Chapter 01
That day was nothing special.
Like always, Daphne’s day followed a boring routine, working like a puppet for her family.
Nothing more, nothing less.
She gazed blankly out the window at the heavy snow and thought about the conversation she had with her father, Marquis Himonas’s assistant.
“The Marquis asked me to inform you. He wants you to adopt a child.”
“Adopt?”
“Yes, the last remaining Himonas bloodline is in an orphanage.”
That cursed Himonas bloodline. Daphne frowned.
A transcendent—someone who surpassed human strength.
Those who received power from the World Tree to protect humans were called transcendent beings.
Long ago, there were four of them, but the Himonas family had lost theirs, and now only three remained.
The appearance of transcendent beings had become rarer with each generation, and the Himonas family could no longer find one.
Her father, Marquis Himonas, longed for the power of the lost transcendent being, hoping to restore the family’s former glory.
He believed he could create a transcendent being through alchemical experiments.
And he intended to do so by using children.
He was a truly horrendous man. The Marquis made his wife, the pureblood of Himonas, meet various men and had children from different unions.
The reason this was allowed was that the previous Marquis tacitly permitted it, probably thinking that a son-in-law trying to carry on the family name was more useful than a useless daughter.
Her mother initially resisted but was eventually broken down by years of verbal and physical abuse, making her powerless to refuse.
The children born from these experiments, however, all died before reaching the age of fifteen due to the extreme conditions.
“Finally, finally, one has lived past fifteen!”
Daphne was the only one who survived past the age of fifteen in these experiments.
Up to this point, everything was perfect—except that Daphne couldn’t use the transcendent power, rendering her a failure.
The last remaining bloodline.
Daphne unfolded the note handed to her by the assistant.
[Dark silver hair, light brown eyes, age six]
She couldn’t even guess who the child’s father was.
“So, this is how it is, huh.”
Her father wanted to show that Daphne was replaceable.
Daphne rubbed her throbbing temples and frowned.
Thinking about things she didn’t want to think about gave her a stress headache.
The sudden headache made her more sensitive.
“Woah, woah—”
After a while, the sled slowed and finally came to a stop in front of a faded gray building.
“We’ve arrived.”
“I’ll open the door.”
Daphne pressed her temples and answered the driver.
“Yes!”
With a loud reply from the driver, the door opened.
As soon as it did, a cold breeze swept inside, chilling her to the bone.
When Daphne got off the sled, the orphanage’s director hurried toward her.
“My lady, you’ve arrived.”
“Have you been well?”
“Yes, thanks to you. Please come inside.”
The director, overly attentive, led her into the building.
No one would guess that the gaudy, jeweled man was the director of an orphanage.
The contrast between his sparkling attire and the skinny children was jarring.
And the overpowering smell of perfume, which stung her nose, was so disgusting, it made her frown even more.
Daphne quickly turned her head to avoid it, wanting to finish her task and leave before she got even more tired.
“This way.”
As the director guided her, Daphne suddenly stopped, noticing the people moving frantically.
“You don’t have to worry about this,” the director quickly said, stepping in front of her.
Daphne sighed irritably.
“I’ll decide what I need to worry about.”
She glared at the busy workers.
The director, sensing her mood, hurriedly added, “It’s just a formality, so you don’t have to worry.”
“A formality?”
“Yes. There’s… this.”
The director made a circular motion with his fingers, implying that money had been exchanged.
“Understood,” Daphne replied, resuming her walk.
However, her gaze instinctively returned to the scene, and she caught sight of a flash of blonde hair.
Blonde?
She stopped and turned, but no one was there.
“Is something wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Daphne quickly walked on, but her curiosity lingered.
The director led her to a reception room, where he tried to ease her discomfort with an awkward smile.
“I was surprised when I heard you wanted to adopt.”
“Is there a child with dark silver hair and light brown eyes?”
“Yes, there is.”
“Where did this child come from?” Daphne started to ask but stopped.
It didn’t matter. Soon, the child would be in her father’s hands.
“Bring them in.”
The director nodded and hurried out.
A short while later, the director returned with a child in tow.
Daphne glanced at the child, who was smaller and appeared younger than other children her age.
It was a strange feeling—sympathy mixed with a faint sense of competition.
She hated herself for feeling this way about a small child.
“My lady, would you like some tea?”
“No, just bring the paperwork.”
“Yes!”
Daphne’s fatigue and headache made her long to leave.
The director quickly retrieved the documents and pen.
“Here you go,” he said, trying to avoid upsetting her further.
Daphne took the pen and started filling out the forms without hesitation.
Her headache worsened as she wrote, but she managed to finish the paperwork.
However, just as she was about to sign the last line, her vision blurred, and dizziness overcame her.
“…This is… enough,” she muttered, hearing a ringing in her ears.
Suddenly, images of a different world, Earth, and even Korea flooded her mind.
She knew immediately—they were memories from her past life.
Her mind snapped into focus.
The ringing ceased, and the dizziness vanished.
Daphne blinked slowly, her vision clearing.
“Ha…”
She let out a soft sigh, like the first breath of a newborn.
The director stopped mid-sentence, noticing her strange behavior.
“My lady…?”
Her heart raced at the sound of his voice.
She blinked a few times to clear her mind, feeling like her body wasn’t fully hers.
“Are you… okay?”
The child, who had quietly approached, suddenly spoke, causing Daphne to look up in surprise.
The child’s small hand rested gently on Daphne’s hand.
“When did you…”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know the proper etiquette. Please, come here!”
The director yanked the child toward him, scolding him.
“Sorry, sorry…”
The child trembled under the director’s harsh grip.
“How dare you!”
“Sorry…”
The child, scared, fought back tears.
“Say your greetings!”
The child, holding back tears, bowed their head.
“Hello.”
Daphne felt a flicker of hope. Could this child be…?
“What’s your name?” Daphne asked with a trembling voice.
“I… I’m Jaquette!”
Daphne squeezed her eyes shut.
This child would grow up to be the one who would ultimately kill her.
