Chapter 1
Chapter 1
There was a young girl, curled up in her bed like a small hill, deep in a sweet slumber. However, her peaceful sleep, seemingly undisturbable, was soon shattered by a being who roughly tossed aside the blanket.
“The sun is already high in the sky! Wake up now!”
For a moment, the girl stiffened at the strange voice that sounded part human, part animal. But only for a moment. With familiarity, the girl wiggled back under the covers, trying to return to her dreams.
“Mm… Five more minutes…”
The voice, now growing more impatient, called out again, more forcefully.
“Lady Isabella! How can you sleep in on your birthday?!”
At the mention of her birthday, the girl’s eyes snapped open.
‘Birthday?’
The words echoed in her mind as she mumbled in slight confusion.
“Ah, it’s my birthday today, isn’t it?”
Only then did she come to her senses, staring blankly at the ceiling.
“Time flies…”
Isabella Hellen.
She had lived with this name for eighteen years now. Ordinary, yet extraordinary, Isabella had a peculiar trait – she remembered her past life.
In her previous life, she had died of an incurable disease at the tender age of eight. Grieved by the untimely end, she spent over seventy years wandering the mortal realm as a restless spirit.
However, weary of the miserable existence as a wandering soul, she had eventually clung to the robe of a grim reaper, pleading for a second chance at life. And so, she was reborn in this world.
But there was one unexpected issue. She had been reborn in the darkest of places, if anything, the very definition of darkness.
Isabella glanced around the gloomy room where it was hard to even tell whether it was day or night. The walls, coated with black lacquer, gleamed as if they were made of fine, polished stone, while the windows were draped in blood-red curtains. The black furnishings, including a gothic-style bed, only served to heighten the room’s dark, brooding atmosphere.
This room was merely a small part of a much larger mansion.
Isabella, her gaze caught by a mischievous flickering light dancing on the chandelier, muttered aloud, “Hmm… Should I ask for some proper lighting as a birthday gift?”
She had heard of lights made from magical stones and firefly-like lights, but she couldn’t understand the purpose of having such a mischievous glow in her chandelier.
Just then, black hooves appeared in front of her, and the blanket she had been covering herself with was yanked forcefully.
“Stop dawdling and wake up!”
“Eek!”
Thud!
Isabella, still holding the blanket, was thrown off balance and tumbled to the floor. Rubbing her aching nose, she staggered to her feet, glaring at the black goat, who was dressed in butler attire and staring at her with disapproval.
“Alright, I’m up. But, Baal, can you wake me up a bit more gently? At this rate, my body will never survive!”
The creature, Baal, glared at her with glowing red eyes, raising its voice in response.
“Well then, why don’t you just wake up on your own! You’re eighteen, yet you still can’t get out of bed by yourself! If this keeps up…!”
“Ahhh! I can’t hear you!”
For ten years, Isabella had been subjected to the same nagging, and she covered her ears, shaking her head to drown it out.
“Lady!”
“Ah, I’m late! I’ll be quick, don’t worry!”
Baal’s frustration escalated, and Isabella, now fleeing to the bathroom, was determined to avoid more of his scolding.
— — —
After a quick wash, Isabella sat at her vanity, drying her hair while glancing nervously at Baal.
Baal, who was adjusting his black bow tie, was visibly lamenting his fate.
“Sigh, I’m going to grow old like this… I shouldn’t have responded to that summoning all those years ago…”
“Hehe, but if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here now, would I? Don’t you think so?”
“Ai, that’s…!”
In embarrassment, Baal fiddled with his horns, turning away.
“Heh, heh…”
Isabella gave a sheepish smile and turned her gaze to the mirror. Her long, glossy curls framed her face, and her large, round eyes gleamed brightly with a violet hue, a striking contrast to her pale, almost translucent skin. Her lips were a full, vivid red, adding to the captivating and mysterious air that seemed beyond her age.
For a moment, Isabella gazed at her own reflection, her finger gently tracing a small, black star-shaped mole beneath her left eye. It was a peculiar mark, the same symbol that appeared on Baal’s forehead, a sign of their contract bound in blood.
‘Has it really been 16 years already?’
When she was only two, Isabella had been kidnapped while exploring the mansion. Though the details were hazy due to her age, she vividly recalled summoning Baal, using her own blood to survive.
‘Back then, I thought I had summoned some thug…’
Baal had threatened to break the contract, demanding more than a little respect from her.
“Anyway, Lady, you’re quite the handful. How would you survive without me, huh? Worry-y-y, worry-y-y…”
Now, Baal had become more of a nanny, endlessly fussing over Isabella. Isabella smiled brightly.
“Baal, today I think I’ll wear the rose hairpin.”
“Understood. I’ll get it for you, Lady.”
Baal immediately handed the rose hairpin, made of purple gems, to Eve, Isabella’s maid.
Eve, a skeleton, expertly fixed Isabella’s hair and tied it with the delicate pin. Though her appearance was ghastly, with perfectly aligned teeth, her movements were incredibly precise.
“Ready, tak, tak, tak!”
To anyone else, it might have been unsettling, but for Isabella, seeing the skeleton’s in action for 18 years was just another normal sight.
Once everything was ready, Baal urged her.
“Lady, no more dawdling! Everyone’s already waiting in the dining hall.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
Unable to resist Baal’s urging, Isabella stepped out, her heels clicking against the marble floor as she walked down the empty corridor. The echoes of Baal’s hooves followed close behind. As they walked, strange voices called out from nearby.
“There she is! Lady!”
“Are you ready?”
“Yes! We can begin!”
“…”
At that moment, Isabella stopped, noticing the corners of a cloak poking out from behind a corner.
‘Should I pretend not to notice, or…?’
She hesitated for a moment, but before she could decide, a loud cheer broke out.
“One, two!”
“Happy birthday, Lady!”
“Happy Birthday, tak, tak, tak! Bless you, tak, tak, tak!”
“Congrats!”
A long, dark red banner with the words ‘Happy Birthday’ fluttered like a celebratory flag. At that very moment, several creatures suddenly appeared around the corner.
There were groups of skeletons like Eve, ghostly figures draped in translucent blue cloths, and even moving dolls or cotton balls the size of basketballs. Various monsters rushed toward her, offering their congratulatory greetings.
“This is the gift we’ve prepared for you! Please accept it, Lady!”
Each of them handed over a gift, their bright eyes eagerly fixed on her.
“Wow…! When did you all manage to prepare all this? You really surprised me!”
Isabella responded with a cheerful tone, completely unaware, as she began accepting the carefully prepared gifts one by one. But all the items were far from ordinary.
From a marionette hanging from a string to a cursed nail, a straw doll, and a soft-looking black cushion made of cotton. Each item seemed unusual. Aside from the cushion, every one of them was a high-risk item that should never be used carelessly.
However, one gift stood out even more: a thick leg bone wrapped in a red ribbon.
‘Is this for making bone soup or something?’
The common sense between humans and monsters was utterly different, so even Isabella, with her experience, sometimes found herself in situations she couldn’t quite understand.
However, knowing the sincere effort that went into these gifts, Isabella smiled brightly as she struggled to hold all the presents in her arms.
“Thank you all for the congratulations!”
“Clack, tap, clack!”
“Puhih, puhih!”
It was as though their laughter was contagious, and the creatures around her couldn’t help but smile proudly, each emitting their unique laughter.
Swish!
At that moment, a hand reached out and snatched away the pile of presents Isabella was holding.
……
T/N: Hi everyone~ This is Bunnyyy!!
I’m bringing you a new novel titled Reincarnated as the Lady of the Monsters. Hope you give it lots of love~! Thank you and happy reading~! ❣️
