Park Jeom-rye Reincarnated As Sophia At 98

Chapter 1. The Princess Was a Grandma

The image of her late husband flickered before her eyes.

“Dear… dear, have you come to take me?”

Lying in her hospital bed, Jeom-rye waved a hand through the air. Her children, watching over her, burst into tears.

“Mother… oh, Mother…!”

As they wept loudly since morning, her grandson Hajun gently took Jeom-rye’s hand.

“Grandma… please don’t be sick. Hajuni will be a good boy now, okay? Please, Grandma…”

Ah… my sweet great-grandchild, precious enough to carry in my eyes without pain.

Jeomr-rye gripped Hajun’s hand tightly. Her frail fingers couldn’t muster the strength she wanted.

“My dear Juni… don’t cry because of Grandma. Be good to your mom and dad, alright…?”

Her eyelids grew heavier. She had so much more to say—to her children, her daughter-in-law, her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren…

Beep—

The sound of the heart monitor echoed through the room. Jeom_rye’s dim eyes no longer reflected the light of the world.

Srrrrk.

Her eyes slowly closed. With the peaceful smile she always wore when handing out snacks, she passed away.

[March 21, 20XX. 12:30 PM. Park Jeom-rye passed away from old age at 98 years old.]

On a crystal-clear day in the outdoor gardens of Aurora Palace, Sophia poked her grandmother in the side.

“Granny. Belly belly.”

Sophia’s grandmother, Isabell Belmont—Dowager Queen of the Kingdom of Aurora—put down her embroidery.

“You rascal. That’s not a belly belly, it’s dignity.”

Unbothered, Sophia kept poking Isabelle’s side.

“Nope! Belly belly.”

“Nope. It’s dignity.”

“Humph. It is belly belly! Grandma’s a dummy!”

Sophia burst into laughter and ran out of the gazebo. Her curly golden hair, just like her mother’s, shimmered and bounced in the sunlight. She looked so utterly adorable.

Isabelle suddenly stood up and chased after her.

“You little rascal, stop right there!”

“Nope! I’m not stopping!”

Smaller and chubbier than other kids her age, Sophia was quick on her feet like a little piglet.

Just when it seemed like she could be caught, she slipped away again—and again.

Isabell was soon out of breath, a light cough escaping her lips. In the end, she couldn’t catch the child and stopped in her tracks.

“You little imp! Just wait ‘til I catch you!”

Sophia turned around and giggled wildly. At that moment, someone suddenly lifted her up into the air.

She floated up with a spin, and right in front of her eyes was a familiar head of brown hair.

“Daddee! Daddee!”

It was Hans Belmont, King of the Aurora Kingdom—and Sophia’s father. Sitting atop his shoulders, she squealed with silly affection.

“I told you not to call me that. You’re seven now, time to speak properly.”

Hans scolded her with a furrowed brow—but the corners of his mouth were lifting like they might fly right off.

Unbothered, Sophia grabbed his hair and wiggled it like animal ears.

“Daddeee!”

Hans clicked his tongue and walked over to Isabell.

“Mother, I told you not to spoil her like this.”

Isabell smiled warmly as she settled back into her chair. Hans set Sophia down beside her.

Then, after looking down at her with a disapproving expression for a long while, Hans couldn’t help himself—he began planting kisses all over her forehead.

Sophia let out a mischievous giggle, her chubby cheeks puffing up with delight.

“Sophia,”

Hans cleared his throat and spoke in a solemn tone.

“Yes, Daddy.”

Sophia’s face was completely devoid of any seriousness. Hans shook his head in exasperation and continued.

“Your betrothed has arrived at the castle.”

Even at this important moment—when the subject of her future husband was being discussed—Sophia couldn’t stay focused. She suddenly turned her head and began staring at the cake Isabelle had been eating.

“Do you want some?”

Isabell chuckled and offered her the cake. Sophia’s face lit up.

“Mother, please stop feeding her snacks,” Hans interjected, intercepting the cake plate mid-air. Isabell looked disappointed.

“She said she wants it.”

“Yes, and she keeps gaining weight. The lords are already calling her the ‘Pig Princess.’ Pig Princess!”

Sophia stared at Hans silently. His grumbling, which she usually ignored, strangely stuck with her today.

She was sure—she had seen this moment before…

Then, a flash of memories rushed through Sophia’s mind.

“She looks perfectly fine. Nothing wrong with a healthy appetite.”

Back when her granddaughter-in-law would leave for work, she’d take care of the child herself.

“Childhood obesity is a serious issue these days. Please think about Hajun’s health too.”

Yes, Hajun had especially loved rice crackers. In the end, he was diagnosed as obese—and the way her granddaughter-in-law scolded her for it… she remembered it vividly.

Ah… how could she have forgotten it all?

The village filled with the scent of acacia flowers,

The flutter of excitement from wearing her school uniform for the first time,

The silence that hung over her father’s memorial,

The dazzling days of youth.

And that man—Mr. Chunsik, who had been with her all her life.

Life as a wife after meeting him.

His smiling face.

The pain of her first childbirth—more than she ever expected.

And the second—she thought it’d be easier but it hurt even more.

Children growing up and finding their place,

The house slowly becoming emptier,

And then… the one who left first.

Drip.

Thick tears rolled down Sophia’s smooth cheeks.

Isabell panicked at the sight of her usually brave granddaughter—who never cried even when she fell—now weeping.

“Oh, my dear child. What’s the matter?”

“Chunsik… Chunsik…”

Sophia sobbed uncontrollably, crying out an unfamiliar name.

Her usual babyish lisp, full of playful mischief, was nowhere to be heard.

“Princess, are you really not going to eat again?”

“I’m fine.”

A dark room.

Lying with her back turned, the “Pig Princess” Sophia groaned softly.

Her nanny watched her with a worried expression.

The food on the table had gone completely cold, and a sigh slipped from her lips.

“You haven’t eaten a single meal since last night. You’ll really fall ill at this rate.”

“I said I’m fine. Just go.”

Whatever was wrong with her, it had been two days now.

The gluttonous princess, who always caused trouble with her endless appetite, refusing food—

It shook the entire castle.

The servants, all of whom had come to love Sophia in their own way, were deeply concerned.

Another maid sighed when she saw the nanny returning with untouched food.

“The princess didn’t eat again, did she?”

“Not a bite. I just don’t know what’s going on anymore…”

“Chunsik? What kind of name is that? It’s even hard to pronounce. Who on earth is that?”

“I have no idea. Was she that desperate to avoid the arranged marriage?”

The worried chatter of the maids never made it past the door. Sophia couldn’t hear them, nor would it have mattered—she simply continued to cry.

After sobbing for a long while, Sophia finally sat up just as the moon reached its peak in the sky and began to wane.

She wanted to keep grieving, but the moonlight was unusually bright tonight, painting her room as if it were daylight.

Sophia approached the balcony to draw the curtains.

That’s when her eyes met the mirror on the far wall.

Long, curly golden hair.

Porcelain-white skin.

No matter how you looked at her—clearly a foreigner.

She had seen this face every morning for the past seven years, yet it now felt so unfamiliar.

Because the memories of being Jeom-rye had suddenly come flooding back.

Her small heart throbbed with pain.

How could she have so completely forgotten her family?

Where even was this place? Who was she, really?

“If I had known I’d be reincarnated like this… I would’ve made more offerings while I was alive…”

Tears welled up again in her scrunched-up face. Her light green eyes sparkled like the surface of a lake.

Suddenly, faces flashed through her mind again.

Not of her husband Chunsik, nor her children or grandchildren—

But of the family she had gained in this life.

These eyes belonged to Hans.

This hair matched her mother’s in the portrait.

And the shape of her face—identical to Isabelle’s.

Over the past two days, her nanny had watched her with concern,

The royal physician with frustration,

And the maids with quiet support.

Every single person in this life—this family—had been worrying about her.

“What’s the point of regrets now?”

Sophia clenched her fists tightly.

Who she was, where this was—none of it really mattered.

What mattered more was…

“A bus that’s gone won’t come back. We come empty-handed, we leave empty-handed. What’s gone must be let go.”

The crying child In the mirror now wore a firmer, more determined expression.

Sophia steeled herself and returned to bed.

Just then—

Grrrgle.

Her stomach let out a loud growl.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t eaten for two whole days. At her age, when she was supposed to be growing, this wouldn’t do.

Sophia climbed out of bed and stepped onto the terrace.

“A thirsty bird will find its well,” she muttered.

She squeezed through the terrace railing and looped a rope over the edge. Like a seasoned firefighter, she slid down skillfully and landed lightly in the garden.

“All this effort’s just to stay alive, after all. Ain’t that the truth.”

Her destination: the kitchen.

To Sophia, the perilous journey was already a familiar one.

She’d been a big baby from birth. With a healthy appetite, she’d grown plumper than the other kids as soon as she learned to walk.

This always worried Hans. What if she couldn’t marry at this rate?

So a drastic measure had been taken—Sophia’s meal portions were cut down.

The nanny followed orders, and her food intake decreased. Logically, she should’ve lost weight.

But strangely enough, she only grew chubbier.

Hans never would’ve guessed the real reason.

What father would imagine his 7-year-old daughter was bribing the royal chef with jewelry to sneak her late-night snacks?

“I’d love a bowl of rich doenjang stew… I guess the closest thing here is vegetable soup, huh?”

As she made her way to the kitchen, Sophia imagined what she might eat. Just moments ago, she had been crying her eyes out—now her plump cheeks beamed with a bright smile.

“Cheese would be good too. I’ll ask for it as dessert.”

At last, Sophia arrived at the back entrance of the kitchen. Hearing footsteps nearby, she quickly ducked behind a stack of supply crates to hide from the approaching guard.

The bumbling-looking guard shuffled by, yawning loudly. He looked so foolish that Sophia had to stifle a giggle as she watched.

Then—

“Pig.”

A boy’s voice, cracking with the onset of puberty, spoke from behind her.

Startled, Sophia’s eyes widened as she turned toward the sound.

At the end of the voice stood a boy with black hair. A handsome face twisted with a sulky scowl.

He sat atop a sack of food supplies, looking down at Sophia with eyes as blue as tonight’s sky.

“All you’ve been talking about is food, nonstop.”

“You—”

She was about to snap back, but the boy abruptly turned his head and shoved a hand deep into the sack behind him.

“Here. Eat this. If you eat stuff like cheese, you’ll just get fatter.”

With that, he tossed a red apple.

It soared gently through the blue night sky and landed squarely on Sophia’s skirt.

Sophia stared at the apple, then at the boy, and back again. He just shrugged and flopped back onto the sack like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Pig.”

How could someone throw out such an insult the moment they met? Her face flared hot with anger, and she burst out, shouting:

“Hey! An apple at night is poison, you brat! You trying to get scolded, talking back like that?”

At that, the boy scowled even deeper and jumped to his feet. The pretty features of his face twisted further, now painted with bright red irritation.

“Did you just call me a brat? How old are you, huh?”

At that moment—clink, clank.

The sound of armor clashing rang out. The yawning guard had apparently heard something at last.

The boy quickly sprang up from his seat.

“Ugh! Now we’re caught because of you. You pig!”

He scrambled up the crates and slung one leg over the ledge.

Before disappearing, he raised a fist and shook it at Sophia threateningly.

“Hey, pig! If I catch you next time, you’re dead!”