Pain hit her like a hammer the moment she stirred—sharp, burning, bone-deep.
It felt as if her body had been crushed under a carriage. Every breath scraped through her chest. Zora lay there for a long moment, stunned, waiting for the agony to fade. When she finally forced her eyes open, the ceiling above her was unfamiliar—old wooden beams, dim lantern light, and a smell of strange incense drifting in the room.
"Her heart tightened. Where am I?"
The last thing she remembered was the beast's nest, the cold dirt under her feet, and that strange, ancient ring she'd dug out from under a pile of bones.
She remembered how her blood had accidentally dripped onto it, how the wind suddenly howled as if the sky itself split—then nothing but darkness swallowed her whole.
A fresh wave of pain surged through her skull. She hissed, clutching her head as fragments of memories—hers and someone else's—crashed together.
Faces she did not know.
A house she had never lived in.
A life that was not hers.
The flood lasted only a minute, but by the end, her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and her breathing turned shaky.
When the pain finally ebbed, clarity returned—and shock followed.
"I crossed?" she whispered. "I actually crossed and landed in the Holy Continent from a thousand years ago?"
She used to be the youngest clan head in the Xynnar Continent, blessed with rare talent and unmatched potential. Yet because of a single ring, her soul had been dragged into the body of a useless young lady from the General's Manor.
And that girl had the same name as her.
But the similarities stopped there. This body's original owner had been ignored since birth. Her mother died early, the General barely cared for her, and the only thing that protected her status was a marriage contract with the crown prince.
That thin protection vanished three months ago—right after she suddenly went blind. Yesterday, the emperor officially annulled the marriage.
And behind every misfortune stood the same person—her so-called good sister, Luna.
The memories were clear as day. Fake comforting words, hidden sneers, and the same girl encouraging her to "calm down" yesterday before she swallowed gold in despair. Even becoming blind probably had Luna's hand in it.
Zora clicked her tongue and sighed. "Some ring what a mess you dragged me into."
Her irritation froze when she glanced down at her hand. The ancient black ring gleamed faintly on her finger—exactly the same ring she'd touched before she crossed.
"You followed me?"
Before she could examine it, footsteps clicked in the hallway—soft, slow, and confident. A man and a woman walked in, leaning into each other. Even without the memories, Zora would've recognized them instantly.
Luna And Crown Prince Philip.
Luna's beauty was delicate and bright, her posture graceful—everything the original Zora lacked. Philip kept a hand shamelessly on her waist, his eyes cold and filled with mocking disdain, the moment they landed on the girl lying on the bed.
So they'd come expecting to find a corpse. Too bad for them.
"Good sister," Luna said sweetly, though her eyes glinted with disgust, "why were you so stubborn? Swallowing gold like that, really, how foolish."
Her tone sounded caring, but every word was dipped in venom. She looked at Zora the way one would look at trash lying in the street.
Prince Philip tugged her back and snorted, hands roaming freely over her waist. "Don't waste time worrying about her. A useless girl like that dying is a blessing. We should've ended that engagement long ago."
He didn't even bother lowering his voice. The contempt in his eyes was thick enough to choke on. "If you hadn't wanted to come check her body, I wouldn't have stepped foot near her."
Luna giggled softly—pretending to be kind, pretending to care, even as satisfaction shimmered in her eyes.
"Your Highness, she is my sister," she said gently. "How could I just watch her do something so stupid?"
On the bed, Zora lifted her eyes, watching the two with a calmness that didn't belong to the old owner of this body. Her voice came out weak—on purpose.
"Sister I"...
But inside, her thoughts were cold and sharp.
Good. Keep talking.
Let's see how far you two can dance before I cut the strings.
"Luna, you are so kind. I really love you."
Philip's voice dripped with sweetness, but his bright smile was aimed straight at Zora, as if hurting her brought him some twisted joy. He pressed closer to Zora, hands wandering without care, his expression full of smug pleasure.
Luna lowered her lashes, pretending to shy away while secretly enjoying every second. Her voice trembled with false gentleness. "Your Highness, if you say things like that, Zora will be sad."
"Sad?" Philip snorted, turning to look at the girl lying on the bed as if she were dirt under his shoe. "If it weren't for the General's face, I'd never have agreed to that engagement. I've always liked you, Luna."
The two of them stood there like actors performing a cheap lovers' drama in front of the girl they thought had killed herself. Zora watched in silence, a slow sneer forming in her heart.
What a pair.
Two people with less shame than beasts.
If the original girl were still alive, this alone might've pushed her to swallow gold all over again. But that girl was gone. And the one watching now was someone who had no patience for weak hearts.
She studied Philip calmly. The original owner once admired him—how laughable. The man was nothing more than a lustful, brainless parasite who strutted around like royalty. Just looking at him made her want to wash her eyes.
If her body weren't still weak, she would've sent him flying out the door already.
Philip, drunk on his own arrogance, pulled Luna closer and kissed her neck loudly as they slowly walked toward the bed—clearly doing it on purpose so Zora could see every disgusting detail.
He wanted to humiliate her.
He wanted to enjoy her pain.
Too bad she wasn't the original Zora.
Her gaze flicked downward. A small bead blossom ornament lay beside her pillow. Without changing expression, she lifted her hand slightly and flicked it toward the floor, letting it roll to exactly where Philip would step.
A heartbeat later—
Bang!
Philip stepped on the bead and shot forward like a launched chicken, arms flailing. The momentum ripped Luna from his embrace, and she flew ahead of him—
"AH!"
Her face slammed straight into the bed frame. Blood spurted from her nose instantly, and her delicate face swelled up on the spot.
Philip didn't fare any better. He crashed onto the floor with all four limbs in the air, looking like a crushed frog. Gone was any trace of princely dignity.
Zora widened her eyes slightly and put on a perfect mask of shock. "S-sister? What happened?"
Philip scrambled up, face twisted from embarrassment, and tried to step forward—only for his foot to slip a second time.
THUD!
He smashed face-first into the bed frame beside Zora with a loud crack.
"AAAH—!"