Chapter 3
Nain looked at her dirt-covered hands and muttered in disbelief.
Now that she thought about it, her voice was thin and soft. It clearly sounded like a child’s voice.
She stared blankly at her hands and then gently touched her own cheek with them.
She could feel the dirt rub off on her skin, but that didn’t matter.
Her small hand felt her face—it was small.
Of course, it would be. Naturally, she reached up and pulled her wet hair with both hands to see it.
Her pure white hair was covered in clumps of dirt. It looked like a white blanket dropped into muddy water.
“White… hair…?”
This color was very rare. There was no way this could be her natural hair color.
Nain had always had ordinary brown hair.
She was a normal-looking woman with brown hair and brown eyes.
Nain couldn’t think clearly.
‘Is this a dream? Or a nightmare?’
She had experienced death, then traveled back to the past, and now she had become a young girl she had never seen before.
With all these strange things happening one after another, Nain was completely confused.
She quickly pinched her cheek and pulled hard. It hurt so much that her eyes teared up.
“This… isn’t a dream?”
“Nain, oh my! What happened to you?”
Just as she felt like she was going to faint, a voice spoke from above.
Nain looked up to see who it was.
An old man with a kind face was staring down at her. His green eyes were filled with surprise and worry.
Strangely, Nain knew who he was the moment she saw him.
“…Grandpa Del?”
‘Wait… how do I know this man’s name?’
She was sure she had never seen him before, but he didn’t feel unfamiliar at all. In fact, information about him—even his personality—came to her naturally. Like she had known him forever.
Del was the owner of the village’s only bookstore.
He was wise—almost like a village sage.
Because he knew things even the villagers didn’t, everyone respected and trusted him.
Del gently helped Nain up from where she sat on the ground and asked,
“Did they throw you out?”
Nain blinked. She didn’t know what to say at first, but after a moment, she slowly nodded.
“…Yes, I think so.”
“Oh dear, how cruel. I’m sure she left you a good inheritance before she died…”
“…”
Del clicked his tongue, full of pity.
Nain couldn’t say anything. She just clenched her skirt tightly. Her mind couldn’t keep up with everything that was happening.
Sometimes it was better to stay quiet. If she spoke without thinking, they might think she was strange.
Del looked down at the little girl’s bowed head.
With a deep sigh, he spoke gently.
“I thought this might happen. The young lady—no, Elza—left something with me before she passed.”
Del paused for a moment before continuing.
“Even in her final moments, Elza was worried about you. I’m sure she had a hard time letting go.”
He shook his head sadly. It seemed he missed her.
Feeling sorry for Nain, Del gently patted her head.
“Let’s go to my house first. Even though the weather’s warm, staying in wet clothes for too long will make you sick.”
“…Okay.”
‘Elza? Who is that? Oh… she’s the mother of this body.’
She had wondered for a second, but then the answer came to her naturally.
It was strange. When Del held out his hand, Nain took it without hesitation.
Suddenly, her ears buzzed. Her vision started to twist and blur.
The world spun.
Her body felt like it was falling—like a puppet with its strings cut.
She collapsed face-first toward the ground.
She could hear Del’s surprised voice in the distance.
But Nain couldn’t respond.
Darkness swallowed her whole.
* * *
‘My beloved Nainel.’
A gentle voice echoed through the darkness.
It was so beautiful that Nain thought, “If a goddess existed, she would sound like this.”
‘My sweet child… your fate is so cruel. I had no choice but to make this decision.’
The voice was full of tears. It made Nain’s heart ache and feel unbearably heavy.
There was no doubt. This beautiful voice belonged to Elza—Nainel’s mother who had already passed away.
Nain wanted to tell her not to cry. But she couldn’t do anything. The heavy darkness pressed her down.
‘I should have protected you… I’m sorry, Nain. Don’t forgive your mother for leaving you behind in this world.’
The life in the voice slowly faded away. It was the voice of someone dying.
‘Don’t forget… I will always love you. I’ll watch over you from the heavens. So be strong, stay healthy… live happily.’
As the voice grew faint, Nain felt like crying loudly like a child.
‘No… don’t go, Mom. Don’t leave me alone.’
In the darkness, she stretched out her hand.
“Don’t go!”
At that moment, Nain opened her eyes.
She was reaching out toward the air. Her vision was blurry, probably from tears.
She coughed a few times and took a deep breath, then wiped her eyes with her hand.
Slowly, her vision cleared.
She stared blankly at a wooden ceiling she didn’t recognize and slowly sat up.
Leaning against the headboard, her head throbbed and a ringing echoed in her ears.
She touched the right side of her head. Unknown memories filled her mind.
Before long, Nain remembered everything from the little girl’s life.
Nainel. Nicknamed Nain.
Eight years old. A pretty girl with white hair and ruby-red eyes.
Her mother, Elza, had arrived in this village nine years ago while pregnant.
Baby Nainel was growing inside her.
Elza was a beautiful woman. In this quiet little village, she stood out.
Her looks and elegant behavior showed she wasn’t a commoner—she was clearly a noblewoman.
The villagers didn’t feel comfortable with her.
But one person helped her settle in—Del.
Del had once worked as a servant for Elza’s noble family when she was young.
As people suspected, Elza truly was a noble.
Soon, curiosity spread among the villagers.
Why would a noble lady, and a single mother, settle down in this far-off village?
The story of this beautiful noblewoman raised lots of gossip and interest.
Nain buried her face in the blanket, both hands holding her head.
‘I know this story… way too well.’
Yes. Nainel—no, Nain—knew this story very well.
It was the story from her favorite novel.
Even though she worked hard like a busy ant to survive at age twenty-four, Nain had at least one small hobby.
Since she was young, she often spent time at the village’s tiny bookstore.
The owner knew how poor Nain was and felt sorry for her. He even taught her how to read and write.
Thanks to his help and her own effort, Nain learned how to read and write.
Her simple hobby was reading romance novels—one of the few types of books the small shop had.
And there was one book she loved most of all.
It was called Lady Angelica.
The story was a classic romance.
Kind, gentle, and beautiful Angelica… and her many admirers. In contrast, there was the villainess who hated Angelica: the noble lady Nainel.
A saint and a villainess—a common theme in romance stories.
Lady Nainel’s nickname was Nain. Coincidentally, the same as hers.
Maybe that’s why, as a child, Nain always admired the villainess in the book.
They shared a name, but while Nain was a poor commoner, Nainel was a beautiful noble’s daughter.
‘She must’ve had delicious food every day, worn pretty dresses, and owned sparkling jewels. I’m so jealous…’
Lady Nainel was a villainess. So, she had a fierce temper. She was selfish, arrogant, and cruel.
Nain had always clicked her tongue while reading about her.
Even with everything she had, she was still greedy. Nain thought she was spoiled and ungrateful.
‘If I were Nainel, I would’ve lived kindly…’
At that time, Nain’s family was struggling because of her father’s gambling.
Sometimes, she even went hungry. That was the hardest thing for a young girl.
Her father was lost in gambling, and her mother had become cold and angry from working too much.
Nain had to wander outside, going through a lonely and troubled teenage life.
Everything back then felt unfair.
So every time she read that book, she escaped into happy daydreams.
‘If I were Nainel, I’d be kind. Maybe I could even be friends with Lady Angelica.’
Just thinking about it made her smile.
That book was her only source of comfort during her rough teenage years.
Even if it was just a fantasy, it was sweet.
Eventually, the book became precious to her. As a child, she saved money little by little to buy it.
It was old and faded, but that didn’t matter.
Reading it and imagining a better life made her happy.
And now… she had somehow become that very villainess, Nainel.
