“Maria, go ahead and put this on the table by the window.”

“Yes!”

“Maria, the guests are leaving. Hurry up. I have to go to the mountain.”

“Yes!”

“Maria, I’m sorry but I dropped my fork.”

“I’ll bring you a new one!”

“Maria.”

“Yes!”

“Maria!”

“Yes…. “

The sun was shining and the blue skies are filled with cotton candy-like clouds.

The weather in Adella is wonderful today.
But in contrast with that, the sweat on my forehead was dripping like rainwater.

I’m currently working at Uncle Jacqueline and Auntie Mary’s restaurant. Auntie is working in the kitchen while I’m in charge of serving on the dining area. We have many regular customers and first-time customers who have lunch at our restaurant almost every day.

_{(t/n: she’s calling them ajussi and ajumma. I don’t know what other term I could use for this so I’ll stick with uncle and auntie for now.)}

Thanks to that, everyone has been calling my name as if I made some kind of promise with them.

I’m so busy that even if I have a dozen bodies, I would still be worn out all the time.

“Thank you. Come again next time!”

“Thanks for the meal, miss.”

At the same time as the last guests left, I went to clear the seats where they were sitting. I started wiping the table with skilled hands. I arranged the chairs and stretched my body and I involuntarily let out a weird sound.

“Aigo go go…. “

Is it just my imagination or did I really hear a crunchy sound from my back?

I looked around to look for Auntie and Uncle but they are nowhere to be found.

I could hear the sound of the water from the kitchen so Auntie must be there and Uncle must have gone out for a while.

And finally! It seems that my free time has come to me as well.

“I’ll be back after I feed Boraeng-ie!”

I didn’t hear a response but that’s nothing new to me.

After that, I opened the wooden door leading to the backyard. I also have some bread and sweet potatoes on my apron pockets.

[?]

After a few steps, I suddenly heard Boraeng-i’s voice.

I burst out laughing. He was probably laying on his stomach, somewhere with his front paws together while his ears twitches as he listen to my footsteps.

“Boraeng-ah!”

I was right. There was a small dog lying on his stomach in the shade under the tree, looking at my way. He’s a dog that was raised at the restaurant.

“Did you miss your older sister?”

_{(t/n: she’s referring to herself)}

I came closer to Boraeng-i.

I crouched down and gently scratched his neck.

Boreang-i is a schnauzer. He has glossy black fur, and a thick white fur around his mouth that looks like the beard of Santa Claus.

He has a lazy personality. He’s really, very, unbelievably, super and extremely lazy. How can a dog be like this?

Schnauzer is basically a dog breed that likes to walk, but that’s not applicable for Boraeng-i.

“What did you do during the day?”

[I slept]

“Pfft”

I can’t help but let out a snort. What a lazybones.

[I smell something delicious.]

“I brought you lunch.”

I took out the bread and sweet potatoes that I put in my apron. I already shredded the bread into bite-sized pieces, and carefully peeled the sweet potato in advance. The mere sight of the yellow sweet potato was appetizing.

“Eat”

I feel sorry that all I can feed him is human food instead of dog food but it can’t be help. This is the only thing available here.

Nobody in this world knew dog food after all. Not even Boraeng-i.

[Hmm]

“Why? “

[I can smell meat too.]

“Meat? I didn’t bring any meat. Did the smell stuck in my body?”

*sniff **sniff*

I sniffed my arms but I didn’t smell anything. Then Boraeng-i gave me a pathetic look.

[It’s useless.]

“Huh?”

[You’re not a dog.]

Tsk. He’s smart.

“Delicious?”

“So so.”

I let out another laugh at his flat reply.

Boraeng-i’s tail is moving gently like the petals of a spring day. He doesn’t say it but I know that he only does this when he feels happy or satisfied.

After Boraeng-i finished eating, I headed straight back home. The distance between the restaurant and the house was close. I could get there in about three minutes’ walk with plenty of time.

My room was on the second floor. The sun shone through the small window when I opened it.

*ker-chack*

I closed the door and laid on my bed.

The empty bed is not soft at all. It’s not much different from laying a blanket on Korea’s floor, but it was still enough to relieve my fatigue.

Ah, it’s not the time for this.

I rose up from lying down for a moment, and pulled something out of the narrow drawer next to the bed.

Uncle Jacqueline had a hard time finding it, and it was a history book of this foreign world.

◆◇◆◇◆◇

Larson Empire

That is the name of the country I currently live in. That is also the name of the empire with greatest power in the entire Kyles Continent.

The reason why I said ‘currently live in’ is because I am not originally from this country.

I was originally an extremely normal career woman from Korea.

I’m a 26 years old, a veterinarian.

As soon as I graduated, I got a job as a vet at a small animal hospital run by my senior. I’m still clumsy at my job so I worked really hard.

It was raining cats and dogs [that day.]

When it was time to leave work, I went to the bus stop with an umbrella.

I think I dozed off on the bus with my head banging because of my tiredness. When I opened my eyes, I saw the familiar scenery, and I was able to get off at my stop thanks to me, quickly pushing the button.

The rain poured incessantly. The studio where I lived alone was in a quiet residential area.

There was a street lamp, but it was still dark because of the thick rain so it felt a little creepy.

‘Meow~’

While walking diligently with an umbrella in my hand, I heard a cat crying somewhere.

_{(t/n: please tell me it’s not that scamming cat that trick girls into being a magical girls, lols kidding)}

I stopped walking and looked around. After a while, I noticed a small box in front of a telephone pole between the cars parked in the alley.

I walked towards it with a strange certain cold feeling.

I crouched down and opened the box.

As expected.

There was a small black kitten inside it. I quickly reached out and hugged it.

“Oh no, are you alright?”

It really looks like it’s in a bad condition but fortunately, his pulse was beating.

What should I do?

After thinking about it for a while, I decided to take the cat to the hospital for now.

I took my cell phone out of my handbag to call my senior. I pressed the call button as soon as I got out in between of the cars.

“………!”

A strong yellow light ran fiercely toward me.

_{(t/n: ah yes! Car-ssi, hello. Nice to see you doing you job again!)}

It was an exact moment. There was no time to scream. Before I could even utter a prayer, I was hit by a car.

It’s over.

Pu-ehk-!

_{(t/n: Idk what sfx is that)}

A dull shock struck the whole body. I didn’t know if it was luck or misfortune but I didn’t feel any pain.

The moment my head hit something, my vision darkened and I finally lost consciousness.

So…. what happened was…

I came to my senses.

Fortunately.

I sprang up like I just escaped some kind of nightmare.

“Haaah, Haaaaah…. “

I burst out, panting. I sat there for a moment in a daze, I soon felt a sense of confusion.

Did I have a blanket like this in my house?

A yellow blanket with no pattern covered my body. There was another strange thing.

The view of the room in sight was awfully low. I’m looking around with a blank look on my face.

The door opened.

For a moment, I opened my mouth without realizing it.

A lady came into the room. But it wasn’t just a normal lady. It was a strange looking foreigner lady.

The green-eyed auntie was wearing white hood on her head and a white apron. She is dressed like a medieval maid.

“Maria……?”

The lady seemed surprised, too. She looked at me with wide eyes, and came close to me at a short step.

“Maria, did you really came in your senses?”

Her urgent questions continues. On the other hand, I just sent her a puzzled look.

What the hell is going on here? Why are you calling me Maria? Where even am I?

Then I realized something more surprising.

Auntie is not speaking in Korean. And yet I could understand it all, and I can even speak say the same thing.

“Excuse me, Auntie, but who are you? Where am I….?”

This time, the lady’s expression got filled confusion then her eyes started to tremble and she shuddered.

Then she called out in a shaky voice.

“………Maria.”

She looked very shocked at what was going on. This is making me feel like I’m doing something bad, but I had to deny it one more time.

“I’m not Maria….. Are you the one who saved me?”

Then it naturally came back to me when I spoke.

On a rainy night, I got hit by a car while rushing to contact my senior….

*gasp*

I hurriedly got up the bed and looked down at my body. I was wearing ol pajamas but that is not important right now.

I felt my arms and legs in a hurry; I touched my forehead, and my head. But there was not one strangely painful place.

I even feel strong enough to jump high in the air.

I was hit. How could this be possible?

Then, I raised my head and asked the lady.

“What day of the month is it today?”

Things like that usually happens in movies or dramas right? When the characters gets into accident and wake up only to find out that months had already pass by?

Somehow it seemed plausible. But that doesn’t seem to be the case base on the lady’s expression.

She just looked at me in shock, and soon went out, shouting, ‘Honey, honey! Honey!’

Being left alone, I looked at the wide-open door with a puzzled look.

….by the way, where the hell am I? I looked around carefully.

Don’t you usually call 119 when you see someone got in an accident? Then it’s only normal to wake up in a hospital, but what’s going on here?

After a while, the auntie reappeared with an uncle with her and I started hearing unbelievably incredible things.

“Your name is Maria Lewellin, we are your parents. A few days ago, you accidentally fell off a high ladder, and I think you lost your memory because of the shock.”

The uncle’s face was filled with pity as he explain things to me. I managed to smile and nod my head when he asked if I was feeling sick.

When the explanation was over, the two left the room with a promise to bring some food. At the same time, a smile disappeared from my face.

……Maria Lewellin? Me?

Of course it was unbelievable. I don’t know if they’re serious or not but they’re obviously lying.

But my heart is beating fast for some reason.

I looked around in vigilance, and I happened to see something. It was a small mirror hanging by the door.

That’s it!

I pulled the blanket away from my body and stepped out of bed.

That uncle and auntie didn’t even look like Koreans. It was absurd to call me their daughter when I look like this.

My heart pounded again for no reason when I got near the mirror.

“Huuuah, Huuuah”

After a couple of deep breaths, I stood in front of the mirror with my eyes tightly closed.

And the moment I opened my eyes.

“……..!”

*thump*

My heart fell. The person reflected in the mirror is not me.

Clear features, bright but pale face, waist-length red-haired.

The girl I’ve never seen before was facing me with a blank face.

◆◇◆◇