Chapter 3
3화
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Not long after she possessed the body of ‘Danae Winzer.’
Dana realized that this body possessed a mysterious power.
It was the power of purification.
The ability to cleanse the ‘Rotten Land.’
The ‘Rotten Land’ was a phenomenon where the earth would rot and turn black, and nothing could survive in the places where the soil had decayed.
From humans and beasts to a single blade of grass, everything was decimated.
It was a catastrophe. If the Rotten Land were to spread across the entire continent—it would mean the end of the world.
But such a disaster did not occur.
Because Dana, who possessed the purification ability, had appeared.
Ever since she opened her eyes, Dana traveled to countless contaminated regions, purifying the rotting earth.
While she was purifying the land in that manner,
‘Huh?’
One day, suddenly, without warning, and quite unexpectedly.
Dana began to read the ‘memories’ of the earth.
‘My goodness.’
Startled, she pulled her hand away, but she had already read part of the land’s memories.
‘How can this be?’
The truth known only to this land.
The history that took place upon this soil. Even the future the earth sensed.
She came to know all sorts of information held within the ground.
‘The earth… it’s truly incredible.’
The earth was the world, and the world was the earth.
In other words, Dana had witnessed the secrets of this world.
And one of those secrets was…
‘To think that such a thing as a Sacred Artifact exists.’
A Sacred Artifact.
A noble relic imbued with the power of God. An object capable of summoning divine miracles.
Through the memory of the earth, it whispered to her that with its power, one could even open the Dimensional Gate.
However, she had completely forgotten about it until now.
She had chosen this world and decided not to leave the people she loved.
But had they all suddenly gone mad?
Why was everyone acting like this? Why were they behaving like people possessed by demons?
‘No, if it’s Uncle Karl…’
Suddenly, her uncle’s face flashed through her mind.
Her uncle, Karl Winzer.
Her legal guardian and dependable protector.
The man who always grew angry on her behalf whenever she suffered, and rejoiced as if it were his own success whenever something good happened to her.
If it was that man, who cherished her so much he was often called a fool for his niece…
‘Yes, Uncle Karl will understand.’
As if possessed, Dana headed toward her uncle’s room.
For some reason, the door to Karl’s bedroom was slightly ajar…
“Karl, have you heard the news?”
Her aunt’s voice drifted out from inside the room.
“I heard Alice was caught by Danae.”
Dana flinched and came to a halt. She stared blankly at the gap in the door with a dazed expression.
“About her relationship with the Crown Prince. I heard she was caught.”
In that moment, her heart felt like it dropped all the way to her feet. Dana instinctively covered her mouth with her hands.
What did she just hear?
What did her aunt just say?
‘Don’t tell me… they already knew?’
Her aunt already knew that Alice was seeing Raios behind her back?
Her fingertips trembled violently. Her mouth felt like it had turned bone-dry in an instant.
But the shock did not end there.
“Dear me, what was she thinking, getting caught already?”
A man’s voice followed.
“That Alice, she really lacks caution.”
Upon hearing that voice, Dana felt as if a thunderous roar had split the ground beneath her feet.
Because that voice… belonged to Uncle Karl.
Then, she heard her aunt’s irritated sigh.
“She held out long enough. She’s been seeing the Crown Prince in secret for a year, hasn’t she?”
“It’s still too early. She should have hidden it longer.”
Thump, thump. Her heart pounded so wildly that her ribs began to ache with a dull pressure. Dana bit her lip hard, terrified they might hear her ragged breathing.
What on earth was she listening to right now?
Could her ears be playing tricks on her?
“I need to maintain my status as Dana’s guardian for at least one more year. Only then will I become the primary heir to her fortune.”
No, it wasn’t. Her ears weren’t failing her.
This was definitely Uncle Karl’s voice. She was certain!
“What if Dana revokes the guardianship she entrusted to me now?”
But how?
How could her uncle say such things?
“Oh, please. Do you really think that girl, who goes around smiling like an idiot, could ever truly get angry?”
“True. She’s the type to forgive everything the moment you soothe her with a few apologies.”
Her head throbbed with a stinging pain from their conversation. The shock was that profound.
But even that was nothing.
“Besides, what’s the point of being the primary heir? As long as that girl is alive, there’s no way that fortune will ever come to us.”
“That’s why… we have to ensure she dies young.”
Truly, everything before that had been nothing…
“…Wait. The door is open? Didn’t you close it earlier?”
“Oh? I’m sure I locked it a moment ago.”
“Good grief. What if someone heard us!”
As the sound of footsteps approached, Dana quickly turned around. Holding her breath, she sprinted back to her room. She ran down the hallway, and ran, and kept running.
Slam!
The moment she finally entered her bedroom and shut the door, she collapsed right there onto the floor.
Dana clutched her head while sprawled on the ground. She couldn’t believe the conversation she had overheard outside her uncle’s room.
‘What did I just hear?’
She squeezed her eyes shut. Every single word she had eavesdropped on began to play vividly in her mind.
“She held out long enough. She’s been seeing the Crown Prince in secret for a year, hasn’t she?”
Her aunt’s nonchalant voice, speaking as if their affair was perfectly natural and already known.
“It’s still too early. She should have hidden it longer.”
Her uncle’s voice, expressing regret that they were caught too soon.
And.
“I need to maintain my status as Dana’s guardian for at least one more year. Only then will I become the primary heir to her fortune.”
And…
“What’s the point of being the primary heir? As long as that girl is alive, there’s no way that fortune will ever come to us.”
“That’s why… we have to ensure she dies young.”
A sudden pain, as if someone were wringing out her lungs, surged through her.
Dana struggled to exhale her ragged breath as she processed the thoughts.
So.
‘So, the reason Uncle Karl stopped me when I tried to leave was…’
To maintain his status as my guardian for five years?
Just so he could become the primary heir to my fortune?
Because if I died before the five years were up, he wouldn’t be able to claim my wealth?
So… he held onto me because of money?
And he… he’s going to make sure I die young?
Dana shuddered, gasping for air. Then, she realized it completely. So, so…
‘I was… deceived?’
Then was it all a lie?
Everything, every single bit of it?
“Ah.”
Dana lay flat on the floor. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably, up and down. As if she were sobbing.
And then, unable to hold it back any longer, it burst out of her.
“Ha!”
Laughter.
“Ahahaha!”
She forced herself upright, vomiting out the surging laughter.
By then, her tears had dried up completely.
Her face looked like that of a different person. The woman who had been grieving over the betrayal of love just a moment ago was nowhere to be found.
“Those bastards.”
The only thing remaining was her eyes, burning with a searing rage.
“So you played me.”
Honestly.
She had tried to live a kind life as ‘Danae Winzer.’
She had really wanted to live that way this time…
