Chapter 1
It began with a prank letter.
One day, an anonymous envelope arrived. It contained a short note written on an expensive purple paper.
[To Lady Sarah.
I know your future.]
“What? Is this a new type of scam?”
I ignored it. There is more than one scammer looking for a gold mine and trying to swindle my money as my business is going well.
So far, there are exactly 16 imposters who claimed to be the young son my father secretly has. The younger brother who claimed that my mother secretly gave birth to, has yet to introduce himself. But then, if it were my mother who died while giving birth to me, it would be an older sibling and not a younger brother.
I snorted and tossed the letter to the side of the desk. There were more important things to deal with than responding to pranks one by one.
But a damned letter once again arrived the next afternoon at my office desk where the previous letter was placed.
That day, Carian brought delicious desserts, so I manufactured an excuse to take a break. I came back from a brief afternoon walk with him, and there it was, lying atop the piled up documents.
The purple envelope with no signature or letterhead, the concise sentences and penmanship in it were all the same as the previous ones.
[To Lady Sarah.
Don’t you really want to know your future?
Are you not curious?]
Now that I look at it, the first single-sentence letter was gentle. The second letter gave more of a feeling of impatience or a clumsy imitation of proper etiquette.
‘It’s just a prank letter.’
I was very displeased that such a letter had been delivered twice. I summoned the butler and the secretary, and inquired if they knew about the letters.
“Oh no, Master. For what reason am I paid? I dispose of all prank and threatening letters at once when I see them!”
“Threat letters? What do you mean? Do we normally receive such letters? Because of the gold mine?”
“More than that, it’s usually the poor young ladies that send letters about your engagement to Sir Carian,”
“Andy! You!”
The butler clicked his tongue. Andy snorted and shut his mouth.
“Anyway, the letter is unknown. See here, don’t the letters coming from the post office have a postmark stamp?”
Said the butler, as he carefully examined the letter with his gloved hand.
“For letters delivered personally through a servant, we document the intended recipient in the reception book.”
He shook his head as he returned the letter.
“However, I have never seen such a letter before.”
“Hmm. Really?”
Then where did this come from? Is the mansion security lax? Is there a spy to dig up our top trade secrets?
It was uncomfortably suspicious, but it was nothing more than two letters with no particular content. And so I was careful not to send it back.
‘You’re overreacting. Maybe it’s simply a prank.’
After sending the letter twice, there was no specific information. You know the future? If so, then by now he would have provided a reason or a purpose to prove his credibility.
‘For example, if it were me, if my life was in danger in the future I would pray to God, ask to invest in a specific product, or ask for money in return for revealing the future. What, will there be such a demand written?’
However, there was nothing like that in the letter. Still, wasting such luxurious paper for this.
If the sender was a scammer, it was clear that his skill in doing so is poor. Rather, it seemed more reasonable to conclude that this is a prank done by a wealthy individual.
Moreover, it was unfortunate that I could think of someone with plenty of time to joke around (cousin), or someone who disturbs my time to get my attention (fiancé).
In the latter, it was a bit peculiar as he had not expressed any emotion until we just met, but in the former, it was plausible enough. In particular, he left for the Eastern Empire, so there was a possibility that he would play around with valuable items and play pranks on the pretext that he is homesick.
I stood in front of the fireplace and once again stared at the letter.
“Stop sending useless letters, bastard!”
And I didn’t even reply. How can this sender know if I am interested or not?
As if to answer me, the following day, a letter arrived. To be exact, it was not a letter this time around. There was a purple note attached to a thick package.
I carefully peeled off the note and read it.
[To Lady Sarah.
I’m really on your side.
As evidence of my claims, I have sent you half of the prophecy.]
Prophecy? What’s that? Have we finally come to the point?
I stared at the package for a moment as if it were a weapon. If perhaps Carian had been here next to me, he would have made a fuss and prevented me from opening it until proper precautions were taken, but I was alone now.
I carefully opened the package, and a book made from a material I couldn’t identify opened in half and fell. On the cover, a white-haired woman sat with her legs crossed and her eyes half-closed while half-naked men were clinging to her.
“What’s this? ‘The Secrets of the Transmigrator’s Reverse Harem’? This is what you’re calling a prophetic book?”
The tension dropped, and bemusement took its place. I leaned against the chair and stared at the ‘prophecy’ for a moment.
But, what is transmigration, and what is reverse harem?
I couldn’t stop my growing curiosity, and so I gave in and started reading it. It was never due to curiosity about the men on the cover! I swear it wasn’t.
But the moment I was reading the prophetic book or whatever this was, my jaw dropped and my mouth was agape.
‘What? Your Highness the Crown Prince dumped his fiancée, Lady Grace from a Dukedom, and welcomed someone else as the Crown Princess?’
Nonsense. The Crown Prince was famous for being a romantic.
I flipped through a few pages.
‘Sir Lois, the youngest knight commander, dedicates his knight oath to a young lady, which he has never done before?’
Sir Lois, a workaholic to the point of being rumored to be married to his work?
‘The crazy old geezer casanova, Selly, and the Emperor of the East Empire also clung to her and begged for her love?’
And the main point of attraction is,
“…Baron Johnson’s daughter?”
In other words, it was ridiculous. As with the juvenile idea that all men like her, Baron Johnson’s daughter!
It would rather be more acceptable if His Highness’ fiancée Lady Grace, or the young Lady from Marquis Royle, who is rapidly emerging as a popular figure in high society these days.
But Lady Margaret? The lady was so timid to the point her face turned pale and she fainted whenever a man approached her, and so shy that even when with women she just kept her head down. It was heartbreaking to see Lady Margaret so withdrawn and left out even with peers of her age. I wanted to get closer to her, so I’ve been befriending her for three years.
We’ve now only been able to share a few words with each other.
Conversing with the Lady, she was a little timid and not morally ambiguous. Such a Lady attracted all men in the capital, whether married, engaged, or priest? Dating them at the same time? So suddenly?
Moreover, the cause was amazing. ‘It’s because the transmigrator possessed the body of Lady Margaret.’
“This is crazy. If this is the future, the Empire is doomed to fall.”
I clicked my tongue. No matter how far the story goes as I flipped the pages, my hand suddenly came to a halt the moment I saw his name.
The page torn in half was titled as follows:
“What?”
My fiancé’s name is also Carian. I couldn’t ignore the name of one of the few magic swordsmen in the continent, and there was also a chapter where the Crown Prince, Knight Commander, and Magician appeared, but…
Still, this isn’t it. Even if it is someone else’s romance, if he falls for her, it’s an affair.
I struggled to suppress the soaring annoyance as I continued to read the text.
[In the middle of the night, Carian rode his horse and made his way to Margaret. He was at his limit. The emotions he had struggled to suppress in secrecy reached an unbearable point under the surveillance and vigilance of his fiancée.
– Oh my, aren’t you Lord Carian?
While taking a stroll at night, Margaret saw the young man standing tall as he approached her.
– Does Lady Sarah know you came this late at night?
– Now.
Carian pursed his lips. His lips turned blue in the night air. No, maybe unknowingly it’s a sign of the fear and anguish of betraying his wicked fiancée.
– What?
As Margaret asked, Carian looked back at her with a determined expression as if he had made up his mind.
– Now I can’t fool my heart. I love you.
His words were solemn and determined for a person who just confessed his sweet love. That must mean that his love for her is not light.
Margaret felt sorry for him.
– You can’t do this. What about Sarah?
– Please take me.
Carian knelt on the cold floor. His radiant blonde hair flowed against Margaret’s nightdress. Margaret tried to heartlessly reject him, but she couldn’t as he grabbed the hem of her dress and wept.
– That woman is no longer in my heart. So love me!]
“What? My fiancé Carian betrayed me?”
How dare he?