How can twins be so different?

One is as if blessed by all the gods, perfect, while the other is…

Click, click.

Tanashia halted her steps toward the party hall and stared at the people whispering about her.

When she turned around, she realized everyone was looking at her. It wasn’t just one or two murmuring voices.

Everyone gathered here was mocking Tanashia. No matter how much they tried to hide their mouths behind fans, they couldn’t conceal their eyes.

The twin sisters of Marquis Brellof’s house, born under divine prophecy as beings beloved by the gods.

The younger sister, Noxia, was a breathtaking beauty with radiant silver hair and a doll-like face, evoking a sacred aura in all who beheld her.

In contrast, the elder sister, Tanashia, with her pitch-black hair and gloomy aura, looked so ordinary that no one could believe she shared the same face as Noxia.

Their innate abilities differed as much as their appearances.

Noxia, since childhood, inherited the long-lost supernatural power of her lineage and freely commanded water, one of the four primal elements.

Meanwhile, Tanashia possessed no abilities whatsoever.

Had there been no point of comparison, perhaps it would have been different. But from the moment they were born, Noxia and Tanashia were weighed against each other—and Tanashia always lost.

People called them Light and Shadow: Noxia, blessed by all the gods, and Tanashia, who had received nothing.

In the gossip-ridden high society, such an entertaining topic was never ignored.

The more famous Noxia became, the more ridicule fell upon Tanashia.

Therefore, incidents like today’s were nothing special.

Everyone here imagined, as always, that Tanashia would slump her shoulders and flee like a coward. And once she left, they would laugh even louder.

But…

Tanashia shattered all expectations, standing motionless and silently gazing at those who mocked her.

In her tranquil, lake-like blue eyes, an inexplicable, unfamiliar charisma shimmered.

One second, two seconds, three seconds… ten seconds.

As time passed, no one dared speak. Silence fell.

Even if Tanashia was the ugly duckling, she was still the daughter of Marquis Brellof’s house—the center of power. They could gossip behind her back, but never openly ignore her.

“What did you just say? It sounded like you were talking about me—speak up, I didn’t hear clearly.”

Tanashia was currently fifteen years old. Though still a girl not yet of age, her demand carried an oddly sharp edge.

When no one answered, her gaze fixed on the noblewoman who had been chattering most excitedly.

The noblewoman looked as if she wanted to feign ignorance, but under Tanashia’s silent pressure, she reluctantly replied.

“Well… what exactly did I say…?”

“You said one is as if blessed by all the gods, perfect. But what about the other? Isn’t that about me?”

Everyone was stunned—Tanashia had never stepped forward like this before.

“I—I only meant I look forward to Lady Tanashia’s future growth!”

Tanashia, uncharacteristically, gave a cold, mocking smile at the noblewoman’s feeble excuse.

Her thick, jet-black hair against snow-white skin—somehow, Tanashia’s aura today felt drastically different.

Several people found their eyes drawn to her subtly bewitching charm.

“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”

Tanashia’s blue eyes swept across all the nobles in the hall. Unlike her usual self, she stood tall and unflinching.

“If I hear even one more whisper behind my back…”

Her rose-petal lips slowly curved into a smile.

“I will tear that mouth apart—no matter whose it is.”

Murmurs rippled.

The words were shockingly bold—utterly unbelievable coming from the timid, meek Tanashia.

Watching the stunned nobles, Tanashia confirmed her point with a final, chilling remark.

“If you’re curious how I’ll do it, go ahead—try gossiping again.”

Leaving behind that loaded statement, Tanashia walked away as if nothing had happened.

Those left behind could only stare at her retreating figure—not with their usual mockery, but with bewildered expressions.

At first, I didn’t realize this was the world inside a novel.

My last memory was submitting my long-planned resignation at work and setting off alone on a trip to celebrate.

And then, shortly after takeoff, the plane exploded.

I died at twenty-seven—the prime of life.

‘I just wanted to rest a bit… and now I’m dead?’

It was supposed to be my first real vacation after racing through life like a thoroughbred horse. But before I could even dip my toes in water, I met with disaster.

Growing up without parents, I gritted my teeth from adolescence onward, chasing success.

I believed the only way to escape pitying or dismissive glances was through success…

Looking back, I had never truly enjoyed my life.

It felt hollow.

My eyes burned with inexplicable injustice, but there was no undoing what had already passed.

There’s a saying: “Even rolling through a dung field is better than the next world.”

Having already died once, I deeply agreed. No matter what kind of life you live, nothing is worse than having a short lifespan.

So when I woke up in the body of an unknown black-haired girl, I vowed: no matter what, I would survive this time.

“Miss Tanashia, are you awake?!”

Unfamiliar faces, an exotic, strange place.

‘Tanashia?’

Why are they calling me by someone else’s name?

Strangely, it was a name I felt I’d heard many times before.

But I couldn’t immediately recall where—perhaps because the beautiful face before me was utterly unlike the Tanashia I’d imagined.

‘Wow. This is insane.’

Jet-black hair without a trace of impurity, flawless porcelain-white skin.

My wide, startled eyes sparkled like gems; my slightly parted lips glowed with natural crimson luster.

Simply put, I was an extraordinary beauty.

I couldn’t believe it—I died in a plane crash, yet opened my eyes in another world, inside another person’s body.

But my period of confusion and wandering was brief.

‘My name is Tanashia, my sister is Noxia, our house is Brellof?’

Suddenly, memories surfaced in my mind.

.

It was the romantic fantasy novel I’d read for fun.

The novel, wildly popular from its serialization, told the story of twin sisters who were complete opposites.

The younger sister, Noxia, was adored by all for her stunning beauty and extraordinary powers. The elder sister, Tanashia, had nothing remarkable—constantly compared to her sister, she grew increasingly timid.

That Tanashia would come to envy Noxia was, in hindsight, inevitable.

Though initially shy, over time Tanashia grew obsessed with everything Noxia had, imitating her in every way.

Noxia’s dresses, her accessories, even her speech patterns…

She cursed the gods daily, praying desperately:

『Why did the gods give everything only to Noxia? Why did I receive nothing? If only I had been born as Noxia… If only I were Noxia…』

By adulthood, Tanashia had become little more than a copy of Noxia. Sadly, a counterfeit could never surpass the original.

Yes. Tanashia was the villainess of the novel .

‘So…’

I quickly reached one conclusion.

‘I’ve become Tanashia from that novel?’

How on earth?

I clearly died in a plane crash—how is this possible?

Though unbelievable, perhaps because it’s a common fantasy trope, I wasn’t as shocked as I might have been.

I accepted reality quickly. After all, I was already dead—with no way back to my old life.

I wondered how this happened, but obsessing over unknowable reasons wouldn’t yield answers.

More importantly, the situation unfolding before me wasn’t bad at all.

‘So I’m a noble now?’

I’d always thought: if I had another life, I’d want to be born into a wealthy family.

In a way, that wish had come true.

In the novel, Tanashia walked through endless hell comparing herself to Noxia—but I felt no need to do so.

I was born into the powerful, affluent Brellof house, with this stunningly beautiful face.

True, I envied Noxia’s ability to freely command water—one of the four primal elements—but lacking that power didn’t erase Tanashia’s privileged background.

The more I thought about it, the more satisfied I became.

In my past life, I constantly worried about survival and an unstable future. Now, even as a villainess, I was in a position to live luxuriously for life.

There was no reason not to be happy.

‘And even if Noxia is the most beautiful in this world’s lore—so what? Being the second most beautiful is still beautiful, isn’t it?’

I never dreamed the “ugly duckling” Tanashia described in the novel was actually this gorgeous.

As a reader, I’d found Tanashia’s jealousy-fueled villainy thrilling—but now that I was her, I honestly couldn’t understand it.

I didn’t know how beautiful Noxia truly was, but with Tanashia’s current face, she absolutely wouldn’t lose. Twins couldn’t possibly look that different.

In the novel, Tanashia cursed her black hair—but to me, it was incredibly alluring. Her long hair, covering her face out of insecurity, merely gave her a gloomy impression.

Unintentionally, I discarded the jealousy toward Noxia that the original Tanashia clung to until death—mere moments after waking in this body.

My mind quickly filled with happy fantasies.

What mattered was that I’d been given another chance at life.

This time, I would indulge in every luxury I’d missed in my past life and live happily until my days ran out.

Once my thoughts settled, I began planning my future.

Should I lounge lazily on a beach, soaking up the sun?

No—perhaps spending days at a hot spring, melting away fatigue, wouldn’t be bad either.

“Hmm~”

As I daydreamed of happy futures, a hum naturally escaped my lips.

For several days, I enjoyed dreamlike relaxation within the mansion.

I slept until noon, feasting on delicacies at every meal.

Nothing was as blissful as doing absolutely nothing.

‘Perfect. This is paradise on earth.’

Deep satisfaction filled my heart.

Yes, looking back, the beginning had been flawless.

At least, until today arrived.

The problem soon revealed itself.

“Hasn’t Miss Tanashia been acting a bit strange lately?”

“Right? She seemed out of her mind ever since she ordered us to steal Noxia’s dress. But after the horse-riding accident and waking up, she’s become even stranger.”

“Oh, and have you heard? There are grim rumors that the Calua Empire is developing human weapons…”

I noticed the maids whispering only with lip movements, but I didn’t care much. They’d need to adapt to this new me anyway.

Yet something in their idle chatter caught my attention.

‘Calua Empire?’

It felt like I’d forgotten something important.

The nagging sense of half-remembering wouldn’t let me ignore it.

I approached the maids. Guiltily recalling their earlier gossip, they instantly shrank back.

“Repeat what you just said.”

“Th—the thing we just said…?”

“The rumor about the Calua Empire.”

Only then did the maids’ expressions brighten—they realized I wasn’t scolding them.

“Lately, there are rumors circulating that the Calua Empire is developing human weapons. They say this year’s missing persons exceed last year’s—and all were taken by the Calua Empire.”

Another maid quickly added,

“Miss, don’t worry about idle gossip. The Calua Empire and our Arwen Empire are long-standing allies—this can’t be true! It’s surely just baseless rumor.”

“True, it lacks credibility.”

I held my breath.

Sadly, I knew this rumor was real.

Good heavens!

Finally, I recalled what I’d forgotten.

As progressed, war would break out with the Calua Empire.

The problem was…

After losing that war, Tanashia would die.

All my happy daily life now felt like a mirage vanishing.

With the nation fallen, the Brellof house’s collapse was inevitable.

In the novel, Tanashia—despite all her villainy—met an unexpected end: beheaded by the enemy general who led Calua to victory.

Until then, as a member of the Brellof house, she’d avoided severe punishment. But once nation and house fell, she had no protection left.

“Nooo!”

The maids, startled by my sudden cry, stared at me with wide eyes.

‘…This is bad.’

The coming war wasn’t just about my desired life slipping away.

It meant my death.

The Calua Emperor’s long-held ambition was territorial expansion—and to achieve it, he secretly developed the forbidden “human weapons.”

In a few years, these human weapons would appear and brutally crush the Arwen Empire.

I couldn’t stay idle.

Dying young again—just like my last life—was too unjust.

I had to find a way, any way, to avoid this death route.

‘Stay calm. There’s still time.’

Clutching my throbbing head, I intensely recalled the person who killed Tanashia.

The culprit was Ascan—the final villain of .

Initially just a victim of human weapon experiments, he survived countless tortures to become the world’s strongest swordsman and mage—and a monster.

With brilliant intellect, overwhelming power, and ruthless coldness, Ascan was a terrifying antagonist in the novel.

Perhaps my desperation triggered a memory.

I recalled a brief passage describing Ascan’s past:

『At age fifteen, Ascan escaped the Calua Empire’s human weapon laboratory. Mistaken for a slave due to his ragged appearance, he was sold to a noble house in the Arwen Empire…』

Yes—Ascan had definitely escaped the lab and crossed into the Arwen Empire.

Because of that traumatic experience, he showed no mercy when later invading the Arwen Empire.

My mind raced.

Tanashia and Ascan were the same age—fifteen meant this must happen this year.

“Where’s the slave market in the capital?”

“Huh? The slave market?”

“Yes. I need to go immediately.”

“But, Miss, if you’re going there…”

Before the maid could finish—

Creeeak—

The bathroom door, which I thought was empty, opened, revealing a boy.

His ragged clothing alone suggested he was a slave working for the Brellof house.

He bowed deeply toward me and spoke in a flat, emotionless voice.

“I’ve prepared the bathwater as instructed.”

Like me, he had jet-black hair—but somehow, his felt even darker, heavier.

Though his expressionless face remained lowered, his sharp nose and straight forehead hinted at strikingly handsome features.

Moreover, the boy felt eerily similar to someone I’d seen described in .

Then I noticed ancient script tattooed on his nape, peeking from beneath his shirt collar—the mark forcibly branded onto Calua Empire’s test subjects.

“C—could it be…?”

I hastily covered my mouth with trembling hands.

Had I been a moment later, I might have screamed in shock.

Staring at him with disbelief, the boy lifted his bowed head, fixing me with abyss-like golden eyes.

Instantly, I felt the chill of my future neck being severed by him.

Composing myself, I forced a casual tone.

“I don’t recognize your face. When did you join our household?”

“You… don’t recognize my face?”

The boy’s expression hadn’t changed—but somehow, the air grew colder, as if he were utterly speechless.

‘What? Do we already know each other?’

I swallowed hard. Unsure what was happening, I skipped preliminaries and asked my most urgent question.

“…What’s your name?”

The boy stared at me silently for a moment—then softly answered.

“Ascan. My name is Ascan.”

Hearing his reply, I felt as if struck by a hammer.

Apparently…

The novel’s final villain, Ascan—mistaken for a slave and sold—had arrived precisely at our household.

‘W—wait a minute!’

How on earth did this happen?

This wasn’t in the original story!