"…Lady Seraphine?"
Moaning a bit loudly, Seraphine tries to stir awake despite the strange and heavy feeling that is weighing down on her body at that moment.
She struggles to open her eyes, and only then does she realize that there is this blinding ray of light that is hurdling her vision. A warm streak of sunshine that is penetrating through the wall window at the side greets her as soon as she can clearly see.
That's when she eventually finds herself in an unfamiliar setting, lying on a king-sized bed.
"What in the world…?" she breathed out, shell-shocked.
Her room doesn't have a cream-colored wall interior – a seemingly exquisite one at that. She also doesn't remember having a carpeted flooring, a whole lounge set, and this many rows of bookshelves. There is also a number of porcelain trinkets and adorning ornaments. All in all, the whole place is jaw-droppingly sumptuous and unnecessarily spacious.
Seraphine is completely dumbstruck.
This is not her home.
"Lady Seraphine, I've been trying to wake you up for a while now…" a brunette in a maid uniform called out from beside her, concern laced in her voice.
"You have to get ready, milady. His Grace is about to arrive."
"W-W-What…?" she blurted out in confusion.
"Who a-are you? J-Just where am I?"
"What are you talking about, Lady Seraphine? You also look a little sick. What's wrong-"
"Seraphine? Who is Seraphine?"
The maid might've already sensed that there was something wrong with her right then.
With a worry-stricken expression, she went ahead and hastened out of the room, leaving her more stupefied than ever. Now that she was on her own, she just took the opportunity to make sense of what was happening. Her eyes scanned the whole place for the second time, but only to end up finding herself more perplexed and disconcerted.
Seraphine has not even finished piecing half of the puzzle together when a youthful-looking, dashing gentleman in a lavish suit entered all of the sudden.
"My dearest daughter Seraphine…!"
It turns out to be her father – supposedly, going by the way he began doting on her.
He immediately pulled her in a bone-crushing embrace before squishing her cheek with his own. Then came flooding his questions. He asked her how she was feeling and why she could not seem to recall the maid who had been taking care of her since she was still a child.
"I'm Yelena, milady. Do you finally remember me?" asked the maid with a weary look on her face.
To say that Seraphine felt mystified and conflicted would be an understatement.
After all, apart from the fact that she does not know the man who started cuddling her like a teddy bear or the woman who appeared to be worried sick for her, she realizes that this is the most intimate contact she has with someone.
It was the first time Seraphine got hugged – and it startled yet pleased her enough that she forgot about her disorientation for a moment.
'Oh, so… This is how warm an embrace is…"
---
Seraphine Esmeralde – that's her name.
At least in this whole new world she suddenly woke up to, that's the name she has.
Apparently, she is the one and only daughter of Count Ferdinand Esmeralde. He adopted her when she was still seven-years-old. Though a little dismayed by the fact that she remained an orphan even in this second life, the family who took her in had more than made up for her disappointment.
After all, Seraphine turned out to be living quite a posh life.
The Count is one of the most prestigious noblemen of the Empire of Caelestis. He owns an astounding amount of assets, and he holds a wide-ranging sphere of influence. More than his affluence, though, she feels very blessed that she finally has a parent – one who even pampers and lavishes his attention on her.
What's more, everyone in the Esmeralde household treats her like a princess.
They always prepare the best of the best for her, and they never fail to praise her for her beauty and kindness every day. Everyone there admires her. She feels wanted at long last.
Seraphine can't ever ask for more.
It's the life she's always been dreaming of – even without all the riches, that is.
'Seemed like I was really reincarnated. I thought I would wake up soon and find that all of this was only a dream…' Seraphine thought silently while Yelena continued to groom her hair from behind.
'I still can't believe that getting stabbed by a robber will fulfill my wish, though. That memory is still as terrifyingly vivid and fresh as yesterday – even though five days already passed since I arrived in this world.'
Seraphine is sitting in front of her vanity mirror at the moment, having a good look of her breathtakingly beauteous frame.
This Seraphine is one drop-dead gorgeous angel, though – she must say. Everyone is telling the truth. She is so beautiful that she appears ethereal.
Her jewel-like eyes have the loveliest shade of crimson that she has ever seen. Her silky, straight strawberry blonde hair cascades all the way down to the small of her back.
Overall, her features are so unbelievably dazzling that it still stuns her until now.
"I'm done, Lady Seraphine. Though it's too bad your meeting was postponed because of how strange your condition was lately, I hope you would be able to enjoy yourself now…" Yelena chimed in with a smile, making her look at her reflection on the mirror.
"Shall we go then, milady? His Grace is waiting."