01. The Wedding of the Villainess and the Male Lead

“Thank you, Helena. It’s all thanks to you.”

After the wedding of Adelia and Calix, before getting on the carriage to head to their estate, Adelia hugged me and expressed her gratitude.

“You must be happy. Got it?”

“Yes, I’ll definitely be. Helena, you too…”

Adelia paused as if contemplating something and then glanced somewhere else before meeting my eyes again. She smiled warmly and continued speaking.

“I hope you become truly happy with the person you love. You understand my feelings, right?”

The person I love…

Regrettably, the person I loved didn’t love me in return. That’s why Adelia’s wish, as well as my own, was undoubtedly something that would never come true.

But…

‘Now, there’s no need to tell Adelia, who’s on the verge of a new beginning, such stories.’

“Yes, of course. So, Adelia, just focus on your happy newlywed life with Calix.”

I nodded lightly and followed her with a gentle smile.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave. Take care.”

“Farewell, Adelia.”

With our final farewells, the carriage carrying Adelia and Calix departed. As I watched the carriage recede into the distance, tears welled up for a moment as memories of the past flooded back.

‘I really succeeded in changing the future…’

Honestly, at first, I couldn’t guarantee the success of this plan. After all, this place was a world already set in the pages of a novel.

One day, I woke up from a peaceful, ordinary life I had been living for eighteen years and suddenly realized something.

I had been reborn in a world from a novel.

Upon realizing this fact, I immediately collected stories that were circulating through newspapers and people’s conversations to investigate this world.

And I came to realize one thing.

That is, the major characters in the novel have predetermined destinies.

Of course, they weren’t like marionettes, reciting scripted lines and performing preordained actions. However, they didn’t deviate significantly from the original story’s content, either.

However, that wasn’t me.

I was just one of the extras in the book, mentioned only by name as the friend of the villainess, without a single line of dialogue.

At first, I was slightly disappointed not to be the protagonist of the story, but this perspective changed as I investigated this world. In fact, because I had almost no importance in the original story, I could pursue the life and goals I wanted.

So, on the day I became certain of my conjecture, I left the capital city and headed far away, aiming to find my happiness without getting involved in the novel.

However, the fact that my dearest friend, Adelia, who was like a real family to me, was unfairly condemned as a villainess and died, even though we hadn’t crossed paths as per the novel’s plot, weighed heavily on my conscience.

And starting from this incident, the empire was engulfed in the flames of war, and the fact that Kaelen, her one and only brother and fiancé, would also lose his life.

Of course, avid readers of web novels might think that by just preventing the circumstances that led to Adelia being labeled a villainess, everything would be resolved.

Unfortunately, Adelia was already being strongly drawn towards the novel’s male lead, Calix Creighton, whether it was her destiny from the beginning or a twist of the original plot, I couldn’t tell.

After capturing Calix’s heart, Adelia talked about him all day long.

Watching her, I couldn’t help but realize just how powerful the force of the original story was.

If I stood by and did nothing, it was clear that the future of the Laverion siblings would follow the original storyline.

‘I can’t let Adelia and the Laverion family follow the exact same path as the original.’

To me, the Laverion siblings and their family meant something special. They had saved me when my parents passed away in an accident, saved my family, and brought me to this point.

In order to create a different future for Adelia, I carefully recalled the contents of the novel and devised a plan.

Fortunately, as the original story had not yet started, my plan could help change the relationship between Adelia and Calix in a more positive direction compared to the original.

‘It was just a matter of preventing Calix from misunderstanding Adelia and making them encounter each other more often.’

Though it might seem trivial, those small changes allowed their feelings for each other to grow.

Now, I watched with tears of relief and joy as the two of them left.

But then it happened.

I sensed someone nearby, and through the fading haze, I saw a handkerchief held up in a thick hand.

The white handkerchief was neatly folded without a single wrinkle.

I quickly wiped my tears and raised my head to look at the person offering the handkerchief.

“Oh…”

A familiar handsome face came into view.

Kaelen Laverion.

Adelia’s brother and the head of the Laverion family, he had been a formidable warrior with exceptional swordsmanship long before reaching adulthood. The armies he led always brought victory to the empire, and his name had become a fearsome presence in the neighboring countries.

As a result, the people of the empire respected and trusted Kaelen and the Laverion family more than the royal family and the emperor himself.

He was also the person I had a one-sided love for, and he had become my fiancé to protect me.

However…

‘The atmosphere feels strange…’

His gaze was cold, and his lips were firmly sealed, giving off the impression that he wasn’t in a good mood for some reason.

On a day as joyous as today, what could be bothering him? Why is he like this?

“Thank you, Lord Kaelen.”

I accepted the handkerchief he handed me while burying my concerns deep in my heart.

“…Why are you crying?”

“What?”

As I wiped my eyes with the handkerchief, his voice, low and calm yet fitting his appearance perfectly, reached my ears.

His voice was notably subdued compared to usual, and I wondered if I had misunderstood his mood.

Looking up at him without fully grasping the sudden meaning of his words, he asked me again.

“I asked why my fiancée is crying right now.”

Only then did I understand the meaning of his question. I finished wiping away the tears on my cheeks and smiled as I answered him.

“I’m happy, that’s why.”

These were not tears of sadness but genuine tears of happiness. Now, with my dearest friend no longer blinded by jealousy from falling for someone else and making a wrong choice that could have led to her death, I had nothing to worry about.

So, on this joyous day, I could shed tears of pure emotion.

However, this time, it felt like he was staring at me strangely, as if he couldn’t quite understand what I was saying.

“You’re happy?”

“Yes, of course. I’m genuinely happy. Adelia has married the person she loved so much. I am really…”

Oh, I almost started crying again. Normally, I wasn’t this emotional, but today was different. It was unusually difficult to control my emotions, and I felt something surging inside me.

“I hope Adelia and Calix live happily ever after. I’m not worried because they know how much they love each other.”

After saying that, I looked at Kaelen and smiled broadly.

“I…”

“Yes?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

I wanted to ask him what he was about to say, but he seemed to have decided not to say anything further, closing his mouth firmly.

Knowing that he was naturally reserved, I didn’t press him any further.

However, his expression, which had been stiff until a moment ago, seemed to relax slightly.

‘Did he not like that I was crying?’

Perhaps, as her older brother and my long-standing fiancé, he found it unsettling to see me cry. Despite his outwardly gruff and indifferent demeanor, he had a caring and affectionate side.

Just his long-standing commitment to protecting me was evidence of that. With his exceptional abilities, handsome appearance, and warm heart for others, it might have been impossible not to hold feelings for such a man from the beginning.

“Lord Kaelen, are you also happy that Adelia is marrying the person she loves?”

Kaelen nodded slightly, and then we stood side by side, engaging in a brief conversation.