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Chapter 3
‘This is insane…….’
No, perhaps it was not impossible at all.
If there were people who could regress through time, then why couldn’t there also be people who possessed another’s body?
After all, hadn’t Vanessa herself refused to believe such things before losing even her own family because of it?
“Tell me more.”
Staggering slightly, Vanessa leaned against Olive for support.
“My body… no, the Duchess. What happened to her afterward?”
“Huh? Well… what do you mean what happened?”
Olive blinked in surprise.
“She divorced His Grace one month after the young lady was born and took half of the ducal family’s fortune in the settlement. Then she used the money to reclaim the Defnit County first, I think.”
Chaicy eagerly continued the explanation.
“Ugh, and apparently that still wasn’t enough for her. Now she’s running around making investments.”
Her face twisted in anger.
“That damned witch even found a mine this time!”
“Thanks to that, all the heirs from the families she invested in ended up following Countess Defnit.”
“As if that’s her money. It was originally our lord’s money.”
After that, the stories about “Vanessa” only became worse.
The “Vanessa” who had discovered an endlessly profitable mine.
The people of the county were neglected while she treated the noble sons who followed her like servants.
Especially the second sons of noble houses—those disadvantaged in inheritance disputes—desperately tried to curry favor with the Countess.
Before long, she became the center of high society.
A disgraceful countess surrounded by endless scandals.
“S-So that’s what happened…”
Vanessa let out a hollow breath.
The Defnit family had once been protected by her older sister, Anemone.
Though suddenly inheriting the title had not been easy, Anemone had always done her best to honor their parents’ dying wishes.
Even now, Vanessa could still recall her gentle voice whenever she closed her eyes.
—Vanessa.
And the way she smiled while congratulating Vanessa on becoming an adult in place of their deceased parents.
—I’m happy you’ve grown into someone even more beautiful than I imagined.
‘But now……’
Vanessa clenched her fists.
She wanted to grab the collar of the woman wearing her body and throw her to the ground.
She wanted to demand answers.
Why are you inside my body?
Why did you abuse my child?
‘Why was I…’
Forced to atone in your place?
At the same time—
Why did she have to live in fear of a future she had never created herself?
“……Ugh.”
Her head throbbed painfully now.
Her breathing shook, her chest tightening with every breath.
It felt as though heat was boiling inside her body.
Anger.
Injustice.
And the hopelessness of having nowhere to reveal the truth.
‘Royden.’
You were wrong.
I would never abuse our child.
No—I couldn’t.
Because the “Vanessa” you know is not me.
‘Give it back.’
Ruby.
My ruined life.
That woman stole everything from me.
My child.
My name.
A pounding pain rang through her mind like a giant bell echoing endlessly.
At this point, Vanessa could no longer tell whether the hallway she stood in was reality or a dream.
Everything in the world felt false.
Even her own name no longer belonged to her.
No one could possibly explain the horror of such a feeling.
“……”
—Please remember this: what you have received is less a blessing and more divine protection.
Why did the High Priest’s words suddenly return to her now?
He had been right.
This was not a blessing.
At best, it was divine protection that had barely preserved her life after she nearly lost everything unjustly.
Perhaps the gods had known all along and granted her another chance.
‘As long as the butterfly’s movement does not cease…’
Maybe those words had referred to her death itself.
‘Thank you, dear gods.’
At least her final remaining life had not been stolen away by that “Vanessa” too.
‘In this life, I will never again surrender everything because of fear.’
To accomplish that—
Yes.
“Tell me more.”
She needed information.
“Tell me what I need to do. What I should be careful about.”
More precisely, she needed to know how to survive in this body.
“You have to tell me everything you know!”
Because from now on, she had to live as “Melia.”
From what the maids explained, the woman named “Melia” had apparently only moved into the estate as a new nanny less than a week ago.
The previous nanny, Marie, had died from mysterious poisoning, so Marie’s older sister had supposedly taken over the position.
However—
“His Grace went to war?”
Melia—formerly Vanessa—heard another shocking piece of news.
“W-When?”
“Oh honestly, how many times do we have to explain it? Hmm… since the young lady was still little when he left… Ah! It’s already been six years!”
Chaicy let out a dramatic sigh.
“Still, they say this is considered fast. People originally thought the war would last decades.”
She furrowed her brow thoughtfully.
“According to the newspapers, His Grace wins every battle with perfect strategy. Almost as if he knows the future.”
At Chaicy’s words, Melia quietly closed her mouth.
‘So he fought the same war in the previous timeline too.’
Little by little, she began to understand what Royden had done before his regression.
It seemed he had gone off to fight in the empire’s war.
‘And while he was gone, the woman inside my body abused Ruby.’
“The young lady was still so little, the Duchess’s seat became vacant after the divorce, and then His Grace left for war.”
“I still remember it. Until the very day before he departed, His Grace couldn’t let go of the young lady even for a moment…”
Melia sighed quietly.
‘Even if he knew the future, he couldn’t stop a war by himself.’
Besides, most of the nobles had apparently insisted that the war had to be fought.
Compared to preventing the war entirely, Royden probably judged that ending it quickly was the more efficient option.
‘But still…’
How lonely must Ruby have been all this time?
‘In the end, Royden still failed to stay by our child’s side.’
Melia felt hollow.
For whose sake had she been forced to die?
Was this truly the result of accepting that death?
What had actually changed from the past Royden described?
The abusive “Vanessa”?
‘But that was never me in the first place.’
Only Royden did not know that.
Even now, he likely still believed that the future Vanessa had abused their child.
Considering what he had witnessed, Melia could not entirely blame him.
‘If only he had trusted me a little more.’
A bitter taste filled her mouth.
“But you know.”
At that moment, Chaicy spoke to Olive.
“I think it’s at least fortunate that everything happened while the young lady was still very young.”
Though the words had been spoken casually, they stabbed painfully into Melia’s chest.
‘Fortunate…?’
Of course, she knew Chaicy meant something different from what she herself had understood.
‘Ha…’
And yet the terrifying thought that followed made Melia shiver.
If everything had happened after Ruby grew older—
—The terrible things you will do to my daughter.
If Ruby herself had realized it—
‘She would have lived her whole life carrying wounds that could never heal.’
And perhaps Ruby would have shared the same misunderstanding Royden held.
That alone would have been unbearable.
No—she truly could not have endured it.
‘So… maybe it really was fortunate.’
While Melia hesitated silently, Olive nodded in agreement.
“That’s true. Since she was still so young, she probably doesn’t remember anything. Everything His Grace did must have been his own way of trying his best.”
“Exactly. His Grace loves the young lady so much. I was shocked to see there’s still a baby crib inside his office.”
“Haha, well, before leaving for war, His Grace personally raised the young lady without anyone’s help— Ah! Right!”
Olive suddenly lowered her voice.
“I forgot to mention earlier, but please forget what Chaicy said about the witch being crazy. We try to avoid mentioning Countess Defnit inside the estate as much as possible.”
“Yeah. I lost my temper and cursed her, but… honestly, we just need to be careful in front of the young lady.”
Chaicy pretended to smack her own mouth as if punishing herself.
“It’s because His Grace doesn’t want the young lady to get hurt. It’s not exactly a cheerful topic.”
“Especially with how gloomy the atmosphere in the estate already is. If it gets even darker, then… well…”
“Still, thankfully most of the family’s lost fortune was recovered through war rewards and the businesses His Grace started before departing.”
“Once His Grace returns, the cold atmosphere around here will disappear too.”
Then Olive added:
“And judging from the news that the war will end soon, His Grace should return before long.”
“Ah… our poor young lady must’ve been so lonely all this time.”
Chaicy lifted her gaze upward as though trying not to cry.
“Ah, Lady Melia! Come to think of it, tomorrow will be your first time meeting the young lady, right?”
“How do you feel?”
Chaicy and Olive’s attention shifted toward Melia.
She flinched slightly.
‘…First meeting.’
That meant—
She could meet Ruby?
Her heart trembled violently.
‘My child.’
What kind of girl had she become?
Trying desperately to hide the tears gathering in her eyes, Melia buried her face in her hands.
At the same time, she made a vow.
She no longer had time to remain trapped in sorrow over her unjust death.
The dead were already dead, and she herself had been given another life inside someone else’s body.
But one thing had never changed.
No matter how many times she died, it never would.
‘I will protect her.’
She wanted to protect her daughter, Ruby.
No matter what.
