I Became The Male Lead’s Female Friend

At that moment, O’Neill’s words flashed through my mind.

 “I’d do anything to make you happy. Anything. You know, really anything.” “Because your happiness is my happiness.” 

‘Your happiness makes everything for me, if you don’t already know…’

 

She had said it then, clearly.

 

‘You’ll know someday.’

 

To which I muttered to myself

 “You don’t mean someday I’ll know…” “Exactly!” 

The woman clapped her hands, somehow hearing my words to myself.

 “I actually didn’t think you’d find out so soon, but… as long as the memories keep overlapping, I’m sure you’d know at some point.” “…” “Do you think you know now? I mean, really?” “…” 

I stared at her in disbelief, then answered dazedly.

 “…No, no.” “Dahlia?” “I don’t know a thing, not a thing. The seal, my happiness, that you are me!” “…” “You expect me to believe that? That there are two identical beings in the same timeline, and that’s why our memories are merging? You’ve got to be kidding me, it’s more believable that O’Neill used magic to disguise my form…!” “Dahlia.” 

The

‘me’

smiled softly at the contemplative, gibberish-speaking me.

 

A chill ran down my spine. How could my face be so unfamiliar, even though I see it every day?

 

She spoke slowly,

“Actually, you’ve been noticing it for a while.” “…” “The lock number on the box, how did you know?” “I, I…” 

A voice like mine interrupted my trembling.

 “You were bound to know, that.” “…” “It was the date when you and Rudrik first met.” 

Narrowing my eyes, I said.

 “How could O’Neill, who’s not even alive, know that? At best, our memories are hazy.” “…” “That wasn’t the only suspicious thing about it, was it? How I knew about the childhood relationship with Rudrick, how I went straight to the Averine mansion, and…” “…” “I’ve been building up my powers for a day like this.” 

She trailed off.

 “To protect what we hold dear, Dahlia.” “…” “Isn’t it?” 

Without realizing it, I clenched my fists.

 

To my dismay, it was all true. I thought it was all for my own good that she’d stepped in when I was first in trouble, that she’d told me she’d been building up her strength for this day.

 

But on second thought, it didn’t make any sense.

 

What connection could she have had with me that would cause her to cultivate this power for me, when in her previous life, she and I hadn’t had much of a connection.

 

In the end, it was all because…

 

‘Because we share the same loved ones.’

 

It was the same with the others. There was a little way for O’Neill, like anyone else, to know the details about me.

 

The most obvious way was, as crazy as it sounds.

 

‘Because I am who I am.’

 

There was no denying it anymore.

 

Her face, which resembled mine, brightened at the sight of my despairing expression. She seemed to realize that I’d finally accepted the truth, too. 

 

Soon, I heard a small voice say,

“Do you understand now? Why would I do something that would harm ‘myself’? On the contrary, you want happiness more than anyone else, don’t you?” “…” “Well, this is the same thing, we’re just trying to make each other happy, so go ahead and give me the ring…” “I can’t do that either.” “What?” 

Her eyes narrowed and she looked at me. 

 

After a long moment of silence, I looked back at her with more determination than before.

 “I understand what you’re saying… I understand that you’re me.” “Then why…” “But we’re not one now.” 

Her face frowned slightly.

 “I have no idea how a ‘me’ could have appeared in front of me, or where the hell you came from, but… we’re each one of us now.” “Dahlia?” “I’m Averine’s heir now, and you’re the next Master of the tower, and we have our own lives… how can you say we’re completely one person?” “…” “Is it because we’re the same being and one of us needs to disappear, so you’re going to seal and stop it? If that’s the case, we need to find another way, I’m sure we can find a better way…” “Ha…” 

She sighed deeply. Even the way she was frowning and ruffling her hair was openly indicative of her annoyance, so I looked at her in bewilderment.

 “Do you really think I became the next Master just because I wanted to? A path I was pushed to the brink of and had no choice but to take?” “What…?” “And what if I coveted the things you have now, the things you enjoy, and I wanted the same things you had, would you make concessions?” “If we can find a mutual compromise…” “No, actually, whatever you have, I don’t want any of it. Money, fame, power, none of it matters to me…all I want now is…!” 

Her ranting and cursing soon ceased, and she glared at me with reddened eyes, then stood up with a twisted smile.

 “I’m trying to be nice, but you won’t listen, so what can I do, anyway…” “O’Neill, no, Da, Dahlia?” 

I stumbled back, watching her slowly move closer to me.

 

But I couldn’t move.

 “I was going to let you live happily ever after without knowing anything, but if you want it so badly, why don’t you experience it for yourself?” “Dahlia, Dahlia, untie me…!” “You see for yourself.” 

At the same time, her fingers touched my forehead.

 “How badly I wanted to die.” 

Soon, my vision went black.

  

Dahlia closed and opened her eyes.

 

The ceiling was familiar.

 

‘My room?’

 

She blinked in confusion.

 

It was strange. She was sure she was dead. She had lost her parents, her life was hard, and she was afraid of losing everything and having to live alone, so she had taken the last resort.

 

When she woke up, she realized she was lying in her room.

 

Dahlia was confused, wondering if she was dreaming, otherwise her room, which had been nearly destroyed, would not be this intact…

 “Miss, are you all right?” 

The familiar face didn’t look right.

 

The maid was one of the servants who had tried to stay on until the end, until the house was destroyed. 

 

Dahlia was dumbfounded to see the woman who had stood by her side for so long.

 

‘What is it?’

 

After that, it was a blur of unknowns.

 

Suddenly, I see a version of myself that’s years younger, a mansion that’s not in ruins but still warm, a group of lively people, laughter everywhere.

 

Most of all…

 “Dahlia, what’s wrong?” 

My beloved mother and father. They were both alive and well.

 

They didn’t return one day as chilled corpses, or as bodies that couldn’t be found, but they were alive and well, laughing softly as usual.

 

As she sobbed in her parents’ arms, Dahlia thought,

‘This must be a dream, some sort of dream in which the gods took pity on me and gave me a little rest.’

 

But it wasn’t a dream.

 

Days went by, and she didn’t wake up, and slowly Dahlia had to think of other possibilities.

 

‘No way, I’m back in the past…?’

 

Something she thought would never happen to her.

 

In fact, she had briefly hoped for it before she died. If I could go back in time, if I had one more chance, I wouldn’t let this tragedy happen.

 

And it came true.

 “Thank you, God, for everything. Thank you so much…” 

Dahlia thanked the gods over and over again, vowing to herself,

‘This time I will protect my family. This time, I’m the one who will protect them. I’m not going to hide behind my parents, I’m going to protect what’s important to me.’

 

But it wasn’t easy to keep that promise.

 “Alas…” 

Before I regressed, I was just a plant in a greenhouse.

 

Like most young people, she was more concerned with learning numbers and learning to be educated than talking about politics and economics.

 

So even if she wanted to change, she didn’t know where to start. 

 

No matter how many times she told them there would be a war in the future, no one believed her, and she didn’t know how to prevent it.

 

In the end, the tragedy repeated itself.

 

The only difference this time was that she was able to retrieve her mother’s body.

 “This time… I… ended up…” 

I couldn’t protect anything.

 

When she was so desperate that she was eventually murdered in a conspiracy by her relatives.

 

Dahlia was brought back.

 

It was a miracle.

 “This time.” 

Of course, it wasn’t all easy.

 

There were many times I got lost, and there were many trials and errors. At times, I felt like falling down, but I always managed to get back up again.

 

‘Is this a miracle?’

 

Because her regression never ended.

 

Dahlia regressed every time she died. Whether it was a plotted death, an accident, a murder, or even her own death.

 

How many times did she return to the past?

 

When she opened her eyes after each death, she was lying in her room. 

 

After repeating this so many times, Dahlia felt herself growing weary. Her resolve to protect what she held dear had faded.

 

Later, it became more of a chore than a mission. I would protect my family at all costs. I would fulfill an old desire, no matter what, even if it meant getting my hands dirty.

 

If I complete it perfectly, then I could finally rest in peace.

 

‘Finally…’

 

At last, Dahlia did it.

 

It wasn’t anything special. Anyone, no matter how lowly, would do it in her situation.

 

Her parents had both survived, and her family had survived without being accused of treason. She even relived her life over and over again to help further the family name.

 

After marrying a decent man, she raised a family and lived happily ever after.

 

She closed her eyes in their arms and thought.

 

‘That was good enough.’

 

At last, she thought,

‘I can finally settle my old scores.’

 

And when she opened her eyes.

 

There she was again, back in her room.

 

Just like that day, when she always came back.

 “Ah, argh, ugh…” 

Only then did Dahlia realize.

 “Aaahhh!!!” 

It was not a miracle, but the beginning of a curse.