Chapter 03 : Camilla Sorfel
“Ugh…”
Damn it!
‘That damned ghost!’
I take it back! I take it all back!
‘I take back what I said about ghosts not being able to physically harm humans!’
How long had she been unconscious?
Feeling as though her entire body had been soaked through and stuffed with wet cotton, Sia slowly opened her eyes.
The very first thing that came to mind was resentment toward the ghost that had been hanging from the chandelier.
If it weren’t for that ghost, there was no way the chandelier would have fallen right on top of me!
Expecting the worst—that filming would have to be canceled—Sia carefully touched her face.
To an actress, her face was just as important as her acting.
She had to make sure her beauty was still intact.
“…Huh?”
Something’s strange.
That enormous, razor-sharp chandelier had fallen directly onto her head.
Yet…
The pain was far less than she’d expected.
No—it didn’t hurt at all.
Did the chandelier somehow miss me?
Fortunately, her face seemed perfectly fine.
There were no bandages wrapped around it, nor did anything particularly hurt.
More importantly…
Where am I?
This definitely wasn’t a hospital.
She had once collapsed from overwork and been admitted to a VIP hospital room, but even that luxurious suite hadn’t been anywhere near this spacious.
And what was with those elegant, flowing curtains?
Or that antique-looking candlestick?
Still…
Somehow, the room felt familiar.
It was strange, yet oddly nostalgic at the same time.
Why isn’t anyone here?
There should have been someone nearby she could ask about what had happened.
Yet no matter how many times she looked around, there wasn’t another person in sight.
Seriously…?
Someone collapsed, and nobody stayed with them?
Where on earth had Hyunseok Oppa gone?
Sia slowly moved her body.
Fortunately, nothing seemed seriously wrong.
Aside from feeling unusually heavy, she wasn’t in any pain.
“…What?”
As she raised her upper body, Sia stared blankly at the sleeve that slipped down her arm.
Why was it covered in layers upon layers of lace?
Was this really supposed to be a patient’s gown?
Who in their right mind would dress an injured person in something this uncomfortable?
Clicking her tongue in disbelief, Sia pushed herself fully upright.
“…!”
But she immediately had to sit back down.
A crushing heaviness pressed against her entire body, followed by a wave of dizziness.
Realizing that something definitely wasn’t normal, she let out a small sigh.
Thankfully, the dizziness soon faded.
Knock. Knock.
Just then, someone entered after knocking.
She was a young woman in her late teens.
But…
“Huh?”
The moment Sia saw her face, her eyes widened.
“My lady! You’re awake!”
Still dazed, Sia slowly opened her mouth.
“…Donna?”
“Gasp!”
It was only after speaking for the first time since waking up that Sia froze.
That wasn’t her voice.
It definitely wasn’t her voice.
And yet…
It sounded incredibly familiar.
“Huh? Did you need something, Miss Camilla?”
“…”
Camilla?
Did she just call me Camilla?
Me…? Camilla?
Why is that name here?
Camilla.
The woman she always saw whenever she closed her eyes.
That woman’s name…
…was Camilla.
Chapter: Camilla Sorfel
“Hmm… You’re really beautiful.”
Standing before the mirror, Sia slowly shook her head.
This was the first time she’d ever examined this face so closely.
Soft pink-blonde hair.
Eyes tinged with crimson.
Small, delicately shaped lips.
Snow-white skin so flawless it looked as though it had been meticulously cared for every single day for years.
With a face like this…
Why did every misfortune in the world seem to fall on her alone?
“More importantly… was I seriously injured?”
Normally, she would leave this strange world after thirty minutes to an hour.
But there wasn’t the slightest sign of that happening now.
“My body’s moving exactly how I want it to.”
She absentmindedly wiggled her fingers.
Rock.
Paper.
Scissors.
Why can I actually move?
Until now, Sia had only ever been an observer.
She could witness everything Camilla experienced…
But she could never interfere.
Now, however…
Everything moved according to her own will.
Her words.
Her actions.
Everything.
After staring into the mirror for a long while, Sia’s expression suddenly stiffened.
When the chandelier had fallen toward her…
There had been a ghost hanging from it.
Everything had happened too quickly for her to see clearly.
But…
She could have sworn that the ghost’s face had looked exactly like her own.
“Come on… there’s no way.”
That was impossible.
How could she have seen her own soul with her own eyes?
Sia—
No, Camilla—
Quietly shook her head.
As she did, her pink-blonde hair swayed softly.
Bang!
“…?”
Without so much as a knock, the door burst open, and someone strode inside.
That man…
It was a face she knew all too well.
How could she possibly not?
Even someone with Sia’s exceptional eye for beauty had to admit that he was astonishingly handsome.
“Hey.”
Calling out to Camilla in an irritated voice, he frowned deeply.
“I told you to come to breakfast on time.”
“…”
“Follow me.”
Without waiting for a reply, he immediately turned around.
He was completely certain she wouldn’t dare disobey him.
Watching his back in silence, Camilla slowly rose to her feet.
A faint smile curled at the corners of her lips.
Right…
I still don’t know what’s going on here.
But…
There was something I’ve always wanted to do when I saw you.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Her footsteps quickened as she approached him.
Then—
She broke into a run.
SMACK!
A wonderfully satisfying sound echoed through the room.
“…!”
The man staggered as she struck the back of his head with all her strength.
His eyes widened so much they looked ready to pop out.
Camilla beamed brighter than ever.
“Sorry.”
You bastard.
The Sorfel Ducal House.
The place where Camilla lived.
After Camilla’s mother remarried the Duke of Sorfel, Camilla instantly became one of the few noble ladies in the Empire to bear the title of a duke’s daughter.
The person who had entered the ducal house alongside her…
Was that very man.
Camilla’s biological older brother.
“I mean it.”
“I wasn’t fully awake.”
“…”
“Sorry.”
So what if you’re glaring at me?
I said I wasn’t fully awake.
What are you going to do about it?
Bastard.
He should consider himself lucky I only hit him once.
His name was Ravi Sorfel.
Camilla’s biological older brother and a magician affiliated with the Magic Tower.
Ever since childhood, he’d displayed extraordinary talent for magic.
Now he was widely regarded as the most gifted young mage of his generation.
He had good looks.
A prestigious family.
Outstanding ability.
So what?
To Camilla…
He wasn’t worth the dirt under her fingernails.
At least dirt could be scrubbed away.
Because of this bastard…!
Because of him…
She had died over and over again.
What kind of lunatic drags even his own younger sister into danger just to destroy his stepbrother?
And yet he still had the nerve to glare at her like that?
Camilla pouted inwardly.
To her, both of them were equally detestable.
Her stepbrother, Ludville Sorfel.
And her biological brother, Ravi Sorfel.
The moment another older brother came to mind, Camilla’s expression darkened.
Ludville Sorfel.
The eldest of the siblings.
The Duke of Sorfel’s biological son.
Whether it was his appearance…
His swordsmanship…
Or anything else…
He was the very image of the Duke himself.
Anyone who saw him knew he was destined to become the next head of the Sorfel family.
Faced with such an outstanding rival, Ravi gradually became consumed by his inferiority complex.
Eventually, his entire purpose in life became surpassing Ludville.
At first, he genuinely tried to earn the Duke’s recognition through his own accomplishments.
But surpassing Ludville’s abilities was never easy.
Every time Ravi achieved something…
Ludville would accomplish something even greater, blocking his path once again.
Repeated defeat slowly twisted Ravi’s competitive spirit into jealousy…
Then hatred…
Until he finally attempted assassination.
The problem was…
Whenever Ravi carried out one of his schemes…
Whenever he committed some vile act…
He always dragged Camilla into it.
Just like that time…
The last scene she remembered.
Following Ravi’s orders, she’d participated in the assassination attempt on her eldest brother, Ludville.
They had been caught.
And Ludville had cut off her head with a single stroke of his sword.
Before that…
She had died countless times.
The circumstances were always slightly different.
But every ending was the same.
She became entangled in Ravi’s crimes…
And died alongside him.
So how could I possibly look kindly on that bastard?
What a shame.
I only hit him once.
I should’ve kept punching him.
“…You really do seem like you weren’t fully awake.”
More than the pain, Ravi couldn’t believe that Camilla had actually struck him.
And what’s with that look in her eyes?
She was saying she was sorry.
But her eyes said the exact opposite.
In fact…
They practically radiated anger toward him.
Anger?
From her?
Impossible.
She might constantly bully and lash out at the servants.
But in front of her family—including Ravi—she could barely even lift her head.
Knowing that better than anyone, Ravi didn’t bother pressing the issue.
“Because of you, we’re late. Hurry up and follow me.”
“…”
How can this bastard’s face be annoying from every angle?
As she glared at the back of his head while following him, Camilla tightly clenched her itching fist.
Well…
There’ll be another opportunity.
Just you wait.
I’ll make sure you get what’s coming to you.
Looks like the Duke’s joining breakfast today.
Following Ravi out of the room, Camilla inwardly clicked her tongue.
Normally, he couldn’t care less whether his younger sister ate or not.
But whenever the Duke was present…
He always made a point of pretending to look after her.
He probably wanted to show the Duke what a caring, considerate older brother he was.
