The prize for the most shameful death officially goes to me. I managed to die from a coma caused by alcohol. Even in the most distant thoughts, I did not imagine such a fate for myself.

I wasn't hit by a truck. My ex didn't ambush me or stab me outside the door. I just… I got drunk. Moreover, it happened right after I was dumped. It was probably the most ridiculous cause of death of all.

I was grateful that even in the body of the spirit I did not have to attend my own funeral. Otherwise, I would have died of shame again… Instead, I was immediately transported here. The next morning I woke up with a heavy head, as if after a long binge.

But it wasn't the alcohol that was bursting at the seams. In a matter of moments, a huge amount of information poured into my head. A bunch of shapeless memories of childhood and growing up of a girl I don't know. I've lived my whole life in just a couple of minutes.

To be honest, it was not the most pleasant experience. But then at least I started to understand what was going on.

So, it's been exactly a year since I was reborn in another world. What have I learned? At least the fact that I am now in the body of a character from the novel «Darker than Black». I found out about it completely by accident. When she unobtrusively asked the nurses what the name of this empire was and who ruled it.

My main suspicions have been confirmed.

Yes, you were not mistaken. Nurses. I came to my senses for the first time as a patient at St. Favonius Hospital. It was an elite medical facility for aristocrats. Despite the luxurious decoration, the atmosphere here was not the best. Most of the patients were seriously ill or elderly people with dementia who were sent here by their children. And I found myself in a similar place. A fragile seventeen-year-old girl.

I took over the body of Camille de Walt, a faceless character who wasn't even part of the extras of the novel. My name was not mentioned in any chapter. My father, the Duke de Walt, was one of the many dukes of the Empire. It was he and my older brother, the contender for the next duke, who sent me here.

In fact, if you are reborn as a descendant of a noble family in an Asian novel, you can have only two ways of developing events. The first, the most reliable, is that your family loves you unconditionally. You were literally born with a diamond spoon in your mouth. Your parents dote on you, and your older brother is ready to carry his younger sister in his arms.

The second case is the exact opposite. You will be ignored and insulted from childhood. Your father often doesn't care about your existence. And it so happened that of these two options, the last one fell to me.

It so happened that there were few happy families among the aristocrats. This was a consequence of arranged marriages, which were concluded on the basis of mutually beneficial cooperation. In other words, it's just a family business. There was no question of any love here.

However, until recently, the de Walt family was one of such rare exceptions. The Duke was quite a wealthy man. He had a wife, the first beauty of the empire. And the eldest son, the heir of the family, is a smart and talented boy.

Harmony and well-being reigned in their home. At least, until I ruined all that happiness. The Duke and Duchess were looking forward to the arrival of their youngest daughter. But who knew that it was these births that would take the life of a woman.

My mother died of complications during childbirth. Of course, the best and most magnificent woman in the three worlds was killed by a child like me. At least, that's exactly the conclusion these two smart guys were asking for. After all, they couldn't think of anything better than to blame the death of their wife and mother on the newborn baby!

After the death of the Duchess, the head of the family was depressed for a long time. And my older brother never smiled anymore. With the departure of the mistress of the manor, everything seemed to have become gloomy and abandoned. And, of course, it was my fault again.

I clearly remembered that these two had hated me all these years. The Duke never called me his daughter. And Yufil just pretended that I wasn't there. They completely ignored my existence. And when I tried to get their attention, I invariably received insults.

Eventually, at the age of sixteen, I was sent to a private hospital for aristocrats for treatment. It so happened that I was born with poor health, and during my life I had to undergo several courses of treatment. This was supposed to be the last one. However…

I could do it at home. All that needed to be done was to call a doctor a couple of times a week and put the necessary ivs. But instead, my father was kind enough to send me to another place for treatment. Of course, it was just an excuse to get rid of me for a year.

It was during this period that I was reincarnated in this body. I came to my senses for the first time in a hospital bed. At first, it was quite strange to be here. To be honest, I'm not used to being in the hospital for a long time.

Since it was an establishment for aristocrats, everyone treated me well. I've always had the best food and service. However… Would you agree that nothing can make a hospital stay less depressing?

In any case, everyone wanted to get home as soon as possible. And I was no exception.

On the other hand, I had a whole year to get used to my new life. So now I felt completely at ease in the body of the duke's youngest daughter. In addition, at that time, this hospital, located on the outskirts of the capital, was one of the safest places in the empire.

Considering the chaos that was going on outside…

Walking through the corridors of the hospital, I kept eavesdropping on the conversations of the elderly. Since the only entertainment they had left was reading newspapers, they were animatedly discussing all the news among themselves.

— They say that the Crown Princess has killed someone again. At this rate, there won't be a single inhabitant left in our empire…!

— The dark army attacks cities and kills civilians, — the second one was indignant, — Why does the emperor just turn a blind eye to this?!

«Even if she is the crown Princess, how can you commit such crimes with impunity!!!

Recently, the atrocities of Crown Princess Kaena Hesse de Ronan have become more frequent. The girl was wreaking havoc and destruction in her own empire. No one could control her. This explained the discontent of the residents about this.

— How long will this lawlessness last? — the old nobles complained.

— And don't tell me… So many innocent people have already suffered over the past year. When will our government finally come to its senses?

— This crazy woman… Are we really going to trust her to run the country? When that happens, our empire will finally fall.

«We can only rely on Her Second Highness!» Someone exclaimed, «She must save us all from this disaster!»

There were cheers.

Ha… As expected. The plot of the original novel was now in full swing. The Crown Princess was rampaging and wreaking havoc in the country. Several internecine wars have already occurred in recent years. The empire was at its limit and tired of the constant battles.

Amid all this strife, the second Princess Jerica was like a ray of light in the eyes of the common people. Most of all, people hoped that the title of crown Princess would go to her. The girls themselves have been openly feuding with each other for many years.

A couple of months ago, the emperor sent Kaena to defend the southern border, where the Ruthven Empire had a conflict with the neighboring empire. Therefore, there is a temporary lull here now.

In the current situation, a bloody battle between members of the imperial family was becoming inevitable.

It remained only to predict who would win.

People's opinions were divided into two camps. Despite the general support of the second princess, few people were sure that the Crown Princess would actually be overthrown.

After all, this girl was truly a monster.

I was the only one who wasn't worried about it at all. After all, I already knew what would happen at the end, thanks to the spoilers from the novel. Kaena will not be long before she pays for her sins and goes to the next world. Upon returning home, certain death awaited her.

I stretched lazily. After the death of the main villain, I will finally be able to live a full life.

The final part of the novel was about a month away.

Fortunately, despite the terrible content of the novel I got into, I was not hurt at all. Being in the hospital played into my hands in this regard. Now I was going to go home and continue to enjoy the luxury.

Today is the long-awaited day of my discharge.

«Lady, young Mr. de Walt has come to pick you up,» the nurse announced as she entered my room.

It looks like my older brother has arrived. Well, it's about time. I remembered how this asshole bullied me as a child. I wonder if he has changed even a little now?

— Okay, I'm coming.

The nurses escorted me downstairs with all my things. For the first time in a long time, I wasn't wearing hospital clothes, but something else. It was a cute yellow dress with airy ruffles. The perfect check-out outfit.

Yufil de Walt was waiting for me on the threshold of the hospital. He didn't even go inside.

Our eyes met.

This handsome guy, who looked like a porcelain doll, was four years older than me. Slim, toned figure. Curly blue hair and light brown eyes. In fact, apart from the color of our eyes, we didn't look much alike. Probably because Yufil took after his father more, and I took after my mother.

Yes. A year later, the same cold mug. «You could at least smile a little at the sight of your younger sister!» The former Camilla, who loved her brother very much, despite his bad attitude towards her, would have rushed to him with hugs. And he would have thrown her away in disgust.

I knew this well from their past relationship, which has always been like this.

But I wasn't that Camille anymore. I didn't care what that pompous youngster thought of me. Boy, actually, you and I are the same age inside. That's why I didn't see the need to stand on ceremony.

At the moment, I was interested in something completely different. I finally found myself at «freedom». Wow, I've been waiting for this for a long time! What should I do first?

I indifferently walked past Yufil without even saying hello. The man turned around in surprise.