My name is Keith. A knight and bodyguard of a count's daughter—Leyla Nerwine.
Leyla and I grew up together. To be precise, I was taken in by the count at the age of ten and trained to become Leyla's personal guard. I've always been grateful for being taken in back then.
The problem started during a sparring match yesterday, on my twentieth birthday—I suddenly remembered my first life.
"So… I was a woman before."
My name in the first life was Jung Cha Ri, a third-year high school student preparing for the CSAT.
"Did I… die?"
Basically, on the way to take the CSAT, I was reading my favorite web novel, written by my favorite author. It even had a comic and anime adaptation. I was a huge fan.
Of course, nothing could be better than being reincarnated into your favorite novel… except I ended up as a side character who dies halfway through the story.
Keith was a character that readers loved in that book. His name always appeared in polls and Q&A's.
He was the second lead in "The Way to Save Her." He loved the main character. However, he never revealed his feelings. He was very supportive. He was even happy when the protagonist married the male lead. It was only a contractual marriage. They had agreed to it.
'The Way to Save Her' was a cliché, angst-filled story about a contract marriage between Leyla Nerwine and Xerta von Helming, the cold northern duke. But that marriage brought about countless problems.
The novel didn't rely too heavily on misunderstanding tropes or anything like that. But Keith ended up being loved far more than Xerta.
The villain, of course, was the duchess—Xerta's childhood friend—your typical evil noblewoman who would stop at nothing to kill our protagonist.
And here's where the problem lies…
Keith, who apparently loved Leyla, though subtly hinted and never blatantly shown in the novel… died midway through the story, sacrificing himself for the one he loved.
Naturally, readers couldn't accept his death. But the merciless author let him die—and even turned him into a character that haunting over the narrative.
"Of course, I don't want to die." I thought.
Now, I am Keith. And I will die.
The thing is… I don't want to die!
But I know… I'll definitely die protecting this woman.
"If only I hadn't regained my past life's memories…"
The worst part is Keith, who is now me—has already fallen for Leyla.