Chapter 4
Before I regained memories of my past life, I couldn’t speak properly.
I was slow to talk, always stuttering.
But now, with my bold and tough Korean self back from the dead, that problem is gone.
I nodded casually and spoke to Josef.
“Yeah, but… Oppa, I’m hungry. Can I eat something?”
Josef looked surprised again, then quickly shook his head like a strict older brother.
“No, Izana. Father said you can’t leave this room when he’s home. You have to wait until Lottie comes. Okay? Be good.”
“Okay, I understand.”
I only asked just in case, so I turned away without regret and crawled under the blanket.
Josef seemed a little surprised I didn’t whine or beg.
Normally, I’d cling to him—he was the only one in the house who spoke kindly to me.
But from now on, I wouldn’t see Josef as someone I could rely on.
Partly because my adult Korean mindset was back,
but mostly because…
“…Good girl, Izana. Keep being like this, okay?”
The one who killed Boris Rohiya in the original story was none other than Josef Rohiya—
The same one patting my head right now.
He had pushed Boris down the stairs.
Creepy.
“Promise me, okay? You’ll never sneak out of your room again.”
“Okay! Bye, goodnight!”
Josef tilted his head in confusion but left slowly.
Then, I remembered something important and shouted.
“Oppa!”
“Huh?”
“Blow out the candle when you leave. Thanks! You’re the best in the house!”
Josef froze for a second.
But when I started pretending to snore, he sighed and blew out the candle.
Now alone in the dark, I opened my eyes.
“Yubel isn’t Materia.”
In the story, Materia was one of the three heroes who saved the continent of Libya every time a great disaster—the “Unrecordable Calamity”—happened.
The main character of the original novel, Grand Duke Winter Orsus, was another hero: Igrio.
He was born with white dragon scales and destined to save the world.
His hidden power?
He could return to the past.
Because Yubel was a fake Materia, the continent kept falling into ruin—over and over again.
That’s what turned The White Dragon’s Wings into such a grim, hopeless story.
According to ancient texts, the only way to defeat the Calamity was for all three heroes to combine their powers.
But the “Materia” of the original story—Yubel—never showed any special abilities.
He never had visions or showed interest in saving the world.
In the end, Winter Orsus and the third hero, Ampelos, had to fight alone.
And because of that… Winter had to go through thousands of time loops, trying every possibility to find a way to save the world.
And now, I finally realized something.
“I’m the real Materia.”
Bern Rohiya’s three children: Josef, me (Izana), and Yubel.
Out of the three, I was the only possible Materia.
Not only did I regain my memories at the exact moment Materia’s star appeared—
but there was also something even more important.
****
“Become the smallest god in the world.”
That was the voice I heard when the star shone.
Just remembering it made my head buzz, like thunder roaring in my ears.
In the original story, Winter Orsus also heard a mysterious voice.
“Don’t break it. Unlock it.”
That line was a hint about the sacred artifacts.
In the novel, each hero was supposed to receive a special divine item — a “Relic.”
No one knew what it looked like, but there were clues.
One important detail: Relics never burn in fire.
But in the original story, the relics never showed their true power.
Why?
Because Ampelos never found his, and Yubel wasn’t the real Materia.
Only Winter Orsus, as Igrio, found his relic — a key.
“Don’t break it. Unlock it.”
It made sense when the relic turned out to be a key.
But what about “Become the smallest god in the world”?
Does that mean my relic will turn me into a god?
How powerful is it supposed to be…?
I sighed deeply.
The reason Winter had to go through endless time loops was simple:
There was no real Materia,
No Materia’s relic,
And no Ampelos relic either.
But he still succeeded in the end.
Even without Materia or the others, he found a way to save the world.
He showed me that it was possible.
So what if I told him what I knew now—about the future?
Wouldn’t that solve everything?
“I need to find Grand Duke Orsus.”
There was another reason I needed to hurry.
As I remembered more of the story, one line came to mind:
“The foolish third daughter of the Rohiya family died from the plague.”
That was the original Izana Rohia.
But I’m no longer just the character from the novel.
Now that I’ve awakened, I’m different.
Still… just remembering her fate made my chest feel tight.
I needed to act fast. I had to escape this house safely…
And before that, I had to stop being an invisible ghost.
***
The Next Morning
“Long time no see… Lottie…”
After a full day of eating absolutely nothing—not even soggy lettuce—
I weakly spoke toward the open door.
“…Yes, long time indeed, Young Lady.”
At the door stood Lottie, holding a tray.
She had ginger-colored hair, sun-darkened skin, sharp facial features, and a kind of old-fashioned beauty.
But today, her pretty face was swollen with bruises, and her gaze toward me was very different.
Definitely not in a good way.
She thumped the tray onto the desk with a loud clatter.
I licked my dry lips and asked,
“What’s for breakfast?”
“…Did you just ask what’s for breakfast?”
Lottie turned sharply toward me.
Her eyes looked teary, but honestly, I didn’t care if she cried or not.
I had more important things to worry about.
I nodded weakly.
“Yeah. Is it oat bread and lettuce again?”
Lottie Hesworth was speechless for a moment.
Almost everyone in the mansion knew about the third Rohiya daughter, Izana.
They’d spread rumors that I was mentally slow —
and honestly, I hadn’t acted any better than a mute child.
I couldn’t see anyone’s eyes.
I stuttered so badly that no one understood me.
No one talked to me, thanks to the Duke’s strict orders.
But for the past few days, Lottie had been assigned to serve me, and she knew the rumors were basically true.
Yet now…
I was speaking clearly, using casual language, and even brushed past her with ease.
I used to walk awkwardly and barely moved in front of anyone except my old nanny.
Lottie stared at me in disbelief.
Then, without thinking, she grabbed my arm as I reached for the tray.
Something about me had definitely changed.
And to Lottie, that wasn’t good news.
“…I didn’t know you could talk so well, Young Lady.
Shouldn’t you apologize to me first before eating?”
I raised an eyebrow, expression calm and dry.
“Apologize for what?”
Lottie pointed to her bruised face and shouted,
“Because of you, I got punished!
Why did you leave your room when the Master was home?
If you were mentally slow, fine, but if you weren’t, then you knew I’d be in danger if I didn’t keep you locked up!”
“You left my food on a high shelf and suddenly ran off.
I was starving! I just went looking for something to eat.”
“I-I know I wasn’t thinking when I left, but…!”
