AEPOB 01

Chapter 01

The first morning of my vacation.

My precious vacation, earned after working overtime like it was a meal, was completely ruined by a certain man.

“Bell, Bell!”

What kind of bolt from the blue is this?

“Hiccup, sob… Bell, Bell!”

All I wanted was to sleep my fill throughout the entire vacation!

The sound of a young man sobbing, as if coming from right next to me, vividly struck my ears.

Just how long was this grown adult man planning to cry?

“Bell… Bell, please…”

“Ah, what the…”

“Bell?”

Unable to tolerate the continuing noise, I finally sat up. My plan was to eliminate the source of the noise and then resume my rest.

However, as I lifted my eyelids, I saw a good-looking man in his early thirties sitting right in front of me.

‘Th-this man, how did he get in here?’

Door lock hacking?

Or did he break the security window?

“Bell! Are you coming to now? Ah, thank God. Thank you so much!”

The man pulled me into a tight embrace. From what I glimpsed, his face was filled with emotion, as if he had seen his savior.

“What the…?”

I hastily looked around.

Where am I?

The neat, modern-style officetel was gone, and I was inside a log cabin straight out of a fairy tale.

Moreover, outside, confirmed through the window, the trees were far too lush to be in the middle of a city.

It was utterly absurd.

Before I could even collect my wits, the man released me from his embrace, then grabbed my hand, his voice quivering.

“Bell, thank goodness. Really… thank goodness.”

Now that I looked, his dark brown long hair tied neatly down gave him an appearance far too foreign to be Korean.

And his clothes, far removed from the modern era, looked like something from the Middle Ages…

I couldn’t grasp the situation at all.

“Bell, do you recognize who I am?”

The man, with tears dangling from his eyes, asked with concern.

Ah, this situation feels awfully familiar.

But in web novels, possession usually happens after a major accident.

For example, getting hit by a dump truck, or dying from overwork.

…Let’s answer first.

Amnesia is the best choice in times like this.

“Well, that is… Aagh! My head feels like it’s splitting!”

“What?!”

I clutched my hair and frowned as if in pain.

Despite my terrible acting, the man fussed over my body, growing restless. Tears that had stopped in his eyes suddenly gushed out again.

“Sob…! Bell, are… are you okay? Hiccup.”

Having inadvertently made a grown man cry, I was flustered by the current situation.

It had been so long since I’d comforted someone that it was hard to react immediately.

I reached out my hand towards the man to wipe his tears.

But at that moment.

The hand that caught my eye was so tiny.

“Um… Please don’t cry.”

Huh, come to think of it, my voice has been way too childish since earlier?

Only then did I realize that my body had become smaller than before.

‘So, a twenty-something me became a child overnight?’

For a moment, I was stunned, frozen.

The man took my hand, which had stopped in front of his face, and held it as he spoke.

“Bell, I’m your father.”

If this was a dream, I wanted to wake up quickly.

Just by looking at him, with his drooping eye corners and a face that screamed “I’m kind,” he seemed like an easy target for people to take advantage of.

He’d probably get swindled left and right, so if I could avoid a path paved with thorns so dark it was hopeless, I should.

“Thank goodness, thank goodness…”

Up until then, I had tried to fall asleep with the peaceful thought that if I just closed my eyes and fell asleep quickly, familiar scenery would unfold.

But unfortunately, the luck of returning to reality did not befall me.

Upon waking, I was met with the same nature-friendly scenery as before, and I felt frustrated.

I even felt a bit wronged.

I mean, where in the world does someone get possessed just by sleeping like usual?

Although I had no family or friends, ever since becoming a lawyer at a large law firm, I had lived without any financial worries.

I admit I cursed quite a bit because the firm work was tough.

Still, I didn’t want to be possessed enough to abandon my original life!

Moreover,

‘Opening my eyes and finding I’m a noble’s daughter?’

Isn’t this a fairly common setting?

But even that wasn’t granted to me.

A simple bed and the pungent smell of various herbs that stung my nose. Though it was somewhat close to a herbal scent, which did help calm my mind and body.

Anyway, judging by the situation, it was a very shabby scene for a noble.

As I pressed my lips together in dissatisfaction and sat still, the man with swollen eyes beside me spoke.

“Bell, are you okay?”

“Yes, Father. I’m fine now.”

I put on a harmless smile.

He still seemed very anxious, overreacting with worry even at the slightest change in my expression, so my business smile seemed essential for the time being.

“Good, I’m glad…”

As if finally relieved, my father gave a faint smile.

The person I had possessed was Abeli Holtz.

Her father’s nickname for her was Bell.

She was a 12-year-old commoner girl who had lost her mother early and lived with her father, an apothecary.

Abeli often gathered herbs in the mountains, and the day I possessed her, she had apparently lost consciousness due to ‘heatstroke.’

If a child of a similar age gathering herbs nearby hadn’t found her quickly and brought her back, her life could have been in danger.

The fortunate thing was that my father considered my incomplete memory to be a side effect after the collapse.

In fact, after asking me a few questions when I woke up, he didn’t ask anything more.

My father held out a spoon filled with brown medicine.

“Bell, it’s time for your medicine.”

I reached out my hand to take the spoon, but he seemed intent on putting the medicine directly into my mouth.

“Ah, say ah.”

My face flushed red due to the changed social role in just two days.

This isn’t quite right, is it? At twelve, she should be able to take medicine by herself.

But his concerned eyes seemed to be welling up with tears again.

Sigh, I suppose it can’t be helped.

I silently opened my mouth.

The round surface of the spoon touched my tongue. The instant bitterness made me frown involuntarily.

But thanks to the candy my father popped into my mouth, sweetness quickly washed over me.

As my crumpled facial muscles slowly relaxed, my father’s face, watching over me, also brightened little by little.

Nevertheless, he gently caressed various parts of my face. He still seemed unable to put all his worries aside.

“Does your head hurt? You suddenly seemed to develop a fever.”

It was a gentle touch I hadn’t felt in a long time.

I had to live alone in the world ever since my grandmother passed away. Unaccustomed to such tenderness, I felt oddly shy.

I scratched my neck and shook my head in response.

“Are you sure you don’t need to lie down a little longer?”

“I’m really fine.”

My father stroked my head with his warm hand.

Though the way he looked at me as if I had done something great just for answering was a bit overwhelming, it still felt good.

“Bell, I have to make medicine in the preparation room tomorrow because of a delivery. If you get really sick, don’t endure it, call for me. Okay?”

“Okay!”

That was welcome news.

I happened to need some time alone to sort things out anyway.

Seeming relieved by my spirited answer, my father’s expression became noticeably more at ease.

He left a kiss on my forehead and returned to the preparation room.

Indeed, Abeli’s father had strong pushover tendencies.

But seeing how he cherished and raised his only daughter, I decided to overlook that flaw for now.

The log cabin where the Holtz family lived was a two-story building.

The first floor consisted of a living room, kitchen, and a store selling herbs and medicines, while the second floor comprised my room, my father’s room, and the pharmacy.

I settled at a counter-like table visible as soon as I opened the front door on the first floor.

According to my father, Abeli often spent her time here.

‘I suppose Abeli would have attended to customers here while her father was preparing medicine.’

It was a fairly peaceful life, which I liked.

Not that I wanted to stay forever, but I’d like to experience it for a few days and then go back.

Even now, seeing the herb fragments scattered on the floor by the wind, my head was full of thoughts about wanting to go back quickly.

I rested my chin on my palm and began to ponder ‘a way to return.’

*Ding—*

—

**[New Mission!]**

—

What’s this now?

Am I seeing things on top of the possession?

Along with a foreign sound effect, a ‘dialogue window’ that looked like something from a game appeared splendidly.

The extent of my gaming experience was limited to matching animal pictures.

If there was internet, I could look up a walkthrough, but as you can see, this place is far removed from modern civilization.

Unlike my troubled self, the dialogue window shimmered beautifully, appealing to be pressed.

**[New Mission!]**

Ah, whatever.

At this point, it’s a head-on confrontation!