Chapter 1.2

“Has the day finally come for me too…?”

The moment I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling, I was so excited that I covered my mouth and kicked my legs with glee.

For a decade, I’ve been a hardcore romance fantasy reader. At last, my time has come.

I climbed down from a bed so massive it looked like two king-sized beds pushed together, and stood in front of a mirror. The second I saw my face, I clenched my fists and cheered.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so pretty!”

Long, fluffy waves of baby pink hair like cotton candy, a pale and dainty face, golden eyes framed by soft, pastel-pink lashes.

Seriously, how could someone this beautiful exist?

And now… that someone is me.

“This can’t be real. It’s like a dream…”

My heart raced with anticipation. Would I finally get to experience the kind of romance I’d only ever read about in novels?

As I kept admiring my reflection, I suddenly glanced around the room. There was the huge, luxurious bed I’d woken up in, a side table next to it, and…

“Huh?”

My eyes snagged on a burgundy hardcover book. It was lying askew on the table.

Something about it made me hesitate. Like I wasn’t supposed to touch it. Could it be the diary of the original owner of this body?

Suddenly, I felt ashamed for getting so carried away about waking up in a new world.

I don’t even know anything about the person whose body this was. What if this world isn’t what I think it is?

“Please don’t let this be one of those super dark, tragic stories…”

Still, it was probably best to get a clear sense of the situation.

Despite the unease prickling at me, I picked up the book and sat back down on the bed. I turned to the first page.

To you, who has likely taken possession of my body by now—

Snap.

I slammed the book shut.

What? What is this…? This isn’t a diary.

Something is very wrong. Am I dreaming?

Anxiously, I scanned the room. The curtains were drawn over every window, and there were too many lamps and bright lights.

“No, no. There’s nothing weird about this. Nothing at all.”

I swallowed hard and opened the book again.

To you, who has likely taken possession of my body by now,

Hello, and welcome.

…Though I dearly wish to greet you properly, I imagine you are extremely overwhelmed.

So I’ll cut to the chase.

I’m sorry.

First and foremost, I owe you an apology.

“Gasp!”

I instinctively flung the book across the room. Goosebumps erupted across my skin.

How did the person who wrote this know I’ve taken over their body?

Did I somehow end up inside a horror game or something? But judging by the atmosphere of the room, this definitely still feels like the setting of a romance fantasy.

The diary now lying on the floor suddenly felt terrifying. But if I wanted to understand what was going on, I had to pick it back up and read it calmly.

Reluctantly, I picked up the book, even though I didn’t want to touch it at all.

…You must find this hard to believe. I, too, never imagined such a thing was possible.

But if you’re reading this, it means we—you from beyond this dimension and I—have successfully swapped bodies.

You must be scared. You might think this is all nonsense.

Perhaps you’d rather believe this is all a dream.

But it is not. This is the result of an experiment conducted by my father, Count Mathieu Arthur.

My father was the Second Imperial Mage of the Imperial Court. He was an incredible eccentric and a brilliant prophet.

He believed that this world would soon collapse…

“…W-what?”

My face twisted in disbelief. So you dragged me into a world that’s falling apart?

I couldn’t bring myself to believe what I was reading.

Maybe the original owner of this body was mentally unstable…

But then, why was it so quiet outside?

Given the room’s size, the mansion itself must be enormous.

Yet from the moment I woke up, I hadn’t heard a single sound. No footsteps, no voices, not even a servant passing by.

“Don’t tell me…”

If this is some kind of mental hospital, I’m screwed.

I scrambled to the window and yanked open the curtains.

What unfolded before my eyes was—

A living hell. A world ravaged by fire and blanketed in ash.