I Became The Male Lead’s Female Friend

 

The moment I heard those words, my spinning world came to a halt.

 

‘What?’

 

‘O’Neil… was not the only one who regressed?’

 

Then who else regressed?

 

However, no matter how much I thought about it, it was clear who she was referring to. 

 

Didn’t she say that for a while? 

 ‘Did you finally remember it… when did you remember… and how much you remember?’  

All of them… To me…

 

‘Ugh.’

 

Suddenly, my head was burning and aching. A red light was going off in my head. 

 

The pain was like a warning, telling me not to think too deeply anymore.

 

I forced myself to feign ignorance and answer,

“Well, yeah, because O’Neill’s regression means I’m back in the past, too.” “Right.” “But O’Neill remembers before you regressed, and I don’t…? So it’s not like you’re like everyone else…?” “What? Of course not.” 

O’Neill said, scratching her head in disbelief.

 “Then, how did you develop the medicine?” “What?” “You knew there would be a war, didn’t you, and since it would be hard to stop it, you did the next best thing and developed a medicine?” “What?” 

I opened my mouth, dumbfounded. But that wasn’t all O’Neill had to say.

 “You already knew that Rudrick’s life up north wasn’t good, and that it was only going to get worse.” “…” “How did you meet Hestia? And Jeron?” “…” “How did you know about the Princess of Hessen’s illness? An incurable disease that no one else could solve, how did you know and find the medicine?” “Well, that’s…” 

Because I was reincarnated in a book…

 

So I Know the future? 

 

Of course, I do, I’ve seen it all in the books. It’s been obvious to me since I realized as a child that this place was a fiction.

 

Otherwise, the events I read about in the books wouldn’t have happened. 

 

Starting with the meeting of me Rudrick, then the war, the plague, the appearance of the supporting characters.

 

And even at the end…

 “You knew me from the beginning, Dahlia.” “…” “Am I wrong?” “…You’re right,”

answered Dahlia.

 “How did you know? I knew because I regressed, but what about Dahlia?” 

My most fictionalized heroine was asking me. How did I know her?

 

I hesitated for a long moment, then finally blurted out.

 “I’ve seen…” “Where?” “In a book…” 

O’Neill’s eyes widened for a moment.

 “A book?” “That’s…” 

I took a small breath as I chose my words, and then slowly began to tell O’Neill the truth.

 “This may sound strange, but… I reincarnated.” “You reincarnated…?” “Yes, since I was born, I’ve been remembering my previous life. I died when I was accidentally hit by a truck… Oh, O’Neill doesn’t know what a truck was? It’s more like a, uh, carriage…” “Yeah.” “I opened my eyes, and I was reborn, and I didn’t know where I was at first, but… I remembered it from different situations and hearing Rudrick’s name.” “…” “It’s like something in a book I read in my previous life…” 

O’Neill stared at me wordlessly. 

 

For some reason, her gaze was unnerving, so I blurted out,

“That’s why I know, because the future was just like it is in the book, and you were the heroine of that book…” “I was, like, the heroine?” “What?” 

O’Neill asked, and I tried to nod, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

 “Ahh!” 

Before I could respond, O’Neill burst out laughing, the kind of belly laugh you get when you hear a good joke.

 

After a few minutes of laughter, O’Neill finally caught her breath and spoke.

 “My God, Dahlia, I knew you were cute, but I didn’t know you were this cute…” “What?” “Was it Rudrick who was the leading man, and that’s why you drew the line at the beginning?” “Yes, ugh… no, O’Neill?” “Oh my gosh, I never realized that’s what you were thinking. It all makes sense now, why it kept getting off track.” “What now…” “So.” 

O’Neill asked with a smirk,

“What’s the name of the book Dahlia was reading?” 

I stared at her blankly, then blurted it out.

 “The Silver Lady.” “Oh, that name!” 

She smiled broadly, as if she knew it well, sending goosebumps up my back.

 “How did you remember that?” “What?” “That name, it was my nickname in the social circles.” 

O’Neill blurted out,

“Before the regression.” 

I froze completely.

 “What…?” 

But before I could comprehend the words, I grabbed my head. 

 

The headache that had been bothering me from earlier had returned.

 “Ugh…” 

Even as I gritted my teeth and endured the pain, O’Neill continued to mutter something to herself.

 “I guess I made quite the impression, huh? Enough to name a book after me.” “…” “I’m surprised you remembered your previous life, though. Was it because you regressed to a body so young? I’ve never been in a situation like this before, so I’m a little confused…” “…” “I get it, though, it was a painful memory that you had to brainwash yourself with. But don’t worry, I’m here for you now… Dahlia?” “…” “Dahlia, Dahlia?” 

‘Stop. Stop talking!’

 

I wanted to shut her up right then and there, but it was already hard enough to compose myself from the pain.

 

Each word she utters feels like an awl digging into my head. 

 

A cold sweat ran down my body, and my ears rang with tinnitus.

 

As my vision faded in and out of focus, a vague scene emerged.

 

My parents lying dead in a pool of blood, the mansion empty and deserted, people pointing fingers and shouts coming from everywhere. 

 

In the midst of it all, I saw a familiar figure of a woman sitting in awe…

 “…” 

I clutched my chest. I couldn’t breathe properly.

 “Dahlia! Oh, my! I can’t believe you still can’t accept…” “Hmm, ugh…” “It’s okay, it’s okay, you don’t have to remember it if it hurts, you don’t have to think about it, just relax, okay?” “…” “Maybe you just need a little more time to realize the truth, but you’ve been doing a good job so far, right? So…” 

Out of nowhere, O’Neill threw her arms around me. I collapsed into her arms.

 “Let’s go back to where we started.” 

O’Neill whispered in my ear.

 “It’s all in the books.” 

My consciousness began to fade.

 “You’re just a stranger reincarnated in a book.” 

O’Neill slowly patted my back. 

 

With each touch, a strange relief spread through my body.

 

The pain in my body disappeared, as if numbed. I closed my eyes, feeling my body relax. 

 

Through my descending consciousness, someone whispered quietly.

 “You’ve still got a lot of work to do before you go crazy, Dahlia.”  

I woke up and opened my eyes.

 

The ceiling was familiar. I blinked dazedly. I lay there for a moment, then slowly sat up. 

 

Furthermore, I looked around, dazed, and suddenly thought.

 

‘Why am I lying there?’

 

I don’t remember sleeping.

 

I had no recollection of lying in bed, and no memory of the night setting in.

 

Sure enough, just a few moments ago, I was talking to O’Neill. 

 

She assured me that I could ask her anything, and I started by asking her about her relationship with Rudrick.

 

I remember being stunned when I got confirmation from O’Neill herself that it was indeed a set-up, because they were looking increasingly suspicious. 

 

So I think I asked her,

‘What made you do that…?’

 

‘And what did she say again?’

 

Strangely enough, I don’t remember anything after that.

 

I vaguely recall hearing some strange things like

‘for the happiness of the Princess, or I would do anything for you,’

and while talking about my happiness, I also heard something about Rudrick…

 

‘Ugh.’

 

I let out a pained yelp as I felt my head throbbing and ringing. 

 

Immediately, I stopped thinking and checked my body, only to find that the pain had vanished like a ghost.

 

I scratched my head, feeling a peculiar tingling sensation.

 

‘I’m not sick, am I?’

 

No, not the sudden headache, not the sudden loss of memory from when I fell asleep.

 

Worse, I wasn’t even in bed in my pajamas, I was lying on the couch in my best outfit. It’s like I was talking to O’Neill and I just fell asleep.

 

‘What really happened?’

 

I wondered for a while, but soon stopped thinking.

 

The more I thought about it, the more foggy my mind became, and since nothing else seemed out of the ordinary, I came to a simple conclusion.

 

‘Nothing happened.’

 

If anything, I was probably sleeping sick and having to calm O’Neill to keep her from saying something weird again. 

 

I stretched and thought to myself, I’m feeling refreshed today, maybe from a good night’s sleep.

 Knock, knock— “Princess.” 

A familiar voice called from the other side of the door. I turned my head and called out in greeting.

 “Come in.” 

It was Jeron who opened the door and stepped in. He looked me up and down as soon as he entered the room. 

 

I laughed softly at the intensity of his gaze and asked,

“What are you looking at? Like a pervert.” “When did I ever…! After… That’s not it, you came into the room early yesterday because you were tired, and I wanted to make sure you were feeling okay.” “What? Of course, I’m fine, how could I not be…” 

I shook my head, then stiffened. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

 “…You heard that.” “…” 

It was me, Lord River, and Rudrick’s little brawl.

 “How’s the rumor going?” “It’s all over the place, the scandals of the imperial century, the breathtaking love triangles of prestigious Dukes, the craziest rumors.” “Ha…” “Hell, they even took bets on whom you’d choose as your husband. People have nothing better to do…” “Who did you bet on?” “…” “You’re telling me, right?” “…Bouser.” “Well done.” 

I sighed heavily and ran a hand through my hair.

 

Yes, I knew this was coming, since it was a restaurant that caused the commotion, and since it was on a busy street, I expected word to spread quickly.

 

But even with all the preparation, there was a catch. 

 

Once word got out, Duke Goldman would be suspicious of Lord River, and we couldn’t afford to mess things up at such an important time.

 “You know that ruby diamond we had to work so hard to get?” “Uh, why?” “Send that as a gift to Goldman. Tell him it’s an apology for the other day’s rudeness, and make it look like a woman in love.” “…You do this to me all the time.” “You’re good at it. Writing love letters.” 

Does the Duke of Goldman realize that all the love letters I’ve ever sent him were actually written by Jeron?

 

Not even Lord River would know that. I chuckled and rose from my seat. Jeron, who had been fumbling with his notepad, looked up. 

 

He saw me preparing to leave and asked

, “Where are you going?” “Time to get moving.” 

It was good timing.

 

The gambling house had already become quite famous among the nobility, and the Duke was said to have attracted many high-ranking nobles.

 

This rumor might be a little tricky, but it’s only a diamond in the rough. 

 

I’m sure the Duke would be delighted, if not suspicious.

 

Gazing out the window into the warm sunlight, I looked up at the clear sky. Today’s sky was clear, and it made me smile as brightly as the sun.

 “I have a good feeling about this.”