Ceres

When I woke up, I felt my whole body sore. I looked around and noticed that this wasn"t my house. This small cottage with only a bed, wooden table, and chair, as well as a small kitchen was definitely not mine.

I tried to stand up. I know this sore feeling. It was nothing compared to my hellish training back then. But, why do I feel that my body is totally different? It cannot even take these mild injuries from that explosion? As I was about to stand up, my body froze. A man with long silver hair that sways as he walks by, wearing an elegant clothing that looks like it came straight from old story books suddenly came in from the lone wooden door. He is the most handsome man I have ever seen.

"Oh! You"re finally awake. Don"t try to stand up. You should rest a bit more. Don"t worry because this place is safe. Wait, I"ll help you eat."

I do not know this guy nor do I want to know. The feeling he"s giving me are both chills and warmth. He"s definitely dangerous since I wasn"t even able to tell that he"s already near despite my skills. But then, he looked like he was the one who saved me. Even though I should be wary of him, I would still have to thank him.

I slowly stood up and bowed my head sincerely and with difficulty.

"Thank you for saving me but I would not impose myself on you anymore. I would like to go back home. As for the payment, I would definitely return here and pay you back."

The moment I looked up, I saw him approaching without even looking at me. Didn"t I just say that there is something weird with this guy?

I immediately straightened my body and saw him proceeding to the table. He didn"t pay any attention to what I just said. He opened the pot"s lid which still looked like whatever inside of it was recently cooked. After which, he poured some of its contents on a small ceramic cup.

"You should first drink this."

He offered me the cup with a smile so dazzling and charming that it would probably make all the girls go wild and line up to marry him.

"Thank you but---"

"You do not need to say any thanks."

He kept on smiling and I kept on being the puzzled one here. I was about to open my mouth to ask when I suddenly felt someone approaching. Because of my reflexes, I grabbed on one of his sleeves and stood in front of him. I did that despite of the pain that my injuries were giving me. I"m used to it anyway.

After a few seconds, a person in black clothes appeared in front of us, kneeling. For a split second, I saw the door was already opened although it didn"t look like this newcomer entered through it. This person... Sure is fast.

"Master."

What he said took me by surprise. I looked behind me only to see an amused face on a certain person. Obviously, the master here is the one I was supposed to give my thanks to.

"Fortunately, it didn"t spill."

The man passed by me as he held the ceramic cup in his hands. He then placed it on the table.

"You, with a damaged spirit, still felt the presence of my servant. It"s truly amusing."

I don"t understand what he just said. Damaged spirit? I knew that the person who saved me is weird just from his looks and aura but, what the hell? Just where in the world am I?

The kneeling person in front of us said a few more words and when I heard "young miss", my head started to hurt. Memories then, started to flood in.

Young miss of the Ellion family: Ceres Ellion. She is the only daughter of the fifth general of the Ellion Army and the so called trash girl. Without the achievements of her late father and the reputation of her genius older brother, she is the definition of trash.

At the age of five, during the test for magic attribute, she was found to exhibit none. Coming from an old noble family, it was of course not acceptable. However, since they also have an army to command, everyone thought she could still be of used and tried to teach her everything about war tactics and battles. But, unfortunately, she really can"t learn anything. She knew her place in the family and accepted everything that came with it. Being a disgrace, they abandoned her and left her with the least and lowest quality of resources available. But because her brother was a genius in both martial arts and magic and that he was accepted as a disciple by the Soaring Dragons" Headmaster, they didn"t dare to do anything that would endanger or harm her. Well, luck was not really on her side. As soon as her brother left for school to further train and enhance his skills, she was left with no one.

Bullsh*t! What"s the use of keeping her if they wouldn"t treat her as a person? This girl may as well be dead and her brother may as well return from school only to find his little sister in a grave.

At the age of 12, just when she was about to meet her childhood friend, she was killed. She was drugged and pushed to her death at the Heaven and Earth"s End, a cliff where people don"t dare to come close to.

I couldn"t find the culprit who killed her in her memories. There were also other parts which were missing like what her whole family looks like and such. It looks like it has been erased. Does this have to do with my transmigration? Well, one thing is for sure and that is unfortunately for those who harmed her, Ceres survived. And more unfortunately for them, she was not the same girl they used to know.

Ceres Ellion is already dead but I have resided in her body and whatever she needed for revenge would be paid through me.

Giventhis second chance in life, with no connection to my previous world, let mehelp this young miss with her life. I would bring death to everyone withoutthem knowing. That was my job in my previous world and that would be my goal inthis new world. -tbc

A/N (as of October 30, 2017): I"m currently editing some chapters (particularly typos and corrections in the grammar) and will do so in the future when I see fit. Thank you very much for understanding.

Ceres Ellion or the so-called trash girl; this was the body I came into. I didn"t have the same name in my previous world. I wonder why I transmigrated to hers. Also, I wonder why some of her memories are missing? Anyway, after what happened to me, I know that I could no longer go back to my previous world. I also do not wish to come back. The only thing for me to do here is to live Ceres" life and help her as long as I can.

"Have you finally come to your senses?"

"Just who exactly are you?"

He didn"t bother to answer me and instead, went and stood in front of me, held my hand, and suddenly kissed it. Of course I was taken aback but, not because of his actions but because I wasn"t able to move.

This is dangerous!

However, he only looked at me. I can see his smile and I can see his eyes shaped like the crescent moon. But, as I look straight into his eyes, all I could see is nothing but coldness that somehow seems to be captivating.

I know those eyes. I"ve seen them... In a different person and in a different world. It always sent chills down my spine and at the same time, tugged my heart. You would always want to look away but you also cannot escape. I came to hate it more than anything.

"You need not know for now who this person is but all I can tell you is that this person owes you his life. This life will eventually belong to you."

Nonsense! If you want me to have your life, you shouldn"t have any conditions or time frames!

When I can finally move, I immediately withdrew my hand away from him. And, I decided that until I get stronger than him, I must not offend this person.

"I do not want your life. Since you have also saved me this time, we"re even and I"ll just be on my way."

I started to walk away even though it was difficult given my injuries and this weak body. I needed to plan my life immediately and I must stay away from this person.

Before I could even go out of the door, I felt my legs go cold and then numb. Great. Did he just freeze my legs? If only I was at my peak condition and can exhibit my skills, I could probably somehow escape from this scenario. Also, if I probably knew more about magic, it could also help me in this kind of world.

In Ceres" world, magic is something that people obviously want. Due to the fact that not everyone has magic or can practice magic, people look up to those who has it and those who are strong. Well, even though I don"t have it, I know that I would still survive. I will train myself and get this body in good condition in order for me to use my skills from my previous world.

"You better release me while I"m still thoughtful of you."

"It truly makes me happy knowing my princess is concern about me."

He appeared in front of me, grabbed my hand, and finally undone his magic. He was the first one to be out of the cottage-like room while dragging me along.

"Where do you want to go? This person will take you wherever you want to be."

He turned to me and smiled once again. Is it me or am I really feeling that this person in front of me, though very strong, is dumb? I only wanted to get as far away from him as soon as possible.

"It"s much better if we part ways from here onwards."

He stopped from walking, turned around, and took both my hands to hold them.

"I know that it is still difficult for you to move around. If it wasn"t for the herbs and elixirs that Gil brought, you might still be lying on the bed for ten more days without any consciousness. So, while you"re recuperating, let me take care of you."

Gil? That is probably the name of his servant who was left alone inside the cottage-like room.

I pulled my hands from his hold.

"I couldn"t thank you enough for what both of you have done for me but I must really go right now or my family would be worried about me."

He started to laugh. I wasn"t even being funny at this moment. I know it"s a lame excuse to use my family because I couldn"t care less about them but, so what? I only needed to get away from this person.

"Gil."

"Here, master."

The servant, out of nowhere, immediately appeared by his side, kneeling once again.

"Can you tell us the situation in the Ellion family since their second young miss went missing?"

How did he know my background? I knew it. This person is a bad deal.

Without even looking at us, Gil narrated how the Ellion family lived like what they normally do. It was as if I didn"t exist and that no one bothered to look for me.

Right after what that Gil said, the other person even thought of mocking me.

"They"re pretty much worried, huh? Regarding your brother, he has entered his closed door training and would not go out soon. So, where do you plan to go? Home? Do you even a home in the first place?"

At least now, I know that my family isn"t looking for me. Everyone probably thought that I died. I don"t really care about them but that brother of mine would probably do some crazy stuff when he finds out. The only thing I need to care about is to know who harmed Ceres and why. Since my brother is still in his training, I need not care about it for now. The childhood friend is probably that stupid prince and doesn"t even know that we were supposed to meet that day. He could still be in his school; busy with studying.

In the first place, I wasn"t even planning to go home. What I needed to do for now is to improve my condition and skills. With or without magic, I must exact revenge for this girl. I also want to explore this new world and I know that it"s only possible if I can really become strong.

"Hooo~ I really do like that serious face you have there. Don"t worry about anything since this person will help you as long as you tell me to."

At the moment, I would still need to learn more about this world. Ceres" knowledge only came from reading some books so I can never depend on that. Well, this guy could probably help me as long as I don"t offend him. He said that he owes his life to me so I could use that to bargain with my life in case he does anything suspicious.

"Fine. It looks like I cannot escape from you. Not until I can beat you."

He started to laugh again after which, he started to walk closer to me only to whisper some words which made me hate being with him even more.

"It"s a big goal you have in there. I guess I will be sticking close to you for the rest of your life."

I placed my hand on his face and pushed him away.

"You have to tell me where the nearest town or city is. I feel filthy and I need to take a bath. Also, let me borrow some money. I will pay you back soon."

Then, I started to really walk away without any hindrances. He just followed me while directing the path I should take. On our way, even though I wanted to extract more information from this mysterious guy, he really doesn"t disclose that much about himself. It can"t be helped; it goes without saying that I really have no one to depend on this world except for myself.-tbc

At the Ellion family household, things are still normal... Or so everyone thought it is.

"WHAAAAT?!"

The second son, Noctyrus, stood up from his seat right after hearing the news from their third brother, Simbeon.

Currently, the family head along with his sons, generals of the army, are sitting in the main hall and having an emergency meeting.

"Simbeon, can you repeat what you just said right now?"

The one who spoke is the current head of the family, the legendary general of the Ellion Army and sworn brother of the Winsterein Kingdom"s old Emperor, Arcyl Ellion.

"F-father, I was told that the third prince is on his way to meet Ceres."

The third prince is Ceres" childhood friend. Everyone was aware how the third prince is close to Ceres. Even though he was older than her and that she was a good for nothing, he still meets her whenever he can. Nobody bothered with their friendship since he was just the third prince. He will never have any chance to have the crown anyway. But suddenly, his fate changed when he turned 10 years old. An elder from Heaven"s Peak told His majesty that the third prince possesses a talent beyond anyone"s imagination. He was then accepted as a disciple of Heaven"s Peak and on his first year, ranked second on the list of newcomers. This was also the reason why he never saw Ceres for a long time. He had to go and train leaving her behind all by herself.

"This is going to be a headache."

Knitting his brows, Arcyl thinks of a way to get rid of their problem. Just when everyone is thinking of what to do, the first son and soon to be family head, spoke.

"Since we can never let him meet Ceres, let"s just say that Ceres went to some faraway place to live in secrecy. He wouldn"t push this issue that far if we make it known that an unknown master helped Ceres because she was nearly assassinated."

"What are you planning, Dotrald?"

It was again Arcyl who asked his first son.

"We will spread some gossip to the public that Ceres was nearly assassinated. All of us know that because of our very own status and position as well as the battles we"ve fought, we have a lot of enemies. These enemies tried to kill Ceres and luckily, she was saved by a master whose background we cannot reveal. This master also told us that Ceres can live with him for some time and will return when the time is right. This would save us the time to explain to her brother if he will also look for her as well as the time to look more on her... Death."

Arcyl coughed twice before reminding his sons,

"Ceres is not dead. We will find out where she is and whoever laid their hands on her will be taken care of by me."

Noctyrus laid back on his seat and said,

"Since we will be conducting an investigation on Ceres, we also have to find an excuse for everyone about her situation. And, first brother, do you think your plan will be bought by everyone? More importantly, that brother of hers would go on a rampage knowing she"s gone and we don"t have any means to contact her."

Only then did Dotrald smile.

"Rest assured father and brothers, I have planned this way ahead of you."

"Who would have thought that Ceres would suddenly disappear without any trace and suddenly a corpse with her things showed at the borders? We must investigate this properly and this will be our priority. Even though she"s not exceptional, she is still my granddaughter and the beloved daughter of my fifth son."

This statement of Arcyl made the rest of his sons feel bitter. The fifth son, Ceres" father, is named Ceraph and the most favorite son of Arcyl. Ceraph is the most talented general among the siblings and has contributed a lot for the kingdom"s peace and land expansions. Who would have thought that he would be killed in a fight nine years ago?

What Arcyl knew was that Ceres disappeared one day. Three days after, the family received a letter stating that a burnt corpse was found near the city"s border with Ceres" belongings. This includes the family"s crest for identity. He immediately went to see the crime scene and verified the belongings as well as the crest. He knew something was off and he didn"t believe it was Ceres" corpse. He immediately launched an investigation but until today, there were no updates or even clues.

News about this was immediately cut off by Dotrald so that nobody aside from the Ellion family will know about the incident.

"Well, well, well, no need to thank me if everything goes well because this is impossible without fourth brother"s help. Right, Lonwarlt?"

The ever silent fourth son finally spoke.

"I have no interest except in medicines and poisons."

"My father and dear brothers, I asked Lonwarlt to make a medicine which could alter someone"s appearance. He is nearing its completion. Soon, we will just need to find someone who will be the next Ceres and this would solve all our problems for the mean time. We will just need someone to replace Ceres for the time being while the investigations are still going. And it"s not that hard to find someone so useless like her, am I right?"

Arcyl didn"t want to go with Dotrald"s plans but if worst comes to worst, he said that they will use it. Only, they have to inform him about the medicine and the subject and that, not until he gave the go signal, no one should proceed according to that plan. He was still distressed about Ceres and lately his headaches became so frequent that he also had problems sleeping. He didn"t want to stay for long and he knew that his sons would take care of the third prince. When he was about to stand up and bid goodbye to his sons, Dotrald made a request.

"Father, I request of you to speak highly of my daughter, Beatrice. We all know that she is suited for the third prince. She has also showed to me that she adores the third prince."

Beatrice is the only daughter of Dotrald. She excels in magic and was accepted in Heaven"s Peak. She is also included in the top ranking of disciples in their school but aside from that, she is also known as a fan of the third prince. Due to the closeness of the Ellion family to the royal family, many believed that Beatrice is suited for the third prince and their relationship could bring more prosperity for the kingdom as the Ellion family holds part of the military powers of the kingdom which is also the highest position.

"You are going to request that we arrange a marriage for Beatrice and the third prince?"

"If it could be done, this son of yours would very much be grateful and serve with all loyalty to this household."

Arcyl"s lips eyes twitched at that statement. Nevertheless, he didn"t voiced his displeasure.

"Since Beatrice likes the third prince, I will look into it. However, this would only be possible if the third prince is also willing. As a matter of fact, I don"t want to join the power struggle by marrying any of our women into the royal family. You all know that other households will make a move and do anything to prevent us from getting more than what we have today. Our family only holds the highest military position in the kingdom. Getting more than that will not be wise."

The Ellion family is powerful because they hold a large part of the military powers in the entire kingdom. Arcyl is an old man who doesn"t like meddling with political affairs and thus, decided to settle with being the military affairs minister while three of his sons were generals of the kingdom. Old houses know that they shouldn"t easily meddle with the politics. Everyone didn"t mind Ceres being close to the third prince not until the third prince became the favorite son of the king. Still, almost everyone thought that Ceres is not fit to have any romantic relationship with the prince so she really wasn"t considered a hindrance. Arcyl, of course, knew this. But he was still already planning on how to make Ceres stay away from the third prince as far as possible because he doesn"t want Ceres and their family to get involved in any political struggle. Then all of a sudden, Dotrald brought up the topic about wanting to marry Beatrice to the third prince, he knew that his son is up to no good but he still wouldn"t directly say no.

When everyone finally came to a conclusion, they went on with their respective work. Only, Dotrald went to see his brother, Lonwarlt.

"My dear fourth brother, I told everyone that your medicine is near completion. Remember, it is supposed to be like that or else, you know what will happen."

"I understand. Don"t rush things like this or you"ll eventually harm yourself, first brother." -tbc