YSGD 2

Chapter 2

Inside a cargo wagon where a random wooden crate and piles of straw lay scattered together.

I woke up after dozing off for a bit, rubbed my eyes hard, and then flopped down on top of the straw.

Was the sun setting?
Or were we heading into a colder region?

…Or maybe both?

As the creeping chill seeped in, I unconsciously wrapped my arms around myself. Silvery hair spilled down, tickling my arms.

Absentmindedly fiddling with the smooth strands, I recalled the moment just before boarding the wagon, when I had changed clothes.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I looked in the mirror earlier.

Silvery-white hair flowing past my shoulders all the way down to my waist.

And above all, those striking crimson eyes.

My appearance reminded me of a white rabbit standing out against a snowy field.

A thin, youthful girl—too frail to be called an adult—was staring back at me from the mirror with wide, round eyes.

“Good heavens… is that really… me?”

Heh. To think the day would come when I said something like that!

Once I accepted that I’d possessed someone, it wasn’t as hard to take as I’d expected.

What was harder was how to treat people beneath me in status.

They say you only really know how to eat well if you’ve eaten meat before—or something like that.

In my previous life, I was a grad student who bowed daily to my supervising professor… ahem, no—a hardworking graduate student. Because of that, I couldn’t exactly scold the maid who looked troubled while informing me I’d have to ride in a cargo wagon.

Not that I wanted to. And there was no reason to, either.

“Your Highness the Grand Duchess riding together with the servants in their wagon…”

“It’d be uncomfortable, right? I’m fine just riding in the cargo wagon.”

Anyway, to the maids, the Grand Duchess was probably the equivalent of a top-tier executive in modern society.

How long would it take to reach the Grand Duke’s castle? Either way, being crammed together with an unfamiliar high-ranking noble the whole way?

That was something I absolutely wanted to avoid too.

I’d feel awkward and uncomfortable as well!

And more than anything…

“Please speak casually, Betty.”

“Ah… right. Anyway, I’m extremely tired right now, I don’t care about anything else, and I just want to lie down. Look at all that straw over there. It looks comfy, doesn’t it?”

Without worrying about anyone’s eyes, I just desperately wanted to flop down…

“Yes. That’s right. So I got into the cargo wagon, and I fell asleep like I passed out.”

Had we not arrived at the Grand Duke’s castle yet?

There wasn’t a single sound of voices around—only the clatter of wheels rolling along the road, breaking the silence.

Amid that white noise, I slowly retraced my memories.

Wait. Come to think of it!

“What happened to me in my original world?”

How could I only now remember such an important thing?!

The moment the thought occurred to me, the final memory from my original world—one I would rather have forgotten—vividly resurfaced.

It felt like it had happened just yesterday.

If this place was reality and my original world was a dream, then that dream was nothing short of a nightmare.

……

The doctoral thesis I thought marked the end of my endless suffering was ultimately suspended.

The reason was absurd.

My supervising professor had been thrown into prison for embezzlement.

Was there another unlucky graduate student in the world who had their graduation postponed for this kind of reason?

“So yesterday, I definitely… um…”

Right. Yesterday, after a very long time, I went back to my studio apartment. I’d half-jokingly thought I might as well die, and with no one around to stop me, I drank myself senseless.

I fell asleep in my five-pyeong apartment, which had turned into something resembling a landfill after months of living in the lab day and night…

But what happened after that?

I vaguely remembered shivering violently from the cold just before losing consciousness.

I’d been so busy I hadn’t even noticed the seasons changing, and though it had been a long time since I’d gone home…

…Did I die?

Don’t tell me I froze to death after drinking in 21st-century Seoul?

“Your Highness.”

“Eek!”

“Kyaa!”

In the middle of my grim thoughts, someone suddenly called out to me. Startled, I screamed and turned around.

On the other side of the now-open wagon canopy stood a maid who looked even more shocked than I was.

Her name was Betty, I think.

A girl with plump cheeks that matched her cute name. She gathered herself and spoke again.

“…Ahem. Your Highness, we’ve arrived at the Grand Duke’s castle.”

As she said that, Betty stepped aside, as if urging me to get down.

Beyond her, the massive castle revealed its overwhelming presence.

As I climbed down from the wagon, servants coming out from the castle began unloading the cargo.

“I’ll guide you to your residence.”

After finishing her line, Betty hurried ahead.

We passed through the ornate gates at the castle’s entrance, but instead of heading inside, she led me onto a forest path branching off to the side.

Had it snowed recently?

The softly piled snow crunched cheerfully beneath our feet.

Judging by how our footprints were the first, it seemed like a path people rarely used.

My first time stepping on snow!

Leaving fresh footprints in white snow was always a delight!

I followed Betty with a silent grin.

But my good mood didn’t last long. A fierce gust of cold wind whipped through, stinging my cheeks and freezing my smile solid.

I wrapped the shawl around my shoulders tighter, but it was nowhere near enough to block the cold.

“You should return wearing something more suitable for you.”

Before boarding the wagon, Marchioness Blanche had taken me aside under the pretense of helping me change clothes, away from prying eyes.

She packed away everything I’d been wearing—the wedding dress, the shoes, even the jewelry—into her own bag.

Then she tossed me an old dress and a pilled woolen shawl.

At the time, I hadn’t even known where the Grand Duke’s castle was, so I’d let it go…

“Achoo!”

It’s freezing here!

Wasn’t it a bit much to give me only a shawl in the dead of winter?

She must have known we were heading somewhere cold!

Still, being separated from parents who hated me the moment I possessed this body is actually super lucky.

In other novels, the family causes endless suffering.

Compared to that, I’d been fortunate.

It was practically a free pass from persecution.

“Watch your step—there may be twigs on the ground.”

Her tone was blunt, but the maid assigned to me was considerate in her own way.

The narrow path was naturally beautiful, brimming with rustic charm.

What was there to complain about?

After walking for a few minutes—

“This is where you’ll be staying from now on, Your Highness.”

At the end of the path stood a lovely log cabin.

Small and pastoral, it sat quietly under the soft glow of moonlight.

Jackpot.

Rural life right after possession?

My humble dream—typing away at a keyboard in a lab forever—had somehow transformed into reality!

And it was straight out of a fairy tale or a Ghibli movie.

I desperately wanted to hop around in excitement, but I held myself back and turned to Betty.

For some reason, she spoke with an awkward expression.

“We’ve done some basic cleaning, but this annex has been empty for a long time, so it may be quite lacking for someone of Your Highness’s status, formerly a marquis’s daughter…”

“What are you talking about? It’s a really pretty house.”

“…Pardon?”

“There’s even a bed, right?”

“Yes, most essential furniture is in place, but…”

“Perfect.”

I was born a commoner at heart.

Someone who finds great joy in small things.

Honestly, I was quite pleased with the situation.

When I smiled broadly, looking back and forth between Betty and the cabin, her expression grew complicated.

It was as if she was trying to decide whether I truly meant what I said, or if I was subtly mocking her.

Hey, I’m not that twisted!

Just as I cheerfully swung open the cabin door—

“Betty! Betty! That young lady arrived! Riding an outrageously luxurious carriage—everyone says she just passed through the Grand Duke’s main gate!”

“Dora, shh!”

Another voice rang out behind us.

Turning around, I saw a maid around Betty’s age.

She hadn’t realized I was there and bowed deeply in shock.

“Gah! Y-Your Highness is here too…! My apologies!”

“That young lady?”

Were they talking about me?

Confused, I asked, and the maid’s face flushed red and blue.

Betty stepped in.

She looked tense, but her tone was firm.

“It’s nothing Your Highness needs to concern yourself with.”

“That young lady isn’t me, right?”

“Of course not! Of course not!”

Betty widened her eyes, insisting on her innocence.

Mm. Got it. Okay!

I nodded briskly and opened the door again.

After all, she’d said that lady arrived in an outrageously luxurious carriage, so it obviously wasn’t me.

But then again, would another noble lady come here? There’s no banquet or anything…

The thought briefly crossed my mind, but—

Whatever. Let’s lie down first.

Even if I’d been lying on straw the whole way, nothing beat a real bed!

I was about to head inside, admiring the cozy cabin interior—

……

The two maids were still standing frozen in the yard, staring blankly.

Unable to hide my confusion, I asked,

“Don’t you have something urgent to take care of? You should go.”

“Y-Your Highness… are you angry with us…?”

“What are you talking about?”

They’d been saying strange things all along.

Meanwhile, I’d caught glimpses of the cabin interior—there was already a fire lit in the fireplace, logs crackling merrily!

I wanted nothing more than to dive into that picture-perfect peace…

Hmm. But first, I should probably send these frightened lambs away.

To them, I was probably a top-tier superior, so they seemed scared of every little thing.

They didn’t need to be.

I tried my best to smile gently and spoke again.

“I’m not angry. It looked like something urgent came up, so go take care of it. And please pass along my regards to that young lady you mentioned.”

For some reason, their faces turned even paler.