This woman, whose hair was in a bun so tight, her face must be hurting— gave me a withering look. "If this is a ploy to escape going to the shop today, save it. A mother would always see through her son's lies, no matter how useless said son might be.
My brain short circuited. Mother? I didn't have one anymore.
"And don't even think about attending the Northern Prince's birthday party tonight! Only your brother is allowed to go. He'll represent the family exceptionally well."
My brows furrowed in confusion as she kept pulling me along with her. A startling realization crashed through me, making me gasp and stumble.
I could walk.
I was just walking right now. Without holding the wall or using my sticks. My legs were actually working.
"Wait—-" I cried out as I was yanked out of the room, past a long hallway before I was finally let go so abruptly that I fell on my ass.
"Let this be the last time I'll have to come get you in the morning, Varney. Now, go freshen up and be done in minutes. If you take more time, be prepared to get punished by your father!"
As I watched the woman walk away, my brows furrowed, my heart still pounding away.
What the hell just happened?
I stared down at my legs. They weren't looking dried up and shrunken. They looked normal and so pale… like paper.
I frowned as I tentatively got up, holding the wall.
My legs didn't give out. It held me up.
My mouth fell open and a bright grin split my face. I could really walk!
I rushed back into the room I was just pulled out from, trying to make sense of what was happening right now. I should be dead right now but instead I could walk and was being called another name.
Varney.
Wait a sec… haven't I heard that name before?
Standing by the doorway of the room, I looked over the entire room. The entire room looked familiar, like something I've seen a long time ago.
Nothing makes sense right now.
I glanced down at hands and gasped at how dainty and small they looked.
What the… fuck?
I used to have bigger hands that have hardened from so much hardship. These hands were soft like silk.
I reached for my face. It felt smooth, ridiculously smooth, not a single bump or pimple. Some hair was framing my face and that made my confusion worsen. I've never had long hair since I began to cut it short after my step brothers began to pull on it. Right now, it felt like my hair was all the way past my shoulders.
I need a mirror.
I marched through a door I assumed was the restroom, then a gasp caught in my throat as I stared at myself in the mirror.
My face was so smooth and beautiful, and so familiar but not quite. It wasn't my usual oily face roughened by stress and beatings. My boring dark eyes were now large and… multi colored. One bright blue and the other a warm orange.
My hair was white in color and most of it was in a bun.
After loosening it, it flowed all the way to my waist, and that was when recognizable fully hit me hard across the face.
Oh my goodness… I thought in utter shock and bewilderment as I stumbled away.
Varney?
Varney from a fucking manga?
Oh my goodness… please no…
Did I really reincarnate into this manga as Varney?
My head spinned as I struggled to process all of this.
That woman who dragged me out of the room before was Varney's mother in the manga. I remember her now.
Dread pooled in my stomach and I grew cold as ice.
So I didn't die but reincarnated into a cringe manga.., as a useless side character?
When that woman bellowed my name, I stumbled out of the room fast and quickly got changed into the first clothes I could find before rushing out to meet her.
I couldn't waste more time panicking and trying to figure out why or how this happened, cause I didn't wanna get punished.
For some reason, I reincarnated as Varney, a pathetic side character who constantly gets punished by his family at the slightest chance.
On stepping outside, I was met with a face I instantly recognized.
Kay.
One of Varney's older brothers in this manga.
"Off to the store again, birdie? Don't forget to make a sale today. You know what will happen if you don't." He warned, his eyes harsh.
Just like in my actual life, this character used to get bullied a lot by his older brothers who were bigger and stronger than him. It didn't help that the host was the only one unloved by his parents amongst his other siblings, cause apparently he was useless and a mistake.
I gulped, nodding fast. "I Will."
He snorted, laughing. "You better, or father might really kill you today."
My legs wobbled as I walked past him, my stomach knotted tightly.
~~~
I bleakly stared at the ornaments I was sent to go sell in the shop, my stomach churning with dread as bits of that manga swirled through my mind.
Tonight is the Prince's birthday party. Not of this kingdom, but of the golden kingdom located in the north—- the werewolf kingdom.
And that was the party where the original character lost his life in the manga.
This host has been in love with the prince after a single glance at him many years ago, and has constantly fantasized a happy life with the prince where they'd get married and live happily ever after.
But on the night he officially met the prince was the same night he died by the Prince's hands.
That night is tonight. And a lot of people were gonna attend the party, hoping they'd catch the attention of the prince.
Even the host's immediate older brother was attending, while I was forbidden from attending.
But I wasn't planning on attending anyway. The host of this body was gone for some reason and I'm the present occupant now.
Unlike the host, I was straight as hell.
So even if the Prince wouldn't kill me tonight, I wouldn't attend the party.
I felt relieved that I reincarnated into this body right before he went to make a fool of himself at the party.
As more of the manga resurfaced in my mind, I felt a shudder of disgust wash over me.
I could vividly remember always hating this side character in the past and so did everyone else who read the manga.
No one felt a single pity for him after he died.
Because he was a horrible and disgusting person.
In the manga, after attending the birthday party, he took along with him a few portions.
One, to poison the female lead.
The second one was meant to spike drinks, and he slipped it into the crown prince's drink. He then planned to force himself on the prince in that manner, hoping they'd get caught in the act, then he'd turn the blame on the prince… leaving the prince no choice but to take his hand in marriage.
And thirdly, a love portion meant to make the prince fall for him after a kiss.
I felt disgust settle over me again. I couldn't believe I reincarnated into such a character.
What did I do to deserve this?
My mind returned to those crude letters back at the house. Those were letters the host had written every night for the prince.
This host was really a love sick fool.
I could see some of the host's past thoughts and they weren't impressive. Apparently, the host is planning to carry out those crude things just to finally escape his sufferings from his family.
And the female lead he planned to poison tonight used to bully him relentlessly. Still, that wasn't grounds to poison her, or carry out those extreme acts.
Now that I've reincarnated into such a life… I haven't the slightest idea of how I was gonna move forward.
Or… after escaping death tonight by not attending the party tonight, would I be stuck in a loop of suffering like I was in my past life?
Oh god.
By evening, I didn't make a single sale.
And honestly, it was causej the ornaments were ugly. But I doubt if my parents in this world would wanna hear that.
They'd rather just punish me for the lack of sales.
As I dragged myself home that night, I kept trying to think of a way to change my fate in this life.
What If I run away? After all, I have legs now. Legs that should be making me happy, cause with legs I wouldn't be constantly treated like a freak. I'll be able to have fun, have friends and even fall in love with a girl like I never got to do in my past life before dying at eighteen years.
But I knew I couldn't run away, not in this world at least.
Firstly, I was completely broke. And I can't survive on nothing.
The only thing I have to my name right now was my beauty… which was still taking some getting used to.
Secondly, this world wasn't like my last world. It was more advanced. Technology existed here and things like vehicles, hospitals and offices. When I read this manga in my past life, I thought all of that was just vivid imagination and that the world could never advance to such a level.
But now I was in the middle of the manga, and all of that existed here.
Thirdly, this world was dangerous. It had different classes of supernaturals living on earth here, but in different kingdoms. This present kingdom is Finvall, filled with humans.
There's a lot of humans kingdom around but they were outnumbered by the supernatural kingdoms.
I let out a sigh as I kepr walking home. Running away was out of the question.
What if I fall into the hands of a vampire who'd feed on my blood? Or a siren who'd steal my voice?
Supernaturals can pass through human kingdoms afterall and vice versa. The war between both species ended centuries ago and since then, both species have tried to live in harmony.
I have to be smart.
This is my second chance at living and thankfully I can walk here.
I'll have to be very careful before carrying out any decisions.