me and went to prepare it. It wasn't a strange drink or anything, but loyal servants are extremely cautious with a sick young woman. As a sick person, I know it doesn't cure, but it helps alleviate the pain.
.After Marian left me, I began writing the letter in an elegant hand, despite the body's weakness, but I was accustomed to it. When Marian returned, I had finished the letter, and after bringing the eucalyptus tea, I handed the letter to her.
"Your Majesty, the Temple sent a letter. Shall I read..."
The assistant, who was speaking nervously and whose heart was trembling with fear, stopped at the sound of gentle tapping on the desk. He raised his head to see the imposing presence, the crushing intensity of the man seated at his desk. With his handsome manly face, his soft, painstakingly styled silver hair, with rebellious strands falling onto his bright forehead, and his eyebrows furrowed coldly beneath eyes the color of pure silver and long lashes that made you gasp at the sight of silver cascading from the shimmering moon in his intensely cold gaze, his elevated nose, his thin lips, and his blank expression. He rested one hand beneath his chin and the other tapped on his desk, which was slightly larger than other desks since its owner had a muscular body and exceptional height. The lips moved with a deep, cold voice:
"Don't read it. Send a letter to the treasury to prepare the funds. It's the people's money anyway."
Despite his calm words, the terror did not leave its owner. He tried hard to regain his breath and spoke:
"Y-y-yes, Your Majesty."
The assistant almost ran out and nearly collided with the man who entered the office. But the man passed him gracefully and turned his attention back to the Emperor, who was sitting bored at his desk. The man with the clean golden hair and vibrant purple eyes, his handsome face, strong physique, and sharp, confident gaze stepped forward. He bowed and said formally:
"Cain Cyrus greets His Majesty Emperor Raphael de Cassian."
Raphael raised an eyebrow, and Cain burst out laughing and said playfully:
"It seems we'll have to look for an assistant again. This one looks like he's going to run away too."
Raphael spoke coldly:
"So what?!"
Cain frowned and complained:
"Your Majesty, you're making them run away."
Raphael spoke sarcastically:
"They're cowards, so they run."
"It's not because they're cowards, it's because you scare them."
Raphael ignored him and looked at the documents in front of him, saying coldly:
"What have you done with Count Cenz? Did he find what I asked for?"
Marquis Cain sighed and began giving the reports, as he was the Emperor's Knight Commander and one of his right-hand men, a person the Emperor trusted greatly...
When he got to talking about the Temple, he said boredly:
"I received some news from Ivan. He says the Temple is moving suspiciously these days. Do you think they are planning something?"
"Has a day ever come when the Temple wasn't planning something? Don't worry about it. We currently need the Temple. When our need for them ends, or they act rashly, we will break their spirit. Tell Ivan to remain silent."
His words were cold, devoid of life, but Cain bowed and left quietly.
Raphael sighed, barely finding time to breathe. He tried to loosen his necktie; the mana expanding in his body felt like it was splitting his head.
'I don't have time to go on a hunting trip, but hunting increases my desire to kill. I need to find a solution soon.'
He leaned his head back and breathed deeply, for his life was meaningless to him.
As the day ended, the memories of the original body began to seep in, deepening my desire to execute what I was planning, and I prayed that my thoughts would come true.
..My health in Ariana's body was worse, but what made her live better than me was the clean air and good environment. Unlike life in modern cities, here the air is clean, and trees are everywhere.
I sat in front of the room's window to watch the sunset, which I had always loved, and my thoughts set with it. But I gathered myself to wait for Marian, whom I had sent on the secret mission. Here she was, gently knocking on the door. When I granted her permission, she entered. After checking the surroundings, she spoke excitedly:
"My Lady, I delivered the letter to the Duke discreetly. No one will know, and no one will say that the Miss requested the meeting first. He said he would come in the next two days to hear what the Miss wishes to discuss with him."
'Marian deserves the novel's description of her as Ariana's limbs.'
Ariana hid her excitement, smiled with dignity, and said:
"You did well, Marian. You may rest now."
"But, Miss, what makes you so eager to meet the Duke?"
Marian spoke excitedly, while Ariana smiled at her and spoke calmly:
"Don't worry, Marian, you'll know soon."
"Alright, My Lady. Since you are feeling sleepy, why don't I prepare dinner for you before you sleep?"
Ariana nodded to her and relaxed her body onto the comfortable chair, sighing sadly:
'I will live.'
She tightened her fist and began to encourage herself, filling her subconscious with positive thoughts... That night, Ariana ate her meal and slept despite the intermittent coughing fits.
The two days passed with difficulty for Ariana, who spent them either reading a book or drawing up plans for what she would do. As for Marian, who noticed her mistress had changed somewhat, she did not comment but encouraged her enthusiastically. Her mistress had been depressed and sad recently, but now, despite the escalating illness, she was excited and optimistic.
..Marian placed the breakfast, consisting of a warm, easily digestible soup, bread, and some fruit, in front of her mistress. Ariana was not treated harshly or with contempt, but she was ignored and forsaken, as no one cared for her except her devoted maid, Marian. Ariana was neither mistreated nor pampered... This was enough to plunge the original Ariana's heart into despair. As for the other Ariana, she adapted easily, as she hated intruders.
But this morning, a letter arrived stating that the Duke wished to meet his fiancée, the Marquis, and his son, who happened to have gone out early. Those who remained were Ariana and the servants, who were all on alert for the Duke's arrival.
.Finally, Duke Silvano's carriage arrived, bearing the emblem of a large sycamore tree in olive green with gold borders.
..He was received by the head butler and the servants lined up on both sides. They bowed respectfully to the man who alighted gracefully with an athletic physique and elegant clothes, his soft golden hair beneath his warm, emerald green eyes, his finely chiseled face, and his powerful aura.
Philip Silvano entered, anticipating the young lady who would become his wife and her strange request to meet him, which she had urged him to make the initial request for. Philip muttered internally:
'What is this woman planning?'
He frowned, remembering that the reason he entered this marriage was his parents' desire for a grandchild.
'...I heard that the young Miss of the Marquis Silas family is ill, but his parents' insistence on her was because of the former Marquis being his father's friend, and also this marriage was for political interests and the birth of a child with noble lineage. All this nonsense to tie me to a lady I've never seen and never cared to see. In truth, when her maid discreetly handed me the letter, I was puzzled by her strange request and the concise message:
[ Greetings Duke Silvano.
..Without beating around the bush or embellishment, I wish to meet you at the earliest opportunity, but I hope it can be in private. Since I do not have the ability to go out, please visit me at your earliest convenience. What I wish to discuss is very important.
...Signature, Ariana Silas ]
'Let's see what this woman wants.'
He proceeded calmly with the head butler to the drawing-room on the first floor.
On the balcony of her room on the third floor, which overlooked the main gate, Ariana had prepared herself. She had decided not to wear her nightgown-like clothes but wore a simple sky-blue dress with long, puffed sleeves, decorated at the chest and hem with white lace. She pulled some of her hair up in the front and left the rest flowing softly. When Ariana caught sight of the carriage, she knew he had arrived. After he entered, she called Marian to help her and descended slowly with her assistance.
..When she reached the drawing-room, she grasped the doorknob, thinking inwardly:
'Don't back down. What you are about to do is the right thing.'
She entered the room to find the man standing in front of the window, contemplating the bright view of the blooming garden.
.When she saw that strong body radiating a powerful aura, she also knew the gentle side of Duke Silvano, which he always showed to those around him. She took a deep breath and bowed politely, greeting him with a sweet voice:
"Ariana Silas greets His Grace Duke Philip Silvano."
Philip turned to see a beautiful young woman with a petite, slender body, pale white skin, bright, vibrant sky-blue eyes, full pink lips, and light honey hair that enhanced her radiance. She was brightly beautiful despite the paleness caused by her illness. He returned the greeting with similar courtesy:
"Thank you for your invitation, Miss Silas."
"I am the one who should thank you for accepting my invitation, Duke."
She directed him to sit in a chair and sat opposite him, while Marian poured tea and offered refreshments, then stepped aside to stand beside her mistress.
.After Philip took a sip from his cup, he spoke seriously and coldly:
"What is the matter that caused the young Miss to summon me in this manner?"
Ariana spoke in a playful way and a sweet smile after placing her cup aside:
"Is there any objection to a woman seeing her fiancé, Duke?"
The Duke, who knew that no feelings bound them, only a political marriage, apologized sincerely:
"I apologize to you. Although I am the one who should have requested to see my fiancée, please forgive my oversight."
..Ariana replied gently with a smile:
"There is no need to apologize, Duke."
She concluded her words with a serious tone, and the Duke smiled:
"It seems the Miss has something important to tell me."
Ariana smiled with her delicate and gentle demeanor and appearance that did not falter despite the seriousness of the matter. Ariana looked at her maid, who understood her mistress's wish and left. After Marian's departure, she parted her lips:
"Duke, I want to annul the engagement."
...... To be continued ........