Chapter 3
‘This can’t be…’
No, it wasn’t impossible. If people could reincarnate, why not possess someone? Didn’t she lose her entire family because she refused to believe in such things?
“Tell me more.”
Vanessa staggered and leaned on Olive for support.
“What happened to my body… I mean, the Duchess?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Olive’s eyes went wide.
“The Duchess divorced just a month after the young lady was born, taking half the ducal estate. With that money, she first reclaimed the Defnet Count’s house, I believe.”
Cheisy, standing beside her, continued.
“Ugh, that wasn’t enough for her. Now she’s investing everywhere.”
Cheisy’s voice turned bitter.
“Damn witch, this time she even found a mine!”
“Thanks to her, all the heirs she invested in are now following the Countess.”
“Is that the Countess’s money? No, it should’ve been the head of our house’s money.”
After that, ‘Vanessa’s’ actions were outrageous.
She acquired a mine that never ran dry. She treated the residents of the county poorly, while the young heirs who followed her were treated like maids. The younger sons of houses disadvantaged in inheritance disputes scrambled to curry favor with her, the Countess. In no time, she became the center of the social world—an infamous, scandalous Countess.
“T-that…”
Vanessa exhaled bitterly. The Defnet Count’s house had been protected by her sister Anemone in life. Though Anemone hadn’t been fully prepared for succession, she had always done her best according to their parents’ will. Vanessa could still recall her sister’s gentle voice when she closed her eyes.
―Vanessa.
The day she became an adult, Anemone had celebrated her in place of their already-deceased parents.
―As I expected, you’ve grown more beautiful than anyone.
‘But now…’
Vanessa clenched her fists. She wanted to grab the collar of the ‘Vanessa’ in the rumors and shake her. She wanted to demand—why were you in my body? Why did you abuse my child?
‘Why was I…’
Forced to atone for her sins?
Forced to fear a future she never caused herself?
“…Ugh.”
Her head throbbed. Her breath trembled, her throat felt tight. A rising heat boiled through her body.
Anger. Injustice. And the hopelessness of having no one to appeal to.
‘Royden.’
You’re wrong. I would never abuse my child. I couldn’t.
The ‘Vanessa’ you know isn’t me.
‘Give it back.’
Ruby. My corrupted life.
She had stolen everything.
My child, my name!
A massive pain echoed in her head. She couldn’t tell if the corridor she stood in was real or a dream. Everything felt false. Her name wasn’t hers anymore. The shock was beyond words.
“….”
―Please remember: this blessing is closer to divine protection than a mere blessing.
Terrifyingly, she remembered the archbishop’s words. He had been right. This was not just a blessing.
It was divine protection, saving her life from being completely stolen by fate. Perhaps God knew everything and gave her this chance.
‘As long as the butterfly keeps moving…’ Perhaps it had meant her death.
‘Thank you, God.’
Even my last remaining life won’t be stolen by ‘Vanessa’.
‘I will never succumb to fear or give up everything in this life.’
To fulfill that, she needed…
“Tell me more.”
She needed information.
“What I must do, what I must watch out for.”
More precisely, how to act to live in this body.
“You must tell me everything you know!”
She had to survive as ‘Melia’ now.
The maids’ explanation clarified that ‘Melia’ had been a new nanny in the house for less than a week.
Before Melia, the previous nanny, Mari, had been poisoned under mysterious circumstances. Her elder sister had taken over the role, and that was Melia. But then…
“The Duke has gone to war?”
Vanessa—now Melia—heard the shocking news.
“When… when?”
“Oh, how many times must I tell you? Well, the young lady was small when he left… Ah! It’s already been six years!”
Cheisy let out a heavy sigh.
“Well, that’s fast. The battle was expected to last decades.”
Cheisy frowned as if thinking deeply.
“According to the newspaper, the Duke’s tactics are undefeated, as if he knew the future.”
Melia remained silent.
‘He must have gone to the same war in the future too.’
Melia began piecing together Royden’s actions before her reincarnation. He had gone to the empire’s war.
‘During that time, she abused Ruby in my body.’
“The young lady is too small, and the Duchess’s position is vacant because of divorce. The Duke has gone to war.”
“I still can’t forget… the day before he left, the young lady couldn’t leave his arms… ha.”
Melia exhaled.
‘Even if he knew the future, he couldn’t stop a war alone.’
Most nobles had suggested joining the war, so it was more efficient to end it quickly than erase it entirely.
‘But…’
How lonely must Ruby have been?
‘Royden couldn’t truly protect the child, even this time.’
Melia felt hollow. Who had she truly died for? Was this the result of being forced into death? What had really changed from the past Royden spoke of?
Abuse by ‘Vanessa’?
‘That wasn’t me from the start.’
Yet Royden didn’t know this. He probably still believed his future self had abused the child. Understandable, given what he witnessed…
‘If only he had trusted me more.’
Her mouth tasted bitter.
“But you know…”
Cheisy suddenly spoke to Olive.
“I’m glad it happened while the young lady was still a child.”
Though casually spoken, the words struck Melia deep in the chest.
‘Glad…?’
She knew Cheisy didn’t mean it the way she interpreted.
‘Ha.’
Still, the thought of what could have happened later terrified her. If it had occurred after Ruby grew up…
―What terrible things you will do to my daughter.
If Ruby had learned…
‘She would carry a wound too deep to heal for her whole life.’
And she might have shared Royden’s misunderstanding.
She couldn’t bear that. She couldn’t.
‘Truly… perhaps it’s better this way.’
While Melia hesitated, Olive agreed.
“Yes, it happened when she was small, so she won’t remember. Everything was the Duke’s best effort.”
“Right. He loved the young lady so much. I was surprised the baby crib is still in his office.”
“Ahaha, yes. Until he left for war, he personally cared for the young lady… oh, right!”
Olive hurriedly whispered.
“Forget what Chasey said about the witch or madness, okay? Inside the estate, we try not to mention the Defnet Count.”
“Yes. I lost my temper earlier… but you just have to be careful around the young lady.”
Cheisy gestured to cover her mouth, restraining herself.
“It’s the Duke’s way of protecting the young lady from getting hurt. Not a happy topic anyway.”
“Especially with the estate’s current gloomy mood… if it gets worse…”
“Still, the halved estate was mostly recovered through the rewards and business started before the Duke left.”
“When the Duke returns, the cold atmosphere will vanish, and energy will return.”
Olive added to Cheisy’s words.
“Word is the war will end soon, so the Duke should return quickly.”
“Ah… how lonely the young lady must have been.”
Cheisy tried to hold back tears, looking up carefully.
“Oh, Melia, tomorrow is your first meeting with the young lady, right?”
“How do you feel?”
Their attention shifted to Melia, and she flinched.
‘…First meeting.’
Could she finally meet Ruby? Her heart raced.
‘My child.’
How had she grown?
Melia buried her face in her hands to hide rising tears and vowed:
She had no time to mourn her unjust death.
The dead were dead. She had survived in another body. Yet her resolve remained. No matter how many times she died, it would remain.
‘I will protect her.’
Her daughter, Ruby. She would protect her—no matter what.
