Chapter 3 At a Strange Place

"You will be loved."

"you are very beautiful! You have the same face as the queen!"

"Such a brilliant girl."

"The next queen of Aragon."

"Why would I love someone like you?"

"You are evil and cruel; how could anyone love you?"

"Just disappear while I'm being nice."

"I love another woman. Just get out of my sight."

"You are truly wicked, sister."

"If your mother could see what a monster you've become, she will be very disappointed."

"You disappointed me, I shall punish you accordingly."

"You should've just listened to me, you belong to me and no one else. This is the ending befitting of a villain like you. Dying in a stone-cold floor, all alone."

I slowly opened my eyes. Everything is blurry at first and my head hurts like it's about to crack.

"Your highness!" someone shouted.

Somebody grabbed my arm abruptly, I felt a sharp pain and pushed the person away. When I got a clear sight of my surroundings, someone was lying on the floor and others went to help her get up. She wore a simple Victorian-styled dress as well as the other girls that were surrounding her.

"Her majesty just woke up and chose violence."

"She pushed the lady in waiting on the floor."

I hissed at the pain and looked at my arm, it was covered in a bandage. I looked at the woman I supposedly pushed away and she sobbed while being comforted by the other girls. I don't know if I was just hallucinating or if I just saw her smirk.

You've got to be kidding me.

I looked at the room I'm in, trying to grasp the situation. I was sitting in the middle of a large poster bed, which was even bigger than my previous apartment room. The was a large window beside it adorned by intricate carvings. Beside it was a large vanity table and a closet. At my right, there were chairs and a table, like a little living room. There were four ladies in front of me, looking at me in horror.

"Excuse me," I politely asked. The girl I made contact with looked shocked and kneeled before me

"I'm sorry your highness! It's because we did not serve you properly! You ended up getting injured during your training!" she said in a fearful voice. My voice furrowed.

"No, no," I told her, "please stand up"

She stood up and was shaking with fear. I couldn't understand what was happening. I don't know where I was. Did I survive the fall? If so, why am I here instead of the hospital?

"Where-where am I? what happened to the girl in glasses? Is she safe? What about the bullies? Did they get caught?" I asked them. They looked as confused as I was.

"Your highness what do you mean? There was no one with glasses with you yesterday," one lady said.

Why are you calling me your highness? Is this some sort of joke?

"The girl at school! She asked me for help! Wait-why am I here? Who are you, people?" I asked them.

The person they call the lady in waiting gasped.

"Don't you remember anything that happened your highness?" she asked. "Quick, call the physician, the highness must have bumped her head during the fall."

The fall? Bumped my head? Dude, I should be in a coma right now and yet I don't feel any pain except my bandaged arm where she grabbed tightly, it's almost as if she did it on purpose.

I started to panic a bit. I don't know what's going on and I remember bits of memories that weren't there before. And yet I still couldn't grasp the situation.

I got up from my bed.

"Your highness! You shouldn't be standing up yet! You are still not well!" one said. I ignored her and quickly went to the mirror.

I stared at my reflection, my breathing stopped. My once dull and straight black hair is not reddish and curled. My eyes are emerald green and my face looks like a permanent scowl. I stared at my cold eyes and tried to move my lips.

I waved my hands in the reflection and jolted back when it moved. I stared at the ladies looking at me weirdly. I pointed at the mirror.

"I-Is this me?" I whispered in shock. They all nodded at once. I covered my mouth in shock, what happened? Is this sudden face surgery? Did my face get destroyed during the fall so they replaced it with another?

I looked down and realized that I was wearing some sort of nightgown dress made of what looks like expensive silk. I looked at my hands and body, I was taller now than I was before.

Wait, surgery cannot change my height.

I started to panic. I quickly stormed out of the room, the ladies gasped and followed me, telling me to calm down or something. But I was starting to really panic, I did not know who I am anymore, I was in a different body. I was in a different place.

When I came out of the double doors, I was greeted by a large hallway with a large red carpet on the floor. There were large candle stands on each side of the hallways and in the middle of the ceiling where large chandeliers every couple of meters.

I started to run, I needed to find the exit. If I look outside, maybe I'll figure out where I am. I turned every corner of this huge castle-like place but I couldn't even find the exit, every turn is just another hallway.

"Your highness! Please you shouldn't run like that!" a maid said in a panic.

I soon found myself another set of double doors. I stared at it and saw the ladies chasing my way, I looked at both the guards guarding the double doors. They nodded to each other and opened it, I was greeted by a room full of books, and a person was seated at the table.

He has black curly locks for hair and his eyes wide as he looked at me. He was holding a rather thick book behind his table. I scanned the room for exits or clues but couldn't find any.

The ladies caught up and were wheezing.

"Your highness please, you shouldn't be running around like that! You are not well yet!" one exclaimed. The other nudged her and pointed towards the person reading the books. They bowed respectfully.

I took the chance to escape and didn't hear what the guy wanted to say.

"Sister where are you going?!" his voice trailing off as I ran away.

I don't have time to talk with people who are like strangers to me. I started running again and saw a glass door where I could see the sky.

I ran towards the open door and I was greeted by a veranda. There was a white marbled floor, plants, and potted flowers. There were chairs and a table in the middle of the veranda. I went close to the railings and what I saw made me stop breathing.

Below the veranda was a large wall but I could see the village or city beyond that. Some hills stretched as far as the horizon, the sky was clear and tiny houses were seen. I wasn't at my home, I wasn't even in the city, I don't even know if I'm in the same country at the same time.

"Your highness!" the maid screamed.

I looked below when I heard someone calling. A bunch of maids was staring at me and my right was a group of knights staring at me too. The one in the middle caught my attention. He was wearing armor with a red cape.

Hair as black as night, eyes as sharp and emotionless, he was the strongest man I know. A knight that came by the restaurant I worked for, an injured knight. I never saw such beauty in my life.

I paused as I looked directly into his eyes. A familiar description, a familiar feeling.

"Sister!" I looked back at the entrance to the veranda. The man I saw from the library looked at me confused. "What are you doing?!"

Curly locks of hair, a clever face. He looked fragile but I know, that he hides intelligence, as strong as the knight with a sword. The brother of the woman that hates me.

Another familiar description popped into my mind. It's like it was automatically saved into my system.

"Don't come near me!" I screamed.

"The highness has lost her mind again!" I heard one lady whisper.

I started to climb the railings of the veranda. What a very familiar sight.

"What is this place? What year is this? Who am I?!" I asked the man in front of me. He looked confused and shocked but I think he started to realize the situation and he composed himself.

People were gasping and whispering. Someone even shouted below me.

"The highness might fall! Prepare yourselves!" he instructed his knights as they formed a circle under me.

"Yes sir!" they agreed.

I bit my lip. What the heck is happening to me?! Why does this feel like the novel I just read! Even the description of both the male leads is right. Am I in a coma right now? Do I just need to wake up from it? Am I just in dreamland? Did I go crazy? There must be some sort of trick here!

The castles, the ladies, the knights, the village. Everything is like in the book! If my hunch is right, if what I'm thinking is right, I might be--

"You are in the kingdom of Aragon! The firstborn daughter of the King and Previous Queen, my sister

Your highness, Tatiana Loriel!" The unfamiliar boy said.

I breathed. I might be crazy, I might be losing my mind already. No matter how desperate I am, I wouldn't be imagining stuff like this right?

The wind blew and my hair scattered while I looked directly into the eyes of what they called my brother. I lifted my uninjured arm and tucked my hair behind my ear.

"Your highness, please come down from there! It's dangerous!" the other lady shouted.

I smiled, then laughed. I'm crazy.

I let the wind take me away as I fell on my back, yet again. I can't believe this happened in a single day. I don't even know if it's a single day. I was a book I just read. Maybe if I fall, I'll wake up from this dream. Maybe I was in a coma all along and this was just a dream.

I closed my eyes. Just give me a rest already.

I waited for the impact, instead, I felt like someone caught me from below. I opened my eyes, a pair of cold eyes greeted me back.

"Tatiana," he said. I sighed, I've had enough of this now. I closed my eyes slowly, I heard him calling my name repeatedly.

If I'm right, the man that caught me was supposed to be my one-sided love interest. The one who abandoned and exiled my character in the story.

Bjorn Rocco.

--

END