WHEN SOMEONE DIES, they either go to heaven or hell. At least, that's what the intelligent human species believed. The afterlife, in its many forms, had been the subject of countless debates, religious teachings, and philosophies. But no one truly knew what awaited after death. For most, the idea was simply accepted—a comforting thought that death was not an end, but a continuation.
For Astra, however, it didn't matter where she went. She had long made peace with the unknown. She had lived her life, and regardless of whether she was heading to heaven or hell, it wouldn't change who she was. When she was young, she had a good temperament—shy, kind, and loveable. She made friends easily, and people often spoke of her as a genuinely good soul. But as she grew older, something in her hardened. Not entirely, but enough to shift the way she interacted with the world.
She'd become... pragmatic. A little jaded. A bit more detached from the world's idealistic views on goodness.
People who knew her often said she was a good person. Lazy, yes—but still good. But then again, is there really such a thing as a truly good person?
Maybe. But it definitely wasn't her.
Astra followed social norms. She wasn't evil because there was no benefit in it. She did kind things, but not from the goodness of her heart. There were times she wanted to stab a pencil into a classmate's head, but she restrained herself. Rationality was her saving grace. Had she followed every dark impulse, her life would've been chaos.
So, though her heart leaned dark, her actions often did not. When she died of old age, Astra believed she'd go to heaven. As for her dark heart? Let heaven deal with that. Let it purify her.
To her surprise, however, she didn't enter heaven. But she didn't end up in hell either.
Instead, she was reborn.
Not as a baby, but as a married sixteen-year-old girl.
The first time she woke up, she fainted.
No matter how mentally and emotionally strong she was, the situation nearly gave her a heart attack.
Being reborn with memories of her past life was fine. What terrified her was her civil status. She was sixteen—and already married!
In her previous life, she lived for luxury. She traveled the world, ate the finest delicacies, and hated children—so she never had any. No man ever met her standards, so she stayed single until death.
As for her career, if she wanted something, she got it. She wasn't exactly hardworking, but she was relentless when it came to her desires.
So, did she have regrets? Absolutely not. Astra lived her life to the fullest. There was nothing to regret.
As for her wealth, 50% went to her nieces and nephews. The other 50% went to orphans and women in need. She chose the organizations herself, long before her death.
Some had advised her to donate it to the government, but Astra didn't even flinch before rejecting the idea. She never trusted the government—why let them touch her money? She wasn't raised to be naive.
Hours later, when she woke again, she was greeted by the wide grins and nonstop chatter of her in-laws.
She wasn't left in the dark long. Her mother-in-law quickly told her she was pregnant.
And once again, she fainted.
This time, she felt the urge to never wake up. She wanted death to come for her again.
She hadn't even enjoyed the sex, and she was already pregnant? Setting the sex aside, couldn't her body have given birth first before her soul entered it? Why did she have to endure labor when she hadn't even participated in the pleasure?
The heavens were unfair!
Unfortunately, death didn't come for her. Three full days had passed since her soul arrived, and the in-laws, seeing her gloomy mood, decided to leave her be.
But Old Madam Volkov kept a close watch on her. Ever since Astra became their daughter-in-law, she had shown no emotion. She spoke only when spoken to, moved only when told—like a puppet with no soul.
Now, however, with pregnancy came emotion. Even if Astra looked more miserable than joyful, at least it was something human.
A month and a half ago, when they had found her lying unconscious in the middle of the forest, Old Master Volkov and his eldest son brought her home.
Upon learning that she had no family, Old Madam suggested she marry their eldest son. He was almost 30, still unmarried due to his duties as a soldier and the political unrest in the court. All his younger brothers were already married.
Besides, Old Madam fell in love with Astra's beauty. In another era, Astra would have been a legendary concubine—her beauty capable of toppling empires.
The Volkovs were rough people. Though their eldest son was considered handsome, he paled in comparison to Astra.
"I hope Dmitry is here," Old Madam sighed. "He would be overjoyed to know he's going to be a father."
After their wedding night, Dmitry Volkov had immediately returned to the frontlines to fulfill his duty.
Astra, who sat outside emotionlessly staring at the sky, flinched when she heard her mother-in-law mention the man. Her eyes turned sharp.
She couldn't even remember what her husband looked like. This body held no memories at all.
Then she felt her mother-in-law's gaze again. What was she supposed to say? She hadn't even wanted to be a wife, and now she was forced to be a mother?
After fainting for the second time, she briefly considered discussing morality—especially after hearing that her husband was almost 30. Unfortunately, in this world, girls could marry at 15, and men at 20. She had no grounds to argue. Wrong era.
At first, she thought she was in ancient times. But when she saw an old-fashioned telephone in the house, doubts crept in. Then she heard about the court, and that an emperor ruled the country. Her mind went numb.
Where the hell was she?
That night, she looked up and saw two moons floating above the sky. Finally, she accepted it. Fine. She wasn't on Earth. Maybe a parallel world. Maybe something else. Whatever it was, she was stuck. She might as well adapt. If monsters suddenly showed up, she wouldn't even be surprised anymore.
Sighing, Astra stood up, planning to return to her room to sort things out. But when she met her mother-in-law's eyes, she gave a respectful nod. She respected the elderly and pitied the young. As long as they didn't cross the line, she played by the rules. That was a habit. Otherwise, she wouldn't hesitate to stab someone.
Not caring about her mother-in-law's dumbfounded expression, Astra walked inside to process everything she had learned about this world. She needed to plan her future.
The Volkov family lived in the countryside. They weren't poor, but they weren't rich either. If not for Dmitry's salary as a soldier, they wouldn't even be eating three meals a day.
There were three more brothers, all married. The second son, Peter, had two sons and a daughter. The third son, Ashton, had two daughters. The fourth son, Cole, had three sons. Two worked the fields, one was apprenticing as a carpenter. They contributed what they could, but the household depended largely on Dmitry.
This world was... traditional. In her previous life, once you could afford it, you could live independently. Once married, you rarely had to worry about your birth family. Your focus was your new home.
But not here.
Here, even if you were married, your parents were still the head of the family. Only when they were old and unable to work would the children separate into their own households—usually living with the eldest son.
Astra took note of this. She began to seriously consider her options. Integrate... or just end it all?
After raising her siblings in her past life as the unfortunate first child, she'd thought she was done with responsibility.
Now, here she was again. Trapped in responsibilities she never asked for.
She suddenly felt nauseous.
Then she remembered the baby.
Suicide was no longer an option.
She may dislike children, but she wasn't the kind of person to kill the innocent.
Sighing, Astra gently tapped her stomach. "I don't know if I'm the one being punished by the heavens… or you," she murmured. "You're so unlucky to have me as your mother."
After declaring her unborn child's bad luck, Astra resumed analyzing her environment.
There wasn't much information about the imperial court. This was the countryside. Maybe once she reached the capital, she could learn more.
What she did know was that this country had an emperor.
An interesting one, too—concubines and mistresses were illegal. Monogamy was enforced with the death penalty.
Then there was the Saintess, whose status was more revered than the emperor's. She was said to be the daughter of the heavens—blessed with divine insight, capable of predicting disasters, guiding the people, and praying for the country's prosperity. A typical saintess trope.
Still, Astra wasn't concerned about the court or the Saintess. She was in the countryside. Her odds of meeting them were close to zero.
What she did care about was this world's economic system.
She had no intention of living poorly. Her husband's money was his. And that money was supporting his entire family.
She didn't mind that.
But if they dared to interfere with her—or demand her money once she had it—there would be hell to pay.
A woman needed her own financial support. As an independent career woman in her past life, Astra knew that better than anyone. Without it, if the man or his family turned against you, you would suffer.
She'd never let that happen to her.