Chapter 57
The Prince Died, So I Restart From the Beginning!
The Third Prince gaped at me as though he were utterly speechless.
“Lady Lurupel, you are… you are truly reckless!”
“What a coincidence. On the day Your Highness stubbornly forced your way into the Archive’s secret passage, I had the very same thought.”
Realizing he could no longer stop me, he approached hesitantly with a distressed expression.
I sat him down at the table and stood beside him.
“You’re going to control this flame.”
“I—I can’t. I really can’t.”
“Oh, come on. How can you say you can’t when you haven’t even tried? Let’s do it together, yes?”
I firmly held the Third Prince’s left hand. He anxiously glanced between my hand and the candle on the table.
After a moment of deliberation, he squeezed his eyes shut. Slowly, his right hand inched toward the flame.
“Do you feel anything?”
“…I’m not sure.”
“Try focusing just a little more. Remember, nothing happened the first time either.”
“And then something happened that would’ve been better if nothing had ever happened at all.”
The Third Prince pouted sarcastically.
I simply patted the back of his hand and smiled.
He sighed and focused on the candle again.
Then suddenly, the flame began to flicker and sway.
“Wow! I think it’s working, Your Highness!”
“…I will attempt to control the size of the flame.”
He curled his fingers as though making a fist, and the flame shrank.
When he opened his hand, the flame flared up brightly again.
Seeing the candle burn steadily without issue, the Third Prince’s expression gradually brightened.
“Wow, the candle’s really gotten bright.”
“…It has.”
“It’s getting a little warm though.”
I wiped a bead of sweat rolling down my temple with my sleeve.
“Maybe it’s time to tone it down a bit?”
For some reason, the heat from a single candle was unbearably intense. Letting go of his hand, I fanned myself to cool off.
Then the Third Prince called me in a panicked voice.
“…L–Lady Lurupel.”
“Yes?”
“The flame— the flame won’t listen to me.”
“…What?”
“You should get away—quickly…”
He tried to warn me. But he never got to finish.
Boom.
The flame suddenly exploded outward, scattering sparks everywhere.
The wooden table, the rug on the floor, the curtains by the window— all ignited in seconds, like a lie made real.
In an instant, the room became a sea of fire.
“Your Highness! We have to run, now!”
“My hand won’t come off! Lady Lurupel, go first—quickly!”
“Do you think that’s something you should say right now!?”
I grabbed the wrist of the Third Prince, who still hadn’t pulled his hand away from the candlestick, and yanked hard.
But he didn’t budge— as though he were nailed to the spot.
“…Why… why won’t it work?”
“The flames are getting worse! We have to go!”
“How can I leave you behind!?”
“You promised not to save me! And I kept my promise to you— so you keep yours!”
The flames encircled us completely.
Thick, acrid smoke blurred my vision and stung my nose.
My nostrils burned— then blood suddenly gushed out.
Seeing my nosebleed, the Third Prince bit his lip, looking like he wanted to scream.
But he wasn’t in good shape either. His chest was rising and falling rapidly; panic had sped up his breathing.
“Slow down… breathe slower…”
I wanted to calm him down— faster breathing only meant inhaling more toxic fumes.
But my own body wouldn’t cooperate.
My lungs seized. Panic painted my mind white.
A sticky, suffocating helplessness clung to my ankles like tar.
Our bedroom was one of the most secluded places in the palace for security reasons. It would take time before any servant noticed something was wrong.
I had to stay conscious.
At this moment, I was the only one who could protect this little kid clinging to life beside me.
I knew that. Better than anyone.
And yet—
Why was I shrinking back like a fool?
The roaring flames terrified me.
Not with the instinctive fear humans have of nature.
This was different.
This was fear born from experience.
Because I…
‘Ah. I died in a fire.’
How had I forgotten something like that?
It was as if a stolen memory had suddenly been returned.
Yes.
My real life had already ended.
It happened the summer I turned twenty.
My parents had gone on a celebratory trip, proud to have raised both their children into adults.
Left alone, my brother and I fought constantly—
Over trivial things like “I’ll do the laundry, so you wash the dishes,” “No, I’ll do the laundry, you wash the dishes.”
It was like that on the day I died.
My brother dumped a pile of dishes on me and went to walk the dog.
I was annoyed at how he always picked the easy jobs, so I postponed everything and took a nap.
Later, I woke up because my room felt unbearably hot.
When I opened my eyes—
The room was an inferno.
My familiar bedroom looked like a stranger’s place.
The red flames were blinding, yet the thick smoke made it impossible to see.
Frozen in fear, I suddenly heard the phone ring.
It was my brother.
With a trembling voice I’d never heard from him, he said the firefighters were coming to rescue me, so I just needed to hang on.
[Hey? Harrie, stay awake. Okay?]
Yeah, okay.
I didn’t want to worry him, so I answered as calmly as I could.
[Answer me, okay? You’re listening?]
But strangely, he kept begging me to say something.
I thought I replied…
Did I?
Maybe I didn’t…?
My mind wavered.
Sleep— stupidly —kept tugging at me.
I didn’t think I was foolish enough to fall asleep in this situation.
But the next moment, I saw myself lying on the floor.
[Harrie, you’re alive, right? Harrie…]
The phone was still at my ear, but my brother’s voice grew farther away.
Stay awake…
“…Pel!”
My brother is worried…
“…Lady Lurupel!”
My parents will be heartbroken if I die…
“…Harriella Lurupel!”
And dying like this… is so unfair.
The moment I thought that, someone spoke to me.
A woman wrapped in shimmering light.
She made me an offer.
If I found the answer to her question, she would bring me back to life.
She called it a deal.
Ridiculous.
I had no other choice.
Even if I accepted, it wasn’t a deal.
But I nodded.
I had to live.
I had to return to my family.
So I had to remember her question.
The question was—
“Harri! Harriella! Open your eyes!”
Suddenly my body shook violently.
A harsh cough escaped my throat.
Someone wiped my tear-blurred vision.
It was the Third Prince.
His face seemed strangely high up.
‘Huh? When did I end up lying down?’
His tears fell onto my cheeks— that sensation alone was vivid.
He struggled to lift me with his thin arms.
Only then did I realize his hand was finally free from the candlestick.
“Your Highness… run… first…”
My hoarse voice couldn’t form a proper sentence.
My consciousness flickered rapidly.
The smoke was so thick I could barely make out his face.
“Milady! Your Highness!”
Voices of servants echoed faintly from afar.
‘Is Anna among them?’
A strange, unfitting question filled my head.
A small relief followed— glad Anna wasn’t in the room.
It was like last time.
I had been glad my parents and dogs—
and even my annoying brother—
weren’t home when the fire happened.
‘I wish the Third Prince wasn’t here either…’
Then someone broke down the burning door.
I thought, I’m an adult, so they should save the weak Third Prince first.
“Pii—!”
A high-pitched cry like a baby animal rang in my ears as I lost consciousness.
Or maybe it was just ringing in my ears…
I couldn’t tell.
Lick.
“Ugh…”
Lick.
“Ugh, stop licking…”
Something kept licking my face.
I wanted to sleep more, but it was too annoying.
Lick.
“Anna, don’t lick me…”
It’s not like she had thorns on her tongue, but every time “Anna” licked me, my cheek stung unbearably.
“Piii—”
“What do you mean ‘no’? I’m sleeping. Stop bothering me…”
After several attempts, I finally managed to turn onto my side.
My body felt strangely heavy, like a boulder was pressing on me.
“Piii—”
“Anna” let out a dissatisfied whine and trotted around to my other side.
Then that cheek was licked too.
“Ah, seriously! Stop licking me, An—”
…Wait.
Why would Anna be licking my cheek?
