Painless slumber

Upon recalling her miserable existence in the novel and seeing blood on her hands, Sophia could only remember a few lines from the novel between the protagonist and one of his lovers, who was the reason for the original Sophia's death.

***

The protagonist looked into his beloved Angela's eyes and presented her with Sophia's head. Sophia had died with her eyes open, wearing a perplexed expression as she hadn't known how she died in the first place.

He embraced Angela and called out to her in a voice resembling the whisper of a handsome devil from hell, "Angela, are you happy now? You no longer have to bear the title of the Second Beauty of the Northern Royal Family." Angela nodded shyly, as Alex's hands had already roamed under her skirt...

***

Sophia felt an increased sense of disgust upon recalling this and that the original body's owner had died for such a ridiculous reason. "Seriously, does the title of 'The First Beauty' matter this much? Damn the author and the hero," she muttered in her mind, but as she turned to look at herself in the mirror, all she could do was gaze in astonishment at her reflection. She experienced a mix of emotions, sadness and bewilderment, unable to see any trace of her former facial features she had grown accustomed to seeing every day for 37 years.

Before her lay a beautiful face, impervious even to bloodstains, with clear blue eyes and long black hair. A cascade of tears burst from her eyes once more, and she pressed her forehead against the mirror, feeling barely able to sit. In a soft voice, her words slurred from a week of constant crying, she said, "You, if you're watching me... Please take me back home. This isn't a funny joke, please... Why did you bring me here? Is this a hidden camera prank? Screw you all. I'm not a joke to you. My family will be worried; all I did was close my eyes and take a little nap."

After some time, the idea crossed her mind, "Maybe if Sophia dies as in the novel, I can return to my world..."

Sophia's gaze turned sharp as she said this, feeling her own stupidity, and she dragged her tired, sick body to select a sharp shard from the wreckage of artifacts and vases she had broken earlier. If anyone saw her from a distance, they would perceive from her gaze that she had lost all reason. She seemed like a crazy person muttering, "If I came here for a short nap, I'll return to my home with an extended slumber, a very long one. Who cares if Sophia dies now or in the future." A smile appeared on her lips as she thought that she wouldn't remain in this cursed place much longer.

After selecting a sharp shard, Sophia cut every vein in her wrist. Being a surgeon, there was no room for error. She ensured a swift, painless slumber that would last a long time.

She lay on the ground, surrounded by a large pool of blood, and with each passing moment, her vision became foggy. All she could see in that moment was the silhouette of a person. A sharp pain shot through her wrist, causing her to open her eyes quickly with an expectant look. But like fragile glass, all those expectations shattered with one look at her surroundings. She was still in that ancient Eastern-patterned room.

The headache started to intensify, and in astonishment, she thought, "Why didn't it work?"

Then she looked at her wrist and felt the pain growing stronger, her expression turning very ugly as she muttered, "This didn't work."

Suddenly, a voice next to her responded, "Is it painful?"

Sophia was startled by the sudden voice and quickly looked towards the source, not sensing anyone beside her. Her eyes widened slightly as she recognized the character from the novel immediately, as he possessed distinct features that set him apart from others in the story. He had pitch-black hair and fair skin, but what truly distinguished him were those deep, abyssal black eyes. It was as if a single glance from him could unveil all the secrets within a person.

Naturally, this was the character she had been drawn to, the one who had made her continue reading the novel despite all the disgust-inducing events.

He was none other than the Crown Prince of the Eastern kingdom "Noah," who was the original body's husband. As soon as she saw him, a few lines from the novel immediately came to her mind.

***

Alex said coldly, as he looked at Noah's body that seemed like a mass of flesh and bones, "You were a good punching bag, Noah. This young master won't forget you, because you were a good stepping stone for me. You unlocked new possibilities for strength on my path."

***

Sophia looked at the person sitting beside her with pity, feeling that she wasn't the only wretched one in this place. Noah was just a typical young master, a role commonly found in any wuxia novel, serving the purpose of refining the protagonist's skills and perhaps even helping him break through his cultivation bottleneck. Yet, her train of thought halted when she sensed the coldness, and a chilling sweat covered her all over. She then heard Noah say, "I asked you, answer."

She managed to respond with difficulty, fighting the pain in her wrist and the pressure coming from Crown Prince Noah, struggling to prevent tears from flowing. "Of course, it's painful. Please stop."

Noah was taken aback upon hearing this and was even more surprised by the pitiful expression on her face. The pressure instantly lessened, and Sophia could breathe again, but she still felt as if there were a thousand needles piercing her body. She then heard Noah say once again, "Don't do this again. You won't catch my attention by hurting yourself like this."

Sophia hadn't encountered anyone as self-absorbed as Noah, someone who thought so highly of himself. All she could do was laugh, despite the pain she felt, as she clutched the left side of her clothes, her hand turning pale. Nevertheless, Sophia didn't give his narcissism much importance; she had lost a part of her sanity on the day she was transported to this place.

She smiled at Noah, whose ugly expression was met with her attempt not to choke on the blood she was coughing up. "Noah, I pity you."

He didn't reply, but mumbled something shortly afterward. A person dressed in black suddenly appeared from thin air, kneeling on one knee, waiting for the Crown Prince's command. "Summon the doctor and Liam."

Sophia didn't pay attention to what Noah said, continuing to laugh at their unfortunate fate, even as she coughed up dark blood with force, appearing like a mad person. Nonetheless, her gaze froze in the air when she saw a transparent blue panel and heard a robotic voice:

[Ding: System activated]

[Ding: Matching souls in progress]

[Ding: First task: Stay awake during soul matching]

[Reward: Slowing down the action of poison within the host's body]