“Hey! Why did you tell Mom that I stayed out all night? Do you need a beating to come to your senses?”

It was my dreadful home.

‘Was it just a dream?’

I felt as if I had just woken from a long sleep. As I tried to sit up in a daze, I noticed a piece of paper fall beside me, and my eyes widened.

Lottery winning numbers, and a building deed.

‘It wasn’t a dream. I’ve come back again.’

I let out a deep sigh, unsure if it was relief or despair, and buried my face in my hands.

When I lifted my head again, my eyes shone with clear determination.

Round three of life.

Titiana Este, winter of age 20.

***

I returned to a week before the saddest day of my life—the day my mother passed away from tuberculosis.

Mom handed me a pouch of gold coins she had hidden away. It was the same pouch I had used in my previous two lives to pay off my father and brother’s debts.

“Titi, my daughter. I saved this for when you got married…”

“Mom.”

Looking at it brought a flood of thoughts.

‘I struggled in both lives to support the Este barony in place of my mother. Dealing with a hopeless father and brother.’

In hindsight, it was such a foolish thing to do.

I spoke to my mom, who looked at me with worried eyes until the end.

“Don’t worry about me, Mom. I won’t live like that in this life.”

Even though she didn’t understand what I meant, she smiled. As if she was cheering me on.

That was the last day I spent with my mom.

As soon as her funeral was over, I boarded a train to the capital. I left in a hurry, so I was in mourning clothes and had minimal luggage.

Hugging my bag on the narrow seat, I repeated to myself like a mantra.

“The only person who can make me happy in this world is myself. Cheer up. This time, I can be happy…”

Then I looked up and gazed out the train window. The scenery passing by wasn’t as gloomy as it used to be.

On the third day of the train journey, I finally set foot in the capital.

‘The capital is humid.’

The weather in the capital was a bright spring.

I tucked my coat under my arm and looked up at the three-story building standing tall in front of me.

[Unditch 87th Street]

It was my first time standing in front of the shining mint-colored building in this life, but it didn’t feel unfamiliar. Instead, it felt familiar.

It was the building where the master’s tavern was.

‘So the deed master gave me was for this building.’

Standing there, I tidied my hair and clothes. Then I approached the building and knocked on the door. I was nervous in a different way.

“Excuse me.”

“……”

There was no response from inside the building.

Squinting, I tried to peer through the window, but the thick layer of dust made it impossible to see anything.

‘Is there really no one here?’

I couldn’t detect any sign of life on the first floor. It seemed like the lights were off too.

‘Could this building actually be empty?’

It was possible, given that there was a five-year gap between now and the future.

‘No, the master definitely mentioned there would be someone here to help.’

Staring blankly at the door wasn’t going to provide any answers. To find out who could assist me, I had to go inside, regardless of the outcome.

However, I hesitated to open the door and step in.

‘What if they think I’m some strange woman?’

Standing here awkwardly, waiting for the owner to arrive, didn’t feel right either.

As I leaned against the door in frustration, it suddenly creaked open with a loud noise.

“Eek!”

I almost fell backward as the door, which I thought was locked, swung open. I managed to grab my bag and regain my balance just in time.

Inside, the building was filled with dust, just as it appeared from outside.

‘This really seems like an abandoned building.’

I swallowed hard, momentarily dazed, and then spoke in a soft voice.

“Hello? I’m coming in…”

I said it. I really did. ‘Well, if I meet someone, I can just show them the deed.’

With that thought, I placed my bag on the floor and ventured further inside.

***

The building had three floors.

As I climbed the stairs to the next floor, a different scene unfolded. Unlike the first floor, which seemed untouched by human hands for a long time, the second floor showed signs of habitation.

For example…

‘Trash?’

To be precise, there was trash scattered around, as if someone had carelessly tossed the wrappers after consuming the contents.

‘If someone threw it from the third floor, it would land right here, wouldn’t it?’

There wasn’t even dust on top of it, indicating it was freshly discarded trash.

‘It doesn’t matter who I encounter; let’s just go up.’

I was about halfway up the stairs to the third floor when I noticed something.

‘What’s that?’

A blanket?

A large, caterpillar-like object was lying on the landing. It looked like someone had lazily rolled up a blanket.

‘Why is that on the stairs?’

It was blocking the way, so I couldn’t proceed without stepping over or jumping over it.

And, of course, I was wearing a fluttering skirt and hard shoes.

‘Oh well, whatever.’

It’s the fault of whoever left the blanket on the dusty stairs. If anyone complains later, I’ll just say I thought it was laundry.

With that thought, I stepped firmly on the blanket.

“Ugh!”

“Huh?”

A scream came from inside the blanket.

Startled, I quickly stumbled backward and grabbed the stair railing.

‘What the heck? Was there a person under this blanket?’

The blanket, curled up like a caterpillar, began to wriggle. Suddenly, a face popped out from beneath it.

It was a young man with charming curly pink hair and striking blue eyes.

“You chased me all the way here, you relentless… Oh? Who are you?”

Mistaking me for someone he knew, he started to lash out, but when he saw my face, his eyes widened in surprise.

Even that reaction felt strangely familiar and comforting.

“Master!”

Could it be that the person who was supposed to help was the master himself? I couldn’t be sure, but just seeing his pink hair put my mind at ease.

In my excitement, I jumped onto his blanket.

“So you were here! You have no idea how shocked I was to find the first floor in ruins!”

I had been boasting about how I was going to change the future, but the entire journey to the capital had left my mind in turmoil.

After all, I had already failed once.

‘I never knew just having someone familiar around could be so reassuring.’

I smiled broadly with relief, but he looked utterly confused as he wriggled out from under the blanket. Waving his hands, he asked in a bewildered tone,

“Uh, hang on a second. I’ve never seen you before. Who are you?”

“What…?”

I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand and then looked closely at his face.

Upon closer inspection, he didn’t resemble the master at all—except for the hair color!

Even if he were the master, it wouldn’t have mattered. In my past life, he didn’t remember me either.

‘It’s only natural he doesn’t know me since I’ve come back to a time before he met me.’

Besides, the guy in front of me didn’t seem to be the master at all.

Realizing I had mistaken him for someone else and that he didn’t know me at all brought a wave of embarrassment.

‘Ugh, what am I doing?’

As I rubbed my reddened face with my sleeve, a soft voice called out to me.

“Well, first, could you please get off the blanket? I think we need to have a conversation, but let’s sort this out first and then talk.”

“Oh, okay.”

I quickly moved off the blanket. As he got up and shook it off, I thought, ‘Wow, he’s tall.’

I hadn’t realized it while he was wrapped up like a cocoon, but he really was quite tall.

The man, who quickly straightened out his blanket and clothes, sat down cross-legged in front of me, meeting my gaze. His demeanor and appearance were playful, with round blue eyes full of curiosity.

His pink hair was fluffy like cotton candy, and his light blue eyes were soft.

‘That pink hair is definitely the same color as the master’s.’

But the more I looked at him, the more I realized how different his vibe was from the master, to the point where I wondered how I had thought of the master at all.

Crucially, the master had severe burn scars that made it hard to recognize his original features. However, the man in front of me had a smooth face without a single mark.

‘Is he someone else?’

I scratched my head in awkwardness.

‘It’s a bit disappointing, but… well, meeting the master isn’t what’s important, is it?’

I didn’t come back in time to get married or anything; I came back to become rich and live happily on my own.

‘And to become rich, I need a base of operations first.’

That was what this building I’m sitting in was for.

As I steadied my restless heart, he propped his chin on his hand and asked, “I have a lot of questions, but the one I’m most curious about right now is this: Why are you here?”

I clenched my fists and answered loudly, “Because this is my building now!”