Chapter 2: A Different Sky

Elodie opened her eyes slowly. Light filtered through a wooden ceiling, soft and golden, unlike the harsh fluorescent glare she remembered. The air smelled fresh, earthy, even faintly of flowers. Her chest felt lighter, as if some weight had lifted from her body.

For a moment, she thought she was dreaming. But the warmth beneath her back and the stiffness in her limbs told her otherwise. She tried to move—but her arms and legs felt small, delicate, unfamiliar.

Her hands hovered in front of her face, trembling slightly. Pale, slender, soft… they didn’t belong to the weak, sickly girl she had been.

“Where… am I?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

The door burst open before she could think further. A tall man in simple clothes rushed in, his boots scuffing the wooden floor. His eyes widened in relief as he knelt beside her.

“You… you’re awake!” he exclaimed, his voice thick with emotion. “Do you know how worried I’ve been?”

Elodie stared at him. His features were kind, yet foreign, yet something deep in her chest stirred at the sound of his voice.

“I… who—” she started.

He smiled faintly, shaking his head. “I’m your father. Duke Valenheim. You’ve been very ill, but you’re safe now.”

The words hit her like a cold wave. Duke? Father? Ill? Safe?

Memories—vivid, disorienting—flooded her mind. Her body, this world, the other world she had left behind… She tried to piece them together. She was not in the hospital. Not in the modern world.

Her heart raced. Her soul had somehow… moved. Reincarnated.

“I… I’m… alive?” she whispered.

“Yes,” the duke replied gently. “And you must rest. You’ve been through a lot.”

Elodie nodded slowly, trying to adjust to the strangeness of this world. Then her attention drifted beyond the walls of the small room. Through the open window, she saw rolling fields bathed in sunlight. The scent of earth, grass, and growing crops filled her senses, clearer and purer than anything she remembered.

“Father… why do you… stay here?” she asked cautiously, unable to hide her curiosity.

He chuckled softly, standing and brushing soil from his hands. “The soil feeds people. What’s the point of ruling if the land cannot sustain them? Farming is life, child. It’s honest, and it brings peace.”

Elodie’s lips parted slightly. A duke… farming? she thought. In her previous life, dukes only cared about wealth, politics, or appearances. Not about turning soil, planting seeds, or feeling the life beneath their fingers.

“You’ll see,” he said, as if reading her mind. “Tomorrow, I’ll show you the fields.”

---

Morning came quickly. Elodie stepped out into the open air for the first time in this world. The ground beneath her boots was soft, fertile, and alive. She blinked at the vast fields stretching beyond the manor. Rows of vegetables, grains, and flowering plants swayed gently in the breeze.

Her father was already there, sleeves rolled up, hands in the soil. Kneeling beside a patch of young seedlings, he examined the roots, murmuring to himself about irrigation and crop rotation.

Elodie hesitated. Should she speak? Should she leave? But curiosity pushed her forward.

“Father… may I help?” she asked, her voice timid.

He looked up, surprise flashing in his eyes. Then, as if she had asked the simplest question in the world, he smiled.

“Of course. Come here, child. Watch the roots. Feel the soil. A plant will grow only if you care for it, not just water it.”

Elodie knelt beside him. Mud clung to her fingers as she touched the soil, the sensation strange yet comforting. She bent over, planting a seed carefully, mimicking the motions she remembered from her fleeting childhood memories in the other world—the world she had loved, lost, and died in.

For the first time in a long time, she felt… peace.

---

Days turned into weeks.

Elodie’s hands, once soft and unused to labor, grew stronger. She learned to read the soil, to sense the weather, to nurture plants with precision and care. The servants began to notice her skill. At first, they whispered behind her back, mocking the young lady who dirtied her hands.

“The duke’s daughter? In the mud?”

But when the harvest came, overflowing with vegetables, grains, and flowers, their laughter turned to awe.

Duke Valenheim stood at the edge of the fields, his eyes wide as he inspected the baskets.

“Elodie… how did you know this?” he asked, disbelief and pride mingling in his voice.

Elodie smiled faintly, warmth spreading in her chest. “I… just remembered,” she said.

It was true. Something deep within her, the knowledge and patience from the life she had lost, guided her hands. Farming became her anchor, a reminder that she could rebuild, care, and create life.

---

One evening, as she walked alone through the fields, Elodie stared at the horizon. Sunlight glinted off the crops, painting the world gold and green. She breathed deeply, savoring the smell of earth, the gentle rustle of leaves.

For the first time in her existence—both the world she had left behind and the one she now lived—Elodie felt something extraordinary: hope.

Hope that she could grow stronger.

Hope that she could protect the ones she loved in this world.

Hope that maybe, someday, she could find happiness without being a tool for others.

And somewhere deep inside, she realized: this world, this life, could be hers.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***