Chapter 1 - Tragedy and Genesis

It's another rainy afternoon in September. The weather seems to cooperate with the loneliness she's feeling after being rejected from another job application.

She's not the smartest nor most talented student to graduate with a degree in Bachelor of Music Major in Music Education, but her grades weren't that bad either. She's just "ehh" or "so-so" or "average"; average in everything. Her looks were average, and her family standing was average as well. In fact, her motto in life was "always live simply".

Right now, she's thinking if "living simple" was the right choice. It seems like life is tricky and her choices of simple living are now giving her a hard time achieving her dream.

Maya James, 26, single and aloof. Her dream was simple and practical. She knows she's not pretty, not very creative, and definitely not rich. She didn't want to be a famous singer/composer or a star; she just wanted to compose. She just wants to be someone who can share her love for music with the world.

Or…She could actually be lying to herself. Deep inside, she wants to be famous! She wanted to get out of her average life! She wanted to be seen! She no longer wanted to stay in the same place in life…she wanted to fly and soar high…but she can't, she knows that she can't.

She can't even apply as a music teacher in a public school far from the city. She's not lazy and she's very good at memorizing; it's just that it really can't take you far with just those two good qualities. And she hates that she can't do anything to stand out, be praised, or be admired.

"Alright, enough with self-pity. I'll just drown myself in reading novels and newly released manhwas today! Hehe", she said after leaving her favorite bookstore.

Thanks to her parents who own a small bakeshop, she can still leech off—ehem—or earn a little by helping them in their store, then indulge herself by buying two to three books every month.

She doesn't have any favorite novel, to be exact, but her book choices were almost identical to each other.

She's now waiting for the bus to arrive and while waiting, she's slowly reading this newly purchased book in her hand with the title "My Downhearted Nobleman".

It's a second-rate romance novel with the theme "As long as there's love, anything is possible" --- cringe but she likes it. What she likes most is to mock and pity the stupidly in-love characters sacrificing everything for their one true love.

The story is about a female daughter of a poor baron with outstanding skills in swordsmanship, better than the sons and daughters of any dukes with special mentors or masters. Like a typical romance novel, she'll meet the crown prince of a neighboring kingdom in the academy and will face struggles along the way. The prince with a cold and possessive character would hate her guts and outstanding swordsmanship skills. However, he'll eventually soften and admit his adoration and care for her.

She quickly got on the bus to continue reading and spent 45 minutes scanning through the pages of the book. She has already finished this novel online, but hard copies just smell nice and give another level of satisfaction. While scanning, she's reminded of how annoying some of the characters in the novel are and how childish but cute the conflicts were in the story.

"Haha so cute…but if it was me, I'd just end the misunderstanding right away."

The rain stopped just minutes before her stop. She walked straight past small stores and food stalls and reached the top of the steep long stairway leading down to her way home.

Before she took another step, her attention was caught by someone.

"Hey Maya!", she heard a girl calling her name just 15 steps from her. She noticed the girl walking towards her smiling or more like smirking.

"Oh, Nicole…so…what do you want?", she recognized her ex-best friend. Her old traitor friend.

They had been friends since they were 9 and shared a lot of things together. It was all fun memories until she was informed that this so-called best friend was backstabbing her and sharing all her embarrassing stories with everyone and even to Arthur, whom she admires the most in school.

She confronted her and punched her in the face and that was the last time they spoke.

"Nothing really. Just wanted to know if you landed a job?", she said, still smirking.

'Ugh! She's really testing my patience, Maya thought to herself. She would never understand whatever this girl could be thinking right now.

"And what is it to you? Did you suddenly become an heiress of some rich company? Are you part of HR?", she said with a blank expression. She really want to annoy the other girl.

Nicole's smirk was gone and she was now frowning, and her face was red. She hates Maya for being cheeky, she's filthy rich, but Maya never thought highly of her. She didn't know that Maya just don't care at all.

'Maya will always be underneath me! Always!'

Nicole continued to infuriate her, "Still bitter after Arthur and I started dating? Huh? And now you're just a burden to your parents! You even look 40 when you're just 26! You're clearly jealous of my life and--"

Maya rolled her eyes, "Ha! Me? Jealous of yourself? Didn't Arthur share your dirty bedroom secrets with everyone in school? And you are now indeed in a company that provides quality songs, but didn't you get in because of your parents' money? Is that something to be proud of? Is that something I should be jealous of? Get off your high horse—"

Nicole cannot take it anymore.

"Erghh!" - Nicole.

Nicole, grunting, pushed Maya so hard that Maya immediately lost her balance and struggled to try to get back to her feet…but it was too late.

In the next few seconds, Maya's scream can only be heard together with the painful pounding of her body on the steep stairway.

"Aaaahhhhh!!!!" 'Thud…thud...thud…thud…splat. It was like the endless sound of her body's impact on the stairway. Everything's painful. She felt like everything was broken.

Her vision is blurry with blood and the last thing she saw was the smiling face of the other girl then running away from the scene.

Her life flashed before her eyes. She cried and suddenly felt numb.

'I'm sorry mom…dad…sissy…I'm sorry for being such a failure…I'm sorry...'. Before she lost consciousness, she wrote using her blood and fractured left hand the word "Nicole".

Then everything was black.

====================================================

"Hmmm", Maya woke up grouchy. With heavy eyes, she started studying the ceiling while squinting her eyes trying to focus.

'What a nice chandelier…waaaaaait…Did I survive that fall?'

She knew that she was either dead or in the hospital recovering.

'No way this is a hospital or even if it is, mom and dad can't afford this type of luxurious room', Perhaps Nicole's family paid for her hospitalization? 'Tsk, just you wait, I won't settle this matter easily. I'll surely ask for grand compensation'.

She then started scanning the room.

"Well…this is a nice room. I kinda deserve this, nonetheless. It will at least keep my mind off the idea of being disabled forever", she said, still scanning the room.

She noticed a nicely carved cabinet and vanity desk, two wide wooden doors in front and on the left, and an expensive-looking glass window, or maybe it's a glass door that leads to a spacious balcony, and on her right, there's a white and gold bedside table with a lacey cream-white mask on top that's slightly glowing.

She started yawning and unconsciously stretched her arms. After a few seconds, her eyes widened.

'Wait, how come my arms felt fine?'

she tried moving her arms, trying every move, trying to move them in a circular motion, doing the Macarena moves.

"What?! My arms are fine!", she then tried moving her legs.

"HUH?!", she tried standing up, jumping, running, then collapsed on the floor and started crying.

"Uwaaaaaah! I ... I thought I wouldn't be able to walk again … waaaaah … I thought... I thought I wouldn't be able to write …or play guitar…waaaaah", she started wailing like someone just died.

A few minutes passed and she heard a knock.

"Good morning m'lady, pardon the intrusion but the Marchioness asked me to see if you're ready for breakfast", said the woman that sounded old behind the wooden door in front.

Maya stopped crying and was bewildered.

'What Marchioness? My lady?', she then proceeded to stand on the floor.

She looked around and looked at the view outside the glass door. She looked astonished and couldn't believe what she saw.

"Where is this?!".

All she could see was a very very spacious green field and a high gate situated at a great distance from her. She also noticed a group of armored men that looked like knights in the novels that she usually reads.

'Knights?! You gotta be kidding me?!'

Before she could inspect further, the woman at the door called her again.

"M'lady … Is everything fine?".

She was still confused but she tried calming herself and gathering her thoughts, then responded.

"Uh…yeah, yeah, I'm good. Can you give me 20 minutes? While I'm trying to organize myself?"

"We're ready to assist you, m'lady, we –"

"No, no, no, just give me 20 minutes. Please?"

The woman on the other side of the door was shocked. She had never heard the lady beg or say the word "Please" before. She smiled and then agreed to the request.

"Alright, my lady. We'll be back later".

After she heard the footsteps walking away, Maya frantically searched the room upside down.

She already had a faint idea of what was happening.

'It's one of those rebirth and transmigration stories!'.

She looked at every cabinet and drawer in the room but there was little to no clue as to where or who she was.

She glanced at the bed and noticed the spine of what seemed like an old notebook. She immediately moved the large pillows covering it and grabbed the olive-green-covered notebook and opened it.

"Malia Ava Augustus", she read the first page. She cannot remember any female lead or villainess characters that were named Malia in all the books she read; however, the last name Augustus was ringing something that she can't clearly recollect.

She was right, the notebook was a diary. She checked it quickly and looked for the last page that could tell her recent events which could give her clues about this new environment she was in. She needs to know quickly if she was thrown into the past or if she's in an entirely new world.

Her focus intensified by reading the last words Malia left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"To my betrothed, Cedric Cromwell,

My love may be one-sided, but I did everything to receive just a glance from you. Even as far as going against my family to be engaged to you.

I know that I looked pathetic and desperate during our formal encounters. You hated my black hair and my dark brown eyes, and you never smiled nor tried to talk to me. And now I realized that I can't ever be compared to the woman you love.

I received and read your letter to break off our engagement. I know you've been meaning to end it since you met her at the Academy. She has everything you wanted and more.

Last week, I was so excited to finally receive a confirmation letter from the academy. I was already thinking of ways to get closer to you and spend time creating meaningful memories with you. But now everything will be meaningless and if I can't have your love, then I don't think my life has any value left. I wish you happiness and a life full of smiles. I will love you always and forever.

Love,

Malia Ava

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maya quickly checked the bed; there she noticed a very small empty flask.

"You killed yourself with poison?! For love?? You're so stupid!", she said angrily.

She can't believe someone would just take their life for loving someone so much. "What about your family? Is life all about love for a partner? Can't there be love for family? Love for yourself or love for other things! You're rich AF, you could have just loved shopping!".

She suddenly recalled something.

"Wait...Cedric Cromwell?! Isn't he one of the side characters who were in love with the female lead's best friend, Andrea? The sexy badass and loud best friend of the female lead of "My Downhearted Noble man"???!!!", She said, almost screaming.

'I transmigrated to "My Downhearted Noble man"? And if I'm the ex-fiancé of Cedric Cromwell, then I'm just a minor character mentioned only in passing to build conflict between Cedric and Andrea. The conflict started when Malia's brother, Matthew, tried to ruin and blame Cedric for his sister's death. Hence, Cedric and Andrea cannot openly shout their love for each other due to feelings of guilt and remorse. Late on, Matthew would start seducing Andrea to get back at Cedric and avenge the death of his sister.

Before she could ponder further, she noticed the cream-white mask on top of the bedside table.

"No way… don't tell me...".

---end of chapter 1---