I was dead. I died a worthless death.
After working my ass off as a corporate slave in a call center agency, I ironically met my end when I ended my last call for the day. The moment I pressed the computer's key to end the call, my vision blurred and went black. The last thing I could remember was the undeniable pain after my body made a loud thud once I hit the cold, hard floor.
I thought that was the end. Because I was already dead, right? But I was wrong.
Just like those cliché web novels I used to read in my spare time, I transmigrated.
I woke up in the body of a feeble noble lady, wrapped in satin sheets in her seemingly extravagant room. Her skin was pale, and her hands were small.
Seeing a standing, silver full-body mirror across the room, I hurried to look at my reflection. There, I found a beautiful young lady with long and wavy, jet-black hair in a beige Tudor-style dress. In terms of appearance, we looked the same. Only our hair was different. Because I bleached mine brown and cut it short once I started working and living alone.
Maybe we have the same body, or she was me in this world.
I looked closely in the mirror when I noticed a bandage around my head.
"Ah...!" I flinched when I touched it.
Damn. What happened to her? Whatever caused this wound seemed excessive. The dressing was still soaked in fresh blood. The owner of this body probably died from this.
After looking at my pitiful appearance, my eyes glanced around the room. The architecture was luxurious, sure, but it felt empty to me. There was almost no furniture.
Is the room of a noble lady supposed to be like this? Or am I missing something?
My head turned to the door when I heard it creak open. An old maid entered, her nose sticking up.
I have a bad feeling about her.
"I see that you're awake now," she said, her voice flat and unconcerned.
I raised an eyebrow. What kind of greeting was that? She didn't even look happy to see that I was awake; she sounded disappointed.
I opened my mouth to speak. But before I could even utter a word, an immense pain crashed through my head, prompting me to close my eyes and support my head, and a flood of memories surged in—as if the memories of the former owner of this body were transferred to me.
Once the unbearable pain subsided, my eyes opened gradually.
I know it now—who she is, who I am, and what happened.
A small grin tugged at my lips. "I am Xenia Marie Elizabeth Evercrest, the first daughter of the Duke of Evercrest and the only child of former Duchess Ximeniah. Is that how you're supposed to greet me, Elena?"
Her eyes grew wider, and her mouth hung open—clearly bewildered by how I talked to her.
In Xenia's memories, Elena was the personal maid her first stepmother, Duchess Agatha, assigned. She physically and verbally abused her. At times, she also starved her. That could explain why, despite being a noble, Xenia was weak and underweight.
Poor Xenia. But don't worry, I'll take care of everything now. Despite living as a corporate slave, I wasn't a pushover. I was only in there for the money, but I was a fighter. Even our team leader never tried to cross me because of it.
Hearing no response from Elena, I crossed my arms and tilted my head.
"Good. Now you're not answering," I voiced with sarcasm. "Is that the proper etiquette for a maid—to not answer your master?"
Elena's hands trembled as they formed a fist. She turned around to the door and muttered, "I-I'll call the doctor to check."
Watching her leave in a hurry, like a scared rabbit running away from a coyote, I couldn't help but sneer.
She used to abuse Xenia like a roaring lioness. But now that I showed her a different behavior, she was suddenly scared.
She doesn't really have the guts, does she? She was just reckless because Xenia was afraid to stand up for herself. Now that I'm in this body, she can't bully anyone anymore. If she ever tries to harm me, I'll return it to her a thousandfold.
Minutes later, Elena came back with an old man. I remembered him as Master Pio, the stay-in family physician. He and Xenia weren't really close, but in her memories, he was someone who just wanted to do his duties. He didn't care about any of this family's feuds.
"Good day, my lady," he greeted with a small bow. "Can I check on your injury?"
I gave him a nod before I sat on a nearby armchair. He dropped his things on the table and arranged them. Then he removed the bandages around my head. I slightly hissed from the pain when he put an ointment on it, but I endured it.
"The wound is still fresh, my lady," he said, grabbing a set of new bandages to put on my head. "Due to the severity of the injury, I thought you wouldn't make it. Fortunately, it looks better now. You'll heal in a week. I'll give you a good ointment to avoid leaving a scar."
"Thank you, sir," I replied, smiling a little. "I appreciate it."
His body froze for a moment, his mouth agape. Probably, just like Elena earlier, he was also surprised to hear me speak. Xenia used to stay silent when she was being treated before. She looked scared too. Seeing me talk and smile surely bewildered him.
When he recovered from the shock, Master Pio smiled, finished the bandages, and quickly rummaged through his things.
"Here, my lady," he said, handing me the ointment he promised. It was pink in a glass container. "Use it daily. Apply it after you wash your face in the morning and before you go to bed."
I took it and tried it on my skin. It was cold and moisturizing, and nothing bad happened to my skin.
I think I can rely on him.
I put aside the container. "Thanks again, doctor."
I looked at Elena, who was still trembling from shock. It was obvious on her wrinkled face that she was planning something. Maybe she was figuring out ways to explain how the weak Xenia suddenly changed to Duchess Agatha.
If so, then I'm going to give her a favor.
"Elena," I called, causing her to squirm, "help me get dressed. I'm going to give First Stepmother a visit."
"W-what...?"
I smiled. "Are you deaf now? You didn't hear what I said?"
"N-no... I mean... I did, my lady. L-let me help you."
"Good," I replied.
Xenia got her wound because of an accident. She fell on the stairs of the Grand Hall of the Duke's castle. Before her consciousness waned, she saw three people that could've pushed her.
First is Elena. But seeing how she doesn't really have any guts, I crossed her out as the suspect.
Second is the First Stepmother, Duchess Agatha. I saw how coldly she stared while Xenia was begging for help.
The last one is... Amaranthe, Xenia's half-sister. In Xenia's memory, she flaunted her devilish smile before Xenia truly lost her consciousness.
There's more to Xenia's life than all of the abuse she suffered from, and I need to dig for more. When I got her memories, I barely had anything with her father. And most of them were blurred. Only a few of them were clear to me.
I need to know more about her father. And the other family members. Furthermore, based on her memories, she was already too miserable and isolated during her life, so why do they still want her dead?
I must search for more. I must know the answers.