I Became the Lady of a Perished Noble Family in a Horror Novel - Chapter 3

When Hana first opened her eyes after she possessed Isabel, there was a familiar book clutched in her arms.

〈The Ghost-Seer Lady of Herpeldeir〉

When she realized she had possessed the book’s protagonist, there was still a glimmer of hope.

The novel was incomplete, and less than six months remained until the final scene that had been written.

But even after those six months had passed, Hana was still waking up every morning in Isabel’s body.

Hana had always been patient, but when the last chapter ended, she couldn’t hold back her tears.

“What if I really can’t go back? My hard-earned money! My reputation!”

Thankfully, Isabel’s nature wasn’t one to dwell on despair. After only a day, she shook it off and faced reality.

“First, I need to make money.”

Until then, she had managed by selling off the remaining jewelry and dresses, believing she would return home soon.

But now, there was nothing left to sell, and she was running out of things to eat.

‘If I had known, I wouldn’t have thrown that wild party on the last night.’

Desperate for a way to make a living, she put Isabel’s cursed ability—the very one Isabel had hated—to use and opened a “ghost detective” agency.

At first, prejudice against a female detective who could see ghosts left her without clients. However, after handling a few cases, word of her abilities spread, and Isabel became a well-known detective in the area.

But, as life goes, once one problem was solved, another appeared.

“……”

Isabel took a sip of tea, her face stiff.

She usually enjoyed this tea, but today she couldn’t taste it at all. She only wanted to flee from this place.

‘I heard that one could never forget his appearance once they saw him…’

The man sitting across from Isabel was breathtakingly beautiful. Golden hair as bright as the sun, and garnet-red eyes peeking out from beneath thick lashes.

The description matched the novel’s portrayal perfectly.

‘He looks like an angel…’

“Is this how you treat your guests?”

“……”

His sharp voice made Isabel swallow nervously as she set her teacup down.

“…My apologies. I heard from my secretary that you wanted to request my services.”

Isabel barely managed to squeeze out the words.

The man responded in a low voice, “You know who I am, don’t you?”

‘Of course I do.’

Isabel nodded subtly, her eyelids trembling.

How could she not know? The Emperor of the Celesio Empire.

He was the youngest emperor in the history of the empire and the one who had transformed Celesio, a mere backwater, into a major power almost overnight.

Yet, his reputation in the empire was abysmal.

There were dozens of reasons for this, but the biggest one was that he had killed both his father and his only brother to ascend to the throne.

Another reason was his mysterious madness and his reputation as a tyrant who killed without a second thought.

‘His eyes definitely look like those of a madman.’

In the original story, Isabel avoided him at all costs.

The reason wasn’t clear, but the best way to deal with a madman was to steer clear of them. Besides, she had assumed there would be no reason to ever meet him.

‘But now things are different.’

With a commission of one million gold coins, she couldn’t avoid him just because he was crazy.

Honestly, she would have taken the job even if the devil himself had asked for help.

Who knew—maybe if she solved the case perfectly, he might spare her life out of admiration.

If she couldn’t avoid it, she would face it head-on.

“So, what is the case, Your Majesty?”

At Isabel’s words, Adolf’s lips curled into a cynical smile. “You act quite the detective. It’s hard to imagine your family once stood shoulder to shoulder with the imperial family.”

Isabel’s face stiffened for a moment.

“I heard the curse killed your entire family. Because of you, wasn’t it?”

“Why bring that up…”

As he said, the Herpeldeir family, once the wealthiest in the empire, was slowly being forgotten.

And yes, the destruction of Herpeldeir had been Isabel’s doing. Or rather, it was due to the curse that she had been born with.

The curse not only took everything precious from Isabel, but it also confined her to this haunted mansion.

Isabel spent months in the eerie mansion, consumed by sorrow. She had been haunted by the guilt that if she had never been born, her parents—and everyone else—would still be alive.

Even without experiencing it firsthand, Isabel’s memories and emotions remained in her body. So his words weren’t just unpleasant—they made her feel downright filthy.

Lost in thought, Isabel fiddled with the silver ring on her finger.

‘What will happen if I refuse this request? Will I die?’

It was a rhetorical question.

No matter how foul or unlucky she felt, an emperor’s command was absolute. And this man wasn’t just anyone—he was a maniac who valued human life as little as nothing.

If she refused without even hearing the details of the request, he might very well decide to cut her throat out of irritation.

‘I need to stay sharp. I can’t die here.’

Suppressing her anxiety, Isabel calmly parted her lips. “Did you come all the way here just to verify my rumors?”

Adolf leaned back leisurely, letting out a faint laugh. “I don’t care about your past.”

“……?”

“The only thing that matters is whether your curse can solve my problem.”

Isabel brought her teacup to her lips, observing Adolf closely. Though he appeared arrogant on the surface, he had been glancing at the wall clock since earlier.

‘He’s trying not to show it, but his eyes are wavering. His leg’s shaking too.’

Though he feigned composure, his behavior was unmistakably that of a man on edge.

Isabel deliberately took her time answering, trying to read his intentions.

“The curse is real. And yes, I can see ghosts. But can my curse really solve Your Majesty’s…”

“Can’t you speak faster?”

“Pardon?”

“Damn it, what the hell is taking so long at this hour?!”

Suddenly, Adolf shot up and yelled, looking visibly unstable.

‘What’s this? His madness acting up?’

Alarmed, Isabel discreetly pushed her chair back, her eyes darting around.

“Your Majesty…”

“If your ability turns out to be a lie like the others, I won’t let it slide. I’ll rip you limb from limb… ugh.”

His handsome face twisted in pain.

Sensing that things were taking a dangerous turn, Isabel slowly rose from her seat.

“Your Majesty, it’s very late. It’s almost midnight. Wouldn’t it be better to discuss this tomorrow?”

Taking advantage of Adolf’s moment of distraction, Isabel moved towards the door and grasped the doorknob.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“……”

A chilling voice slithered up behind her. Adolf approached Isabel in a few large strides, stopping in front of her.

Faced with his deepened, icy gaze, Isabel found herself exhaling sharply without realizing it.

His strong arm reached out to push the slightly open door closed.

Creak.

The sound of the old, unoiled door closing seemed to drag Isabel back to hell.

Listening to his heavy breathing right in front of her, Isabel understood how dangerous the situation had become.

‘I need to get out of here…’

Though she didn’t like to admit it, being a detective—a job she had taken up simply to make ends meet—suited her. By instinct, she could often tell what someone was thinking just by looking into their eyes.

But staring into Adolf’s eyes, burning a vivid red, she couldn’t read anything. To be precise, there were too many emotions in them.

As if he wasn’t a single person.

Before she knew it, she was trapped between Adolf’s two arms, and she fidgeted with her hand behind her back, trying to escape.

“You’re trying to run away again.”

Before she could react, his large hand grabbed her throat and slammed her against the wall.

“…Ack!”

“Do you dare defy my orders?”

“Y-Your Majesty!”

The more she struggled to escape his iron grip, the tighter it became.

‘I… I can’t breathe!’

In a desperate attempt to stay upright, Isabel’s fingers brushed against a thick book on the shelf beside her.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she grabbed the book and swung it with all her strength at Adolf.

Thud!

The dull sound of the book striking his head was quickly followed by the release of his grip.

With a heavy thud, Adolf collapsed, and Isabel, gasping for breath, looked down at him.

“Hah… Damn lunatic.”

Then.

Rustle.

A breeze from nowhere fluttered the pages of the book on the floor.

“Why is this…”

Passing the unconscious Adolf, Isabel slowly picked up the book.

[…Chapter 12: The Suspicious Client

Isabel couldn’t hide her shock. Why is this person here? Adolf, whom she absolutely should never meet, was standing boldly before her.

…Isabel twisted her body, but the man’s strength was overwhelming. His large hand tightened around her throat, filled with desperation. As if she was his last hope…]

…This.

This is the current situation, isn’t it?