Chapter 2
Did I fall into heaven?
That was Rin’s first thought when she opened her eyes in a cozy little bedroom.
It couldn’t be hell — not when the sunlight streaming through the window was so warm, so soft.
What…?
Something felt off.
Most of all, her arm — thin as a twig, like skin barely clinging to bone — was strange. And it wasn’t just her arm. As Rin looked down, she saw that her entire body was pitifully emaciated.
Am I… a corpse?
Her skin was so pale, the veins stood out like fine threads.
Wait — did I come back as an undead?
Panicking, Rin jolted upright, her movements stiff and creaky, like a true revenant.
I’d rather be dead than some walking corpse!
Kicking off the thin summer blanket, she stumbled toward the mirror set against the wall of the bedroom.
“…Huh?”
What she saw in the mirror was, in some ways, more shocking than any undead.
Long, wavy light-brown hair tumbled down her back. Her already pale features were made even paler by her icy blue eyes. A delicate, fragile face, with fine features and narrow shoulders, only emphasized her frailty.
And most of all — a lifeless, blank expression.
Good grief. Reflected in the mirror was a girl who looked no older than ten.
…Well, I’m definitely not undead.
But why did she look like a starved child? Was she kept half-dead on purpose — like some test subject?
More importantly, why had she awakened in a body like this?
Creak.
Just then, the door, which had seemed almost part of the wall, opened slowly. Tensing, Rin quickly scanned the room for anything that could be used as a weapon.
“Young Lady Yana?”
The visitor was an unfamiliar maid.
“You’re finally awake.”
Speaking bluntly, the maid strode past Rin without a glance and practically threw a tray of food onto a small table.
“What are you doing just standing there? Come sit down. I’ve brought your meal.”
The maid’s exasperated stare made Rin freeze — and suddenly, a name she had forgotten surfaced.
Olga.
Yes, the woman’s name was Olga. Her personal maid — Olga.
But how do I know her name?
Pushing aside the confusion, Rin dragged out a chair and sat at the table, as instructed.
A bowl of cold, unappetizing potato soup awaited her.
“You’re not eating?”
Olga, standing at her side, stared down at her with a sour face.
“Eat. I need to clear it away quickly.”
Why is this maid so rude?
Was her hearing just sensitive after dying and coming back?
“I’m not hungry.”
“Really? Then I’ll eat it. I’ll just tell them you finished everything.”
Excuse me?
Without batting an eye, Olga plopped down in the opposite chair and began devouring Rin’s soup with zero hesitation.
Rin had seen a lot of ridiculous things in her lifetime, but it was clear from this alone — the maid didn’t harbor the slightest affection for her.
Hmm. She called me ‘Young Lady Yana.’
A well-dressed young maid. And a clearly antique, lavish bedroom.
So the owner of this frail body was… a noble’s daughter?
Why does a noble lady look half-dead? Still, I guess I should be grateful she has a roof over her head…
Rin had been an orphan.
She’d grown up in a small orphanage in the hills, learning to wield a sword just to survive. Her skills in swordsmanship and as a guide earned her fame — and eventually, she was practically dragged into the imperial army’s Orb of Malice subjugation force.
At first, she’d thought she’d stepped in something awful. The Orb of Malice force was assembled annually by the Empire of La, but survival rates had always been practically zero.
But her grim outlook gradually shifted as she bonded with her comrades.
Five of them, united toward a single goal. The blood, the sweat, the battles they fought together. The trust — knowing she had friends to rely on, to guard her back — it had all become something precious.
Money and survival weren’t everything. That harsh, cursed life had become something she could finally accept as her own.
It wasn’t all bad…
Until Theon and Sabrina betrayed her.
And now, this — a second life?
In a body she didn’t even recognize? Was this some deathbed hallucination? Rin grabbed her cheek and gave it a hard twist.
“Ah, ow, ow, ow!”
Naturally, it hurt enough to make her eyes squeeze shut.
This isn’t a dream… I need to figure out what’s going on.
After sorting through her swirling thoughts, Rin turned to Olga and made a request.
“Olga, when I’m done eating, bring me the newspaper.”
“The newspaper? Why?”
What a stupid question. Did she think Rin wanted it to pick broccoli out from between her teeth?
Rin just stared at her silently, and after a beat of hesitation, Olga clicked her tongue and muttered as she stood.
“So annoying…”
It took nearly ten minutes before Olga returned.
Thud.
“Here. Your newspaper.”
Rin stared blankly at the newspaper tossed onto the table. It took her ten minutes to bring a scrap of paper — seriously?
Is she trying to play power games with the very person she’s serving? Just how much of a pushover was the original owner of this body?
She was about to demand, Pick it up and hand it to me properly.
But instead—
“I’m sorry. It must’ve been a hassle.”
A polite apology slipped from Rin’s lips — completely unbidden.
What the…?
Her tongue had moved against her will. Just as she tried to make sense of it, her stomach twisted violently.
Ugh.
Clenching her lips, she fought back a wave of nausea.
What was wrong with this body? First her tongue, now even her stomach had a mind of its own. It was the worst.
“What are you plotting now? I’ve already had to deal with so much fallout from your last stunt. People are watching me too, you know, so take it easy,” Olga complained, arms crossed, wearing an unmistakably irritated frown.
Rin, still trying to settle her stomach, took a calming breath and answered evenly.
“What stunt are you talking about?”
Thankfully, this time the words came out exactly as she intended.
“A hoax, of course. Do you think people are stupid? Everyone knows you faked that whole mess just to get the Grand Duke’s attention.”
Grand Duke? Judging by that title, this wasn’t a small-time noble family.
“The other day, you stole wolfthorn berries from the Second Young Master’s greenhouse, remember?”
Olga continued with confidence.
“Even a lowly maid like me knows how poisonous those berries are. But you, frail as you are, pretended to know nothing and ate them in secret!”
So this weak body ate poison and collapsed?
And I did it willingly?
Olga, clearly annoyed at Rin’s lack of reaction, snapped at her.
“Are you not even going to apologize? Do you know how hard I worked to take care of you?”
Hard work? Want me to show you what real hardship feels like? Rin was about to retort—
“I’m sorry… and thanks for looking after me.”
Again?!
Another apology that wasn’t hers spilled from her mouth.
Urgh.
Her stomach churned worse than before, like it had been waiting for the perfect moment to rebel. Anyone with a brain would find this strange.
Why do I sometimes speak normally, and other times completely against my will?
Could it be… was Yana’s soul still in this body too? That would explain why her lips sometimes moved without permission.
“If you’re really sorry, stop doing such foolish things. I’m only saying this for your own good. You know no one in Tusslena Castle cares about you as much as I do.”
Wait.
“Did you say… Tusslena?”
“Huh? Yes, I did.”
That name — familiar and ridiculous — made Rin’s hands shoot out instinctively. She grabbed Olga’s shoulders and shook her hard.
“You don’t mean that Tusslena… do you?!”
At that moment, the nausea became unbearable.
Urgh…
“Young Lady!”
Rin retched bitter bile from her empty stomach, and her legs gave out. Her head spun violently as she collapsed. Olga cursed as she wiped away the mess.
“Ugh, gross! Now I have to clean again!”
The newspaper — wet, stained — was shoved aside. But just before her consciousness faded, Rin caught a glimpse of the date printed on the page.
<Published on July 9, Year 232 of the Continental Calendar>
A hollow laugh escaped her.
Yeah… this definitely isn’t heaven.
Thirty years had passed.
And she’d somehow returned to life — in the body of a stranger.
What the hell kind of twisted joke is this…?
With that thought, Rin’s mind went dark once more.
