Chapter 02
When she, who had thought she had reached the end of her life in the emergency room, regained consciousness, someone was shaking her body and sobbing uncontrollably.
âMiss! Miss⌠You canât leave us like this!â
Sohee thought for a moment that she might be hallucinating, still trapped in a coma.
âMiss, please wake up! I beg you⌠you canât die. Sob⌠sobâŚâ
The voice of the young woman sitting on the floor, sobbing so pitifully, was so heartbreaking that Sohee wanted to comfort her.
âWhy are you crying so sadly?â
âAh⌠Miss? Miss! Youâve woken up!â
At Soheeâs words, the girl jumped up and hugged her tightly.
âIâm so relieved. I thought something had gone terribly wrong⌠No, no, this isnât the time for that. Doctor! Iâll get the doctor!â
The young girl, her face completely streaked with tears, wiped her eyes and rushed out of the room.
âIf the psychological shock is severe, temporary memory impairment can occur. The most important thing is to help the patient remain calm.â
An elderly man, presumably a doctor, said this to Soheeâs family after asking her a few questions.
At the doctorâs words, the woman who appeared to be her mother buried her face in her hands, while the middle-aged man who seemed to be her father frowned as if displeased.
âTch⌠Such a fragile state of mind! And now sheâs lost all sense of herselfâwhat a useless thing!â
Once the doctor left, the middle-aged man, her father, began to scold angrily.
âHoney, think of how heartbroken Lucy must have been to react that way. Letâs leave her be so she can rest.â
The woman, her mother, pushed the fuming manâs back and exited the room. But before closing the door, she cast a fleeting glance back, her expression betraying no genuine concern.
Left alone, Sohee slowly looked around the room. It was small and shabby, furnished only with a worn wardrobe, a vanity, and a small bed.
As she struggled to rise from the bed and take a step, the room spun before her eyes, and she staggered.
Shaky-legged, she finally stood in front of the vanity mirror, and her eyes widened in shock.
The girl reflected in the mirror was like a pure white lilyâethereal and dazzlingly beautiful. Her pale complexion and mysterious golden eyes blinked slowly as she brushed her cascading platinum hair back over her shoulders.
âAm I⌠dreaming?â
Sohee, who had long been battling a rare cancer, had collapsed at home and been rushed to the emergency room, closing her eyes beneath the hospitalâs sterile white ceiling.
She had known her remaining lifeâs flame was dwindling, so accepting her own death hadnât been difficult. But now⌠this situation was completely incomprehensible.
As she marveled at her reflection, a familiar girl entered the room.
It was the girl who had collapsed on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably when she first woke. Her brown hair and prominent freckles were visible, and her eyes were puffy from crying until recently.
âMiss, you probably donât have much appetite, but at least eat this and regain some strengthâŚâ
Eating the soup the girl brought her, Sohee asked who she was and why she had been crying so pitifully.
Her name was Anna, and she had no surname.
âI work as a maid in this mansion. Mostly I do chores in the kitchen, nothing too difficult.â
Shyly, Anna sniffled. The traces of her crying were still evident.
âYour name is Lucy. Lucy DâAlloâŚâ
The body she now inhabited belonged to Lucy DâAllo, who had just turned eighteen. A noble, but not reallyâher family, the DâAllo baronial household, was wealthy in name only, and she was their youngest daughter.
Even hearing a few words felt like stepping into the world of a novel. Sohee couldnât help but smirk quietly to herself.
âIf only this were really a novel world. I wouldnât be sick or in pain anymore.â
âRest for today. Iâll explain things gradually so you can regain your memory.â
Anna, gathering the empty bowl, smiled brightly. But Sohee couldnât shake the feeling that her smile held a deep sadness.
The next morning, when Sohee opened her eyes in the shabby room, she finally began to think this might actually be reality.
She pinched her cheek and slapped herself, and the sensation was far too vivid to be a dream.
That evening, once Anna judged her strength had returned, she cautiously began to tell Lucyâs story.
Lucy had had a fiancĂŠ she had been meeting for two years. He was the illegitimate son of another noble family, and despite the baronâs fierce opposition, they had become engaged.
He had truly cared for Lucy, and she had fallen deeply for him. But recently, he had disappeared, leaving only a single note behind. The reason was unknown.
Lucy, shocked, had refused to eat and remained unconscious for days. But even with Annaâs brief explanation, Sohee found it difficult to grasp the situation.
Throughout the storytelling, Anna kept glancing at Sohee as if omitting something important. Sohee could not shake the feeling that Anna was hiding something.
In the days following Soheeâs awakening, no one came to her room except Anna, and she herself had not ventured outside.
On the first day, she had no idea whether she was dreaming or awake. By the next day, she was still dizzy from the joy of having a new life, but she could not get out of bed easily.
This was because Lucy, whose body Sohee now inhabited, had grown weak from days of refusing to eat.
In her previous life, Sohee had also spent nearly half of her eighteen years bedridden, so lying in bed wasnât difficult.
Still, she felt it was a waste of time to stay cooped up in the room with her new body.
As soon as she regained some strength, she told Anna, who had brought lunch, that she wanted to take a walk.
âNot yet, miss. It would be too much for you. Iâll guide you later! You want to see the garden, right?â
Anna said brightly as she noticed Lucy staring out at the garden.
Anna had grown up like a friend with Lucy, always keeping an eye on her while watching out for the baron. Though Anna had only been able to gather leftover scraps for Lucy, she had always cared for her quietly.
âThat was only me bringing leftover food, thoughâŚâ Anna muttered softly as they walked in the garden.
The garden looked even more splendid up close. Lucy became absorbed in the colorful blooms.
At that moment, a girl around Lucyâs age, wearing a luxurious navy dress, approached them.
âAnna, who is that girl?â Lucy whispered.
Anna frowned.
âThat is your elder sister, Miss JessicaâŚâ
As soon as Anna said this, Jessica, who had come close, sneered at Lucy.
âMaking such a fuss as if you were dying, and now youâre perfectly fine, huh?â
Lucy didnât know what to say and just blinked at her. Jessica continued.
âOh, you lost your memory, right? Well, I suppose thatâs a blessing for you. I wouldnât have been able to endure such humiliation either.â
Jessicaâs tone made it clear she was not at all friendly toward Lucy.
âWhy is my own sister being so hostile toward me?â Lucy asked Anna, watching Jessica return the way she came.
âOh, miss⌠donât even ask. The truth isâŚâ
Anna hesitated, then revealed the scandalous truth of the DâAllo baronial household: Lucy was the legitimate daughter, but the baron already had a mistress before marriage, who gave birth to Jessica.
Lucyâs mother, already weak, had died from complications after giving birth to her while neglected by the baron.
Lucy had somewhat anticipated the rest of the story. The shabby room she awoke in and the tattered gray dress she wore made it clear she had been abandoned like her mother.
About four days later, the baroness, who had not visited since the first day, finally came to Lucyâs room.
