Chapter 1: Reborn yet again
Lena abruptly opened her eyes.
Something seemed to have shattered; the soft, dyed wool carpet was a mess.
She habitually used her left hand to prop herself up. As she shifted, a strange tingling sensation emanated from her lower abdomen. Her head felt heavy and dizzy, yet her vision was exceptionally clear.
Her right hand was still there, and her right eye wasn’t blind.
What was going on?
“Am I…”
Reborn yet again?!
Pulling back the thin blanket, Lena was startled by the scene before her.
A small fox girl, about twelve or thirteen years old, was dressed in an extremely small maid uniform, looking far too young for it.
Her tender body was slightly curled up, her small hands tightly clutching the bedding as if she had been greatly frightened, her eyes squeezed shut.
She had long, flowing golden hair like waves of wheat, and delicate arches of her feet were covered in plain white lace ankle socks.
Most striking were her fluffy fox ears, so soft to the touch that one couldn’t help but want to pet them. A large golden tail was tucked beneath her, serving as a cushion, suggesting the little fox girl had slept in this position in Lena’s bed for quite some time.
“You…”
Due to the passage of time between her lives, Lena couldn’t recall the name immediately.
This always happened. Like seeing an old friend after decades, a thousand words crowded her mind, yet none could compare to a warm embrace.
But Lena still remembered that small figure who had bravely stood before her, so timid, yet so ready to die for her.
Now that she was reborn, it meant everything had returned to the beginning, which also meant…
“Miss, Ling Ling didn’t do it on purpose, really!”
Ling Ling drooped her ears, instinctively protecting her most vulnerable parts like an animal sensing danger. She said weakly, “Ling Ling only saw that Miss wasn’t covered by the blanket while sleeping, and worried that Miss would catch a cold, so Ling Ling took the liberty of climbing onto Miss’s bed to help cover you. Then, the bed was too soft, and Ling Ling accidentally fell asleep…”
The little fox girl hugged her fluffy tail, whimpering softly like a vulnerable animal.
“Come here, Ling Ling,” Lena said gently. “Come to me…”
Hearing these words, Ling Ling’s face instantly paled. After a moment of hesitation, she resignedly crawled towards Lena.
As she crawled, she slipped off her maid uniform.
“Miss, please be gentle, Ling Ling is afraid of pain…”
Hearing this, Lena froze.
She almost forgot.
Before her transformation, she was a wicked, spoiled young lady, often taking pleasure in bullying her servants, her infamy widespread.
No wonder Ling Ling was so afraid of her. Anyone who was bullied daily by their master would be terrified…
Her smooth, jade-like back was covered in alarming bloody whip marks. Her thin shoulders trembled, and the little fox hugged her dandelion-seed-like fluffy tail, shrinking her delicate body within it, trying to shield herself from Lena’s burning gaze.
Lena stared intently at Ling Ling, as if to confirm something.
Ling Ling fearfully shrank her neck, desperately dodging Lena’s gaze. “Miss, can the ‘reward’ begin now?”
Not directly saying “punishment” but using the word “reward” stemmed from the original Lena’s twisted sense of humor, truly sickening.
“Um… come here first.” Lena patted the blanket beside her.
Ling Ling’s ears twitched. “Thank you for the reward, Miss.”
The familiar lines, the timid voice etched in her memory.
Memories of two lifetimes flooded into Lena’s mind…
…
From an office worker unexpectedly reborn into this world, to becoming a spoiled, villainous young lady.
She had once tried to use her foreknowledge to change others’ perceptions of her.
She had flattered the hero and even played matchmaker for his romantic pursuits, forging a deep friendship with him.
She believed siding with the hero was the right thing to do.
Unfortunately, she was too naive back then, thinking that as long as she pleased the hero and became an indispensable helper, she would be safe…
However, contrary to her expectations, the rapid expansion of her family’s power threatened the First Empire of Almeria. The Falmouth family, already a thorn in the empire’s side, was issued an extermination order after negotiations failed, accused of treason. The hero sided with the empire, and the battle was one-sided. She became abandoned…
The once wealthy young lady was trampled underfoot, becoming destitute and impoverished.
Without a home, without status, the enormous psychological gap drove her to madness.
Addicted to drugs, wandering the streets aimlessly, ragged and disheveled, she no longer resembled the high and mighty lady she once was.
During this desperate struggle, Ling Ling, as her personal maid, remained by her side, working odd jobs to earn money and providing her with the drugs while encouraging her to regain her composure every night, unwavering in her loyalty and devotion.
Lena’s true awakening came when the imperial soldiers found her.
Watching Ling Ling stand in front of her useless self, using power that wasn’t hers to protect her, ultimately being pierced through the chest by the hero’s sword.
Lena finally woke up.
But the last person by her side was gone.
Having paid the price of an eye and a hand, she was exiled to the distant Bis Wasteland by the empire. On the verge of death, she made a deal with the devil, selling her soul and replacing her blood with demonic power.
From then on, there was no more Lena, only the Necromancer Grey Robe.
…
Back to the present.
Wasn’t this the scene where Ling Ling accidentally broke a vase with her tail while cleaning the room and then fell asleep on her bed?
This was much earlier than her first rebirth.
She remembered.
Next would come the original Lena’s cruel punishment, then the little fox would escape in agony, only to be captured and tortured again, leading to the scene from her first rebirth…
Looking at the young golden fox girl before her, Lena cursed herself inwardly.
Although not committed by her own hands, Lena still couldn’t comprehend the original Lena’s cruelty.
Beautiful girls were meant to be protected, especially such a cute fox girl.
But thankfully, everything was back. Ling Ling wasn’t dead, and she still had a chance to make amends…
In her past life, her conscience had urged her to be good, every action carefully calculated.
And the result?
She still ended up dead, even implicating her family.
So in this life, she would never be as cowardly as she was in her last life.
Since resisting fate was useless, since everyone said she was a villain, then this time, she would show them what a villain truly was!
Before the hero had fully grown, she would also let him experience the feeling of losing someone precious!
To possess the woman who should have belonged to the hero, right in front of him, even if her fate was sealed, would be a great pleasure in life.
It would be incredibly interesting…
“Don’t worry,” Lena said, stroking Ling Ling’s fox ears, her eyes filled with pity. “Do these wounds hurt?”
“They don’t hurt, they really don’t hurt at all! These are all self-inflicted by Ling Ling. They are rewards bestowed by Miss!”
What should have been a caring question was met with an unusually loud and contrary response from Ling Ling.
Lena’s heart clenched painfully. “They won’t appear again, I swear. I won’t bully you anymore…”
Lena picked up the little fox girl, gently rubbing her chin against her head.
“Miss?”
The warmth on her back was very comfortable.
Ling Ling froze for a few seconds, then pushed Lena away. “Ling Ling… Ling Ling will clean up the floor! Ling Ling will pick up all the broken porcelain pieces with her hands, so please don’t give Ling Ling any more ‘rewards,’ wuu…”
The little fox girl’s body trembled like a sieve, clearly taking Lena’s assurance as sarcasm.
According to the plot, she should trip now…
“Ah!”
“Careful.” Lena quickly caught her. She knew this clumsy little maid in her arms all too well. She would make mistakes when nervous, stammer and look around when questioned, utterly adorable.
Tripping over her own feet was perfectly normal.
“The second-to-last compartment in the left drawer, bring me what’s inside,” she instructed.
“Mm-hmm.” The little fox girl stumbled to retrieve the item Lena wanted, holding it carefully.
A bottle of medicine.
To be precise, a bottle of recovery potion specifically for whip wounds, made by the empire’s top alchemist, effective upon application.
“Stick your butt out and hold your tail between your legs.”
Lena gave another command.
It seemed this was the only way to make the little fox girl obedient.
Their relationship couldn’t be rushed, so she could only use commands to gradually accustom Ling Ling to her intentions, to understand that she was truly changing, coaxing her gently, like boiling a frog in warm water…
“Bear with it. If it hurts too much, cry out. It’s okay.”
“Wuu… Ling Ling will endure it well, please don’t worry, Miss…”
Ling Ling bit down hard on the tip of her tail, almost pulling out a tuft of fur, but she didn’t make a single sound of pain.
Helpless, Lena could only quickly apply the medicine, patting her bottom, signaling her to get up.
The two walked out of the room, one after the other.
Lena: “What’s the date today?”
Ling Ling replied without hesitation: “The sixteenth.”
“Oh—”
Lena paused thoughtfully. The little fox girl, staring at her toes as she walked, bumped into Lena’s arms with a thud, the tip of her nose slightly red.
“We have an important guest visiting today, right?” Lena placed her hand on Ling Ling’s head and asked gently.
Leave a Reply