Chapter 2
From Today, the Princess
Hyesu woke up with a terrible headache.
“Princess! Are you awake? Beni! Hurry and call the doctor! Oh my goodness—Princess, do you recognize me?”
The area around her was noisy, but to Hyesu, everything felt distant, like she was underwater.
She only felt that something was very wrong.
‘This isn’t a dream…?’
Memories that were not hers flowed into her mind, throwing her into confusion.
It was as if something inside her had broken. Her thoughts and her body both stopped working.
Only then did Anna notice something was wrong and grab her shoulders, shaking her.
“…Princess?”
Suddenly, Hyesu threw off the blanket and rushed toward the dressing table.
Startled, Anna chased after her, slippers in hand.
Standing in front of the mirror, Hyesu could not speak.
“Impossible… This—this is… what…?”
Reflected in the mirror was a small, fragile girl with bright red hair and a pale face, as if she might break at any moment.
“This isn’t me. It’s not me! Aaaah!”
She grabbed whatever she could and threw it at the mirror.
“Princess!”
Ignoring Anna’s scream, she shattered every mirror in the room before collapsing and falling asleep like she had fainted.
There was a time when Hyesu had innocently believed she was the main character of the world.
She was the only daughter of a wealthy family, had loving parents, a pretty face, and was about to go abroad to study ballet.
It was as if she had hit the jackpot at birth and been given everything good in life.
But at seventeen, her life was turned upside down.
The year she entered high school, her father’s business failed, and her world shattered.
The large two-story house became a tiny semi-basement rental room, and her family moved every year.
Studying abroad became impossible.
She had to quit ballet, which she had learned for over ten years.
In a one-room home with no space, pointe shoes and trophies became nothing but burdens.
Her once-happy family collapsed overnight, and reality was far too cold for a seventeen-year-old.
The only lucky thing was that she adapted quickly.
She quickly realized how kind her old world had been, and how little she could actually do.
The fence that protected her was gone, but Hyesu had to keep living.
Ten years passed like that.
Now she was a second-year contract employee at a small advertising company.
Overtime again.
Left alone, angrily typing at her desk, Hyesu grabbed her half-finished coffee and walked to the window.
Something was fluttering through the orange-lit street.
“…Snow.”
The dry voice slipped out without her noticing.
She used to love it, but now she treated it like a nuisance.
It was messy, cold, and cleaning it up was a chore.
“You’ve gotten old, Ji Hyesu.”
They said you became an adult when you started to hate snowy days. It felt bitter.
“Let’s just work.”
She stretched a few times and went back to her desk.
It was almost 2 a.m. when she finished.
“Ugh, it’s cold.”
A snowy Friday night.
The subway had stopped running long ago, and no taxis would come.
Her cheap wool coat was useless against the sharp winter wind.
She kept calling for a taxi while walking toward a nearby convenience store.
The traffic light turned green, and after checking both sides, she crossed the street.
Then, a car that looked like it was slowing down suddenly sped up, swerving across lanes and charging straight at her.
Bang!
As she squinted at the headlights, her body flew up, and she fell in an instant.
The car that hit her did not stop and disappeared down the road.
It was strange.
Everything played out in slow motion.
She felt no pain at all.
‘Is this a dream?’
But the blood flowing down her neck was hot, and the snow touching her lips was cold.
‘What happens to me now?’
Moving her eyelids became harder and harder.
‘Am I dying? Am I really dying?’
When facing death, surprisingly trivial thoughts came to mind.
I didn’t clean my room. What will happen to my things? My luggage? I didn’t finish preparing Monday’s presentation. And the novel I was reading—who was the culprit? I worked until I died. This is so unfair.
All kinds of thoughts filled her mind as the world moved slowly around her.
Barely breathing, Hyesu kept screaming inside.
‘I don’t want to die. Please save me.’
Murmuring only “I want to live,” she finally lost consciousness.
“You would’ve been better off never being born.”
Hyesu woke up, wiping tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.
‘The same scene again…’
Every time she closed her eyes, the same dream replayed.
It felt so real that she cried every time she woke up.
She wanted to sew shut those lips that said such cruel words, but her body wouldn’t move.
She was confused.
These were not her memories, yet her chest felt like it was breaking as if she had lived them herself.
Only after her emotions calmed did Hyesu slowly look around.
‘It’s the same again…’
She kept thinking it might all be a dream.
But every time she woke up, the scenery was the same, and one more set of memories grew clearer each day.
No matter how much she tried to ignore it, she had to accept it.
Death—and then—
“I’ve… possessed someone.”
Landlords. Clients.
Her life used to be full of people she had to call “sir,” and now she had joined that group herself.
She was now Princess Sienna Stern, the only princess of the Kingdom of Stern, from the novel The Bell of Stern.
Of course, she was not the protagonist.
The main characters were her half-brother Pierre Stern and Eleanor Watson, the illegitimate daughter of House Watson.
Pierre was the Crown Prince of Stern, with shining golden hair and clear blue eyes.
His weakness was his birth.
He was born to the king’s lover, not the queen.
Then, years later, Sienna was born to the queen.
Simply put, the family line was tangled.
Because of insecurity about his birth, feelings of inferiority, and pressure from his mother’s family, Pierre had always tormented Sienna.
Ironically, that same background brought him closer to Eleanor.
A half-prince and a noble’s illegitimate daughter felt sympathy and kinship toward each other and fell deeply in love.
Of course, love without conflict would be boring.
There were many supporting characters.
Later, during the Crown Princess selection, Greta Winslet, the only daughter of House Winslet, competed with Eleanor.
Greta was the villainess who bullied Eleanor.
And standing against Pierre because of Eleanor was Jade Valencia.
Jade was the loyal heir of House Valencia and Sienna’s long-time unrequited love.
A weak princess who spent her life loving one man and being abused by her half-brother.
She had a tragic heroine’s story—but the worst had not even happened yet.
Sienna was destined to die in a mysterious accident on her twentieth birthday.
“Haha.”
A hollow laugh escaped Hyesu.
The Bell of Stern was an unfinished novel.
And the ending of this unfinished story was Sienna’s death.
“Why… of all things…”
Her life really had no middle ground.
She finally became a princess, only to be short-lived.
She begged to live and was simply moved to another death.
‘How much time has passed?’
Hyesu got out of bed and walked to the terrace.
Sunlight poured down, making her squint, but soon she saw a lively spring garden.
“The weather is this nice…”
It was slightly cool, but bright, warm, and perfectly spring-like.
She closed her eyes and said her name.
“I am Sienna. Sienna Stern.”
It didn’t feel as strange as she expected.
She also had no strong attachment to her life as Ji Hyesu.
She had lived like she was floating, never settling anywhere.
There was nothing precious there.
So this world was not much different.
“Smells nice.”
As she leaned over the railing and breathed in the scent of flowers, she heard servants talking in the garden.
“Ah, poor princess. I think she’s completely lost her mind. They say she threw things and broke every mirror in her room.”
“That gentle person… Well, Prince Pierre came and frightened her like that.”
“I heard it’s because Lord Valencia rejected her?”
“But why hasn’t His Majesty come to see her?”
Even though a princess was sick, the palace was peaceful.
The king did not visit her or send medicine.
‘So this is my position.’
When their work finished, the servants’ voices faded away.
Their mixed laughter of pity and mockery disappeared.
Watching the scene, Sienna slowly lifted the corner of her lips.
“…This is nice.”
Like the wide garden, her mind was already full of flowers.
“I’m a princess, I’m rich, and no one cares about me…”
She folded her fingers one by one as she counted her situation.
“This is the best.”
She jumped back onto the bed.
The soft mattress wrapped around her melting body.
“Ah, this is great.”
Other people’s words and her family’s indifference didn’t bother her.
Talk all you want.
She was used to whispers, and loneliness was a luxury.
Her only worry was the future death.
“My birthday is in winter. Heavy first snow. A carriage heading to the temple at dawn. News of the princess’s death reaching the palace…”
She recalled Sienna’s final day from the book.
She died on her birthday.
But that meant she would live at least until then.
Everything that would happen was in her memory, and she had plenty of time.
Sienna hugged a large pillow tightly.
She was the only princess of the kingdom.
Which meant no overtime, no weekend work, no crowded trains or buses.
Instead, she had a soft bed, a bright room, and an endless garden.
That was what mattered most right now.
“What do I do? I love this so much!”
She happily buried her face in the pillow and kicked her feet.
“A rich, unemployed person—this is perfect.”
She decided to leave future worries to her future self.
“I’m only staying for a while. So for now, let’s just enjoy it.”
She reached out and rang the bell on the table.
A clear sound rang out, but there was no answer.
She rang it again, and after a moment, the door opened carefully.
Anna called out with a suspicious look.
“Just to be sure… I didn’t hear wrong, did I?”
It was understandable that Anna was surprised.
Everyone was whispering that the princess had gone mad.
Sienna decided to explain the strange week first.
“Anna. I’ve been a bit strange lately, right?”
“Well… um…”
“I think I wasn’t feeling well, so I became sensitive.”
It was a poor excuse, but it was the best she could do.
Luckily, Anna didn’t doubt her at all.
“As long as Your Highness is okay, I’m fine.”
“Thank you, Anna.”
“Please don’t say that. It’s only natural. How do you feel now?”
“Very good.”
Sienna smiled even brighter to reassure her.
“I want to take a bath. Prepare it. And I don’t need attendants.”
“Yes. I’ll prepare it right away.”
She sent the maids away and slowly soaked in the tub filled with bath salts.
The warm air and water quickly made her body relax.
A gentle breeze and a pleasant scent surrounded her.
In that perfect moment, Sienna made a promise.
‘I will live. I’ll live a long, happy life.’
Her life as a princess had just begun.
