A/N: After re-reading the first chapter all I could do was cringe at how awkward it was written…and so I’ll be changing the way I write for the second chapter! And for all those who reviewed thank you very much for taking the time to read this first timer’s story.

As always, constructive criticism is welcome. Suggestions are also welcome as well, if you want me to add something or tell me if something is wrong that’s alright too!

PS: Please tell me which style of writing you prefer! The first or the second. Thank you~

PPS: I’m sorry if the pace isn’t too your liking…please bear with it until then.

Chapter 2: Ghost of the past

                It took time but eventually Ivonna regained all the missing pieces of her past and when she sifted through those memories she wish she hadn’t.

Her past wasn’t as beautiful as she had thought nor was it ugly. Some of the things she discovered, she wanted to keep locked up and never remember. She wanted to forget the ugly feelings that resurfaced in her heart.

But there was also the special memories she held dear that she never wanted to forget.

She lived with a family of six, including her.

A mother, a father, an older brother, her younger sister, her…

And her twin.

They weren’t poor. They weren’t average if anything they were filthy rich.

Her father was the next CEO in a company and her mother was lovely person often called a ‘Yamato Nadeshiko’.

(Yamayto Nadeshiko: idealized Japanese woman or the epitome of pure, feminine beauty)

Her brother – Yamato-nii was…frail, often sick and weak but he was smart and if he had been healthy he told her he would have liked to pursue baseball.

She had smiled fondly at him back then.

She and her twin were two years younger than him.

Her brother received pitiful glances from their relatives and her parents often whispered the term…“failure”. Ivonna - Yukino was the one that often took care of him while her parents fawned over her twin’s achievements.

Her twin’s name was Yumiko.

Yukino would be the first to admit that her twin shined like a star; and because of her brightness she was often hidden in Yumiko’s shadow that had grown too large to overcome.

Yukino wasn’t a slacker by any means. Her parents wanted perfection and she strived to achieve that so that she would get her parent’s attention.

After all she was just a child and like any other child she wanted her parents to be proud of her too.

But over time she just realized…it wasn’t enough. No matter how high the marks or no matter how many achievements she had…there was just something different about Yumiko.

She couldn’t hate her sister for that.

It was fine. It was fine even if her parents didn’t look at her with favor. It was fine if she wasn’t praised. It was fine even if her parents often forgot the fact that their prized child had a twin. It was fine if they didn’t love her as much.

Her brother needed her and that was enough to keep her going. Her brother’s love was enough. That someone needed her and not her sister was enough.

Being appreciated for who she was a beautiful feeling.

But it didn’t mean she didn’t feel bitter.

And then there was her other younger sibling – Misaki. Misaki was three years her junior and in Yukino’s eyes she was also a star. Although she wasn’t as intelligent as her or Yumiko or as athletic, she had a smile that put the sun to shame. Misaki was a cheerful girl who didn’t care about status quo and just did things the way she wanted.

Yukino admired her for that.

Misaki also joined her during her visits to the hospital where their brother was confined. The two of them were the only ones in their family who ever bothered visiting him. It was likely their parents never remembered their first born.

Sometimes Yukino couldn’t help but feel angry at her parents who put all of their attention on Yumiko. They didn’t even pay attention to Misaki except during her first few months as a newborn.

The only ever time their mother paid attention to Misaki was only during the times she needed breastfeeding and when that was over she was handed to the nearest maid available.

Ivonna – Yukino couldn’t find it in herself to hold a grudge against her twin, surely she was also stressed out from all the expectations that were pushed onto her.

During one of Misaki’s off days, when she was old enough to understand the situation, they were playing games inside her room when she admitted to feeling jealous of all the attention Yumiko had. She had admitted to her that she (Yukino) had been more of a mother to her than their biological mother had ever been.

Yukino didn’t know how to respond to that.

Her classmates told her she was blessed. She had everything one could ever want: beauty, money, intelligence, a loving family, a comfortable life…

They didn’t know though.

The loving family only included her brother and younger sister.

That she was practically raised by her nanny.

Who ever said money could buy everything was wrong.

Money couldn’t buy love.

Money couldn’t buy her parent’s attention.

When she was 18, graduating from high school and her only attendee was Misaki, Yukino received the news that her brother had passed away.

And though the sun was out and shining, the day suddenly felt darker.

They held the funeral a few weeks later. It was a small funeral, one that her parents didn’t even bother attending.

Their reasoning was: They were busy.

They had a huge fight. All the bottled up feelings that Yukino had kept hidden came bursting out.

She was disowned after that.

Misaki wanted to follow her but she urged her younger sister to stay. She wouldn’t be able to provide Misaki the education she needed. She wasn’t even sure she could provide a home for them.

Misaki stayed at that terrible house where there was no warmth.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Yukino apologized a thousand times.

Somehow, the gods took pity on her and she got a part time job, a scholarship and decent apartment.

Then two years passed by in a blur and she never once saw or talked to anyone in her family.

And then one day, while going home from her part time job – she was killed.

And while she lay dying on the sidewalk she thought to herself ‘Baka (stupid), why did you decide to work overtime when there are serial murders happening all over the place? Ahh…of course…I wanted to get Misaki-chan the perfect gift…it’s been two years after all…’

And that was her last memory as Takahashi Yukino.

Now, she was given a second chance.

And she was going to make the most of it.

She was going to live with no regrets.

*              *              *

Although she said that…she didn’t actually know enough of her situation to act…

Dulcina and her mother hadn’t visited again after that. There were the occasional maids but…she missed her Okaa-sama already!

Ivonna sat up in her cot and inspected the room with critical gaze. Whining wasn't going to do her any good. There was nothing to do here…well she was baby after all, nobody could’ve known  that there was an 18-year old girl inside a baby’s body.

If she didn't find something to do there was no guarantee she wouldn't go insane.

Nooooooo!!  She cried internally.

Then she stilled.

There was that though…

Ivonna eyed the book the lay on the table. She was planning to eventually read the books that were provided in the room…but she didn’t even know if she could read the words of this world…

The book that she was planning on reading was simply a book of fairy tales. A maid had started coming during the night to read her some stories. Ivonna could only guess that it was simply to let her learn some words so that she could learn speaking.

That was surely what her parents her were thinking.

Speaking of which, she hadn’t met her father yet…Oh well, she’ll think about that at a later time.

Ivonna spent the next few hours reading the book. Since it was too big for her to hold it upright, she had just pulled it from the table and let it tumble itself down to her crib.

Surprisingly the book was in English which was something she was thankful for (Ivona was mostly expecting Greek-like letters) most of her favorite novels were written in English after all.

Piece of cake then.

Nobody entered the room and Ivonna was free to read in peace.

Some of the tales were familiar, tales that came from her world (Sleeping beauty, Snow White etc.) and some were all together strange but one tale did caught her attention. It was something she’d heard of but never read.

It went like this :

More than a millennium ago, there was no peace in this lands.

Destruction and chaos could be found at every corner of the kingdom.

The five deities, that protected the five kingdoms and its people, was defeated and they disappeared.

The four heavenly kings, the ones that spread terror through the lands rejoiced at their defeat and went to conquer one of the five kingdoms.

But there was one odd kingdom out and so they destroyed it.

(Apparently, one of the kings couldn’t stand it when things weren’t even.s)

What the four heavenly kings did not know was that five deities had foretold a prophecy that one day a hero from another universe will come and free the remaining four kingdoms from their evil grasps.

The five deities knew it was going to be dangerous journey to the hero foretold and so they each chose one mortal bloodline that would eventually help the hero.

And then as was foretold, the prophesied day came and a hero came from another world.

It was a long and grueling journey but the day finally came that the hero and the five chosen companions of said hero, defeated the four heavenly kings and sealed them.

At last peace was finally regained after a long time of suffering.

And if the four heavenly kings were to ever rise to power again a hero will once again be summoned to defeat the evil kings.

It had a longer version but that was the gist of it.

And it was bothering Ivonna very much.

Where, where did she heard that tale? It sounded like an old tale that a mage would be telling the hero from an anime…

An old tale that a mage would be telling the hero from an anime…

Anime…

Otome game…

Hero…

Ivonna…

…Rival villainess…

Four heavenly kings…

Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

*              *              *

That night, a baby’s wail was heard all through out the castle.