NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: Transmigrating into a Counterfeit Noblewoman
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A blinding white light engulfed the room.
...
When Luo Wei opened her eyes again, the world before her had transformed entirely.
The familiar computer desk had vanished, replaced by a long table laden with trays of aromatic spices.
The pungent scent of herbs, carried on a damp breeze, flooded her nostrils, almost transporting her back to her student days in Europe.
Back then, to make ends meet, she had toiled nightly at a Western restaurant, grinding endless bowls of spice blends. And then...
"Luo Wei!"
Startled by the sharp voice, Luo Wei's head snapped up, her eyes darting around the unfamiliar surroundings.
She found herself in a classroom that exuded late medieval European Gothic grandeur.
Towering lancet windows lined the walls, which were thick and imposing. The floor beneath her feet was cold and damp, while ornate crystal chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling above.
The room was filled with boys and girls, all around twelve or thirteen years old. At the front, beside an imposing desk, stood a blonde man in his late thirties or early forties, unmistakably the teacher.
"Luo Wei!" The blonde man called out again, his voice stern and unyielding. "Stand up and answer my question."
His piercing gaze bore into Luo Wei, barely concealing his suspicion.
Suspicion?
Luo Wei's pupils contracted as a wave of panic surged through her. Unfamiliar emotions suddenly flooded her mind, accompanied by a torrent of alien memories.
She recalled that the original owner of this body had masqueraded as a noble lady to gain entry to the school. However, during a squabble over dormitory assignments, she had managed to offend a genuine noblewoman.
The scene unfolding now was that noblewoman's calculated revenge. Having uncovered the original's true identity, she aimed to expose the fraud during the very first class of the semester.
The blonde man was the class's instructor, Professor Phil.
It was he who had acquiesced to the noblewoman's suggestion, calling upon the original to answer questions.
This was a potions class, currently discussing basic spices commonly used in noble households. The question posed related directly to these aromatic substances.
But the original had never encountered such luxurious spices before. The mere sound of the question had sent her into a panic, let alone the prospect of standing to answer it.
Her fear was well-founded, for in this world, a commoner discovered impersonating nobility faced a grim fate: arrest, torture, and public execution by hanging!
The thought of medieval torture methods sent a chill down Luo Wei's spine.
Swiftly regaining her composure, she rose to her feet and addressed the professor: "My apologies, Professor Phil. I was momentarily distracted. Would you kindly repeat the question?"
A derisive sneer emanated from the right front of the room. The noblewoman's sycophant mockingly interjected, "Distracted? I'd wager she simply doesn't know the answer!"
In the wake of this barb, a buzz of whispered speculation rippled through the classroom.
If she couldn't even recognize basic spices, could Luo Wei truly be of noble birth?
"Silence!" Professor Phil's palm struck the desk with a resounding crack. He turned his attention back to Luo Wei. "Luo Wei, identify the spices on the table and briefly explain their uses."
"Certainly, Professor." Luo Wei's gaze lowered, focusing intently on the array of spices before her.
Dill, sweet basil, parsley, sage, rosemary... all staples of Western cuisine.
These herbs, while possibly rare treasures centuries ago, had become commonplace in her modern world, cultivated globally and relatively inexpensive.
She fervently hoped that in this realm, the names of these spices remained unchanged.
Steadying herself, she reached out to touch the spices, reciting their names and uses with practiced ease.
"Dill, with its sweet and spicy flavor, can be used in cooking and is known to alleviate stomach pain and insomnia. Sweet basil is a versatile herb often used as a flavorful side dish."
"Parsley is a common seasoning herb that can be consumed raw. Sage, with its strong aroma, is excellent for cooking and as a fragrance enhancer."
...
"Vanilla pods, harvested from the vanilla orchid, possess a unique and rich aroma. They're used both in culinary applications and to fix scents in perfumery."
"And this at the bottom—"
Luo Wei gently pushed aside the herbal spices, revealing a yellowish resin. Her heart eased slightly at the sight.
It seemed the noble girl couldn't be entirely certain of Luo Wei's fraudulent status, else she wouldn't have included this particular item in the test.
"This is frankincense, a resin derived from Boswellia trees. It's renowned for its pain-relieving and preservative properties."
She withdrew her hand and looked up, meeting the professor's gaze. "Professor, have I answered correctly?"
An eerie silence fell over the classroom.
Luo Wei's brow furrowed. Had the names or uses of these spices diverged from her knowledge?
After what felt like an eternity, Professor Phil's voice finally broke the silence.
"Have you... consumed all of these spices?"
Luo Wei's eyebrows arched in surprise. "Professor, aren't these quite common seasonings?" She offered a small smile. "Though I must admit, I haven't personally eaten frankincense. It's primarily used as a medicinal incense, better suited for fumigation and essential oils."
Professor Phil, being of noble birth himself, was well aware of this fact. Yet even he couldn't afford to use these spices lavishly in cooking and seasoning.
As for frankincense, it was an exceptionally precious substance, typically reserved for religious ceremonies due to its reputed similarity to the scent of the gods... Wait, since when had frankincense been included among basic medicinal herbs?
Snapping out of his reverie, Professor Phil strode swiftly to Luo Wei's desk. "May I examine your spice tray?"
Luo Wei took a half-step back. "Of course, Professor."
Phil plucked the yellow resin from the tray and brought it to his nose. His expression cycled through a range of emotions.
"It is indeed frankincense," he finally declared, replacing the resin. "I must have inadvertently included it while preparing the medicinal herbs. My sincere apologies, Luo Wei. How about I add ten points to your score for this class?"
"That would be most generous, Professor."
Phil returned the frankincense to the podium and bent to make a note in his ledger.
As Luo Wei reclaimed her seat, the noble girl in front suddenly pivoted, her sapphire eyes scrutinizing Luo Wei as if appraising an object of uncertain value.
Luo Wei met her gaze unflinchingly and noticed something intriguing.
This noble girl, Axina, possessed dazzling golden hair—coincidentally, the exact same shade as Professor Phil's.
The remainder of the class passed without incident, most students listening with varying degrees of attentiveness.
Luo Wei lowered her eyes, feigning distraction while actually sifting through the memories that had suddenly materialized in her mind.
The original owner of this body had been a humble fisherwoman. Her village had fallen victim to a pirate raid, but she had managed to escape, later rescued by a group of knights.
A compassionate female knight had gifted her a letter of recommendation for school admission and a handful of gold coins, enabling her journey to this prestigious institution.
The original had been blessed with attractive features, and during her travels to the school, she had narrowly escaped several assaults. To protect herself, she had concocted the noble persona.
However, this impulsive decision would have spelled doom for the original.
In her newly acquired memories, Luo Wei saw how the original would have faltered when faced with Phil's question today, arousing suspicion among her peers.
They would have notified the church's inquisitors, who would have thrown her into their notorious prison. Unable to withstand the brutal interrogation, she would have confessed her true identity.
Once exposed, the original's fate was sealed: first tied up and paraded through the streets, then suspended from the city walls for seven agonizing days, enduring countless insults and abuses.
The commoners would have pelted her with sewage and rotten vegetables, while her former classmates came to mock her, pointing and sneering with disdain.
Finally, she would have been dragged to the execution ground in the marketplace and hanged.
In her final moments, the original had sacrificed her soul to an evil god, beseeching the deity to alter this world and her future.
Whether the evil god had accepted her offering or not, the result was Luo Wei's transmigration to the day of the original's fated exposure.
Luo Wei's eyes remained half-closed as she processed the information about this school stored in her newfound memories.
Siria Magic Academy, a collaborative effort funded by multiple nations, boasted a progressive educational philosophy: dedicated to dismantling class prejudices and nurturing the continent's most exceptional talents.
Regrettably, despite the academy's constant emphasis on "admitting students regardless of noble or common birth," the nobles here still heavily discriminated against commoners. The two groups remained clearly divided, with few taking the egalitarian slogan seriously.
The original's impersonation of a noble had thrust her into the spotlight, but her habits and mannerisms were at odds with those of true nobility. It had only been a matter of time before she would have been exposed.
Today's test was merely the opening salvo.
Axina, at least, wouldn't let her off so easily.
In the original's memory, Axina had already dispatched people to investigate her background, but the original's rapid exposure had preempted the use of any information she might have gathered.
As the class drew to a close, Luo Wei's mind raced. She had narrowly averted disaster today, but she knew this was only the beginning. To survive in this world of magic and intrigue, she would need all her wit, knowledge, and the strange luck that had brought her here.
With a mixture of determination and trepidation, she prepared to face whatever challenges this new world would throw at her. The game of deception and survival had only just begun.