Chapter 1

In a slum where the lower classes of the Capital live.

Among them was a shabby market alley with a strange odor.

In it was a small child hiding behind the wall, reading the situation.

‘I’m starving to death.’

The child was 6 years old this year.

There were wounds all over her body, such as her cheeks, shoulders, and other parts hidden by her clothes. They were formed after being beaten by a group of beggar children a few days ago.

That day, the child almost died.

‘Turns out I still don’t know what’s what.’

Fortunately, thanks to her tough life, the child who was wandering on the brink of death eventually opened her eyes. In the process, strange memories that she recalled through her dream meshed back together.

It was the memories of her previous life.

Even in her previous life, the child did not live a peaceful life.

Dying in an airplane accident was the last memory of that life.

After such a death, the child’s soul moved somewhere together with the other souls.

The passage through which the souls advanced was a vast space, its scale could not be guessed. It was as mysterious and as vast as the universe.

There were countless books there, like a universe full of stars.

Huge books filled the space more densely than desert sands.

It was a vast place, making it seem like it was another dimension all together.

A ray of light guided countless souls on the path, and the child walked along, following the light just like the other souls did. Naturally, as if it were only normal to follow the fixed path.

The place where she arrived was in front of a huge book cover. It was like a barrier, and was huge like an enormous mountain. It was exactly like a book that a giant would read.

Is the gate of heaven so huge and grand?

Waiting for a while, the huge book opened.

The Guide of the Souls said, “Inside this is the world of a book you read before you died.”

Thus, the child’s soul permeated into the pages of the huge book.

‘Still, at least it isn’t a novel with a worldview which allowed neither any hopes nor dreams like an Apocalypse.’

Although she at first comforted herself like that… Even if it was a novel with a peaceful world, it wasn’t something infinitely good

‘What’s my role…? A beggar?’

Is it a passer by beggar role?

‘Just what in the world kind of novel is this?’

She thought hard, but there was no book that came to mind. Since there were so many novels she read in her previous life.

But that didn’t mean that there were no clues at all.

There was a small little memory that was left before she started living as a beggar.

The child was an illegitimate child of a noble family.

She was a nuisance whom no one cared about. Whether it was her family members or the employees of that house.

Then one day, she was suddenly kicked out.

[You’re not even my biological child, but to think that you lived with it until now! Damn it! Get lost! You insect!]

The man, who she knew was her father, kicked her out as he shouted those words.

That was all the clues.

‘What family it was, I couldn’t even remember the name.’

Anyway, whether it was a novel world or a game world, the child’s goal was only one.

That bread! It was that appetizing bread.

‘I think I’m going to die of hunger.’

The reason why she was beaten by a group of beggar children a few days ago was because she couldn’t steal that one loaf of bread.

The smaller a body was, the more advantages one had when stealing bread. However, after the child was caught, the bakery owner became very sensitive.

That’s why she almost died while being beaten by the group of beggar children.

‘If I succeed this time, I will definitely eat it alone without giving away a single piece to anyone at all.’

The child was determined. Then firmly and quickly! She ran out.

Like a small mouse, the place she was following directly headed to the stand in front of the bakery.

Walking stealthily, the child succeeded in snatching a loaf of bread at the speed of a hawk.

But…

“You beggar kid! Again!”

She was caught by the owner.

The bakery owner grabbed the child’s nape and began to smack her butt with a broom.

“Aack!”

The child screamed, struggling.

The bakery owner took the bread in the child’s hand and, BANG, kicked her butt.

“Ughh….”

Falling on the floor and fully dragged away, the child held back her tears and raised her head bravely.

‘To think that I got caught again….’

It seemed that she had no talent for stealing.

Or maybe it was because her wounds hadn’t fully healed yet. This was all because of the beggars who beat her up.

“You okay?”

It was then that a clear voice was heard from above her head.

A pure and clear voice that completely didn’t match this neighborhood.

The child, without any hesitation, raised her head quickly and looked at the owner of the voice. It was a girl who looked over ten years old.

‘Gasp! Pretty!’

She was the prettiest girl the child had ever seen in her life.

How could a person look like that? Exactly like the main character of a novel…

“Hmm….”

“….”

What is it?

The pretty girl with charming brown hair stood still for a long time and just looked at the child.

She continued to only make, hm, sounds. The meaning behind them was unknown.

“Pink hair and sky blue eyes… Aren’t they rare?”

At the girl’s words, the child’s eyes opened wide.

‘She recognized this hair color? That’s amazing.’

But it should have been hard to recognize the original color because it got soiled in the dirty water?

The child reached out her hand and touched her messy hair.

‘Ah! Come to think of it, it rained yesterday, right?’

It seemed that the rain came and naturally washed her hair.

‘Too bad. I should’ve taken a shower, too!’

She couldn’t even wash properly because she was still suffering from being beaten.

It was a very unpleasant story, but it was the daily life for the beggars here.

“Baby, how old are you?”

“…6 years old.”

“Uhm, 6 years old…. Do you want to go with me first?”

The girl said.

The child glanced at her with a suspicious look.

‘She’s a really pretty older sister, but… she’s suspicious.’

To think that she’s trying to take a child away, whom she only just met.

In this country, illegal slave trading took place.

People said that life as a slave was very miserable and disastrous. Even more than that of a beggar.

Even though she didn’t know whether it was a relief or not, the group of beggar children received minimal protection by paying money to adult beggars.

It was to prevent slave hunters from taking the children.

“….”

When the child looked at her suspiciously, the brown-haired girl thought for a moment and said.

“I’m not a weird person! My name is Violet Fitz! Violet of the Count Fitz Family.”

Violet Fitz?

The child’s head turned quickly.

It was a name she had heard of somewhere. Definitely!

‘But, where was it?’

Violet Fitz had brown hair and green eyes.

It was when the child was thinking for a while that–

Grrowl.

There came the sound of a small fish breathing inside her stomach.

‘I don’t know. I’m starving to death…’

To be honest, she couldn’t continue to think any further because she was hungry.

Since she learned about her previous life, her mental age had increased considerably, but her body was still that of a child.

Because of that, her behavior, speech, and thoughts often popped out more like a child rather than her actual age.

It looked like no matter how much her intelligence had increased, her lack of nutrients to operate made her brain overload.

That’s why when she was hungry, cold, or sleepy, it became impossible to think more intricately.

She wanted to cry her heart out because it was solely her instincts that remained.

“Bread…”

When the child muttered while looking at the bread, Violet said with her eyes shining,

“If you go to my house, there are a lot of delicious things, you know? It is expected to taste better than that bread… Hm. If you don’t want to go, then I’ll have to eat it alone.”

“I-I’ll go!”

The child jumped up.

Her ‘child’s instinct’ quickly began to rationalize.

‘Yeah, I don’t think she’s a slave trader. It’s for sure. I guarantee it.’

There was no slave trader with such a pretty face in the novel that she read.

Like that, the child followed Violet innocently.

***

After arriving at an incredibly large mansion, the very first place the child went to was the bathroom.

“Now, shall we wash you up?”

A maid with a friendly voice took off her clothes that were no different from rags.

“…!”

However, when she saw the bruises all over the naked child’s body, she gasped in surprise.

The maid softly whispered into the ear of a fellow maid next to her.

“Immediately go to the Young Miss and tell her that it seems like we have to call a priest.”

“Yes.”

Even though the maids looked serious, the child was looking at the bathtub, which was full of warm water, with shining eyes.

“Shall we play a bubble game first and then go into the bathtub?”

The child nodded at the friendly words.

The maids worked hard to wash the child for a very long time.

In the process, afraid that she would be hungry, they fed her some sweet chocolate milk.

Even though it was hard to wash up due to all the dirty water that came out, all of the maids never expressed that they disliked it.

‘They’re good people.’

It was clear that all the employees of the mansion were good people.

‘Then… the owner should also be nice, right?’

It was definitely like that. Since in the household she previously lived and was kicked out of, the employees were as bad as the owners were.

‘I don’t think they’re slave traders. It must be that they aren’t..?’

Earlier, she was so hungry that she just followed the girl thoughtlessly. But…

Maybe it was because she ate something sweet, that rational thinking had become a little possible.

‘Did I come here mistakenly?’

She had such an uneasy thought.

However, when the maids dressed her in pretty clothes after washing up, her rational thinking completely flew away again.

The ‘child’s instinct’ was particularly weak against visual stimuli.

When she saw pretty, shiny, and colorful things, her eyes shone brightly.

‘It’s so pretty!’

The child’s eyes sparkled as she looked down at the yellow dress she was wearing.

Every time she moved, the fabric shone.

There was a butterfly embroidered at the end of the skirt, and every time she shook the skirt, the butterfly seemed to fly.

It fascinated her. So, she turned around in circles like a puppy twirling around to bite its own tail.

“Pfft….”

“Oh my.”

When they saw such a figure, the maids laughed affectionately at her.

“…!”

‘What did I do!?’

Only then did the child who came to her senses gulp. At the fact that she showed an embarrassing sight, her mind wandered.

‘It hurts my pride…’

Since it was a child’s body, instinct was far ahead of rationality. This was difficult in many ways.

The child looked stern again.

“Now, shall we go eat now? The chef must have prepared very delicious food!”

“De…licious food?”

“Yes! Warm bacon potato soup, soft steak with fragrant spices, and even sweet desserts.”

“…!”

At the words of the maid, a universe unfolded inside the child’s mind.

Warm Bacon Potato Soup Star.

There was also the Striploin Star.

Next to her was the T-Bone Steak Star.

Far away there was the Sweet Chocolate Cake Star….

It was that much. The child ran and quickly grabbed the maid’s hand.

“I-I’ll eat! I want to eat.”

Instinct was truly a scary thing.

***

All kinds of delicacies were set up on the large table.

As the maid said, warm soup, beef gratin, steak, grilled lamb, grilled trout, and even shellfish dishes were served!

The child began to put this and that in her mouth with excitement.

“….”

The employees tried to stop the child, but Violet, sitting at the seat of honor, blocked them.

“Just let her eat whatever she wants. Just prepare digestive medicine.”

“We understand, Young Miss.”

The child held a bone with flesh as large as her face and chewed it thoroughly.

‘Delicious!’ 

The only thing left in the child was the passion to eat meat. Just like a young wolf pup.

“Hmm… she sure does look more similar after washing up. How can they look so alike when they’re complete strangers?”

Violet squinted her eyes as she looked at the child.

“Are you talking about Young Lord Adrian, Young Miss?”

The butler who was standing next to her poured water for Violet while asking her quietly.

“Yeah, that’s right. It looks that way even for Butler, right?”

“However, that house…”

“Right. The youngest of that house died as soon as she was born, right? It was definitely…”

Without taking her eyes off the child, Violet tilted her head and thought.

‘But… it seems that she isn’t dead? No matter how much I think about it, I think I just found Adrian’s younger sister…?’