Chapter 1 – Part 1

Damn possession! She had been possessed by such a bizarre romance novel.

When Olivia realized she had been possessed, this was her reaction,

“Oh my god, this is f*cking unbelievable.”

A harsh curse escaped Olivia’s mouth. Such vulgar language was quite unusual for a character in a romance fantasy, and naturally, the maid beside her was startled.

“Marchioness! What if someone hears you!”

“So what if they hear? I’m the head of the family. Who would dare tell me to shut up?”

Olivia glared at the maid, who immediately lowered her eyes. This maid was that kind of character: the type to say, “Miss, you’re awake?” when the protagonist opened their eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.

However, in this novel, she was not a “miss” but a Marchioness and the border master of the empire.

Olivia looked around the room. True to the noble chambers in a romance novel, it was lavishly ornate. She could understand why the protagonists in those novels were always gazing up at the ceiling in awe.

However, unlike those characters, Olivia was in a rather foul mood. And why wouldn’t she be? She was living just fine, and now she’s suddenly dragged into another world – who would be happy about that?

“Nellie, leave me alone.”

“But Marchioness, you have a meeting with the vassals. You haven’t attended even once since you returned from the dead…”

The maid hurriedly continued speaking but quickly lowered her eyes again at Olivia’s sharp gaze. Yes, she was possessed in a romance fantasy and was the “second female lead” who had returned from the dead.

“Didn’t I say I don’t want to?”

“…”

“When a powerful person speaks, you just bow your head and leave politely.”

As Olivia spat out these villainous words, Nellie hesitantly left the room.

Only then did Olivia lean against the headboard and let out a deep sigh.

Finally, Olivia could start sorting out her thoughts. Just two days ago, she had been a diligent prison guard in Korea. She even had a fiancé, though it was an arranged match.

Marriage. What a headache! Olivia smirked bitterly. They thought they were handling it smoothly, but wedding preparations were driving her crazy. In that situation, reading depressing romance fantasies was a decent distraction. She had been engrossed in one until the night before she was possessed.

The plot of <The Poisonous Flower> was roughly this: Ronae Bartram, a young lady from a baronet family, fell in love at first sight with Count Gael Abyss at a ball.

However, he loved another woman, and Ronae, wanting to possess him, used magic to make him love her.

“Why on earth did you do it! Why!”

Magic was forbidden in the empire, and Gael tried to report Ronae to the empire but failed because he was already enchanted by her.

Instead of focusing solely on Ronae, he went back and forth between Ronae and Olivia. He was the so-called “fence-sitter,” “trash man,” “regretful male lead.” Yes, this novel was a depressing regret genre.

All that could be tolerated, but why?

“Why did I become the d*mn second female lead?”

Olivia Charbert scratched her head in frustration. What was this character like? She waited endlessly for the male lead to return, only to be murdered by someone and have her screen time cut short.

The indecisive male lead, in his attempt to find the culprit, ended up causing emotional distress to the female lead and eventually gave up, returning to the female lead.

In other words, it was a situation where only she got screwed over.

“If I’m going to die, then just let me die, d*mn it.”

The timing of her possession was also quite tricky. “Olivia Charbert” had died, and her body had disappeared. But one morning, she was lying in bed in her nightgown.

This wasn’t part of the original plot. According to the original story, “Olivia Charbert” was kidnapped by a person aiming for her Marchioness title. It was only mentioned in one line towards the end that her body was found.

A kidnapper who didn’t even demand a ransom. So when Olivia’s body was discovered, no one was particularly surprised. They just thought the dead person had finally been found.

“Ghoooost!”

So it was only natural that the maid, who came to clean up the room of the deceased, was shocked.

* * *

Olivia’s nickname was Buddy. In fact, she, who was possessing Olivia, quite liked the nickname more than the original name. The problem was that she couldn’t clearly remember who had given her that nickname.

Olivia’s memories lingered in her mind but weren’t clear. There were several large gaps, and it took her a few days to organize her knowledge of this world.

“Can we really leave the Marchioness like that?”

“Baron is furious outside, demanding she be brought out immediately. I’m the one suffering from the tension.”

Olivia’s eyes flashed open at the whispers outside the door. Although her memory was hazy, it seemed she hadn’t been properly respected despite being a border master and a Marchioness. Judging by how openly they whispered about her.

Olivia Charbert. A Marchioness who was overly gentle and submissive. This was the second female lead Olivia had summed up. She was so smart and skilled with a sword but she couldn’t stand up to her vassals.

Olivia walked confidently and opened the door. The attendants gasped.

“What’s so surprising?”

“M-My Lady…”

“You call me the head of the house and yet you gossip loudly behind my back?”

Olivia leaned lazily against the doorframe, causing the attendants to swallow nervously.

“When did we ever gossip, my lady? We were just worried about you.”

“Worrying should be done to my face, not behind my back. And since when do you talk back to the head of the house?”

The attendants’ mouths hung open. She smirked.

“Is it that shocking that I’ve changed so much?”

“Well, that…”

“If this continues, I could wipe out your entire family without anyone saying a word. If you don’t want to die, watch your tongues.”

Olivia gestured gently towards their mouths. Instinctively, the attendants covered their lips. She closed the door, making eye contact with each of them until the end.

The old Olivia would have just muttered, “It’s a bit noisy,” under her breath. What a fool! What kind of weakness had made her live so timidly? She wasn’t some lowly baronet but a Marchioness and a border master.

“Hmph, this is tough.”

Olivia leaned back in her comfortable chair and bit into a candy.

Living as a noble wouldn’t be easy, but she had lived as a prison guard in her past life, constantly navigating dangerous tensions with inmates. These small fries were nothing.

Enjoying the sweetness of the candy, she leaned against the chair. The empire was in an uproar because the border master, who had disappeared, leaving a pool of blood, suddenly returned as if nothing had happened.

Olivia had driven away those pestering her with questions by claiming she couldn’t remember anything. The doctor diagnosed her with a stab wound on her side but said she was otherwise healthy. The expressions on the vassals’ faces were priceless.

“How should I deal with this?”

She pondered. The vassals were one thing, but she had other concerns: the original plot.

According to the original story, she had returned half a year after her death. At this point, Gael would have accumulated guilt while searching for her and tormenting the female lead.

‘But why is it so quiet?’

Olivia tilted her head. Shouldn’t the pathetic male lead be rushing over? Not that she wanted him to, but the uneasy peace was unsettling.

Olivia organized her thoughts. First, now that she was possessed, she needed to establish her authority as a noble. Second…

Her gaze drifted to the cluttered desk, piled with unsent love letters.

[Gael, I miss you. Even though I know you have someone else, I can’t give up on you.]

[Gael, are you well? I’m a bit sick. I wish you’d come and stroke my hair.]

[I don’t care if you have Ronae. It’s because of the spell. I can wait.]

[Gael, please meet me just once…]

“Sigh…”

If she had written this many letters, how many had she sent? Some envelopes were marked with a return stamp.

It seemed Olivia had believed Gael would find a way to break the spell and had waited for him.

“Would he really?”

Olivia sighed deeply. This romance fantasy had a peculiar world where magic was banned, making the term “spell” more common. Finding a way to break it would be difficult.

The priority was to let the world know she was fine. If Olivia guessed correctly, the vassals were likely spreading rumors about her mental state to undermine her.

She pulled the bell rope. A maid and a servant appeared. The presence of the maid indicated they were still monitoring her condition.

“You called, my lady?”

“When is the next vassals’ meeting?”

The maid frowned at her relaxed tone. Olivia raised her head as if asking what was wrong, and the maid cleared her throat.

“Marchioness, as the head of the house, you should always wear a dress.”

“Oh.”

Only then did Olivia look down at her attire.

She had never liked skirts, let alone corsets. Why should she wear uncomfortable dresses at home?

So she wore trousers and a white dress shirt.

“Do you wear a dress to war?”

“Pardon?”

The maid’s eyes widened at the unexpected question.

“I’m a border master. If a war breaks out suddenly, would you go to battle in a dress? I need to be dressed comfortably to put on armor quickly. Are you new to being a maid?”

The maid’s face turned red. It was obvious she had been looking down on Olivia since she entered.

“But still, a lady should—”

“The vassals’ meeting.”

Olivia cut her off sharply.

“When is it?”

“…Tomorrow at 2 o’clock.”

“Okay.”

Olivia nodded. As she was about to dismiss them, the maid handed her something.

“And you’ve received a letter. It’s from Count Abyss.”

The maid announced the sender with a smirk, raising an eyebrow. The letter had been opened.

To top it off, the maid’s next words were absurd.

“Count Abyss says he misses you very much and asks you to visit his estate.”

“What? He wants me to come to his house?”

“Yes.”

Olivia was angered by two things.

First, the maid opened her letter.

Second…

The male lead, who should have come to see the woman he claimed to love who returned from the dead, was asking her to visit him.