"Cece! Cece!! wake up…"
The voice came faintly at first, like it was coming from somewhere far away, tugging at her consciousness in a way that felt both annoying and unfamiliar.
A hand shook her shoulder again.
"Cece!"
Elena frowned slightly.
Who… is Cece?
Her brows furrowed deeper as she tried to ignore it, her mind still heavy, still stuck in darkness where everything had ended in fire and pain.
Then suddenly, cold water splashed across her face, and her eyes snapped open immediately.
A sharp gasp left her lips as she jolted upright, breathing heavily, her heart pounding violently in her chest as if it was trying to remind her…
You died.
But she wasn't dead.
"She's awake!" A chorus of relieved voices filled the room almost immediately, followed by collective sighs as if a heavy burden had just been lifted off everyone's shoulders.
Elena blinked rapidly, her vision still adjusting as unfamiliar faces came into focus around her.
"Look, I told you she was pretending again, no one ever believes me."
The voice was sharp, laced with irritation.
Elena frowned.
Pretending?
Her confusion only deepened as she slowly turned her head, taking in the people surrounding her.
None of them was familiar to her.
Not even a single one, some looked at her with disappointment, some with complicated expressions, others… didn't seem to care at all.
Her frown deepened as she pushed herself up slightly, her gaze moving from one face to another.
Who are these people and why are they ten?
"Cut the crap, Cece," a lady dressed in an expensive gown said coldly, her tone filled with annoyance. "He has already agreed to mate with you, there's no need to push the act further."
Before Elena could even process those words, the woman turned and walked away, her heels clicking sharply against the polished floor.
Mate? Cece? Act?
Elena sat there, getting more confused by what they said, because none of that made sense.
In fact, nothing made sense.
One by one, they left in annoyance, leaving four young ladies in the same green dress kneeling beside her bed, each of them carrying a tray, and Elena didn't want to look at what they were carrying as if she would be oppressed by it.
Her thoughts were still trying to catch up when something else caught her attention.
The room!!
Her eyes slowly widened. "Ohhh! I am in heaven?" because this wasn't just a bedroom.
This was what heaven is supposed to look like! The walls shimmered with embedded pearls, reflecting soft light that danced across surfaces decorated with gold and intricate carvings, diamonds were not just ornaments—they were part of the design, scattered like they were nothing more than decorations, the furniture alone looked like it could feed entire cities for years.
Elena blinked. "How?"
How can a room look like this?
She had never seen anything close to this level of… ridiculous wealth.
'You could literally become a trillionaire just by scraping the walls…' she thought as her eyes wandered in disbelief, she didn't believe she would witness what paradise looked like.
Then she looked at the four ladies kneeling again and frowned.
Who punished them?
Her gaze lingered on them for a moment before her mind snapped back to reality.
Wait…
That's not the main issue right now, her expression shifted and the confusion returned.
What the heck is going on right now?!!
Didn't she just die? Didn't the zombies tear her skin apart? Didn't the explosion…
"We… we are glad you… woke up… again…"
One of the maids finally spoke, her voice trembling slightly as if she had gathered all her courage just to say those words.
Elena turned to her, more confused by each second. "What are you talking about?"
The moment the words left her mouth, she froze. That voice…
Her eyes widened, it sounded… softer and sweeter, but not hers, her hand immediately flew to her mouth.
"What is going on???!"
Her fingers trembled as she lowered her gaze to her hands, they were so… beautiful, clean… slim and elegant… nothing like the rough, battle-worn hands she used to have, the nails were weird but they could be worth a fortune because the paint was made from raw gold…
Raw gold?!!!
Elena brought it closer to her face and took a good look, she had once helped a goldsmith at a shop and knew about precious stones, especially gold.
"I'm really in heaven…" she mumbled and rose from the bed, running toward a mirror that looked like it belonged in a royal palace, framed with gold and embedded jewels that sparkled even without direct light, she expected to see her angelic face.
"Ahhh!" she screamed and staggered back the moment she saw the reflection.
"What kind of face is THIS?!" her voice echoed through the room in pure horror.
Because what she saw did not match the body at all, the body was so perfect, her skin was flawless, she had everything she had ever wished for.
Long legs. Slim waist. Elegant posture.
But her face… Elena leaned closer to the mirror, her expression twisting in disbelief.
"Why?"
It wasn't just unfamiliar, it felt… wrong and unfair, like someone had taken a perfect masterpiece and then completely ruined the centre.
"This doesn't match!" she cried out, pointing at her reflection as it had personally offended her.
"How can the body be like this and the face be like THIS?!"
Behind her, the maids froze in shock, but none of them dared to speak.
Because to them, this was normal and they were used to it.
But to Elena… this was a nightmare, she stepped back, still staring at her reflection as if it might suddenly change if she looked long enough.
"Okay…" she muttered, trying hard to calm herself.
"Okay… let's think…"
She pointed at the mirror again. "That is not my face, even if it almost looks like mine!!"
She placed a hand on her chest. "I died."
Then she looked around the room. "This is not my world, it's heaven."
Then she paused and looked at her black dress. "Shouldn't I be floating in a large white dress??" she gasped. "Which angel gave me this dress! This is unfair, I risked my life to save kids and he chose a black dress for me? even the angel of death can testify!" she groaned.
The four ladies were stunned. "Your Grace?" one of them called in disbelief.