The Price Is Your Everything - Chapter 2: Returned to the Past

Nerys Truydd woke up with tears streaming down her face.

The stench of rot and decay that had filled the dark prison cell was gone. Instead, the scent of geraniums wafted through the sunlight streaming into a small room. The bed, though not particularly soft, was clean.

She was alone in the room, surrounded by furnishings she hadn’t seen in years but felt deeply familiar with—the simple wooden cabinet and baskets adorning the walls of the house her father had built, and even the worn rocking chair where her mother used to sit.

Was this a dream? Or heaven?

If it was heaven, it couldn’t have been more perfect. Nerys rolled off the bed and slipped into her slippers.

That was when she noticed something off. Her body felt smaller than she remembered. Examining her arms and legs, she realized they were not the limbs of a thirty-year-old woman. They were much thinner and smaller, filled with vitality—as though she were a child again, just before starting school.

“Riz?”

The door creaked open, and a woman’s voice called out. It was a voice she had longed to hear for so many years. Nerys gasped and ran toward the source of the voice.

“Mother!”

“Why are you crying, my dear?”

Her mother, wiping wet hands on her apron, entered the room and froze at the sight of Nerys’s tear-streaked face.

She looked younger than Nerys remembered. When Nerys had returned home for summer breaks, her mother had seemed older each time. Looking back, Nerys wondered if her mother had been living under constant threats while she was away at school—demands to give up her daughter, the one who possessed the legendary violet eyes.

The thought filled her with pain and guilt. Her mother had endured so much raising her alone. She didn’t deserve such a tragic end.

Terrified this vision might vanish, Nerys threw her arms around her mother, who held her firmly in return, soothing her. Her mother’s familiar scent was one Nerys wanted to cling to forever.

This didn’t feel like a dream, yet it couldn’t be real. What about the prison? Valentin? The vile traitors?

Looking up at her mother, Nerys asked, “Is this heaven?”

Her mother burst out laughing, then kissed Nerys gently on the forehead and asked tenderly, “Does the house feel so wonderful it seems like heaven? Don’t want to go to school, do you?”

Her mother’s words were answer enough. Of course, it was all a nightmare. Such horrible things couldn’t have happened. Nerys hugged her mother tightly and sobbed.

Her mother, startled, held her daughter closer.

“I worry about sending you so far away too. My dear, you’ve always lived here with me, and now you’re going somewhere full of important people.”

…Was it truly just a nightmare?

Nerys had heard these words before, spoken in the same tone and voice. She flinched as memories flooded back—the despair, anger, and pain she had felt before dying, as vivid as if it had just happened.

Every detail of her past was clear in her mind, as though it had all taken place yesterday.

She had never heard of a dream like this. If it wasn’t a dream, then…

She had returned. For reasons she didn’t yet understand.

From her mother’s words, it seemed she was now twelve years old—the age when all noble children of the Bistor Empire entered the Noble Academy. Nerys’s fists clenched tightly around her mother’s skirt.

She would soon leave for that place.

The place where her first nightmare began: the Academy.

“Mother,” Nerys said, looking up at her. Her mother’s face fell at the sight of her daughter’s cautious, sorrowful expression.

At this time, they had never looked at each other with such sadness. As a child, Nerys had been cheerful and bright, much like her mother.

“What’s wrong, my dear?”

Why hadn’t she realized before? Her mother must have felt lonely and sad, sending her only child so far away.

Yet, despite everything, her mother had swallowed her pride and borrowed money from distant relatives who had disowned her for marrying a low-ranking knight. She believed the Academy would benefit Nerys’s future.

“Mother,” Nerys began.

Yes, she would go to the Academy. But this time, she wouldn’t simply play along with those despicable people.

“Yes, my dear?”

“I love you. I’ll do my best.”

Her mother’s sad expression melted into a radiant smile.

Her mother’s bright silver hair shimmered in the sunlight, and for a moment, another silver-haired figure came to mind.

Nellusion Elandria.

For a fleeting moment, Nerys’s face was filled with hatred. Her mother, noticing, looked startled.

But Nerys quickly replaced the expression with a bright smile, as if nothing had happened.

“When do I leave?”

“Tomorrow morning. You’ll need to wake up early, you know.”

“I always wake up early,” Nerys replied confidently.

Her mother chuckled.

“Oh, really? Even though you slept in so late today?”

After being adopted by the Elandria family, Nerys had changed her habits to avoid disgracing the Duke and Duchess. She rose earlier than anyone, studied all day, and stayed up later than most.

Nellusion had once teased her, saying that’s why she wasn’t growing taller—though her growth period had already passed.

Those fleeting, trivial memories had been precious to Nerys during her lonely days in the imperial palace. Now, they only disgusted her.

Never again.

“I can wake up early if I need to. You’ll see tomorrow,” Nerys assured her mother softly.

“My daughter always keeps her word, doesn’t she?”

Her mother whispered kindly, rubbing Nerys’s back. Then, with playful firmness, she patted Nerys twice on her bottom.

“All right, time to finish packing, then!”

“Yes, I’ll do it now.”

Stay safe and healthy, Mother.

If I truly have returned to the past, perhaps God has granted me a chance to save you.

With that silent vow, Nerys hugged her mother one last time, savoring her warmth.

—

The city where the Academy was located was called Carten. The Academy was named after Princess Katerina, who had founded it long ago. It was fitting since the city of Carten sustained itself almost entirely on the revenue generated by the Academy’s students and faculty.

After a long carriage ride, Nerys disembarked at Carten Station. Around her, children of her age were gathering, their faces unfamiliar yet strangely innocent compared to how she remembered them. These were the same children who had once mocked and tormented her, but now they seemed timid and naive.

With her familiarity of the city’s layout, Nerys confidently carried her luggage, which was almost as big as she was, and walked briskly through the streets. Her composed demeanor and self-assured strides quickly drew the attention of other children who were nervously glancing around, unsure of where to go.

But what truly captured their attention was her violet eyes.

Purple eyes were rare but not unheard of, resembling violets in color. However, Nerys’s eyes, with their reddish Tyrian purple hue, were unlike anything anyone here had ever seen.

Her violet eyes had been the reason the Elandria Ducal House adopted her and sent her to marry the Crown Prince. They symbolized the legendary Elandria, one of the three ancient heroes who had defeated the evil dragon and established the empire.

Although the current Elandria family claimed to be direct descendants of the hero, none of them possessed violet eyes.

It was curious that Nerys, whose mother didn’t have them either, had inherited the trait. But since she was a distant relative of the family, it wasn’t impossible.

When her jewel-like eyes fully manifested at the age of eighteen, they had drawn even more intense gazes—some filled with admiration, others with jealousy or scorn.

“Hey!”

A woman’s voice called out nearby. Nerys turned to see a well-kept carriage stopped along the street.

A tall woman stepped out. Judging by her attire, she appeared to be a lady’s maid. Nerys didn’t recognize her, which made her suspect the woman might belong to a graduating senior’s retinue.

The maid approached Nerys, looking down at her with a question. Despite seeing Nerys’s violet eyes, the woman didn’t react strongly, suggesting she wasn’t from a particularly prominent family.

“Are you a local girl?”

Judging by Nerys’s lack of attendants and the size of her luggage, the maid must have assumed she was a commoner. Indeed, after her long journey, Nerys’s clothes weren’t in pristine condition.

Lowering her luggage, Nerys lifted her chin and replied sharply, “I am a knight’s daughter. Do you dare speak down to me?”

The maid’s eyes widened in alarm, and she quickly bowed.

“My apologies, young lady.”

From inside the carriage, a girl’s laughter rang out. Soon after, a cheerful face peeked out through the open door.

The girl, with her chestnut-brown hair, was unfamiliar to Nerys. She seemed about Nerys’s age, prompting a curious tilt of Nerys’s head.

Though Nerys didn’t remember every young lady in society, she had thought she knew all her peers at the Academy, from enrollment to graduation.

By imperial law, the children of higher-ranking nobles—barons and above—were required to attend the Academy. Lower-ranking nobles, including knights’ children, could attend only if they paid tuition and chose to enroll.

Nerys belonged to the latter group. Some children in her situation had left midway through their education due to financial difficulties.

Could this girl have been one of them?

Her carriage and maid suggested wealth, but Nerys couldn’t place her. While Nerys pondered, the maid hurried back to her mistress.

“You’ll hurt yourself, my lady.”

“I’ve got it,” the girl replied stubbornly before turning to Nerys.

“You’re clever. You speak well.”

“You seem clever too,” Nerys replied curtly, unsure how else to respond. The girl gestured to her.

“If you’re heading to the Academy, ride with us. Isn’t your bag heavy?”

“It is, but I don’t accept favors without reason.”

Though the time when her peers had openly ostracized her had not yet come, Nerys instinctively kept her guard up. She had learned the hard way not to trust anyone.

The girl didn’t seem offended by Nerys’s refusal. Her eyes widened in innocent curiosity.

“Oh, it’s fine. We were going to ask you for directions anyway. Are you a second-year student?”

“I’m starting today.”

“Same here! My name is Diane MacKinnon.”

“Nerys Truydd.”

The MacKinnon family wasn’t as established as other noble houses, but it had made a name for itself in the upper echelons of commerce.

By the time Nerys reached adulthood, the family’s influence had waned. However, at this point, the MacKinnon trading company was still one of the empire’s top three.

Had she attended school with the Earl of MacKinnon’s daughter? Nerys couldn’t recall. As a lower-classman, she had buried herself in books and paid little attention to others.

It wasn’t until her second year that she memorized her peers’ names, and even then, it took time to associate faces with them.

One thing was certain: Diane had not been among the students who tormented her in later years.

Diane’s offer to give her a ride in exchange for directions was reasonable. The maid politely took Nerys’s bag and handed it off to a neatly dressed servant, allowing Nerys to board the carriage with ease.

Once inside, Nerys noticed why the maid had been so cautious. Diane limped slightly as she climbed in.

Catching Nerys’s glance, Diane smiled brightly.

“My leg isn’t great. The grown-ups say I might not be able to continue school.”

“Why? Does it hurt a lot?”

“No, not really. They just worry.”

Nerys quickly understood the situation. Children had a natural instinct for identifying weaknesses in others. While Diane might not be as vulnerable as Nerys had once been, her disability could make her a target.

The carriage moved slowly in the direction Nerys indicated.

Letting her gaze drift from Diane, Nerys focused on the ever-approaching silhouette of the Academy.