“It’s an accident… all right… bed rest… for one week… avoid… yes…call for me…”
I could make out bits and pieces of a man’s voice talking, though my eyelids seemed heavy. I wanted to open my eyes but it felt strenuous and even the back of my head was throbbing painfully. I felt a stir on my right, delicate hands holding tightly on to my own as a woman sobbed uncontrollably.
“Oh… whatever are we going to do with you?”
It was strange, the foreign words repeating itself in my mind. I was pretty sure the woman had been speaking in a foreign language but for some reason, I knew I understood every word the woman said.
A sense of restlessness washed through me and I hurriedly opened my eyes and sat up, earning a surprised shriek from nearby company. I tried blinking a few times, taking in the scene as my eyes readjusted to proper sight. An older man, somewhere in his mid forties was staring worriedly across the room, while another young woman dressed in a maid garb peered down my eyes in confusion. On my right sat one of the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my entire life, her beautiful red hair tied neatly into a bun, sky blue eyes staring down my own.
“Seilah!” The woman cried further, suddenly putting her arms around my body as I stifled in a gasp. “You’re awake! We were so worried!”
Seilah?
The familiar name put a frown on my face but it was then that I saw her on the reflection of the long mirror by my bed. The woman in front had long, messy, white hair, her face looking worse for wear. Her blue eyes resembled a lapis lazuli jewel, different from the sky blue ones of the woman that was holding on to me, and it stared back at me with ferocious intensity. Her skin was pure and white, marbled like it was free from any scars as though she was carved by stone. The woman staring back was the most beautiful person I had ever seen but the familiarity of her face and on whose face it was sent chills down my spine.
Wait, wait, wait!!! Why do I look exactly like the character Seilah from the illustration of The Bluebell Daughter?!
“Seilah? I’m Seilah?” My voice came out as a soft whisper, fingers warily pulling onto my own cheeks to make sure that this wasn’t a dream.
I winced at my how my voice sounded, sultry and smooth as though God had put his all into making me.
The woman who had been hugging me froze, slowly releasing her grip as she anxiously turned to the older man in the room in panic. “… D-Do you not remember who you are? Did you lose your memories when you fell?! Oh, what should we do dear-”
The mentioned older man cleared his throat, feigning a cough, a worried gaze now resting on my face instead. I somehow instinctively knew who he was. He had the same white hair Seilah had – and not because of old age – and the eyes that I had seen in the mirror was the exact same as this older gentleman here. It was after all, a Siren trait.
“… Seilah, do you really not remember who you are?”
I felt my insides churned at the familiar name, holding off a groan at the sick joke. It had to be a joke, or even a bad dream and I desperately wished that it was anything but reality.
Seilah Siren was the name of the antagonist of the game I completed two weeks ago. She was the only daughter of Grand Duke Siren, a loving and doting father who gave her everything she wanted. The woman currently holding onto me tightly must have been Seilah’s step mother, Erin Rose, yet another kind fool who puts the world at Seilah’s feet. The throbbing in my head seemed to be getting worse, unknowingly meeting the black eyes of the sole maid in the room.
This woman must have been Maya Archer, Seilah’s most trusted servant and maid in waiting. It was all too ridiculous but it was true as the ominous feeling sunk again in the depths of my stomach.
I’ve been reborn into Seilah Siren!!!
----------------------------------------
“Mistress…”
Maya had been hovering anxiously, her fingers fidgeting from how nervous she was. I felt that I couldn’t blame her for feeling that way either as my own heart was a mess, having established a little lie earlier.
With how concerned the family had been just now, I had little choice but to lie that I had lost some of my memories during my accident. There was absolutely no way I was going to tell them that I’m an entirely different person who’s now possessing the body of their beloved daughter. Who knows if they’d even believe me and even if they did, they would probably throw me into prison for wrongful trespassing or something. I took in a deep breath to recollect my thoughts, feeling determination swell up to get through this wicked world.
First, I was now occupying the body of antagonist Seilah Siren. From the conversation I had earlier with my parents, I knew that the real Seilah had been in a hunting competition before she fell off a cliff, a laughable coincidence to how I had met my demise when I was hiking and drinking.
Second, there could be reasons to suspect foul play, considering that Seilah wasn’t well liked by the upper society. She was essentially the most powerful woman in this Kingdom, and wasn’t even one of the King’s lovers, a rare attribute in this aristocratic setting. From the game’s character sheet that I had read before, Seilah wasn’t a simple, spoiled noble who had it all and wanted things to go her way. She was cunning, shrewd and charismatic, commanding the respect of people with her intelligence and wit. In all of the love routes, she had only been sent to death after much investigation from the love interests, and even then, pointing evidences and accusing her was difficult if you didn’t play the game well.
The Bluebell Daughter’s world itself was questionable. Set in a fairly large Kingdom called Diamond Kingdom, the story follows the main protagonist Luna Bluebell, the adopted daughter of the unmarried Duke Bluebell, meeting and falling in love with seven love interests that will help her out in their respective routes. The common plot between all routes had been how Seilah interferes with Luna’s love life, and to a certain extent, her family as well.
It was definitely quite a bit to take in and I sighed, recalling back what was in store for my new life. It was frustrating to go from one shitty life to the other, when I had been morbidly ecstatic that my suffering would have ended.
“Lady Siren...” A soft voice called out from outside.
The door to the room slightly opened, a handsome young face peeking warily behind it. The first thing I noticed was bright, pastel pink hair, its’ owner scurrying inside when I nodded for him to come in. The young man was really good looking, with a tall build and chiseled muscles hidden by a white shirt. The other thing I had noticed was his lilac-coloured eyes, beautiful like the colour of the skies when urging one to take a rest. It felt comfortable looking into his face, my anxiousness from earlier soothing out.
The young man gave a polite bow. “My lady. I apologise for not returning to your side sooner.”
By the time I realised that my mouth had hung open from how in awe I had been from his entrance, the embarrassment had already kicked in and I quickly went to shut it. I turned to Maya, feeling a tad uncomfortable, and it was to no surprise when she quickly understood why her lady had done so.
“This is Cole, Lady Seilah. He is your personal knight and acts as your guard.”
Ah-ha.
The name Cole had yet been another familiar name, though the reason why I couldn’t recognise him right away was because the guy had merely been a side character and there hadn’t been any illustrations of him in the game. It was a difficult thought to process for the guy right in front looked nothing like a side character and it was almost an insult to call him that.
Cole looked at his lady unsurely, hands clasped together as he waited for her answer.
“I’m sorry.” I could have sworn he stifled a gasp. “I think I lost some parts of my memories so I don’t really remember who you are.”
It slightly irked and rubbed me the wrong way as I was sure he gasped because I apologised, not when I stated that my memories had disappeared.
Oh, Seilah. How did you live your life before?
“N-Not at all, my lady!” He quickly bowed again. “I’m sorry for not being by your side when the accident happened! If I was, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened...”
His tone was tinged with regret. It was strange, I thought, that he was apologetic and still sounded sincere about it. From the information I had of Seilah, none of the servants here were probably sincere in serving her as they walked on eggshells around her all the time. That was how the game had portrayed the antagonist Seilah Siren. Cole’s eyes widened again before he hurriedly bowed once more.
“But there’s something more important, My Lady! His Majesty must have heard about your unfortunate accident and had sent His Highness the Crown Prince to see how you’re faring. As we’re speaking, he’s currently out in the Great Hall but His Grace and Her Grace are persuading him since you are still sick in bed.”
“His Highness?” I frowned, immediately sitting up. I turned to Maya again, eyebrows crinkled with worry. “... Were we ever close?”
It was absolutely bizarre that the Crown Prince would pay Seilah a visit, especially since he wasn’t on good terms with the King. I knew this fact well enough for there was so much mention of how Seilah was only close to His Majesty, thinking the Princes inferior in the game. There was definitely no way the Prince would be doing his father a favour and my stomach stirred unsurely.
“... I’m afraid not, My Lady.” Maya looked just as worried. “There had been a few run-ins but in general, the Princes never bothered with My Lady and neither did you with them.”
A simple thought that Maya and Cole may have been purposely withholding information back from me did crossed my mind for a bit but I eventually decided there shouldn’t be distrust among the two servants closest to me. After all, the game did mention that both Maya and Cole had always strongly stayed loyal to Seilah, even after she was declared the mastermind behind many of Luna’s misfortunes.
I mulled over my decision carefully, eventually getting out of bed all together. “... Maya, dress me up quickly. We shouldn’t keep His Highness waiting.”
“My Lady?! Are you going to greet him?!”
“Isn’t it curious that Royalty have decided to leave the Palace grounds and come to our humble abode? I for one, am most curious to why he’s here.”
Cole and Maya merely looked to each other in resignation, the former hurriedly exiting the room to inform his lord of the unexpected development.
----------------------------------------
The first thing I had seen as I walked through large, double oakwood doors had been my new parents mortified faces. Grand Duke Edward Siren had looked bright for merely a second when he saw me, though his head hung low again when he remembered that they were in the presence of royalty.
The second thing I had seen had been his red eyes.
It was a difficult sight to miss, as though it was desperately vying for my attention so that it can be noticed. The red eyes were terrifying to say the least, feeling as though it commanded my body to stay where it was by the doors, unworthy to take a step further for an audience. And yet, as my vision focused, I could make out a wary, polite smile plastered on its’ owner’s face, as though he had merely sucked it up and tolerated my presence instead.
“Lady Seilah Siren greets His Highness the Crown Prince.” I curtsied respectfully, slightly in awe at how naturally I did it even though I wasn’t the original owner of this body.
“No need for formalities. Instead, I apologise for calling you when you’re supposed to be in bed.”
When I had raised my head once more, it wasn’t the Crown Prince’s red eyes that I had met, but rather wary black ones, as dark as obsidian peering into my own ones. It was a much darker black than what I had seen in Maya and it was an uncomfortable thought to take in. I unwittingly took a step back by how forceful his gaze had been, straightening my back again to recompose myself when I remembered how poised of a woman the original Seilah Siren had been.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
The guy before me was definitely a new face, a side character that I hadn’t had any illustrations to go by. My lips were pursed into a thin line at his presence, thinking that his force was also out of the ordinary and far too commanding to just be a side character. And although I wanted to ask who he was, my question would have inevitably raised suspicions considering Seilah the character herself should be familiar with whoever worked in the palace.
The Crown Prince seemed to notice my gaze linger a tad too long on his company, eyebrows furrowed from the one second of confusion that had just flickered on my face. Fortunately, that had also disappeared just as quick.
“... Are you uncomfortable with Ezekiel here with me?”
I froze upon hearing his question, thinking the Prince to be a dangerous man with how perceptive he was at catching me off guard. It was to my relief – or dismay – when the mentioned company answered instead. But by then, I already knew of who the man before was, thanks to the Prince name-dropping him.
“It’s not that strange that I would be, Your Highness.” Ezekiel muttered. “I am but your personal knight.”
The former didn’t looked too convinced, his red eyes piercing my entire being. “I wonder, for Lady Seilah looked confused to why you’re here. Unless, I’m reading her wrongly. Did the accident left more scars than intended?”
His question was definitely a jab and I inwardly frowned from how perceptive the Crown Prince had been. Aereus Diamandis was arguably the most distrustful guy in the kingdom but he had good reasons to do so. The close circle of friends and allies he had gathered was the main reason to why he managed to defeat the current King and also inevitably being a big pain in the neck for the original Seilah.
At least in the game anyway.
“… I apologise, Your Highness.” Surely there was no reason to keep the accident a secret. “It seems that I’ve lost a good chunk of my memories so I’m trying my best to remember certain names and faces but it still proves to be difficult.”
The two men appeared surprised at the revelation, and so did my new parents when I spoke.
Aereus narrowed his eyes. “… How much memories did you actually lose?”
“I am unable to put an estimate. However…”
I frowned, recalling the only clear memory I had from the original owner. It was something I didn’t wanted to think about ever since I awoke and trying to think too much into it gave me a horrible headache. After all, nothing of that sort ever took place in the real game, or at least from what I remembered – and I was certain because my good memory was one of the things that I’m always praised about.
It was also why I was always petty.
The memories of the original Seilah were nerve-wrecking, her heart almost beating out of her chest as she stood on the edge of a cliff. It was as if she had already anticipated her doom, before feeling warm hands pushed her off as she simply accepted her fate.
“However?” Aereus looked at me impatiently.
“… It’s nothing, Your Highness.”
Seilah Siren must have had a lot of enemies, and even in the original game, the two men before me were two of the many against her. There was no telling to who tried killed the original Seilah and they might have even been successful considering that I was now in her body instead. It could have been someone from the Crown Prince’s faction and I tried to keep the possibility close to my heart. One thing for sure, there was no way I could tell anyone about this and I had to do the investigation on my own if I wanted answers, and perhaps along the way, I might find out to why I’m occupying her body instead.
“Nothing at all? Not even your last words to Ezekiel here before you went missing?”
“That…” I frowned again. I could vaguely recall the original Seilah talking to the knight but it was strange that she did so, since the two never even talked to each other in the original game. Was there something that the Prince was hiding? I can’t afford to take a chance for now. “… No.”
Aereus sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Are you sure? Ezekiel, please inform Lady Siren here what she had asked of you.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Ezekiel’s black eyes bored into mine once more. “Lady Siren, you brought me aside at the beginning of the hunting competition to warn me that there was someone trying to assassinate His Highness and to refrain from bringing him to the end of the North Cliff. I didn’t believe you… due to our existing affiliations but it was to everyone’s surprise when we found you at the bottom of the North Cliff instead. I apologise-”
Before I could speak, my new father had interrupted. “Then that means our Seilah must have been in danger just to tell you that! How could you not have believed her?!”
“D-Dear-” I could see my mother anxiously holding her husband back. “L-Let’s not anger them-”
Aereus simply glared sharply at the two. “Are you trying to say I’m at fault for having misconceptions on where your family choose your loyalty to, Grand Duke? Should I just have trusted your daughter wholeheartedly when it is clear which master she serves?”
The original soft-hearted image of Grand Duke Siren went out of the window almost immediately. “Don’t you dare speak of masters when you’ve yet to inherit the throne, Your Highness. Be careful of your words. If I wanted to, I could have reported them to His Majesty-”
“How dare you speak to His Highness like that-” Ezekiel stood in front of the Crown Prince and drew his sword to my father’s neck.
My mother screamed apologetically, groveling down towards the red eyed nuisance whose presence had been more than unwelcomed in the Siren household. And yet, I found a newfound respect for both the woman and the man Seilah called her parents, the former who protects her family's peace by lowering her humility and the latter who wouldn’t allow even Royalty to sully the Siren name.
“How dare the son of a mere Viscount points his sword at a Grand Duke, and one named Siren at that.” My father muttered coolly but it was obvious that he was as nervous as me with the tip of the sword still pointed at his cool skin. “Do the lower nobility not mind their manners?”
“You…”
“Enough.” I sighed, earning the stares of all in the room.
Perhaps it was because I was in Seilah’s body but the feeling of annoyance far outweighed the nervousness of having the sword potentially pointed to me next. Aereus’s eyes narrowed once more but I tried not to look too much into it, feeling like a prey under his cursed eyes.
“Father,” Grand Duke Siren flinched at being singled out. “I thank you for your concern but it is unlike you to be talking about ranks and nobilities. I understand that it is for your poor daughter but I believe I am more than capable to handle this situation.”
Or not! I can’t handle this at all!
I looked towards the dark brown-haired Knight. “Sir Ezekiel, I kindly ask you to put away your sword. This is a residence, not a training ground. And Your Highness too, let’s not be hasty.”
Aereus raised an eyebrow. “Are you telling me what to do?”
“Haven’t I always?”
This was true for Seilah and Aereus always locked heads with each other in the game. It seemed like the two couldn’t stand each other, with the Crown Prince rightfully suspicious of her for she worked for the King, the man he couldn’t stand the most. I only hoped that he wouldn’t say any other word in for his temper always gets the best of him.
“… You’re always like that.” He sighed, looking uninterested.
Ezekiel finally sheathed his sword back into its’ scabbard at Aereus’s sigh, though the crinkles on his eyebrows still remained.
“Thank you, Sir Ezekiel.” I curtsied politely, earning the strange stares of both men. I bet it was weird for them to see such a polite version of Seilah. “Now, about that warning… I’m sorry but it seems that my memories are not able to recall the full details though I admit that I had asked for Sir Ezekiel’s help. It is the only thing I remember.”
That had also been a lie. With the Crown Prince’s words, I did in fact remembered to why Seilah had been so desperate to get the attention of the Knight. It was a perplexing feeling to me as someone who finished the game, knowing that the old Seilah had really wanted to save the Prince. It was a sure feeling, embedded deep into the body’s bones but also one of caution.
Seilah had wanted to save the Crown Prince but the young woman was working directly for the King. It was obvious to me now that something had gone awry somewhere for her to change her allegiance at the last minute. It was also up to me to find out why.
“… Is that so?” Aereus was judging me from where I stood. I could see the wheels in his brain working to see if I had been lying. The man muttered sarcastically. “… And are you sure you don’t remember any other excruciating details that you might have left out? One you might hide from me?”
Why, this distrustful Prince-Stop trying to pick on Seilah all the time!!!
“Your Highness, if I may,” Ezekiel bowed to his master. “I don’t think Lady Siren is lying. She has the same earnest eyes as back then when she had desperately pleaded for my help to save you.”
Sir Ezekiel!!!
“Ezekiel, you should never trust a noble lady’s eyes. They hide off more than you could chew-”
“But-”
“And the person you’re talking to is a Siren. Haven’t you interacted enough with the other one to know that they’re always hiding something?”
Why… he’s not only distrustful and a bully, he’s also rude?! Hello, we’re right here with you, you rambling fool!
I frowned at his words. To think the Crown Prince had been my favourite character when I was playing through the game. It was tiring to be under his scrutiny.
I feigned a cough, earning his attention once more. “… That’s quite rude of you, Your Highness, to be saying such things blatantly to our faces. Need I remind you that you’re in the presence of the Grand Duke himself?”
Aereus simply turned towards my father and shrugged his shoulders. “And?”
And?! Why I oughta-
“AND, I think you’re being rude to Sir Ezekiel by merely throwing his opinions away.”
My words must have gotten through him somehow as the Prince lightly bit at his lips as he thought about it. I knew that the Crown Prince treated everyone else not within his faction without a care in the world but he had been extremely generous and kind to those that worked under him. Dismissing a subordinate’s opinions was never in his book for he didn’t wanted to be like the tyrant of a King his father was. I definitely wanted to prick at his conscience for all the jabs he had taken at my new family just now.
[You’ve raised the affection of Ezekiel Lush, +1]
[Ezekiel appreciates your back-up!]
[Ezekiel’s Total Affection: 1 point]
Wait, what?
I rubbed my eyes for a bit, taking in a weird, white coloured box that had appeared right in front of my eyes. It looked like a screen of some sorts and the text continued being still, as though it was waiting for further instructions. It was then I saw a small ‘ok’ button at the bottom right hand corner, begging to be pressed like the dating simulator game that I was so familiar with.
My hands hesitantly raised to meet it and although it passed through the text box, it still showed that the ‘ok’ button had been pressed and the text box finally disappeared.
“What the hell-” Oops, I have an audience right now.
Aereus glare was as sharp as a knife. “What did you say-”
“What the hell, I’ve been rude to Your Highness too!” I exclaimed a little too loudly, earning the blank looks of everyone in the room. Well, almost everyone, for my new mother was now urgently shaking her head and giving me eyes to keep quiet from across the room. “I apologise for my rudeness, Your Highness!”
“Uh…” He truly looked to be at a loss for words. “I guess… A-Anyway, it truly does look like you’ve got nothing to hide, Lady Siren. And it’s also… blatantly obvious that your accident had left more scars than intended. In that case, we’ll contact you again once you’re better. Please have a good rest.”
Wait… they totally think I’ve gone bonkers, didn’t they?! Well… at least they’re leaving. But still!
“E-Excuse me, I think we can talk for longer if you want to-”
And thus the second cliché began, as my stomach grumbled furiously and loudly, begging to be fed.
For the love of God…
[You’ve raised the affection of Ezekiel Lush, +1]
[Ezekiel thinks you’re funny!]
[Ezekiel’s Total Affection: 2 points]
My fingers discreetly pressed the ‘ok’ button once more, though it was obvious to everyone looking in that I had been stretching my arms.
[You’ve raised the affection of Aereus Diamandis, +1]
[Aereus thinks you’re weird!]
[Aereus’s Total Affection: 1 point]
Why does THAT get me an increase in affection points?!
“You…” Aereus was still looking at me strangely and his gaze was directed towards my hand instead. I instinctively put them behind my back. “You should eat. We’re sorry for our rude display when you’ve just woken up.”
Both the Crown Prince and Ezekiel bowed politely, first toward me and then toward both of my parents. Before he left through the doors, Aereus took one last glance at my side and I could immediately tell that there was a lot on his mind. He eventually turned around and went back, and I felt the strength losing from my knees as I tumbled to the marbled floor.
“Seilah!” Both Erin and Edward came running to me, probably shocked that I might have fainted. “We should get you to eat something quick!”
There were too many things to reflect on, as I lost myself in thoughts, vaguely feeling strong arms carry my body to the dining room. My parents probably called for Cole to carry me but it was not for me to care for there were other things I cared more about right now.
First, the game world that I’m stuck in still works as usual, except that I am now somehow the protagonist of this story. I had to be, as the familiar text box was only available to gamers when they played as Luna Bluebell. But I was now Seilah Siren, the antagonist of the game, who is also capable of seeing the affection stats towards Seilah. And although that itself was a headache, there was another thing I had to address and test out in the future.
Ezekiel Lush had never been a love interest for Luna and he had merely been a side character. Hell, I didn’t even know how he looked like for the game developers didn’t even release any of his illustrations for he was that unimportant! However, it would seem now that he’s a potential love interest for me, the new Seilah.
It was difficult to wrap my head around the new events that had developed but the most important aspect of it all had not yet been addressed. The old Seilah definitely behaved differently than the Seilah I knew while I was playing the game. Why did she betrayed the King to save the Crown Prince?
Thoughts of all the unexpected developments were thrown out the window as the head chef of the Siren duchy came running in with a tantalising lunch, placed neatly on the table to my heart’s content. I wouldn’t realise it then as I wolfed down the entire plate – as lady like as possible – that even my new family had been looking down at me worriedly after my accident.