"Why are you here?" Octavia yelled, marching towards Arabella with fury etched on her face.
"Octavia, conduct yourself," Lillian intervened sharply. "Welcome to our estate, Lady Arabella."
Octavia clenched her fists, clearly frustrated. She had no choice but to back down now that her mother was involved. Shooting one last glare at Arabella, she stormed into the house and instructed a maid to serve tea in the guest living room.
Lillian escorted Arabella to the living room, where they found Octavia sitting, fuming with anger. Lillian observed the tension between the two girls and sighed.
"Now, I'm sure you two had a fight at school," she said, glancing between them. "So I'll give you some time to sort things out, okay?" With that, Lillian left the room, locking the door behind her.
"Ma! No need to go as far as locking the door," Octavia yelled, rattling the door handle.
"Sit down," Arabella said in Korean, her voice firm and unyielding.
Hearing that, Octavia tried to feign ignorance. "What did you just say? I don't understand."
Arabella's eyes narrowed. "If you don't want to talk to me in Korean, then I can tell your parents that you are not their daughter because you are reincarnated. I wonder how they will react."
Octavia turned red, a mix of fear and anger. Her parents loved her dearly. If they found out she was reincarnated, would they still love her as much? The thought was terrifying.
Reluctantly, Octavia sat down, her curiosity piqued and her defenses slowly crumbling.
"Looks like you understand me after all," Arabella said, a hint of satisfaction in her tone. "Now let's get down to business."
They continued their conversation in Korean. "What do you need?" Octavia asked, her voice tinged with annoyance.
"I need you to tell me how you got here," Arabella replied, her expression serious. "How you died and how you were reincarnated?"
Octavia's face fell. This was the question she had tried her best to avoid. Her eyes welled up with tears as memories she had long suppressed came rushing back. "I did it all wrong," she began, her voice trembling. "If I knew that was the last time I would talk to all my loved ones, I would have shown them how much I loved them. Hyuga, Daddy, Min-ah..."
She broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. Though many years had passed since her death, she couldn't forget the people she loved. Arabella watched her, shocked. She had known her own death was unfair, but Octavia's seemed even more tragic.
"Sorry, but can you please tell me more?" Arabella pressed gently, trying to understand.
Octavia stared at her blankly, her bright green eyes turning dull. Old wounds that she had tried to cover began to resurface. No matter how much love she received in this life, she couldn't help but feel guilty for the love she failed to give in her past life. "I had a loving big sister, Min-ah, a father who was always busy but tried his best not to make me feel lonely, and a boyfriend, Hyuga, who could sacrifice everything for me. I got too lonely, maybe because I felt the love my family showed me was not enough. I decided to go on a cruise holiday with my boyfriend, and I was having the best time of my life. I got drunk, tripped, and fell into the sea. The last thing I saw was my boyfriend, desperate, jumping to save me. I instantly regretted not telling him I loved him enough. I regretted that when my sister showed me enough love, I always pushed her away. I regretted that I never understood why my dad was always in the office. I just want to tell them sorry and that I loved them so much."
Octavia's sobs grew louder, and Arabella did her best to console her. The room was thick with sadness, the weight of unspoken regrets hanging in the air.
"That sounds... incredibly hard," Arabella said softly, her own eyes misting. "But you're here now, and maybe that means you have a second chance."
Octavia nodded weakly, her tears still flowing. Apart from feeling embarrassed about her death, she was deeply depressed. She had grown up introverted, able to speak to her parents as though they were close friends but barely having any acquaintances at the academy. It was worse at home, where she felt isolated despite the love around her.
After their touching moment, Octavia noticed something new in her vision. "I can see my status window now," she said, a mix of confusion and curiosity in her voice. "Do you know what this is about?"
Arabella nodded, explaining the basics of the status window and the most likely person behind it. "There's an Angel who oversees this process. I met him too before I was reincarnated."
Octavia's eyes widened. "It says mission: stop your father from going to war."
"Mine was to find a reincarnated person," Arabella commented.
"So... How do you stop the head of a dukedom from participating in a war?" Octavia asked, exasperated. "There must be a reason for the war in the first place. This is insane."
Arabella shrugged. "It's a challenge, but I believe we can find a way. We have to."
Octavia, despite her initial resistance, felt a sense of relief. Sharing her burden with someone who understood made it a little easier to bear. She then asked Arabella about her own past life.
"I was a banker," Arabella began. "The bank was being robbed, and I got shot. I met the Angel, and then I woke up as Arabella."
"Don't you have any regrets?" Octavia asked, genuinely curious.
Arabella shook her head. "No. Though I found it unfair, I had a living fiancé and family. I made sure to always portray my feelings for them, so maybe even when I died, my only regret was that I died."
Octavia looked up to Arabella after hearing that. "You are so strong."
With this incident, the two girls grew closer. Arabella left the estate with Octavia waving her goodbye, a genuine smile on her face for the first time in a long while. They had shared their burdens, and it made them stronger, ready to face the challenges their new lives would throw at them.