Chapter 4
Danae Winzer.
The young lady of the Ducal House of Winzer.
The woman hailed as a Saintess for purifying the great calamity known as the “Rotten Land.”
However, this body was nothing before “Yeon Dana” possessed it.
That was because she had spent her entire life lying still like a vegetable. No, in truth, she was less than a vegetable.
This body had been an empty shell.
A patient of the rare “Doll Disease,” she was born as a hollow vessel without a soul.
After possessing that ownerless, shell-like body, Dana had lived her absolute best as this person.
And this was how the world appraised her:
“Danae Winzer? The woman who purified the Rotten Land?”
“She’s always smiling. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her without a smile on her face.”
“I heard she’s incredibly kind. Apparently, she’s a total pushover to those she’s close to.”
“They say she’d give her very heart and soul to her family, don’t they?”
That was the reputation of “Danae Winzer.”
For the six years she inhabited this body, Dana lived that way. As a gentle, considerate, lamb-like woman.
However, when she lived as “Yeon Dana,” she was quite…
No, she lived the complete opposite.
“Yeon Dana? That crazy bitch?”
“That woman is out of her mind. There’s nothing she won’t do with a smile on her face. She’s definitely got a split personality.”
“She has neither blood nor tears. I bet her blood is bright blue.”
“I know, right? She’s scarier because she’s so polite on the surface.”
That was how she lived as “Yeon Dana.”
Cold and heartless.
She had no choice but to live that way. She was surrounded by enemies.
“Yeon Dana” was the illegitimate child of a so-called tycoon family.
From a young age, she lived under the glares of her elder relatives and was bullied by her cousins.
And through those hardships, Dana was forged as hard as steel. She became strong.
Strong enough to eventually crush every single one of her formidable relatives and seize victory.
“Yeon Dana. You are the most capable of my bloodline.”
Her grandfather, who was essentially the head of the clan, had said those words. She earned his recognition and became the sole heir to a massive amount of stock.
That day, Dana raised a glass in a toast of joy.
I finally won.
I trampled over the relatives who tried to trample me, and I finally won!
It was truly the greatest moment of her life, but…
In that moment, she was alone.
The silence was so profound.
Unable to bear the loneliness, Dana turned on the TV.
Of all things, what came on was a documentary about a family living in a single-room apartment.
It was a scene of a family huddled together in a cramped room, peeling and eating tangerines in harmony…
[Wahahaha!]
The moment she heard that laughter, Dana was seized by an intense desire.
I want that.
That thing on the TV.
That laughter. That happiness. That warmth. I want it too.
But that was the one thing she could never have. It was something that could be obtained neither with money nor effort.
So, when she possessed the body of “Danae Winzer,” she made a resolution.
This time, she would fill the void that had been missing in her previous life.
Right. Let’s live differently. There’s no need to live with my teeth clenched like I did in my world, is there?
She even heard herself being called a “pushover,” something unimaginable for Yeon Dana, but it was fine. Because she finally had what she had wanted so much.
That was why she had ignored it even when she read the “Earth’s Memory.”
The earth hadn’t only informed her of the Sacred Artifact’s existence.
It told her everything: hidden mines, rare resources, and all sorts of secrets and immense information the land had witnessed.
However…
Let’s just leave it be.
If she had been “Yeon Dana,” she certainly would have utilized that information to the fullest.
She would have seen someone’s weakness and blackmailed them into submission, or preoccupied a goldmine to begin excavation.
If she were that cold-blooded woman who craved success and was obsessed with money.
But.
That was the old me. I’ve been purified clean.
Let’s just live and love this time.
Danae has plenty of money anyway, so why bother with troublesome work?
Yeah. Yeon Dana’s life is my dark past.
…Or so she thought.
Who would have guessed that very thought would become her dark past?
The night she realized she had been scammed.
Dana stood before the mirror.
A woman with flowing, pure white hair and gentle lime-green eyes stared back at her from the glass.
“Danae Winzer.”
She had lived happily in this body.
But.
But I was planning to return to my original world.
Because no matter how happy she was, no matter how many people she loved, still.
Still, this wasn’t her body.
She wasn’t confident she could live her whole life carrying that sense of alienation. So, despite the heartache, she had intended to leave.
Even though they held onto me so desperately.
She hadn’t been confident she could turn away from their tears.
So she had decided to stay, but…
“You can’t go anywhere now!”
A laugh suddenly escaped her. Laios’s arrogant shout came to mind.
“What can you do? You’ll have to adapt to this world.”
Brother Lumie’s words followed right after.
To think they would change their attitude like this now that the Dimensional Gate was closed?
They only dare say such things because they believe it won’t open again for another hundred years.
Right. In my world, there’s a saying: ‘If the monk hates the temple, he should be the one to leave.’
So I’ll be the one to leave this world for you. You disgusting bastards.
First, let’s get my hands on the Sacred Artifact.
By using that Sacred Artifact which holds the power of a god, she could open the Dimensional Gate and return to her original body.
And that Sacred Artifact was close by.
Very close, right here—
In the Winzer Mansion.
“I’m sorry!”
The next day, Alice came to find her.
“I’m sorry, Sister Dana. I’m so, so sorry.”
Dana stared blankly at Alice.
Alice Winzer. Danae’s younger cousin.
She had truly loved that girl.
Her hair like pink clouds, her cute rabbit-like face, even her characteristic slight lisp.
She had loved it all so much…
“I’m sorry, Sister. I’m really sorry.”
You disgusting bitch.
Now, that was the only way she felt.
“I didn’t want to do this either. I didn’t want to hurt you, Sister, but…”
Alice sobbed, tears like large drops of chicken fat falling as she whimpered.
“I couldn’t stop myself, Sister Dana. I just couldn’t stop.”
Then, like the heroine of a tragedy, she dropped to her knees and began to wail.
“Love isn’t something you can control. You’ve been in love too, so you understand, don’t you?”
“…”
“You know how irrational love can make you act. You were like that too. You stayed in this world because you were blinded by love…”
“…”
“I’m so, so sorry, Sister. Hic, ugh, I’m sorry.”
“…”
“I’m so sorry for deceiving you, but…”
Alice clenched both her fists and lifted her head.
“I am not sorry for my heart that loves the Crown Prince.”
“…”
“My love is not a sin.”
In that moment, Dana couldn’t help but laugh. Truly, nothing but laughter would come out.
“If it wasn’t a sin, why did you meet him in secret?”
So, she asked with a bright smile, just as she always did.
“Wh-What, Sister?”
“I mean it. If it’s not a sin, why were you hiding under the desk? Like a little rat.”
When she said that, Alice’s face turned bright red.
“Sister, a rat… that’s too cruel to say to a person.”
Ah, is it? Are my words too cruel?
For some reason, the laughter kept bubbling up, and Dana let out a chuckle. It was truly absurd.
I actually loved a girl like that until now?
This must be what it feels like to wake up from a long, deep hypnosis.
To think I sincerely loved such a thing.
Well, it’s all because I was a fool.
Dana readily admitted it.
She had been played. Like a green amateur who knew nothing of the world, she had been played completely and perfectly.
Well, I suppose I was an amateur.
She was a beginner who had never once experienced family love or romantic love.
Whatever, it’s fine now.
Now that she knew she was a fool, she just had to stop acting like one.
Dana glanced at the clock.
Five minutes had passed since Alice arrived.
She hadn’t kicked her out on purpose. She had let her cry and blubber for five minutes…
Shall we get started?
Dana rose from her chair.
