Chapter 8: Sakura in the Shadows (1) (Updated July-2020)

Two Years Later...…

It had been two years since that incident, Ise's Mother had found her later hiding by the tree with a strange man named Sakamoto Jimbe. Her mother married this person a month later. Rachel was reluctant to get along with this person and her mother. And sometimes, she wanted to say certain things out loud, but it was like she was halted by something. Words that tended to come out of her mouth weren't hers.

It wasn't until a little later that she started to figure out her situation. She's heard of transmigration, reincarnation, and systems in stories. She loved to read, after all, whether they be online or paper books.

Right now, she was in Ina Ise's body, a soul that could influence the host but couldn't make her do anything other than that. That's the reason why she couldn't move when Ise's father was killed. She wasn't in control. It was always Ina Ise. All Rachel ever did was push the girl to do things.

The only problem was the so-called 'mission' that this vague system gave. Rachel didn't understand at all why her system barely spoke or answer any questions. It might as well be nonexistent. What she also wondered was why she followed through with it sometimes.

Part of her wants death, but another part wants to follow what the system says. Strange feeling.

Then she remembered Ise's mother, and the women didn't even speak to her daughter all that much after bringing her back to the Sakamoto household. The woman reminded her so much of her own, Rachel's mother never hated her, but she didn't love her either she stayed with her stepfather due to dependency. She could not survive alone and needed a man in her life. Ise's mother is also doing the same right now and pulls all her time into pleasing this man and ignoring her only daughter who had recently survived a tragedy and seen death at such a young age.

Sakamoto Jimbe left the household taken along her mother for a work-related reason. They were expected to be gone for a few years. Ise's mother had left happily, forgetting about her daughter.

Rachel realized that Ise had this strange ability and influenced her to use it more and more. Ise could twist and turn the world around her, creating illusion and feeling in others when she thought about it like that Rachel realized that they survived that incident due to this strange power.

Rachel looked at Ina Ise's reflection in the mirror at Fifteen. This girl had blossomed. Although Ina didn't understand anything about beauty, this was something she thought. Today was the day her mother and Stepfather came back. Ise quickly got up, and when a servant came in.

"Master and Madam have arrived," the servant said before leading her to her mother and stepfather. Upon seeing her mother's face, Ise bowed without a word.

Her mother's face flushed with surprise and then put on a pleasant smile. "You look so much more beautiful, Ise.

Ise hiding her resentment pretty quickly, said, "Thank you, Mother. You both look very well. Afterall these years," she said with a breathtakingly gentle smile.

"Yes, you certainly have grown more beautiful," Jimbe said with an amused smile and eyes the had a hint of lust.

Ise's mother's smile grows stiff at the sight while Ise and Rachel became disgusted with him, but it never showed on their faces.

"Forgive me for keeping your mother away from you for so long. I know it was selfish, and you must have missed her very much, but I wanted to take care of her."

Her mother's face started to brighten again as she smiled and then said, "Shall we tell her?"

Jimbe laughed, "Very well."

"Ise, I am going to have a baby."

Ise face frozen for a moment before turning into a loving smile. "I am going to be a sister; I am so happy. Thank you," she said, but her mind was screaming profanities at her mother. 'You evil wench…'

Rachel found herself agreeing to Ise's thoughts.

"I intend to move my household to my city house as soon as possible before the winter starts. That way, your mother can be close to the best doctors. And there will be plenty of interesting things for a young thing like you to occupy yourself with in the city, mmm? We will look into that."