Chapter 1

Just a few hours earlier.

Mia had been staring at herself in the mirror, smiling the entire time.

‘If this is what possessing someone feels like, I’d do it a hundred times!’

That was Ha-yoon’s first-day impression after possessing the body of an insignificant noble lady named Mia Lisicha.

She liked the sandy-colored hair that reached her waist and the lively light-green eyes, but what she liked most were her smooth, petal-like cheeks.

The scars on her face that had tormented Ha-yoon for her entire life were nowhere to be found.

“Miss Mia, it’s time to change your clothes—”

A maid with a haggard complexion entered the room.

Mia tossed the rough clothes in the maid’s hands onto the bed, then clasped both of the maid’s hands.

As Mia spun around and around, the wooden floorboards creaked beneath the worn-out carpet.

The maid’s skirt spun along with her.

“Miss, I’m getting dizzy!”

It was only after ten full spins that Mia finally let go of her hands.

She simply couldn’t contain her happiness.

The maid placed her hands on her knees and panted heavily as she scolded Mia.

“The atmosphere… in the estate… is already… huff… a complete mess. You’re going to get scolded by the master at this rate.”

Mia, who had been excited ever since possessing this body, suddenly froze.

‘Was I being a little too exuberant on my first day…?’

Worry spread across her face like a stain.

Perhaps she had been too thoughtless because she was intoxicated by her beautiful new face.

‘I absolutely can’t let the original story change because of me. I should behave like the original Mia normally would.’

In the original novel Ha-yoon had loved reading, Mia Lisicha was always a timid, withdrawn character.

Especially around her cold father.

Quickly recalling the information she needed, Mia put on an extremely dejected expression and spoke in a gloomy voice.

“Is Father in a bad mood again today?”

The maid glanced around before lowering her voice as though she were about to reveal a secret.

“You really are something, Miss. You know what today is. Of course the master wouldn’t be in a good mood.”

What exactly was so special about today?

Confused, Mia blinked without realizing it.

She had only just possessed the body, so there was no way she could know the answer.

“What day?”

The maid let out a deep sigh.

“The deadline for repaying the debt the master owes to the Imperial Family. Did you forget? Well, I suppose you must have forgotten, since you were out until so late last night.”

Ah.

So today was that day.

Mia understood everything.

She casually asked the maid another question.

“What about Valentina?”

The maid’s expression immediately darkened.

“Miss Valentina is crying beside the master right now. Who knows what that cruel Grand Duke will do if the debt isn’t repaid on time?”

No sooner had the maid finished speaking than the sound of bells rang out in the distance.

Mia quickly recalled the original story.

If the bells were ringing, then he would be arriving soon.

Mia said nothing and obediently changed into the plain dress the maid had brought.

The heavily worn sleeves bothered her, but she decided to let it go.

After all, Mia wasn’t the protagonist of this novel.

However, when she put on the old shoes, her forehead automatically creased.

“Isn’t there anything else? My feet hurt.”

The maid looked troubled at Mia’s question.

Ah, right.

Mia remembered the circumstances of the original Mia Lisicha and gave a bitter smile.

The Lisicha family had two daughters, but the only one who was loved was Mia’s younger sister, Valentina.

Whether it was clothes or shoes, beautiful Valentina always came first in this household.

They couldn’t even afford to repay their debt right now. There was no way the neglected eldest daughter would have a spare pair of shoes.

It was a relief that she at least had a cheap gold-plated locket around her neck.

It would make her look a little less shabby.

“It’s fine. My feet hurt, so I’ll put the shoes on later. Fix my hair first.”

“I’m sorry, Miss.”

The maid sat Mia down in front of the mirror and quickly brushed out her long hair.

Apparently, she felt terribly sorry for Mia, who was treated like an unwanted burden even in a household that was already on the verge of ruin.

There was no need for that.

Mia smiled again as she gazed at her beautiful cheeks reflected in the mirror.

She liked Mia Lisicha’s life.

No.

Rather, she wanted to live as Mia Lisicha.

According to the original novel, The Moon That Reflects Your Face, Mia’s younger sister, Valentina Lisicha, would eventually become Empress.

The Empire would then enter an era of prosperity.

The Lisicha family, the Empress’s maiden family, would prosper as well.

In other words, Mia—the Empress’s older sister and merely a supporting character—had a comfortable life waiting for her!

‘I really like this possession situation. This is the best!’

There was only one thing Mia had to do today to pave a flower-filled path for herself in this lifetime:

Get a job.

Not just any job, either.

She had to become the secretary of the novel’s villain, Grand Duke Asad Uliel.

Only then could she create the opportunity for the original heroine, Valentina, to meet the male lead, the Crown Prince.

‘For someone who practically memorized the beginning of the original story, this should be easy.’

With anticipation, Mia went over the things she needed to say today in her head.

She would ask the Grand Duke to hire her as his secretary in exchange for the Lisicha family’s debt.

He would laugh at her at first, but after exchanging a few words, he would change his mind.

In the original novel Ha-yoon had read, Mia Lisicha answered every single one of the Grand Duke’s questions perfectly.

Everything from his minor daily habits to his way of dealing with high society.

She was practically the definition of a prepared secretary.

Ha-yoon had even thought, This woman is seriously committed to getting a job.

‘Thanks to that, all I have to do is answer exactly as I remember from the novel. It’s basically a collection of past exam questions, isn’t it?’

A faint smile appeared at the corners of Mia’s lips.

At that moment, she heard the sound of knights clanking all kinds of bladed weapons as they pushed their way through the entrance downstairs.

The maid rose to her feet, her face turning pale.

“T-The Imperial executioners must have arrived.”

Mia calmly put on the old shoes that didn’t fit her properly and straightened her clothes.

Finally, she picked up the handkerchief sitting neatly on the bedside table.

That was everything.

She was ready.

And without a doubt, what she was feeling right now was excitement.

‘You’re here, my favorite. Grand Duke Asad Uliel.’

He was the villain of the original novel and the breathtakingly handsome man who had instantly captivated Ha-yoon.

According to the descriptions, his seemingly indifferent expression and aristocratic mannerisms were particularly outstanding.

‘I never thought I’d actually get to see him in person.’

Mia pressed down on her pounding heart and flung open the door leading into the hallway.

She saw knights standing in a circle around the marble staircase connecting the first and second floors.

The first thing that caught her eye was Grand Duke Asad Uliel’s back.

His broad shoulders and black hair made Mia’s heart pound wildly.

The middle-aged man prostrated before him must have been the head of the Lisicha family—Mia’s father.

And the dazzling beauty standing in the middle of the staircase, repeatedly dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, had to be Valentina.

She was so radiant that it seemed as though the sun had been arranged to shine exclusively upon her.

‘As expected, the original heroine really is something else. With looks like those, I can safely entrust my future to her.’

Mia sent her younger sister, whom she was seeing for the first time, a smile filled with admiration and headed downstairs.

Her outfit was unfamiliar enough as it was, and to make matters worse, the stairs were made of smooth marble.

It was dangerous, but with every step, she was getting closer and closer to Grand Duke Asad Uliel.

His broad back and tall frame were right in front of her.

Just as described in the novel, his clothes fit him perfectly.

If she was lucky, perhaps she could even sneak a touch of his coat.

‘Once I get hired as his secretary, I’ll be able to see that face every day, right?’

Mia was practically snorting with excitement like an eager stallion.

“Ah!”

At that moment, Mia stepped on the hem of her younger sister Valentina’s extravagant dress and fell.

She flailed her arms, trying to grab anything within sight, but there was no escaping the tragedy of tumbling down the stairs.

And that was how she ended up in this situation.

“Is this woman an idiot?”

Mia covered her flushed cheek.

Being insulted by her favorite character with a word she hadn’t heard since the Korean CSAT language section hit surprisingly hard.

‘If my boss is this much of a jerk, working as his secretary isn’t going to be easy…’

But her goal in this lifetime was a happy ending tied directly to employment.

Even if she got insulted, she absolutely had to become the Grand Duke’s secretary.

Mia was trying to figure out how she could make up for her disastrous first impression when the dark-complexioned adjutant standing behind Asad suddenly stepped forward.

The next moment, Mia felt a chilling sensation at the back of her neck.

The adjutant’s cold sword point was just about to leave a red mark on Mia’s pale neck.

“What—what are you doing?”

Caught completely off guard, Mia gasped for breath.

“Shall I cut it off?”

The adjutant looked at Asad as though asking for permission.

‘Cut what off? My head?’

Mia’s eyes widened until they could not possibly grow any larger.

Her chest heaved violently up and down.

She was quite literally on the verge of losing her breath.

‘Because I pushed the Grand Duke? Or because I said the wrong thing? You’re going to cut someone’s head off for something that minor?’

Asad gave a slight nod.

His expression was utterly indifferent, as though he were simply instructing someone to pour wine at the dinner table.

Beautiful face or not, a villain was still a villain.

And that was the exact moment Mia became a former fan.

‘Th-This…’

The adjutant, having received his master’s order, tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword.

‘…you insane psychopaths!!’

Mia’s silent scream echoed between her tightly clenched teeth.

And at the same time—

Crack.

The adjutant twisted his sword-wielding wrist hard.

The razor-sharp blade flashed as it reflected the light.