Episode 2
The banquet hall was packed with people.
I sat in a secluded corner, quietly observing Estellin.
—or rather, not Estellin herself, but Aria, who was glued to her side like a baby duck.
“Ah, Lady Vetter! Thank you so much for coming.”
Estellin spotted someone and greeted her brightly. The moment she smiled, the faces of those around her flushed in unison.
They weren’t kidding when they called her a ‘human cherry blossom’…
Around Estellin, it truly felt as though petals were fluttering through the air, radiating warmth and light.
So perfectly heroine-like that I could only shake my head.
Estellin wasn’t beautiful only on the outside.
Her personality was just as angelic, which was why she was known throughout the capital as “the saintess reborn after a thousand years.”
Though she herself had no idea.
Estellin only learned about that ridiculous nickname later—after meeting the male lead.
It was so embarrassingly cringeworthy that no one had ever dared to tell her directly.
…Anyway. As if being the female lead alone wasn’t enough.
Her father, who doted obsessively on his daughters, was the head of the renowned Laurent family—one of the four great dukes who upheld the Empire.
A gentle man with two beloved daughters.
Estellin and Aria.
And unbelievably, both of them were Awakened.
In this world, Awakened individuals were often called “humans who resemble gods.”
They were the chosen ones—people granted extraordinary abilities by the divine.
In the novel, those abilities varied wildly in type and scope.
Elemental powers like water, fire, and earth.
Specialized abilities like healing, offense, and defense.
With these powers, the Awakened inspired awe—and sometimes saved the world from sudden disasters.
And in the original story, Estellin’s achievements were truly astounding.
And yet, the Laurent family had produced not one, but two Awakened.
Of course, in the original timeline, Aria would be poisoned today—leaving only Estellin behind.
…I have to stop it. No matter what.
I clenched my fist tightly.
If I wanted to survive in this world without being executed, there was no other choice.
My heart was pounding so hard I had to take deep breaths—and only then did the pain in my heel catch up to me.
I grimaced, looking down at the wound where blood had begun to seep through.
Then I bit my lip.
Suddenly, it all felt terribly unfair.
Reincarnating is one thing—but why this role? I lived such a decent life in my past one.
Waking up possessed, only to immediately clean up someone else’s—no, my past self’s—mess?
And not just any mess.
A catastrophic one.
Poisoning? Seriously? Poisoning?!
My eyes burned as I glared at the floor.
When I looked up again, I saw the Laurent sisters chatting softly together.
And then—
My eyes widened.
I sprang to my feet.
In Estellin’s hand was a wineglass I hadn’t seen before.
Aria stared at it with sparkling eyes.
“Not even one sip?”
Pouting, Aria tugged at Estellin’s sleeve.
Estellin shook her head.
“No. You have juice, Aria.”
“But, Sister! Lady Sophie said she already tried wine ages ago!”
“Even so, you’re not allowed. If you really want to drink, wait until you’re seventeen.”
The firm refusal painted disappointment all over Aria’s face.
Estellin watched her with fond amusement before laughing softly.
“Aria, why are you taking it so hard?”
“I’m the only one in our club who hasn’t tasted wine!”
Aria puffed out her lips, on the verge of tears.
Estellin blinked, clearly flustered.
She hesitated for a moment, brows knitting together—then sighed and smiled as if she’d given up.
“…Alright. Just one sip.”
“Really?!”
Estellin nodded with a smile and handed her the glass.
Aria’s face lit up with excitement.
“Wow! Sister, this smells like grape juice!”
She lifted the glass toward her lips.
The red liquid tilted—
just about to touch her mouth—
Smack!
Aria gasped, eyes flying open.
Beyond her stinging hand, she saw someone wrench the glass away.
A woman with long, flowing platinum-blond hair stared down at her.
Blue eyes gleaming dangerously.
“L-Lady Selenia…! What do you think you’re doing?!”
The sudden commotion drew every gaze in the banquet hall.
I forced my expression into calm and rolled my eyes as if searching for an excuse.
“Uh…”
“……”
“…I suddenly felt like having a drink?”
Estellin stared at me, lips trembling in disbelief.
“What are you even—”
Her voice wavered, thick with hurt.
I swallowed quietly and met her gaze.
“I know you dislike me, Lady Selenia… I truly do. But…”
Her eyelashes fluttered.
Moisture slowly gathered in her honey-colored eyes.
Wait—she’s crying?
I stared at her, dumbfounded.
Yet Estellin continued, her voice full of sorrow.
“I don’t care how you treat me… but doing this to young Aria…”
Murmurs erupted among the gathered crowd, as if they’d been waiting for this.
“Oh dear, what’s going on over there?”
“Isn’t that the infamous Lady Tigeris?”
“At Lady Estellin’s birthday banquet, no less…”
“Well, it’s exactly what you’d expect. Haven’t you heard she’s a disgrace even to her own family?”
I cleared my throat awkwardly as the vicious whispers washed over me.
Now I understood just what kind of reputation Selenia had lived with.
Sure, I was in the wrong—but I hadn’t expected this level of venom.
I sighed inwardly and reluctantly spoke.
“That was… my mistake. I had my reasons. Aria can have another drink instead—”
That was when I looked toward Aria.
And froze.
Twelve-year-old Aria was holding out her small hand toward me—bold and unwavering.
“Give it back. Right now, Lady Selenia.”
She glared at me, clearly furious.
I hid the glass behind my back.
Aria raised her voice.
“What do you think you’re doing?! That was given to me by my sister—give it back immediately!”
“……”
This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.
Even Estellin stared at her sister in shock.
I frowned slightly and looked down at the shimmering red wine.
I get that you’re trying to stand up for your sister…
But this is poison!
Frustration bubbled up inside me.
Of course, I couldn’t tell the truth.
If I did, things would spiral completely out of control.
Selenia had bribed a maid to poison the wine.
If the Laurent family launched a formal investigation—
I’d be dead.
I had no intention of being hanged less than a month into my second life.
“…Hah.”
At last, I made my decision.
Rather than risk death later, I’d take the risk now.
And there was only one way to win against this stubborn little girl.
It’s unsettling, but…
Without hesitation, I tipped the glass and poured every last drop of wine into my mouth.
Not a single drop remained.
“Lady Selenia!”
Aria cried out.
I swallowed hard.
The sweet aroma spread across my tongue as the liquid slid down my throat.
I turned the empty glass upside down.
Shock spread across every face in the hall.
But there was no other way.
Because for me—this isn’t poison.
The substance I’d ordered added to Estellin’s wine was called God’s Tears.
A drug that amplified the abilities of the Awakened.
However, there was a critical detail.
The proper dosage was only one or two drops.
Any more than that—and it could be fatal.
And I told them to pour in the entire vial.
If an Awakened drank that much, their mana would spiral out of control almost instantly.
The backlash was violent and explosive—enough to kill them.
I didn’t know how Selenia had obtained it, but—
If Estellin or Aria drank this, they would die. No question.
But Selenia was different.
She wasn’t Awakened.
To an ordinary person, God’s Tears was nothing more than plain water.
Which meant—
I should’ve been fine.
Feeling the liquid pass fully down my throat, I handed the empty glass back to Aria.
“My apologies. I already drank it all—”
That was when something surged violently inside me.
My chest suddenly burned as if set ablaze.
A crushing pain slammed through my entire body.
“Hrk—!!”
I clutched at my heart, staggering.
My grip went slack, and the glass slipped from my hand.
Crash!
Shards of glass scattered across the floor.
Screams erupted all around.
“Selenia!!”
I blinked through the pain as Estellin rushed toward me.
My vision blurred, bleaching white.
…That shouldn’t be possible.
My body tilted sideways.
The sounds around me dulled, as though I were sinking underwater.
“Selenia! Someone call a doctor—now!!”
The last thing I heard was Estellin’s shrill, desperate cry—
And then, like a lie,
The world fell completely silent.
