[Chapter 1] Extra Saintess, Nyx Elach

‘I wonder if everyone is doing well.’

As I gazed at the clear blue sky, untouched by a single cloud, old memories came rushing back.

My past name was Lee Seoyeon, 27 years old. After being unemployed for a long time, I finally found a job, only to be laid off in less than a year due to COVID. And just like in any cliché novel, I got drunk, stumbled home, and died in a car accident.

The only unusual thing? When the car hit me, a blinding light exploded, and I heard a strange voice.

‘…What was it again? Something about it being time to return?’

Since my school days, I had been a heavy reader—over ten years of devouring countless genre novels. Even on the day I died, I had stayed up late reading my all-time favorite romance fantasy novel, The Iron-Walled Princess.

Why?

Because my favorite character, Leon Fleury, was in it.

Yes, I suffered from a severe case of second male lead syndrome.

My beloved character was a villain. A frail, chronically ill villain with an unexplained heart disease—and a tragic second male lead who turned to darkness in pursuit of love.

He had survived a miserable childhood, constantly grumbled but still got things done, pretended not to care but secretly listened to everything, and had a surprising amount of hidden kindness. On top of that, he was incredibly shy—his ears and the back of his neck would flush red whenever he got flustered.

Yes, he was a tsundere, just like a cat.

But my favorite’s charm didn’t end there.

He was a breathtaking beauty, a man whose looks could topple a nation.

He lost his mind chasing after the heroine, becoming the villain in the process, but his love was pure—he loved only her, obsessively, unwaveringly.

How could I not love him?

‘My little one, I miss you. At least I managed to read the ending before I died.’

My past life felt distant, yet the memories remained vivid. Even in my mundane existence, my passion for my favorite character had been a source of joy.

Clatter.

“Milady, please eat more.”

A maid’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. The rich aroma of food and the warmth of the plate in front of me grounded me back to reality.

Flap, flap.

A cool autumn breeze slipped through the balcony, making the delicate curtains dance. I was having lunch outside my room today.

“Meril… There’s too much food.”

The table was set with an extravagant Western-style meal. It looked like something a grandmother would prepare for visiting grandchildren—a feast enough to break the table’s legs.

Soup, salad, bread, roasted chicken, blue-backed fish, and various side dishes covered the entire table.

But apparently, Meril wasn’t done. She continued pulling more dishes from a trolley, her clear orange eyes full of concern as she looked at me.

“Milady, you’re too thin. You need to eat well to recover quickly.”

“…Alright.”

I hadn’t known this girl for long, but every time I saw her warm orange eyes, my resolve wavered.

‘Am I getting attached because of the memories of this body’s owner?’

The girl speaking to me was Meril, my personal maid.

She had been assigned to me when I was eight—after my mother, the Marchioness, died in a monster attack.

Meril was fourteen, a year older than me.

“When you collapsed and didn’t wake up for five days, I was so terrified, milady.”

“Yeah, it was a mess.”

I nodded at Meril’s words and took a spoonful of soup. The warmth and comforting flavor lifted my spirits.

“You fainted on your birthday. The entire family was in a panic.”

‘…That must’ve been because I was transmigrating.’

My name is Nyx Elach. I am the esteemed daughter of the Marquisate of Elach, the noble house that guards the western region of the Dominique Empire.

‘And not just any daughter—I’m the legitimate heir. Ahem.’

However, the young lady I had transmigrated into was frail and weak, having never received a proper noble’s education.

‘She was practically best friends with her bed, so that tells you everything.’

I was told that I collapsed on my 13th birthday and woke up five days later.

The day I woke up was the day I transmigrated. And today marks exactly one week since that day.

But I had a major problem.

‘I have no idea what world I’ve transmigrated into.’

As a hardcore reader who had consumed countless stories, I immediately recognized that I had been reborn in a novel.

But… I didn’t know which genre or which story I had ended up in.

I mean, if this was some apocalypse setting, I could be dead by the end of the day! If there was a male lead, I needed to see him at least once. A 2D-level, inhumanly beautiful man in real life? That’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

‘At the very least, I should feast my eyes on him, right?’

‘That’s it! I need to figure this out today, no matter what!’

“Meril, does the empire have a Grand Duke of the North?”

Feeling a thrill of excitement, I asked Meril about a character who seemed male-lead-worthy.

“As far as I know, the Dominique Empire doesn’t have a Grand Duke, milady. Are you referring to the north? If so, that would be the Kingdom of Embrace.”

‘Hmm, no northern grand duke? That’s a shame.’

If I had to transmigrate, I wanted it to be a romance fantasy novel. The fact that there was no northern grand duke was disappointing, but I wasn’t giving up hope yet. I decided to ask about another quintessential male lead type.

“Then… who is the Crown Prince?”

“Oh! That I know for sure! It’s Nocturne Dominique!”

I froze mid-bite, spoon suspended in the air, my thoughts racing.

‘Dominique Empire, Embrace Kingdom, Nocturne Dominique… Nocturne…’

Something felt… strangely familiar.

I had definitely seen this name before.

Nocturne… Wait a minute… NOCTURNE?!

‘Oh my god. That’s my baby’s rival.’

Just moments ago, I had been reminiscing about my favorite novel and my beloved character—only to feel as though I had been struck in the back of the head.

I had read countless stories, yet I didn’t recognize the world of my own favorite novel?

‘Wow, how did I not see this coming? No wonder they say you miss what’s right under your nose.’

Still… something didn’t make sense.

I had read The Iron-Walled Princess so many times—so why did I fail to recognize it immediately?

But that didn’t matter now.

What mattered was that I finally knew where I was.

And most importantly—I had transmigrated into my favorite novel.

My heart pounded uncontrollably, and I pressed a hand against my chest, trying to calm myself down.

“…No way. Is this really The Iron-Walled Princess?”

“Huh? Milady, are you alright?”

Meril looked at me with concern after I accidentally spoke out loud.

“Ah… Meril, it’s just that…”

I forced a smile.

“The food is just too delicious.”

I kept my expression calm, reassuring Meril as I casually folded my arms.

But inside, my thoughts were anything but calm.

‘If I really transmigrated into The Iron-Walled Princess, that means my baby and I are breathing in the same world! This is insane!’

However, there was still something that didn’t make sense.

‘As the daughter of a marquis in the empire, I should be at least somewhat important. So why don’t I remember this character at all?’

Hoping to gather more clues, I turned to Meril.

“Meril, can you tell me more about the Dominique Empire?”

“Of course, milady! I’ll do my very best to answer!”

“Thanks. Who is the current emperor again?”

“That would be Emperor Fortis Dominique. And as I mentioned earlier, Nocturne Emperor Dominique is the crown prince. He is the only son—he has no siblings.”

Meril tapped her cheek thoughtfully before adding, “Oh! Right! In about twenty days, the Dominique Empire’s Founding Festival will take place!”

“The Founding Festival—that’s held in the capital, right?”

“Yes! It’s an annual imperial celebration. All nobles gather in the capital for it.”

Oh. My. God.

The capital. That’s where my baby is.

‘I’m going. No matter what, I’m going. I have to find him and bring him back.’

I had transmigrated into my favorite novel. I knew exactly where my favorite character was. There was nothing to be afraid of.

Determination blazed within me.

“Milady, are you also curious about the Kingdom of Embrace?”

“Yes!”

‘Do you even need to ask?’

I nodded so enthusiastically that Meril chuckled before continuing.

“The Kingdom of Embrace lies north of the empire. It was founded a hundred years after the Dominique Empire was established.”

“And what’s the relationship between the two nations?”

“They share friendly diplomatic ties. Aside from that, the Great Temple is in the northwest, and the Tower of Magic is in the east.”

The moment I heard the words Great Temple, a memory from the novel resurfaced in my mind.

After a hundred years, a new saintess has finally appeared. She is none other than the daughter of the Marquis of Elach, heir to the empire’s guardian lineage. However, contrary to the world’s expectations, her divine power was weaker than that of a mere priest. She was incapable of fighting and barely able to heal others. In the end, the so-called saintess was nothing more than an extra.

The realization hit me like a boulder.

Darkness clouded my vision.

Because…

The utterly useless saintess who only appeared for four measly lines in the novel—

That’s me.