Warning: This chapter contains such topics as self - harm, suicide and depression.
Eden Arcadia - the fake princess that is Emperor's nephew. That was adopted into imperial family as she watched her mother being eaten alive by demons. And woman's body I possessed was Eden - I died poisoned and in a car crash. And then I got reincarnated as Eden Arcadia. But why her? The villainess that was killed near the end of the main storyline of "Roses for the Princess" by the 2nd ML of the novel.
I looked again at my new reflection in the mirror - pale skin with moles, long wavy raven - black hair and silver gray eyes with black eyelashes with straight nose and red wide mouth. I was wearing sleeveless simple white nightdress with lace at the bottom of nightgown. I stared for a while at my mirror reflection - I had no wish to be reincarnated! So who the hell made me possess this body after my death in Korea?!
I couldn't be in a worse situation - Eden was a cruel and cold woman in the original novel. She treated people like pawns just to be discarded on the chess board. The issue was that nobody could guess her real intentions, even in her death. Eden also in the main storyline had to deal with many assasination and poisoning attempts - without anybody's help, she was able to deal with schemes and deceptions. Nobles are like vultures, after all. Their arrogance knows no limit.
I took my eyes off the mirror and lied down again on the bed. Now, I'm Eden Arcadia.
But then again, I was a politican and a doctor - I know everything about types of poison and I also know how to get rid of my enemies - politician are rarely good people, especially if there's a lot of political power to gain. Here instead of parties, there are sides that support specific heirs to the throne. There are nobles instead of politicians - and nobility has everything to say.
At least that was what I learned from history lessons in school.
I looked at my body and then I noticed something that made me freeze in shock and disbelief.
Old and fresh self - harm scars on both wrists. The novel never mentioned that Eden harmed herself in any way - then I noticed an almost empty bottle with pills on the shelf. Well, that explained some stuff - I could enter this body because Eden was barely living or was dying due to overdose.
Self - harm wasn't something new or rather surprising for me. I was self - harming myself for years during middle school and early high school years. Not because I was bullied or something but due to my foster family. There were my distant relatives of my dad and took me in solely because of money that my dad left behind. I knew deep down that they don't care about me. They neglected my needs and were saying openly that was only their tool and a toy just to later throw away.
However if you think about it, Eden never received slightest affection from the imperial family - she was just a pain in their asses, something easy to discard. Additionally, Eden was a constant victim of nobles schemes, assasination and poisoning attempts. I could even argue that the imperial family was kept on the throne, mostly thanks to Eden's tireless efforts. Sure, she was cruel but ruthless and decisive - in politics there's no space for affection or empathy. And Eden knew that, better than anyone in the novel. Scratch that, the main villain of the novel also was aware of that fact.
All this things combined, it's a miracle that Eden didn't go insane.
I sighed and grabbed an almost empty bottle of pills. I wanted to say to Eden that suicide isn't a way out, even though the original Eden could be long dead. I bit my lips and searched for a trash can. I found it in a corner - I threw the bottle away and then I searched through entire room for pills to throw away. The fruits of my search were 5 bottles of different types of medications. Without a hesitation I threw them all away.
Then a maid came in saying: - Milady, it's to get you prepared
I nodded and followed maid to wardrobe room through bright corridor. The windows were so large as the whole damn wall with long silk curtains - the sunlight shone through the glass on me - it was so pleasantly warm and delicate - I could never get enough of sunlight back in my previous life as Jaek. I loved to go on a walk in the park when sunlight was shining at me - the weirdest fact is that the heat never had an effect on me. Whenever it was really hot, I felt like it was normal temperature.
I wondered If that "skill" stayed with even after my death in Korea.
I finally made it through to the wardrobe room - a large room with two pairs of long windows with long curtains. I sat on the chair next to the dressing table - the maid combed and tied my hair into a french with some bangs. Then the makeup - I really wanted to sigh because in my previous life I was rarely doing some makeup besides like a basic one. I simply didn't need it.
After the maid finished doing makeup, I had glowing cherry red lipstick on my lips, dark blue as night eyeshadow on my eyelids and black eyeliner along with highlighting face powder on my cheek - bones. I really wanted to scratch my face but it would ruin the work. Then I stood up when the maid began dressing me. Long sleeveless black dress with white elements and other whatever details the dress had but I couldn't describe.
- Milady, it's time for breakfast
Fuck. Eden in the original novel had 3 older foster brothers that were fiercely competing for the throne. And Eden was included in this rat race - the Emperor knew that she was only his nephew through Emperor's younger brother but he still allowed her to participate in succesion and for the title of Crown Princess. The brothers clearly hated her for being an obstacle. They wanted and expected her to being a gray mouse that hides in the corner - but no.
Maybe the brothers showered the heroine with love because she wasn't a threat in the competition - after all the heroine wasn't included in battle for succesion. The heroine had nothing to say in anything - everything was done for her but not by her. If that's the case, maybe it's better that possesed Eden - a noblewoman fake princess with a strong political position.
Even though, I was only speculating about the original heroine.
I walked down the corridor with an empty head, following the maid.
The door opened I entered the dining room - all eyes of the brothers turned on me - they were seeing me as an enemy. This should expected - I'm the villainess after all. I sat down on the nearest chair as I tried to come up with a strategy.
- My dear children - and yes, I'm also talking about you, Eden - the Emperor said with a resonant voice - To prove your worth and strength I'm announcing the Demon Hunting!
What the fuck??? The Demon Hunting takes place 2 months before the original storyline begins! That means that I not only reincarnated but also went back in time before the original storyline happened.