NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1 Prologue
“Ahh!”
It was chaos.
The chandelier swayed precariously, as if it might fall at any moment.
Shards of shattered glass glittered sharply, and food and drinks were spilled all over the floor.
A cake, smashed and stuck to the ground.
And the nobles slipped on the cream from the cake.
The beautiful ballroom had turned into a scene of pandemonium.
“Am I having another nightmare?”
Sara unknowingly bit her lip.
Amid the terrified crowd, someone stepped forward with heavy footsteps.. Golden hair that seemed to have monopolized divine grace, jewel-like sparkling eyes, and features as if painted by a brush he was breathtakingly handsome.
For a moment, Sara was entranced, but she quickly snapped back to reality.
The man, who seemed to be crafted from the most precious things in the world, glared at Sara with disdain.
The chilling pressure from his icy gaze made it hard to breathe.
“Let go of that hand.”
His green eyes, which might have been tender toward someone else, were now fixed on Sara’s hand.
Following his gaze, Sara was startled. Her hand was tightly gripping the hair of a woman she didn’t know.
“Gasp!”
Sara quickly let go, startled. The woman, whose hair had been grabbed, hurriedly hid behind the man and cried out dramatically.
“Duke Evans! This woman is insane! She just mentioned your name, and out of jealousy, she caused this commotion!”
With the woman’s words, the whole nightmare became clear.
It seemed that “I” had caused this mess.
The moment she realized this, memories that weren’t hers came flooding in.
“Duke Evans isn’t even a real man.”
“He’s so cowardly, engaging to a lady for honor while holding feelings for someone else.”
“Being a noble from a foreign country, he still hasn’t assimilated into our society. His origins are barbaric, so he doesn’t understand loyalty.”
“Young lady, be careful. Who knows when he might discard you like trash?”
It felt as if she had become the true protagonist of this nightmare. All the memories from moments ago came rushing back.
The foolish “her,” blinded by love, was the laughingstock of the nobility.
As always, the nobles toyed with her today.
They mocked her by ridiculing her fiancé, her most sensitive point.
And as always, she couldn’t hold back her anger.
“Just insult me! Don’t insult the Duke!”
As all the memories surfaced, rage boiled within her.
It wasn’t just about feeling wronged.
The handsome man standing before her was none other than her fiancé, and the disheveled woman hiding behind him, pretending to be pitiful, was Lady Maren, who had just been sneering at him moments ago.
“Lady Maren was the one who started it…!”
Just as she was about to retort in anger, her fiancé, the Duke, spoke coldly.
“I am truly disgusted by your behavior.”
She flinched.
The moment she saw his icy, hardened expression, the strength drained from her clenched fists.
Why are you blaming me?
I’m on your side.
They’re the ones who insulted you.
“I’ve clearly told you to stop causing scenes using me as an excuse.”
The man’s voice was filled with disgust. He made no effort to hide it.
“I… I didn’t…”
Tears welled up in her eyes. She felt so wronged it was maddening.
She had no intention of making excuses, like saying she did it for him.
But—
She had only slightly raised her hand, yet people spilled their drinks and dropped cakes, making it seem as if she had caused the chaos.
She had grabbed Lady Maren’s hair because Lady Maren had ordered a servant to drop the chandelier.
‘They’re trying to pin the blame on me for breaking the chandelier.’
“The truth is…”
“You’re also at fault, Duke.”
At that moment, Lady Maren whispered to the man.
“She got angry because you refused to be her dance partner at the ball because of Lady Grace.”
Instantly, the man’s expression changed. His beautiful green eyes filled with a cruel, murderous glint.
He stared at Sara as if she were a bug he could crush, stepping closer.
Her body trembled instinctively.
When he got so close that their breaths almost touched, his heavy, panting voice pierced her ears.
“Cornelia Iris.”
A shiver ran down her spine.
“If you dare utter Grace’s name one more time, I won’t let it slide.”
His cold voice felt like it could strangle her at any moment.
The man quickly stepped back, as if he had touched something filthy.
Then, without looking back, he walked out of the ballroom.
Snickers and laughter rained down on Sara, who had been pitifully abandoned.
But she no longer felt angry or wronged.
From the moment she heard the man’s harsh words, it felt like she had been struck hard on the head.
‘Cornelia… Iris?’
That name was all too familiar.
And the title Lady Maren had used to address the man.
‘Duke Evans.’
A golden-haired, green-eyed Duke Evans who hated ‘Cornelia.’
That was the name of the protagonist from the novel she had written, “The Duke’s Regret.”
‘Don’t tell me… I’ve become Cornelia from my own novel?’