I Accidentally Woke Up the Obsessive Male Lead - Chapter 1:

Ariel’s eyes flew open.

Everything around her looked blurry, as if frost had settled on a windowpane.

It felt like she had just been dreaming…

She blinked several times.

Upon seeing the ceiling that came into view looking subtly different, her vision cleared and a question quickly filled her mind.

The mold stains that had been there for a long time were nowhere to be seen.

Did someone clean the ceiling or something?

Who on earth…? There’s no one who would’ve done it.

As the thought flashed through her mind, Ariel sat up and looked around.

As she had expected, the place where she was lying was not her own room.

As soon as she realized this, Ariel narrowed her eyes.

Ariel lived alone near Obern Castle, in the heart of the North.

Therefore, there was no one to move her to another room, nor anyone to clean the ceiling.

In that case, there’s only one answer!

This place has been made to look like her home, and she has been kidnapped!

There were quite a few enemies who could have kidnapped her.

The people close to Ariel Fay were quite well-known.

The Lord of the North, Ethelred Yume Ezekiel Steffen¹, was her childhood friend.

The head of the Fay family, Rodbril Fay, who had served the Steffen ducal family for generations, was her cousin.

Most of their interactions had been when they were in Obern, and it had been a long time since they last contacted each other, but it was still a plausible possibility.

Well, if it were just some thugs targeting a person living alone, they wouldn’t have the means to decorate a place like this.

Ariel’s expression grew sharp as she stared at the door.

Just then, a loud bang on the door echoed through the room.

She scanned her surroundings, searching for something that could serve as a weapon.

No matter how much she looked around, she couldn’t find anything. In a dramatic move, she grabbed a pillow.

I guess there’s no choice. I’ll just block their airways and knock them out.

Ariel hid next to the door, waiting for the right moment. And the moment the door opened—

“Iel, how long are you going to sleep? It’s already lunchtime… Gack!”

She ruthlessly swung the pillow at him.

First, she aimed for the nose and mouth, where the airway is, and then struck the uvula with the edge of the pillow. Anyone would be knocked out from that.

If he lost his balance even slightly, she’d knock his legs out from under her and finish him off… No, she’d block his airways.

Ariel swung her legs fiercely, but suddenly, she had a strange thought.

Why are these legs so short and thin?

Her vision was spinning, so she couldn’t fully process it right away, but the boy’s frame was also surprisingly small.

At that moment, the boy who had fallen called out to her in a scream.

“Ariel Fay!”

How dare you call my name!

Ariel, burning with anger, was about to explode, but suddenly stopped herself.

Come to think of it, the voice calling her sounded familiar.

Ariel furrowed her brow and tossed the pillow aside.

“Huh..? Rob?”

The boy collapsed in tears and snot was none other than her cousin, Rodbril.

And he looked like he had seriously de-aged, too.

“Ugh, I’m going to tell Aunt about all this, ugh…”

Young Rodbril wiped his tears and slowly got up.

He looked so fragile it almost stirred a sense of guilt, but Ariel just tilted her head.

At a young age, Rodbril Fey, who inherited the title of Baron, is now twenty-three years old.

He was even three years older than she was.

Then why is the Rodbril standing in front of me a child?

And then, Ariel quickly understood.

“Oh. This is a dream, isn’t it?”

Well, yeah. There’s no way something like this could actually happen.

“It’s not a dream! You hit me! You thick-headed brute…”

Before Rodbril could finish speaking, Ariel pinched his cheek.

“Ow!”

“Oh? That hurt?”

Is this… not a dream?

Ariel tilted her head, then walked briskly toward the corner.

When she looked into the large mirror, a small face of a child stared back at her.

The girl with long, golden-pink hair resembling a doll, looked beautiful in an almost unreal way.

A pale face with smooth, delicate cheeks, small, charming lips, and short limbs.

It feels like I’ve traveled back in time.

Ariel looked at herself intently, then asked Rodbril.

“Rob, how old am I?”

Rodbril sniffled, and though he seemed pouty, he answered in a curt tone.

“You even forgot your own age too? You, simple-minded…”

“Do you want to get hit again?”

“…Eight years old.”

Ariel’s mouth hung open at Rodbril’s words, stunned by his submission to violence.

This is twelve years ago?

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Ariel absentmindedly played with her soft, stretchy dough-like cheeks, lost in thought.

What on earth did I do to be sent back into the past?

Before coming back to the past, nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

I just spent the whole day picking herbs, come home, washed my feet, and went to sleep.

Maybe the herbs I picked were some kind of time-reversing herbs, or the water I used to wash my feet had a time-traveling potion in it or something.

I came up with a few theories, and oddly enough, every single one of them seemed plausible.

This was only the second time something this ridiculous had happened.

In truth, Ariel remembered her past life.

Yumi, an orphan born in South Korea. Just when she was finally starting to make a name for herself as a gymnast, her life was cut short.

It was only recently that she realized she had been reincarnated, but even so, she remembered it all quite clearly.

Right, she had been reincarnated, so it’s not impossible to go back in time as well.

This really feels like a typical romance fantasy novel…

At a sudden thought, Ariel’s eyes widened, and she quickly smacked her palm with her fist.

Romance fantasy novels were almost always about reincarnation, possession, or time regression. Thinking of it that way, her current situation started to make sense.

‘I opened my eyes and found myself back in the past.’

This is a regression novel!

When she woke up, she saw an unfamiliar ceiling, and incredible powers… she didn’t have!

That’s right, it’s definitely regression!

Ariel’s eyes sparkled with realization.

At that, Rodbrill, who had been quietly watching her with caution, flinched.

He took a step back, as if he wanted nothing more than to run away from her.

Seeing him just as timid as he’d been since they were young, Ariel couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.

“…If you’re done hitting me, then hurry up and leave.”

Rodbrill opened his mouth to speak, even as he watched her warily.

Ariel, wearing a puzzled expression, widened her eyes at Rodbrill’s next words.

“Auntie and Grandpa are waiting…”

Ariel blankly opened her mouth in shock.

Auntie? Grandpa?

Mom and Grandpa… are outside?

That can’t be…

Just before Ariel turned nine, her mother and grandfather died in a tragic accident.

No, that’s what she had been told.

She had no memory of the accident, having been in extreme shock at the time.

The passage of time had dimmed her recollection, to the point where she no longer knew exactly when the accident took place.

But… Mom and Grandpa are alive…!

Ariel rose to her feet.

It didn’t matter anymore if this was just a dream or if she had truly returned to the past.

Just the thought of seeing her mother and grandfather’s faces again was enough to brighten Ariel’s whole face.

Ariel left Rodbril behind and dashed down the stairs.

The sound of her bare feet meeting the wooden floor somehow felt light and cheerful.

“Mom! Grandpa!”

She called out in a deliberately bright voice, but there was an undeniable longing in her tone.

However, Ariel suddenly halted in her steps.

Even the sound of laughter flowing from beyond the door made everything feel unfamiliar.

Even though it was clearly the house she had lived in.

The wooden floor and walls, free of any signs of time’s passage, were bathed in the dazzling sunlight.

And there, just as warm as the sunlight, was her grandfather, Baron Fay, moving the dishes.

Baron Fay, who had been talking and laughing loudly toward the back of the kitchen, smiled when he spotted Ariel.

“Oh, our beautiful El. Did you sleep well?”

Ariel stared at him in a daze, unable to speak, lost in the warmth of his affectionate gaze.

Noticing Ariel’s expression, he was puzzled for a moment, but soon scolded her as he saw Rodbril following her.

Rodbril shrugged his shoulders and grabbed the heavy dishware that his grandfather was holding.

“I’ll do it, Grandpa.”

“Of course you should.”

At the stern tone so different from how he treated Ariel, Rodbril pouted.

Only after he left did Baron Fay chuckle quietly as he looked at the back of his head.

It was a heartwarming sight, like something straight out of a painting.

The comforting scent of wood, the gentle warmth in their eyes, and the sound of heartfelt laughter.

Even without a single touch, the warmth of someone lingered in the air.

Yet, because it was all so warm, it somehow felt out of reach.

It was a scene she had always longed for, but the moment she stepped into it, she was afraid it would all vanish like waking from a dream.

Because it felt like she alone would return to that empty house.

Ariel bit down on her lip.

“Hm? El? What’s wrong?”

Baron Fay looked at Ariel and asked with a puzzled expression.

He approached Ariel, who couldn’t say a word, knelt on one knee, and met her gaze.

Ariel’s eyes wavered as she looked at Baron Fay, who was kneeling despite what seemed like discomfort in his leg, meeting her gaze.

“Did you have a scary dream?”

As he gently patted Ariel on the shoulder, memories of her grandfather rose to the surface like bubbles in still water.

*‘El, it’s okay. You’ve got Grandpa here, don’t you?’*

*‘El, if you roll Rob in the dung field, the horses will get startled.’*

*‘Grandpa just needs our El to be happy, that’s more than enough for me.’*

As his voice and warmth flashed through her mind countless times, Ariel fought down the rising lump in her throat.

And at that moment, a radiant woman, as dazzling as her golden hair, approached them.

“El!”

Ariel’s mother, Iris, smiling softly, soon tilted her head in curiosity at the atmosphere between them.

“Hmm? Is something wrong?”

Ah. It’s Mom. My mom…

Ariel’s face twisted with emotion. She wanted to say something, anything, but no words came out.

Truly, so very much…

Ariel opened her arms and embraced her grandfather and mother.

She had missed them.

Ariel buried herself in her grandfather and mother’s embrace, seeking warmth.

She wished to hold onto this warmth forever.

Yes, this warmth, this feeling, it’s not a dream. It can’t be a dream.

“El?

She could feel the confusion in their eyes, but Ariel only buried her face deeper in their embrace.

“It’s just… I missed you so much.”

“What’s this? It’s like we haven’t seen each other in ages.”

Iris smiled in amusement and then gently patted Ariel.

“I missed Grandpa too!”

“Stop it, you hopeless fools…”

As soon as Baron Fay’s mouth dropped open, Rodbril’s reprimands followed one after another.

At the sound of their laughter, Ariel couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

She prayed, hoping she would never wake up from this dream.

If this is another chance given to me, I will definitely save both of them. I will, without fail!

However, soon Ariel forgot about the situation and furrowed her brow.

What’s that strange smell?

——

¹ The name Essered El Ezekiel Steffen (에셀레드 윰 이제키엘 슈테펜) will be changed into Ethelred Yume Ezekiel Steffen because it’s more accurate than the former.