NOVEL NEXT 1
Chapter 1
“What on earth were you thinking about doing such a thing? What were you thinking?”
Despite her father’s shouts, Lynet lifted her head with an air of defiance. Dried bloodstains remained on her hands and the hem of her skirt.
She bit her lip as her father looked at me like the world had fallen apart.
Lynet had been very happy until just a few days ago, the envy of others. Her beloved husband, Fernando, would do anything for her.
But it didn’t take long for that happiness to be shattered. Like a leaf barely hanging on to a tree, torn and crushed by the winter wind.
“Father, I found out that my sister was having a secret affair.”
Holding onto the cold, rusty bars, Lynet bit her tongue hard as she forced the words out.
“How could you, even so, think of killing someone?”
“If my sister and my husband hadn’t cheated on me, I wouldn’t have killed anyone!”
Lynet was enjoying the freedom of a trip that Fernando had happily sent her on. But when she returned early, missing her husband, she witnessed an affair.
Seeing her sister and husband together in betrayal, Lynet didn’t even ask why before she killed them both. Instantly, Lynet became imprisoned for murder.
However, Lynet never regretted killing them. Seeing Lynet like this, her father covered his face with both hands, bowed his head, and wept.
“Oh! My goodness, Esther, what are we to do about this? Sigh.”
“Father, even now, do you think of the sister who cheated? Of course, to my father, it was always only Esther. Please leave now. From now on, I have no father.”
“I have no daughter like you either. I will erase your name from the House of Pruina.”
My father always loved Esther more, who resembled mother. No matter how hard Lynet tried to fit into that gap, it was futile. So, she married her childhood friend, Fernando, early and left that house.
Thinking of her sister Esther, Lynet gritted her teeth as she realized that she had taken not only her father’s love but also Fernando’s.
Despite the visit from her father-in-law, Count Phyllis, Lynet never once apologized for the ones she had killed.
“Father, your son has had an affair with my sister, and I saw it with my own two eyes!”
“Shut up. Where do you get off speaking such vulgarities?”
“So, you mean to tell me that I killed two people and made up a story, even if there was no one to cheat on me? Execution and infidelity could never happen.”
“Even if that were true, does that give you a reason to kill someone? Your sister was merely Fernando’s mistress. How inadequate must you be for your sister to have taken your place?”
“Father! How can you say such things to me! You know how much I loved Fer; I loved him with my life!”
Her father said nothing. He simply avoided her gaze.
“Lynet Pruina is to be erased from the noble registry and sentenced to death.”
After the trial, Lynet was immediately moved to the execution grounds. Since she had confessed to killing both people, all decisions were swiftly concluded.
“What were you thinking? What were you thinking?”
As she was being led to the execution site, her brother Edgar came to her and gave her a hairpin.
“It’s a birthday present. Sorry, it’s so late.”
Her brother, whom she usually fought with at the slightest eye contact, gave her the opportunity to see the world one last time with the hairpin he inserted into her hair. She had done nothing but kill a scoundrel who committed adultery, yet the whole world condemned her.
“I’m not guilty; I just couldn’t stand to see the man I loved betray me! Why should I keep my mouth shut when I see him having an affair?”
With those last words, Lynet, the greatest villainess of all time, was decapitated.
A cool sensation touched the nape of her neck, and then she felt nothing more.
***
“Ah…… is…….”
When I couldn’t think of anything, I felt like someone was shaking me repeatedly.
“Ms……. …….”
She was in hell. It was unusually noisy around her. Annoyed that she couldn’t get comfortable even in death, Lynet yelled out.
“Where is this? Who am I?”
“Ah, miss? Don’t you remember me? My goodness, you must have hurt yourself badly and lost your memory. What should we do about this……”
“Oh, come on, shut up!”
“Miss? Are you awake? Oh, my dear, hmph…”
“What, what?”
A middle-aged woman buried her head in my bed and burst into tears. Seeing her, Lynet looked around again. Then she covered her face with her hands. It seemed she needed a moment to gather her thoughts.
“This is a room…”
“Yes, that’s correct. This is your room, Miss Lynet. Do you remember anything now?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I just need a moment to think.”
It seemed necessary for her to have some time to herself. Lynet sent the woman outside and massaged her head, wrapped in bandages, as she pondered.
“I, I definitely…”
Her memories were all jumbled up. She was just a normal woman living in South Korea. She had fallen down the stairs during an argument with her boyfriend. That was her first memory.
Her second memory was reincarnating here as Lynet and dying as a notorious villainess.
“So, what’s the conclusion? I didn’t remember my past life before, but now I remember my first life.”
Yes, this world was in a free serialized novel that Lee Seo-yul had read before she was Lynet. I’ve heard of book possession before, but I’ve never heard of free serialized novel possession before.
I was possessed by an unimportant villainess in an unfinished serialized novel.
It’s only the beginning of the story, so I don’t know anyone in particular.
But I did learn one thing for sure. I hadn’t just been possessed by a novel; I had been reincarnated into it, and I had spent my second life as a villainess, just like the serialized story, and then regressed.
“That means I’m on my third life now. Ah, but now… Ah!”
“Lynet Pruina was supposed to have fallen down the stairs and gotten hurt at the age of twenty in January, so this is that time.”
And now was the time to change everything. She had no intention of dying early in her third life as well.
“What was the nanny’s name? Her name was… Oh! Katrine!”
Hoping this was the right name, she called out, and the middle-aged woman quickly came running.
“Miss! Do you remember everything now?”
“Yeah, roughly. So, I want to meet my father.”
In a few months, she would be married to Fernando. She had to break off this engagement as soon as possible. Talking to her father was the priority.
“The lord of the house, the young master, and the eldest miss were just discussing this since Miss Lynet hasn’t woken up.”
Katrine relayed the message and helped Lynet change her clothes. She couldn’t go out to the hall in her pajamas.
As Katrine went out with her pajamas and underwear, Lynet, left alone in the empty room, turned her gaze to the window.
Chirp, chirp-chirp—
An unidentified bird was crying outside the window. It seemed that the birds were leading a hard life without food in the winter. Lynet carefully approached and opened the door, then gently scattered a handful of feed.
She had always fed the hungry birds before she died, so they seemed to know that and had been waiting for her.
“Were you hungry? I’m sorry.”
She closed the window so as not to startle the birds that were busy pecking at the feed. The bird, having filled its stomach to some extent, looked at Lynet once and then flew away.
“I want to live freely, just like the name my grandmother gave me.”
Lynet smiled and walked down the hall.
Following Katrin’s guidance for the study, the servants were startled and bowed their heads upon seeing Lynet. It was indeed surprising for them to see a person who had been in a coma for days walking around normally.
As the study door opened, three people were seen chatting over tea.
“Ly, Lynet. You’re awake.”
Lynet! Do you realize the seriousness of your words in this setting? “
Kenneth glared at her, and Lynet just chuckled and shrugged.
“What setting? You were having a meeting because I couldn’t wake up, weren’t you? Should I say thanks for waking up then?”
Lynet smiled brightly and then looked at Esther. Esther, the only one here who perfectly resembled her mother, kindly smiled and said it was good that she had woken up.
However, that word didn’t feel sincere to her. After all, without her, Fernando could have been in closer contact. Lynet, having organized the content of the serialized novel, sat on an empty sofa.
Dear author, please give me strength. I’ve even put in coins for you!
“I’m not going to get married.”
“Hey! What’s that all of a sudden? Weren’t you the one who couldn’t live without him before?”
Edgar said, frowning. Although he had told her several times to reconsider this marriage, Lynet had only shaken her head. Now that Lynet had suddenly announced she wouldn’t marry, it was incomprehensible.
In fact, Lynet pestered Fernando countless times a day to marry him. Now that the marriage was about to be finalized, Kenneth shook his head, looking at Lynet. Since the families had already decided on the marriage, it couldn’t simply be called off due to one person’s whim.
“You shouted that you loved Fernando. Maybe you’re not thinking straight because you’ve just woken up and are saying nonsense?”
Esther said, taking Lynet’s hand in a comforting gesture.
But Lynet brushed off Esther’s hand and laughed incredulously at her despicable face.
“Lynet! What kind of manners are those towards your sister? “
“Fer had a secret meeting with my sister alone.”
“What?”
“Fer did something with my sister that he shouldn’t have. Do you understand now, Father?”
The air in the study froze over at Lynet’s words. Simultaneously, Kenneth and Edgar’s eyes turned towards Esther.
“Oh, father, brother, how could I have done that? How could I possibly… with someone who would be my brother-in-law?”
Esther shook her head from side to side, insisting it was absolutely not true, and Kenneth appeared to be reassured by her response.
Edgar, on the other hand, shook his head. He had noticed a difference in Esther’s behavior when her father was present and when he was not.
Esther glared fiercely at Lynet, accusing her of lying. Lynet let out a light laugh.
“Do you want me to tell you what he and my sister did in my room? Full age, 15-rated, 18-rated, take your pick. I’ll explain it to you at whatever level you choose.”
“Dum spiro spero”