Chapter 2
When she slowly blinked her eyes, she caught a glimpse of mysterious eyes in the mirror—pink with hints of golden shimmer—only for them to vanish again.
“I… I’m doomed…”
She dropped to the floor with her forehead against the mirror.
She had felt unusually uneasy the moment she opened her eyes—but the actual situation was far worse than she had imagined.
When she first woke up in the soft bed…
‘What is this… something feels off. What is this feeling?’
She blinked rapidly at the unfamiliar surroundings. Her own bed had never been this soft.
In fact, she couldn’t even afford a mattress. Her bedding back home was just a thin blanket.
Even the ceiling was ridiculously fancy.
“Whoa…”
She could confidently say—even the richest person in Korea wouldn’t have a ceiling like this.
Sure, maybe someone with tons of money could pull it off, but to her, it just seemed way too over the top.
If this room were on one of those luxury home TV shows, viewers might first say “Wow, amazing!” and then slowly start thinking, “Wait, isn’t this a bit too much?”
It looked like the kind of ceiling you’d find in a fancy European castle her friend had always dreamed of visiting.
‘Wait… could this be a kidnapping?’
No way.
She shook her head.
There was nothing to gain by kidnapping her.
Sure, she had the flashy title of being the adopted daughter of a powerful publishing CEO, but that was all a lie.
The truth was, she was the man’s illegitimate child—someone he couldn’t throw away, so he kept her out of guilt.
Honestly, if she disappeared, they’d probably be relieved—as if a thorn had been removed from their side.
They’d be so happy, they might even throw a party. A party they never once gave her for her birthday.
‘So… what the heck is going on?’
Too scared to move, she stared at the ceiling for a long time before finally gathering enough courage to crawl off the bed.
Everything around her looked massive, making her wonder if her arms and legs had gotten shorter.
It felt like she’d been dropped into a world of giants.
No, it wasn’t just a feeling.
She saw short, chubby legs that clearly weren’t hers.
“What the… what is going on?”
“Mavis!”
Just as she was staring at her now-short limbs, someone entered the room.
Before she could even get a good look at the face, the person pulled her into a tight hug.
Her smaller body fit easily into the stranger’s arms.
‘W-Who is this?’
She turned her head and saw soft brown hair.
It smelled nice too—like lying on a field of wildflowers on a clear, sunny day. It wasn’t fancy, but it was warm and sweet.
The hug and scent were comforting, but it didn’t change the fact that she was being hugged by a stranger—and that made her tense.
There’s no rule that says kidnappers can’t smell nice.
Sure, the place was clean and bright…
And sure, the bed was unbelievably soft…
But for all she knew, this was the hideout of a crazy, luxury-loving psycho.
“You fell from the tree and wouldn’t wake up… I was really worried… You didn’t sleep this long last time…”
Last time?
Did she fall from a tree before?
Her forehead throbbed. Maybe that part was true.
‘Did I fall headfirst…?’
It was a silly thought, but her headache gave it weight.
And then—a wave of memories that weren’t hers rushed in.
‘Huh? What’s this?’
She saw small, pale hands gripping a tree branch tightly.
She climbed to the top of the tree and saw the beautiful estate around her. The breeze, the rustling leaves—it felt so freeing, like she was a bird.
Someone called out to her from below—a kind, worried voice asking her to come down.
But instead of listening, she felt a mischievous spark.
Would it be okay?
It should be.
Grandma said it was fine to tease a stepmom a little.
These weren’t her memories.
How did she know?
Because the name she kept hearing—Mavis—wasn’t hers.
‘Wait a minute… Mavis?’
[Mavis looked down at Vanessa with a sharp, mean expression.
“Oops, sorry. I couldn’t see you down there, Vanessa—it’s so gloomy~”
Instead of apologizing to her stepmother who had tripped, Mavis chose to mock her.]
“Oh no…”
“M-Mavis? Did you just call me? You… you called me, right?”
The woman holding her finally lifted her face, eyes wide in surprise.
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“…”
“M-Mom.”
“Yes?!”
It just slipped out—but the woman looked touched, mistaking it for a heartfelt word.
Mavis couldn’t bring herself to correct her—not when the woman looked that hopeful.
“C-Can you tell me your name, Mom?”
“My… name?”
“Y-Yes… I want to hear it again…”
The woman gently smiled and traced letters into Mavis’s palm.
“My name is… Vanessa Arsen.”
It tickled a little, almost enough to make her laugh.
But Mavis didn’t laugh.
That was the moment the last nail was hammered into her coffin of denial.
‘I’m done for.’
Vanessa asked with a worried look.
“Mavis… are you okay? Should I call Doctor Libane…?”
“I want to be alone for now… Just one hour… then I’ll see him.”
Mavis replied bitterly.
Vanessa hesitated, worried the child might still be in pain—but eventually left. She’d inform the doctor later.
Mavis waited a few moments.
“Um… Mom? You’re really gone, right?”
No answer.
Relieved, Mavis quickly hopped off the bed and stood in front of a huge mirror.
Her reflection was nothing like what she remembered.
In her previous life, Mavis had been an adult.
Now she had short, chubby limbs—like a cute little child.
She sighed and looked at her reflection.
Her long, wavy blue-tinged hair was glossy and well-kept. Her cheeks were rosy and soft—like freshly baked bread.
She looked so adorable, it almost made her smile… almost.
After examining herself, she turned her attention to her eyes.
Just 1% of her still hoped—maybe she hadn’t really been reincarnated.
But there was no doubt.
Her eyes were a rare, beautiful pink with golden sparkles—she knew exactly whose eyes these were.
Mavis saw the road to the afterlife open beneath her.
She had reincarnated into the novel “Just Let Me Get Divorced”—a story she used to read.
It was your typical time-traveling divorce tale.
The main character, Vanessa, was a mistreated illegitimate daughter of a count, married off to the cold North Duke of Arsen.
He barely stayed home, obsessed with monster hunting, and while he was away, Vanessa suffered abuse from her in-laws and his daughter.
Her troubles only worsened after her husband died.
Eventually, Vanessa went back in time to her early married years. She divorced her trashy husband and moved to the capital with her settlement money.
She built a new life, and even fell in love with the emperor.
Mavis had read this story so many times.
But now… she wasn’t Vanessa.
She was the “evil” daughter who bullied Vanessa.
‘What happened to Mavis again? Ah… right. The emperor kills her.’
Mavis’s nose twitched and tears started pouring from her big eyes.
She wondered—do big eyes make it easier to cry?
“…”
Mavis thought bitterly.
She must be cursed with terrible luck.
Her past life was a mess. And now, this one might be worse.
She had read this novel because she related to Vanessa—the illegitimate daughter mistreated by her family.
She had wanted Vanessa to be happy.
She’d hated Mavis, the bratty villainess, with all her heart.
Who would’ve thought… she’d become her.
‘Why… why did it have to be her…?’
