Ersta? That couldn't be possible.

No it just wouldn't make sense. But at the same time, hasn't she played the main character her entire life? Yes, people loved her, everyone loved her.

The tips of her fingers spontaneously touched her pink cheeks lightly. It was soft and squishy. The blush was natural. Ersta had a naturally pretty face, of course like the protagonist she is. Bright eyes, small button nose, long, healthy hair, and pink cupid lips. 

There was a small knock outside in her room. It hit the door several times before sounding more harsh and frustrated.

"Ah," Mina slid across the floor of the bathroom, sliding against walls and pushing off them for friction towards the door. "Coming!"

The handle, made from gold of course, rattled violently. Mina fumbled at it for a little bit before cracking the door open. A maid a bit shorter than she was stood in front of her, holding onto a tray containing a decorated teapot, a matching cup, and some type of powder on a handkerchief. 

"Princess, it's time for your morning medicine." The maid gripped onto the tray tightly, looking down slightly, her eyes wandering from the teapot to the powder.

"What's your name?" Mina still peaked behind the small crack of the door.

"It's Mariylen, princess," she replied, a hint of trembling was noticeable in her voice.

"Oh, may you please hand the tray over? I'll be taking the medicine, please just wait outside for me to return you the tray." Mina opened the door fully and took the tray quickly and slammed the door.

Something was wrong. Ersta never once had to take medicine in the book, or she was never mentioned to have some sort of terminal illness.

Mina placed the tray on her vanity, pushing piles of stamped papers and bottles of ink onto the side. 

The powder definitely looked suspicious. It smelled good though. It was white, almost sand like. Mina stood still for a few seconds before pouring the water from the teapot into the cup. She lifted it up to her face, examining it for a few seconds before drinking. She left a little bit of water that filled a layer on the bottom of the cup. 

Mina took a pinch of the unknown powder and put a little bit into the cup. It was like she was back at chemistry class again in middle school, her partner being Joo-You...

No! I cannot think about him anymore. Mina closed her eyes and breathed before reopening them with a determined look on her face. 

The powder she had let fall into the cup with minimal water dissolved right away. 

Like poison. The kind people use to lace in drinks.

Or like those flavored powders she would buy at the gas stations to make her water tasty. 

So, since her suspicions were still not cleared, she opened cabinet after cabinet in her vanity in search of a glass bottle that had a cork. 

She found one that was in the shape of an angel with wings springing upright. It was colored rainbow against the sunlight, casting a range of colors onto whatever it shined. 

Mina bent the fabric and let the powder fall into the container and she sealed it quickly and hid it away in the back with other glass bottles in the very back of the cabinets. 

It doesn't look suspicious right? She did drink the water, just without the medicine. Right. For extra measures, Mina stuck a finger into the bottom of the cup, circled around, and rubbed it on a small spot on the lip of it. This way, it would seem as if she drank it, with the medicine too.

She rearranged everything back onto the tray neatly and returned to the door. Opening it, she saw no one. 

The maid had run off?

Mina blinked a few times. She specifically told her to stay here and wait for her to finish, it didn't take her necessarily that long to hide everything.

Mina poked her head out of the doorway, looking around before stepping outside. It was also filled with many windows separated by large paintings of enchanting women with charming men. Each one of them had the same pose, the woman was sitting in a magnificent dress, and the man stood behind her, hair slicked back and one hand on the woman's shoulder. The frames were gold too.

Gold this, gold that. The entire castle was a jackpot mine at this point. 

The long hallway was airy and if she were to be wearing heels, it would clack and echo with each step. For now, she could only hear her quiet breathing bouncing back to her ears. 

After a bit, she could finally see a door in sight. Not the ones on her right of course, but one directly at her.

Mina had expected Ersta to be rich, but she had unwillingly denied the protagonist was beyond wealthy at this point. It was difficult to hold back touching everything, even though her mind was of a woman in her mid twenties. 

Mina's body and brain functioned separately. Her mind crossed confidence and determination after she heard smothered speaking from beyond the door. However, her hand quivered strangely, beckoning her to back away and run.

Her thoughts won and she opened the door in the main hall stupidly.

"Ah, good morning sister,"

She had opened the door to a large dining area. The heads turned towards her, stopping midway on whatever they were doing.

"Darling, what's gotten into you? You should be resting right now," a gentle, powerful voice broke the temporary silence.

"Mother, let her join us for once would you? She hasn't seen us in days!" A small girl with lipstick pink hair whined. 

Mia stood at the doorway awkwardly before making her way over to the pill shaped table covered in a rectangular floral cloth. 

The lady who spoke put down her fork and turned towards Mina, a gentle smile appearing on her face. She had the same peach pink hair as Mina's new body and lively brown eyes. Very few wrinkles were visible on her smooth face. "Come on now, dear, I guess you can come enjoy breakfast with us," she sighed, exasperated. 

Now the small girl turns towards Mina. "Sister, come, mother made egg tarts for us!"

Mina was still frozen for a few seconds before she smiled happily. "Yes, I'll come."

She in fact, had no idea who these people were, besides the fact they are Ersta's family. The girl with reddish hair was most likely her 'sister', the one sitting next to her was her 'mother', and the one sitting at the end of the table was her 'father'. 

The little girl scrambled off her chair and ran over to Mina and tugged at her skirt, pulling her towards the dining table. 

"Come sit down, hurry or I'm going to eat your portion," the girl climbed back onto her seat, snagging her fork, stabbing at her food. 

"Oh, but I'm not that hungry," Mina started. There wasn't even a plate for her anyways. 

"Just take what you'd want," the girl insisted. 

The 'mother' sitting next to her 'sister' lifted her hand, motioning her to take what she would like.

"It's been awhile since Lady has had any desert. The doctor said not to, but I suppose we can get away with it," she said gracefully. 

Wasn't Ersta an only child?

"Thank you mother, but I really shouldn't be-"

Her 'mother' pushed a decorated ceramic plate containing cookies in front of her.

"At least eat one could you? You haven't had the taste of anything sweet in so long," she smiled.

Mina reflected the lady's smile back weakly.

"Yes, thank you then,"

"Wonderful,"

Mina looked back down at the plate. In comparison to everyone sitting at the table, it was quite embarrassing to be sitting down, barefoot and her nightgown. Her 'sister' wore a pretty sunny yellow dress with white laces, her stockings ran up to her knees and shoes with short heels that matched her dress with bows. Her 'mother' wore a deep green dress with dull net patterns that layered on top. Her hair was tied into a braid, strands hung from her face and a necklace made from some type of stone encircled her neck.

Mina then looked at her 'father', which might've given a stop to her heart for a second. Her 'father'...dressed more like her than she thought. He looked as if he had just come out of bed. He reminded her of Joo-Young when she'd drag him out of bed as early as four so he wouldn't miss his flute lessons. His blonde hair reached his neck, and he also looked as youthful as her 'mother'. He also had tired eyes and had a blanket wrapped around him, a hand poking out from the gap to pick up a utensil to eat. 

"Ah..." she turned her head away from her 'father' to look at her 'sister' sitting next to her, feet kicking and an egg tart in her small hands. 

"Oh, don't mind father, he stayed up last night after mother screamed at him for not completing his domestic work for the castle," she said and continued eating.

"I see," Mina turned back to face her plate. 

"Anyways," her 'sister' started. "My friends are coming over to play today, and I'm going to teach them how to use a sword again!" Her 'sister' threw her hands up into the air happily, rocking back on the chair.

"Dear, don't hurt them like you did last time, especially the prince," her 'mother' lectured frantically.

Mina picked up a cookie and nibbled on it while listening to the conversation. Finally that useless class for acting had paid off in some way. At this point, she wasn't even sure if she was Ersta, considering the amount of times she was wrong about some things.

Her 'father' suddenly flung out of his seat, his blanket falling. "Wife, I think I forgot something!" he wailed.

"What is it now," her 'mother' made a pissed face at him.

"I forgot, I'll do it now!" 

He just left like that.

Nothing was said for the next few minutes. All Mina listened to was her 'sister' that she didn't even know the name to eat her toast. 

How much is that kid eating?

"Done!" Her 'sister' wiped off the liquid mustache on her face and bolted out of her seat. 

"Almeria, take your sister back to her room first, then make sure the maids bring her breakfast if they haven't," her 'mother' waved a hand at her 'sister'.

Sister Almeria?

Mina shot a look at her 'sister'. 

"What are you looking at," her 'sister' made a mean face.

"Don't be so rude now," her 'mother' patted her 'sister' on the head.

"Fine, let's go," 

The little girl grabbed onto Mina's nightgown and pulled her towards the door, and Mina reluctantly followed. 

As they got past the doors for the dining area, when they shut, the girl turned towards Mina.

"Your man is being a whore again." 

Huh?

Mina stood there dumbfounded.

"Who?"

"You know, that ass?" The girl shrugged.

"Eh?"

Her 'sister' continued standing in front of her, tapping her foot impatiently. 

"Sister," Mina ever so calmly replied. "You should watch your language."

"Well, he can't stop sending letters. Our mailbox is overflowing with those love notes that would burn instantly after reading."

"..."

Mina did not reply to this. Her 'sister Almeria' shrugged lightly, flipped her heel around, and continued walking. 

Mina followed behind, lagging a bit. 

It was a dead silent walk from then on. Whoever Mina had transmigrated into was definitely not close to their sister. 

It grew so awkward only hearing the steps, Mina even tried starting a conversation to avoid the distance.

And to get more information.

"Say, sister, what does he write often?" she asked, striding next to her 'sister'.

"Huh. Never thought you'd be interested in them," she snorted. "I can ask mother to start sending them all to you then." She shrugged, uninterested. 

"Does he send anything along with them?" Mina pushed.

"Usually some flowers or jewelry, but whenever we have them brought to your room, they get thrown into your cabinet dedicated to his sendings."

She added, disgusted, "His letters are so cringe it makes me want to die."

"Well, that's kind of mean," Mina muttered, unexpectedly. 

"Whatever you say, V."

Her 'sister' reached the doors Mina once had stood in. She could explore some more there.

"There, go back in and sleep. I don't want you dying yet. If you did, that crazy hoe would send us messages non stop crying."

She pushed Mina into the room, her hands only reaching up to half her back. "When I say the letters cry, they actually do," she sputtered nervously before slamming the doors shut.

Mina would wander over to her bed. She had been lightheaded for a bit, her thoughts a blur. Lying down with an arm over her eyes, she began to sigh heavily. Every breath was difficult to push out. It wasn't the fact that she had been tragically killed and transported to a story book, but it was the names that had sounded a little too familiar to be confused. 

And wasn't she called 'V' by 'sister Almeria'?

Sister Almeria.

Almeria...

"Almeria?" 

That's when she sat up in realization.