Chapter 3
“You’ve done something you shouldn’t have known about.”
The crown prince was staring at Yurein with hostile eyes.
Why…?
There was no reason for His Highness the Crown Prince to look at her like that.
That gaze, filled with pure hatred—why? The House of Tarbargen was a loyal vassal of the Empire.
Why, then?
Even as her breath faltered in unbearable pain, one question spun endlessly in her mind.
Why did she have to suffer this fate?
It was so unfair—so utterly unjust. Yurein trembled, coughing up blood.
Holding her dying body in her arms, Ayla whispered softly,
“Goodbye, my beloved sister.”
Her consciousness slowly faded away.
At that moment, the bracelet around Yurein’s wrist gave off a faint glow.
“Ah…”
The chirping of birds outside stirred her awake.
The familiar ceiling of her bedroom came into view.
Beside her, the bed’s canopy fluttered gently in the wind blowing through the open window.
Yurein slowly sat up as she looked at it.
Then suddenly—
Her head throbbed with a pain sharp enough to split it open.
Countless fragments of memory poured into her mind all at once, stirring everything into chaos.
It hurts… it hurts… it hurts!
The pain was so severe she could barely breathe; her heart pounded as if it would burst.
She had just died—after drinking the poison Ayla had given her.
The searing pain of her body burning from within was still vivid.
But that wasn’t the most shocking part.
This world… is inside a book?
She had just realized it.
This world was inside a novel—and she had been reborn as Yurein Tarbargen.
Yurein bolted up and turned toward the mirror.
Reflected there was a face that felt both foreign and familiar—
Brilliant silver hair, cold violet eyes.
It was the face she had seen in mirrors all her life—the face of Yurein Tarbargen.
Seeing that face made it impossible to deny what her memories told her:
She had truly died.
A gate had suddenly opened in Seoul.
An S-class Esper, summoned by the state, had entered the gate with her.
Normally, Guides couldn’t go inside—but she was an S-class Guide.
Her role was to guide the Esper within the gate.
And after that…
Yurein’s complexion turned pale as the memory resurfaced.
A monster had pierced her stomach—and she had died.
How could she ever have forgotten that? It was so vivid.
She covered her mouth with trembling hands, as if the agony of that moment were surging back.
But she soon steadied herself.
It was still better than being killed by that monster—at least she was alive now.
Yet her current situation was far from safe.
After all, it seemed she had died once more—betrayed by the sister she had loved the most.
Yurein slowly lowered her hand and gathered her thoughts.
Ayla. And Yurein Tarbargen.
Both names existed here. It made no sense not to know what kind of world this was.
Reincarnated into this insane world?
This was a world where, just like in her previous life, Espers and Guides existed.
The problem was—
There were many Espers, but only one Guide.
When the prophesied Guide matured, all Espers would finally find peace.
But until that time came, they would suffer constant torment.
Ayla was the one blessed by prophecy—
The heroine destined to save all Espers. The only Guide in this world.
But as Yurein recalled the novel’s setting, a strange feeling struck her.
Because right now, the sensation she felt running through her body was—
Yurein raised her hand, palm upward, and focused her mind.
A faint light blossomed in her palm.
I… I’m a Guide?
There was supposed to be only one Guide in this world, yet she had awakened as one too.
Yurein blinked in shock, her mouth slightly open, then lifted her gaze.
What time was it now?
Something impossible had happened—she had regressed—but she didn’t feel particularly shaken.
After all, she’d already found herself inside a novel she used to read; compared to that, returning in time felt almost normal.
Catching the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, Yurein looked around her room.
After a careful glance, she grew certain.
She must have gone back to when she was nineteen.
When she was nineteen, Ayla had said she wanted this room—and Yurein had switched rooms with her.
Taking in her surroundings, Yurein shut her eyes tightly.
Her body trembled in humiliation.
To think she’d been killed by Ayla… how miserable.
How hard had she worked to become someone useful?
How hard had she tried to stand beside Ayla, supporting her every step?
And how much had she trusted her…?
Another wave of agony crashed over her, sharp and suffocating—
as if thorns had pierced her lungs.
Ayla had been a sacred being chosen by prophecy.
But that wasn’t why Yurein had treated her kindly.
The more time they spent together, the more she’d wanted to see that angelic smile directed her way.
Even if they weren’t blood sisters, the years they’d shared had made such distinctions meaningless.
So Yurein had wished for Ayla’s happiness from the bottom of her heart.
Not just Ayla’s—but also her adopted younger brother, Shane’s.
She thought that if she kept showing her best self—if she kept being kind—
then one day she’d be acknowledged as a true Tarbargen.
That she’d be able to smile with her father and brothers like a real family.
But she’d been wrong.
It had all been a foolish dream. Their bond had been doomed from the start.
Her brothers adored Ayla more than their own blood sister.
And her father… her father had despised her.
Maybe—maybe he had even hated her enough to want her dead.
The thought tore through her chest like a blade.
The pain was unbearable.
Yurein clenched her fists and stood.
She didn’t know why she had come back—but if she had, it meant she’d been given a chance.
A chance to take revenge on Ayla and the Crown Prince who had destroyed her.
And a chance to leave that cursed family behind.
Her violet eyes glimmered coldly.
After calming her storming thoughts and emotions, Yurein tugged on the bell rope.
She intended to ask her personal maid, Rebecca, what day it was.
“But… why isn’t she coming?”
Yurein tilted her head, folding her arms.
Before switching rooms, Rebecca had always attended to her.
It was only after being dismissed from the ducal house that Rebecca was replaced.
At this point in time, she should still have been serving Yurein.
Rebecca was expelled over something terrible, Yurein recalled, her expression darkening.
She had never stopped regretting not defending Rebecca then.
But strangely, despite tugging the bell several times, Rebecca still didn’t come.
What’s going on?
Yurein frowned slightly.
Had something happened? Worry pricked at her chest.
She grabbed a shawl from the wardrobe and left her room.
Passing through the small adjoining parlor, she stepped into the hallway.
And at that very moment—
“…N-no! It wasn’t me!”
Rebecca’s voice rang out.
Yurein stopped, one hand against the wall.
Rebecca never raised her voice. She was always quiet, composed—traits Yurein admired deeply.
For Rebecca to be shouting like that—something serious must have happened.
Yurein squeezed her eyes shut once, then opened them and strode quickly toward the sound.
When she reached the staircase at the end of the corridor—
“Even with evidence found in your room, you still deny it!”
The head maid’s sharp voice cut through the air.
She was scolding Rebecca fiercely, holding up a necklace.
At first glance, it seemed plain—but the gems embedded in it were anything but modest.
A finely crafted blue sapphire gleamed at its center, surrounded by a ring of tiny diamonds.
The smooth chain shone like silver—but it was, in fact, rare platinum.
“I-I don’t know anything about it! I really don’t!”
Rebecca’s face was desperate.
Kneeling on the floor, her cheeks were flushed and swollen—she had clearly been struck.
Her clothes were wrinkled, suggesting she’d been beaten more than once.
But no one around her looked sympathetic.
The head maid’s eyes were sharp with accusation,
and the attending maids and servants stared coldly at Rebecca.
“Merilyn, maybe… maybe we should stop now?”
At that moment, a blonde girl beside the head maid spoke timidly.
