Chapter 3

"Wow, life really hit me hard this time. System, I refuse to accept this ending. Before I die, I want to find a new vessel and come back to life," I said.

The System evaluated her situation and responded, "Host, in this lifetime as Rosie Houghton, you risked your life as a test subject to heal the masses, earning boundless merit. When this body finally perishes, the System will choose a new vessel for you to start over."

Noticing my agony, the System chimed in, "Princess Jessica gave you a deadly poison. Until we find you a new body, I'll help hold back the poison and dull your pain. But one day, the poison will erupt, and nothing can stop it."

One day when Dominic realized it was he letting Jessica do whatever she wanted that got me killed, I couldn't wait to see the look on his face.

The next morning, Dominic came to see me. When he saw that I had pulled through after being poisoned, relief washed over him, and he smiled.

He smiled and coaxed her gently, "Rosie, Princess Tessa isn't doing well. His Majesty wants me to go in and check on her again. Will you come with me?"

Princess Tessa was the King's firstborn after his coronation, and everyone in the royal family saw her as the most honored crown princess.

But about a year ago, Princess Tessa was struck by a mysterious illness and had been unconscious ever since.

I agreed to go with Dominic to the palace, and he gave me a happy hug. "I thought you were mad at me."

"I'm never going to be upset with you again, Dominic," I said softly.

I was about to die soon anyway.

Three days later, Rosie accompanied Dominic to the palace.

In the Hall of Eternal Joy, they found Princess Tessa lying there, unconscious and deathly ill.

The royal doctors could only shake their heads, and after checking Tessa's pulse, Dominic didn't sugarcoat it.

"She's just clinging to life, might as well be a walking corpse," Dominic said.

Queen Bethany sat by the bedside, pressing Tessa's hand to her cheek, her face streaked with tears.

King Kamron Stevens, looking every bit his age, eyes red and tired, made it clear to everyone just how much his eldest daughter meant to him.

Jessica chimed in with childlike confidence, "Don't worry, Father, Mother. I'm studying medicine with Mr. Lowe now. I promise I'll save Tessa."

Queen Bethany didn't even acknowledge Jessica.

But the King reached out and ruffled Jessica's hair, his expression softening. "Tessa's lucky to have a little sister like you."

The System remarked, "Honestly, having a little sister like Jessica is more of a curse than a blessing for Tessa."

Rosie couldn't help but ask, "System, are you saying Jessica's the reason Tessa's sick?"

Having survived every poison imaginable, I could instantly tell that Tessa was suffering from severe poisoning.

The System replied, "Host, as long as you're not lovesick, your mind is perfectly sharp.

"Yep, Jessica's the one who poisoned Tessa.

"The King only has two daughters. Jessica's mother was just a servant who caught the King's eye, while Tessa is the true-born daughter of the King and Queen.

"Jessica only started getting the King's attention and love after Tessa got sick."

"System, is there any hope for Tessa?" I asked.

The System answered flatly, "No chance. Jessica poisoned her with Blood-Boiling Poison. It makes your blood literally boil, burning up every vein and nerve. It's as cruel as it gets.

"Tessa's soul has already been tormented out of her body. Her flesh is only hanging on by a thread, just kept from falling apart."

In this world, transmigrating meant snatching a dying body for oneself.

But one could only take over someone whose soul had already left and whose body was on the verge of death. Otherwise, he or she would be courting disaster.

When I first entered this world to win Dominic's heart, I seized the body of a dying orphan, the one I now lived in as Rosie Houghton.

"System, I think I know how to make Tessa rise again," I said.

The System instantly understood. "You mean...?"

"Tessa is the vessel I've picked for my next life," I decided.

Now that I'd picked my next vessel, I couldn't wait to ditch this wreck of a body.

It didn't take long before Dominic showed up to give me the push I needed.

He handed me a pill. "This is the Ambrosia of Life I made for Tessa. Rosie, would you try it for me first?"

As long as Dominic made the medicine himself, even if he laced it with something lethal, I'd still survive.

My immunity to poison only worked for him.

I wanted to see if Dominic really had what it took to bring Tessa back from the brink, so just like every other time I tested his medicine, I swallowed the pill he handed me.

But the moment the pill hit my stomach, it was like swallowing molten lava. My guts felt like they were roasting from the inside out.

Just then, Jessica bounced in, and Dominic finally came clean.

"Honestly, Jessica made this pill for Tessa. I didn't tell you because I thought you'd refuse to take it," Dominic admitted.

Jessica pulled the same trick again.

"Ms. Houghton, why did you eat it so fast? I was just about to stop you. I accidentally swapped sweetroot for gloomshroud moss paste in the recipe." Jessica cried out.

Dominic's face went pale. "What did you just say? Gloomshroud moss paste is deadly."

Jessica started crying, her voice trembling. "Mr. Lowe, I didn't mean to."

"Never mind, luckily Rosie's immune to poison. She'll be fine," Dominic said.

I gave a hollow, mocking laugh. Then my vision went dark as the poison surged through my veins, and I crumpled to the ground.

Even though I had collapsed, my mind didn't fade away. I could still hear everything happening around me, every sound crystal clear.

I heard Dominic comforting Jessica, "She just needs some sleep, and she'll be alright. It's not your fault. Don't worry."