[Part 1 – Prologue + Episode 001]
“So, you’re saying that child is mine?” “Yes.”
The man nodded with a calm expression.
Owen ta Glentino, the eldest son of the Glentino Duke family. Before I returned in time, I had no connection to him, except that he was my ex-fiancé’s older brother. His tousled, light brown-blond hair, his masculine yet strikingly beautiful face, and his long legs crossed as he sat—everything about him seemed to shine as if he were glowing.
But just because someone is attractive doesn’t mean they can spout nonsense!
I am Sophia ta Bartoli. Unmarried. My fiancé is dead. I’ve never given birth. So, there’s no way I have a child!
“That’s ridiculous. On what grounds are you so sure?”
Despite my reaction, the man remained calm. As if expecting this, he reached into his coat. His long fingers pulled out an envelope from his inner pocket.
“This arrived three days ago.”
The envelope was clean and stiff, as if well cared for. He handed it to me, staring without blinking.
Has anyone ever looked at me like that before? Not with pity, anger, or scorn—just simply looking at me. In my previous life, I had never experienced such a gaze.
His eyes didn’t show much emotion, but still made me feel a little nervous. Even ticklish, somehow.
But if he thinks I’ll be intimidated, he’s wrong. I raised my chin and took the envelope.
The first line of the letter read:
[Hello, Prince Glentino. This child is Sophia ta Bartoli’s. If you don’t mind, please take care of him.]
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“Sophia ta Bartoli”—that’s my name!? Who sent such a ridiculous and cruel joke of a letter to this man without even telling me?
My eyes quickly scanned to the end of the letter.
The sender was…
[Eloise ta Bartoli]
“…What?”
I was so shocked, I couldn’t even speak. My hands trembled from betrayal.
“Eloise…!”
My youngest sister, who decided to become a wandering bard and roamed across the continent. What has this crazy troublemaker done now?!
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, and spoke.
“Phew… First, I apologize. She’s not usually like this…”
But I couldn’t say she wasn’t like this.
“Anyway, I’m telling you, the child is definitely not mine.”
“But he seems to believe you are his mother.”
I glanced out the window toward the garden tea table. A small child sat there, looking at the sky.
A little boy.
With sad emerald-green eyes, pale skin, and dark brown hair.
One thing was clear: if he grew up like this, he’d become a heartthrob across the empire—just like the man in front of me.
Still, why on earth does he think I’m his mother?
I leaned in and whispered to the man.
“Actually, doesn’t he look more like you? Maybe he’s your child?”
“Then let’s go with that.”
I expected him to deny it—but he casually agreed.
“What?”
“If you’re the mother and I’m the father, then it makes sense. He’s our child.”
“Excuse me?!”
He calmly set down his teacup and said:
“Let’s get married.”
I’m Sophia.
The eldest daughter of the Bartoli family.
It’s been 10 minutes since I returned in time.
As I eat my favorite madeleine with tea, I try to process what’s happening.
The Bartoli family has produced the most empresses in the Kruiden Empire. Among the three sisters, my younger sister and I both trained to become empresses.
But it was my sister, Leonie, who became empress.
We fought like enemies. I sent assassins after her; she tried to poison me.
Unaware, I kept ingesting poison for years. It weakened me. In a final desperate act, I tried to overthrow the royal family…
And was killed by Leonie’s sword.
My life had been full of poison—figuratively and literally.
Yes, that’s how it ended…
But now, the pain in my chest is gone.
My body is young and healthy again, and I’m sitting at the tea table in my favorite bedroom, holding a madeleine.
I take a bite. The subtle Earl Grey aroma and rich flavor bring tears to my eyes.
In my final years, my poisoned body was so weak that I could only eat herbs and thin porridge.
Now I cry for real, stopping mid-chew to wipe my tears with my sleeve.
Then I spot the vanity mirror across the room.
I run to it.
There she is: young Sophia ta Bartoli, the eldest of three sisters who was always compared to her siblings and felt inferior.
I raise my hand, and the young woman in the mirror does the same. Our fingertips meet across the cool glass.
This is real.
The first thing I notice is my strawberry-blond hair. It’s not quite gold, brown, or red—a color I once hated so much I constantly dyed it. It ruined my hair so badly I had to wear a headscarf.
‘It’s actually beautiful. Why did I hate it so much back then?’
I look at my face more closely.
Sky-blue eyes from my mother, the 1st princess. They were my favorite feature.
The poisoning had made them dull, and my vision gradually faded.
But now, they sparkle with a clear, bright ocean blue.
I tear up again, watching the mirror fog with my breath. I’m too stunned to even wipe the tears away.
Then—knock knock.
“Miss Sophia?”
I quickly reply, “Yes, come in.”
The person who enters is Bessie, the maid who stayed with me until my final breath in my past life!
She’s younger and full of energy.
“We should head down for dinner soon—oh my! Miss!”
Huh?
Bessie rushes over, brown bobbed hair bouncing, clearly flustered.
“Oh dear, are you crying? Don’t worry. Everything will be okay.”
She digs into her apron and hands me a handkerchief.
I laugh through my tears and wipe my face.
Oh, Bessie. You were always loyal. I’m so glad to see you again.
She gently whispers:
“I understand. It must’ve been hard, especially with Miss Leonie arriving so suddenly… Everyone’s treating her like royalty again. And I know how much you hate those family dinners…”
Her words shock me.
“What?! Leonie is here?!”
“Yes? She arrived this morning. You even saw her, remember?”
Bessie looks confused.
Ah, now I remember the timeline.
This was just before my 21st birthday, less than a year after Leonie entered the palace as the Crown Princess-to-be. She showed up unannounced at our home.
As the second daughter and Crown Princess candidate, she was treated like royalty. That night, the ingredients meant for my birthday were used for dinner with her.
The chef later tried to restock everything—but of course, getting the same ingredients in just one day was impossible. I ended up with a very modest birthday meal.
Leonie didn’t even show up on my actual birthday.
She knew exactly what she was doing.
She knew I’d be treated like nothing, and that it would ruin my celebration. She wanted that.
From that day, I truly began to hate her. We were already trying to assassinate each other, but this was personal.
‘Come to think of it, I ate madeleines before dinner that day too. To avoid getting an upset stomach from family meals.’
So, that means I’m about to turn 21.
…Twenty-one?
Of all times to return, why now?!
Why not before things went bad? Or before the Empress training?
No—on second thought, this isn’t bad at all. It’s not too late.
What matters is that I came back—and I won’t repeat my doomed life again.
When I died by Leonie’s sword, I had felt relief. It was all over.
That desperate obsession with becoming Empress… it wasn’t worth it. I already knew that.
I open and close my eyes. The woman in the mirror smiles softly, as if blessing my new life.
I turn on my heels.
“Let’s go down.”
“Yes, Miss!”
This time, I’ll make it clear to my sister:
Sophia ta Bartoli has returned.
And I am no longer interested in the throne you stole.
