harem chapter 3

Lily Blanche.

That’s my name.

I was born into the House of Viscount Blanche, a family of immense fortune but short history, founded by my merchant great-grandfather. You might think, ‘How much money could a nouveau riche family from common stock possibly have?’

But there was a running joke that all the money on the continent flowed to the Blanches. And it wasn’t entirely an exaggeration.

The Blanche family wielded enormous influence over every sector of the empire—its economy, society, politics, and culture. In such a household, I didn’t just grow up wanting for nothing; I grew up being the object of others’ envy.

Furthermore, shattering the stereotype that children born into wealthy families often lack genuine affection from their parents, I was showered with a love that never ran dry.

My life, enveloped in love, was perfect.

Until one day.

Hmm, the emperor’s name sounds familiar…

No, it couldn’t be! All this time, I was sure I was in a reincarnation story, but it turned out to be a transmigration story! How did I figure it out, you ask?

Well, with all the familiar place names and the names of the current imperial family, it was hard not to realize this was the world of a novel.

Thankfully, I had possessed the body of an extra among extras.

Sob, thank you, oh nameless god!

To entrust a transmigration novice like me with such a perfect role. I clapped and cheered right where I sat.

Think I’m overreacting? Don’t be ridiculous. This was a perfectly reasonable reaction.

I nearly ended up starring in a dark, twisted romance of my own!

That’s because the original novel, The Men of the Ducal House, was such a grim story that it was known as a collection of lunatics masquerading as a romance.

The plot was, in short, this: the protagonist, the daughter of an esteemed marquis, marries into the ducal house from the title. There, she’s courted by all sorts of men, every last one of whom was such trash, such utter scum, that I felt like I was going crazy just reading about them. It was entertaining, of course, but…

In any case, I was content with my life and couldn’t have cared less about anyone else’s romance. I was a little worried about the dark clouds gathering over the female lead’s future, but she was the protagonist; I was sure she’d navigate it all just fine. Good luck to you, I thought, sending her a silent cheer before promptly losing interest.

I was enjoying the leisurely life of a wealthy layabout when it happened.

“Deon Centineo is dead?”

The male lead had died. A suicide, no less. I was surprised by the change in the original story, but… it wasn’t my business.

And then, the very next day.

“Let’s break up.”

I opened my eyes to find I had returned to my sixteen-year-old self. One year in the past.

I mean… regressing was surprising enough, but to come back to the exact moment I was being dumped? Not exactly pleasant.