Chapter 1
“I think a sweet strawberry cake and white wine would be perfect for my self-congratulatory party today.”
Dorothy, with her long wavy, captivating black hair reminiscent of the night sky, squeezed the newspaper and danced like a crazy woman.
The place where she had a party was in a small studio.
Although there was no sunlight, the lights inside were shining colorfully. Several photos and notes were attached around the room.
The antique desk and the typewriter on top of it made the room even more atmospheric.
“First, how do you feel after announcing that woman’s true nature to the world, my proud and clever, Miss Dorothy Den Lupaspin?”
A voice that was deliberately lowered to mimic an old man filled the room. Did she just have a monologue party? Soon after, her voice rang out again, but this time it was a graceful and easy-going manner of speaking.
“I feel really good! I’m very satisfied because this woman is like an onion, so there’s still a lot left to uncover. This will put food on my table. The insurance is very rewarding.”
Dorothy paused for a while. Her eyes sharpened as if she was a tiger eating its prey.
“It’s over for you, Alicia Non Narustein.”
Her occupation was a journalist. She had a secret identity called; the Winter Justice, who was looking for a scoop in the Luparn Empire with glaring eyes.
The Winter Justice that everyone curious about was a small woman. Two years ago, she possessed an ordinary resident of the novel .
She was a righteous woman born in winter who loved sweet desserts and hated Alicia, the heroine and the villainess, more than anyone else.
***
The day when Han Aru possessed a character inside was on Dorothy’s and her birthday, December 1st, during the winter when the snow fell down.
It was a common traffic accident. She was run over by a car while trudging along the road, agonizing over what to do on her birthday when there was no one to celebrate with, and that’s when she lost her memory.
When she woke up again, she was Dorothy, not Han Aru.
Dorothy was an orphan who was no different than Han Aru’s life. The head of the orphanage was not exactly kind nor unkind.
Perhaps because of Dorothy’s quiet nature, she had no close friends. In other words, no one noticed anything strange when Han Aru became Dorothy Lupaspin.
The new life that she gained was very different from her old life, but it wasn’t difficult to adapt. It was just a different era, and this life wasn’t considered more special or different.
When she heard the story from people around her, Dorothy was not lively but she was an earnest girl. When she was asked to run errands, she didn’t refuse, and when she turned to a suitable age, she worked hard on her part-time job.
She wasn’t an exceptional child, but she lived diligently day by day. Surprisingly, there was a gorgeous face hidden behind the round glasses that she always wore and her long bangs.
Han Aru, no, Dorothy, spent the first few months in a daze. She tried to adjust to this world by learning geography, meeting people, and walking around everywhere.
She also cried because the unfamiliar environment was difficult.
The day when enlightenment came upon her, who had spent several months in this world meaninglessly, was an afternoon when it was hard to open her eyes because of the piled-up snow and dazzling sunlight.
For Dorothy, this day was still vivid.
She’ll be nineteen soon. She was getting ready to leave the orphanage because she turned into an adult. There were a lot of worries on her back.
What kind of part-time job should I do? Where can I buy a cheap house? Where can I find a house near a dessert shop?
If anybody heard it, they might sneer at her, but not for Dorothy.
She had collected 20 Million Luna, which was equal to 20 Million won, and it wasn’t a small amount of money to get one room. If she worked part-time and paid 4oo.ooo luna monthly rent, the probability that her account balance would be empty was very low.
Dorothy thought she was lucky and went out to shop. Just in time, she heard the conversation of middle-aged women who went for an outing in the cafe. She clutched her usual sky-blue cloak and perked up her ears.
“Have you seen Lady Alicia’s dress this time?”
“I don’t know much about dresses, but it was very pretty.”
“It must be nice to be her. I heard there are many people who harbor feelings for her, is that true?”
“I work in Lady Alicia’s mansion, and I can confirm those rumors. Hundreds of letters delivered every month. There are dozens of gifts. And dozens of men were looking for her! If I have to pick among those gentlemen, I’ll have Young Master Pablo, Bethel, and Hernam.”
Plop-!
It was no exaggeration to say that the strawberry ice cream that hit the floor just now was Dorothy’s sweetheart. It was her favorite strawberry ice cream, but now she didn’t even feel sad about it.
Because she couldn’t believe what she just heard.
“I really like Young Master Pablo, too. What is his family background? Where is his residence?”
In the middle of loud chattering, Dorothy burrowed herself among the middle-aged women and arranged her own seat.
When a stranger suddenly sat among them, the women looked at each other with confused expressions.
All three of them were strangers.
As the silence continued, Dorothy shamelessly sat comfortably while covering her mouth and laughed.
“Hohoho. No, it’s because older sisters were so pretty that I thought I’d join for a while. The sister in front of me and on both sides of me, how old are you? Twenty years old?”
A mixture of informal and formal language was cleverly crafted into flattery. Thanks to Dorothy’s flattery, the quiet room began to clatter again.
As soon as the conversation began, Dorothy took a bite of the mouth-watering chocolate chip cookie in front of her. The crunching sound lifted up her mood.
Maybe it was because she ate so deliciously, the aunt with a grey ribbon attached to her hair picked up a cookie and opened her mouth.
“Yes, Young Master Pablo is very popular.”
“That’s right. I think that young master was really cool, too. Which family did he come from again….”
Dorothy deliberately blurted out the end of her words. Then the lady with the gray ribbon, who was quick-tempered, continued the sentence.
“It’s Richel, Richel. The one famous for its abundant and fresh fruits. That Richel.”
“Oh, that’s right! As expected, sister is very smart. You’re the best!”
“What’s wrong with her? It’s not a big deal.”
The grey ribbon aunt shook her hand in the air and laughed merrily. Dorothy, who was sitting in front of her, laughed along with her. But in reality, Dorothy couldn’t laugh right now. Her face was as bright as the sun, but her head was more complicated than ever.
She had to gather up information.
After Dorothy stopped her forced laughter, the chocolate-like chatter continued.
“My second pick is Young Master Hernam. He was so cool when he wore that tight uniform. Sister, you don’t know how much I drooled because of him in my dream.
“You’re not the only one. My daughter was also like that. You don’t know how much she talked about Young Master Hernam as if he was her friend!”
“That’s right. His birthday…”
“It’s May 8th. I know this because of my daughter!”
The most interesting conversations in a world that changed her life, did not end easily after hours.
Dorothy recounted the terrible facts that she had come to realize during her conversation with the aunts. Dorothy was a character inside a novel, and this world was also a novel.
She possessed Dorothy. Moreover, it was inside the novel that she read and grew attached to. The title of the novel was “Crazy for Flowers”.
It was her first and last novel that made her question how this book was even published. She read in because of the recommendation of an acquaintance, but she didn’t like how the story progressed.
Especially Alicia, the vicious heroine’s weak points or monologue, often gave her goosebumps.
Nevertheless, the reason why she read the book so many times was because of the attractive male leads. Even though she hated reverse harem, it’s hard to put down the novel. Therefore, she deliberately watched the interview with the writer and studied the main characters, the supporting characters, even the extras.
This novel’s world view, or the world view of the Luparn Empire, was not complicated. A long time ago, the titles of the nobility did not exist, so it was a principle to be polite toward older people. Just like in modern society. But when the war broke out and the emperor changed, many things changed.
The status system was created.
The nobility was divided into the royal family, the duke, the marquis, the count, the viscount, and the baron and followed by the populous commoners. It was important for people of high ranking to retain their dignity and etiquette. It was easy to see them using honorifics unless they are close.
There was Goddess Aphrodite in this world. Her name was Alicia Non Narustein. She, who had a difficult name, was the heroine of this novel.
Her family was highly reputable, she was smart and very beautiful. Alica, who was equipped with all three advantages, was like the goddess of this world. There might be hundreds of men who tried to win her heart, but the most important characters briefly summarized as follows:
Pablo Non Richel. He was the precious son of the duke who was close to the royal family. He was a man of few words, but once he opened his mouth, his captivating baritone voice could enthrall the atmosphere.
The navy-haired man was well-mannered and kind to everyone, but surprisingly, he built the most impregnable iron wall among the three. Alicia was the only woman who broke his iron wall.
He fell in love because she was kind toward commoners, children, and the elderly. He said this was the first time he saw a woman with a warm heart.
Bethel Non Lodenta. He was very sociable, mischievous, and he was evenly popular among men and women. He was a famous pianist in this world.
Rumor has it, not only here but other empires also want to hear him perform. He was so talented that he could play other instruments such as violin, flute, clarinet, and cello. He often played an instrument for Alicia.
The reason this man fell in love with Alicia was that he thought Alicia was more pure-hearted and angelic than anyone else. She was so pure, what if someone tarnished her purity? He wasted his smart brain to worry about useless purity and became a fool.
Hernam Non Wanard. Perhaps because he had an older sister and little sister, he retained the strongest playboy tendency among the three.
His striking silver hair was reminiscent of the clear sky, and his sparkling eyes made him shone even more. Especially in the dark night, when he wields his sword because of his nature as the prosecutor, and he stole the heart of all women. He was a well-known prosecutor with a handsome face and a nice body.
Alicia won his heart because she helped Hernam’s sister.
These guys were really cool. They were so charming that Dorothy refused to hand them over to the villainess named Alicia. She wasn’t dreaming of being loved by Pablo, Bethel, or Hernam. But honestly, it was so frustrating.