"Harley, your mother finally promised to pick you up!"
"When you get better, go to the big city and live a good life. Don’t let your grandmother down before she passes!"
In a small village near Silver-lake, an old woman dressed in plain clothes placed a bowl of soup and medicine beside the bed, speaking earnestly to the girl lying there. The girl had porcelain-like skin, delicate brows, and pale lips. She looked fragile and sickly.
Hearing this, the girl took the bowl and gave a faint smile to the old woman. "Thank you, Lady Tamsin. I understand."
"Such a good child," the elderly woman said with a sigh, her eyes red with emotion. "It's such a pity her life is filled with hardship."
Harley Quinn lowered her eyes and silently drank the medicine.
When she had woken up after falling ill, a flood of information overwhelmed her mind.
She had died.
And then... she was brought back to life.
Reborn into this body.
This girl, Harley Quinn, was only 18 years old but had experienced her lifetime share of bad luck. Growing up in an orphanage, she then thought her adoption was going to bring her a family, but she got abandoned by parents time and again.
What a fool.
What was the use of relying on others?
One should only rely on oneself.
After Lady Tamsin left, Harley lay back down on the bed, though a flicker of joy stirred inside her.
It wasn’t her own, but the joy of the body’s original owner.
The girl had always dreamed of being with her family, and now, after being promised by her adoptive mother, how could she not feel happiness?
But...
Would they truly take her back with kindness?
Harley's gaze darkened, contemplating the possibility.
---
The next day.
Near noon, there was finally a knock on the door. Lady Tamsin, who was preparing lunch, hurriedly set down the fresh vegetables she had selected, wiping her hands on her apron as she rushed to the door.
"It must be your mother, Harley! She's come to take you home!" she called out excitedly.
When she opened the door, a well-dressed middle-aged woman stood outside. But it wasn't Elena Quinn, Harley's adoptive mother—it was the housekeeper of the Quinn family.
Leaning against the kitchen doorframe, Harley watched the woman with languid, slightly raised eyes.
"Lady Tamsin, Madam sent me to pick up the young miss," Sebastian Ward, the housekeeper, said with a polite yet disdainful tone that was hard to mask.
"Oh, Sebastian, you must be tired! Come in, have a bite to eat before you leave. It’s been such a long drive," Lady Tamsin offered eagerly.
But Sebastian's distaste for the village food was clear. "No, thank you," he replied coldly. He glanced toward Harley before adding, "Mr. and Mrs. Quinn are waiting. We must leave now."
Despite Lady Tamsin's insistence, the only thing Harley had to bring with her was a small backpack and a little cat. The cat had been picked up by the original owner over a month ago, and despite being seriously ill, she had spent all her money on saving it.
Harley wasn’t fond of pets, but it had been saved by the original owner, so she kept it.
Sebastian's distaste deepened when he saw the cat. "Miss, Madam dislikes stray animals. It's best to leave it behind."
It was clear what he meant—both the cat and Harley were unwanted strays.
Harley held the cat tighter. "Where I go, it goes."
Sebastian frowned, his irritation mounting. "If you insist on taking it, I’ll need to ask Madam for permission."
Harley simply tilted her chin upward. "Go ahead."
Her demeanor, honed from years of holding power, startled Sebastian, though he quickly hid his shock. 'Does she think she's some high-born lady of the Quinn family now?'
With a stern expression, he turned and called Elena Quinn.
"Don’t worry, Lady Tamsin," Harley said with a faint smile, her eyes never leaving Sebastian. "She'll agree."
If they didn’t agree, they could turn around and leave—there was no need to cater to people who looked down on her.
And if they did... the Quinns' intentions weren’t pure.
---
After a while, Sebastian returned, looking displeased. "Madam is generous and has agreed to let you bring the cat, but be mindful—it’s not like the city."
Harley didn’t respond, her attention on stroking the cat's soft fur.
The pale skin of hers shimmered in the sun, her eyes glittering as if they were some fragile watercolor. The long lashes, as a matter of fact, made bars of shadow on her cheeks and almost turned her vision into some sort of hypnosis.
Sebastian was momentarily stunned. This wasn’t the timid country girl he had expected to find. But what did it matter?
A face could only do so much.
This little sparrow could never become a phoenix, no matter how beautiful. She was nothing compared to Lucia Quinn.
Sebastian curled his lip, his disdain deepening.
Before they left, many villagers gathered to bid her farewell, offering her words of encouragement, hoping she could live a better life in the city.
Lady Tamsin’s eyes were teary, urging Harley to be patient and obedient with her family.
Harley gently hugged her, then stepped out of the house.
Standing outside, she gazed at the place where the original owner had lived. A feeling of melancholy washed over her—it wasn’t her sorrow but the last trace of the original owner’s emotions.
The wind gently lifted her wine-red dress, casting an ethereal and otherworldly image as she finally turned and stepped into the car, leaving the countryside behind.
---
At the corner of the street, two young men had been watching the scene unfold.
"Simon Nash, did you see that?" Lucas Whitman was wide-eyed in disbelief as he watched the car drive off. "She’s like a fairy—a real-life fairy..."
The tall man beside him narrowed his eyes, the deep intensity in his gaze unreadable. "Really?" He spoke softly, slipping on his sunglasses. His voice was cold and distant. "You must be imagining things."
With that, he turned and left.
"Imagining things? No way!" Lucas rubbed his eyes in disbelief, watching the dust settle in the car’s wake before turning back to his brother. "Simon, are you messing with me again?"
A faint smile curved Simon's lips as he walked away, but he didn’t answer.
