Chapter 1

I woke with a start. The room around me was familiar, yet the searing pain from the fire still lingered in my mind.

But strangely, my body bore no wounds at all.

Before I could fully collect my thoughts, a knock sounded at the door, followed by my aunt's voice.

Listening in on the conversation between my mother and aunt, I realized with startling clarity: I had been reborn.

In my previous life, at this exact moment, my aunt and an old man from the island country of Zandumore were planning to move overseas. Before leaving, my aunt came to bid our family farewell.

She looked at my mother and said, "With your current finances, it's too stressful to raise two children. Perhaps you should let one child come with me to Zandumore."

This time, unlike in my past life, I didn't rush out the door. I stayed quietly in the room.

"Which one of you do you want to come with me?" my aunt asked.

Just like before, my mother made the same choice. "Harper can go with you. She's so well-behaved."

Immediately, Emma Paisley blocked our mother. "Why should Harper enjoy a good life? I'm going!"

Mom tried to reason with my sister. "Emma, sweetheart, I just can't bear to part with you. Let Harper go."

My sister snapped. "Mom! Are you crazy? Zandumore is amazing! Why should Harper get all the benefits? Once I get settled there, I can bring you over to enjoy it too!"

Mom hesitated. But the thought of a future where Emma could enjoy such a life made her heart ache with desire.

Seeing our mother waver, Emma became desperate. "Mom, if you don't let me go, I'll—I'll just die right here!"

"Stop, stop, stop! My good girl… Mom agrees, okay?"

I hid behind the door, listening to this mother-daughter duo dreaming of a bright, blissful future. I almost laughed out loud.

"Good place?" I scoffed silently. "Don't be naive. Surviving there is not easy at all."

I knew Emma, like me, had been reborn. In our last life, she saw me investing, making money, and buying a villa. She thought it was all because I had gone to Zandumore to get a golden life.

What she didn't know was that she had only glimpsed the glamorous surface. Only I knew the horrors that awaited there.

At the right moment, I stepped out. My sister froze, as if I were an enemy ready to strike.

My aunt glanced at me hesitantly. "Harper… do you want to come with me?"

I shook my head lightly, saying nothing.

Emma shot me a venomous glare before lunging at my aunt's knees, collapsing to the floor.

"Aunt Grace! Please take me! Harper has always been mischievous and disobedient, but I've been good. I promise I'll take care of you and make you proud!"

Seeing her resolve, my mother, though aching inside, sided with her daughter. "Yes, Emma has always been so filial. You should take her with you."

My aunt, unwilling to give up on me, stepped closer. "Are you really sure? Life on Zandumore is a thousand times better than here. Don't you want a comfortable life?"

I took a step back and shook my head. "Aunt Grace, my teachers have always told me to love my country. I don't want to live on Zandumore."

My aunt, surprised by my stubbornness, finally gave a helpless sigh. "Fine… then Emma shall come with me."