Chapter 5
“…….”
It happened just when she was about to be relieved and give up, thinking this body wasn’t a magician. The picture frame that hadn’t changed no matter how many times she glared at it — suddenly burst into flames.
‘No way… huh?’
In that moment, Ella realized the constant nausea she had been feeling had disappeared. Curious, she raised her hand again and thought,
That she wanted to burn the flower beneath the frame.
The saying that the first time is always the hardest, but the second is easier — turned out to be true.
It only took a few seconds. Just a ridiculous thought of wanting to burn the flower became reality.
“…Ha.”
Ella let out a hollow laugh as she looked at the flower, now nothing but a handful of ash.
That charred flower, which now had no trace of its original beauty, was something Arianne had picked to brighten up the dull room.
Just like in the fairy tales, there was no need for chants or spells. Whatever Ella thought became reality.
It felt like broken pieces were finally falling into place.
“…So that’s why. That’s why, even though you were born a noble lady, you were treated like you didn’t exist.”
She finally understood. Since she tried to use magic, she had constantly felt nauseous. Now she realized why.
She wasn’t entirely sure, but it seemed that was the source of magical power — something called “mana.”
At first, she couldn’t use magic because her mana circuits weren’t stable enough to release the energy.
But once the path was opened, the circuits quickly stabilized, and Ella could no longer deny the truth: she was a magician.
Ella, still unsettled, stared at her tingling fingertips.
‘The original owner of this body really was a magician.’
A magician. A being that would be worshiped like a god — if she were born in another country.
But in the Lashiera Empire, where she now lived, that wasn’t the case.
The current ruling power — the Pope and the Holy Order — believed only the god they served should be omnipotent.
Because of their influence, magicians were considered pure evil in this land.
And worse — she was a noble lady. A noble lady of the Meyer family, known to be a pillar of the Pope’s faction.
The only child of the Duke of Meyer, who prided himself as the Pope’s right-hand man, was a magician?
The Duke and Duchess of Meyer would never accept that.
As Ella fully grasped the situation, her eyes filled with helplessness.
“You… you really never left the house, did you? You lived your entire life locked away.”
In a place like this — like a prison.
‘That’s why you tried to…’
A deep, sorrowful sigh filled her lungs and slowly escaped her lips.
Haa…
Me — who lost everything because of the Pope.
And you — who never had anything, also because of the Pope.
The bitterness of fate left a sour taste in her mouth.
Even though she now knew the body she possessed belonged to a magician, Ella had no intention of using that power.
‘It’s a dangerous power I don’t even understand. If I use it carelessly, I might not be able to undo the consequences.’
Since childhood, she had been taught that magic was evil — a belief deeply rooted in her mind.
That fear of the unknown made her instinctively reject the power of magic.
And according to rumors, the original Ella had unleashed terrifying magical power — at just five years old.
It was dangerous. It must never be used. That belief became firmly planted in her mind the moment she faced magic.
Ella tried to calm her still-shaking body and thought,
‘What benefit could I possibly gain by using this power?’
If people find out I’m a magician, I’ll be executed without a chance to explain.
That must never happen. I’ll hide it — for as long as I possibly can. Hopefully forever.
‘This chance I got — I won’t let it end in vain like before.’
Determination gleamed in Ella’s eyes.
Just then, the door creaked open, and Arianne stepped in.
Ella, having finished her thoughts, looked at Arianne and asked curiously,
“Where did you go?”
Since she had woken up, Arianne had never left her side, except when Ella was asleep.
Ella had even gone all the way to the dining room earlier to ask for tea because Arianne wasn’t around.
Arianne hesitated and looked away, clearly uncomfortable.
“The Duke wishes to have dinner with you tonight.”
“What?”
Ella’s expression twisted slightly.
They hadn’t come to see her even once since she woke up. Even though their daughter had regained consciousness after five years.
And now they suddenly wanted to see her?
Honestly, she was fine with the strained relationship between Ella and her parents — it meant she didn’t have to pretend to be a loving daughter.
‘Ha. Of course, nothing goes smoothly.’
For some reason, she had a very bad feeling.
“You’re here. Come, sit.”
As Ella entered the dining room, her father, Logan, seated at the head of the table, gestured for her to sit.
The Duchess, Lilia, didn’t even glance at the daughter she hadn’t seen in five years. She simply enjoyed the dessert in front of her with elegant gestures.
Even a child would know desserts come after the main course.
‘They said they wanted to dine together, but they’ve already finished eating.’
Ella glanced at Logan — he, too, had a clean, empty plate in front of him.
‘They’re colder than I expected…’
Especially the mother.
Ella let out a silent scoff and sat across from Lilia with a stiff expression.
A maid approached and poured water into the glass in front of her.
At Logan’s signal, a variety of dishes were laid out before Ella.
“How long has it been since the whole family sat down together for a meal like this?”
“You both already seem to have finished eating.”
Ella’s curt reply made Lilia raise her voice — the woman who had acted as if Ella didn’t even exist until now.
“That’s because you dawdled! All you ever do is consume food in this house, and now you have the audacity to make your parents wait?!”
A smirk crept onto Ella’s lips — clearly mocking.
It hadn’t taken her that long to get here after Arianne told her about dinner.
‘They never intended to eat with me in the first place.’
It was said that the original Ella had a bad relationship with her parents.
Unlike her former life, where she had a good relationship with her parents, Ella didn’t know how to deal with people like this.
But if they acted this way from the start — then it actually made things easier for her.
Finishing her thoughts, Ella took a sip of water with a calm expression.
“Didn’t you call me here because you had something to say? If my presence only upsets Mother, then I’ll just listen and leave quickly.”
Logan raised an eyebrow. Something about his daughter was different. She had never acted this assertive before.
‘Did something change in her after waking up?’
Well — not that it matters.
He quickly brushed off his curiosity and spoke with indifference.
“Your fiancé has been decided.”
“…….”
“A meeting is arranged. He’ll come here tomorrow. Since it’s a marriage between noble families, make sure you behave properly.”
Ella’s lips parted in disbelief, but before she could respond, Lilia snapped bitterly.
“It’s a match arranged by His Holiness, the Pope. If not for him, do you think we’d ever let a demon like you leave this house—”
“Lilia.”
Logan gently stopped her from going further.
Unable to vent her full anger, Lilia swallowed her frustration along with a sip of wine.
Logan kept speaking, but Ella wasn’t listening anymore.
The moment Lilia mentioned “His Holiness,” Ella’s mind went somewhere else entirely.
‘…The Pope? Did she say the Pope?’
Ella’s mind began racing. Looking at the situation, one thing was clear — these people were using the daughter they had abandoned for years as a pawn in some political marriage.
She wasn’t thrilled about a political marriage so soon after possessing this body, but such things were common among noble families.
‘But why is the Pope involved? Does the Pope usually meddle in noble marriages?’
No — not in her memories. She’d never heard of the Pope involving himself in noble match-making.
Something felt… off.
“…A match arranged by His Holiness?”
“Yes,” Logan replied flatly.
Ella wanted to ask more — Is the groom also from the Pope’s faction? Who is he? — all the obvious questions one would ask about a political marriage.
But she didn’t ask. She was afraid of the answers.
As Lilia rose from her seat after finishing her meal, she looked Ella up and down.
“I’ll just say this out of caution — you wouldn’t be stupid enough to reveal you’re a magician, would you?”
“…….”
“I don’t think you’d be that foolish. Living in that room with barely any light, you must’ve realized something.”
Ella said nothing. And that silence only fueled Lilia’s disgust.
“No matter what happens, you must never let anyone find out you’re a magician. Do you understand? If it’s revealed, our family is finished!”
“…….”
“You really must have gone mad after surviving death. You don’t even answer anymore.”
Lilia muttered bitterly, “You should’ve just died,” and left the dining room.
A heavy silence lingered in the air. Logan sighed and drank more wine.
“You can’t even please your own mother… really, is there anything you’re actually good at?”
“…….”
“A proper noble lady should behave with dignity. Mind your manners from now on.”
“…Yes.”
Ella forced herself to speak, clearly reluctant.
“And remember this: no matter what, you must not let anyone find out you’re a magician.”
Even without Logan and Lilia’s constant reminders, Ella had already made up her mind — she would never let that secret out.
In this country, magicians were executed on the spot. Until she completed her revenge, she couldn’t die.
For the first time, she answered sincerely.
“Yes.”
Unaware of who it was she would be meeting next.
