Prologue

Once upon a time, I was your average assistant working my way up the corporate ladder fresh out of college. Maybe it wasn’t the best life, but it wasn’t the worst. I worked enough overtime to suck out my soul, survived on takeout and ramen, and dreamed of impossible things like being romanced by a dreamy billionaire or owning my own house. You know, normal stuff. So what if life wasn’t a fairytale? I could still dream and live out a thousand book lives.

Maybe the gods thought I was too comfortable with my situation. One broken heel that sent me onto the tracks of a subway line later and I woke up gasping for air. At least I didn’t feel the pain, you know? But waking up draped in yards of freezing cloth wasn’t all that great either. It took me days of disorientation to accept that I’d become a ‘pampered young miss’ in ancient times.

Are you kidding me? It might seem like a life of leisure, but the backyard machinations were no joke. Mistresses and concubines fighting for favor. At least I was born to the legitimate wife, but really? A life where my entire existence was cultivated just to be some rich dude’s housekeeper? I tried to accept my role, but the lack of internet and indoor plumbing was literally the worst. And the books I had access to were pathetic.

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like I was going anywhere fast, so…I had to adapt. I learned music, embroidery, painting, and calligraphy because they seemed like the best of my very limited options. Honestly though? Most of my time was spent in the kitchen, trying to recreate all the foods I missed. You would not believe the crap they tried to pass off as ‘delicious’ back then.

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That actually worked in my favor, because I became known as a highly talented young miss, all because I didn’t want to mistreat my stomach. As it so happens, other people also like good food, and my mom used that to arrange an advantageous match to a duke.

He was youngish and not terrible looking, and he could continue to provide me with good ingredients, so I agreed. It wasn’t like there were a lot of better options and I wanted to maintain the lifestyle I’d carved out. You might be asking–well, why didn’t you start a business with your future knowledge?

My friends, it was hard to leave the backyard. I was basically constantly confined to the estate. So go ahead and blame me for choosing to live out a comfortable, boring life. I could draw pretty pictures, fix up my clothes to be both fashionable and cozy, and make good food within reason. Trying to break all social norms and conventions is an exhausting venture. I had plenty on my plate just dealing with my half-sisters who couldn’t accept that I didn’t care and was still more popular than them because of my hobbies.

So when I realized I’d been poisoned on my wedding night, I stared at that red canopy and prayed. If I had to remember everything, I was hoping that this would be my last time around. A life where I could chase my dreams.

Instead, I woke up half-dead in a remote mountain village with a throbbing headache.