Hopefully, at Your Mercy

<Prologue>

“Princess Delinda! Have you really betrayed me?! How could you do this to me…?!”

Vicious veins protruded from Count Dwell’s neck. Because he couldn’t keep his emotions in check, his contorted face only made him look ugly.

Delinda’s gaze alternated between the two men standing before her. One man had a puffy face, and the other merely stood there, regarding the situation while looking insensitive.

Delinda decided to stare at the man trembling in anger first.

Count Dwell, her fiancé. Sorry—my soon-to-be ex-fiancé.

How could a person make such a remark when he continuously made a fool of himself and whispered sweet nothings to another woman?

Did you really think I didn’t know of your affair?

[Have you really betrayed me?!]

Those words shouldn’t have come out of your mouth.

Delinda accepted his misunderstanding as such and made no move to clarify.

If my fiancé, Count Dwell, misunderstood and felt deceived and insulted, so be it.

A faint smile appeared on Delinda’s face. And the moment her smile deepened, the other man watching them approached slowly.

“Delinda.” 

A low voice dropped to a whisper, calling out.

The man who was mistaken as my “lover.” He’d been watching the situation unfold impassively without offering any explanation or excuse.

“Have you really betrayed your fiancé?”

At first, there was no emotion in the friendly question. What was his purpose in asking when he was quite literally suspected to be my lover?

When she didn’t answer easily, the man slowly lowered his head and looked into her eyes. His sharp gaze penetrated her as if he would dig into her shaking heart.

“If you haven’t betrayed him yet, we should, starting now.”

“…What?” 

He dipped his head and pressed his lips to her ear. And from a distance close enough to reach each other’s body temperature, he whispered a secret suggestion.

“Take me as yours.”

Delinda took a step back in panic.

A large hand gripped her arm tightly and stopped her. As if distancing herself was unacceptable.

The space between the two was about to widen, but before it could happen, he pulled her in close again.

This time he lifted her chin in his palm. She was caught deep in his red gaze again.

“Perhaps… it will be your favorite among your possessions.”

“…”

His warm voice was a sweet enchantment. But it sounded like an arrogant and coercive order to her.

Delinda couldn’t answer easily. Her lips trembled with tension.

…Was this a trap?

I couldn’t stop myself from averting my gaze. His eyes were clearly shining in the dark. It was too much to bear.

The shimmering madness hidden beneath his red eyes.

I was aware of that madness.

Grand Duke Iskan Anagroke.

A noble descendant of the Bakhyan Empire and the slaughterer who rules the land of the evil beasts.

Since he has tried to kill himself before.

<1. Delinda Schultz>

It was when two red moons overlapped as one.

Delinda Schultz. Han Ji-an, a woman who lived in Korea, was possessed by a novel.

She entered the body of “Delinda Schultz.” It’s also the second time that she’s possessed a novel.

And now that she’s come to her senses, Delinda’s father, Duke Schultz, was talking to some swindler.

“As the duke knows, the status of the Spirit Stone has increased dramatically, right? At this rate, if you miss your last chance to become a patron to the development of the Spirit Stone Mine…”

Lord Kabila—who looked like a swindler—fiddled with a mustache that resembled a mouse’s tail.

Even without making a long-winded explanation, anyone could easily infer the last words he omitted.

‘If you miss this last chance, the great duke will eventually sink!’

The Schultz family was a great family that enjoyed wealth and honor for generations.

However, by reaching the age of this era, the fortune of the duke’s family came to collapse.

After experiencing large and small incidents, all that remained of the duke’s fortune were the plains near the Royarch River and the large mansion in the capitol.

Of course, that would have been enough if they were ordinary nobles, but sadly, they’re a historical noble family. The huge mansion and its accompanying servants were insufficient.

“The reason I spoke to the duke first was that I’ve always respected his noble character… Now, the sun is setting. I’m expected to attend a banquet of the Soublio family…”

Lord Kabila glanced out the window and let the silence speak for him.

I respected you and gave you a chance first, but if you don’t decide now, I could go to the banquet and present this opportunity to others.

“Hmm.” 

Duke Schultz observed the Spirit Stone in the setting sun.

A warm glow shone through stained glass. Its dazzling, bright sparkle felt like the light of glory he could return to his family.

‘Alright. You must come to a decision. An opportunity to rebuild our family and cure Delinda’s illness.’

The duke squeezed the jewel. Even with the mansion as collateral, he was thinking of making a final investment.

At that moment, Delinda… Well, “Delinda,” who was actually a woman named Han Ji-an, was currently thinking hard.

‘What? Have I possessed a novel again? But this atmosphere feels all too familiar. Have I been here before?’

And soon, she realized that her analogy was true.

She was now possessed for the 2nd time. Inside a novel that she’d possessed once before, too.

‘Why am I here again? The novel is complete, and I went back to reality, so why?’

I lived here for 6 years at the time of my 1st life. Then, I returned to reality, and since then, my memories of this world have become strange.

Some memories appear as dark as a curtain, and some memories I can make out vividly.

I couldn’t think of anything related to me or my life, but I remembered meaningless things like they were yesterday.

‘So… where am I? I should figure that out first.’

Delinda tried to grasp the current situation by scanning her surroundings.

I was sitting in a duke’s luxurious mansion. Judging by the name I just heard in the conversation, the person next to me was considered the father of “this body,” Duke Schultz.

I’ve heard rumors of him during my 1st life.

Duke Schultz was particularly memorable, but not because his lineage was one of the great founding families of the Bakhyan Empire.

It was because his family was falling apart. Because the princess, the heir to the family, was an idiot.

Anyway, I definitely remembered that.

‘It was probably right after the birth of the “Idiot Princess” that their fortune started to decline, right? She’s a beauty, but she’s an idiot. As a result, she’s become a weakness to her family…’

Wasn’t it said that she couldn’t speak until she was six? Rumor has it that she had more of an animal’s instincts, not a human’s.

Through the efforts of the duke, who educated the princess with love, she finally became a human being.

The princess was always inside the duke’s mansion. It was to prevent the spread of rumors claiming she was an idiot.

‘I remember that while he did various things to fix the princess’s condition, his family’s fortune dwindled…’

Some said that he called for an ancient witch and bought an expensive antidote to heal her soul, and after asking for a dragon’s guidance, he was tricked and lost a lot of money.

The duke’s biggest blow was when his business filed for bankruptcy and tried to cover up various losses.

Delinda used this prior information to think. She glanced at the duke sitting beside her, who was holding her hand tightly and turned to Lord Kabila, who was smiling viciously across from them.

And she came to a late realization.

…Wait a minute. I’m that idiot princess, aren’t I? This body belongs to that idiot princess!

As if awakening from a nap, I quickly came to my senses.

‘So, in the end, the duke will be ruined as he tries to cure “my” condition, which is “this body,” right? And now he’s about to be deceived by some strange guy?’

I just possessed this body?!

No!

My new possessed life!

My newly possessed future!

Delinda clenched her fist tightly and recklessly butted in just before the two of them finalized the contract.

“But, Father. Isn’t this really strange?”

“What do you mean, Delinda?”

“A cave where you can mine endless spirit stones… How did we get such a great investment opportunity?”

I said that much and studied the duke’s expression.

I wondered if my words sounded too smart for the idiot princess, but the duke didn’t seem to think it was strange. I think I’m allowed to say this much.

I need to know how foolish she is to make an initial estimate.

Is it to the extent that she can barely communicate, but her actions are foolish, and her thoughts are idiotic?

“Our family no longer has money. A few days ago, I prayed to God for more money again. Did he hear me?”

High risk, high profit.

The higher the profit, the higher the risk. I wanted to grasp the situation properly, but I had no prior information.

Isn’t that a given? I just barely got here.

I didn’t even know what a “spirit stone” was.

It didn’t exist during my 1st life, right?

What on earth is a spirit stone?