Even In Life And Death I'll Never Die

The window was wide open, and all I could see were loud birds and the wind whooshing through the air. I was suffering from a headache and couldn't even think for myself, but I did manage to comprehend one thing. 

I'm supposed to be somewhere else.

All I could remember was the fact I tried to kill myself by drowning. Before this, my name was So-Jin; I was a medical student trying my hardest to live. How did I even end up like this? Should I try again?

Before I could even get up out of bed, I was greeted by two maids with expressionless faces. But their bodies say more. They shook as they brought in a water basin for me to clean my face.

"Lady Liselotte, this water is from a high end."

Hold on a minute! 

"What did you call me?"

"M'lady? What do you mean?" 

"Liselotte. Am I Liselotte Von Halhenstein?" I asked

"Y-yes?"

I get it now. God is punishing me for trying to kill myself by giving me a fate worse than hell. I know this story. 

It's a German myth about a Countess who dies by being greedy and then quickly dies by her beloved, who sees through her wicked schemes and brings back harmony to the world. Crown Prince Kaiserin Adeheid. 

I don't remember much, but he locked her body parts into this chest that the High church made. Because the High Church was convinced, she was under the influence of a demon. I thought it was a story to scare kids about not being greedy, or a demon will haunt you. 

Back in Korea, Liselotte and Kaiserin were real people. This was a big deal because everyone thought it was just old folklore, but no. It was real. They found Liselotte's body parts in the chest made by the High Church, and it was enough to prove that Kaiserin also existed. 

God, I remember the podcasts about how a demon was unleashed on the world by the scientists or the people who found Liselottes corpse—saying how stupid they were and how they didn't have any precautions. 

"Go on what you were saying. I'm sorry I'm not myself today."

I can't believe this is happening, but I don't have enough time to realize everything is happening. 

I looked at the maid's faces. They looked confused but also hid what they were truly feeling.

"This is high-end water. It underwent many purification processes to ensure that it wouldn't contain any impurities that could go through your body. Our lady's safety is important; we wouldn't want you to get ill like last night."

"What exactly happened?" I asked politely 

The maids looked at each other before facing me. Their facade is starting to break.

"It was a terrible sight indeed. You were in a feverish state, and physicians were trying everything in their power to save you. M'lady, be careful. We wouldn't want you to be ill before you had the long-awaited ball of the season!"

They genuinely cared for Liselotte. I thought they were trembling because of how cruel she was, but it might just be that they were ordered to take care of her. They wouldn't want anything to happen to a noble they were assigned to care for. 

"Ah. I see."

"Just leave the water here and leave."

The maids do as I say and leave with a slight hint of concern or pity on their faces. Honestly, I'm not ready to face this reality. 

But I have to force myself because I will find a way out. Maybe, by any chance, my body is still alive and breathing. But if I go back to find out, I'm dead. Then I'm gone. But isn't that what I wanted in the first place? No, this scenario is worse than death.