Chapter 2: I Decided to Change the Ending
November 6, 2021
In the novel The Beloved Saintess, it was mentioned that Askan had escaped from the laboratory, but there was no explanation that he had lived as a slave under the Brelov family.
Did I miss something?
I quickly retraced my memory, but nothing came to mind. That’s when I realized that The Beloved Saintess wasn’t even a completed novel yet. Unless I were the author, there was no way I could know every detail of the story.
This can’t be happening…
My head was in chaos. I had been planning to go after Askan, who had fled to the Arwen Empire, but now that he was right in front of me, I couldn’t tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Standing stiffly in silence, I watched as Askan slightly bowed his head first, taking the initiative.
“If there’s nothing else you need me to do, may I take my leave?”
“Y-Yes.”
There was no reason to hold him here. I needed time to think, too. As soon as I gave permission, Askan swiftly left the room, as if he were escaping before I could change my mind. The door clicked shut behind him, and the maid who had been watching nearby spoke up, puzzled.
“Oh? Miss, you’re letting him go this easily?”
“Huh?”
What was that supposed to mean? I looked at her, clearly confused, and she continued in a flustered tone, as if she realized she had said something wrong.
“Oh, no. It’s just… it seemed like you were letting Askan go earlier than usual, so I asked without thinking.”
“Me? I did that?”
“Yes. Don’t you remember?”
Of course I didn’t. This had happened before I possessed Tanashia’s body. Moreover, since The Beloved Saintess was centered on the protagonist Noxia, there was no way to know what Tanashia was doing in the story when she didn’t appear.
“Why… did I do that?”
The maid, looking genuinely worried, answered carefully.
“Miss, are you… still not feeling well?”
“Ah… yes. Everything else is fine, but my recent memories feel a bit hazy.”
“Oh dear, perhaps it’s because of the head injury from the riding accident. Should I call the doctor right away?”
“No, that’s not necessary. First, finish telling me what happened earlier. What did I do to Askan?”
The maids hesitated, exchanging nervous glances. They seemed unsure whether it was safe to tell me the truth.
“Whatever you say, I won’t get angry. Be honest—this will help me recover my memories.”
“Well… from the very beginning, you disliked Askan very much.”
Not just disliked—but intensely disliked? I couldn’t believe it. Waiting a little longer, another maid added more explanation.
“You often said you couldn’t stand the sight of Askan’s black hair. Maybe because of that, you would call him over and give him endless tasks—even things that didn’t need to be done.”
“Me?”
“Don’t you remember? You would even whip Askan from time to time.”
“You… whipped him?”
I couldn’t help but ask in disbelief. My hair wasn’t the only black hair around—Noxia’s was too.
Could it be that I tormented Askan just because I disliked Noxia’s hair and, by extension, his black hair too?
I hadn’t expected that at all. At first, I only thought I needed to abandon the role of the villainess. Now I wanted to live my life without getting involved in unnecessary matters…
I’m doomed.
Apparently, the dead flags had already been set.
Could that be why Askan tried to kill me?
At the very least, Askan clearly hated his past in the Arwen Empire. Could it really be… because of me? I wanted to believe it wasn’t, but the reality in front of me didn’t allow for simple denial. For a moment, it felt as if darkness had overtaken my vision. I could see a vision of Askan advancing toward me with a blade. Just realizing this much was enough to make my mind reel—but the maids’ reports didn’t stop.
“Even the bathwater you see filled in the bathroom was something you made Askan fetch every day, Miss.”
I made him do that? Why bother when you just turn the tap on…
I paused at the thought. Earlier, the maids had mentioned that I made him do tasks that didn’t need to be done. That was it—I had done everything I could to torment Askan. In short, I had been digging my own grave all this time.
Please tell me I didn’t send Askan back to the Kalua Empire myself.
Askan had escaped the Kalua Empire’s lab and come to the Arwen Empire, but later in the story, he was captured and returned. I vaguely remembered the reason, but it wasn’t clear. Since his work under the Brelov family wasn’t explicitly mentioned, the novel didn’t go into detail about that process. I just hoped that I wasn’t involved. No—whatever it took, I had to avoid being implicated. I couldn’t give up my life here. I clenched my fists in determination.
The maid, seemingly forgetting my inner resolve, spoke up again.
“By the way, Miss, you said you were going to the slave market earlier. Shall I schedule it for tomorrow?”
“No, the slave market is canceled.”
They say that if you keep your wits about you, you can survive even in a den of tigers. I couldn’t just sit idly by. I had to find a way.
That night, for the first time since falling into the book’s world, I had a dream. I dreamt of discovering Askan at the slave market. I immediately recognized the ancient runes engraved on the back of his neck. And not just that—the dozens of magical formulas etched across his body were also visible. They were traces of the experiments forcibly done to turn him into a human weapon. To anyone who didn’t know, they might look like rare tattoos, but I immediately understood their meaning: implanting special abilities into an ordinary human body.
In the dream, I shuddered at this realization.
If I could have Noxia’s abilities… people would see me differently.
I had always lived under comparison. And among everything, the one thing Tanashia could never surpass was the ability to control water—a gift that had practically disappeared in our family. Perhaps by deciphering the runes and formulas on Askan’s body, I could replicate Noxia’s water-controlling power in myself.
I secretly purchased Askan, the slave, and began experimenting. Success or failure, it was illegal, so everything had to remain completely secret. The first step was to determine his abilities.
No use denying it. Show me your hidden powers. Judging by the formulas on your body, you’re no ordinary human.
Askan didn’t speak. He had risked his life escaping the lab, so there was no way he would reveal his past. I did everything I could to get him to speak. It was true I disliked his black hair, but tormenting him wasn’t entirely without reason.
Whack! A long whip mark appeared across Askan’s bare chest. Slap! Slap! Repeated dozens of times. Then, unexpectedly, there came a moment when no wound appeared on his body. I approached him writhing in pain and touched his unmarked skin. It was hard—like steel.
Realizing his ability, I grinned with a tinge of madness.
This is it?
He could turn his entire body to steel. Without a sword, his body alone was a weapon, impervious to ordinary attacks. A single person with such power could probably take on dozens or even hundreds. This was the human weapon the Kalua Empire had been creating.
Though I had read this in The Beloved Saintess, I never imagined Tanashia in the story could know this too. In the dream, I was thrilled—but in reality, my whole body shivered.
What is this? I just want to wake up.
I struggled against the paralyzing sensation, slowly regaining control of my body. Eventually, I opened my eyes to the bright morning sunlight.
“Hah… hah…”
My breath was ragged as if I’d sprinted. The bed was soaked in sweat.
What did I just see?
It wasn’t a simple dream. If I had imagined what I’d read in the novel before, this was more like peeking into Tanashia’s past firsthand. It felt as if the Tanashia in the story and I were merging into one.
What on earth is going on?
There were too many hidden stories in the novel that I didn’t know. No wonder I shouldn’t have read an unfinished novel! But regret wouldn’t help. Sitting idly and lamenting my fate was too hopeless.
If this is true, then I haven’t just tormented Askan—I’ve experimented on him like the Kalua Empire did!
If I had done this much, there was no way to reverse the image. In other words, the probability that Askan would come for my neck was extremely high.
Everything’s a minefield!
I initially thought avoiding torment would suffice, but I had not only harassed Askan, the final hidden villain, but secretly experimented on him too.
I’m truly doomed.
The dead flags weren’t just set—they were cemented, impossible to avoid. Askan’s hatred of his past in the Arwen Empire was clearly my fault. Following the story, I likely sold him back to the Kalua Empire’s lab.
At least it hasn’t come to that yet.
Everything was disastrous, but that was a small comfort. What had happened couldn’t be undone. To survive, I had to deal with Tanashia’s accumulated evils like peeling layer after layer of an onion. I cursed that I’d possessed Tanashia out of all the characters, but dwelling on the irreparable past wouldn’t help. I leapt out of bed. A maid entering the room noticed me and greeted cheerfully.
“Oh my, Miss, you’re up already?”
I walked silently to the place I had seen in the dream. Turning the picture on the wall revealed a hidden space. The maid, unaware, came closer to straighten the bedding.
“You’re sweating so much. Are you alright… kyaaa!”
Spotting me too late, the maid screamed. In the hidden space were whips of all kinds, designed for torture—the same ones I had used in the dream on Askan. This proved that it wasn’t just a dream.
“Miss…”
I grabbed a whip, and the maid called out fearfully, likely afraid I would use it on her. I shuddered at the feel in my hand and quickly put it back.
“Throw all of these away.”
“Huh, all of them?”
“Every single one. I never want to see them again.”
I wouldn’t be using whips on anyone, like in the dream. What I needed now was a survival plan. In this world, I couldn’t trust anyone.
Askan looked at me with a weary expression when I suddenly appeared. He still didn’t show much emotion, but somehow, I felt I could read his mood now.
“Do you have another task for me?”
His tone sounded polite, but it had an edge. Well, it made sense—after all, I had tormented him endlessly. But now, things would change.
“It’s nothing special. I think it’s time to move you to a new place today.”
“My place?”
Askan stared at me, confused. Behind him was a dark, cramped room where several slaves lived together. Even from a distance, the walls were moldy and the smell awful. It gave a glimpse of how hard his life had been as a slave.
“From now on, don’t worry about anything. I’ll take care of you.”
“…I don’t understand what you mean.”
“I mean your misfortune ends now, and happiness begins.”
After all, The Beloved Saintess wasn’t finished yet. If that was the case, I decided I would change the ending myself.
“From today onward, you’re my ally.”
A guaranteed happy ending.
