Chapter 0.5 – The Body I Inherit
I didn't scream.
That was the first thing I noticed about myself — the silence.
My chest rose with a breath that felt shallow and unfamiliar. The air smelled faintly of herbs and cold stone, not the dust of my apartment. I tried to move my fingers, and they responded, but the sensation was off, as if I were wearing gloves that were a size too small.
I sat up slowly.
The bed was low, narrow, covered with a plain gray sheet. The room around me was dim, lit by a blue crystal embedded in the ceiling. The walls were stone. No posters. No desk. No laptop.
I lifted my hand to my face.
Long blonde hair fell over my eyes.
I brushed it aside and caught my reflection in the small iron mirror leaning against the wall.
A girl stared back.
Not a woman. A girl. Eighteen, maybe twenty. Pale skin, an oval face, a small nose. And eyes — golden, wide, uncertain.
I touched my hair again, longer than any hair I'd ever had. I pressed my palm to my chest. It was soft, small, rising and falling with each breath.
I was in a girl's body.
The memory hit me in fragments: the crash, the screech of tires, the sudden darkness. I had died.
And now I was here.
I looked down at the plain black maid's dress I was wearing — high collar, long sleeves, tight at the waist. It wasn't mine. Nothing here was mine.
I clenched my fists. My hands were smooth, no calluses, no scar on my right knuckle.
I whispered my name, just to hear it.
"Ren…"
The sound that came out was soft, higher, feminine.
My throat tightened. I tried again.
"Rain."
It fit better. One letter different. Close enough to feel like me, far enough to remind me I wasn't.
I was Rain now.
Before I could think further, footsteps echoed outside the door.
Slow. Heavy. Deliberate.
I stood up quickly, my balance unsteady. My legs were shorter. My posture wanted to hunch, but I forced myself to stand straight.
The door opened.
She entered.
The Queen.
Tall. Black hair falling past her waist. Red eyes that didn't blink. A long black velvet gown with silver embroidery. No horns. No fangs. Just a human face that could make a room go quiet.
She looked at me.
"You are Rain. You are my personal maid from today."
Her voice was low, flat, without warmth.
I lowered my head.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The words came out without me deciding to say them.
She didn't smile. She didn't need to.
I was already learning the first rule of this body:
Don't be noticed.