adam taylor ɞ

chapter 1

"i've always wanted to be reincarnated in a book i liked, but this is a bit much!" you whined, burying your head in a pillow.

it all started when you were reborn in this world after a terrible accident in your previous life, but the story has already ended–or is nearly ending. You weren't sure since your knowledge is based on pure assumption from the context clues. The current situation you're in right now in the story explains that much.

when you woke up, you were in the body of an orphan, but none of the memories were present. it took you a while to get used to and to gather some information from the children at the orphanage. it didnt help that none of the children could read or write; however, you could since this world's main language is english. You had to be careful not reveal your abilities since the other children would get suspecious but when you were alone, you'd steal some of the newspaper and read it. You haven't realized that you've been transported into a book until you saw news of his holiness heika returning to the capital.

"WHAT?!? theres no way....." all sorts of thoughts start to consume your head. you were still in shock and couldn't believe what was happening.

If the high priest came back to the capital, then that means vivian has died, and he's here to defend raeliana. out of all the characters you could have been, you had to be some side character who's not even a part of the story. Not only that, the story is almost ending, so all your knowledge of this book is useless. there was barely any information after the climax, so theres nothing you can gain from it.

"damn it...." you crumpled and paper out of anger and threw it across the floor.

this was nothing like the fairytales you've dreamed of; you've always wanted to be reborn as a noble and have a romance story of your own, but this is the opposite.

"stupid god..." you mumbled.

someone noticed the noises you were making and came into the room, "y/n what are you doing?? it's your turn to do the dish-" the girl notices the crumpled newspaper on the floor.

you started to panic since you've been caught "i was trying to read this, but i couldn't understand anything, so i got mad-" you tried to lie and explain yourself.

"trying to read it is one thing, but why would you crumple it up?? i still haven't read today," she was furious.

"i'm sorry...." you apologised. the girl you were talking to is named diana. she's the oldest child at the orphanage, and she is in charge of taking care of all the kids. diana was never adopted out or couldn't find a job, so she stayed behind and started working at the orphanage as one of the caretakers. she assigns jobs to some of the older kids (which includes you) so everyone can get the work done fast. you had snuck out from doing dishes to read the newspaper since no one is in their rooms at this time of the day.

"i'll go do the dishes now," you excused yourself to avoid getting lectured.

after doing the dishes, you headed back to your room and flopped down onto your bed, staring at the ceiling. you were absolutely bored with your life, its the same schedule every day, and it started to get on your nerves. the things you would do to be raeliana right now, she was one lucky girl to be reincarnated as an important character. she even got to be with the man of your dreams, you were jealous. you would have rather just stayed dead than reincarnate as a boring character.

life at the orphanage went on, and you were almost 18 now, which means you'd have to start looking for jobs. you doubt that you're going ot get adopted any time soon since you're already this old. who would want a child who's already grown up.... you thought to yourself.

one day, diana called for everyone to line up at the orphanage entrance. the word is that a high-ranking noble was going to adopt one of the kids out. this was just a waste of time for you since you already know you wouldn't be picked.

"welcome, duke blake, we are glad to have you choose our orphanage." diana bowed, welcoming the noble into the building. 

you imidiatly regornized his name, duke blake was the one who had adopted beatrice. you were confused about what he was doing here; if anything, he should be paying for his daughter's action right now, unless that has already happened. it was hard to tell what parts of the story has or hasn't happened. was he here to adopt another daughter to cope with the loss of beatrice? no, that can't be. all sorts of thoughts filled your head as you were trying to figure out the man who just entered.

"i want someone mature, preferably someone older," he explained to diana.

so he is here to adopt someone to replace beatrice? you thought to yourself.

"i see, then one of these children would be to your liking." diana brought the duke over to where the older kids were lined up, which you were a part of.

the manhwa you read and so loved mentioned nothing about what happens to the duke after beatice has been defeated. what if he is plotting something against raeliana to get revenge for killing his daughter? it was a strong possibility since the duke adored beatrice and he is the type of person to go this far. situation like this made you wish the book had more context; everything you know is utterly useless since the 'villain' of the story has been defeated. you really loved raeliana and noah, they were two characters you cherished so much in your previous life when you were facing a hard time. they were a source of your comfort and hope; you didn't want them to face any more trouble. they've already been through a lot because of beatrice.

you've made up your mind, you'll do anything to prevent duke blake from messing with raeliana. you're going to try your hardest to be adopted by him so you can keep an eye on his actions. life so far has been boring anyway; this is finally the chance for you to do something. you felt bad for robbing one of the orphans' future, but you had to do this, for both raeliana's sake and yours.

you stepped forward and placed your right foot behind the left, lightly held your skirt, and dipped into a graceful curtsy, lowering your gaze in quiet respect.

"it's an honor to meet you, duke blake, i'm y/n," you bowed. everyone in the room was really surprised, esspecially diana, she was confused about where you've learned perfect etiquette. you felt bad for tricking others with this knowledge but you needed to increase the chances of you being adopted out.

the duke brought his hand to his chin, humming in a thinking manner. "please theres no need for such courtesy, i'm here to adopt one of you." you raised your head and smiled.

you can tell the duke was amused by your behavior. "how old is this young lady?" he asked diana.

"she's 17, your highness," she replied in a calm manner.

"so younger than beatrice....." he mumbled to himself, which you couldn't hear. "this child is perfect, i would like to have a one-on-one talk with her, then make my decision," he stated, dismissing the other kids.