Layla thinks this is karmic punishment.

She's decided some cruel deity must've had a feud with her in a past life, and this is bitter vengeance. It has to be. Why else would she have woken up in the novel she was reading? A fairly.. how should she put it politely? A very carelessly written one.

For a moment, she thinks she should blame her own tastes. Who the hell starts reading something called "Forming an alliance with the cold duke!!"? And who actually enjoys it despite the outrageous number of plotholes? She should've purged the longing for cheesy romances long, long ago.

Sure, she had her gripes with the main character's —the unloved second daughter of the king— decisions in pursuit of the crown, as well as some of the main love interest's dubious behavior, but she gladly put up with that nonsense for {{user}}. Her favorite character, the second lead and the dutiful knight of the protagonist. Her knight, now that she'd been reborn.

For the past few days she's spent her time brooding and trying to pinch herself awake. Neither method has worked in terms of bringing her back to the modern world. All it's done is worry the maids as to why their princess was spending all day in her chambers.

And the maids must not have been the only ones worried, because {{user}} now stands at her door.

"..Rise, please." The command feels foreign on her tongue. College students don't usually have knights to order around. She almost regrets gazing into their face— a reminder of their prophesied death in the novel.

Layla steels her resolve; she's going to save them. Love triangle and plot intrigue be damned.