: Rebirth

My sister was the only normal one in our family. She helped our parents pay off their debts and found the best hospital for my treatment.

Our whole family felt deeply indebted to her. It wasn't until after she got engaged to the Heir of Argent, and I died in the hospital, that I learned she was bound to a System.

Our father's alcoholism, our mother's gambling addiction, and even my mental illness—it all existed just so she could craft the persona of a resilient, self-reliant, pitiful Damsel in Distress.

People like us were called Plot Devices.

To be thrown away once our purpose was served.

1

I was dead.

I died by self-harm during a psychotic episode.

Just yesterday, I was actively cooperating with my treatment. The doctor said I'd be well enough to go home soon. But now, I'm dead.

I couldn't accept it.

My self-harm hadn't been voluntary. It was as if my body was being controlled by an external force. No matter how hard I fought, it was useless. A sharpened toothbrush was plunged into my carotid artery, and I bled to death.

I never studied medicine. How could I have made such a precise insertion?

'If I'm dead, what will happen to my sister?'

'She's so small and vulnerable. I was afraid she'd be abused by our alcoholic father again, or hounded for money by our mother.'

Perhaps because I was so worried about my sister, my soul didn't move on after I died. Instead, it drifted to her side.

Surprisingly, she wasn't at work. She was in a luxurious mansion.

A mansion this luxurious... even if our mother won every bet she ever made, she probably couldn't afford to live here in her entire lifetime.

I was dumbfounded.

Before I could even begin to wonder why she was there, I heard her voice. "System, is it done?"

"Arrangements complete," a mechanical voice replied. "The Host's sister died at 10 a.m. from self-harm due to her mental illness. Your parents died at noon in a gas explosion." My soul froze.

Mom and Dad were dead too. That meant my sister was all alone in the world.

Even though our parents had changed after I turned ten, they had still loved us so much when we were little. Hearing the news of their deaths so suddenly was agonizing, even as a soul.

I was incredibly worried about my sister. I even rushed right up to her.

'Even as a soul,' I thought, 'I have to comfort her.'

But who would have thought? There wasn't a trace of sadness on her face. Instead, a smile played on her lips. "Nicely done."

I wondered if I was hearing things. How could the sister who had always cherished us not show a single shred of sadness upon hearing of our deaths? How could she be happy instead?

Yes, my resilient, tenacious sister was practically beaming with joy.

I heard her excitedly tell the System that we, the Plot Devices, were finally "offline," and that her conquest was about to succeed.

She was going to marry the Heir of Argent.

From now on, no one would be holding her back.

I was utterly stunned.

She chattered on and on with the System about all her hardships over the years, and with every word I heard, my heart grew colder.

It all made sense now. Why our father, who barely drank when I was a child, suddenly became an alcoholic when my sister was in high school. Why our mother, who had always hated gambling, suddenly became an addict during that same time. And me... I had been smart and studious since I was little. My teachers all said I was Ivy League material. But then, in my second year of high school, I was suddenly diagnosed with a mental illness.

So all of it was just to create an opportunity for my sister, to let her appear before the Heir of Argent as a resilient Damsel in Distress.

So we were just her designated Plot Devices.

'But why did our lives have to be traded for her wealth and glory?'

'We could have had a happy, ordinary life!'

An intense wave of indignation made me want to tear my sister to shreds, but I was just a soul. I couldn't do anything but pass right through her.

"You can trade your soul for a chance to start over."

An ancient, weathered voice echoed in my mind. Without a second thought, I agreed.

I had to stop my sister from turning our entire family into Plot Devices. My parents were such good people. They didn't deserve an ending like this.

:

2

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in my bedroom from my sophomore year of high school.

The reason I was so sure was because of the awards on the wall that hadn't been torn down yet.

That year, my sophomore year, I was diagnosed with a severe mental illness. When I had an episode, my grades plummeted, and the awards plastered on the wall became a source of immense frustration for me.

Every time I had an episode, I would tear an award off the wall.

First Prize, Grand Prize, Math Olympiad Award...

The wall, once completely covered in awards, was eventually stripped bare by me.

And just like that, I went from being a top student in the Honors Class to a "lunatic" who didn't even take the college entrance exams.

In my past life, I felt an immense amount of guilt toward my younger sister.

I hated myself. 'Why did I have to have a mental illness and drag my sister down?' But seeing that wall full of awards again, only one thought filled my mind.

'I was supposed to have a bright and promising future!'

DING. [Congratulations, Host. You have been bound to the Conquest System.]

A mechanical voice rang out in my head.

Although I had never heard my sister's System's voice in my past life, the moment this one spoke, I was almost certain it was the same one she had.

Sure enough, the next second, when the System announced the conquest target, it was the owner of the villa my sister lived in during my past life: Rhys Hawthorne.

At that moment, my feelings were complicated beyond measure.

[To help the Host complete the mission as quickly as possible, the Host may make changes to their family based on the conquest target's preferences.]

The System displayed a friendly tip.

But as I stared at that line of text, I felt a throbbing pain in my heart.

I couldn't even believe my own eyes.

My family's tragedy in my past life was all because the System said, 'You can change your family according to the conquest target's preferences.'

The System didn't provide any specific preferences, only that Rhys Hawthorne disliked "perfect" personas and that a resilient, independent character was more likely to awaken his protective instincts.

"'Can I choose not to change my family?' I asked the System."

I wasn't my sister. I couldn't bring myself to use such despicable tactics against my own family.

[Yes. As long as the Host successfully conquers The Heir of Argent and completes the mission. Friendly reminder: if the mission is not completed, the Host will be completely erased by the System.]

I now completely understood the System, and my own situation.

'In other words, as long as I find a way to complete the conquest mission, the System hasn't predetermined my family's fate.'

'And ten years is enough time to try many different approaches.'

But if my memory served me right, my family's tragedy in my past life began right at this very moment.

My sister didn't even hesitate to turn on her own family.

'Is she really my sister?'

'Even an animal wouldn't treat its own family like this.'

I felt a rage building in my chest that I couldn't suppress.

I wanted to find my sister, to see if that seemingly innocent and adorable girl was actually a monster in disguise.

But what I didn't expect was that when I left my room, I saw my sister in a corner, whispering furiously.

"System! Get the fuck out here! Didn't you show up at this time in my past life?"

"So you're hiding from me now, huh? Without my help, do you even want your damn KPIs anymore?"

She muttered and cursed under her breath.

This sister was a world apart from the sweet, obedient girl in my memories.

'Maybe some things don't even need to be asked.'

A person's true nature is clearly revealed in their words.

3

But there was one thing I was curious about.

Normally, since the System was now bound to me and wanted me to win over Rhys Hawthorne, my sister shouldn't have known about its existence. So why was the System the first thing she mentioned?

"Host, in your last life, the resentment from your soul was so profound that it forced my mission to an abrupt end. The Main System had no other choice but to rewind time and start over."

"I have since switched Hosts. But because she was my Host at the end of the last timeline, her memories couldn't be erased. You could say she was reborn, too."

After hearing what the System said, I finally understood.

I pressed my lips together and didn't reply to the System.

"Elara, why are you spacing out here so late at night instead of sleeping?" My parents were a little surprised to see me and hurried over.

Seeing that my parents were still okay, my eyes grew hot, and I almost burst into tears.

My parents were still okay.

My father hadn't become a scruffy, reeking alcoholic yet.

Right now, he was still a clean-cut, middle-aged man.

My mother hadn't yet developed dark circles under her eyes and a smoking habit from spending all her years at the mahjong table.

Right now, my mother still looked like a classic Hong Kong film star.

"Silly child, your parents were just a little concerned about you. What's wrong? Are you upset?" My mother noticed something was off and came over to check on me.

As she came closer, I threw my arms around her and held her tight.

'I will protect my mom and dad this time. What happened in my past life will absolutely never happen again!'

"No, I just wanted to hug you and Dad," I said, my voice muffled.

'Of course, I could never tell my parents about my past life. I'd have to protect them on my own.'

"You're such a big girl now, why are you still acting like a child?" Dad teased, but he had already walked over and let me hug him too.

Feeling their arms around me, my heart felt warm.

My parents weren't rich or powerful, but before the System's influence, they had been incredibly good to me. They were the kind of parents who truly understood children and were willing to listen to what they had to say.

On my end, I steeled my resolve, determined to do whatever it took to protect my parents.

Meanwhile, my sister was racking her brain, calling out to the System and plotting how to win over Rhys Hawthorne.

I couldn't care less about any of that.

I was only a sophomore in high school now. Since my sister no longer had the System, I probably wouldn't have a sudden breakdown and lose my mind.

Before I started on my mission to win over Rhys Hawthorne, I had to focus on my studies.

Only with good grades would any future be possible.

I threw myself into my studies with a sense of urgency, working hard to recall my high school knowledge from my past life.

Even though I'd spent the last few years of my previous life with a mental illness, my brain now was healthy and young. As long as I put in a little effort, I could get back to my former academic level.

But my happiness didn't last long before I discovered something that made me furious.