The continuous knocking outside the chamber only worsened Yulianna's agitation. Still dressed in her nightgown, she paced back and forth, her hands tightly clasped together.
"Lady Yulianna, please open the door," her personal servant called out, desperation in her voice. "You can't possibly spend another day sulking in your chamber. You have done that all week already. You need to get ready to meet with the duke."
"That's exactly why I'm hiding in this chamber, Mira!" Yulianna exclaimed, now biting her nails as she resumed pacing back and forth.
Ugh. What's with that man? He doesn't seem like the type of father overflowing with affection. So why the sudden meeting now?
"And here I thought I was getting the best second life," Yulianna muttered under her breath, exhaling heavily.
Her anxiety worsened as she recalled the last time she spoke with the Duke. At first, Yulianna had thought waking up in another body, in a different era, was the worst thing that could happen. But pretending to be the Duke's daughter while speaking to him—that was far more terrifying.
He hadn't realized yet that the girl standing before him wasn't truly Yulianna McGregor. The soul now occupying her body belonged to someone else entirely, Red Anderson, from a distant time long forgotten.
This is driving me insane. God damn it—how did I even get here in the first place?!
She was both anxious and iritate, pacing like a storm trapped in human skin. Then, the memory hit her like a slap to the face.
"Of course… it's that motherfucker's fault," she hissed, eyes darkening with remorse as a familiar face resurfaced in her mind.
She remembered her past life as Red Anderson. An orphan, scraping by in a world that never once showed her kindness. She had taken on whatever errands she could find, just to survive another day.
And just when she'd finally begun to claw her way out of misery, something happened. Something that shattered whatever hope she had left and made her lose all faith in humanity.
Red remembered everything—every detail, every scar. Even the final breath she took before collapsing onto the cold ground, lifeless.
Flashback (Ohio)
The sun was sinking behind the hills as Red stepped off the transport bus. Her boots hit the pavement with a satisfying thud. She adjusted the strap of her duffel bag, still carrying the faint scent of gunpowder and sweat, a remnants of nearly three months of relentless military training.
Her arms felt stronger, her movements more precise. Though her body ached from the training, her mind was sharp—alert. It was the result of weeks spent mastering firearms, hand-to-hand combat, and drills that had broken through every mental barrier she thought she had.
Red's fingers twitched involuntarily when a car door slammed in the distance. Reflex. Her muscles hadn't yet let go of the habit of always being on edge. She shook it off and kept walking, her gaze falling on the house she hadn't seen in months. It looks the same, old, weathered and abandoned. Just like her uncle Tom, the man she'd grown up with, abandoned her three months ago just before she enlisted.
Red had no idea where he had gone. She couldn't understand why he'd left so suddenly, disappearing without a trace. Her uncle was reckless, always caught up in dangerous games. That's how she ended up doing illegal errands as a young girl. But despite his reckless lifestyle, he had always been good to her. He'd supported her through to the end of high school.
Though they both lived in misery, he was the only family she had.
"Maybe he just got fed up with me and ran off," Red muttered under her breath.
But he could've done it way sooner. Why wait until I graduate? Now that I'm finally doing something for us. Tsk. It doesn't make sense.
Her heart grew heavy at the thought. The urge to open the door and collapse on her old bed faded. Instead, Red turned away, walking back down the same road that led her toward a nearby convenience store.
She had planned to shake off the heaviness by grabbing her favorite rocky road ice cream. But before she could step into the street, a strong hand yanked her back. Another hand pressed a damp handkerchief to her mouth, its foul, nauseating smell dragging her into unconsciousness.
When Red regained consciousness, the sight of an old, dusty, abandoned building greeted her. Her head throbbed, and as she tried to move, panic surged, her arms were bound.
She'd been kidnapped.
Instinctively, Red's muscles tensed. Her sharp eyes scanned the room and recognized a few of them.
"You sure that's Tom's niece and not some random girl?" A rough voice cut through the silence, his face marked with a jagged scar.
"What the hell do you want from me?" she spat. Her voice was as fierce as the glare in her eyes.
One of them let out a low chuckle. "Yeah, that's definitely her. No mistaking that feisty mouth."
"That's interesting. Someone's all grown up, huh?" the green-haired one stepped forward with a sneer. "Even got some muscles on you."
He circled her slowly, eyes scanning her like a predator sizing up prey. "What've you been up to these past few months, Red?"
"That's none of your damn business," Red snapped.
She could break free from the ropes, she knew she could. But her body was still sore and there were too many of them. So she sat still, calculating.
The green-haired man chuckled, shaking his head with a grin.
"Alright, fair enough. Not my business…" he said, letting the words hang in the air. Then he tilted his head toward the shadows.
"But Boss Leo here got a few concerns."
The name echoed in Red's mind. She'd heard it before. Her uncle Tom casually mentioned about him.
Then came the sound of a slow, deliberate tapping of a cane. The entire room fell silent. One by one, the men stepped aside, clearing a path as the sound grew louder and closer.
"You're too tight on her, Ranz. Let the lady breathe a little, would you?"
The voice came from a middle-aged man, his steps slow but assured as he approached Red.
"After all," he added with a crooked smile, "she used to run errands for us back in the day."
He looked clean and well-dressed in his tailored suit—elegant, even. One might have mistaken him for a businessman, if not for the nature of his work.
"Are you suggesting we untie her, Boss?" Ranz asked, scratching the back of his neck.
"Take it off. You're making our guest uncomfortable," Boss Leo ordered coolly.
He stood still, watching as the ropes were removed. His eyes were unreadable, neither calm nor emotional, just silently observing.
"I stopped doing errands a long time ago. I don't do them anymore," Red snapped the moment her hands were free. She rubbed her sore wrists, her glare fixed on Ranz. "What the hell is this all about?"
"Your uncle broke the rules," Boss Leo said, his voice calm yet edged with threat. "He took the money from his last transaction and ran."
He sighed, almost theatrically, before settling into the empty chair across from her.
"What?"
Red's shocked expression didn't faze the boss. He simply stared at her, as if waiting to for the moment to spill the truth.
That reckless man! What the hell was he thinking?
Distressed, she ran her fingers through her hair, frustration tightening every movement. She was pissed off and confused all at once. "This is madness. I thought he just ran away because he was fed up with me."
For the second time, Boss Leo let out a sigh, deeper and heavier than before.
"Your reaction tells me you really have no idea where he is."
Red let out a bitter laugh. "I'd be the one beating his ass if I knew where he was. That motherfucker could've at least told me what's going on."
There was no containing her frustration. Her face flushed with anger as she stood and turned away, doing everything in her power not to punch someone. Her temper was slipping from her grasp.
Boss Leo may have looked calm and considerate, but she knew better than to screw things up now.
"Hm. Your anger is understandable, considering the consequences of Tom's grave mistake," the boss finally said.
He stood, walked toward her, and calmly removed his gloves. Red didn't see it coming.
"However," he added coldly, "I need to dispose of you right away."
His hand was at her throat before she could react, squeezing with such sudden force she had no time to process what was happening. It only registered when she began coughing, her body instinctively fighting for air.
But he was strong, unreasonably strong. Months of combat training meant nothing against his grip. He stared into her reddening eyes, utterly merciless.
"I… a-already told you… I d-don't know where he is…" she managed to choke out, her voice barely audible.
But Boss Leo didn't seem to care. Her words meant nothing to him. Instead, he tightened his grip, fingers digging in with cruel precision.
Red's vision began to blur. The edges darkened. Her strength was fading fast.
Boss Leo leaned in close, his lips near her ear. "I believe you, child," he whispered. "I could've let you go easily… but wearing that military uniform was your mistake. It sealed your fate."
His voice was calm, almost eerily gentle.
"I'm a drug lord, and you've seen my face. I'm simply taking precautions."
Red wasn't sure if she was still alive or on the brink of death. She let out a bitter laugh as her limp body collapsed to the ground.
She could feel something sticky dripping from her eyes—something like tears.
But they weren't tears. It was blood.
She couldn't even cough or gasp. Her body felt like it had stopped functioning entirely, surrendering to the cold that was slowly consuming her.
Then, memories began to flood her mind, faster than she could process. Like scenes playing out before her eyes, too vivid and raw to ignore.
It's such a pity. Even the flashbacks of my life couldn't entice me toward death.
It felt too miserable, too helpless. This world had been cruel to me from the start. Even life itself seemed to conspire against me. Maybe death wasn't such a bad ending after all.