Queen of Ivy: Prologue

Author's Note: This story is a work in progress, but I am willing to share more chapters if there's any interest.

Kang Yumi was surprised that she still looked the same, considering she was no longer herself. Eyes? Still brown. Height? Still 171 centimeters. Hair? Well, the hair was different, but she had just dyed it before she had… well, died. But the color was similar to her natural shade.

Yumi had been born on a rice farm in Pocheon, South Korea. She was one of seven girls, a middle child. She spent her childhood and a good portion of her teen years practicing ballet. Yumi was actually discovered at one of her performances. A friend of a local was there visiting. They happened to be an agent. The rest was a blur, possibly due to the new life she now encapsulated, but also possibly because it was all the same for other idols. She was a trainee for a few years, then debuted in a girl group. They bullied her. They disbanded. Yumi became a nugu soloist. She fell in love. She got engaged. He left her. She tried to bury herself in work. A performance went wrong. So ended Yumi.

It was surprisingly difficult to hold a grudge over it. She was crushed by stage lights during her rehearsal for a comeback performance. It was, in all likelihood, an accident and she was somehow still alive. As a devout Roman Catholic, she had never believed much in reincarnation. But, if god was willing to give her a second chance, who was she too argue? Though, if she had a choice, she would have certainly asked to become literally anything but an evil stepmother.

When Yumi had come to, she had awoken in a garden, vines twisting around her ankles. Surprisingly, she was not afraid, though her frantic servants certainly felt differently.

“Lady Ivy! Are you alright?”

Yumi had blinked repeatedly. She raised her head and looked at her clothing. That was an odd dress. Old and European. Was it a new concept?

“Lady Ivy?”

The delicate voice caused her to turn. A girl in a powder blue dress stared at her. She was pretty enough to be one of her dongsaengs. She had seen plenty of trainees who would have killed for the girl’s dark curls and bright brown eyes. Her cheeks were rosy and had a liveliness Yumi had never felt.

The girl bent down and hesitantly grabbed Yumi’s hand.

“Are you alright, stepmother?”

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It took three days for Yumi to piece together where she was. The answer made her want to recoil. She was in Sunny’s Cinderella. It was a book she had picked up at a secondhand store while trying to kill time before her drive to the airport. It was hardly an original plot as it borrowed heavily from the age-old tale. However, the characters were likable enough. Yumi might have been perfectly content becoming Ambrosia, the young heroine who fell in love with Prince Sunny despite their difference in station. She could have been content with Lila who, despite being forced to commit unspeakable acts, had a heart of gold. Hell, she might have also been content to be Princess Marisol, though she barely had any speaking lines. However, apparently, at thirty-one years of age, there was really only one role for Yumi. She was now Lady Ivy Woodbride, the evil stepmother.

To the book’s credit, she was not Ambrosia’s stepmother. Ambrosia was an orphan currently sweeping in some shop. No, Yumi was Lady Lila’s stepmother and Yumi’s least favorite character. Ivy had been born to the Noverons, a nouveau riche family who had made their money in trade. The Noverons had been blessed with generations of powers over the natural world, which meant they were able to help their suppliers grow crops even in the most difficult weather. This had made them incredibly wealthy, but they still lacked any decent status. So, Ivy had married an elderly baron with a single daughter.

It was strange for Yumi. Ivy had been married at twenty-eight. That should have been when Yumi had her wedding, had she not been abandoned on that fateful New Year’s Day. Of course, Jinda was likely still alive and well, unlike Ivy’s husband. Baron Woodbride died of a heart attack while out hunting. The day Yumi entered Ivy’s role marked the end of their one-year mourning period and a month before the beginning of the novel.

Originally in the novel, Lady Ivy pressured Lila to seduce the prince so she could elevate their social status. Ivy bullied her stepdaughter into various uncomfortable situations, tormenting her every time it went wrong. Ivy even pressured darling Lila into poisoning Ambrosia at one point. Lila, of course, being a warm soul, felt immediate regret afterwards. Ambrosia was understanding, but their friendship was permanently ruined and Lila was forced into exile. Meanwhile, Ivy was executed for treason and attempting to murder the prince’s fiancée.

Frankly, that was a future Yumi was not eager to keep. She sighed, finally beginning to brush her hair. Apparently, it was all she could do now.