Prologue
Boom! With a loud crash, the air stirred violently.
What is going on?
Count Kirchhoff handed her a sword, and she took it.
And all she did was swing it lightly—just very lightly.
…Then why did the wall collapse?
At first, she suspected poor construction.
This is another world, and this is Minachelti’s useless body. There’s no way this is my fault.
Then she tried to deny reality. But the scene before her didn’t change.
Hmm. What should I do?
Minachelti Sestol pondered seriously as she stared at the neatly manicured garden beyond the gaping hole in the wall.
Alright.
The conclusion she finally reached was very simple.
Knock them out and run.
And extremely reckless.
Trusting in her own strength, Minachelti Sestol clenched her fist tightly.
But the male lead was quick to catch on.
“I trust you’re not thinking of throwing that adorable little fist at me.”
“……”
Minachelti Sestol failed to escape.
Next
Chapter 1
“It’s all done, miss!”
At the cheerful voice, the girl’s eyes snapped open.
She found herself staring into the brown eyes of a strange woman sitting in front of her.
Who is this?
She tilted her head slightly to the right.
The other person tilted their head in the exact same way.
It took her a moment to realize—she wasn’t looking at a person, but a mirror.
She lifted her hand and touched her pale wheat-colored hair, intricately braided and pinned up.
The sensation at her fingertips was vivid.
“…What is this?”
“D-do you not like it? You asked for an updo, so I styled it like this… Should I change the accessories?”
“There’s no time for that. We’re already running late.”
The door burst open, and a sharp voice cut in.
A middle-aged woman stepped inside, scolding.
“Miti? It suits your dress very well. You look mature.”
Her tone softened slightly, almost as if urging her to go out like this.
The girl silently repeated the name Miti in her head.
What… is going on?
That wasn’t her name.
My name is—
“You kept dozing off earlier. Are you still half-asleep? Get yourself together. The corset needs to be tightened properly. Come here.”
Before she could say anything, the woman pulled her to her feet.
“Your brother is waiting outside. He’s already been waiting for thirty minutes.”
“Hk—!”
Each time the corset strings were pulled tighter, the woman’s voice faltered—
And so did her breathing.
“Phew, done. Finish getting ready and come out, understood?”
Only after thoroughly torturing her ribs did the woman leave, satisfied.
Why is it so hard to breathe…? Is this torture? Did I get captured?
While she wasted time trying to understand the situation, a lavish dress adorned with frills and lace was draped over her.
“All done, miss. You can head out now!”
She frowned instinctively.
The dress was heavy and cumbersome.
“Head out? Where?”
“Huh? Today’s the party, remember?”
“A party?”
“Yes, a party.”
“What party?”
“Oh, come on now.”
The maid laughed as if she’d heard a joke.
“You’re going to Count Kirchhoff’s party with the young master!”
“Who’s the young master?”
“Miss… did you have a strange dream? Young Master Mirhel—your older brother!”
“I don’t—!”
She was about to say she was an only child—
But her voice suddenly faltered.
“…I don’t have… a brother…”
Something was wrong.
What about the academy? The exams? The monsters?
There was a massive disconnect between the world she remembered and what she was seeing now.
“Are you really still half-asleep?”
The maid tilted her head.
“Please wait here. I’ll go bring some cold water.”
The maid hurried out, insisting she couldn’t go to the Kirchhoff party in such a dazed state.
The girl remained standing there, blankly.
Where… is this?
She slowly looked around the room.
Then—
A strange presence brushed against her senses.
Instinctively, she grabbed a long hairpin from the vanity and spun around, ready to stab if necessary.
Who’s there?
But the only things in the room were herself—
And a bird in a cage hanging on the wall.
“What?”
Relaxing slightly, she loosened her grip.
Just as she was about to put the hairpin back, the bird suddenly flapped its wings.
“You idiot.”
“…A parrot?”
“I’m not a parrot! I’m a canary!”
The bright yellow bird chirped angrily, its orange beak snapping.
The cage swayed as it fluttered.
“Be quiet! Stay still!”
Already overwhelmed, she snapped in irritation.
“Why are you yelling at me? You’re the one at fault!”
The canary shot back without hesitation.
It even opened its own cage with its beak and flew right in front of her.
Then—
poke!
It tapped her forehead.
“You fool! You still don’t get what’s going on?”
A sharp sting—
And suddenly, countless scenes flashed before her eyes like a montage.
Only then did she realize.
This… isn’t my world.
She turned back toward the mirror.
And this isn’t my body either.
“…What is happening?”
“What do you mean what? You barged into the wrong story!”
“Me?”
“Yes, you, you lost little wanderer.”
The canary’s black, round eyes narrowed.
That’s ridiculous.
She looked back at the mirror.
The person reflected there felt like a complete stranger.
“Listen carefully. From now on, you are Minachelti.”
As the bird spoke the unfamiliar name, light began to scatter from its body.
Its small form twisted—
Then stretched.
“God created your soul for a specific story.”
The glowing mass slowly took on a human shape.
It became a tall figure—so tall she had to tilt her head back to look up. Its gender was indiscernible.
“But there’s a problem.”
The light surrounding the figure dimmed.
As she finally saw it clearly, the being suddenly pointed at her.
“You got lost and ended up in the wrong story!”
“T-then just send me back to the original one!”
She shrank back slightly, yet argued stubbornly.
The angel’s silver eyes turned cold.
“If I could do that, do you think I’d be here?”
“You can’t?”
“Ha…”
The angel sighed deeply, running a hand through its hair.
“When you entered this world, the two worlds collided slightly.”
It mimicked two fists smashing together.
“Now both worlds are unstable. If I send you back now, they’ll collide again—and everything will collapse.”
The angel wiggled its fingers dramatically, as if showing something crumbling into dust.
She understood.
Slowly nodding, she crossed her arms.
“So there is a way to go back, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here.”
“For that to happen, the world must stabilize enough to endure another collision. And for that… the characters must follow their destined paths—”
The angel suddenly stopped speaking.
Footsteps were approaching her room.
“For now, just go! Here—knowing the original story might help.”
The angel flicked her forehead.
In an instant, countless scenes flooded her mind.
Minachelti dancing with a man.
Minachelti crying in front of him.
And—
Minachelti kissing him.
“Gah!”
She screamed and shook her head violently.
Her face flushed bright red as she gasped.
“What is this?! You want me to date this guy?!”
“If you don’t, you won’t go back.”
The angel cut her off firmly.
“Then live here forever.”
“….”
She glared at it, lips tightly sealed.
“Sorry, Miti—but you don’t have a choice.”
The canary shook its head with a sigh.
Then it gave her a small push.
“If you want to go back to your story, you have to make this one follow its original path.”
“No, there has to be another way—!”
“Miiiss!”
The cheerful voice interrupted her.
The angel’s form collapsed back into a small glowing sphere.
“Don’t pick fights. Tone down your personality. And act like Minachelti if you can, okay?”
The canary rapidly gave her instructions.
“I brought water!”
Miti stared blankly at the bird, now calmly chirping inside its cage.
“Miti! Are you still not ready? Your brother is waiting!”
A knock sounded on the already open door as Mirhel Sestol called out.
“We’ll be late if we don’t leave soon.”
“Please go, miss!”
The maid forced a sip of water into her mouth and pushed her forward.
Even as she was dragged along, Miti couldn’t take her eyes off the canary.
That bird is the cause of all this.
The canary clenched its wings like fists and nodded firmly, as if cheering her on.
What am I supposed to do?
Her silent scream was swallowed back down her throat.
