“Save her...no matter what.”
Amidst my blurry vision, I saw the shape of a man.
...Who is he?
I tried to raise my body, but I couldn't move.
"…from…."
A weak murmur came out of me, barely forming words.
Then the man turned to me and stared at me.
He approached with calm steps, then extended his hand and placed it on my forehead.
“The fever seems to have subsided a little.”
He muttered, looking at me with steady eyes.
“…Lizzie Alheim.”
"Yes?"
A familiar name...!
I tried hard to remember where I had heard it before, but the man who had never taken his eyes off me opened his mouth again.
“I will not let you die like this.”
...huh?
Does he know me? But my name is not actually Lizzie...
There were so many words rushing out of my mouth, but as soon as my lips moved, not a single sound came out.
The man stared at me silently for a moment, then turned away.
He gave orders to those standing behind him:
“Take good care of her until I return. Save her at all costs.”
“Yes, Mr. Arkell.”
My eyes lingered on his back as he left, but the vision grew more and more blurry until everything was drowned in a blur.
‘Arkle, this name too, is strangely familiar.’
As soon as the man left the room, the soldiers and subordinates whispered:
“Will that woman be able to hold out until Mr. Arkell returns?”
“I doubt it... I flat out refused food.”
“Shouldn’t we prepare her coffin by now? Haha.”
“Indeed… how long do you think the noble lady of House Alheim will last in this Kaien Palace?”
Alheim, Cayenne…
Upon hearing the two names, a strong flash shot through my mind.
The dark, highly rated romance novel 'When the Red Moon Sheds Her Tears'.
Eliheim and Cain... were the last names of the hero and heroine in that novel.
Impossible, impossible...
Is it possible that I was incarnated inside her?
'Yes, this really happened? 'Oh my God...is this crazy?'
But…
'This is so cool!'
When the Red Moon Tears, or The Red Moon for short, was famous for being one of the boldest and darkest novels ever written.
'Just to my taste.'
Since I was born, I was physically weak. I spent half my life in hospitals.
Painful treatments, the sighs of my family who were burdened with medical expenses... but what destroyed my spirit most was deadly boredom.
No one visited me, and the only thing connecting me to life was the stories I read.
That shocking feeling that novels give me is the only thing that made me feel like I was still alive.
As if it was a reaction to a reality devoid of any joy. The bolder and more painful the story, the more alive I felt.
From this perspective, Red Moon was a masterpiece made just for me, and even fans of harsh literature considered it the ultimate endurance.
'That's why... this was a salvation for me.'
It is a thousand times better to live a short but eventful life inside my favorite world than a long and boring life in a miserable reality.
'Wait...but in whose body did I come here?'
“Lizzy Alheim, our master really exaggerated when he decided this.”
As if to confirm my suspicions, one of the people standing turned to me and said this.
And with that, the matter was completely revealed.
‘Aleiheim? …Damn, I'm doomed.'
Just moments ago, I felt like I was born again... but now, insults are almost exploding from me.
Lizzie Alheim. The body I embodied was the body of the male hero's sister.
The girl who was kidnapped by the worst villains of this world, the family of Duke Cayenne, and killed before the original story even began.
'It's okay if I'm thrown into a dark world like this...on the contrary, I like it!'
But to be killed before I even begin to live is a grave injustice!
At that moment a wave of coughing broke out in me.
“Cough, cough—!”
“It's started again. Hurry, give her the tranquilizer.”
…What? calming?
If I have a fever and cough, they are supposed to give me medicine for the fever, not a sleeping pill...!
I was unable to object, as a maid forced a small spoon towards my mouth.
“Excuse us, but you will not be treated here as you were at Beit Elheim.”
I unconsciously swallowed the medicine, and felt my eyelids suddenly become heavy.
My already blurry vision became more and more narrow.
'What a pity... to finally fall into my favorite world, and then find myself in the body of a marginal character who dies early?'
But that's okay...
In the original novel, Lizzie's death was not due to her physical illness, but rather to her psychological breakdown.
In contrast, my body was weak, but my mind had been trained and made strong by all kinds of dark stories I had been through.
In one word...
‘This body has found its rightful owner.’
I smiled broadly as I thought about that, and then I blacked out completely.
❖ ❖ ❖
When I opened my eyes again, I felt my body become a little lighter.
The fever seems to have gone down.
I slowly looked around the room, and it turned out that I was alone after everyone had left when I lost consciousness.
I tried to lift my body off the bed with difficulty.
'Ah... I can walk in peace.'
I had always been lying in a hospital bed, so the feeling of walking after such a long time was both strange and joyful at the same time.
I cautiously moved towards the full mirror in the corner of the room.
My shiny silver hair reaches my waist, my skin is flawlessly white, and my eyes are the color of a light pink flower.
My features are symmetrical, my smile reflects boundless kindness, and I spread an aura of holiness and beauty around me.
With that, I was absolutely sure.
'Yes- I have already become Lizzie Alheim.'
My appearance in front of the mirror was strikingly identical to the description in the novel.
I'm the only sane character out of all the Red Moon characters who are notorious for losing their minds, and my saneness was so extreme that it caused problems in the story.
The man, Arkle Cain, was the only hope that he might be able to heal himself.
Arkle Kayin, the younger brother of the heroine of the novel and the son of the Kayin family, was inside the body of enormous magical power, such that by force alone he could annihilate the entire population of the empire if he wanted.
The reason Arkle had this power was because the founder of the Cain Family made a deal with the devil.
The First Founder attained power beyond human limits, but endured tremendous pain periodically until he eventually lost his mind and exterminated his family.
'Since then, the Cayin Family became known as the Demon Family.'
The power was passed down through the generations, and Arkell was the current generation to carry it.
That's why they kidnapped Lizzie Alheim.
Lizzie was born with the ability to heal, and they thought her powers would affect Arkell.
But before they knew whether she had succeeded or not, Lizzie was already dead.
Lizzy, who grew up in a family of priests, was a soft and gentle person.
When she was kidnapped, she became frightened, and considering that the kidnappers were from the Kayin family, she completely collapsed and committed suicide.
Then the real hero, Lizzie's brother, Gene Alheim, without knowing about his sister's death, begins to infiltrate the Cayenne family.
He becomes involved with the heroine, Martha Cain, then in the middle of the novel he discovers Lizzie's death and plans revenge.
After a series of schemes, Jin succeeds in destroying the three brothers of the Kaien family, but he feels empty and decides to end his life.
In short, everything ends in destruction.
And the Cayenne family I'm in now was a collection of the madness that made the novel so dark and cruel.
However…
'Honestly... I'm excited.'
The Cain family was my favorite family in all the novels.
There are people who are more attracted to villains than heroes, and I am one of them.
Because of the power of the demon, the Caiin family possessed a beauty beyond human.
Unreal appearance, amazing powers...
'How could readers not like this?'
Of course, from the abductee's perspective it may look different, but this view can be modified later.
'Okay, I've decided.'
I will do my best to survive in this world!
My previous life, where I did nothing but lie down, is only enough for one day.
If I last here just three months, a hero will come to my rescue, and then I can live safely in Aliheim.
'It's not like Cayenne, but it's a rich family and wealthy enough to live comfortably.'
Even with a modest life, I would have no problems with food and living.
'I won't do it like the original novel, I won't commit suicide. 'I will eat well, sleep well and rest well to keep going.'
At that moment, you heard my stomach growling.
Well, let's start with the food first.
I don't know if it was because she thought that if she did that she would be released, or because she literally couldn't eat, but I had no intention of going hungry at all.
‘First, I will regain my strength so I can survive or pursue my hobby.’
There seems to be no one outside the room, so I will order food from the servants myself.
'Fortunately, the door is not locked.'
Obviously no one would have thought that Lizzie would run away, so they took no precautions.
'Okay let's go out... oh hey.'
Before leaving the room, I stole a sharp skewer figurine that was next to the bed and stuffed it into my sleeve.
'To protect myself if necessary.'
I don't expect to be able to beat the Cayin Family with this, but I can use my life as leverage when necessary.
'Because Erkel had ordered that I should be saved, he definitely didn't want me to die.'
My life is now my only weapon, but it is a very powerful weapon.
'Good! Let's go out.'
She opened the door carefully and went out, and no one was watching in front of him.
Even in the corridor, I felt no trace of anyone's presence.
'Isn't it strange that they don't care about censorship like this?'
It was the perfect opportunity to escape, but I wouldn't be the first to try.
'No need to complicate matters. In three months the hero will come to rescue me.'
Relying on Jane would be much better than solo trying to get out of Cayenne alive.
Jin is an accomplished and well-equipped magician before infiltrating the Cayenne family.
'The kitchen will be on the first floor, right?'
I went down the stairs and reached the large hall, but found no one.
'Strange… Have you come to the wrong place?'
While I was inspecting the place, I heard a voice behind me:
“You are there.”
~
Translated by Len Sunada