The Heroine in The Novel Died

And the villain in the novel was Duke Kissen Cassiar.

The respected and famous Duke of Cassiar, who had produced Archmages from generations to generations, with a handsome appearance that was difficult to replicate even with a sculpture, had abundant wealth, the ability to rise to the position of Archmage, and had been referred to as a genius mage since childhood.

There was only one fatal flaw in him, who was nothing in lacking, and it was that he was suffering from madness.

His madness manifested itself in the form of overflowing mana.
His power was transcendent, so if he lost control and ran wild, the entire mansion would be blown away.

The Duke of Cassiar suffered from severe insomnia so relied on sleeping pills.
His madness manifested when he was sleep deprived.

However, when he became resistant to it and it did not work, it was the heroine, Archen Milter, who put the Duke of Cassiar, who was in a precarious state on the verge of a mana explosion, to sleep.

Milter possessed the unique power to erase bad memories and put his mind at ease while in contact, making it possible for Duke Cassiar to sleep.

If those two had been in love, the story might have ended happily, but Milter had a crush on the male lead, Hassen.
For the Duke of Cassiar, there was no such thing as love.

He desired Milter for himself.
Milter, on the other hand, refused the Duke of Cassiar’s demands and it resulted in her kidnapping.

There was a reason why I remembered the title and content of this novel despite the fact that I have never read the novel.
That was because the main characters’ ending was ruined. 

The novel was quite popular at the time it was serialized.
Unlike other novels in which the villain gets off track and falls in love, the Duke of Cassiar was devoted solely to the role of the villain.
As the novel’s development was fresh, the novel’s ending piqued interest as well.

The ending, on the other hand, was shocking enough to be absurd, as the pressure was as great as the work’s popularity.
The other Dukes run into a runaway as soon as Duke Cassiar kidnaps Milter, and Hassen, Milter, and himself all die.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime flop.

It got to the point where readers questioned the writer’s mental stability.

Even I, who respected the author’s viewpoint, considered changing the ending if I could get into the story.

Maybe it was because of that fleeting emotion that I wanted to enter the novel?

Was it common for a character who did not appear in the novel to become a main character?

“I apologize for interrupting you in the midst of your seriousness, but I have something to say to you.
Why don’t you listen to me as well?”

The Duke of Cassiar, who was waving his hand in front of my face, looked at me with despair in his eyes.

He was so handsome that he could say something impolite to someone.
In fact, I prefered his appearance.
Then I gently slapped my face and shut my mouth.

Wake up, Riel.
This wasn’t the right time to talk about your personal preferences.

I would be ruined instead of Milter if I made a mistake.

“I apologize, but I’m a little busy right now.”

“How about we talk on the way?”

“Which way are you going?”

“I’m heading in the same direction as you.”

Damn it.
You appear to be adamant about not stepping down.

The Duke of Cassiar, as the world’s most powerful villain, was difficult to deal with.

“I apologize,  but I haven’t spoken to anyone casually since the beginning.”

“Then you’re free to speak informally as well.”

Hahaha.

You have a better personality than I read in the novel.
The duke’s coldness burst forth with a big smile.
There was no sign of the conversation coming to an end at this point.

If I couldn’t avoid him, I had no choice but to run into him.
There was no need to be scared because there was no heroine in this part of the story!

“Because the Duke is so adamant about it, let’s first hear the situation.”

I said it without being intimidated in front of the Duke of Cassiar, and he smiled, looking at me as if it were a game.

There was no need to be concerned! We’d never see each other again if the Duke of Cassiar meets Milter, because I was of no importance in this story.

“If you know me, you must have heard of my madness.
That is caused by not being able to sleep.”

“I had no idea the Duke was in such a pitiful situation.”

I pretended to be unaware of Duke Cassiar’s circumstances in order to avoid becoming involved as much as possible.
He continued speaking, however, without showing any signs of embarrassment.

“However, as soon as you touched me, I felt free of something that had been shackling me, and I fell asleep.
Nothing like this has ever happened to anyone I’ve ever met.”

This was what Duke Cassiar said to Milter in the novel.

“Oh, it looks like you need that power.
But what am I to do? This is a power that I borrowed for a limited time, and it will soon lose its effectiveness.
But if the Duke needs it, I’ll introduce you to the person from whom I borrowed.”

“Borrowing power? How can I believe that? It’s your natural power, but you might be lying because you don’t want to be involved with me, who has a lot of bad rumors.”

The Duke of Cassiar, as someone who believed in what he saw with his eyes, gave me a suspicious look.

However, I should not be involved in the rumor in the newspaper about the Duke of Cassiar.

Are you trying to read my thoughts? Are you aware of my thoughts?

“I only have one life.
How dare I deceive the Duke? I’d bet Marquis Alioth’s honor that what I’m saying is true.”

“I’ve answered the question, so the rest is up to the Duke.”

“It isn’t just my problem.
I’m not going to let you go if it’s not true, because you’re exactly what I need.”

Regardless of how much the reader desired a fast-paced novel, wasn’t this a bit much? It seemed like the development was faster than the original one, so was he about to kidnap me right away?

“How can I persuade you to believe me?”

In light of the circumstances, I decided to take a step back.

“If you want me to believe what you said, I’ll give you a chance to prove it by bringing that person here at the appointed time tomorrow, I will give you the terms if you don’t keep the promise.”

“What if I reject the terms?”

“It might be worth it if you risk your life instead.”

There was no need to be relieved that I played a minor role.
That meant I didn’t have to worried about dying at the Duke of Cassiar’s hands right now!

In any case, all I had to do was bring Milter in.

Although I was bothered by the ruined ending, I wasn’t sure if I could change it by explaining what had happened to Milter.
I’d like to live without being noticed as I was before.

“I’ll trust you.” 

The Duke of Cassiar looked relieved as if he didn’t have anything to lose, he added. 

“I’d also like to know who you borrowed the power from.”

“Count Archen’s daughter, Milter Archen.”

I said her name confidently.
Duke Cassiar’s expression darkened when he heard her name.

“Are you sure you can bring her?” 

I had no idea what that question meant at the time.
If I could do it now, I’d like to shut up and respond to his provocations with my fearless mouth.

“I’ll bring her.
I’m putting my life on the line here.”

Notes: 

[1] Dead to the world means sleeping so deeply that she can’t wake him up.