Chapter 18
The Real Jania’s Warning
‘Is this related to that “Cursed Forest” he just mentioned?’
The name alone sounded ominous. And Jania—the original Jania of this body—had been living here all along. The thought made Jania stiffen.
‘Wait… was she actually a witch? No way, right?’
She had assumed Jania was just an ordinary side character. But a wicked witch? That thought made her panic.
Then she quickly shook her head.
‘No, no. Nothing has ever hinted at that.’
Yes, there was an unusual amount of food and supplies stored here, but none of it looked like strange ingredients for witchcraft.
Jania forced herself to calm down and waited for Noah to continue.
“Lady Jania, you are a Purifier.”
“Haha, a witch? That kind of thing only exists in books…”
But instead of confirming her guess, Noah said something completely different.
“…What?”
Jania froze, staring blankly.
‘So he knows I’m a Purifier too.’
It had to be Rupert. Of course he would have told Noah—since he already knew her secret.
Jania shot Rupert a displeased look, but he only lounged there with his usual uninterested expression.
‘Beastmen are persistent. They won’t give up easily.’
Jania knew this better than anyone, having read the novel. Especially wolves—they were relentless and thorough.
Noah, the male lead, was infamous for being obsessive. Poor Elena had suffered terribly because of that.
The memory made Jania slip for a moment, unable to keep her expression neutral.
“You already knew, Lady Jania. That you are a Purifier.”
“Uh… yes.”
“Then you must also realize how important you are—not only to my father, but to all of us.”
“Haah…”
Noah still smiled politely, but his eyes were cold and sharp.
From the start, they never intended to let her go. So why had he brought up that ridiculous talk about marriage? Jania let out a quiet sigh and spoke firmly.
“I’ll say it again—I have no intention of leaving this place.”
“Is it truly impossible?”
“Yes.”
Jania nodded with determination. But inside, her heart trembled.
After all, she was just a weak human. If these beastmen decided to take her by force, she wouldn’t be able to resist.
Without realizing it, she hugged Ella tightly to her chest.
“…Very well.”
“…Huh?”
“For now, I will step back. But if you change your mind, please tell me.”
“Oh…”
Surprisingly, Noah accepted and left the house. Felix followed after him. Jania was so stunned she couldn’t even give them a proper farewell.
She just stared blankly at their backs until they were gone, then turned to Rupert, still lying on the floor.
“What are you even thinking?”
“…”
“Do you really think this will make me go with you?”
“…”
Rupert didn’t answer. He ignored her completely, and Jania sighed deeply.
This was going to be a long, exhausting standoff.
‘So much for staying out of the main characters’ story… I’m trapped in it deeper than ever now.’
Her shoulders drooped at the thought that her resistance might end up meaningless.
“Jania…”
“Hm? I’m fine.”
Ella looked up at her with worried pink eyes brimming with tears. Jania gently brushed them away.
“We’ll have to find you proper clothes soon.”
“Mm! I’ll protect you, Jania!”
“Oh my, really?”
Ella clenched her tiny fist, looking so serious that Jania couldn’t help but laugh.
Yes. To protect this child, she would have to become stronger herself. Jania straightened her shoulders and nodded firmly.
***
Later, Jania rummaged through the storage room.
“Now, where did I put it…”
She dug through boxes of tools, looking for something she could trade with the villagers in the forest for clothes.
She had only met them a few times since arriving, but she remembered clearly—many of them lived in broken houses because they lacked proper tools and supplies.
“If I bring nails and hammers, I could definitely trade them for clothes Ella can wear.”
She muttered to herself, looking around.
But after using so many nails while building Rupert and Ella’s house, she was running short.
Forest dwellers were always in need of nails—if she found more, they’d be happy.
“…I think I saw some over here.”
She went deeper into the dusty storage area, coughing as she pulled out an old box.
“Cough, cough…”
When she finally forced it open, her fingers turned red and sore from the effort.
“Whew.”
She peeked inside, expecting to see nails.
“…Huh?”
The box was empty. No nails—just a single crumpled piece of paper.
“What’s this?”
She unfolded it, frowning. At first, the side she saw was completely blank.
But when she flipped it over, her green eyes went wide.
[Don’t trust the people of the forest.]
“…What…?”
The writing was messy, rushed, but the message was chilling.
It felt exactly like a warning—left behind for her.
‘The people of the forest…’
Her mind raced through the neighbors she’d met.
The closest house was thirty minutes away, an old couple named Peter and Natalie. They had always seemed kind—smiling warmly, even sharing food with her.
‘They seemed like good people…’
Farther in lived a middle-aged couple, Max and Sarah. They didn’t have children now, but once mentioned they had lost theirs in a tragic accident.
That was why Jania thought they might be willing to trade children’s clothes.
“…But this note…”
Jania’s stomach twisted uneasily. She didn’t know who had written it, but she suspected strongly that it was the real Jania.
As if she had left this message specifically for the future her.
Jania shivered as goosebumps prickled across her skin.
Quietly, she folded the paper and slipped it into her pocket. She put the box back where she found it and left the storage room.
‘I’ll just watch carefully for now.’
It wasn’t certain yet, but the real Jania wouldn’t have left such a note for no reason. She needed to be careful around the forest villagers.
“…Looks like I’ll have to sew clothes myself after all.”
Resolving herself, Jania gathered fabric scraps and a sewing kit. She had never made clothes before, but maybe she could imitate the basics.
She threaded the needle and started working.
***
“Jania, what’s this?”
Ella held up the misshapen piece of cloth with innocent curiosity.
“…Mm.”
Jania couldn’t even answer. No matter how shameless she could be, she couldn’t possibly tell Ella this rag was meant to be her dress.
So she said firmly,
“…It’s a rag.”
“Ohh, I see!”
Ella grinned brightly.
Jania forced a smile, but inside, she wanted to cry.
‘What am I going to do?’
She couldn’t keep Ella wrapped in a blanket forever. Sooner or later, she’d have to deal with the forest people.
‘Maybe if Rupert comes with me… it’ll be safe?’
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