<Chapter 2>

Rebelling against the season, the searing heat of summer bloomed in June.

Yurenia stood in front of the grand gates of a vast estate, clutching a large leather bag.

Two lions faced each other, roaring with their front paws raised.

It was the crest of House Valerio.

Her cherry blossom-colored eyes sparkled at the grand and ornate entrance, flaunting the prestige of the Empire’s most powerful ducal family.

‘So this is the place.’

The place where the story begins.

No, to be exact, the place where the tragedy begins.

This was the central setting of the novel Chains of Obsession, the story into which Yurenia had been reincarnated.

‘Ah, that’s…!’

Yurenia’s eyes widened as she caught sight of a greenhouse through the bars of the gate.

I know that greenhouse.

That’s where the male lead, Kailas Valerio, did XX to the female lead Emilia’s XXX…

“Miss d’Aubigné?”

“Yes?”

Startled by the dignified voice, Yurenia nearly choked on her own saliva as she stared fixedly at the greenhouse.

When did he show up? A butler stood behind her with his hands clasped behind his back.

“Are you Miss d’Aubigné, the new private tutor?”

“Ah, yes! That’s me.”

Yurenia quickly collected herself and responded. Then, she gave a bow so precise and graceful, it could’ve come straight out of an etiquette textbook.

“It’s an honor to meet you. My name is Yurenia d’Aubigné.”

“I’m Branson, the butler. May I ask what you were looking at so intently? Is there something wrong with the greenhouse?”

“Oh, no! It’s just so beautiful. I was admiring it.”

Yurenia gave an awkward smile at Branson’s sharp question.

‘Why did I have to remember that scene of all things?’

It was one of the most commented-on scenes in the original novel, a key moment where Kailas’s sins began to accumulate.

It had left such a deep impression on her that the image sprang to mind the moment she saw the greenhouse.

Not because it was the steamiest scene, of course.

Probably.

“I see. I’ll give you a proper tour later. For now, let’s greet the Duke. This way, please.”

“Yes!”

Yurenia followed Branson into the mansion.

The central path lined with trimmed hedges looked like something out of a medieval European painting. As she walked, Yurenia placed a quiet hand over her heart.

‘You can do this, Yurenia.’

Thump. Thump.

Her heart pounded fiercely as she stepped fully into the world of the original story.

* * *

Yurenia had realized she’d been reincarnated five years ago.

One morning, while washing her face, she suddenly recovered her memories of her past life.

Back then, she had been a college student in modern-day Korea, scraping by on tutoring jobs and every part-time gig she could find to cover tuition and living expenses.

Her circumstances hadn’t been great, so every hour she wasn’t at school was spent working to survive.

She didn’t complain.

Thanks to that, she was able to escape her hometown and attend a university in Seoul.

But it was a hard life, no matter how you looked at it. No matter how much she worked, money slipped through her fingers like water.

Tuition, rent for her tiny studio apartment…

[My daughter, how are you doing?]

Even supporting her family.

[Send 1.5 million won to Mom’s account by Friday. It’s for your brother’s cram school.]

She had just finished a night shift hauling heavy beer mugs at a bar and was on her way home.

On the late-night bus, she was looking at photos of her friends’ food posts on social media when a new message popped up from her mom.

[Send more if you can.]

[I already sent living expenses yesterday. And why does cram school cost 1.5 million won?]

Her chest tightened.

Her parents pitied her older brother, who had been preparing for the civil service exam for five years, far more than their daughter who lived alone in a distant city.

[He says he needs special packages and intensive classes. And why are you talking like that? Can’t you do this one thing for your family?]

Here we go again.

She was sick of it.

Whenever her parents asked her for money, they used the same tired lines.

The moment she said she couldn’t send money, the barrage of guilt-tripping began.

Selfish daughter.

Ungrateful brat who only thinks of herself.

According to her parents, she was the disgrace who ignored the family’s wishes and ran off to Seoul.

At first, she gave them every cent she earned out of guilt. But over time, she realized something was wrong.

Her parents never actually worried about her. They only demanded.

If they had cared…

When she told them she had caught the flu and couldn’t go to work while shivering alone in a freezing rooftop room with a broken boiler in the middle of winter, they wouldn’t have said:

“What are we supposed to do if you can’t earn money?”

Even a meaningless, “Are you feeling okay, sweetheart? Go see a doctor,” would’ve been better.

To her family, she was nothing more than a walking wallet. Their guilt-tripping was just another way to squeeze money from her.

‘Enough already.’

Frustrated, she ignored the notification and opened her web novel app.

Reading web novels on the bus after her night shifts was her only solace. It was the only time she could escape her grim reality.

The one she was obsessed with at the time was the infamously twisted Chains of Obsession.

The male lead Kailas found new and impressive ways to be trash in every single chapter, and by the end he was completely wrecked.

He was so pitiful, really.

At first, she was like, “Please, someone ruin this guy.” But before long, it turned into, “Please, someone spare him.”

Did he really have to suffer that much?

Sure, Kailas had a mouth like a sailor, but…

A pretty face forgives a lot, doesn’t it?

Judging by the cover art, Kailas was completely innocent.

To be fair, the female lead Emilia was no less blameless herself.

‘If someone had just looked after Kailas when he was a child, none of this would’ve happened.’

It was just as she got off at her bus stop…

[You’re breaking your mother’s heart. Why are you so awful?]

Another message, snapping her out of the novel’s world.

[Mom, please stop. I’ve done more than enough. Even if I send money, Oppa probably won’t even use it for classes. I told you it’s like pouring water into a bottomless pit. I’m struggling too—]

She typed furiously out of frustration, then erased the whole thing.

What was the point of arguing?

It would always end the same way.

So she opened her banking app and transferred that month’s tutoring money to her mom.

‘The kids in that novel and I… none of us had good adults in our lives, huh?’

Adults are always the problem.

She thought bitterly as she crossed the street.

And then—

SCREEEEECH!

The sound of brakes. Headlights blinding her as a car bore down on her.

‘So I got hit by a reincarnation truck? No, I guess mine was a reincarnation car, huh?’

Dazed after recovering her past life memories, Yurenia stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Pale beige hair, and pink eyes.

A completely different appearance from her past life. But this life wasn’t much different in other ways.

She’d been born into a noble baron’s household, but far removed from any glamorous high society.

House d’Aubigné was low-ranking nobility. Their living standards were closer to that of commoners.

Instead of debuting in society, Yurenia entered the Imperial Academy. Her parents passed away in a carriage accident right around the time she enrolled.

Because of that, the barony was handed over to some distant relative she had never even met.

Under imperial law, noble titles were passed on to the nearest male relative if the original titleholder had no sons.

It was unfair, but she couldn’t do anything about it.

That’s just how the laws of this world worked.

Thankfully, she got into the Academy on a full scholarship. At least tuition wasn’t a concern.

In the Empire, young unmarried women who lost their parents early either lived with relatives or learned to stand on their own.

Yurenia chose to become a private tutor right after graduation.

‘Wait a second. Did I just reincarnate? Or… did I actually possess someone in the novel I was reading?’

She couldn’t recall a private tutor ever appearing in the story she read.

That meant she wasn’t the protagonist or even a villainess.

Then… she must be a background character.

‘So what? If I’m an extra, that’s fine.’

She had no ties to dazzling balls or the social elite. She was born a noble, but now she was just a tutor.

‘Whether I reincarnated or possessed someone, it doesn’t matter. I’ll live quietly, like I’m not even here.’

She had scraped through life in her past existence, always tightening her belt. In this life, she’d keep things short and efficient.

Earn money while she’s still young, save aggressively, and enjoy a comfortable retirement.

Her ultimate goal: to become a rich old granny.

But then—

[URGENT] House Valerio [Hiring]

Seeking a tutor for a seven-year-old boy. Room and board included. 400 gold per month (negotiable).

Yurenia had just wrapped up a job contract and was looking for a new one when fate presented her with this ad.

House Valerio, the very setting of the twisted high-angst novel Chains of Obsession she’d read in her previous life.

They were looking for a tutor.
 

<To be continued>

Join the GS Discord to stay updated on the latest chapter releases:

https://discord.gg/PRZEAJZE3J