Chapter 3 - CHAPTER 3

The next day, the man willingly helped Rihana escape the forest."I want to go back to the orphanage in my original kingdom, Diaries," she said.Upon hearing this, he even assisted her with that."If you remember something, come find me."He said this, acting dramatic until the very end.'So, he let me go after pretending to kill the imposter?' she thought.Such a heartless author.He wanted her to pretend to be someone else.Remembering the red-haired immortal she'd met in the forest, Rihana crossed the threshold of the orphanage with a sense of relief.'In the end, I came back.'As the saying goes, better the devil you know than the devil you don't.'Anywhere is like hell if it's familiar.'Above all, there was still quite some time before the story in this place would begin.Until then, it was the safest place in the world."...Sigh."In this way, Rihana's escape ended after only three days.During that brief adventure, she discovered her true identity and set her goal firmly: not to die as a villainess.That's why she treated her one-sided crush as if it were a deadly disease.Typically, that's a sign of a villainess—intense, unrequited love toward the male lead.***Eleven years later, in a city far from Ephenor Orphanage, in Bellowsy.As Rihana looked out of her office window at the view of Bellowsy city, she was suddenly overcome with nostalgia.'I wonder if I'm roughly the same age as I was in my past life?' she thought, glancing at her reflection in the office window.Her pink curls were gone, replaced by neatly tied black hair, styled like most Koreans.Most notably, she wore flashy glasses to divert attention from her eyes.No matter what kind of webtoon storyline she got tangled in, she always disguised herself, cutting her long hair and using forged IDs hidden in her pockets.Rihana turned her gaze from the window to face the client across the table."Could you explain the details of your request, ma'am?"A business-like smile, worthy of a 21st-century South Korean woman, crossed her lips."I want you to ruin my ex-husband's wedding. That's my request."Rihana stroked her chin, exuding the aura of a capable fixer pondering a plan.She'd set up an errand service as soon as she became an adult, maintaining a 100% success rate for a whole year.Well, that was to be expected.After all, this world was the setting of a webtoon she already knew.With her knowledge from the original work, she could find a way to complete any difficult request.'But if I get involved and trigger the villain flag, it'll be troublesome,' she thought, narrowing her eyes at the woman in front of her.Although requests were always anonymous, she had already realized this client was the protagonist of another webtoon.Her dazzling, multicolored eyes were rare in this world.'A request from the protagonist, huh?'Although there was a risk of getting entangled in the original storyline,Rihana smiled.After all, money was the priority.A smile spread across her face as she pictured a pyramid-shaped mound of money in her mind.In her imagination, the pile of money resembled a desert island, isolated in the vast ocean.'Yes, let's work hard to gather money until I can buy that island!'Rather than being poisoned by a melancholic silver-haired noble back home, having her precious pastry stolen by the neighboring country's male lead, or being heartlessly rejected by the immortal she'd loved for 200 years...'Being a castaway on a deserted island is much better.'Rihana's eyes narrowed into crescent shapes as she smiled broadly.At twenty-one, she was working hard to gather money to buy that deserted island and completely isolate herself from the story.Her gaudy horn-rimmed glasses luckily concealed her teary eyes as well.***Rihana headed to the location the client had provided.Though she was already in disguise, she concealed her true appearance even more thoroughly.She sported a big mole on her nose and wore a tangled black wig, shaped like instant Jjapagetti noodles.When she arrived, she found herself in front of a cathedral.Through the stained-glass windows, she could see a wedding ceremony in progress.A slightly dashing man stood in front of the altar in a refined outfit.The groom was Beongbyeong, the male lead of a webtoon.'A guy who fools around, breaks the engagement with the heroine, and remarries the villainess... He'll regret it later, of course.'Well, it wasn't going to be a perfect marriage.However, the weather was perfect, with bright sunshine and a gentle breeze blowing.It was the perfect day for wedding commotion!Rihana adjusted the disguise glasses on the bridge of her nose.***The wedding was in full swing, illuminated by the colorful light pouring through the stained-glass windows and the splendid melodies of the orchestra."And with this, the vows of the bride and groom are complete."The priest took a slow breath before making the final announcement."If anyone opposes the union of these two as husband and wife, speak now or forever hold your peace."Silence filled the space as the music and applause stopped.Now, all that was left was for the groom and bride to exchange their vows and officially become a married couple.But suddenly, someone made a move.Bang!The cathedral doors swung open violently, as if they were about to break.The guests all turned in surprise, and there, amidst the colorful light, they saw a woman standing crookedly.The woman roared loudly."Hey, you—"She roared again and charged down the aisle."—You scoundrel!"With an unexpected turn of events, she rushed toward the groom, leaving the guests in shock and disbelief.Everyone was caught off guard as the woman confronted him, hitting him with her handbag and crying out in frustration."How could you do this to me? Even if I wasn't your first, second, or third, I was your fourth lover! How could you not invite me to your wedding?"She tousled her already messy hair even more, making herself look even wilder."But I came here to bless you. Why? Because I love you!"Her emotional outburst was so intense it made the groom pause and reflect on his life.However, he quickly became angry and exclaimed,"What—what is this crazy woman doing?""Why is she causing a scene? Get rid of this impostor now!"Before he could finish, the woman retorted."An impostor? Can you say that in front of this symbol of our love?"Flash!In the bright morning sunlight, a ring glowed brilliantly.All the wedding guests could see the symbol of the Duke's family engraved on it."That, that's..."Even the groom was momentarily speechless.Neither he nor the bride had known his ex-wife had it.The guards moved to remove the woman, but the bride stepped in front of them to stop them."Wait!"