The Hartpinjer was filled with cries of happiness in the morning, for a piece of wonderful news had been spread. Their spirits have been restored, and the young lady who was lying on the bed for days has finally opened her eyes.
Now that everyone felt lightness on their shoulder, their minds were still full of questions. Who did the lady see in those moments? This a very difficult question to ask for such a child, but justice and truth must not be forgotten. Still, no one can dare speak to her except the doctor.
The duchess too wants answers from her beloved daughter, but health must come first and the doctor's words are to be trusted.
The doctor took his monocle off and slid it inside the pocket of his vest. Turning his attention to inform the nurses of their new routine, the doctor handed them a paper of what he had written earlier.
Just like what the highest father told them, they grabbed one of the vials and transferred it to a cup that made it easier for the lady to consume.
The nurse went near to the lady as she held the cup slowly to the lady's lips.
Francheska noticed the smell from the cup, it was familiar. Taking a sip, the bitter taste that hit her tongue made her catch the nurse's hand, tilt it down, and spit some of the liquid out back to the cup.
It's medicine. Francheska can tell but she did not expect the strong bitter taste. Back in the modern days, it was much more tolerable... She tries to remember.
The nurse wiped Francheska's lips dry.
"My lady, you have to finish the drink it will make you feel better."
The doctor sat next to Francheska's side as he tried to convince her. The lady is still a kid and what she experienced is traumatizing to deal with, too young for a little girl to know death. It's a miracle that she survived that.
The lady's eyes wandered, but soon slowly nodded in agreement that she heard what the doctor said.
The nurse brought back the cup, to help Lady Francheska sip the medicine.
Francheska took the cup off from the nurse's hands and slowly gulped down the whole cup herself. Fighting to barf the medicine, with teary eyes she forced to swallow every bit inside her stomach.
The duchess felt relief as she saw her daughter drink the whole medicine.
Wanting to ask what the lady is feeling, the duchess lips open's and close several times but no voice can be heard. The duchess could only hold eye contact with the doctor and decided to give up the words she wanted to ask.
Francheska sensed it too, but decided to be oblivious and focus on the bitter aftertaste of the medicine.
"how long, am I going to keep drinking this?" With her soft weak voice, Francheska tries to be audible as she clears her throat.
The doctor was not able to catch the lady's words, as his brows furrowed in the middle of his forehead.
Francheska decided to lock eyes with the nurse who gave her the cup and asked, "This, how long am I going to keep consuming this?"
"You need five days to keep drinking the medicine, but it will also depend on how well your condition is, my lady." The nurse answered her question.
'What??? I hate the bitter taste of this medicine! I can't even describe it properly but all I can say is I hate how the taste stays inside my throat.'
"Can I have some water please?" The nurse stood up from the bed to fetch
the lady took the cup in her little frail hands as she slowly hoped it would wash the bitter aftertaste of the medicine.
What did Francheska even expect from an era-- of course, it wasn't helpful at all.
Trying to be oblivious to the duchess' gaze on her, all Francheska could do was look around the room like a lost puppy.
Looking around she can see the room compared to at night. When she was awake around that time, she swears the room was bigger... well in her observation, she did not light a lamp that night.
The more she sat there and finished her water, her hair stood on end as she felt the stares creep down her spine. Francheska then realized the reason why the room seemed small today, it was the visitors occupying it.
Is my wellbeing that important for them... probably.
What Francheska wanted was to be alone in the meantime and recall her memories before she was in this room.
All she remembered was what she heard that night the Duchess and Duke's conversation, making Francheska doubt her plans.
Their eyes met, but no words came out only silence.
There was an indescribable atmosphere in the room, is it perhaps of the duchess or the lady herself?
"T-This is not my chamber...?" Francheska breaks the ice, as her eyes left from the duchess.
"--The lighting in this tower, is where you can hear the morning birds clear, the morning glow of the sun, and the fresh air from the trees. It's the greatest room for relaxing my dear." the duchess struts her way to sit on Francheska's bed.
The duchess handed her fan to one of her maids, next thing the duchess did was unbuttoned her white gloves, setting them on her grace's lap.
Francheska's eyes could not help but be fixated on the beautiful satin gloves of the duchess, it did not linger on, it diverted as Francheska felt a warm feeling on the back of her right hand.
the duchess's lips curved into a smile. The duchess smiled for the first time in Francheska's life, it is a historical moment of her lifetime.
The duchess is so beautiful up close with that genuine expression of hers.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
"Good morning my little bird."
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It has been three days and Josephine is still missing.
Francheska underneath her bed tries to read more information about the issue of the missing female lead.
She knows it isn't healthy to read in a dim place, but she has to hide her skill of being able to read and understand a foreign language at such a young age.
There is one thing Francheska is certain. Her plan worked, she overshadowed the issue of Josephine being missing.
What her teacher taught her, was right. There's a huge difference between a commoner and a noble. If Francheska hadn't put herself in danger, the headline of the paper would not be focused on questions about the Galkien household or whether it was a plot of them harming one of the children of House Hartpinjer.
The paper she read, barely has any whereabouts of Josephine. There was only one sentence, no details-- only stating that "a commoner girl went missing around the lifeless uphill."
Damn, there's no need to meet that assassin, what do I even expect from the female lead... of course, she is still alive. Once Josephine makes her surprise. Everyone will no doubt choose to be on her side.
It would be a historical moment for both the empire, the female lead, and her.
it is unfair, but she is not the female lead-- I'm the villain, the one destined to die on a guillotine. with my death already set in stone, why was she even fighting to live? She would've been happier to be with her boyfriend and live close to her best friend. this purpose of hers... is so selfish yet it feels so right...
"My lady, get up. if anyone else sees you like this you will be punished!" Shelly tries to lower her scolding.
Crawling backward underneath the bed, Fancheska rose from her position making her maid sigh in disappointment as she saw her lady's night garment wrinkly and dirty.
Shelly tried to convince herself that she was just a child and at that stage, she doesn't know about maturity yet, in her perspective of every child that is.
Seeing the small lady get up from the floor, trying to brush off the dirt off her clothes. All her anger went away as Shelly saw her lady's cute innocent eyes.
"my lady, I know that having an imagination of friends is important to you but please be aware of what people might think of you."
The imagination of friends...? Does Shelly mean that she has seen her break down and talk to her best friend Laurie?
Francheska's head lowered, as her maid, Shelly saw droplets on the floor. Lady Francheska is crying, but from what? Shelly asked herself.
'was it because Shelly told her lady that her friend was not real?'
Panic formed on Shelly's face as she realized what left her mouth.
"Yes, you are right Shelly 'They' don't exist," Francheska wiped her tears with the back of her hand, "I just have a strong imagination!" Francheska's head sprung up as she smiled at her maid.
"What is today's breakfast, Shelly?" Francheska asked in a sweet playful manner, as she got herself up on the bed and started jumping.
Shelly gulped her saliva, about to open her mouth suddenly came to a halt as the lady in front of her said in protest.
"I do not care anymore, I'm hungry come get it now and bring it here! Everything here!"
Shelly with no doubt left the lady's chamber in a hurry.
Francheska stopped jumping on the bed as she supported her weight from the bed's frame.
It's a very hard-to-swallow pill, Francheska can't believe what she just heard from her maid. Laurie is an imagination, her maid is right Laurie doesn't exist in this world but she did in her other life. It is hard to accept that the two people she cherishes are now just a figment of her imagination.
This is her reality, of course, trying to be sane is the hardest thing to do in Francheska's opinion. Pretending to be a kid, noble, arrogant, spoiled, and mean is something she cannot do in a lifetime. Acting and pretending are different from what she experienced in her previous life.
Slapping both of her cheeks to snap her back to her current reality, she has to think straight of what the 'novel' kid Francheska would do. Her slap still stinging her cheeks there was a thought that came to mind-- "What would 'I' do when I was a kid?"
Recalling her thoughts when she was a kid all she remembered was wishing to finish studying and have plenty of friends, just like any other kid her old self also liked to play.
What can she do, she already blew up that chance when the female lead-- Josephine, and Rachel tried to have a bond with each other.
Francheska heaved her chest as she released a heavy sigh. Troubling, she thought-- being tormented like this is quite difficult, trying to think like a kid when she's aware of her position was rather uncomfortable.
When the doors of her chambers were open once again Francheska quickly corrected her position as she walked to the chair where a maid started to pull for her to sit. Seeing the table in front of her started to have problems with the spaces in which food should be presented sending a giggle escaping from her throat. The sight was amazing never she imagine food being delivered so much in her room.
Trying each food that was sparkling beautifully in front of her left her lips curled to a wide smile, they all tasted so good, and even though destroying the beautiful design of the food was worth it.
"How was the meal, my child?" a familiar voice broke Francheska's smile as she heard the question. It felt like an hour staring at her plate full of food that was gathered like a puzzle that does not complete a piece. Francheska's mind went blank as she wondered how, when, and how long was she there inside the room until the duchess voiced her opinion.
Francheska fixed her posture as she grabbed for a cloth near her right hand and wiped off the excess food on both the edge of her lips, also to take a little composure to set herself in front of the duchess.
"They all taste delightful, my grace. I am grateful for the cooks in our kitchen who took their efforts to do what they could to make this scene." Francheska gave a soft smile to the duchess, waiting for the duchess' response-- her grace gestured her palm for Francheska to continue eating her meal.
"I'm relieved to hear your words. I am also very happy to see you full of color once again, but later this afternoon we will be visiting the temple. Use the remaining hours to remember your manners when entering the holy place, also I trust that you already know the appropriate dress to wear." The duchess' voice was the same-- no emotions, Francheska couldn't say that the duchess sounded monotone rather strict empty words were only left.
"yes, your grace." that was all Francheska could answer. Seeing her grace stand up from her seat, Francheska then followed to give a curtsy—staying in her position she waited until her grace left the room.
Remembering the conversation between the duchess and the duke on that night made Francheska's heart tighten, she wondered if her revenge on them would be worth it. The villainess parents in the novel version that her best friend told her, and the unknown knowledge of whether 'they' would betray her on the day she was beheaded was something she had to think about carefully.
This is a new life and that 'damage' is still on the surface-- Francheska still wondered if would she be able to face them with revenge.
Francheska got back to her meal until she was full, she could not afford to look thin and lifeless going inside the temple. Feeling so full and contented with the food she ate, there were still many remaining on the table, she felt guilty for not finishing all of it—she just didn’t like the thought of not being able to finish the foods that were set on her table.
Leaning her back on her chair to take her stomach a rest, she set aside all of her worries. Francheska was now wondering how weird 'this world' was about.
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That night, she woke up covered with cold sweat throughout her whole body, coughing hard as if she just had fought for her breath, she was flapping her hands in the air as if battling to the surface in the middle of the ocean feeling lost and alone. It was a strange feeling Francheska thought to herself. All she could see was darkness, it took a lot of time for her eyes to adjust but she could figure out an object and realized that she wasn't in the middle of the ocean but on a bed-- which made her grab the sheets to hold her ground, with the slightly opened window barely giving light in the room Francheska was a little relief of that moonlight. She wanted someone to hear her voice that she was there and still breathing. 'doctor' she thought... if only she could voice it out loud—and obviously her voice failed her and so the 'events' continued that time.
'That' time she did not feel the same as before when she 'regained consciousness' during she woke up as the villain and when she fell from a tree as a kid—those moments had the same feeling, it felt light and her body restored. Could this mean—the temple has the power of 'resurrection'?
Startling the maid near her, Francheska stood up and froze like a statue.
"bring me my dresses!" A booming voice came out, alerting other butlers and maids from her hallway.