Chapter 1

* * *

My name is Cecilia Miller.

My nickname is Cece!

Until just a moment ago, I was a child whose dream for the future was to become a carriage.

And that dream had just been shattered into pieces.

Why?

Because the moment I turned exactly seven years old, memories from my past life came flooding back.

Right at the instant I blew out the candles on my birthday cake.

‘What’s this…?’

I was only briefly devastated by the fact that humans couldn’t become carriages.

Then I blinked blankly.

A translucent scroll-like window was floating in front of my eyes.

Just like the system windows that often appeared in the novels I’d read in my previous life.

‘S-So this is…’

<I Only Tried to Save the World>.

Also known as <IOTSW>, it was a novel I’d read in my previous life.

It was an adventure story where the female protagonist was transported into the world of a novel, became involved with the male leads, and saved the world.

The reason I’m explaining this now is…

“Why did our princess suddenly get such a gloomy look on her face?”

“The moment she blew out the candles, she suddenly spaced out.”

“Nobody secretly blew out the candles for Cece, right?”

“Wasn’t me.”

…because the people sitting in front of me and offering me cake were the protagonists of <IOTSW>.

‘No wonder. I’d always wondered why I was the only kid with multiple handsome dads.’

It was because Mom was the heroine of the novel!

I finally understood how the world worked and stared with my mouth hanging open.

Come to think of it, this was probably why the villagers always accepted the whole “one child, four fathers” situation without questioning it.

Because this was literally a world inside a novel!

A setting where anything was allowed as long as you were the protagonist!

With a dazed expression, I looked around at my “dads.”

“Cece’s focus. Gone.”

The bronze-skinned man who always spoke in short sentences.

Male Lead No. 1, the stoic Derek Grant, whose intimidating appearance could stop even a crying child.

“How strange.”

The owner of that gentle voice was the empire’s strongest archmage, with long golden hair flowing down his back.

Male Lead No. 2, the long-haired bespectacled Harzen Walker.

“♩♪, you guys are only making her more startled. Back off! I can’t even see Cece’s face!”

And finally, this dad was the empire’s greatest inventor and Male Lead No. 3.

The foul-mouthed Kyle Blake.

Oh, right.

I got those descriptions from the novel introduction!

For the record, the reason Daddy Kyle’s swearing gets censored into musical notes is thanks to an invention he developed himself.

Apparently he thought profanity might be bad for my emotional development, but he wasn’t confident he could quit swearing completely.

Anyway!

Including another dad who had temporarily left home because of unavoidable circumstances, I had four completely different dads!

And the heroine who had wrapped all these men with their wildly different personalities and appearances around her finger was…

“Why? What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

…my mom, Yuria Miller.

“Mooom…”

Facing the woman with fluffy pink hair tied up in a single ponytail, I naturally stretched out my arms.

The memories of my previous life had suddenly returned, mixing an adult’s reasoning into my thoughts.

But regardless, I was still a seven-year-old whose favorite place was Mom’s arms!

“What’s wrong, my princess? Did your dads bother you again?”

“Nooo, that’s not it… It’s just that you’re so, so pretty, Mom.”

Honestly, I still couldn’t believe it.

A person this beautiful was my mom.

And I inherited her genes!

“Oh my, but Cece is much prettier in Mommy’s eyes.”

Mom laughed, scooped me into her arms, and dabbed some cake frosting onto my nose with one finger.

Ah, cold.

“Uhehehe.”

I burst into giggles reflexively, then immediately came back to my senses.

Gasp, I almost got swept away by the mood.

“Mom, Mom. Wait a sec…”

The moment I regained my composure, I wriggled out of her arms and looked at the scroll again.

<IOTSW> ended after Mom and the dads defeated the demon king and moved to the countryside.

That happened before I was born, so naturally this was a point in time after the novel’s ending.

Which meant I should’ve been able to keep enjoying this peaceful world forever…

But…

‘This feels ominous!’

If it were just a peaceful side story, would there really be any reason to show me something like this?

And more importantly…

‘I never read the side stories!’

Why?

Because of comments like these!

<Please don’t read the side stories… Detailed spoilers in the replies.

└♬♪ If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have spent money on the side stories. Aren’t side stories usually supposed to fix plot holes instead?

[My review after finishing all the side stories]

└If it weren’t for the side stories, I would’ve just accepted the reverse harem’s ridiculous lack of logic and moved on… but the side stories ruined everything. Don’t spend your purchase tickets on it. Don’t even read it for free.>

‘When people say stuff like that, who would honestly want to read it?!’

Besides, I normally don’t read side stories anyway!

If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve at least checked the replies to find out why!

As I clutched my head while remembering those advance readers’ comments.

Ding!

With a cheerful sound, the contents of the scroll changed.

‘Huh?’

It was suddenly offering me a personalized spoiler?

Then there was no reason to refuse.

I needed to know why everyone had suddenly become so passionately anti-side-story.

While carefully watching Mom and the dads, I stared at [YES].

At the same moment, the translucent scroll lit up brightly.

I read the contents.

Blink.

Then blinked again.

Unable to believe what I’d just seen, I slowly read it one more time.

The heroine? Dies?

The world? Ends?

‘…No way.’

It’s a lie, right?

There’s no way that’s real. Right?

For a moment, I doubted the words in front of me.

Then I finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and muttered a single word.

“Mom…”

Give me back my happy future!