My Name, Your Name
After clearing away the empty plate, Cheryl spoke softly.
“Hmm, so Pay. Everyone calls you Morgana, but you know you have another name, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
That name was not Tiana Marietta Klein.
“Morgan le Fay, or Morgana—the mage who gave you that name paid special attention to it. What did he say again? That you could become a mage who naturally wields magic through the power of water.”
“Water…”
Water?
In that instant, Pay was seized by a chilling sensation.
After shattering the ruby pendant, she had felt strangely refreshed, along with those odd whispers some people had murmured near her ear. The feeling had been exactly like her entire body sinking into warm, gentle water.
And… she had desperately prayed that someone—anyone—would stop her from being sent to Grace Monastery.
Then this torrential downpour arrived!
It had never rained like this in the past!
Rumble.
As if confirming her thoughts, a loud clap of thunder rolled across the sky, and the sound of rain lashing against soil and trees grew fiercer.
Cheryl gently stroked Pay’s head; the girl’s blinking had completely stopped.
“It’s cruel that the abbess never told you about your talent for magic. I always assumed you wished to dedicate yourself to the priesthood instead. When I return, I’ll speak with her again—so that if you truly want it, you can walk the path of magic.”
“What… what is that mage’s name?”
Cheryl’s expression grew slightly awkward.
“Well… you see, Pay, we spend our lives circling the monastery, so we don’t know much about distant matters, do we?”
“No.”
“He said his name was Baroa. Later I discovered it matched the name of the mage who served as Tower Master for about a year. The timing also aligns, though I cannot say for certain if they are the same person.”
“Lord Baroa…”
The name Baroa was rarely used in the empire where she had lived her entire life.
To learn the name of her benefactor only now, as she began this new life, felt both unfamiliar and strangely comforting.
A pleasant premonition stirred within her.
Pay lingered over the cool, refreshing syllables on her tongue for a long while. He might know more clues, yet meeting him would be difficult, wouldn’t it?
When she lifted her gaze, she found Cheryl watching her with concern, so she forced a smile.
“He is the benefactor who saved my life. I hope Lord Baroa is happy and healthy, wherever he may be.”
“Hoho, of course. That’s just like you, Pay.”
The rain gradually began to ease.
Just as Pay set aside her inner turmoil and faintly decided which path she would walk from now on—
Cheryl, who had stepped out briefly, clicked her tongue.
“Whew. Even though the rain has stopped, the carriage meant to fetch us won’t arrive today or tomorrow. Once the ground dries a little, I’ll need to take a shovel and clear the path ahead.”
“Yes. Returning to the monastery around morning on the third day should be fine. I’ll check the strawberries and green grapes again to make sure they haven’t spoiled.”
Cheryl’s face filled with pity.
“You’re always so diligent about work.”
“Oh, not at all.”
“Don’t volunteer to handle Dot’s share anymore. From now on, look after yourself a little. I often worry because you’re so thin.”
Pay’s steps, already heading toward the fruit cellar, suddenly halted.
After several long seconds, she finally answered.
“…Yes. I will. Starting today.”
At the same moment, Grace Monastery.
Having finally eliminated the nuisance named Pay and seized the chance for a glamorous noble life—and perhaps even the position of crown princess—Dot stood frozen, mouth agape.
‘What… what is this?!’
The silk dress, light as wings and exquisite to the touch, which she had finally worn after being acknowledged as the true daughter.
The towering golden bedposts that seemed to reach the ceiling.
The delicious, luxurious noble cuisine the Duchess had always prepared, claiming Dot looked frail.
All of it had vanished like mist, and Dot had returned to being nothing more than the shabby girl named Dot—not Lady Klein.
She was once again the troublemaker of Grace Monastery, the lazy Dotricia everyone whispered about.
“What on earth…!”
The calendar on the wall showed a date two years earlier. Unable to believe it, she rushed outside her room, only to find the same impossible truth.
The western dormitory she had once set ablaze by bribing back-alley mercenaries stood perfectly intact. This was exactly the room Dot had occupied.
When she ran all the way to the central hall, Abbess Beryl—who had supposedly died—passed her with a displeased expression.
“Tsk. Don’t just stand there. Go to the prayer room and read scripture, or at least help with the laundry. Pay volunteered to harvest summer fruit, but are you planning to stay locked in your room playing all day?”
Dot, still unable to accept that she had been thrown two years into the past, felt rage boil over.
Who are you to order me around?!
I am Lady Klein! A being so exalted that none of you could even dream of looking up to me—someone you should rush out to bow before the moment I deign to donate to this wretched place!
It’s ruined. All of this has to be a dream…!
After hours of neither eating nor crying, merely staring blankly inside her room, Dot suddenly sprang to her feet.
‘Wait. Summer fruit? Now that I think about it…’
If this wasn’t some horrific nightmare, then she had returned to the summer day two years ago—the very day Pay had been summoned to the ducal house.
Had she truly returned to the past?
Dot rubbed her reddened eyes and steeled herself.
‘Pull yourself together, Dot. No—Tiana Marietta Klein. You’re a clever lady, aren’t you? This might actually be an opportunity. A chance to fix everything I failed to handle before and become the perfect version of myself. I could become a true lady even sooner than two years!’
Dotricia clenched her fists, trembling with emotion.
For two years after coaxing the foolish Pay into the ducal house, she had never once lived in comfort.
She had always smiled for the Duke, Duchess, and Maurice, yet fear had never left her.
Because no one knew when she—who was never meant to be an Eina—might be cast out.
Originally, Dot had entered the monastery to escape after committing patricide.
She was the daughter of Viscount Caris from a remote corner of the empire.
Though nominally noble, the family teetered on collapse, burdened by a second son, Lument, whose legs were crippled and whose medicine costs drained what little remained.
Dot’s terrifying plan had been to kill that brother and reduce the medical expenses. Only then could they scrape together a dowry and marry her off to a good household.
But the limping Lument had fled desperately and fallen from a cliff. She had meant to push him where the ground was dry, yet the distance had been wrong—he plunged into the river instead.
With a splash, Dot’s own heart had pounded in terror.
Scared. Terrified. What if he hadn’t died?! She had deliberately lured him out for a walk. If he survived, wouldn’t he accuse her of attempted murder…?!
Panicked, Dot had fled for weeks until she finally found shelter at Grace Monastery.
There, she met the foolish, docile Pay…
And after that, countless events unfolded.
Among the things she could never undo, one regret stood out: in her fear, she had hidden only her identity upon entering the monastery and blurted out her real name instead of using an alias.
She had received the name “Dotricia” from a wandering priest shortly after birth. Only her family used it; everyone else in her hometown called her “Tricia.”
The name Dotricia was too conspicuous, so she had already gone by Tricia before arriving. If only she had kept her composure when she reached the monastery…
If time had turned back just a little further, she would have had the perfect chance to plot everything flawlessly!
‘No. I can’t simply sit still just because some things displease me. The position of lady was always meant to be mine—not Morgana’s, who couldn’t even protect her own place. In this life, I’m going to do it right!’
If everything unfolded exactly as she remembered, then Duke Klein—who carried the oracle that he would soon reclaim his lost daughter—would arrive before long.
Dot rushed out and began sweeping the corridor where Abbess Beryl often passed, gripping the broom with desperate energy.
One hour. Two hours. Three hours.
“Hmm.”
Only when the bright sky had nearly turned to dusk did Beryl finally appear, strolling leisurely.
Dot, who had been sweeping half-heartedly until her arms ached, felt fury surge inside, yet she lowered her head and pretended to be obedient.
‘Somehow, I have to enter the Klein ducal house alone and become an Eina. Only then can I live my own brilliant life without interference or scrutiny!’
For now, that was her greatest task.
The ducal household’s education had originally centered on Pay, the lost daughter they had brought home.
As a mere side branch, Dot would have to claw her way through that narrow gap with everything she had.
Her current plan was simple.
First, she would request to enter the ducal house alone so she could focus on learning etiquette. Earning the etiquette teacher’s praise would be the first step toward building trust and affection.
‘I need to keep Pay alive until the temple performs the paternity test, right? By then, they’ll hang on my every word, so I can simply bring her over and use the same method.’
The reason to keep Pay alive was obvious.
The ruby pendant and silk robe she had stolen in her previous life were nothing more than old tokens.
The true gateway was the Truth-Reading Statue at the temple.
She had to pass that test no matter what.
In the past, she had accompanied Pay to the temple with great difficulty and succeeded only by cleverly manipulating the questions.
‘Haa…’
In truth, Dot had no intention of studying etiquette as exhaustively as Pay once had. That fool had buried herself in lessons without even realizing she had returned to her real family, only to die in vain.
She needed to win affection and trust quickly so she could be recognized as the true lady without delay.
Surely they wouldn’t force the same grueling studies on their actual daughter.
‘Perfect!’
Convinced she had devised a flawless plan, Dot heard Beryl’s cold voice.
“Dotricia, stop sweeping and come inside for a moment.”
“Yes!”
It was exactly what she had been waiting for.
Beryl entered the quiet reception room, sat with perfect posture, and let out a shallow sigh.
“Haah. I’m relieved you’ve finally decided to learn devotion and humility under me. I thought you would never mature, yet it seems there is still hope after all.”
‘Damn it…! Did you call me just to spout that useless lecture?’
Dot’s insides twisted with rage, but she kept her eyes demurely lowered.
Seeing that, Beryl clicked her tongue.
“Well, never mind. People do change with time.”
“Um, Mother Superior… Is there any work I might be able to help with? I’ll do anything.”
Dot subtly tested the waters.