Royal balls.
A place where nobles gathered to display their wealth, power, and influence.
Beautiful dresses.
Elegant dances.
Carefully hidden ambitions.
To outsiders, it probably looked like a celebration.
But for nobles, it was closer to a battlefield.
I didn't know what would happen there.
Lucian broke the silence.
"When is the ball?"
Father calmly cut a piece of bread before answering.
"In two weeks."
Two weeks.
That meant I still had time.
Time to prepare myself.
Not for dancing.
Not for enjoying the event.
But for surviving it.
Because at that ball, almost every important character from the novel would appear.
Lucian suddenly leaned closer to me.
"You're awfully quiet."
I looked up at him.
"I'm thinking."
"That's dangerous," he replied immediately.
I blinked.
"Why?"
He shrugged.
"Whenever you think too much, something strange happens."
Mary, who was standing behind me, tried to hide a small smile.
Father looked at me thoughtfully.
"Sera."
His voice was gentle but serious.
"You don't have to attend the ball if you are still recovering."
Mother quickly nodded.
"Your health is more important."
For a moment, I hesitated.
In my previous life, no one had ever told me that.
My schedule.
My decisions.
My problems.
Everything had always been my responsibility alone.
But here—
They were worried about me.
It felt strange.
Warm.
And a little frightening.
Because warmth like this could disappear someday.
"I'll go," I said quietly.
Lucian raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
I lowered my gaze slightly.
"Running away won't change anything."
And there was something else.
Someone I wanted to meet.
In the original novel, there was one woman everyone feared.
Not the heroine.
Not the Crown Prince.
Isolde Marianne Virelith.
The daughter of the powerful Virelith Duchy.
Her hair was a deep crimson red, flowing like liquid fire down her back. Under the light, it almost looked like burning embers.
Her violet eyes were sharp and calm, always observing everything around her.
If the Crown Prince represented the sun of the empire—
Then Isolde was something far more dangerous.
A flame that could either warm the kingdom—
Or burn it down.
If the story continued the same way as the novel…
She would eventually become the kingdom's most infamous villainess.
But when I read the novel, I never believed she was truly evil.
She was simply someone who had been pushed into a corner.
Maybe…
Maybe because we were alike.
If I met her early enough—
Perhaps things could change.
After breakfast, everyone slowly returned to their duties.
Mother left for her business meetings.
Even though she stood up from the table, she looked back at me several times before leaving.
Father returned to his office to handle county affairs.
Lucian prepared to leave for the Imperial Palace.
He worked there as part of the military command.
Before leaving, he ruffled my hair.
"Don't overthink the ball," he said.
"Strange things might happen."
Then he walked away laughing.
Soon the dining room became quiet.
And I was left alone with my thoughts.
Seraphina Ardent.
The real Seraphina.
From everything I had heard, she had been a cheerful girl.
Kind.
Bright.
Someone who easily laughed and talked with everyone.
I was nothing like that.
Sometimes I wondered why I was here.
Why I was the one living in her body.
I didn't know the answer.
And maybe I never would.
For now, I returned to my room.
"Mary," I said.
"Yes, my lady?"
"Could you bring me some paper and a pen?"
"Of course."
A few minutes later she returned with them.
I sat at the desk near the window.
The sunlight gently illuminated the paper.
I stared at the blank page for a long time.
Then I started writing.
Not letters.
Not poetry.
But the story.
The story of the novel.
In the novel Love Between the Investigation—
The continent was ruled by one dominant power.
The Valtherion Empire.
An empire that had stood for more than three hundred years.
Founded after the War of Five Kingdoms, the Valtherion royal family united the lands through conquest, alliances, and careful diplomacy.
Since then, no nation had been strong enough to challenge its authority.
At the center of the empire stood the Imperial Capital—
Auristelle.
A city of golden towers, marble streets, and endless political games.
The empire was ruled by the Imperial Family, whose golden eyes had become the symbol of their divine bloodline.
Below the imperial throne existed the powerful noble houses.
The hierarchy of nobles followed a strict order.
Duke.
The most powerful nobles beneath the imperial family.
Each ducal house controlled vast territories and armies. Their influence could shape imperial politics.
Marquis.
Guardians of the empire's borders.
Their lands were usually located near hostile nations, making them responsible for defense.
Count.
Nobles who governed prosperous counties and trade regions.
Though their territories were smaller than those of dukes or marquises, their economic power often made them extremely influential.
Viscount.
Administrators who managed smaller regions and served as political supporters for higher-ranking nobles.
Baron.
The lowest noble title, usually granted for military service or loyalty to the crown.
Despite this hierarchy, power in the empire was not determined by title alone.
Wealth.
Military strength.
Political alliances.
And royal favor.
All of these could change the balance between noble houses.
Among the many noble families of the empire, several stood at the center of political power.
The Imperial House of Caelmont.
Rulers of the empire.
The Virelith Duchy.
One of the most influential noble families in the capital.
And the Ardent County.
A respected military house known for its loyalty to the throne.
For generations, these families maintained a delicate balance.
But beneath the surface of imperial peace—
Ambition quietly grew.
And sometimes—
All it took was a single person to change the fate of an entire empire.
I stared at the paper.
"I have about two months before the engagement announcement."
Everyone believed I would become the Crown Prince's fiancée.
Many noble families disliked our county.
Because the Emperor supported us.
In the novel, the central characters were simple.
The Crown Prince.
The male lead.
Lady Elara.
The female lead.
Lady Isolde.
The villainess.
But the story was never only about them.
There were supporting characters.
Like Seraphina.
A girl who died for the plot.
Her family.
The Emperor.
The Empress.
And countless extras.
The story truly began the day the Emperor announced the engagement.
And in that story—
Seraphina Ardent was never meant to survive.
The novel itself had only two seasons.
Before the end of Season Two, the author promised a third season.
But it never came.
Instead—
The story ended suddenly.
And the official announcement later said it had been discontinued.
The plot was divided into three major parts.
First—
Seraphina's death.
And the accusation of treason against the Ardent family.
Second—
The Crown Prince and Lady Elara solving the case.
Third—
Their romance…
And the execution of Isolde Virelith.
Seraphina was portrayed as a lovely girl.
But ignored by her fiancé.
The Crown Prince spoke kindly to everyone—
Except her.
Lady Elara, Seraphina's childhood friend, was cherished by the entire kingdom.
And Lady Isolde—
Was hated by everyone.
Because she was the Duke's illegitimate daughter.
Her mother had been a maid.
A low birth, people said.
She received many proposals.
But never for marriage.
Only to become someone's mistress.
Most of those men were old.
Powerful.
Disgusting.
She had a half-sister and brother.
But they treated her as if she didn't exist.
Invisible.
Just like I had been in my previous life.
Then I suddenly paused.
In the novel, there was a scene.
A ball.
Where the Crown Prince once helped Isolde.
For a brief moment.
A moment that made her fall in love with him.
I slowly lifted my head.
"Wait…"
Was it this ball?
The one happening in two weeks?
If that moment happened—
Then everything afterward would begin.
I want to save her.
But how?