She opened her eyes in shock and found herself lying on a bed.
'That cursed thing said I would come back to life…'
Frightened, she glanced left and right, not finding her husband. Finally, she breathed a sigh of relief.
'No sign of that bastard…'
Still scared, she sat up and looked around the room.
Only then, after her initial fear had subsided, did she realize that she was in a bedroom completely different from the one in the Bloodworth family manor.
Her old bedroom was gloomy, with thick dark red curtains, a bed covered in matching sheets, blankets, and a carpet—all the same oppressive shade of dark red.
But this room looked very bright, with soft blue and light pink tones covering all the furniture and decorations.
'This is my room before I got married!' she thought as she pulled the blanket aside and got out of bed.
Feeling a little excited, she walked over to her vanity table and looked into the mirror.
The face that had once been marked by bruises or slap marks, and the hair that had lost its shine from being confined to the bedroom, now appeared radiant and beautiful once again.
Knock, knock!
Suddenly, a knock on the door startled her.
She calmed herself down before saying, "Come in."
The door opened, and she saw Sina, her personal maid from before she got married.
"Good morning, Princess. You're already awake," greeted Sina with a smile. But she was caught off guard when Viana ran to her and hugged her tightly.
"Oh, Sina, Sina. You have no idea how happy I am to see you again..." Viana's voice broke with sobs.
"P-Princess, what's wrong?" Sina asked, sounding worried. "Are you feeling sick?"
Surprised, Viana let go of her hug and quickly wiped her tears. "O-oh, no. I just had a bad dream. That's why I'm so happy to see you again," she said, trying to sound calm.
Viana turned her face away and sat down at her vanity table, hiding her expression from Sina's gaze.
Although slightly puzzled, Sina proceeded with her duties. She picked up a comb and began brushing the Princess's long blonde hair.
After a moment of quiet, Sina spoke, "Princess, you haven't forgotten, have you? The royal designer needs to measure you later for your eighteenth birthday celebration."
Viana looked at Sina through the mirror without answering.
'Before my eighteenth birthday? Does that mean I've gone back four years before I died?' she thought.
A slight smile appeared on her lips, and she sweetly said to Sina, "Of course I haven't forgotten, Sina. I'll meet the designer today."
Sina shifted her gaze from brushing the Princess's long blonde hair and asked, "But aren't you attending the tea gathering with Lady Joana today?"
With her back straight and feeling relieved that the pain in her back was gone, Viana shook her head while keeping her eyes on Sina's reflection in the mirror.
"No. From now on, I'll cut back on social activities like tea gatherings or hosting unnecessary parties," she replied calmly.
Sina's mouth fell open in the mirror's reflection, making the Princess chuckle softly.
Then she stood up and said, "Call the designer to come here today. Oh, and don't forget to send someone to deliver a message to Lady Joana, letting her know that I won't be able to attend her tea gathering today."
Sina bowed respectfully and signaled to one of the maids who had been following her, busy tidying up the bed and cleaning the room.
The maid left the room, and Sina turned to the Princess, helping her get dressed. "Your breakfast will be brought to your room shortly. Is there anything else you need?"
Viana paused for a moment before replying, "No, nothing else. I just want to go to the library later. There's a book I want to read today."
Sina's eyes widened at the Princess's unusual response, but she bowed and excused herself politely.
'The Princess is acting differently today...' she thought as she walked out of the Princess's room.
***
The Princess walked with Sina along the corridor leading to the royal library. Her face lit up with a happy expression as she observed everything she passed along the way.
But then her mind was racing, recalling the events that would unfold over the next two years.
She would marry Count Lazarus Bloodworth at the age of twenty-one. And the Elysia kingdom's downfall would begin when she turned twenty.
So, the only thing she needed to do was to save the Elysia kingdom's finances. This way, the kingdom wouldn't have to marry her off to Count Lazarus Bloodworth solely for financial reasons.
She had been thinking for a while that she needed to relearn how to manage a kingdom, especially when it came to economic matters.
Because of that, she decided to go to the library to borrow books about economics and politics, subjects she had never been interested in before.
The palace library staff were surprised to see the beautiful princess enter the room filled with books.
"Good morning, Your Highness," they greeted, glancing admiringly at the princess's beauty.
Viana simply greeted them politely, borrowed a few books, and handed them to Sina, who then instructed one of the library staff to deliver the books to the princess's room.
Then Viana went to the palace garden, simply to sit there.
Sina, still puzzled by the princess's behavior, could only follow her and stay by her side without daring to question her unusual actions.
'Perhaps Her Highness is reminded of her nightmare from last night...' she thought.
She simply prepared tea and refreshments for the princess, who sat quietly in the garden for several hours.
Meanwhile, the princess, who Sina was so concerned about, was busy thinking about how to escape the clutches of that despicable Count.
Ring!
Suddenly, the sound of a bell she remembered hearing after her death rang again, startling her and causing her to choke on her tea.
Sina quickly helped the princess as she coughed uncontrollably. Meanwhile, Viana glanced secretly at the screen in front of her, which displayed the following message:
[First Mission:
Save the Elysia Kingdom from bankruptcy.]
[Are you willing to take on this mission?]
[Yes/No]