Prologue
'I can't breathe, please..'
My sight dimmed slowly, clenching my fist while lying down on the pool of my own blood on the grass, trying to put pressure on my left stomach.
It hurts.
'Father! Dritan!'
I squirmed, glaring at the woman laughing madly with her eyes showing ridicule and mockery.
The scent.
Her aura stinks so bad, I can smell her intention even before but it's far worst right now, I can see black smoke surrounding her, it blends badly with the smell of the flowers.
"Oh Lady Althea, what are you going to do now?" Malina spoke with a tone of fake worry, crouching as she wipe the bloody knife made out of emerald gem with a white handkerchief that she pickup from the tea table.
The embroidery for my father.
'I feel so tired'
I blink exhausted as my tears wouldn't stop, my white dress soiled with my own blood.
"Even if you survive again, no one's gonna know, they're all too busy to notice you." she said with a glint of amusement, grabbing my hair making me gasp in pain forced to sit up and pushed against the wall.
Again.
Again and again and again, she would always harass me when no one is around.
"I don't even understand, why everyone is so obsess with a cursed bitch? You even caught sight of the Crown Prince! I don't get it! How?! A useless mute!" she gritted, I can smell a strong scent of alcohol mixing with the scent of her aura, as I cover my nose firmly, her eyes darken even more, offended by my gesture.
'But I've never met the Crown Prince even once, ever.'
"Why do you always do that every single time?! You dumb bitch!" she screech with her dark hazel brown eyes turning black and stab me repeatedly, causing me to let out a weak pained scream.
I cried helplessly, trembling in pain, for the first time, I hear my voice.
The emerald knife turn black showing it's touched with black magic as it went through my stomach and struck me against the Wisteria tree behind me, leaving me no chance as Malina.
I saw a blurry sight of the door bursting open and my maid Kiera, who drop the tray of snacks and tea, screaming in terror followed by people I couldn't see clearly as my vision blurred further, all I can see and smell clearly are their auras turning horribly dark in flash.
"Thea- Althea!"
"Arrest this derange criminal! Call the high priestess and imperial doctors! Hurry!"
"After all my sister did for you?! You disgusting bitch!"
I shut my eyes close, all I feel is numbness, it's noisy, too noisy.
A slashing sound echo in the room.
I cried silently, whimpering weakly.
'Am I really cursed? But you're the one causing me difficulties even till the end, you're the one who took everything I should have just because I'm sick and doesn't meet the standard to live normally.'
The last thing I asked thinking to myself, and seeing the face of my father, for the first time crying his heart out calling my name, till everything turns too bright, it's blinding, as numbness took over me.
I feel someone grab my cheek gently for the last time.
.
.
.
.
"Althea!" I gasp jolting up from sleep and look around to see my older brother who turn the lights on, woke me up from a nightmare again.
"You'll be late for your recital, you have an hour to get ready. Dad will meet us at the hotel." he said while fixing his coat and get out of my room, I hummed rubbing my eyes which I just realize, I was crying to sleep.
That dream, it felt surreal, my stomach feels like it just got stab, but I have to get up now.
I search for my phone which I found next to my pillow along with a lavender colored book with gold engraved lettering of the title, this book caused me nightmares I couldn't explain but I couldn't stop reading after I found it on the old bookstore that was about to shut the other week, it's probably closed already by now.
It feels like I've experience all the madness that happened to this book, it feels nostalgic, I would often see a scene happening but it was never written on the book, a scenarios that never exist.
It's a tragic story after all.
I sighed and get up to quickly go to my bathroom and take a quick shower, then changing to my school uniform.
I need to ace the recital to get a scholarship so dad wouldn't have to worry about my school expenses for college.
I pin my hair with a silver pin that I got from my dad as a lucky charm a week ago and take my phone, music notebook and the book with me in my white canvas bag.
Once I'm all set with my school shoes on, I grab the apple from the table and followed my brother who's waiting at the door.
We exit and take a cab, instructing the driver where to go.
My brother handed me his tumbler with water in it as i take it and drink while eating the apple.
"I'll do my best." I mumbled while he chuckle and roll his eyes.
"What do you mean? You're already doing great, I don't even understand how you know too much about piano even though we hardly afford one." he said making me hum agreeing to his doubt.
It only took half an hour and we reach the hotel, I throw the apple core on the bin and handed the tumbler to my brother as we entered the hotel.
"Daddy!" I cheered when my father showed up on his office uniform with a bright expression.
I jump and he catch me with a groan and chuckle, hugging me tightly, then pat my head while my brother snicker as I stuck my tongue out to him.
"Althea, it's almost your turn." my teacher called in a hush as my father kiss my forehead.
"Don't think about acing this, just do what you usually do, dad can provide for your collage, I got promoted today." he mumble proudly as I gasp and hug him tightly.
"No dad, I'll ace this, just watch." I said proudly and let go then run my way to my teacher, waving at my dad and my brother who both smile warmly and followed, taking their seats.
I flinch when I saw who's on stage, Mary, the one who I just recently beat from our school's piano class.
She misplayed the notes of Mozart's Turkish March piece, she's playing it again right now for the recital.
She was so mad that time to the point that she harass me to not join this recital.
But I'm not joining to show off like her, I'm joining the recital for the scholarship to ease some of my father's burden.
Mary's play suddenly went out of tune making one of the judge drop the clipboard loudly, it echoed through out the concert hall.
"9 missed beats and 2 off tunes, and you still wouldn't get off that stage." the old man announced Mary's mistake with a distasteful tone, making Mary stop and angrily get off the stage.
I don't know why but an image of the killer I had in my nightmare flash across my sight while watching her, they resemble so much.
Or maybe I just always experience harassment from her I could see the book's villainess on her.
"Althea, go."
After a few minutes of judges calming down, I go to the stage and bow to the judges the put my bag down next to the piano on the floor, I take a seat and start playing the full act of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
I can only go with the flow, playing the piano as I please and not making a single mistake.
I need this, for the scholarship.
It's a long 18 minutes of non stop playing, my hands are numb already, but manage to end the song, just as the applause engulfed my ears, I take my hand off the piano with my heart racing and stand up the bow.
The judges are standing and applauding too.
"Argh!" I turn to see Mary loudly squealing in visible anger as she kick the lever out of rage.
"Althea! Get out off there!"
The last thing I heard before a noise coming from the ceiling caught my attention, and a heavy stage light flash my eyes, blinding me, and fall onto me from the ceiling.
It struck my head and the sharp end stabbed my stomach making me gasp in nostalgic pain.
Blood, the last thing I saw is my father and brother, running to me in terror as I lay on the floor, my teacher and other people panicking, and my bag on the floor, glowing brightly.
The ringing engulfed my ears just as and everything stopped as if frozen in time, and a splatter of light took over my sight.
.
.
.
.
"-Althea! Lady Althea!"
I gasp opening my eyes, blinking, I sit up immediately and groan in pain, clutching my stomach.
I look at the person who approach me and froze on my spot.
'Wendy?'
'Wait, why do I know- ah!'
My head throb badly, every memory can crashing back my head, that book, it was my past life, everything really happened, my father and my brother, I don't know what happened to them after I died but everything is clear to me.
My father and brother on my previous life, they resemble so much of my father and brother in previous life but we live a life struggling with money but happy with each other's company, same fate with my mother who died giving birth to me.
"My lady! Get a hold of yourself!"
I look up in tears at the lady who rush her way to me in panic.
Alive and well, my nanny who was innocent and falsely accused of poisoning me when I was only 8, she died on a heart attack allegedly while she was in prison waiting for her trial, but later on was proven that she was killed by someone and the culprit was unknown.
She went through a lot.
"Wendy." I mumbled starting to cry, weakly clutching at the duvet, she gasp in shock, dropping the bowl of soup on the bedside table, rushing to me with eyes wide and held my shoulders.
Her chocolate brown hair tied in usual crown Dutch braid, green eyes and green as the forest with her gentle and motherly self, wearing a ruffles long sleeve black dress with white apron tied around her waist her aura, it's a sweet pink like clouds as always.
So I can still see aura even in the afterlife.
"M-My lady, your v-voice, yes, it's me, Wendy." she spoke enthusiastically while tearing up and pulled in a warm tight hug, it made me feel so small but safe.
"Wendy, I was so scared, it still hurts." I cried muffled hugging my stomach as she hush me and pick me up which made me squirm startled, taken aback while she put her warm palm on my forehead, carrying me with her other arm.
Wait a second.
"Doctor!" she called in panic, hugging me tightly with trembling hands.
She open the door in a rush while I feel a sudden throbbing pain, my throat burning as I cover my mouth feeling light headed.
"What is happening here?" I flinch, hearing a familiar voice that terrorize the whole mansion, I turn to look at the man with jet black hair, which is drastically different than my silver locks, but the golden eyes I inherited from his features, marching on the corridor wearing a black military uniform while discarding his sword of his belt followed by his men behind him.
His aura, red and orange, like burning fire.
"His Grace, Grand Duke, my lady, she had a stomach ache yesterday and just woke up today, she's having a bad fever, we need the doctor." Wendy held me tight as I blink out of my wits remembering his face before I died.
My father, he cried pitifully calling out my name before I died.
"Daddy!" I cried childishly, couldn't control my emotions properly as he drop his sword on the floor, with his jaw drop in shock, I tried to reach out to him and Wendy, held me tighter than before with a terrified expression, not knowing what to do.
"Wendy, hand over my child, can't you hear she wants me? And Rupert, you didn't catch my sword." my father called, composing himself pointing at his right hand man who immediately pick it up while staring at me with eyes wide, as the people around seem startled and shock.
Wendy approach my dad carefully as I grasp on his coat, wrapping my tiny arms around his neck while he hold me up with his left arm and held my back with his right hand.
I'm dreaming, this happened already when I was 5 but I wasn't able to approach my dad out of fear, misunderstanding, and not aware what the colors of auras represents, and I wasn't able to speak because of the same reasons back then, if I could turn back time, I wish this dream never ends.
I nuzzle my head on his neck, his burning red and orange aura intensifies.
"Daddy, I'm sorry." I mumbled tired, crying, holding on to my father tightly and on the verge of passing out again.