“Ah, my head…”
I grabbed my throbbing head and slowly got up.
My vision was hazy.
Somehow, it felt both dark and bright…
But the one thing I was sure of was that this wasn’t my room.
‘Where am I?’
As soon as I opened the diary, memories of the pages flipping rapidly came back to me.
I had lost consciousness with a bright light.
I looked around. This place seemed completely empty, as if devoid of anything.
As I wandered around, I suddenly felt a presence behind me.
When I turned my head, an unexpected person was standing there.
“…Young Duke Leo.”
My mouth moved on its own.
‘Is this Rosetta’s past?’
It seemed that way. Thanks to that, my body was replaying Rosetta from the past while I had my will over the body.
It was like when I had dreams of the past during the hunting festival.
Leo stared at me with burning, furious eyes.
His face, devoid of even a hint of a ceremonial smile, felt chilling.
“You truly annoy me.”
“Pardon?”
Even my muttering felt as chilly as my face. When I asked in surprise, he made a look as if I were the most foolish person in the world.
“You made Alicia cry today. Again.”
“…Well, is it my fault that she’s a crybaby?”
At my naïve response, Rosetta’s voice sounded cold. Then he extended his hand.
The man’s large hand clamped onto my throat.
I tried to gasp for air and clawed at his wrist, but Leo didn’t bat an eye.
“Don’t try to crawl up, Ducal Lady Valentine. I hear you have her call you ‘Sister’ because you want to be a real ducal lady too. But isn’t your body filled with the blood of a vile, lowly criminal?”
“Cough…”
“Behave yourself, Ducal Lady, if you still want to continue being called that in the future.”
Spitting out those words, he forcefully threw my body aside.
I tumbled on the floor, rattling and shaking.
The blood rushing to my head was scorching.
No, was it my head that was burning from the blood?
My vision spun. Each time I coughed, it felt like I was regurgitating one organ after another.
“Cough, hack… Ugh… cough….”
The man looked at me with a relaxed expression.
It was such a calm face, so different from someone who had just tried to kill me.
“Well then, until we meet again, Ducal Lady.”
His farewell was sweet and polite.
Gradually, ta-dak, tadak…
The sound of his footsteps faded away.
I lay on the floor, listening to the man’s retreating footsteps.
My whole body trembled.
Was it because of the cold winter night’s chill or the brutal encounter I had just endured?
Or was it the harsh reality that I dared not speak of it to anyone?
I buried my face in the floor and let tears flow. Then, fearing someone might see, I struggled to get up, staggering to my feet.
Not far away, laughter echoed.
A beautiful waltz played on.
The grand hall radiated with dazzling lights.
Today was Alicia’s birthday.
* * *
I made my way back to the room through the darkest paths to avoid catching anyone’s attention.
As I walked under the dim light into the shadows, I soon reached my room.
The sounds of music and laughter had grown distant.
My steps, which I had struggled to maintain steadily, wavered as soon as I reached the room.
I collapsed onto the floor, and my sore and dry throat ached.
I knelt down, letting the tears flow freely.
It was heartbreaking.
Just incredibly heartbreaking.
Even the grand birthday celebration from a week ago felt as vivid as that moment.
However, as I watched Alicia’s party, my own grand birthday celebration felt like nothing but a dream.
I was the illusion.
Over there was the reality.
“Indeed, people refer to you as a real ducal lady, but that doesn’t mean that you actually are, does it? After all, doesn’t the isn’t your body filled with the blood of a vile, lowly criminal?”
Leo’s voice pierced my heart like thorns.
“Haha… ha…”
I let out a bitter laugh.
Yes, that was true.
No matter how splendidly I hosted parties, to others, I was just a fake ducal lady.
I must have seemed like a spoiled impostor.
All this time, I pretended to be strong, as if I didn’t care if anyone laughed at me. But deep down, I was terrified.
Still, I never faced any real consequences.
Because I was a ducal lady.
Sometimes, my older brother scolded me, and my father looked at me with cold eyes, but even that was tolerable.
If I weren’t a Valentine, they might not have reacted at all.
That feeling gave me a glimmer of hope.
Even when people pointed fingers at me, when my family’s icy gaze turned toward me, in those moments, I could feel that I was a ducal lady.
I could feel that I was a Valentine.
Yes.
It seemed like that was the case.
But now that I think about it, maybe even that was just a pretense.
After laughing weakly for a while, I was overwhelmed by pain and began coughing again.
I gripped my throbbing throat and opened my eyes.
“…Ah, this world… I wish it would just fall apart.”
And I had no idea how those words would come back to me in the future.
* * *
Just before death, all that came to mind was intense pain.
The raging flames drew nearer, and from my pierced stomach, a relentless flow of crimson liquid seeped.
The approaching, fierce blaze made the air unbearably hot, to the point where it felt like my throat might incinerate if I inhaled incorrectly.
My field of vision was low.
Well, it had to be since I was sprawled on the ground.
The only thing visible beyond the flames was a man’s shiny black shoes.
I slowly raised my head.
Every movement sent a burning sensation across my throat, making me gag.
With great effort, I managed to lift my head, and our eyes met.
“…Leo… You… In the end…”
Beyond the flames, the man with glowing eyes smiled demonically, seemingly right at home in this infernal landscape.
This might be what hell looked like.
He flashed a wicked grin and pressed his lips to the forehead of the woman cradled against his chest.
“Alicia.”
Alicia, unconscious, lay draped over Leo’s chest.
Her golden hair shone brilliantly.
Her pale face, now flushed from the heat, made her cheeks look even more charming.
She knew nothing as she slept, simply blissful in her innocence.
Right. Anyone who would see this would surely mistake him for a gallant knight rescuing the princess from danger.
But the truth was, both this fire engulfing the mansion and the blade thrust into my stomach were the work of that man.
We had no real grudge against each other.
Although I may have been a wicked person in the eyes of others, at least I hadn’t done anything to deserve being murdered by that man.
There’s just one reason why I’m dying.
Because I made Alicia cry.
Because I didn’t treat her affectionately.
Because she irritated me.
‘Alicia… Alicia, Alicia!’
I bit my lip in frustration.
I tried to get up, clawing at the ground with my fingernails, but the more I struggled, the deeper my weakened body sank into the floor.
“Don’t waste your energy. Squirming on the ground makes you look pitiful.”
“…Madman…”
“Sorry, but despite the gall that you have, you won’t live through this.”
He casually replied, then turned away.
As Leo began to move, the fire spread even faster.
I was left alone in the space, coughing up blood-mingled smoke.
I could feel my body dying.
Tears welled up.
Oh, dying like this.
This kind of death was just too pathetic.
Even if I had earned someone’s hatred through my mistakes, dying like this…
‘I’m just an accessory to Alicia, nothing more and nothing less.’
Why do I always have to feel like this?
Even in the final moments of my life, this feeling…
‘Alicia. I…’
I hate you so much.
In the end, you’re making me miserable until the very end…
‘I hate you so much. I wish you would just disappear.’
A world like this… I wish it would all just fall to ruin.
In the blurry gaps of my fading consciousness, I clenched my hand.
That’s when it happened.
Something solid was caught in my previously empty grasp.
“…This is…”
A book.
The novel I had brought from the secret library I had accessed after my coming-of-age birthday.
Its unique appearance, resembling a diary, had piqued my interest, and I remembered finding it surprisingly enjoyable. It was a short read, and I had gone back to reread it several times.
The title is…
“My… Diary…”
In this thin book, there were no wizards, knights, or priests. There were no social hierarchies, and everyone lived in a world where they relied solely on ‘science’.
Trains, airplanes, cars.
TVs, mobile phones, cameras.
It’s a different world with technology and inventions that didn’t exist in the world I lived in.
I had once thought that if I were to be reborn, being born in a place like that wouldn’t be so bad…
“But why is this here, of all places…”
As I muttered in bewilderment, the book started turning its pages on its own, accompanied by a loud rustling sound.
I stared at this phenomenon with wide eyes filled with surprise, my body drenched in a cold sweat.
‘Is this a dream?’
It couldn’t be.
“Ugh…”
The pain was too real for that.
Then, could it be that I’m already dead?
No, that didn’t make sense. The thin stream of breath passing through my narrow throat was too vivid.
The bookshelf that had been turning on its own finally stopped when it reached the last few pages.
I stretched my neck and lowered my gaze to the opened pages.
「 Honk, hooonk!
A massive truck came rushing with a long horn.
Blinding lights flashed before my eyes.
Next thing I knew, my body was floating.
Crash!
With a dull sound, the rising body crashed onto the ground. A few cans of beer rolled on the ground from a shopping bag.
Mina blinked her blurry eyes in slow motion, moving her heavy head.
‘…The moon.’
The last thing she saw was the moon.
A yellow, round moon.
Finally, her last breath escaped her dry lips.
Mina died like that.
And thus, the transmigrations began. 」
…Was there such a passage like this before?
“Ah, my head…”
I grabbed my throbbing head and slowly got up.
My vision was hazy.
Somehow, it felt both dark and bright…
But the one thing I was sure of was that this wasn’t my room.
‘Where am I?’
As soon as I opened the diary, memories of the pages flipping rapidly came back to me.
I had lost consciousness with a bright light.
I looked around. This place seemed completely empty, as if devoid of anything.
As I wandered around, I suddenly felt a presence behind me.
When I turned my head, an unexpected person was standing there.
“…Young Duke Leo.”
My mouth moved on its own.
‘Is this Rosetta’s past?’
It seemed that way. Thanks to that, my body was replaying Rosetta from the past while I had my will over the body.
It was like when I had dreams of the past during the hunting festival.
Leo stared at me with burning, furious eyes.
His face, devoid of even a hint of a ceremonial smile, felt chilling.
“You truly annoy me.”
“Pardon?”
Even my muttering felt as chilly as my face. When I asked in surprise, he made a look as if I were the most foolish person in the world.
“You made Alicia cry today. Again.”
“…Well, is it my fault that she’s a crybaby?”
At my naïve response, Rosetta’s voice sounded cold. Then he extended his hand.
The man’s large hand clamped onto my throat.
I tried to gasp for air and clawed at his wrist, but Leo didn’t bat an eye.
“Don’t try to crawl up, Ducal Lady Valentine. I hear you have her call you ‘Sister’ because you want to be a real ducal lady too. But isn’t your body filled with the blood of a vile, lowly criminal?”
“Cough…”
“Behave yourself, Ducal Lady, if you still want to continue being called that in the future.”
Spitting out those words, he forcefully threw my body aside.
I tumbled on the floor, rattling and shaking.
The blood rushing to my head was scorching.
No, was it my head that was burning from the blood?
My vision spun. Each time I coughed, it felt like I was regurgitating one organ after another.
“Cough, hack… Ugh… cough….”
The man looked at me with a relaxed expression.
It was such a calm face, so different from someone who had just tried to kill me.
“Well then, until we meet again, Ducal Lady.”
His farewell was sweet and polite.
Gradually, ta-dak, tadak…
The sound of his footsteps faded away.
I lay on the floor, listening to the man’s retreating footsteps.
My whole body trembled.
Was it because of the cold winter night’s chill or the brutal encounter I had just endured?
Or was it the harsh reality that I dared not speak of it to anyone?
I buried my face in the floor and let tears flow. Then, fearing someone might see, I struggled to get up, staggering to my feet.
Not far away, laughter echoed.
A beautiful waltz played on.
The grand hall radiated with dazzling lights.
Today was Alicia’s birthday.
* * *
I made my way back to the room through the darkest paths to avoid catching anyone’s attention.
As I walked under the dim light into the shadows, I soon reached my room.
The sounds of music and laughter had grown distant.
My steps, which I had struggled to maintain steadily, wavered as soon as I reached the room.
I collapsed onto the floor, and my sore and dry throat ached.
I knelt down, letting the tears flow freely.
It was heartbreaking.
Just incredibly heartbreaking.
Even the grand birthday celebration from a week ago felt as vivid as that moment.
However, as I watched Alicia’s party, my own grand birthday celebration felt like nothing but a dream.
I was the illusion.
Over there was the reality.
“Indeed, people refer to you as a real ducal lady, but that doesn’t mean that you actually are, does it? After all, doesn’t the isn’t your body filled with the blood of a vile, lowly criminal?”
Leo’s voice pierced my heart like thorns.
“Haha… ha…”
I let out a bitter laugh.
Yes, that was true.
No matter how splendidly I hosted parties, to others, I was just a fake ducal lady.
I must have seemed like a spoiled impostor.
All this time, I pretended to be strong, as if I didn’t care if anyone laughed at me. But deep down, I was terrified.
Still, I never faced any real consequences.
Because I was a ducal lady.
Sometimes, my older brother scolded me, and my father looked at me with cold eyes, but even that was tolerable.
If I weren’t a Valentine, they might not have reacted at all.
That feeling gave me a glimmer of hope.
Even when people pointed fingers at me, when my family’s icy gaze turned toward me, in those moments, I could feel that I was a ducal lady.
I could feel that I was a Valentine.
Yes.
It seemed like that was the case.
But now that I think about it, maybe even that was just a pretense.
After laughing weakly for a while, I was overwhelmed by pain and began coughing again.
I gripped my throbbing throat and opened my eyes.
“…Ah, this world… I wish it would just fall apart.”
And I had no idea how those words would come back to me in the future.
* * *
Just before death, all that came to mind was intense pain.
The raging flames drew nearer, and from my pierced stomach, a relentless flow of crimson liquid seeped.
The approaching, fierce blaze made the air unbearably hot, to the point where it felt like my throat might incinerate if I inhaled incorrectly.
My field of vision was low.
Well, it had to be since I was sprawled on the ground.
The only thing visible beyond the flames was a man’s shiny black shoes.
I slowly raised my head.
Every movement sent a burning sensation across my throat, making me gag.
With great effort, I managed to lift my head, and our eyes met.
“…Leo… You… In the end…”
Beyond the flames, the man with glowing eyes smiled demonically, seemingly right at home in this infernal landscape.
This might be what hell looked like.
He flashed a wicked grin and pressed his lips to the forehead of the woman cradled against his chest.
“Alicia.”
Alicia, unconscious, lay draped over Leo’s chest.
Her golden hair shone brilliantly.
Her pale face, now flushed from the heat, made her cheeks look even more charming.
She knew nothing as she slept, simply blissful in her innocence.
Right. Anyone who would see this would surely mistake him for a gallant knight rescuing the princess from danger.
But the truth was, both this fire engulfing the mansion and the blade thrust into my stomach were the work of that man.
We had no real grudge against each other.
Although I may have been a wicked person in the eyes of others, at least I hadn’t done anything to deserve being murdered by that man.
There’s just one reason why I’m dying.
Because I made Alicia cry.
Because I didn’t treat her affectionately.
Because she irritated me.
‘Alicia… Alicia, Alicia!’
I bit my lip in frustration.
I tried to get up, clawing at the ground with my fingernails, but the more I struggled, the deeper my weakened body sank into the floor.
“Don’t waste your energy. Squirming on the ground makes you look pitiful.”
“…Madman…”
“Sorry, but despite the gall that you have, you won’t live through this.”
He casually replied, then turned away.
As Leo began to move, the fire spread even faster.
I was left alone in the space, coughing up blood-mingled smoke.
I could feel my body dying.
Tears welled up.
Oh, dying like this.
This kind of death was just too pathetic.
Even if I had earned someone’s hatred through my mistakes, dying like this…
‘I’m just an accessory to Alicia, nothing more and nothing less.’
Why do I always have to feel like this?
Even in the final moments of my life, this feeling…
‘Alicia. I…’
I hate you so much.
In the end, you’re making me miserable until the very end…
‘I hate you so much. I wish you would just disappear.’
A world like this… I wish it would all just fall to ruin.
In the blurry gaps of my fading consciousness, I clenched my hand.
That’s when it happened.
Something solid was caught in my previously empty grasp.
“…This is…”
A book.
The novel I had brought from the secret library I had accessed after my coming-of-age birthday.
Its unique appearance, resembling a diary, had piqued my interest, and I remembered finding it surprisingly enjoyable. It was a short read, and I had gone back to reread it several times.
The title is…
“My… Diary…”
In this thin book, there were no wizards, knights, or priests. There were no social hierarchies, and everyone lived in a world where they relied solely on ‘science’.
Trains, airplanes, cars.
TVs, mobile phones, cameras.
It’s a different world with technology and inventions that didn’t exist in the world I lived in.
I had once thought that if I were to be reborn, being born in a place like that wouldn’t be so bad…
“But why is this here, of all places…”
As I muttered in bewilderment, the book started turning its pages on its own, accompanied by a loud rustling sound.
I stared at this phenomenon with wide eyes filled with surprise, my body drenched in a cold sweat.
‘Is this a dream?’
It couldn’t be.
“Ugh…”
The pain was too real for that.
Then, could it be that I’m already dead?
No, that didn’t make sense. The thin stream of breath passing through my narrow throat was too vivid.
The bookshelf that had been turning on its own finally stopped when it reached the last few pages.
I stretched my neck and lowered my gaze to the opened pages.
「 Honk, hooonk!
A massive truck came rushing with a long horn.
Blinding lights flashed before my eyes.
Next thing I knew, my body was floating.
Crash!
With a dull sound, the rising body crashed onto the ground. A few cans of beer rolled on the ground from a shopping bag.
Mina blinked her blurry eyes in slow motion, moving her heavy head.
‘…The moon.’
The last thing she saw was the moon.
A yellow, round moon.
Finally, her last breath escaped her dry lips.
Mina died like that.
And thus, the transmigrations began. 」
…Was there such a passage like this before?
