“AAAAHHH!”

“Sweetheart?! What’s wrong?!”

Startled by the sudden voice in her mind, Phoebe couldn’t help but scream in surprise. It was so loud and clear. It was almost as if the woman was right next to her ear.

“Don’t fucking scream! We can both agree it’s a bad thing if people found out that you can hear voices in your head!” The voice shouted in Phoebe’s mind. Phoebe wanted to scream again but she slapped her hands over her mouth. 

“Phoebe?” Layla asked, checking her daughter’s temperature now.

“Okay, listen. Just tell your mom that you saw a roach and freaked out a little. You’re calm now and go to your room to get properly change, okay?” The voice directed Phoebe. The girl nodded her head slightly but thought better of it. Pulling away from her mother, Phoebe touched her mother’s face and gave a reassuring smile. 

“Sorry Mama. I thought I saw a bug,” Phoebe spoke. The voice her her head gave a slight hum of approval but doesn’t say anything for the moment. 

“Eek! A bug?! Where?!” Jacob shouted, now hopping off his seat in a panic and ran to his father.

“Gosh… the heir to the dukedom yet terrified of a little roach…” Rebecca said, laughing under her hand as she watched her father pamper her brother. 

“Really?” Layla asked, looking at her daughter with some suspicion but Phoebe nodded her head.

“Yup! I’m okay now! I’ll go back and get changed!” Phoebe said, insisting that she was better now.

“Well, you don’t have a high temperature, so you should be fine,” Layla said with some concerns, “Go on and properly dress. The food is getting cold.”

“Okay!” Phoebe said. She turned to go but looked back to her mother one more time. “Um… Mama? Can we go visit the church today?” 

At Phoebe’s request, Layla’s eye widen just slightly before nodded her head. 

“Sure, that’s fine. But why the sudden interest?”

“Oh, no reason.”

“Har har, nice try. I know what you’re thinking,” the voice said, popping in now to speak, “I doubt your church can do anything about our situation. Trust me when I say that I’m not a demon. A ghost maybe but definitely not an evil one.”

Phoebe held her tongue as she heard the voice’s sarcastic response. She quickly left the dining room and started to head back to her room. Looking left then right, Phoebe made absolute sure she was alone before speaking to the voice.

“How am I supposed to believe your words? Evil beings tell lies all the time. I should know…” Phoebe said under her breath. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“Oi oi. Shut up, stupid. Have you ever heard of the saying “the walls have ears?” Even if it appears you’re alone, you don’t know who’s around the corner. I’m sure you know well how nosy servants are,” the voice said, scolding Phoebe for speaking up. The girl grimaced at the lashing but she doesn’t argue this time. The voice has a point, as annoying as it was.

“Here’s the deal. I explain and you hold all your questions or statements till the end. If you really want to say something, tap your leg once for yes and tap twice for no, capeesh?” The voice ordered. Phoebe grinded her teeth a little at being pushed around like this by a mysterious voice in her head but she can’t really argue since they were so sensible. Unable to say anything, Phoebe tapped her leg once. 

“Great. Just head to your room and get changed but don’t leave right away till we finished talking. Good? Good,” the voice continued, this time being a little more cheeky and not waiting for Phoebe to answer anymore. The girl pouted at this but just did as she was told. 

“Alrighty then! Let’s start and say that I’m not someone from this world. Believe it or not but, I transmigrated from my home world into yours via your body. Basing it off the transmigration trope, I probably would have taken over your body if you died. But seeing how you didn’t, we’re in this awkward situation at the moment.”

Hearing that this mysterious voice would have taken over her body, Phoebe started to panic and made her protest by tapping her leg over and over again. Who’d want to have their body possessed like that?!

“Calm down. I told you I’m not an evil ghost. Hold all your complaints till the end. Now… where was I? Ah, we’re in this situation because you didn’t die. Not a bad thing, mind you. But it seems like you went through a trope experience like myself. Obviously I can’t read your memories but the way you’re acting makes me think you just reincarnated to your younger self. Correct?”

Phoebe was slightly put off by how spot on the voice was but nonetheless tapped her leg once.

“Cool. Anyways, don’t freak out but in my world, you’re a character in a popular Korean light novel called Flower of Evil. Er… a light novel is basically a book if you’re confused. But that’s beside the point! You’re the main villain and rival against the protagonist Alaine and her harem of pretty boys.”

Phoebe saw red the moment the voice mentioned Alaine’s name. The woman who ruined her life and now Phoebe came to learn that it was all for entertainment sake?! She doesn’t know who to hate more, Alaine or the author. Phoebe started to tap her leg incessantly for her anger.

“Yeeeeah. You hate Alaine too, right? Me too. The author really tired hard to paint Alaine as this genius yet kind woman but she was pretty stupid and kinda selfish. Augh! We’re getting off topic here. Point is, Alaine is highkey kinda evil and will pass her Flower of Evil curse onto you. Then you turn into a monster before your 20th birthday.”

Phoebe stopped in her tracks. She was right in front of her room now but the jaw dropping reveal caused her to be shaken from the very core. 

“The gears started turning for you, ay? Well, the story goes is that Alaine accidentally cursed herself after eating a mysterious apple that was left in front of her doorstep. There was the Seed of Evil inside and she accidentally swallowed it, causing herself to get cursed. Ignoring the fact that this supposive genius ate food off the floor… seriously, I can’t get over that fact… Alaine attended the Royal Academy to find out how to remove the curse. Eventually she figured that she could pass the curse on instead. And since you’re an easy target, she passes the curse on to you with no regrets since you’re evil or whatever. Then blah blah blah, the prince breaks your engagement then killed your family for treason then boom. You turn into a monster. And they lived happily ever after.”

“Curse them. Curse them all! Alaine have to die!” Phoebe shouted. She stomped her foot down as she recalled the tormented life she experienced before. Alaine was some lesser noble yet when she arrived to school, she flirted with Phoebe’s fiancé and flirted with other men, turned everyone against her when she tired to point out the injustice. From there, her memories are a bit blurred but she knew she fought against Alaine many times before her family’s death and her ultimate demise.

“Hey! What did I say! No screaming!”  The voice shouted back, warning Phoebe yet again. Thankfully, she was in her own room. So no one should have noticed.

“But anyways, I’m with you on that. We have to kill Alaine. Besides our lives, the world is at stake here. The Flower of Evil curse is when a flower grows inside a person before turning them into a destructive monster. Even if we stop her from passing it on to us, she’s still a threat. Besides the “total annihilation” part, she also suggest some awful policy changes to the prince and those little toy boys she keeps around. If she doesn’t destroy the world, she’s going to definitely destroy the economy.”

Phoebe was surprisingly thoughtful for once as she digest the information the voice just told her. Suddenly, what was a problem that only involved her life expanded into many and perhaps all lives in the country.

“That’s why, we got to work together,” the voice continued talking, knowing well enough that Phoebe got the picture already.

“So… what’s in it for you?”

Phoebe knew better than anyone that there’s no such thing as free help. Considering her past life and how people are, Phoebe knew that people aren’t just so generous. Hell, look at Alaine. The woman that everyone thought was a kind and just woman but she was nothing more but a snake in disguise.

“Ha ha ha. There we go, now that’s thinking critically,” the voice spoke, “I’m just going to ignore the fact that you spoke up since you thought so deeply.”

“Just answer already,” Phoebe said, frustrated being patronized. Though Phoebe couldn’t help but think that the voice was genuinely praising her.

“Alright alright. Well, I told you already that I’m a nice ghost. I want to figure out how we got into this predicament and how to separate. Don’t worry, you keep your body. I’m a lot of things but definitely not a thief,” the voice explained, “But we can’t solve this mystery if you- WE are dead. Like it or not, we’re in the same boat… literally. Our lives are intertwined now. We can’t afford to thinking selfishly.” 

The voice’s words resonated with Phoebe for some reason. She wasn’t sure if it was the woman’s tone or her brutally honest personality but Phoebe thought that the voice was someone to be trusted. But blind trust only would get a person killed. 

“Let’s say… hypothetically what you say is all true and you really have no interest in stealing my body. What’s your proof?”

“Man! Two for two with these awesome questions. I knew you were always a clever one. My favorite character for a reason.”

“Stay on topic please,” Phoebe said, slightly annoyed. 

“Hey~ I’m telling the truth here,” the voice replied back, “But well, for proof, I can’t give you anything concrete. All I’ve been making are educated guesses, theories, and using my intuition. But the fact that I know all about you and you have your past life’s memories means that these theories have some weight. All I’m asking for is for you to trust me.”

“That’s a hard pill to swallow.”

“I know. But this isn’t something we can avoid.”

Phoebe grew silent as she considered her options; which weren’t that many to begin with. She tried her best to believe that this was all some crazy dream and that the voice in her head was a part of her imagination yet she found it impossible to dismiss the evidence. While the argument wasn’t airtight, there wasn’t enough wiggle room for Phoebe to go through some mental gymnastics. There’s also the fact that Phoebe was reincarnated... who was she to judge? In the end, accepting a partnership seem like the best choice. Not like the voice could do anything harmful besides annoy her to death.

“Okay… I’ll bite. Let’s work together,” Phoebe agreed once she finally came to her conclusion.

“Great! Let’s take good care of each other partner!”

“Yes. Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Phoebe von Ashton. And you are?”

“Ah how graceful. As expected from a duke’s daughter.”

“Your name.”

“Right… well, don’t be surprise but this is part of the mystery too… my name is also Phoebe Ashton. Minus the ‘von’ of course. Nice to meet you, other me.”