JustPeachyNovels

Reversed Fate

Leaning against the bed, I absentmindedly scooped the soup before my eyes with a strange sensation, as if my entire body were still soaking wet. In this daze, the only thing I could do was gulp the food into my mouth. And surprisingly, it tasted pretty good.

As much as I wished to lavish praise on the tangy yet savory soup with eloquent words, that opportunity must wait until later. Right now, I was chiefly preoccupied with watching the middle-aged woman with sharply piercing eyes, who was keeping a close vigil over me.

This woman, who had identified herself as my nanny—and in other words, the one in charge of ‘Edita’—revealed her name to be Marie.

“Have you forgotten my name already? No, call me Madame Marie. You always have.”

I hadn’t forgotten. I simply never knew from the start. I had been in a coma for a while after an accident in an artificial pond, and I knew nothing of this woman’s world. When I opened my eyes, I found myself here, and people started calling me ‘Lady Edita.’

The bed was incredibly plush, and even the white garment draped over my body felt as soft as cream. Without much thought, I could tell it was expensive. The bed, encircled by a canopy of rich crimson fabric, exuded luxury, and every pillar in the room boasted its own distinct, brilliant color. On top of the walls, intricate stone carvings were ornamented with such lavish detail that their beauty bordered on painfully dazzling.

Yet, what was most fantastic of all was, as mentioned earlier, the soup.

“You shouldn’t eat so much.”

“This is incredibly delicious. Would you like to try a bite?”

“Why are you suddenly speaking so formally again? My Lady, are you really alright?”

Madame Marie’s gentle expression, soft tone, and sharp glances made her constant chiding impossible to ignore. Her nagging made me feel like a workhorse confined to a track. Eventually, I surrendered the plate and spoon as if they had been taken from me and even unintentionally burped. I won’t go into detail about the expression that flashed across Madame Marie’s face when I belched.

After dismissing the maids in the room, Madame Marie approached with a severe expression and sat down.

“My Lady, what is your name?”

“Why do you suddenly ask such a thing? Oh, wait—why are you asking?”

“Don’t evade the question. Answer me.”

“…Edita.”

Right after I had awakened, there had been a clamor of shouts everywhere calling out ‘Edita!’—so it struck me as odd that she needed to ask.

“And what is your family name?”

“Uh, that is…”

“Don’t you remember?”

“…Mm.”

“Up to which point?”

“Uh… me, everything…?”

As I hesitated, Madame Marie clutched the back of her neck.

Not long after I awoke, a physician had visited, but I was so frightened that I kept my mouth firmly shut. The physician had merely stated that ‘due to the shock, your speech is a bit sparse, but your health appears largely intact, so you should recover soon,’ and then departed.

Thus, Madame Marie did not seem to think that the awakened Edita’s somewhat odd behavior was due to her forgetting everything. She simply assumed, ‘Perhaps she’s still just disoriented.’ Moreover, there was little need for me to explicitly say, ‘No. I don’t remember anything,’ so I remained silent.

Only after she was fully convinced that Lady Edita hadn’t just forgotten a few things from the shock, but had lost all memory, did Madame Marie seem overwhelmed, as if her head would burst. But true to her seasoned middle-aged demeanor, she strove to regain her calm.

“You were in a coma for a while, so it’s possible that you lost your memory temporarily. Rest assured, it will all come back soon. However, for the time being, you mustn’t tell anyone that my Lady has lost her memory.”

Madame Marie leaned in close and whispered as though confiding in me during a covert meeting. Intrigued by the clandestine nature of her words, I lowered my voice as well.

“Why must I keep it secret? If I’ve lost my memory, shouldn’t we call a physician who knows about the brain?”

“You remember too precisely. It seems you’ve forgotten only what truly matters.”

Madame Marie sighed deeply.

“Keep this in mind. Lady Edita, you have many enemies here. If news spreads that you’ve lost your memory, predators aiming for you will immediately unsheathe their claws and pounce. I will help you, remember. Truly remember, my Lady hasn’t lost her memory.”

My mind went completely blank. Dropping into a world I had never seen before, being berated to no end by an unfamiliar woman proclaiming that her master had ‘so many enemies’ and that ‘predators are prowling’ for the Lady—it nearly drove me insane.

Everything felt overwhelmingly opulent, to the point of being unnervingly extravagant. Was this the hall of a high-ranking noble embroiled in power struggles? Was Edita the young lady entrusted with its secrets? A torrent of vivid and ominous images exploded in my head.

Noticing my obvious dejection, Madame Marie tried to comfort me.

“Do not be afraid. I’m here for you. Just as there are many predators, there are also plenty of shields at your side. You are of noble birth, after all. Moreover, our Lady is…”

Madame Marie, ever the one to give both the cure and then the medicine, couldn’t finish her sentence and ended up biting her lower lip. Seemingly hesitant, she said, ‘Just wait a little longer,’ and then left the room.

The situation was utterly absurd. Even though I had done nothing yet felt utterly exhausted, the moment Madame Marie exited, I collapsed back onto the bed. Sighing deeply toward the beautifully painted ceiling adorned with scenes of dancing angels, I resigned myself to the bizarre circumstances.

Lady this, noble that. It all sounded like someone else’s story—and indeed it was. These words were all meant for ‘Lady Edita.’ But clearly, it was now I who spoke, moved, and ate soup with Lady Edita’s body, so I couldn’t help but be concerned.

What on earth was happening? How did I, an ordinary citizen of South Korea, end up in such an absurd situation? I rolled my eyes, trying to recall what happened before I arrived here.

I… ordered chicken as a late-night snack and fell asleep.

An utterly ordinary maiden had spent an ordinary evening and gone to bed. This ‘Edita’ lady had fallen into a pond, but what had I done wrong to deserve this fate? Perhaps this lady was now inside the body of an ordinary maiden, experiencing the same confusion as me? If so, I hope she enjoyed the chicken I left behind last night. Just as I had tasted her soup and discovered a new world.

I was certain this situation wasn’t a dream. Thanks to my pinching my cheeks and banging my forehead against the wall immediately upon waking, Madame Marie quickly realized something was wrong with me and hastily called for a physician.

I couldn’t help it. Though the soup had calmed me down now, when I first opened my eyes, I thought I’d been kidnapped. But reality was even more dismal than kidnapping. People with blue eyes, reddish-brown eyes, yellow eyes, and green eyes, all dressed in old European-style clothing, unanimously called out to me, ‘Edita!’ Oh, what a bizarre spectacle!

I hadn’t simply fallen into some foreign country or traveled back in time. This was a nation in another world that I had never encountered in my life. If it weren’t for the soup, I might have truly gone mad.

Carefully rising, I approached the window. Below the second-floor window, I could see the artificial pond where Edita had fallen. If I jumped in again, could I return? That’s how it always worked in movies…

I gently opened the door and peeked out. Since Madame Marie had sensed something was off about me and had already chased away the maids to prevent gossip, the corridor was empty.

Without shoes, I tiptoed along the carpet in the hallway. Even as I sneaked out, I couldn’t help but be captivated by the beauty of the building’s walls and pillars, constantly turning my head to look around.

The marble walls featured wave-like decorations that dazzled the eyes, and each pillar was rimmed with gleaming gold. Just as this romantic splendor might have become tiresome, unknown masterpieces and stucco ceiling decorations would appear, flaunting their grandeur.

But the moment I spotted the large door leading outside, my sightseeing came to an end. Near the imposingly large door, maids were coming and going. Despite Madame Marie’s efforts to chase them away, it was impossible for there to be no maids at all near the noble Lady Edita, who had dramatically survived falling into a pond. They were keeping a strict watch from a distance.

I quickly approached a first-floor window and hid behind the curtain. After checking my surroundings, I boldly opened the window upward and slipped through the gap. Just as I was feeling satisfied with my window-climbing skills from ‘back in the day,’ I felt my body tilting forward.

“Ahhh! Oof!”

There was a flower bed right below the window, causing me to lose my footing. My body tumbled ungracefully to the ground. But I was in no position to freely express my pain. I barely managed to stifle my scream and crawled toward the artificial pond. In the process, Lady Edita’s snow-white dress became stained with dirt. With my hair also disheveled, I had reduced her to looking like a beggar. But it didn’t matter. If I could return to my original place this way, it would be good for both me and Edita.

Finally, I reached the edge of the artificial pond. The stagnant water looked a bit murky and deeper than I had expected. Feeling nervous about jumping in, I pressed one hand against my chest and took a deep breath.

On the count of three, I’ll jump right in. Okay, one, two…

“My Lady, do you have an excessive fondness for water?”

Suddenly, a voice came from behind me. Startled, I turned around, only to lose my footing in my struggle. My body fell helplessly into the pond.

“Kyaaa!”

Although I had originally intended to enter the pond, I couldn’t help but scream at this sudden turn of events. Then, I felt someone’s body heat firmly supporting me from behind. Following that, a hand with the same warmth covered my screaming mouth.

“My Lady!”

It was a stern voice, markedly different from the sarcastic tone just moments ago. My eyes widened in response.

“If you keep doing this, no one will believe anymore that you accidentally fell into the pond.”

Gray eyes, appearing even larger up close, warned me. When I nodded fearfully, the hand was removed from my mouth.

He steadied me as I stood there, not knowing what to do. Usually in movies, this is where the woman betrays the man and screams again, and I…

“Do not scream.”

This man, whoever he was, had incredibly quick instincts. Judging by his formal speech, he seemed to be one of those who knew of ‘Lady Edita’s’ existence.

My eyes naturally scanned him from top to bottom. Tall and slender, his facial features matched his physique—smooth and refined. The tight-fitting outfit he wore, with jackets and vests embroidered with floral patterns, made his impression even more elegant. And moreover…

‘He’s wearing knee-high stockings! White knee-high stockings!’

His well-defined calves were accentuated by tight green knee-length breeches and long socks that reached below his knees.

What struck me most was his gray hair. In the sunlight, parts of it sometimes appeared light gray.

Though his appearance seemed gentle, I sensed he had a remarkably resolute personality. Indeed, one can never judge a person by appearances alone. Just as this man couldn’t possibly imagine that I resided within Lady Edita’s exterior.

“I was just looking at the pond and slipped.”

I explained with an uncertain tone.

Predictably, his face showed complete disbelief. His expression alone seemed to condemn me. As if there was nothing more to say, he sighed and extended his hand.

“Let’s return to your room.”

When I instinctively took his hand, he swept me up into his arms.

“What, what are you doing?”

“How long has it been since you awoke, and you’re already trying to walk on your own? It must have been quite an effort for you to come this far.”

“It wasn’t that difficult. I came down the stairs by myself and even climbed through a window…!”

“…did you say? That must have been extremely taxing indeed.”

The man emphasized the word ‘extremely.’ I quickly covered my mouth with my hand, but it was too late to take back my slip of the tongue, and I became the target of his sarcasm. I could almost see his expression without looking.

“I’ll escort you back to your room.”

He stated firmly once more.

There was no room for further argument. And honestly, I didn’t mind being in this man’s warm embrace. It was comfortable, and though I hadn’t explicitly stated it, as one might infer from my earlier description, he was quite the handsome flower boy.

I can’t disclose the exact details, but in my short—or perhaps long—twenty-some years of life, men had been as rare as endangered species. In other words, I was single since birth. A heart-wrenching, sad fact. Despite this, my mind was worn thin, causing me to endure difficult times due to the disconnect between reality and my soul. There was a reason I consoled myself with late-night snacks every evening.

So now, the firm chest rising and falling before my eyes, covered by a thick vest, far from making me want to flee from a stranger’s embrace, actually tempted me to place my hand on it. But since one shouldn’t do such things without permission, I merely swallowed hard. The noble Lady Edita wouldn’t behave this way in the first place. I needed to consider her position, as I was only temporarily borrowing her body.

Episode 2