The room remained silent after her shock
The ticking of the old clock in the corner was the only sound that broke the heavy stillness, as if even time itself hesitated to move forward.
Alice...or rather, Lana, the girl who had awakened in her body— was still standing before the mirror, staring at a reflection that wasn't hers.
Emerald green eyes gleamed beneath soft strands of crimson hair that fell over the shoulders of a small child.
Everything about that reflection looked pure, innocent… yet behind that innocence lay a story of sorrow she knew better than anyone else.
Nina entered once again, holding a light pink dress in her hands.
She smiled gently.
"Good morning young lady, breakfast is ready in the garden. The Marquis will be upset if you're late."
Alice didn't answer right away. Her voice came out carefully, almost hesitant.
"Nina… how old am I now?"
The maid blinked, taken aback by the odd question.
"Eight years old, my lady… are you feeling unwell?"
Alice smiled faintly but said nothing.
[Eight years old huh,...]
[So this was the beginning—the time the story had only briefly mentioned before the tragedies began]
She left the room with hesitant steps.
The long hallways of the mansion stretched before her like a maze of memories; white walls, tall windows, portraits of long-dead nobles… everything matched the story she remembered.
Even the scent of roses drifting through the air felt painfully familiar.
When she reached the breakfast table, she sat quietly between her parents—the marchioness Marianne and the marquis Edmund Nicolai
Both embodied what one would expect from nobility: composed, distant, and cold. No embraces, no warm words—only a silent presence that commanded respect.
Her mother lifted her gaze briefly and spoke in a calm but cold tone:
"You should not keep us waiting again, Alice."
The girl replied softly, "I'm sorry mother, It won't happen again."
Her voice was steady—too steady for a child her age.
It was not the trembling tone of the original Alice.
That change did not go unnoticed; a brief glance from her father, a small look of surprise from Nina behind her… the atmosphere shifted, if only slightly.
During breakfast, Alice could not stop thinking.
So this is where her life began… the starting point of all the pain that would later lead to her ruin.
But what no one around her knew was that this child was no longer the same person.
After the meal, Alice went out to the garden.
The sky was tinged with gray, and the cool morning breeze carried the scent of coming rain.
She sat on a stone bench beside the fountain, watching the rippling water dance before her.
Soft footsteps approached from behind.
It was Nina again, carrying a small blanket.
"You'll catch a cold if you stay out here too long, young lady."
Alice turned toward her, a faint smile on her lips.
"Nina… have my parents always been like this?"
The maid hesitated before replying,
"Yes, young lady, they've always been busy with the affairs of the march. But… of course they love you, in their own way."
Alice's gaze returned to the fountain. Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Love… their way of showing it hurts so much."
Those simple words carried a sadness far too deep for an eight year old child.
For a moment, Nina's gentle smile wavered, as though she had sensed something she could not quite understand.
As Alice stared into the surface of the water, she saw something strange.
Her reflection flickered—no longer the face of a child, but an older version of herself, eyes brimming with tears and despair.
She blinked, and the image vanished, leaving only the gentle ripples of the fountain behind.
Her small hands trembled slightly.
Was that… a glimpse of her fate? Or a memory from a life that wasn't hers anymore?
She raised her head toward the sky, and in her emerald eyes burned a quiet resolve.
"I won't let that ending repeat… this time, I won't let anyone cry at my grave."
A chill wind passed through the garden as the first drops of rain fell upon her hands—
marking the beginning of a new chapter in a destiny meant to be rewritten.