Chapter 2 – The Villainous Young Master

Actually, Alicia realized the possession only belatedly.

After being hit by the car, opening her eyes again, she found herself lying in a small house.

At that moment, her heart was racing and fear lingered.

She had clearly been hit by a car—yet she was in a room. She couldn’t believe it.

But humans adapt, and soon she grew used to life here.

With no other thoughts possible, she assumed this was the afterlife.

Of course, it was different from what was expected, but life continued as usual.

The houses attached together reminded her of the villa from the previous life, making the city feel familiar. Strangely, it didn’t feel too different from the past.

So, she didn’t realize she had entered a novel.

When she looked in the mirror before going out, she found her face different—which puzzled her.

It felt familiar, but not enough to raise suspicion.

She simply thought, ‘Maybe the afterlife is just like this.’

Then one day, while staring at her reflection, something came to mind.

A familiar face and name.

To confirm suspicions, she started jotting down clues on paper.

– Lemon-colored hair.

– Sky-blue eyes.

– A beauty mark under the right eye

– Left-handed.

– Alicia Florence.

Writing down each point, she realized how many things she had overlooked.

Reviewing the list, she finally realized who she was.

Especially the pale blond hair like diluted lemon and the sky-blue eyes—those were the biggest clues.

Alicia Florence!

She was an extra character in her favorite novel.

She even appeared, though small, on the novel’s cover—so she remembered her appearance.

As soon as her thoughts, piecing together the clues so far, led her to recall that woman, her suspicions turned into certainty.  

Yes.  

She had possessed someone in a novel.  

And not just anyone, but a character associated with the shadowy figure Mikael—his private tutor, Alicia Florence.  

At first, it was hard to believe she had possessed someone.  

She wanted to deny it, to insist it wasn’t real, but reality cannot be avoided.  

She simply had to accept it and live on.  

Then, one day, a letter arrived for her.  

A luxurious envelope sealed with blue wax.  

She examined the seal closely to identify the sender.  

‘A wolf wearing a crown? I’ve seen this somewhere before…’  

She closed her eyes, trying to remember where she had seen the image, but nothing came to mind.  

Driven by curiosity, she sliced open the envelope with a paper knife and read the letter immediately.  

⌜We inform you, Miss Alicia Florence, of your acceptance as a private tutor.  

Please come to the Kaspar ducal residence by 3 PM today.  

Kaspar Duchy Secretary, Armand.⌟  

Kaspar Duchy—wasn’t that the household of the shadowy Mikael?  

As soon as she saw the name, something surfaced in her mind.  

‘Could it be that a chapter is about to begin?’  

She couldn’t remember exactly which chapter, but she was certain it involved her.  

To understand the details, she needed to go to the Kaspar ducal mansion first.  

Only then could she confirm where in the novel she was.  

‘Let’s just go. There’s nothing I can do here.’  

Most importantly, she was out of money.  

She might have kept money somewhere she didn’t know, but at this point, she had no idea where that could be.  

‘Something will come up when I get there.’  

Resolutely, she set out for the Kaspar ducal residence.  

* * *

Inside the carriage heading to the mansion, she needed to make a plan before arriving.  

She had no idea where in the novel she had possessed Alicia.  

Of course, she remembered the entire storyline vividly.  

‘Alicia Florence dies together with the heroine and hero when they take revenge on the shadowy Mikael. Alicia was Mikael’s closest aide.’  

Judging from the overall situation, she was now on her way to become Mikael’s closest aide.  

But it wasn’t entirely hopeless.  

That was because she had already confirmed a few facts.  

‘The Alicia I know is a middle-aged woman. But now…’  

She stared at her reflection in the carriage window.  

No matter how she looked, she couldn’t be older than her mid-twenties.  

Her skin was flawless, almost translucent, and even seemed to glow faintly.  

With such looks, she was most likely in her early twenties.  

‘That means this is about 20 years before Mikael appears in the novel.’  

If her assumption was correct, today she would meet the shadowy figure about 20 years before the main story began.  

When she was killed in the original, Mikael was about twenty-five.  

Even allowing for a margin of error, Mikael wouldn’t be older than eight.  

‘This is more interesting than I thought.’  

She felt a bit intrigued by the situation, but quickly shook her head.  

It was too early to relax.  

No matter how she calculated, if Mikael turned out to be an adult when she met him, her death flag was already raised.  

‘If that’s the case, don’t sign the contract—just leave.’  

She was organizing her thoughts when the carriage finally arrived at the grand mansion.  

* * *

Upon arriving at the Kaspar ducal residence, she waited in the drawing room for Armand, the household secretary, with the help of a servant.  

‘It’s much bigger than my room.’  

It was a massive room, large enough for twenty adults to lie down comfortably.  

She wondered if it was necessary to make a drawing room so big for just a few guests.  

Sitting alone in the empty drawing room, she slowly looked around.  

The wallpaper was pale sky blue with white leaf patterns, and the moldings were finished in white.  

A sofa in one corner was made of dull sky-blue silk, with a gold-embroidered rose at its center.  

When she sat on the sofa, it was even softer than her own bed.  

Knock, knock.  

Someone knocked and entered the drawing room.  

A tall, broad figure cast a shadow across the floor.  

Curious, she wanted to know who the shadow belonged to.  

She slowly looked up from the feet, tracing the outline upward.  

There stood a man with muscular thighs under black trousers, broad shoulders like a mountain, and sharp jawline and nose, with sapphire-like blue eyes and long, fierce-looking eyelids—at once intimidating and attractive.  

His neatly styled black hair completed the impression of a perfectly sculpted statue.  

Yet, overall, he exuded a cold, unapproachable aura.  

He was the kind of man who seemed like he could take your head off if you made a wrong move, overwhelming just by his presence.  

Even without explanation, she knew who he was.  

He was Cedric, Mikael’s father and the master of the mansion.  

Just as described in the novel, he was imposing merely by being present.  

Like the leader of wolves ruling over a snowy mountain.  

A nobleman worthy of admiration, a model for others.  

That was the perfect description for him.  

Her first impression matched the written descriptions exactly.  

He was, indeed, handsome.  

Seeing him in person, she realized that men she had thought handsome before were nothing compared to him.  

‘No wonder the young ladies flocked to him, even with a child.’  

She nodded inwardly, accepting the thought.  

Seeing him somehow put her at ease.  

Just as she expected.  

Since Cedric was alive and well, Mikael probably hadn’t turned dark yet.  

At most, he couldn’t be older than seven.  

Still, it would be best to confirm Mikael’s age before signing the contract.  

If she signed blindly, her death day might be imminent.  

Beside Cedric stood someone who seemed to be his secretary.  

‘What was his name again?’  

While she was thinking, a gentle-looking young man with curly light brown hair greeted her.  

“Thank you for coming such a long way, Miss Alicia. I am Duke’s secretary, Armand. The Duke wished to handle the contract personally, so I came with him.”  

Ah, so that’s how it was.  

Understanding the situation, she stood and assumed a formal posture.  

“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace. I am Alicia Florence. Thank you for inviting me.”  

“Indeed. Nice to meet you.”  

He replied coldly.  

It was clear he was just being polite.  

As they were about to enter an employment relationship, he was treating her formally.  

There was no warmth in his tone, only a hint of annoyance.  

He seemed to want her to sign the contract quickly and leave.  

When she sat down again, Armand slid a sheet of paper to her.  

“This is the contract. Please read it carefully and sign.”  

Armand’s straightforward manner forced her to stall for time.  

She needed Mikael to arrive.  

She calmly read the contract, then placed it on the table.  

She spoke in a composed voice.  

“Is it Young Master Mikael whom I will be teaching?”  

“Yes.”  

Only Armand answered; Cedric sat with his legs crossed, watching them like a wolf eyeing prey.  

She glanced at him, but focused on Armand to avoid being caught.  

Yet she could feel Cedric’s gaze burning into her, her heart pounding rapidly.  

She tried to ignore her wildly beating heart, calming herself.  

She was terrified, but she couldn’t just sit still.  

No matter how scared, she had to ask an essential question to survive.  

She steadied herself and spoke calmly.  

“I heard Young Master Mikael is intelligent like his father. May I meet him to see what kind of person he is?”  

Luckily, she didn’t stutter.  

She relaxed for a moment, accidentally meeting Cedric’s eyes.  

He seemed displeased, raising one eyebrow and speaking coldly.  

“You want to meet Mikael directly?”  

He looked at her with suspicion.  

She felt as if her heart might drop, like he might devour her.  

But she couldn’t back down.  

Confirming Mikael’s age was the most important thing now.  

She clenched her fists, hiding her trembling, and spoke calmly.  

“Yes. I would like to meet him.”