The Duke’s Fake First Love - Chapter 2

Chapter 1.2

‘Pretend to be his first love, my sister.’

It was risky to deceive Louis, but there was no other choice.

“After my brother died in the accident, you disappeared. I thought you were dead, too.”

“…I was caught in that accident and suffered aftereffects for a while. My memories still aren’t fully intact.”

In truth, it was my sister who lost her memories after being involved in that accident.

‘Originally, she was supposed to regain her memories after witnessing my death, but since I twisted the story to survive, that won’t happen.’

“Ah.”

I stood up from the sofa without thinking, and nearly collapsed when a wave of dizziness hit me. Thanks to Louis catching me, I didn’t fall in an unsightly heap, but he semi-forcibly seated me back on the sofa.

“…Are there any side effects from the drug you mentioned earlier?”

Now I’m starting to worry a little. Surely I wouldn’t die from some strange drug just because I twisted the original story… right?

“They said there might be partial memory loss or confusion, but as long as you take the antidote, there shouldn’t be any other side effects.”

‘…Isn’t that still a side effect?’

I couldn’t help thinking, and sure enough, Louis smiled softly.

“Though, you never know.”

As he said this, he handed me the water and medicine from the table.

“Is this the antidote?”

“The culprit confessed they prepared it in case things escalated.”

‘To think he’d pull something like this without even having the guts for it… He really is one strange guy.’

I swallowed the antidote, trying to suppress my growing annoyance, and sure enough, the dizziness began to ease.

‘I should probably leave soon.’

I considered standing again, but decided against it. What if I stumbled and had to lean on Louis again?

‘…The thought alone is horrifying.’

Louis pathologically despised physical contact with others. Maybe that was why he always wore gloves, and of course, today was no different. Even if I’d gotten lucky this time, whether my head would stay attached if it happened again was something only heaven and Louis knew.

“You really don’t remember?”

Louis’s voice was calm but laced with suspicion.

“You seem oddly composed for someone claiming memory loss.”

Even though it was obvious he was testing me, I kept my face blank. After all, I truly couldn’t remember anything.

“I’ve never been very expressive.”

“Oh?”

Louis reached out and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. Even though his touch was gentle, his hand was as cold as a corpse.

“Since you said you don’t remember, I’ll just say it again. I proposed to you last night and asked you to marry me.”

‘…What?’

Louis nonchalantly continued his bombshell declarations.

“Think carefully about why I proposed to you.”

“….”

“And while you’re at it, I’d like an answer as well.”

After saying that, Louis turned away, casually telling me to keep the coat and that there was no need to return it.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

Leonia Bellasi.

The second name I gained after being reincarnated into this book.

In the story, Leonia, the heroine’s younger sister, endured an unhappy childhood, constantly compared to her flawless older sister. Her engagement to a high-status man briefly improved her standing… but in the end, she was killed in the very first scene of the novel, right in front of her sister’s eyes.

Given the novel’s title 『 My Sister Died 』, it was inevitable.

Anyway, after that incident, the heroine, who vowed to avenge her sister, built the foundation to punish the culprit, while occasionally weaving in some romance. That was the novel’s main plot.

And the one destined to kill Leonia, me, was…

My fiancé.

Until half a year ago, when an accident restored my past-life memories, I was Leonia, just as she was written in the original story.

‘Back then, he was truly the only one I had.’

But after regaining the memories of my past life, I realized just how terrible I was at judging people.

‘That’s why I twisted the original story and called off the engagement.’

The problem was that I was now facing a new crisis.

“Ugh, my head hurts…”

A pounding headache hit me—whether from a hangover or the drugs, I couldn’t tell. I must have dozed off for a bit, but when I opened my eyes, I found myself inside a familiar carriage.

‘Louis must have arranged this.’

The name that confronted me as soon as I came to my senses threw me into chaos.

‘Why did he propose to me?’

Was it because he thought I was his first love?

Louis believed I was his first love.

‘But in the original story, while Louis was lenient toward his first love, he was never so obsessed as to propose.’

This much was clear from how he had mistaken me for my sister. Despite the fact that I was the heroine’s younger sister, aside from both of us having pink hair, my sister and I didn’t look much alike.

‘He probably never even saw her face properly.’

That made it all the more puzzling. After all, there was no reason Louis would propose to a first love whose face he didn’t even know.

Scree—ch!

At that moment, the carriage jerked to a sudden stop, and I was thrown forward.

…What now?