“Gasp!”
She suddenly regained consciousness. Air rushed into her lungs.
“Cough, cough! Haa…”
Diana coughed roughly, unable to open her eyes properly. She turned onto her side and unconsciously raised her hand to feel her neck.
Why is my neck… attached?
As this question arose, her eyes snapped open. Diana quickly sat up, placing her hand on the soft fabric touching her face.
“My room…”
A confused murmur escaped her lips. Her blue-violet eyes darted around the room, trembling with uncertainty.
The faint smell of dust tickled her nose, and the dim light of dawn filtered into the room. A small space that could easily be mistaken for a storage room, which was indeed used as one. This was the room Diana had used in the Sudsfield mansion. That is… until five years ago.
After I went under Rebecca’s wing, I knew they had gotten rid of the bed and turned it into a storage room.
Is this a dream? Diana blinked in confusion and reached out her hand. With her palm facing upwards, she moved her magic and spoke.
“Hillasa.”
Her low voice echoed in the air. Immediately, small black dust balls appeared on her palm. Ten dust balls soon materialized. Surprisingly, what looked like mere dust developed button-like eyes and thread-like limbs.
Pii! Piiik!
The low-level dark spirits, Hillasa, fell onto the bed. Rolling around on the blanket, they gathered beside Diana, squeaking.
I can clearly feel the sensation of using magic. This doesn’t seem like a dream…
Their pitiful cries, like baby birds missing their mother, made Diana smile awkwardly and offer her finger. “Yes, it’s me. Have you been well? I don’t know how long it’s been since I don’t understand the situation.”
Piik!
“…Oh, you’re hungry?”
Diana felt a bit embarrassed. She withdrew her hand from the Hillasa and snapped her fingers. Small black petals fluttered down from the air.
The Hillasa squeaked and grabbed the petals, opening their mouths wide and swallowing them. It was always a strange sight, so Diana sighed as she gathered her magic.
Shaking her head, she spoke to Hillasa. “Are you feeling better now? Can you bring me a calendar? It’s been so long since I’ve been here. I don’t remember where anything is.”
Piuuk! After feasting on the petals made from Diana’s mana, the Hillasa chirped happily and left the bed. They rummaged through the room’s corners and soon found a piece of paper, carrying it to Diana.
“Thank you.” Diana briefly thanked them and glanced down at the calendar. She traced her fingers over the marked dates and then paused, holding her breath.
Year 867… Her blue-violet eyes shook.
Diana touched her neck with a confused expression. She felt a pulse. And her skin was warm. She could still vividly recall the feeling of her neck being cut.
If it’s the year 867… that’s five years ago.
A calendar from five years ago. The room and bed she used five years ago.
Feeling a sense of déjà vu, Diana stood and looked out the window. Behind the main building, she saw servants bustling about, preparing for guests. The weather was perfectly clear, just as she remembered.
Is this all a coincidence?
With a hardened expression, Diana turned to find a mirror in the corner of the room. She grabbed the cloth covering it and pulled it away, letting out a sigh.
“…Ah.”
Her trembling fingers touched the mirror. Not the face that was marred and scabbed, but a youthful and round face, though somewhat dull, reflected in the mirror. With her long, messy pink hair. The face of twenty-year-old Diana Sudsfield.
The rough texture of the dust on her fingertips was distinct. The chill from the floor made her feet ache. Realizing this was reality, her memories before death became clearer.
Leaning her forehead against the mirror, Diana closed her eyes. Rebecca…
If this was truly the past, she had really returned to the time when they first met.
I… I don’t think I can love you again after you abandoned me once. Her blue-violet eyes darkened.
As she walked across the room, the Hillasa silently merged into her shadow.
* * *
“Where are you going at this hour, Diana?”
Diana, wearing an old cloak, stopped in her tracks as a voice called out. She looked towards the back door of the main building.
There, descending the well-polished stairs, was a young man of delicate appearance. His neatly groomed light caramel-colored hair and blue-violet eyes lighter than Diana’s. He was Millard Sudsfield, her half-brother and the heir to the viscounty.
“You should know what day it is. What will the first princess think of the Sudsfield family if she sees you wandering around like that?” Millard’s elegant demeanor was contrasted by the icy look he gave Diana, colder than a midwinter frost.
Ignoring him, Diana muttered inwardly. I’m trying to avoid meeting the first princess.
Before her regression, it was due to this ‘young master’ that Rebecca Dune Bluebell visited the Sudsfield mansion and accidentally met Diana.
The current Viscount Sudsfield was originally a merchant. He met Diana’s mother during a business trip through a village. But after discovering an opera diamond mine in the barren northern lands, he accumulated immense wealth and purchased a viscount title, becoming a noble. Instead of returning to his hometown, the newly raised Viscount Sudsfield chose to marry a noblewoman, the current viscountess. This was a common occurrence in this era.
A low-ranking noble with wealth and ambition. Rebecca must have seen him as a good prey.
At this time, Rebecca Dune Bluebell, the first princess, was the most influential imperial person after the third prince for the throne. To secure her position, Rebecca set her sights on the near-limitless wealth of the Sudsfield, and the viscount sought to elevate his family’s status by associating with a potential future empress. Their solution was the most classic and efficient method. Marriage.
Though it only ended with engagement…
Later, Rebecca seduces Millard, drains the Sudsfield family’s wealth, and kills them. It was partly as revenge for Diana, who had become her loyal subordinate. But mainly because Rebecca never intended to honor her agreement with the Sudsfield.
They were obviously pleased.
“Hurry back to your room. Don’t forget you’re not to show your face while Her Highness is here.”
As it was the day to finalize the engagement with the first princess, Millard looked more polished than usual. His sharp, elegant appearance seemed to lower the temperature around him.
But Diana, with her head bowed, wore a sad expression. How can he be so unfrightening…?
Diana, who had lived as Rebecca’s sword, hand, and shadow for five years, was no longer intimidated by Millard’s threats.
But I can’t kill him right away.
If she killed Millard on a whim, she would be caught and executed by the guards. That wasn’t what Diana wanted.
You abandoned me once, so I must abandon you once to make it fair. Under her hood, her eyes darkened.
To see the throne Rebecca so desired passed to someone else. Ultimately ending Rebecca’s life with nothing left. That was Diana’s goal in this life.
“I’m sorry, Milord.”
To do so, she needed to deal with the immediate annoyance first. Diana tried to recall her behavior from five years ago.
“I wanted to catch a glimpse of Her Highness’s procession from afar, but I guess it’s not suitable for someone like me. I apologize for wandering around without understanding the viscount’s and Milord’s intentions. I’ll return to my room.”
As she lowered her eyes and spoke softly, satisfaction appeared in Millard’s eyes.
“Good. At least you understand your place. Now, go.”
“Yes, Milord.” Diana acted submissively, befitting an illegitimate child.
Millard, satisfied, turned and went back inside the mansion. It was then that the hem of Diana’s dress fluttered.
Thud!
“Aaack!”
Millard, about to take a step, fell with a loud noise. His face hit the stairs. His scream made the servants rush over in a panic.
“My goodness, Milord!”
“Call the doctor quickly!”
“Aah! My nose! My nose is…!” Millard was frantic, trying to stop the blood flowing from his nose. The clothes he had painstakingly dressed in were now a bloody mess, a sight too gruesome to look at.
No one noticed the small dust balls rolling away at his feet as they were all too focused on the commotion.
