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Chapter 1
Today’s main dish was lamb steak.
The rich aroma of pepper and rosemary stimulated the sense of smell.
First, I picked up small pieces of the grilled zucchini and asparagus served as garnish and put them in my mouth. Crunch. The fresh sound was matched by the green scent of vegetables filling my nose, sharpening my appetite.
After cleaning the palate with the garnish, I carefully lifted the knife and brought it to the meat.
Then I cut it at a perfect right angle. For a softer, best first bite.
The well-cooked meat was as tender as pudding, and the knife slid right in. I carefully cut a piece, then mercilessly pierced it with a fork.
To any outsider, it would have looked like the elegant behavior of a noble lady. The etiquette was perfect.
Before putting it in my mouth, I stared at the piece of meat.
From the rare-cooked red center, juices sizzled and oozed. If it had been my past life, I might have rushed in like a bull charging at a matador’s signal.
But today it was steak again. Yesterday it was steak. The day before that too.
Steak. Steak.
Beef, lamb, sometimes goat. The garnish changed slightly, but it was all just repetition. It made something bitter rise in my chest.
‘But the meat is not at fault.’
I calmed myself and slowly swallowed the bite.
The moment it touched my tongue, the juices overflowed. The tender yet violent flavor made my mind briefly dizzy.
As expected, the first bite was always incomparable—absolutely heavenly.
“Spring Artwal is coming soon. Are you preparing well?”
“…….”
Just as I was deeply immersed in that rare moment of appreciation, my mother spoke again.
The “Spring Artwal” was a noble coming-of-age ball for young ladies and gentlemen. After this gathering of marriageable nobles, wedding invitations would soon start flying everywhere.
That must be why my mother was looking forward to it.
‘Why does it sound like relatives asking, “You’re almost thirty, when are you getting married?” during a holiday?’
The steak that had just melted in my mouth suddenly tasted like rubber.
“……I’m preparing well, Mother.”
“Good. How about having your dress made by designer Shirley this time? Her work is quite good.”
“I already asked Audrey, but I’ll visit her as well.”
“Never forget that the dress that makes you shine more is not a luxury.”
My mother smiled warmly, and I returned a smile. My father, sitting beside her, also nodded quietly.
Even as they aged, my mother was still beautiful.
Thinking that her loving smile would one day disappear made my heart ache.
‘Actually, it doesn’t hurt that much…’
It didn’t hurt. I chewed the meat like gum and reflected on my 18 years of life.
Of all numbers, it had to be 18. Eighteen.
Already 18 years. I really endured a long time.
Today was the important day when this sorrowful, painful life would end—and a brilliant new life would begin.
Hoo—just as I calmed my rising tension, dessert was served after the main dish.
Fresh strawberries and grapes, as if just picked, were neatly arranged on the plate.
Despite being called dessert, there was no trace of humanity’s greatest sweetener—sugar. Just raw fruit.
Today, yesterday, and the day before were all the same. Tomorrow would probably be the same too.
At that bleak reality, I buried the last scraps of conscience deep inside me.
Now was the time to become a bull gone wild.
“Mother, Father.”
I wiped my lips with a napkin in an elegant motion. My parents, who had been chatting, turned their attention to me.
“I have something to tell you.”
“Really? Oh my, how unusual. What is it, dear?”
“…….”
My mother smiled brightly. I avoided that warm smile. My father just silently looked at me, and I met his gaze.
“Go on.”
Permission was given in a heavy voice.
Without hesitation, I spoke.
“Yesterday, I received a divine revelation from God.”
“……!”
“Oh my…!”
Both of them widened their eyes. Their expressions were so similar it was almost funny.
My mother asked, hands clasped like a young girl.
“What?! Priscilla, then… could it be… you became the Saint of the Iris Church?”
Only saints can receive divine revelations.
So it was natural for them to assume I had become a saint.
“No.”
My mother’s cheeks were slightly flushed.
Becoming the saint of the Iris Church was the greatest honor of the empire, no, of the entire noble house. If that were true, the estate would have been in celebration for three days.
“I was called by another god.”
“……What?”
A faint smile formed on my face, ironically, as I became a “blazing daughter” in real time. After all, there’s a saying: if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.
“Mother, Father. I will be converting.”
However, my parents could not enjoy it.
Despite my bright smile, silence fell over the dining room.
One second.
Two seconds. Three seconds…
Time passed as their blank stares remained fixed on me. It felt like time itself had stopped.
‘Cold… it feels like a steak has been stabbed into my chest…’
In the suffocating silence, my mother finally spoke.
“…You… you…”
A voice, tightly stuck deep in her chest, leaked out.
“My, my daughter…!”
She staggered.
Her voice turned into a pained groan, and my mother eventually collapsed sideways, holding her head.
My father rushed to support her.
“Camilla!”
“How could this happen! To my daughter…!”
“Camilla! Calm down! Damn it, Alvin! Call the physician!”
“Nooo, Priscilla!”
“Priscillaaaa—!”
The crying of my mother, the shouting of my father, and the servants rushing in all mixed into chaos.
In an instant, the mansion turned into a mess.
And I—the clear cause of it all—simply turned my head away, ignoring the noise.
Outside the window, the world was peaceful.
The sky was blue, and fluffy clouds drifted gently.
“What a perfect weather for a family breakdown.”
A faint, distant smile formed on my lips as I watched the scenery.
* * *
Before explaining how things came to this, let me talk about myself first.
“Priscilla Rockhart”—that was my name in this life.
Yes. As you can see, I was reincarnated.
When I first opened my eyes and saw an unfamiliar ceiling, I was confused. When I tried to move and couldn’t, I panicked even more.
‘What? Why can’t I move? Did I eat three bowls of ramen last night and get fat overnight or what?’
Even when I tried to scream, only strange baby babbling came out.
Then someone lifted my body.
“My beloved daughter, Priscilla. How can you be so beautiful and adorable?”
A silver-haired beauty looked down at me with a gentle smile.
For a moment, I was stunned by her beauty.
But then I noticed something even more shocking—the world looked huge, as if I were a tiny infant in her arms.
‘W-what is this…?’
As I was confused, she gently stroked my head.
What is this feeling… like being held in a mother’s arms… wait, a baby?
“Uah, uah?”
I met the baby’s eyes reflected in her clear pupils.
The baby looked just as surprised.
That baby was…
…me?
