After taking a shower, Kiara sat in front of the vanity. Bella was carefully doing her makeup, making her look as beautiful as possible. The girl wore a simple knee-length burgundy dress—elegant without being too much. Her hair was styled half-up, while the rest fell softly down her back, giving her a graceful aura that made Kiara almost fail to recognize the reflection in the mirror.
"Sorry, but… do I really have to dress like this? Honestly, I'm not used to looking like this at all. Especially with my hair down like this. Usually I just tie it up in a messy bun," Kiara muttered, feeling awkward as she touched her unfamiliar hairstyle.
Bella chuckled quietly. "What are you talking about, Non? You've always been like this—elegant, graceful, and always the center of attention."
Kiara held back a sigh. "Oh my God… so this is what it feels like to be a novel character. I usually just throw on whatever I have," she grumbled in her head.
Bella lightly patted her shoulder. "Come on, Non, let's go downstairs. Mr. Benni must be waiting."
"Mr… Benni?" Kiara frowned in confusion.
Bella stared at her closely. "Non Arsella, are you sure you're okay? You've been acting really… different today." There was a worried tone in her voice.
"Tuan Benni is your father. You didn't forget that too, right?" Bella added, looking puzzled.
Kiara froze for a second before letting out a small laugh to cover her nerves. "Hahaha… I was just joking!"
Bella looked relieved, while Kiara whispered internally, "It's fine. I'll be Arsella for now. I just need to figure out how to get out of this ridiculous novel world and back to the real one."
With careful steps, Kiara walked downstairs, Bella following behind her. At the bottom, Lisa and her daughter Liora were already waiting. Lisa's face was full of fake concern, while Liora wore a satisfied smile, as if she had already won something.
"Let's go, Arsella," a deep baritone voice said from behind.
Kiara turned around to see a dignified middle-aged man standing tall.
"Right now?" she asked, hesitating.
"Yes, right now," he replied in a tone that left no room for argument.
Kiara had just taken a step when Lisa suddenly approached and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry, dear. You have to go through all of this. If only your sister weren't sick, she would be the one going," Lisa said in a soft, overly dramatic voice.
But in the middle of the hug, Lisa whispered sharply in her ear, "Finally, you're leaving this house!"
Kiara froze, then gave Lisa a tight-lipped smile. "No wonder the Lisa character was labeled antagonistic in the novel… she really is awful," she thought.
"Seriously, Arsella… you're just going to let yourself be dragged around like this? Don't you know how to say no? How could you be this obedient?" Kiara grumbled in her head, irritated at the original owner of the body she was using.
Meanwhile, Liora, standing sweetly beside her mother, smiled even wider. Now she was the only young lady left to be considered the heir of the house.
"Wait!" Kiara suddenly shouted, making everyone turn toward her.
"What is it, Arsella?" Benni asked, frowning slightly.
"Can I… um, bring Bella with me?" Kiara asked carefully. To her, Bella was the only person she could remotely trust here—even if it wasn't a hundred percent.
Benni glanced at Bella, then nodded. "Alright. If that's what you want, we'll bring Bella."
Relief washed over Kiara. "Thank you, Sir!"
"Sir?" Benni raised an eyebrow. "I'm your father, Arsella."
Kiara choked. "Right—yes, I mean… Papa," she said with a forced smile. Inside, she almost choked on her own spit.
"Great. Calling a stranger 'Papa.' This novel world just keeps getting weirder."
---
Kiara entered a luxurious building with Bella and Mr. Benni. Inside, many women her age were already gathered. Their beautiful faces lined up neatly, each waiting for their turn to be called.
"Oh my God… so many candidates for Sagara's wife. Don't tell me every girl in this building is being considered?" Kiara complained mentally.
She took a deep breath. "I need to make sure I don't get chosen. If possible, I shouldn't stand out at all. It'd be a disaster if I actually ended up becoming his wife. And in the novel I read, Arsella—this body's original owner—gets shot dead by Sagara."
"Arsella, go join them and sit with the other women. Papa and Bella will wait here. Remember, do your best to get chosen," Benni said firmly.
Kiara shot him a sharp look. "How could you do this to me? Aren't I your actual daughter?"
"Papa has no choice, Arsella. If our family doesn't send a representative, our business will collapse. Don't you care about the hundreds of employees depending on our company?" Benni replied flatly.
Kiara could only let out a long sigh. There was no point arguing with someone who valued business and wealth more than his own daughter. She felt genuinely sorry for the real Arsella.
"But I'm not Arsella. I'm not going to die stupidly or get stomped on like that!"
With heavy steps, Kiara joined the women seated in the hall. Immediately, several pairs of eyes turned toward her with judgment, some whispering among themselves.
"Eh, Arsella, you're really joining the selection? You're weak, always sickly. Now you suddenly think you can become Sagara's bride?" one girl sneered from behind.
Kiara turned around and smiled faintly. "You're right. I don't want to be here either. But Arsella can never refuse her family. If I were in my real body, I would've run away already."
"Weirdo. It's like she's saying she's not herself," another girl muttered.
"I'm not," Kiara answered casually, making the two girls stare in confusion.
Suddenly, a young man entered and stood at the front. He signaled for all the women to walk into another room. Kiara walked at the very back, doing her best to stay unnoticed. Once the group had gone ahead, she glanced behind her and prepared to slip away.
But a muscular man with a gun stepped in front of her.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked sternly.
"I-I was… going to the bathroom," Kiara stammered.
"Lies! You're trying to escape. Get back in line!" he barked.
Kiara had no choice but to jog back to the group.
When everyone entered the room, a young man descended the stairs. His aura was so commanding the atmosphere instantly turned tense. Kiara bowed her head as low as she could. She had no doubt this was Young Master Sagara. She didn't dare look directly at him—terrified she might accidentally trigger the tragic fate she'd read in the novel.
Her heart pounded even harder when Sagara stopped right next to her.
"Oh God, please not now. Don't let me get shot. I just want to stay alive long enough to get back to the real world."
But instead of looking at her, Sagara grabbed the woman standing beside Kiara and clutched her by the neck.
"Do you know who you're dealing with?" he said coldly.
"S-sorry… sorry, Young Master Sagara!" the person replied. The voice was deep—definitely not a woman's.
Kiara blinked, realizing the "woman" was actually a man in disguise.
"You disguised yourself as a woman to assassinate me?" Sagara glared.
The man suddenly pulled out a gun and pointed it at Sagara. Instead of panicking, Sagara only smirked.
"Oh my god… this is like a thriller scene. Why did I even enjoy reading this kind of novel back then?" Kiara groaned internally.
The disguised man backed away, still aiming his gun. "I'll spare your life, Sagara. Just release Stella!"
"Stella? Who's that now?" Kiara frowned.
"Ardi??" a woman whispered from the end of the line, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was the real Stella—his lover whom he didn't want to lose to Sagara's bride selection.
"If you don't free Stella, I'll kill this woman!" Ardi shouted, suddenly grabbing Kiara and locking his arm around her neck. The gun's muzzle was now pressed against her temple.
"Huh?! Why me?!" Kiara's eyes widened in disbelief. Her body froze, her heart racing wildly.
"Oh God—why am I the hostage?!"