Chapter 01
She truly thought it could not be more perfect than this. She had possessed the body of an extra noble lady in a romance novel, Avery Grang, and by luck, Avery’s family was moderately prestigious and wealthy.
In her previous life, she had been an orphan. There had been no one by her side. That was why this sudden possession felt like a gift.
Avery Grang had family and friends.
To someone who had never had even one precious person, they became her whole world in a short time.
Although, according to the novel’s plot, a serial murder case would soon begin—and she could not even remember what role Avery had played in it—that had nothing to do with her.
“I’ll enjoy this peace and luxury!”
She really meant it…
Thud.
With the sound of something stabbing deep into flesh, Avery Grang collapsed onto the cold ground. Terrible pain spread from her abdomen. As her vision blurred, a red hibiscus fell into her sight.
A red hibiscus.
Avery suddenly remembered a passage from the original novel she had forgotten.
In a deserted alley, the body of a woman was discovered. The victim was Avery Grang, a young lady from an old count’s family. Because the crime targeted a noble, the imperial family stepped in, but not even a single clue was found. The only thing left at the scene was a single red hibiscus.
It was the beginning of the serial murder case.
“The first victim… was me? And I’m only remembering this now?”
Barely, Avery lowered her head to look at her body. Her stabbed abdomen was soaked in blood. She could not even see the wound properly. The bright red liquid kept flowing, seeping into the cracks of the floor without stopping.
At this rate, she would die.
“Not… yet…”
She could not die like this. Because—
“I haven’t enjoyed it all yet…”
This was a jackpot life she had barely obtained!
The grand banquets at the count’s mansion and all kinds of luxuries flashed before her eyes.
I can’t die unfairly. Even if I die, I’ll enjoy everything first. If I die now, I’ll become a ghost and wander forever!
“I absolutely can’t die…”
Gathering the last of her strength, Avery dragged her body toward the light. But it did not last long. Her outstretched hand lost its strength and fell to the floor. Her barely open eyes slowly closed.
Darkness fell.
“What is this…?”
“…What should we do…!”
Avery quietly looked at the people who seemed as if their world had collapsed.
“My baby. If she doesn’t wake up like this… I… I…”
Her mother, who had always been weak-hearted, staggered into her father’s arms. Inside the room were the mansion’s servants, the family physician, and relatives. All their eyes were fixed on one bed.
On the bed lay a woman.
She had deep violet hair that reminded one of violets. Her condition was terrible. Her skin was pale enough that it would not be strange if she died at any moment. Even that little color was fading away.
Who was that dying woman?
Bang.
The door suddenly burst open.
“Avery!”
Yes. That woman dying on the bed was Avery Grang.
And the one standing here perfectly fine… was also her.
The man who rushed in strode to the bed and checked on the unconscious Avery. Like her, he had deep violet hair, now damp with sweat.
“What on earth is this…?”
This shocked man was Oliver Grang, Avery’s biological older brother.
You can’t believe it either, right? I can’t believe it either.
She was standing here just fine, yet another Avery lay on the bed without opening her eyes. It took her two days after waking up to understand this strange situation.
Three years after possessing the novel—
Avery had become a ghost.
She moved and lightly reached toward the back of Oliver’s head.
Swish.
As expected, her hand passed right through. Oliver suddenly shivered.
Did he feel a chill?
She wanted to wake up and tell her worried parents she was fine. But no matter what she tried, she could not return to her original body. She touched the body lying on the bed. Just like before, her hand passed through.
In movies about souls leaving bodies, they always return just fine!
“We have done everything we can…”
The Grang family’s physician, Horn, spoke gloomily.
“Why won’t my daughter wake up?!”
“My lady lost too much blood, and she was found too late, so I cannot guarantee recovery—hic!”
“Give me back my daughter!”
Before Horn could finish, the count grabbed him by the collar.
“Stop! Please don’t!”
Avery shouted urgently, but of course her father could not hear her.
She watched anxiously as Horn was shaken violently. More precisely, she stared at his head. The few strands of hair he had left were barely hanging on.
Just hold on! If those fall out, Horn will truly be bald!
Knowing that better than anyone, Horn stiffened his neck and endured the count’s grip. Thankfully, nothing worse happened.
The count, who had only ever been talented at using his brain, could not endure his quickly draining stamina and released him. Before even fixing his clothes, Horn hurriedly touched his hair.
Please don’t look at the floor…
Avery could not bear to look at the few strands of hair that had fallen.
“My daughter…”
Ah. Get it together.
The most serious problem right now was herself.
If she could not wake up like this, then truly—
“Please… Avery…”
As anxiety slowly grew, Oliver sat down by the bedside and grabbed the hand of Avery, who lay there as if dead.
“If you just wake up, I’ll do anything for you…”
Holding his sister’s thin hand, he buried his face in it. Soon, the sound of quiet sobbing filled the room. Her chest ached.
They had fought often, but family was still family.
When I wake up, maybe I’ll treat him more like an older brother.
…Wait, what’s that?
“Sniff…”
“Sorry to interrupt while you’re crying, but are you wiping your snot on my hand right now?”
“Sniff… sob…”
“I appreciate the concern, but could you at least wipe your nose first?”
Even though she could not feel it, watching the snot in real time made it feel disgustingly real.
“You know, I won’t tell you to lose weight anymore… okay?”
“A person’s weight isn’t constant. It goes up and down. Though in my case, it mostly goes up…”
“I’ll also keep quiet about how you suddenly started talking like a strange noble at seventeen and embarrassed yourself…”
“That’s because I only knew noble speech from novels back then! I’m not like that anymore.”
“And I won’t tell anyone how you confessed to my friend just one day after meeting him…”
“That was when I had just possessed this body! I didn’t know the beauty standards here! He looked handsome! And you already told everyone anyway!”
The servants in the room could hear everything. Do you really have no shame?
“And even how you cried all night after getting rejected—”
“Hey. You’re not crying, are you? Lift your head.”
She tried to grab his shoulder and turn him around, but her hand passed through again. The earlier emotion disappeared, replaced by a new anxiety.
What else is he going to reveal?
Older brother, my foot. You damn Olive!
She deliberately used the nickname he hated most. In truth, she had called him Olive more often than Oliver.
“And…”
Just kill me. Kill me now!
If she died like this, the cause of death would definitely be humiliation. The criminal would be that damn Oliver Grang.
“The ornament you bought recently…”
Her eyes widened.
How do you even know about that?
She did not need to hear more. It was definitely the emerald pendant she had secretly bought without her parents knowing. She had worked hard for months to hide it because they were already worried about her spending habits.
She had planned to say it was a birthday gift later.
“Actually…”
This absolutely could not be exposed.
She was already dying, but still!
“You…”
No! Not that!
God! Please save me just once! I’ll live kindly from now on!
“That’s absolutely not allowed!”
With a scream-like shout, her body moved before she could think. Lighter than before, she leaped toward the bed.
If there is a God, please save me… Let me at least hit that bastard once. No—just let me cover his mouth. Please!
Suddenly, everything went quiet.
And when she came to her senses—
“Mmmpf!”
Avery, who had sat up, was covering that damn Olive’s mouth.
