Chapter 02
My head was hot, and my breathing was heavy.
All my vital energy had been burned, so I should have died…
“Eh?”
Strangely, my eyes opened.
My head throbbed, ringing painfully. My body ached as if its joints were misaligned, groaning with every movement.
The pain was proof that I was alive.
“Am I… not dead?”
Lying there, I frantically looked around.
Cold air pierced my lungs.
The faded pillars of the chamber and the worn-out bed.
The faint smell of mold mixed with cheap incense burned to mask it—all unfamiliar.
I moved my arms to sit up but froze.
My wrists were slender, and the places where burn scars should have been were clean.
These weren’t my hands.
Something was wrong.
Every part of my body felt foreign, awkward, filled with something alien.
Even breathing felt strange; every sensation flowing through me was uncomfortable, as if I were wearing someone else’s body.
Struggling to sit up, dark brown hair tumbled over the bed. Its color was different from mine.
A sense of foreboding surged over me.
“Miss?”
A woman who seemed to be a servant spotted me and widened her eyes.
“…Miss?”
The unfamiliar title sent chills down my spine.
At that moment, along with a heavy pain, fragmented memories rushed in.
They weren’t my memories.
“The sorcerer of the Demon Sect predicted that ‘a child born using the womb of the Jeok family of the Snow Mountain will become the next Celestial Demon.’”
Those were the words of a woman presumed to be the head of the Jeok family of Snow Mountain.
“I’m sorry, Hee-rin, but to protect the family, you must go there.”
‘Jeok Hee-rin.’
The name of a girl who had been confined since the age of twelve because of the prophecy.
To avoid confrontation with the Demon Sect, which had tracked down the Snow Mountain Jeok family’s retreat, the head of the family decided to send his daughter as a bride for a political alliance. In reality, it meant handing her over at his discretion.
Hee-rin’s martial arts had been sealed to prevent escape, and she was transferred to the Yeomhwa household in the Tianshan Mountains.
Upon arrival, the Yeomhwa household marked her arm with the Sugungsa (守宮砂), a red dot to verify chastity.
She was treated purely as a tool to produce an heir, hidden deep in the Yeomhwa residence until her wedding.
By the time I saw this, the flood of memories stopped for a moment.
I gasped.
As I barely exhaled, the servant who had called me “Miss” hurried closer.
“Miss, I’ll fetch the physician. Please wait a moment.”
The servant quickly left.
I steadied my breath and picked up a foggy mirror from the worn dressing table.
A strange face reflected back.
Light-colored hair, clear and bright eyes.
Beautiful, yet the pale face seemed fragile, the eyes cold as if containing the ice of the Northern Sea.
A similar age to my original self, but completely different in appearance.
Snow Mountain Jeok family, Demon Sect, Yeomhwa household.
The memories left in this body led me to one inescapable conclusion:
I had become her—Jeok Hee-rin.
I didn’t know why this had happened.
But in any case, I was alive.
If I could get revenge on those who had killed Baek Ah, the reason didn’t matter.
Hurriedly checking my dantian, there was no inner energy.
Even in this new body, my martial arts had been sealed.
Disappointing, but better than being dead.
At that moment, I sensed someone outside the chamber.
“Miss Jeok.”
A man’s voice I hadn’t heard before.
“I am Yeom Ho-ryeong. May I enter?”
‘Yeom Ho-ryeong?’
From the information I had in the past, he was the second son of the head of the Yeomhwa household.
‘Fifteen, a year younger than Baek Ah, I think.’
According to Hee-rin’s memories, this place was indeed the Yeomhwa residence, so it wasn’t strange for Ho-ryeong to be here.
The door clicked open.
“Eh?”
The person who entered was not a fifteen-year-old boy.
A man, about six feet tall, wearing a long robe, with a smooth, sharp face. His calm demeanor made him feel more like a scholar than a warrior.
‘Is he really Yeom Ho-ryeong?’
No matter how I looked, he appeared at least twenty-six.
“Are you feeling alright?”
Ho-ryeong approached me with a concerned expression. His voice was smooth and deep—not the voice of a boy.
When I tried to stand, he gestured for me to remain seated.
“…You’re not fifteen, are you?”
I asked in a hoarse voice. Ho-ryeong sighed, as if embarrassed.
“Did you perhaps dream a past memory? I’m twenty-five now…”
My eyes widened.
‘It’s been ten years since I died?!’
It felt like I had just lost consciousness, yet a decade had passed in an instant.
The loss of my disciple Baek Ah, the disappearance of the home I returned to with him—all of that had been ten years ago.
Even I, who rarely got surprised, was shocked.
That I, who should have died, had become Jeok Hee-rin was unexplainable enough—but now I realized ten years had passed.
Ho-ryeong perched beside me, calm.
“Of course, you fell into the lake and were in a critical state. I understand why you’re confused.”
He smiled gently.
“Did you dream of your first arrival here? I was fifteen at the time.”
He reached out and took my left wrist.
Before I could resist, he rolled up my sleeve.
His fingertips brushed against the inside of my wrist.
The cold touch made my whole body instinctively resist.
I didn’t know him, yet my body did—this man was unsettling.
Though he spoke kindly, something felt off.
Ho-ryeong’s gaze landed on the red dot inside my wrist. Then the corners of his eyes softened.
“It seems there’s no problem with your body. That’s fortunate.”
He seemed satisfied after checking the chastity mark.
I felt disgusted.
“Let go of my hand.”
I slapped his hand away. Ho-ryeong released it without struggle.
“My apologies. I was worried someone might have touched your body. I wouldn’t want misunderstandings right before the wedding.”
“…Someone?”
“The one who saved you from the lake.”
I suddenly remembered the red eyes I had seen deep underwater.
I thought it had been just before I lost consciousness as Cheong-rin. Perhaps that was actually the first memory of this body.
“Though… that person might have actually put you in danger.”
Ho-ryeong muttered to himself, then whispered cautiously.
“I was worried when you didn’t come that day. I had prepared everything…”
His words chilled my mind.
Though he appeared kind, this body warned me not to trust him.
“Gongja.”
I pushed him away. Ho-ryeong’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Sorry… I don’t remember. Nothing.”
“What… did you say?”
Rule 35, Sangcheon Hall:
When infiltrating enemy territory under disguise, claim memory loss if suspected.
It’s an effective tactic in real situations, especially immediately after an accident.
‘If he knows I remember nothing, he’ll underestimate me.’
The more relaxed he was, the easier it would be to gather information.
“…Do you know who I am?”
I lowered my voice, trying to look confused.
“You don’t even remember being Jeok Hee-rin?”
Ho-ryeong’s previously gentle face showed a faint crack.
“I know that’s my name.”
“Damn…”
Ho-ryeong sighed in frustration.
“Miss Jeok. You were betrothed to my elder brother, but actually, it’s with me…”
His words were cut off as the servant and physician entered the chamber.
The physician diagnosed my condition as memory loss due to shock, because I repeatedly claimed to know nothing.
There were no visible injuries or illness, so the doctor could only believe my words.
I was prescribed medicinal decoctions to take over several days while being monitored.
Ho-ryeong left, promising to return.
Darkness had fallen, and I drank the medicine brought by the servant before lying down.
Finally, I was alone.
It was time to sort out my thoughts.
I had entered the body of Jeok Hee-rin, the Yeomhwa household’s betrothed, and the world I knew existed ten years ago.
Moreover, I was trapped in this body, unable to even retrieve Baek Ah’s body.
Still, I could not remain idle.
I needed information to assess the situation.
Fortunately, I retained knowledge from my time in Sangcheon Hall.
‘And there are also informants inside the Yeomhwa household.’
When everyone else had fallen asleep, I carefully got up and moved outside the chamber.
Since Hee-rin had been quietly confined, there were no guards.
I approached the wall adjoining the outer side of the chamber.
A small pile of stones lay there.
I etched a secret mark on it:
The current situation of the Demon Sect and Yeomhwa household is important.
After leaving this small but definite trace, I stood up.
That was when I saw a stranger crossing the threshold of my chamber, the dawn light behind him.
