Chapter 35

Five years ago on a surprisingly good day, maybe because it was the end of the year when everyone was lively. 

On that day, snow covered everything. Senna was heading home after seeing friends she hadn’t seen in a long time. She even got a piece of cake from a famous bakery and was bringing it to her family.

‘Oh, it’s cold.’

She hugged her coat tighter around her, trembling, but her smile didn’t wane.

She walked quickly so she could give her family the cake and warm up with a blanket. It was best to appreciate the sweetness in life and forget the sour experiences. She was thinking about her happy but normal life, and was halfway across the crosswalk when it happened.

There was a sharp sound, enough to pierce your ear drums followed by the bright headlights that you couldn’t look directly at. Before she even understood what was happening her body was flung forcibly

She couldn’t even move her body when she hit the floor with another powerful shock. When her eyes fluttered open slightly, there was only red around her and on the road.

‘Did I die? In vain like this?’

A strong will to survive formed within her from her desire to not die like this. While she sat at the brink of death, the driver, who was the only one around, saw her and quickly drove away. 

Senna couldn’t even shout for help as the car drove off.

The snow that slowly blanketed the world continued to fall, covering her body like an icy blanket. Exhaling harshly, Senna earnestly prayed for someone to come and save her.

The word “Mom♡” popped up on the broken cell phone screen. The moment she saw the ID, she felt her insides warm up and burst into tears through clenched teeth.

“Ugh….”

She reached out her shaky hand through the intense pain wracking her body, but couldn’t reach her cell phone. Ring, ring. Her cell phone continued to cry out in lieu of her, who was struggling to even move. 

“……ma.”

‘Help me.. Someone please..I don’t want to die. Mom, I- I miss you. Please come pick me up.’ 

The faces of her family waiting for her flashed through her mind. Her wish became more earnest.

‘Anyone… please save me…please.’

Senna made a wish not knowing who she was wishing to. However, as she lost consciousness, she knew.

‘I’m about to die.’

At the same time, resentment sprang up in her heart.

If she were to die, the best way would be a quick, painless death. Never had she imagined such a lonely and painful death.

After some time, another driver spotted Senna and she was taken to a nearby hospital, but Senna was already drifting further away. 

The last memory of her past life was the crying faces of the family members, which she saw just before she completely lost consciousness.

When she opened her eyes again, Senna was surprised to see the faces of those who were shedding tears, just like when she died.

Later she learned ‘Yurina’, the original owner of the body, was suffering from a high fever and it was unclear if she would last the night.

Not knowing what was going on, Senna blushed due to the unfamiliar people’s tears.

‘I don’t want to die.’

Senna only had that one wish before she died from the hit-and-run, but now it felt like someone was pulling her leg. 

She didn’t want to die. She didn’t know where her family was or why she was surrounded by unfamiliar Westerners, but she wanted to live. So she struggled to maintain her sanity and continue to live.

When she miraculously moved her lips to say that she was thirsty, the Marquis of Carthia, who had been nursing her, hugged her while giving a prayer of gratitude to the goddess.

In the chaotic situation, she burst into tears at the intense memory of death. No one knew the underlying meaning of the tears.

Perhaps the prayer reached the goddess. As the day went by, her feverish body gradually cooled down, and her hazy consciousness became clear.

Senna resisted the urge to run out screaming ‘What is happening?’ and tried to figure out the situation calmly. After overhearing the maids talk, she figured out who she was. 

‘I have become Yurina Carthia.’

And that meant Yoon Senna was dead.

However, there was no time to grieve over her death or shed tears over her separation with her beloved family. Senna desperately needed to visit the orphanages to rewrite her own fate, and avoid the death that awaited her on this path.

She couldn’t afford to properly mourn her terrible death or lament over how painfully she died. She was just desperate to not die in intense pain again. 

Since that summer five years ago, she was able to slowly forget. After meeting Raynald under the intensely shining golden sun, her hope was renewed and her days busy with him.

She thought she had competently forgotten it all, until today. She never imagined that those memories would remain fresh in her mind, even after five years.

* * *

“Yurina, wake up Yurina!”

Raynald pulled Yurina’s trembling body close and hugged her tightly. Yurina clung desperately to Raynald as if he were her only lifeline. Her hands shook while gripping his shirt.

“Ray….”

“Yes, I’m here. It’s okay. Don’t worry. Everything’s fine.”

Raynald asked nothing, showed no signs of irritation, and continued to comfort Yurina. Yurina buried her face in his arms, feeling a gentle pressure on her back.

Raynald smelled like flowers similar to when she was young. Yurina used to come running, boasting that she smelled good. It was the same scent that brought him comfort when he hugged Yurina when he was younger and struggling with his new life. 

That could be why. Yurina had felt like she was alone with no one by her side. The terrible smell of blood clinging to her body seemed to be washed away as she hugged him. 

Yurina was squeezing his hands so tightly they began to turn white.

“The man before…”

She was simply asking a question but her emotions took over and caused her to choke on her words. Her voice cracked like she was being strangled.

“……is he dead?”

Like the 22-year-old Yoon Senna who couldn’t do anything? Words that she couldn’t utter lingered in her mind. 

Raynald hugged her tighter and put his chin on her head.

“No.”

“You lie.”

“Why would I lie about that? It’s really okay.”

“But there was so much blood on the floor…”

“He was injured pretty badly, but he was definitely alive. My teacher went to him right away, so he must have gotten better by now. So don’t worry too much. Everything’s fine.”

Yurina could see that his calm words were not white lies. As he said, Dave was an outstanding wizard. If the person who had been in the accident was still breathing, Dave would be able to heal him. 

The tension in Yurina was relieved and her body lost its strength like a taut thread’s tension suddenly releasing. Yurina let out a sigh of relief as she relaxed into Raynald’s arms.

“That’s good. He’s alive.”

Unlike Senna. 

Yurina slowly hugged Raynald’s waist while wallowing in her thoughts. When Raynald said he was alive, she felt as if she had also been saved.

Yurina giggled with her nose buried in Raynald’s chest. She had heard that you’ll laugh uncontrollably like you’re out of your mind if you laugh after crying.

Raynald was neither embarrassed nor dumbfounded by the laugh; he just patted her on the back.

Yurina closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose.

“It smells good.”

Raynald, who was examining Yurina’s condition with a serious face, relaxed his face and burst out laughing.

“That’s a relief.”

“Is that the flower soap from when we were younger?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t it bad for a man to use?”

“I like that scent the most.”

“Your taste is unique.”

“Then your taste is unique. You use the same soap as me.”

“That’s true.”

As Yurina giggled like a child once again, Raynald lowered his head and checked Yurina’s face. Yurina raised her head and their unwavering eyes met.

Unlike her, who still had a smile on her face, Raynald’s face held no laughter.

Yurina realized that she had been hugging him this whole time. She had been shaking so much that she had not realized but now she felt the heat radiating off him.

Yurina looked into his calm eyes and then looked down, she saw his shirt was covered in her tears. She rushed to get up. 

“Ah…… let’s go back. What are we doing in the middle of the street?”

Yurina didn’t see anyone around. She began checking the surrounding area and asked in a puzzled voice.

“Ray, where the hell are we?”

The blood-covered streets of the village had disappeared. Instead, there was only an endlessly wide field.

A field full of yellow flowers exuding a fragrant scent. A blue sky without a single cloud above their heads and the bright golden sunlight shining down.

There were only the two of them in this peaceful field. Only Yurina and Raynald.

Raynald followed Yurina and answered indifferently.

“A field near the capital of the Kingdom of Crohn. I didn’t think that place was good for you.”

His words couldn’t be overlooked.

“A field near the capital. Did you use magic?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“When you were sitting on the floor shaking.”

“You can teleport this far? Is that even possible?”

“Yes.”

Raynald smiled, brushing the baby hairs that were scattered on Yurina’s forehead.

“It’s possible for me.”

Laughing lightly, he buried his face in Yurina’s neck and inhaled deeply through his nose.

“I often came here whenever I missed you. Because I always felt like I was with you when I came here.”

‘It smells the same as you used to smell.’ He whispered silently and a hot breath tickled her neck. The unfamiliar feeling made her shy away, but Yurina couldn’t push him away.

(CL) Chapter 4December 5, 2021In “Celebrity Lady”