Her mouth had gone completely dry.

Her fingertips trembled, and all she could do was crumple the hem of her skirt.

She kept staring at the pristine white table with unsteady eyes, feeling as though dizziness would overtake her at any moment.

Am I going to collapse at this rate?

Lilliana reached out with a shaking hand, picked up a glass of cold water, and gulped it down.

The tension eased slightly, but it was only a temporary reprieve. Soon enough, her heart was pounding wildly again.

So… the day has finally come.

Lilliana squeezed her eyes shut.

Eighteen years had passed since she was reborn into this world. Whether those years were long or short, her life was about to come to an end. She knew her fate better than anyone.

The life of an insignificant extra.

An equally insignificant end.

I ran away to avoid this moment… and yet they sold me out in the end. Those despicable people!

Lilliana bit down hard on her lip.

Her father, who had always treated her like a slave. Her mother, who looked down on her simply because she was a daughter.

And her older brother, who greeted her every day with contempt and violence.

As those dreadful faces surfaced in her mind, tears welled up in her eyes.

I only wanted to live.

To survive, she had endured all of their abuse.

Even when she was beaten until she was on the verge of passing out, even when grueling labor left her unable to move her limbs, she had endured it all just to stay alive.

After clinging to life for so long and coming within a hair’s breadth of death, she had finally escaped their grasp.

And for the brief span of about three months, she experienced the happiest days of her life.

A cozy little countryside village that always felt like home.

A small cottage with smoke curling from its chimney.

Her beloved pet, Momo, peacefully napping beneath the warm afternoon sun.

If she could have one wish, she would return to those days.

She needed nothing else.

She only wanted to spend those simple, happy moments with Momo once more.

Momo… my baby. I wonder if you’re doing well. You haven’t been starving, have you?

The image of a tiny gray ball of fur shimmered before her eyes. Momo—the puppy who always seemed aloof, yet had never once left her side.

Creak.

But the moment the door swung open, the illusion vanished, leaving behind nothing but cruel reality.

The first thing that caught her eye was a head of pale gray hair, almost white.

Then she met a pair of crimson eyes utterly devoid of emotion, and fear washed over her.

Rajes Eberhardt.

The head of House Eberhardt—and the villain of the novel.

Even beneath his clothes, his solid, powerfully built physique was unmistakable. He towered over her by at least a head.

Facing him felt like coming face to face with a wild beast. Yet anyone would have admitted that his face was breathtakingly beautiful.

But with every long stride he took toward her, it felt as though she was drawing one step closer to death.

What should I do? Should I beg? If I get on my knees, maybe he’ll spare me… No, if I beg, he might kill me even faster. He’s exactly the kind of man who would.

She had spent countless hours wondering how she could escape this situation, but every time, she arrived at the same conclusion.

No matter what I do, I’ll end up just like in the original story—my soul will be drained until I die.

In the end, she was nothing more than an extra. Even if she was Cero, a soul considered special in this world, she was still only a minor character with no real significance.

Extras couldn’t change their destined future.

“Lilliana Parvane.”

A deep, mesmerizing voice, enough to send chills down her spine, broke the silence.

Before she realized it, Rajes Eberhardt had already closed the distance between them.

Wearing an utterly composed expression, he took the seat across from her.

“Are you cold? Why are you trembling so much?”

Is he seriously asking because he doesn’t know?

How many people could stand before the head of House Eberhardt without trembling?

Wait…

Suddenly, something about his question struck her as odd.

Didn’t the novel say he killed her the moment they met?

The situation had diverged ever so slightly from what she remembered in the original story.

Lilliana desperately searched her hazy memories for the scene.

[“That’s right. The moment I met the woman who had been my Cero—the woman whose name I can’t even remember anymore—I absorbed her. Her soul and everything else. It was simply more convenient that way.”]

The line he had spoken in passing suddenly resurfaced in her mind.

That’s right. He definitely killed her the moment they met… didn’t he?

If his words in the original story were anything to go by, he wouldn’t have even bothered asking her a question. No—he wouldn’t have even called her by name before killing her.

But now…

He was talking to her.

Lilliana stole a timid glance at Rajes. Yet, afraid their eyes might meet, she quickly lowered her gaze again.

Then his deep voice reached her ears once more.

“You seem tense. There’s no need to tremble like a frightened little chick. We only met a few days ago, didn’t we?”

A few days ago?

Had she misheard him?

She couldn’t make sense of what he was saying.

Lilliana slowly raised her head, only to immediately duck it again.

Rajes was staring straight at her.

“I-I don’t believe we’ve ever met.”

Her voice cracked under the weight of her anxiety.

Rajes, however, paid it no mind.

“What are you talking about? We’ve been together this whole time.”

A quiet chuckle followed.

What on earth is wrong with this man?

I’m already terrified because I have no idea when he’s going to kill me, and now he’s spouting complete nonsense.

Is he… playing with me? Is this some kind of role-playing game to him?

She wanted nothing more than to shout at him to stop talking nonsense.

But she was no different from prey offered up before a lion.

All she could do was remain as still as a corpse.

“You really don’t remember?”

Rajes asked again.

Am I supposed to answer correctly?

Before she could bring herself to either confirm or deny it, the silence seemed to answer for her.

She heard him rise from his seat.

Ah… so this is it. I’m going to die now. I should’ve just said I remembered!

Regret flooded Lilliana.

Mere seconds later, Rajes had closed the distance between them.

Reaching out with one large hand, he grasped her small shoulder.

“Eek!”

Startled by the sudden touch, Lilliana let out a shrill scream.

So this is how everything ends!

Please… if there’s a next life, let me be born into a happy, wealthy family!

As she desperately offered up one final wish, just in case…

Rajes suddenly leaned in close.

Along with the warmth of his breath came words she could scarcely believe.

“Why are you so startled? It’s me, Your puppy.”

Lilliana’s eyes flew wide open.

He wasn’t trying to kill me?

More importantly… what is he talking about?

She could only stare blankly at Rajes, unable to process what was happening.

A captivating smile slowly curved across his lips.

“Momo.”

…What?

Why is my dog’s name coming up here?

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