When the head butler closed the doors to lady Arianne's room.

"....What was that?" There was extremely cold sweat on his back.

—What the hell was that pressure?! The head butler thought. How did the young lady become so different?!

The lady Arianne the head butler knew was a shy but brave girl that likes to be friends with everyone, so how could that innocent child turn into such a…

"It feels like I was talking to his grace..." He muttered.

—I must immediately report this to him, to her father that's strangely so similar to him now.

Remembering that cold look in her eyes. "How could such a young child have such a terrifying aura." Like one that has held to a deep seething anger.

Is it because her magic is beginning to awaken that she's unconsciously releasing it?

Even though she's so frail and just woken up from a week long coma he felt that the young lady would do unspeakable things to him.

"I don't know what to do with her." This is the first time he encountered something this unexplainable to him. He needs to do something.

"Firstly I will need to report to him about lady Arianne's demand of her personal servant." He needed to do that first so that lady Arianne wouldn't show such a look to him ever again. "Let's just hope his grace would agree to it." And he began to calm down.

He began to think. —It is really refreshing though that lady Arianne is standing up for herself. 

For the longest time that maid Miriam would always attend to the young lady in an unofficial capacity but due to her unfortunate situation she always held back on making it official.

"I really do wonder what changed within lady Arianne..." The head butler mutters to himself again before stopping.

"That change was so drastic huh?" He stopped when someone eavesdropped on him. "I knew something happened when I first entered that room."

"Oh it's you." The head butler frowned a little bit before smiling once more. 

He had no choice since he was the one that brought him to the lady Arianne's room due to his master's orders.

"How are you, old man?" The cloaked man spoke in vulgar tongue once more. "Mind telling me what's going on? I never knew the young lady that much so I couldn't really tell if her personality changes when I meet her." He asks while scratching his hair hidden behind his cloak

"Sigh…" The head butler needs to put up with this nonsense since the man in front of him is the Geistein family court magician. "There's no need sir, even with you who only looked at the young lady from far away. I think even you would be able to notice the changes." The butler subtly jabs the magician with that 'even you' comment.

 But the magician didn't notice or care about the head butler's words and continued on. "Is that so? I'll go there right now."

The head butler also lost his cool at the moment. "Wait!" He shouted. "You can only go there when the maid goes out, they're having a very important discussion right now."

Plus the butler is more worried if lady Arianne would order his execution upon his attitude.

"Hmph, fine, I'll wait here instead." The magician put his palms in the hair and gave up.

"Good." You actually listen sometimes, is what the head butler wanted to say but stopped himself from doing it. "I will be going now." Then the two exchanged their farewells and went on their merry ways.

The magician, alone, mutters. "Judging from his reaction to that weird thing I felt around that little girl must have been more severe than I thought." He mutters so low no one could hear him.

•••

There are two ways to get through this conundrum. Contemplating if I should bullshit my way out of this or just tell the truth.

Normally I'm more of the bullshit my way out of this kind of person but for reasons I will explain later I chose; "Yes Miriam, it seems my mind got a bit messy when I woke up so I'm struggling remembering things right now." A bit messy is a huge understatement. It's like my brain got a factory reset since I literally know nothing about this world. "That's why I can't recall the names of you all earlier." But I'll still add in a little touch of bullshit.

Though at the end I still chose just telling the truth. Since for one even with my bullshit making tricks, I need to have a basis of truth before I could build up any lie. Since I know nothing right now there's nothing I could build up on.

Second is since she'll be my personal maid I need her to look at me more favorably from now on. It's not that I would trust her, it's just that from anybody else beside my family, she needs to be someone that could trust me so I need to put up a front of honesty in front of her.

Which shouldn't be too bad since unlike those five scumbags that betray me first, I wouldn't betray her if she gives her trust to me.

But I'm not gonna become close to her.

"I-is that so..." The redhead said and I flinched when I thought she read my mind before calming down.

"So you don't remember our time together…?" She asks me. 

She's probably thinking I'll give an explanation but, "Yes." Being blunt is one of my biggest weaknesses in negotiations but I don't like dealing with stupid shit.

"Oh..." Miriam looks sad now. "But you were so calm earlier for a person that had their memories taken my lady." And also astonished as well.

"..." I cannot help her. I cannot say that everything's fine since I don't know this previous body's memories. So I will say nothing.

But then, "Lady Arianne..." Miriam looks at me again. "Then w-why would you do so much for me when you forgot about me…?" She asks and also, "With how bright my lady is I think you've also realized that, with me being brought in by your uncle and being favored by him that there are….rumors going around about me. I am afraid I will just be baggage to you lady Arianne." She asked this as well.

"Well…" Honestly I don't know.

"First off." At least I can answer her latter question. "I simply do not care Miriam. It doesn't matter to me if you're sleeping with him or not, that does not affect my judgement upon you." Furthermore. "You know why? Because I simply want you to be my subordinate no matter what—" It now all clicked. I unintendedly realized why I want this redhead.

I dunno why but it feels like my perception of Miriam is unusually positive compared to the other people here. Like she's the only bright spot in this room.

This definitely goes against my philosophy of not trusting anyone completely. So I wondered why?

I couldn't tell her to get out now since she knows I have some kind of amnesia and also, I don't want to deal with an all new maid. I would rather have this redhead Miriam whom the previous Arianne had a relationship with rather than a completely unknown maid.

"Lady Arianne?" Miriam was confused by my sudden silence.

"Ahem!" So I started my whole conversation again.

"Honestly Miriam, I just know you'll be the perfect maid for me." That's the reason that I realized, the one that spoke in my new heart. A gut feeling. "It's like I always notice you whenever I look at a group of maids, my eyes just seem to wander towards you. I do not know why as you aren't particularly special in my eyes." I spoke honestly to someone for the first time in my new life.

"But that's how it is, it would bug me if I don't take you in as mine, so you are now mine." I promised to my new self that I would live like a princess, and since being a princess is fulfilling your desires, I will now fill mine. "But I do not trust you one bit, your mind but that doesn't mean I will take your judgement."

"..." She was silent. And then, "Sniff..." I can see her  rubbing her eyes with her sleeve.

She's clearly crying.

"What's wrong—not." I know exactly the reason why she's tearing up. The question I would like to ask is, "I know I said some things and all but isn't it pathetic that you're crying in front of a kid? I'll be having second thoughts because of this you know." 

"I'm sorry lady Arianne but I couldn't help it…" Miriam actually stopped crying when she said that. "So lady Arianne, thank you."

After that she went down on her knees and bowed her head down while her arms rested on the side of my bed.

"Although I am still saddened by the fact that you've forgotten me and our little secret meetings, I'm also glad that you finally claimed me for yourself." Miriam is now looking at me at this point on. "I thought until now with the way lady Arianne has been that you would never be able to speak against your uncle. With me as well, he treats me like I am just an object to him but I am still grateful that he brought me here so I would have been hesitating. But now—" Standing up and looking at me she smiled.

She speaks a lot I just noticed.

"With lady Arianne's conviction I am ashamed for even hesitating. When sir Albrecht Verde Geistein, your father and the patriarch of this house, permits me to serve you, I shall ask you my lady to take part in my oath to the Gods. I will swear upon the Gods that my blood flowing in my veins will serve you and your descendants, my lady."

"Okay…?" I never thought that this moment will have major implications for me in the future.

But right now I'm just thinking, "What makes you go so far for me, Miriam?" I dunno what this oath of the Gods is but it sounds really important, so I asked.

"....My lady, can I get permission to speak frankly just this once?" After I nodded she continued. "When I first was brought in by the mansion by him, I saw you hiding behind the head butler's tailcoat when I greeted him. I immediately thought you were adorable my lady and looked so much like your father. But as time went on I noticed not many of my fellow maids and servants if at all, ever served you and treated you coldy, I only ever saw the head butler cater to you my lady." 

"As you know I am only a mere commoner and did not understand much about your circumstances at the time and so when I decided to begin serving you my lady, I was well, compelled by the head maid and my seniors into submission."

So you were hazed huh? I completely understand what she meant because I experienced it myself back in college. My eyes turned like ice.

Noticing this Miriam immediately continued her story in a haste. "I was forced to not interact with you on the surface but as you can see—!" She must have been terrified by my gaze. "I never abandoned you my lady, I felt that we kinda had like a kindred spirit together. As people shunned in this house, I just couldn't bear seeing you, a child, get that cold treatment all alone and so I tried my best to entertain you my lady in the form of our secret meetings."

And so we continue our chat for a while until…

"I shall take my leave now my lady." Miriam grabbed the wet towel over my head. "I shall go and replace this for you lady Arianne. Is there something you desire for me to get while I am outside my lady?"

"Get me juice." My throat is starting to hurt again after talking so much and I also want something with flavor now as well.

"My pleasure." Turning around and headed out, she said one last thing. "Oh lady Arianne, in case you forgot there's a mirror right by that wall, so if you want to check your condition feel free to do so." And she left.

"What a weird thing to say..." Although I am quite interested in what I look like now. I know that I am a frail girl with white hair but still.

Now it's just me finally, and my first action when I'm alone is, "Tsk."

I am pissed, frustrated, angry even.

"I should have known my new life wouldn't be easy." My dream of living like a princess is now getting farther and farther away. "All the wealth and power I have means nothing if people do not like me." To clarify.

"I don't give a shit what they think but it's so hard to move when I only have few allies in this palace." I need to know and get my reputation better and to do this and that and—

"Fuck it." Did I just say I will not trust people anymore? I do not know the servants and frankly I do not care. But me doing something for them? "It's preposterous." I despise most people in this house, and if I despise them I could not care a single shit what they think, they need to be punished.

Miriam did not tell me the circumstances that made me an ostracized member of this house but, "I am still the daughter of the patriarch of this palace." Sometimes I want to punch the previous owner of this body for not taking advantage of her position.

Anyways, from what I could gather from Miriam my father Albrect is a very strict and cold person, so any attempt using his fatherly instincts will not work.

So my only option now is making the maids in this house respect me. No need to do flattery for mere servants, who do they think they are? I will not move an inch for them until they grovel at my feet.

 

But first things first, "...Miriam." The redhead.

I do not know what to do with her.

"She's absurdly loyal to me, a great friend to the previous owner and someone I don't despise. But should I trust her though?" After thinking about it a little bit. 

"No." People a lot closer than her betrayed me in my past life, there's no precedent if this one will be any different. "...But that oath of the Gods thing is really strange." Her eyes almost looked like that of a fanatic for a second. 

But even though I will not trust her, "She will be treated well by me." I will treat her like she's the best employee in my company. 

Then my so-called 'amnesia.' "...I need to know who this Arianne is as soon as possible." In fact I think that'll be one of the first things I need to do.

But remembering the previous Arianne. "Miriam, you guys are really pitiful." I couldn't help but frown when I remember her retelling that story to me..

"I don't feel sad at all, I'm just pissed." The two people that were hurt are people I do not know personally yet so I cannot feel truly saddened about it at all.

But even so, the fact is that this body and the previous owner had messed up childhoods. Which always makes me mad. "Every child deserves to be a kid in their childhood." I declared. As someone who's moral compass mostly consists of pride and arrogance, this is one of the few morals that I have that people generally agree with. 

The specifics of that happiness though includes the likes of pornography but the general description still fits.

But anyways, even so I wouldn't have cared if it's someone far away from me but the idea of someone hurting the previous soul, residing in this same body of mine, which meant that it contributed to me feeling shit right now.

I hate them.

I despise them.

I will curse them but Miriam suspiciously omits the name of the person that hurt the previous Arianne.

But now I'm angry, "Fuck." And once I'm alone again I'm just focusing on the pain on my body again so I need something to distract me with so I looked up and—

Badump!

My heart jumped a few beats. "Oh my, what a vulgar child you are my lady. I wonder where you learned those words from?" There was somebody at the door that came in without me hearing any signs of it. "Is it that commoner girl? I do need to report this to his grace you know?"

It's the cloaked man.

"Shit." It's too late since he already heard me say fuck, so no more pretences. 

I need to know first, "How the hell did you get here?" And secondly. "Don't you dare mess with my redhead." Do you know how many words I spoke when my throat hurts like shit to make her mine? 

"I'm joking I'm joking my lady!" The guy noticed my glare and immediately scratched his head and apologized. "I'm here to report to you on my findings about your illness."

"Good." But first, "Don't forget to answer my first question first." I ain't letting him off the hook just yet.

"Oh my?" I dunno if so but the cloaked man probably raised his eyebrows. "It's just simple sound blocking magic, my lady." He grabbed a wooden stick in what seems to be a wand and then.

Tap. Tap.

And,

Creak!

I shut my ears from the sudden noise whilst he explained.

"Sound blocking magic works by trapping the sound within the object that sound came from, but since we can't permanently erase that sound the flaw of this magic is that once we release the magic, all the sounds our magic trapped will go out all at once, thus making a loud sound like what you heard earlier." And he finishes his lecture. "So this type of magic isn't actually that great to use in stealth. But the magical items you can create with these is another story altogether….huh?" 

He just now noticed me intently listening to him, "Why did you stop?" I wanna hear it. 

Magic, I heard it a couple of times but seeing it that it's actually a real thing is mesmerizing.

"..." He turns around, presumably pretty embarrassed. "...You wanna see me first before I tell you my report?"

"Sure." His speech is rude but oh well.

Turning back to me he pulled back his cloak and revealed his face to me.

•••

I am now looking at myself in the mirror.

Needless to say although I am incredibly beautiful, as expected I am quite frail and thin, maybe quite isn't cutting it feels like I am in the beginning stages of anorexia. Even with that though I know I am still quite pretty and will be a beauty if I just gained some weight around me.

Long flowy white hair with a gradient of purple at the ends, a frail but tall physique, and then my vibrant magenta-colored eyes. The only really beautiful thing about me right now.

But anyways, I'm not even thinking about my appearance, it's about. "What did that half elf eve mean?" I wondered to myself.

Half elf. He revealed his identity to me, he was also my first encounter of an alien species as well. Pointed ears, although he told me that real elfs would've had ears that'll stick out of his cloak, nonetheless albeit short, he had the main feature down. Pink fluffy hair like that of cotton candy, he said it came from his human side, so too is the short beard he had as well. 

He was also the first handsome man I saw in this world as well.

But anyways after my questions about him he finally told me his report. And although I was fascinated by a real elf I can only see in anime, his report made me return back to my usual seriousness.

"As I have elf blood in my veins I am able to somewhat sense spiritual essence. But as even pure elves need many years of training and experience to be a full fledged spiritualist, my talent for it is only a little better from those that have no talent at all." Then he rambled on about how he chose to be a magician instead because of his lack of talents. 

But everything he said is just preparation for the bombshell he'll drop on me in three, two, one. "There's a foreign essence around you right now my lady." He further explained, 

"I do not know what it is, or how it got there but there is a fundamental rule that your spirit always flows in the same direction. It will flow left, right, up, down, your spirit may only flow from one of those directions and never in any other. At least that's how it is…"

"But my lady, yours, I really cannot tell but it feels like it's going in two separate directions. I cannot see it but I can feel small impacts of energy coming out around you. This is the first time I've ever sensed something like this."

He left telling me this, "You should take a look at yourself my lady if you can tell if there is something odd about you right now."

And now I'm once again looking at myself in the mirror.

"What the hell..." I'm struggling to even stand up. "Not only my body doesn't want to get up but my mind as well."

I am scared.

What that half-elf magician has scared me for the first time in this world. "What the hell would happen to me…?" I cannot absorb what that magician said to me at all but one thing. "I am an abnormal existence." That much is obvious.

What would people normally do when they find something abnormal? "They will 'fix' me." Since I am the abnormal existence itself, when I am fixed. I will be…

"Gone." That realization made my mind blank.

…

…

…

"FUCK DAMMIT!"

Crack!

With my weak body, I hit the hard glass with all my might.

The glass shattered but it seems like my hand was the one that shattered more as glass shards stuck into my knuckles and with my hand already having scabs from my skin shedding like a lizard. It looks hideous, and it hurts.

But I didn't care.

"I have only just begun to live!"  Covering my face. "Let alone as a princess, I'll be treated even worse than a prisoner!" 

The magician already noticed that there's something wrong with me, what would pure elves do when I'm found out? Even better yet what if my father and the rest of my family found out? My reputation is already rock bottom here so what will they do to me if they found out I'm not even their frail and weak daughter?

Too many negative thoughts have filled the void in my blank mind and now.

"...Why..." I'm pathetic, I'm shedding tears.

All my plans will be ruined if that half-elf goes and reports my father about it.

"Should I just end it here again like last time…?" Maybe go to a world without magic and spirits so that they wouldn't know I'm abnormal?

"Should I just kill myself here again? I've already done it once right so there's no need to hesitate." ...But it will be painful this time. I will have to die here like a dog instead of a king like last time…

"...Ha, haa..." I can't even kill myself properly this time

Right now, even remembering the five that betrayed me can't get me mad. I'm too ashamed to show my face to them.

I'm too pathetic to despise people right now.

Now let's see my face one more time...huh?

"My face...is not in despair?" Although I look pale it isn't that much and… "My eyes are still vibrant." They are still the majestic magenta that I've seen….

Normally with my thoughts my face would be one to marvel at but no, I am maintaining the world's best poker face.

I stare at myself for a long time, particularly my eyes and I've found something.

A ladder to get me out of this hole.

"This body is originally not mine." So with that I've begun solving the pieces of this suicide puzzle.

This body is originally not mine, it is Arianne's. But this body is as good as mine, so any expression I have would translate seamlessly to this body.

But what if…? What if this body still has the same hard wired habits and instincts that the original Arianne had. So instead of perfectly copying my mannerisms back on Korea, it would somehow translate my actions into Arianne's version of it.

"So right now I'm looking at Arianne's version of despair." This slightly pale and teary eyed but completely confident face is Arianne's face of despair?

I felt a shiver run through not just my spine but throughout my whole body and being.

I covered my face once more. "I really am pathetic." But this time I'm cleaning off my tears before they get dry.

And now I'm looking at myself again, with a calm mind I muttered. "I underestimated you Arianne."

There are three guesses as to how Arianne had that face in my despair. One is the world's best poker face. Two, she knew despair throughout her life. And three, despair is something that doesn't occur to her, as there may be something counteracting her despair. 

I think it's all in the above. The first to maintain her appearance, and maybe second and third being combined to since she has experienced enough hardships and abuse to not have it matter to her, since she has a lot of….

"Ambition." 

Thinking back to Miriam. I knew somewhat of Arianne's childhood. At first I pity her and felt sorry for her that she had to go through all that. But because she did go through all that that I should not pity her, but congratulate her instead. She endured scorn and abandonment throughout her whole childhood, very few children could have remained somewhat normal through all that. But from what Miriam said Arianne stayed the same kind child through all her mental, emotional, and sometimes physical abuse. A normal kid would have broken down and would have shown their despair when I willed it earlier, but Arianne did not have such a thing.

Thinking about this whole situation I think I have to disagree with you half-elf, "...I don't even know his name yet." I grumbled but moved on. Anyways, I disagree that the spirits are clashing, at least until now.

I realized something about Arianne.

Arianne, "Very ambitious but is not capable enough to achieve anything."

Me, "Very capable but not ambitious."

It might be an arrogant and prideful assessment of me but it's true. I deserve to be arrogant when I started from nothing and became something without losing it all until the end. So I have always been like that even in my previous life when I had ambition.

...That might explain what happened with those five more than I could admit.

But anyways, "Me and Arianne huh..."  In a way we are both the best and worst for each other.

If we are against each other, then we will become the most bitter of enemies. Like the hero and the demon lord in the anime I watched.

But if we work together, if we both use out strengths to cover our weaknesses, and have each other's back,

We will be...

"A match made in heaven."

"A match made in heaven." 

...Huh??

I heard a voice identical to mind ring throughout my ears.

"Who is that?!" I already have enough things to worry about.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" When the voice identical to mine was heard again, I instinctively looked at the mirror.

It's me, it's still me but my mouth…

"Hold your lips okay?" It's me but it's mouth is moving on its own?

I have no choice but to listen to this mirror me.

I hold my lips and from the mirror is the same.

So why is— 

"Foreigner."

Now that I am touching my lips, I feel my mouth move on its own.

"C-could it be…?" This is the first time I was visibly shaken, even more so than the realization of me having two spirits from the half-elf earlier.

"That's right foreigner, it's me. The original owner of that body you're inhabiting right now. Arianne Magen Geistein." She looked at me with a smile. I smiled as well.

"We truly are a match made in heaven."