Chapter 2: Reborn, but as a loli.

This bedroom appeared to be her home, but in reality, it was a cage meant to imprison her.

The door had no lock, allowing those outside to monitor the interior through the keyhole at any time. Situated near the kitchen, her every entry and exit was watched by the servants working there.

At the end of the long corridor, two guards stood watch. On the surface, they were there to maintain the security of the mansion, but in truth, they were eyes spying on her!

Aside from being forced to fight, she didn’t even have the basic freedom to come and go as she pleased!

Enise, confined to her bedroom all day, yearned for freedom more than anything!

She certainly wouldn’t miss such a good opportunity for free movement; plus, she could finally eat fresh, delicious, steaming food!

Enise said with feigned composure, “Fine, then I accept your invitation.”

Even if she could collect just a little more information, it would eventually turn into a possibility for her to escape this mansion and regain her freedom!

Upon hearing this, Sherry immediately beamed, “Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Enise!”

Sherry waved goodbye to Enise with a joyful smile. Then, humming a lighthearted song, she skipped all the way toward her own bedroom.

Stepping onto the spiral staircase and standing before her bedroom door, her previous cheerful appearance vanished instantly, replaced by coldness and solemnity.

Just as she entered, a deep, mature female voice spoke, “Welcome back, Eldest Young Lady.”

“Yes, I’m back.”

Sherry nodded to her personal maid. She sat down with a serious expression, taking the plain black tea handed to her by her close servant. Holding the handle with one hand and the saucer with the other, she took an elegant sip.

A bitter taste spread through her mouth, and she nodded in approval. “Mmm, not bad. The bitterness is just right. Your skill is as consistent as ever, Cybelle.”

“Thank you for your praise,” the maid, Cybelle, bowed to the master she served.

Sherry lightly swirled her teacup and continued to her personal maid, “I tried to trade the necklace for the potion just now, but she refused.”

“…”

The maid did not respond. She stood in place, continuing to listen to her master’s words. On the surface, she remained elegant and composed, but in reality, ripples of emotion were surging in her heart.

“Don’t worry. I’ll go to the apothecary tomorrow and see if I can custom-order some High-Purity Magic Stability Potions. You can use those for now, and I’ll find another way later.”

She raised her teacup for another sip before changing the subject. “However, getting it from Enise is still the optimal solution. After all, the purity of that potion isn’t something you can just order on the market.”

“Thank you. That is enough. You really don’t need to trouble yourself so much over my private affairs.”

The maid’s expression was complicated. To avoid being discovered by her master, she could only choose to lower her head and bow.

Sherry did not respond and continued, “I went there personally today just to confirm the location of that potion. Tomorrow, I will try to invite her out. She shouldn’t refuse after being under house arrest for so long. You know what to do for the rest.”

“Eldest Young Lady Sherry…” The maid’s eyes slowly widened. She rose to look at the master she served, her pupils shrinking.

Sherry finished her tea, stood up, and placed the cup on the trolley. She then leaned close to the maid’s ear, gently opening the woman’s hand and placing the ruby necklace into her palm. “During dinner tomorrow, see if you can find an opportunity to put this necklace around her neck.”

Then she signaled the maid to lean down, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear, “The medicine cabinet. Second row from the top, third bottle from the right. A light purple solution.”

Having said that, she acted as if nothing had happened and walked back to the window to gaze at the snow. Finally, she gave the maid an order: “Go. I want to be alone for a while.”

“Lady Sherry… thank you!”

The maid bowed deeply once more in gratitude, brushing away tears from the corners of her eyes as she pushed the trolley and left.

***

On the other side, Sherry gazed at the snowy scene outside. She appeared calm, but her mind was a mess.

‘Enise’s guard seems much higher in this life. Interesting.’

The experiences of her previous life were still vivid in her mind. Not long after Enise’s death, her father had also passed away due to illness and injury.

She had succeeded as the head of the house, inheriting the family and its greatest wealth — the Magic Crystal Vein in The Far North, which stretched across mountains and was rich enough to rival a nation’s treasury.

Inheriting wealth naturally came with obligations. The mana emitted by the magic crystals attracted massive amounts of monsters. Some of the crystals even emitted mana that provided a secondary buff to the monsters’ strength!

Furthermore, her plan to train another useful tool like Enise had ended in failure. For the stability of the family, she had been forced to take Enise’s place and personally go out to clear the monsters.

But who would have thought? The other Great Nobles of the kingdom didn’t respect her as the new head of the house at all. Instead, they chose to unite, partitioning and devouring House Frozenster!

One day, after she returned from fighting monsters, what awaited her was not a welcome, but the private armies of various nobles.

Negotiations broke down quickly, and Sherry was eventually framed for ‘rebellion.’ Outnumbered, she died in that struggle.

She didn’t know if the Goddess was playing a joke on her, but she hadn’t died. Instead, she was reborn.

The only thing she was dissatisfied with was that although she was reborn, her height and chest size had both shrunk, turning her into a white-haired, flat-chested loli!

Everyone’s memories seemed to have been modified in sync; even her father didn’t have the slightest doubt about Sherry Frozenster’s loli appearance!

So, she compromised: ‘If I’m a loli, then I’m a loli. At least I’m alive, right?’

Since her rebirth, she had been thinking of a way to break the deadlock. It was then that a person surfaced in her mind.

Enise.

Enise’s role was instrumental in allowing the family to survive so long in The Far North, where monsters ran rampant, while simultaneously dealing with other greedy Great Nobles.

The solution was clear: either put that control necklace on Enise or join forces with her to manage this small family together.

However, the first plan required the second as a safety net. Only by building a good relationship could she catch Enise off guard. This was why she had to maintain a good relationship with her, at least on the surface.

Executing the second method alone carried great risk: ‘Sharing the family’s large cake with someone who isn’t even blood-related?’

Had she forgotten the betrayal from her previous life?

Enise appeared to obey the family on the surface, but in reality, she only feared their father’s power!

She had to possess a method to completely control Enise before her father died of illness!

Sherry pressed her slender fingers against the glass and whispered to herself, “The only things I can trust are the sword and shield in my own hands. A single failure is no big deal; I still hold the advantage.”

Sherry walked to the bookshelf, took out a Magic Crystal Ball, and the corners of her mouth curled upward slightly.

Her public persona had always been that of a Knight who knew nothing about magic and only studied swordsmanship.

But with her new life, she had a brand-brand-new trump card in her hands!

The air in the room grew increasingly cold as Sherry’s ice-blue eyes glowed. She held her breath and concentrated, beginning her magic training for the day.