Chapter 2
The Pip in my hand bounced away into the air.
I had already been flying at full speed, so stopping or changing direction was impossible.
Twisting my body, I barely managed to snatch Pip out of the air—but the moment I did, my vision flashed, and an unbearable heaviness weighed down my entire body.
My limbs felt soaked and heavy, like wet cotton. A sharp pain drilled through the inside of my skull.
When I barely lifted my heavy eyelids, I saw people staring at me with horrified expressions.
Even the woman I had been about to enter—the one carrying the unborn child—was looking at me in shock.
No way… no, it can’t be.
A terrible sense of dread washed over me.
Ignoring the trembling doctor who was stepping backward with his mouth hanging open, I tried to stand.
My joints creaked like old hinges as I forced myself upright.
“Oh heavens, Roselita!”
“I told you our child couldn’t have died! Roselita—thank goodness, thank goodness… truly, thank heavens…”
Of course. Why is it that bad premonitions are never wrong?
A middle-aged man and woman, their eyes swollen red from crying, rushed over and crushed me in their arms.
The sudden warmth of their embrace made my skin crawl, but I didn’t have the strength to push them away.
Fortunately, they soon let go.
“This isn’t the time for that. You should lie down first! I’ll throw out that useless quack and bring another doctor at once!”
I refused the man’s outstretched arms and somehow managed to stand on my own.
A storm of curses filled my head.
I’d just made one tiny misstep—really, just a little mistake—and yet it had gone horribly wrong.
Staggering toward the full-length mirror in the corner, I parted the crowd like waves.
In the mirror stood a girl, her face covered in dried blood.
My pale pink eyes studied her reflection closely.
Her ears, eyes, nose, and mouth—all the holes in her face—were caked with congealed blood.
Her lips were so dark they looked almost black.
It seemed she had been poisoned.
A hot surge welled up from inside me.
Before I could stop it, a lump of dark red blood burst from my mouth.
It seemed that, as my body was regenerating, the remaining poison inside was being expelled.
When I checked my divine affinity, I found it had dropped straight through the floor—below even the lowest measurable level.
I’d heard that humans in Rodea had very low divine affinity these days, but this was on another level.
“I’m doomed…”
Before I could finish the sentence, my body tilted, and everything went black—like someone had flipped a switch.
That day had been a little different from usual.
Not just because I’d been beaten half to death by Pulchor, the God of Lightning.
Nor because I was shocked by his accusation—that I had caused the great flood that recently struck Rodea.
No, that day… I simply couldn’t feel anger anymore.
Maybe it was resignation—to my treatment, to my life.
I’d turned on a random movie, just because I couldn’t stand the silence.
It was a film from another world.
And the moment I saw that scene, chills ran down my spine.
On the wall-sized screen, a man in strange clothing was moving.
It was a rainy night.
A man unjustly imprisoned dug a tunnel and escaped his cell.
But instead of running farther away as I expected, he knelt down and felt the dirt.
Spreading his arms, he embraced the falling rain, savoring freedom.
Freedom…
Saying the word aloud felt foreign.
From the moment of my birth, every breath and movement had been watched. I had never known what freedom was.
It was such a natural absence that no one had ever even mentioned it.
People might be bound by their class or circumstances, but no one lived as caged as I did.
I was not free—and only now did I realize I could run away.
I jumped to my feet.
Pip, perched on my shoulder, squeaked in surprise and rolled off.
I stood frozen, staring at the door.
I couldn’t even touch the doorknob.
The gods, distrustful of me, had ensured I couldn’t open it.
That door would only open to someone else’s hand—
and it wouldn’t open for me again until the next divine meeting, four months from now.
Titia will come eventually…
My twin sister, always buried under piles of paperwork, rarely found time to visit.
But I couldn’t make her bear all the blame while I ran away.
If only she came now—if only now—I could leave this place reeking of Pulchor’s presence, and she wouldn’t be the only one held responsible.
Should I wait until the next meeting? How would I get past Jupiter’s knights?
As I wrestled with those thoughts, the door suddenly opened—like a miracle.
Titia stepped in, panting, and the moment she saw me, her face twisted in fury.
Elia… what happened to your face?
Her amber eyes flashed dangerously as she took in my bruises.
Pulchor’s already been here, hasn’t he?
…
I won’t let this go. Not this time.
Titia.
Just wait. I’ll make him apologize.
She turned sharply to leave.
I caught her wrist before she could storm out, and she stopped, looking back at me.
That doesn’t matter anymore.
How can it not matter! It keeps getting worse every time we let it slide—
Her words cut off when she saw where my vacant eyes were looking.
Her pupils trembled.
You’re planning to run away… aren’t you?
I’m sorry, Titia.
I had to at least say that to her—the one who had hidden me behind her back all these years.
Her lips quivered as she tried to speak.
I’m sorry I didn’t push you to run sooner. I should have done it long ago.
Her emotions spilled out all at once.
Titia…
Down there is too far, and you’re a god—a god of Rodea. You belong here. But honestly… I just didn’t want you to go far away.
Why was she the one apologizing?
Titia had always been the only one to defend me in this place.
Her voice trembled as she clutched my collar, and I gently placed my hand over hers.
When she finally raised her head, our eyes met.
I know what you were trying to do—to get me recognized as a true god, to free me from confinement.
…
I wiped away the tears pooling in her eyes with my thumb. But that only made more fall.
Jupiter will come soon, she said, glaring at the door.
He must’ve heard Pulchor went after you.
She slipped a ring off her finger and handed it to Pip, who perched on my shoulder again.
This is all I can give you. Don’t hesitate to sell it if you’re in trouble. Pip, hold on tight, okay?
Pip!
Pip clutched the ring tightly, tendrils growing from its body to secure it.
Go. Now.
…
Go, and live as if this place never existed.
Wiping away her tears roughly, Titia threw the door wide open.
I hesitated, unable to take a step, and she smiled through her still-wet eyes, pushing me gently.
Once you jump, find a body right away, got it?
Yeah, I know.
I’ll handle things here. Don’t worry. Just go.
In her haste, she grabbed Pip and shoved him into my hands.
Wait—just one thing, Titia. Did you meet anyone on your way here?
She blinked, startled, then slowly shook her head.
Ah, thank goodness.
You were never here today, understand? Deny it. Blame everything on Pulchor if you have to.
She nodded grimly, understanding immediately.
After sending her away, my memory blurred.
I just remember running.
Running toward the outside, avoiding Jupiter, who somehow found me.
I thought I’d escaped Rheta safely—but the more I ran, the closer he seemed.
It felt like something was dragging me back—my body heavy, my legs slowing down.
Jupiter’s flaming spear flew toward my back.
“Ahhhh!”
“Miss! Miss, wake up!”
Someone slapped my back repeatedly. Hot… it’s so hot… wait, hot?
Through blurry vision, I saw a maid’s tear-filled eyes.
Memories of the moment before I fainted flashed through my mind—and I realized I was lying on a soft bed.
“You must have suffered so much, my lady… and we never even knew…”
Her tears streamed freely down her cheeks.
I let her words of self-blame wash over me as I thought quickly.
When you possess a dead body, there are three major drawbacks.
First, there’s no memory.
Human memories usually reside in the soul. Some linger in the body, but… not enough to blend naturally into someone’s life or relationships.
But then I had an idea—a good one.
A trick I’d often seen in K-dramas, which I loved so much from that other world.
I focused, recalling all those heroines—confused, fragile, pitiful.
I darted my eyes around anxiously and whispered my line.
“…Who are you? Where am I?”
“You mean… you really remember nothing at all?”
I nodded timidly to the doctor.
The woman who had been sobbing red-eyed before I fainted staggered and sighed deeply.
“You don’t even know who I am?”
“I’m sorry… I don’t.”
The woman shut her eyes tightly, then shook her head with calm resignation.
“No… it’s fine. Just the fact that you’ve opened your eyes again is enough for me.”
Even as she said it, she turned to the doctor.
Under her gaze, he bowed apologetically.
I worried for a moment—did Rodea even have illnesses like amnesia?
Luckily, the doctor said exactly what I wanted to hear.
“She may have erased her own memories to protect herself. It’s a kind of escape mechanism.”
“Escape…”
“It happens to those who have endured terrible pain.”
At those words, the woman’s pale hands trembled as she clenched them tight.
“I’m your mother, Roselita. Do you feel all right now?”
Roselita?
The name stirred a faint sense of déjà vu.
It wasn’t common, yet it sounded strangely familiar.
I nodded carefully.
“Yes… Mother.”
At my awkward reply, the woman—no, the Marchioness—forced a watery smile, her red eyes softening.
Ugh… now I feel guilty.
But I couldn’t exactly tell her that her real daughter was already dead.
