HOFRS 19

A quiet roadside, away from prying eyes.

Vendia and Yulize sat tucked in a corner, chatting warmly.

The woman wearing electric-shocking leather gloves and laughing shyly was Yulize Heden—the daughter of Marchioness Elstin Heden, younger sister to Baldini, and the second child of House Heden.

Yulize knew that Vendia was formerly a duchess and the daughter of the Count of Rose. She also knew that the rose brooch her mother Elstin had gifted her once came from Vendia. So, not only did Yulize already have a favorable impression of Vendia, but she also felt a kind of internal closeness.

That’s why, after hearing of what Baldini had done to Vendia, Yulize had grown furious on her behalf—and opened up about herself with surprising ease.

“That’s why I beat the crap out of him,” Yulize concluded her story.

She had tried to speak formally at first, recognizing Vendia’s former noble status, but Vendia told her not to—she was now just a commoner, after all. Yulize had eagerly agreed, saying it made her feel closer.

Yulize told Vendia to speak informally too, but Vendia—still living as Dia—politely declined.

“You did well. He deserved every hit.”

“Right? I knew it! You totally get me, unnie!”

“Oof—!”

Yulize suddenly hugged her tight, and Vendia let out a startled squeak.

Her arms were shockingly strong.

Though she looked delicate on the outside, Yulize’s grip was no joke. There was a good reason she could floor a grown man with a single punch.

Vendia now fully understood why Yulize had taken Baldini down. The three Heden siblings—Baldini, Yulize, and their youngest brother—were all fiercely competing for the title of heir.

The challenge? Each sibling was assigned a section of the Heden merchant group, “The Line,” and had five months to grow it. The winner would be decided not by total revenue, but by growth rate.

The lines had been fairly chosen by lot, and two months had already passed.

But there was a problem: Baldini had drawn “First Line,” the most popular and high-traffic location, and it was booming with business. Especially the dessert shop—it was riding a wave of popularity. As long as he didn’t mess up, his victory was nearly guaranteed.

No wonder he was already acting like the heir.

The youngest had been assigned “Third Line,” but he wasn’t even interested in the competition and barely showed up. Yulize had been handed “Second Line.”

And that was the real issue—Second Line was a mess, something Vendia had noticed instantly.

It was the least visited line of them all.

“To make things worse,” Yulize grumbled, “that bastard tried to steal my only profitable shop…”

The bastard in question was, of course, Baldini.

There had been a coconut shop—one of the few that drew customers to Second Line—but Baldini had tried to snatch it behind her back by bribing one of the staff.

When Yulize found out, she beat the traitorous employee to a pulp.

“I know that bastard will run our family into the ground within two years if he becomes the heir.”

This time she called him a “damn bastard.”

Yulize didn’t just dislike her brother—she despised him. As the eldest son, Baldini had always assumed the heirship was his by default. Arrogant and selfish, he’d caused endless trouble for their mother, Elstin.

Vendia didn’t need to hear more. She’d seen Baldini with her own eyes.

“I can’t let that bastard inherit the family. But what do I do? Mother believes strictly in merit. This is my one shot to prove myself—but I have no idea how to save Second Line… haah…”

Yulize buried her face in her knees with a heavy sigh.

Feeling the weight of her frustration, Vendia gently patted her back.

“Unnieee…”

Yulize turned to her with tearful eyes full of emotion.

She looked so much like a little sister in that moment, Vendia found herself smiling gently as she continued to pat her back. She knew all too well the pain of having a terrible brother.

“I want to be a competent Marchioness like my mother. I know I’m not there yet… but I’m trying so hard…”

Gone was the bold, confident woman who’d worn electric gloves and knocked out a saboteur. Yulize now looked utterly dejected.

Vendia found herself thinking of her past—of the woman she had been before possessing this body.

An adult. A working woman. Alone and responsible only for herself.

She had chased the dream of a “normal” life—whatever that meant—burning through her time and health.

But the so-called “normal” life people spoke of was anything but ordinary.

Go to a university in Seoul, land a decent job straight after graduation, travel abroad once or twice a year, own at least one or two designer bags, eat omakase now and then, enjoy hotel stays, and eventually buy a small apartment in the capital.

That was the fantasy.

She’d worked herself to the bone trying to chase it, thinking happiness lay there. Not realizing it was all a fabricated ideal set by a privileged few.

When she finally realized she’d never catch up—no matter how hard she worked—the despair had been overwhelming.

And then…

Wait.

A strange thought occurred to her.

What happened to my body?

Vendia had no memory of what happened right before she possessed this one.

One day, she had simply awakened as Vendia.

In her fight to survive this new world, she hadn’t even stopped to consider her past. But now the question suddenly surfaced.

Had she truly ignored it—or had she been unable to think about it?

Even now, when she tried to recall her last moments in the other world, her memory was blocked, like she’d run into a wall.

Something felt off…

“I wish I could start over… from the beginning.”

“Huh?”

Yulize’s voice snapped her out of it.

As if on cue, her mind went completely blank again.

Wait, what was I just thinking?

She scratched her cheek, trying to recall—but the thought had slipped away. Frustrated, she focused on what Yulize had said.

“If only I’d drawn First Line and had a fresh start…”

Fresh start.

That word echoed in Vendia’s mind with a different weight.

Her eyes sparkled.

“Yulize, I have an idea. Want to hear it?”

She had come up with something that could offer both of them a fresh start—and crush Baldini’s pride in the process.

“You what?! You agreed to help with Second Line?!”

Sasha, stunned by Vendia’s story, jumped so hard she nearly dropped the precious tart she was holding.

“Yep.”

“How?! Do you really have a plan?”

Sasha narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“Miss Dia, I know you want to start a business, but this could be dangerous. I mean, we’re not talking about some mom-and-pop shop. This is a huge marketplace.”

“Sasha.”

“Of course I believe in you, Miss Dia!”

Yeah, right.

She was clearly saying one thing and thinking another. Vendia could see the disbelief all over her face.

And honestly, she didn’t blame her.

Vendia had been born a count’s daughter, married a duke, and lived a noble’s life. Who would believe someone like that knew anything about running a business?

But that was true of the real Vendia—not her.

Vendia had already identified several problems with Second Line. If she fixed just those, she had a real shot.

And besides…

“There’s a loophole in the competition rules.”