Diana froze when a girl suddenly appeared in front of her. She was smiling at her. She realized that this girl was the owner of the body she was currently inhabiting.
“You finally arrived. I am so glad that my prayers were answered. I was barely holding on. I thought I would have to go with my prayers not granted but here you are. Please take care of my elder sisters and servants,” the girl said in a relieved voice.
“No. What are you talking about? Don’t go. You should continue your life and take care of them yourself,” Diana quickly answered. She would accept living in the place of a twelve-year-old girl.
“My time is over in this place just as yours was over in your world,” the girl replied.
“You know about me?” Diana was shocked. Her eyes narrowed when she realized that the child rather seemed so calm about her own death like she had already come to terms with it.
“Yes. Please, gorgeous lady of the same name as me, or should I call you elder sister? Please cherish my sisters as your real siblings,” the girl begged.
Diana felt the girl’s presence wane. The tips of the girl’s fingers were starting to vanish. She ran to the girl and hugged her. She realized that she was in her spirit form so she was the adult Diana.
The girl sobbed in her arms as she begged the latter to take care of her beloved sisters and servants in her place. Diana sighed in defeat.
‘How could I say no to an adorable little girl?’
“Alright. It seems we both have no choice since our time is truly over in our own worlds. I’ll take care of your loved ones for you if you promise me that you will live your life to the fullest and grow up as an adult in your next life,” Diana conceded as she gently stroked the girl’s hair.
“Thank you older sister! I promise I will grow up as a kind and beautiful adult like you in my next life. I will live my life to the fullest, get married, and even have children and grandchildren.” The girl beamed with a genuine smile. She looked truly relieved to be able to leave her family to Diana.
“My my, you are such an adorable girl at your age,” Diana chuckled.
“But rather than an older sister, could you call me ‘Mom’ instead. Even just once,” Diana looked away in embarrassment. But she truly wanted to hear it even if just this once while she was still in the form of herself as adult Diana.
“Alright.” The girl looked up at her with a hint of sadness and worry in her eyes.
“Mom,” the girl said while looking up at her as the adorable little child that she was.
Diana’s heart, felt warm at hearing that word. Yet she also felt an indescribable loss and sadness. She unconsciously rubbed her belly gently despite the fact that her baby was no longer there.
“Mom, please do not be sad in this life anymore,” the girl hugged her and Diana hugged her back tightly as tears streamed down her eyes.
“Mom and older sister, you should also promise me that you will live your life to the fullest here. And that you would conceive someday and have your true children call you ‘Mom’. Please promise that as well,” the girl implored.
“Alright,” Diana was hesitant. She was not sure she could think of love and marriage the same way as she used to, but she would certainly love to have a child and give birth to it this time. She had been devastated when the doctor had told her that her uterus was damaged and she could no longer get pregnant.
“If I am blessed to have a child again despite what happened in my past life, then I will certainly fulfill that promise,” Diana patted the girl’s head. She felt like she was forgetting something important but she could not remember it.
“You have nothing to worry about sister; I took great care of that body. I am sure you shall be able to conceive,” the girl proudly declared and Diana chuckled. It seemed that she knew that Diana had lost a baby.
Apparently, as she was dying, the girl refused to leave her body and prayed hard that she did not care what happens to her as long as someone would continue to live in her body so as not to break her distraught sisters’ will to live.
While praying and waiting for a soul to inhabit her body, the girl heard a voice that guided her to Diana’s world.
The girl was apparently with Diana in the hospital when her former husband visited her. The young girl revealed that she had actually been watching over Diana for three months.
That was the time Diana was just divorced. Later, she found out she was pregnant. She had decided not to tell her former husband and raise the child on her own but he discovered anyway that she was pregnant with his child.
Her former husband insisted that he would take responsibility and marry her again but his new lover could not take it and accidentally pushed her off the stairs when they were having a fight. It ended with Diana losing her baby.
As if to make it worst, the doctor revealed that Diana would never be able to get pregnant again due to damage in her uterus brought upon by the accident. The hope of ever having a child again was crushed.
After that, Diana was lifeless. Her eyes were dead despite being alive and she barely ate. She remained in the hospital for a month until she finally died.
“My past life is embarrassing. I would have preferred if you didn’t see any of it,” Diana bit her lip. She suddenly felt conscious that for three months, a twelve-year-old girl had actually been accompanying her and saw one of the worst parts of her life.
“Not at all. You were amazing. And you gained my memories for my whole life here though. I was too childish that I am even more embarrassed,” the girl looked down.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You are a very capable and lovable child,” Diana patted the girl’s head.
“You too, sister. You are smart, kind, and gorgeous. You are a good wife both in your world and my world’s perspective. Your husband simply did not deserve you,” the girl declared. She looked like she was truly angry at Diana’s ex-husband.
“Oh and do not worry, Lord Frederick is a fine man. After all, he is my elder brother Anthony’s best friend so I am sure you can trust him. My brother always said that Lord Frederick is very reliable. He looks cold and aloof but I’m sure he is a good person when you get to know him. I have only seen him scolding my brother when they were together but he was always gentle when he patted my head. I’m sure he would not hurt you as your former husband did. And Lord Frederick looks a thousand times better than your former husband,” the girl babbled.
“Wait, wait, wait. Who is this Lord Frederick and why are you describing him to me like that?” Diana stopped the young girl in a panic. She had a feeling where this was going but she had to ask to be sure.
“He is your husband to be,” the girl grinned.
“You were engaged?! Then doesn’t that mean that I’m robbing you of your man?” Diana was wide-eyed. She would rather not steal someone else’s betrothed.
“Not at all. It happened after I was poisoned. I died of the poison but I tried so hard to cling to my body so they thought I was still alive and froze my body in time until they could make the antidote. It was when they did not know I already died that I was engaged to Lord Frederick in order to protect me. And he was ten years older so I would rather not. I shall marry someone of my own choice in the next life. He is all yours, sister.”
“Oh, so that’s how it is. If he’s ten years older, then he is currently 22. I was 28 so I’m six years older than him?!” Diana was not into younger men.
“Only in the mind though. Since your body will be that of a twelve-year-old so he is still ten years older.” The girl beamed excitedly like that of a teenage girl who loved watching other people’s love stories unfold.
“This is rather complicated,” Diana sighed. She could not believe she was already getting paired up. She did not like the idea of marriage in the least bit. Her last one did not work. It was fine in the beginning but things drastically changed after a few years.
“No need to worry. Since Evymeria is a higher territory, you can divorce him yourself later if you do not like him.”
“That’s allowed?”
“Yes, so I am sure he will treat you well,” the girl grinned.
“I see. That’s reassuring,” Diana was still not sure about it but at least she seem to have the upper hand in the said marriage.
“I heard that my brothers and Lord Frederick and his siblings are at the top husband candidates in the whole kingdom. If you do not like Lord Frederick, go for his siblings. If my brother Anthony is well, I am sure you will find him the best husband candidate.”
“Is that so? He is your brother though so I can’t marry him,” Diana pointed out. She’s starting to notice that the girl had a brother complex of some sort.
“Right. And I think he is already gone as well. He may be in his next life by now.”
Diana stared at the girl who had spoken matter-of-factly. She hugged the child again. Anthony was the girl’s favorite sibling so it must have been hard on her. But since it had already been three months since the girl died, she must have already cried and mourned so much that she could calmly talk about it now.
“I hope he is well though. If you ever had the chance to see him in this life or the next, will you please tell him that I love him so much and he should live happily? If he is alive, I am afraid he will live for vengeance due to what happened.”
“I will make sure to tell him that if I encounter him. Rest assured that I will stop him if he tries living for vengeance.” Diana stroked the girl’s hair with a silent vow to herself that she would make sure this little girl would have no regrets in letting her inhabit her body.
“I am ever so grateful. I do not know if I could thank you enough even in my next life. I just keep on making you promise one thing to another.”
“I am also grateful for this second chance to live. I will do my best to fulfill our promises.”
“Thank you. I will fulfill my promises as well. And if I ever encounter your former husband, I will make sure that he will regret letting go of a wonderful lady like you. I feel assured and at ease now that you will be here in my place. From now on, you will also be Diana Rose of Evymeria.” The girl hugged her again and kissed her on the cheek. With a content smile, she vanished in Diana’s arms and her presence was gone in a matter of seconds.
Tears flowed down Diana’s eyes at the thought that she would never meet that adorable girl again. She prayed for the girl’s happiness in her next life.
When Diana had regained her composure, she realized that it was rather weird to have been able to talk and hug the owner of the body that will now be hers. It was a bit unsettling and scary now that she thought about it. But after getting to know the girl, she was glad that she was able to talk to her before she left for her journey in the next life.
A/N: And that was how her life in another world was set to begin.