Chapter 2

"I'm home."

Returning from work, I announced my arrival in the pitch-black room where no one was around.

I put down my bag, washed my hands and gargled, then checked the contents of the refrigerator. There were a few scraps of vegetables that had appeared over the past few days, some leftover rice, the ends of the bulk bacon, and some eggs and ketchup. The menu for dinner was definitely going to be omurice.

"It's a good thing I made it through the week."

I usually try to be frugal, but I had been even more diligent in saving over the past few weeks.

My twenty-fifth birthday, which I would celebrate tomorrow, was going to be a little, no, quite special. I had been cutting back on food expenses to buy two celebratory cakes on my way home from work.

"...It's been a long time. But tomorrow, the declaration of disappearance, and the dream of buying two cakes!"

I raised my right hand, still holding the knife.

In the fall of the year I graduated from high school, my mother died of illness. Her last words were, "Be happy."

Yet, just a few months later, I received news that my father had gone missing.

Fortunately or unfortunately, my father had only disappeared and was not dead. For the seven years it took to declare him missing and renounce inheritance, I, the only daughter on the family register, had to take on the debts of a father whose face I could barely remember.

I started working right after high school. I lived a frugal life while paying off the debt, but that would end tomorrow.

After renouncing the inheritance tomorrow, a life just for myself would be waiting. This would probably be the last time I had to be so frugal.

I ate the omurice, took a bath, and crawled into bed. I planned to go to work early tomorrow and come home early.

(Cakes... definitely two...)

One should be a fruit-based cake. The other could be chocolate, cheese, mille-feuille, Mont Blanc, or even jelly or pudding. I fell asleep with this happy dilemma.

Life had been tough. Work had not been easy either. However, I had been able to find joy even in the midst of poverty. I had lived happily, as my mother had wished.

Or so I thought.

(Painful)

I woke up in the middle of the night.

My throat burned, my eyes stung, and I found it hard to breathe. My head ached, and my body wouldn't move properly. Even though I knew something was wrong, I couldn't do anything about it.

(Painful, painful, painful)

It was noisy outside. The sound of sirens echoed in my head, and the door was being pounded on so hard it seemed it might break.

I was caught up in something out of the ordinary.

(Sorry, Mom. I might not make it...)

I was supposed to be free from debt. I had planned to live a happier and more enjoyable life from tomorrow.

In the end, I lost all my thoughts without understanding what had happened.

*

Thud

My body floated up with the sound.

Thump

"Ugh!"

The moment my floating body landed, I hit the back of my head. The sound of hooves and wheels drowned out the cry of pain, and Raphina regained consciousness.

(Hooves? Wheels?)

I opened my eyes.

What I saw was a simple room—the interior of a box carriage unsuitable for long journeys. Beyond the glass window, an unfamiliar landscape and a cloudless blue sky stretched endlessly.

As I gazed at the peaceful scenery, my consciousness became clearer.

(Um, I think it was a fire... right?)

Considering the situation, I had died from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by smoke from a fire. It seemed I had been reborn.

The reflection in the glass window showed hair the color of flax, almost golden, and eyes the color of clear sea water. The face was small with deep features and smooth, doll-like skin. It was nothing like my flat-faced, black-haired, black-eyed self, but it was a familiar face.

When I touched the back of my head, which I had just hit, the reflection in the glass moved in the same way. This body was definitely mine.

(I am Raphina Auren. The eldest daughter of a marquis, with parents and a step-sister, and a broken engagement... Yes, I'm remembering a lot now.)

In the swaying carriage, I recalled everything—everything from the time I was reborn, not from my previous life when I died in the fire, but from the time I was reborn until now.

This was a world of Western fantasy, where nobles and knights fought monsters with swords and magic. Raphina was born as the only daughter of a marquis.

She had been given the dishonorable nickname "The Poison Flower of the Capital," had her fiancé stolen by her sister, and was being sent to marry the "Monster Margrave" as if she were being driven out by her parents.

I was in a state of terror and despair when the carriage hit a bump, and I hit the back of my head. The shock must have triggered the memories of my previous life.

(It's a strange feeling. It's me, but it's not me. But I have memories from both lives...)

I had left home without being able to stand up to anyone, but I still had the memory of when my motto was "Anything but death is a scratch."

I must have remembered what I needed to remember.

"It's okay, it's okay. In these situations, curses and monsters are usually just metaphors."

I used to heal from my frugal days by reading free web novels. According to them, broken engagements and kidnappings were common.

Curses and non-humans were also standard tropes. In such cases, the other party was often a tough warrior with a large scar and a muscular build, or someone who had lost their humanity.

(No matter who the other person is, I will be happy this time, Mom. I'd like to fall in love, too, if I can.)

Thinking of my mother from my previous life, I renewed my vow.