- 2 -

Along the way, I met the carrot sisters. Ginger and green-hair were rolling down the marbled floor with a pair of two trolleys. I hadn't seen them back in the dining room, but now that I did, I approached them.

The soles of my high-heels clicked against the smooth tiles as I slowly made my way towards them. Ginger lifted her head and as soon as she saw me, she nearly ran straight into a pole from sheer shock.

"M.. Mistress!" She stammered out and hid herself behind Green-hair who, on the other hand, looked more deadpan and disinterested. However, as though fearing that her dead expression would infuriate her mistress, she lowered her head, though her short bob-cut hair did nothing to hide her face.

"You're the two girls that I saw this morning," I said. More of a statement than a question. Ginger nodded her head ardently. Green-hair followed. I raised a dismissive hand. "You don't have to be so scared of me. I don't really bite. Come to think of it, I don't know your names yet."

"Mistress.. you really must have hit your head hard!" Ginger cried out, her bottom lip trembling. She clutched onto Green-hair's dress and her body quivered like a dog in the rain. If Ginger were a dog, I'd imagine her being a golden retriever. Green-hair would've been like a husky from her exotic facial features. I hadn't seen a maid quite like Green-hair before.

"We're your personal maids," Ginger sobbed. "My name's Karr. And she's Rot."

"Karr and Rot, hm?" A faint smile creeped onto my face. "Those are two very beautiful names. Very suitable for each other."

"Thank you," Rot intercepted in a cold voice. Her small stature did nothing to hide Ginger who was taller than her. But, seeing Ginger attempt to even hide behind Rot improved my terrible mood from the futile dinner. Rot seemed to have noticed something different from my behavior. She pressed her lips together as though hesitant to raise for concerns, for if she were to accuse the Feiya who was standing in front of her now to be a fake, she'd be fired and be labeled crazy.

My shoulders dropped from relief as though something clicked inside of my mind and my muscles went into autopilot mode. "I assume you two are sisters, right?" I tip-toed around my real intentions.

Karr was too dense to notice and she replied immediately, "Yes, Mistress! It seems as though you haven't lost all memory of us. Haa.. I'm so thankful. God must be looking down upon us today!"

I cringed. Was Karr jabbing at me, or was she actually this satire? It seemed as though ever since I woke up as Feiya Poloro, I had been walking on egg-shells from morning to lunch.

As though Rot had read the thoughts right from my mind, she coughed and nudged her elbow at Karr's ribs. Karr gasped and clamped over her stomach. Even if she was hurt, she didn't seem like it by how dramatic she was acting.

"Mistress, you must already be tired. You're still sick, so I advise that Mistress should retire for her room today. Should I.. lead you back there?" Rot's voice wavered. She seemed to really suspect my identity, but her hesitance turned her into more of a coward and all her words came out more as hypothesizes as if testing the waters. But, I knew even if I had answered incorrectly, she couldn't do anything about it. She'd sink into an eternal spiral of doubts.

Unfortunately, I was a good person, and also a good master, so I wouldn't leave Rot to be trapped with her intrusive thoughts. I had no intention of letting Rot suspect me any longer. I smiled. "No. I'm alright."

Rot immediately hung her head low. "I apologize for my suggestion." Her voice didn't really insinuate her sincerity in her apology. If I were a real noble back in the aristocratic ages, I would have smacked her face two times left and right and even more. But, I was a 20th century woman and I didn't want my hands doing the dirty work and ruin my reputation.

If I could appear as a good person towards the heroine, she'd be more inclined to become friends with me. Thus, she'd save me from my impending doom. Why? Simply because she was the protagonist. This fictional world couldn't function without its lead actress. And, if that lead actress were to throw away her everything to save an extra, then the world could only accommodate to her wishes.

"I have nothing more to say to you, except to remind anyone," I lowered my voice, closing the distance between Rot and I and whispered into her ear. "Anyone. To not enter my room. Got it?"

"...Got it," Rot replied in a quiet voice after a few moments. I smiled again and patted her shoulder in appreciation. Karr's face was filled with wonder when I lifted both sides of my dress and hurried down the hall. Of course, along the way, I had to ask some servants to lead me back into the direction of my room.

|•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•|

The next morning, I was woken up by the quaint taps on my veranda's window. From outside, baby-blue-colored birds chirped, tilting its head. When a gust of wind blew by, the birds flapped their wings and took off, knowing that the purpose of their visit—waking me up—was achieved. I groaned and curled up on my bed, trying to bury myself back in the sheets.

A knock resonated from my door. I pulled my blanket down and squinted at the entrance.

"Come in," I said, after a long period. On command, the door freaked open, revealing Rot. Her bright green-colored hair, like brandished roots, glistened by the reflection of light from the windows. Her small stature slipped into the room.

I noticed that a certain puppy wasn't by her side. I glanced around for any signs of the ginger, but unfortunately, she was no where to be found.

I raised both of my eyebrows in a silent question.

Luckily, Rot was accustomed to my behavior. She folded her hands in front of her stomach and bowed deeply. When she lifted her head back, her eyes went everywhere but my face, and she spoke in a quiet voice. "Mistress, Karr's currently greeting the new workers. The Baron has told me to help you get ready to meet the servants."

"I see." I yanked the sheets off my legs and slid off the bed. Rot immediately approached me and tried to help me by stretching out her hand as support. I placed my hand on top of hers. Unlike Liliana, I wasn't going to refuse gestures of sheer politeness. And other point was that I felt uncomfortable around Rot; like she could see through me. I had to act more cautiously around her.

"I've prepared your bath and the dress you are to wear. The Baron has bestowed upon you a new gown... and he told me to reiterate: Do not disappoint me."

"A man like him going out of his way to gift me a dress?" I scoffed, retracting my hand back to my side. "He's planning something sinister."

Rot pretended as though she didn't hear my words. Smart girl. And, I didn't bother saying anything towards her. Rot and I were the same side of one coin. I tended to not get along with people who shared the same aptitude as me. A long period of awkwardness and silence ensued as Rot bathed me and dolled me up.

By the time she was done, the girl in the mirror resembled a China doll. Long, luscious and soft lilac hair was pulled into a braid behind the back of my head and tied up tightly, leaving no stray strands to poke out of the braids.

The nigh translucent night-gown I had been wearing had been switched for something that looked both modest and luxurious; a gorgeous, golden color like the first sunlight that beat down upon the world. My sleeves, up to my wrist, was decorated with faint golden frills and rose patterns. White lines curled up into roots of the yellow roses. The pale skirt reached all the way down to my ankles and when I lifted my dress, it revealed a pair of crystal heels, somewhat similar to Cinderella's renowned glass shoes.

The last touch was a burst of honeysuckle that clung onto my dress that Rot sprayed onto me. When I stared back into the vertical mirror, feeling like a beautiful puppet on thin strings, flushed cheeks like apricots and plump lips the color of a peach. However, she looked tired, exhausted. I stretched out my finger and touched the cold surface, rubbing at the dead face being reflected in the mirror.

Obviously, this girl wasn't me. I couldn't help but feel like a stranger that had wrongfully robbed the body of s girl. But, I reassured myself. I was saving Feiya Poloro, the girl who was destined to be buried alongside her pig husband.

"Mistress, you are so beautiful like a children's doll," Rot complimented me monotonously. I couldn't sense any genuineness in her voice. But, it did make me feel oddly validated. I chuckled and whipped around to face her. We were both of the same height, but since I was wearing high-heels, I was a few centimeters taller than her and peered down at her head.

"I am," I humbly accepted. "Lead me to the where the new servants are."

Rot bowed her head and waited for me to exit the room first. When I stepped outside, she trailed behind me and I waited for her to take the lead. Receiving my signal, she surpassed me and the sound of the click-clacking of my soles echoed throughout the empty hallways.

We took a sharp turn when I suddenly inquired.

"Tell me about the new workers."

"They're.." Rot faltered, trying to find the correct words. After a few beats of pondering, she finally responded. "A woman and a young girl. About mid-forties and seventeen."

I paused, somewhat shocked by her answer, not because she was completely off the mark but because she managed to hit it right on the nail. But, I shouldn't act as though I already knew the new servants personally.

I raised my chin and remarked indifferently. "Only two? I expected a bigger batch of workers. Has father finally lost it and gone nuts?"

"The woman saved the Baron's life and she is quite pretty," Rot trailed off. But, the meaning behind her words were quite obvious. It was the way she could pick apart her words to make it sound inoffensive impressed me. I almost wanted to clap her back and recruit her into my 'save Feiya' squad. Of course, I was merely joking. But, it was reassuring to have someone like her work under me.

"I see," I replied with a faint smile.

The two of us arrived in front of the doors of the waiting room. The break room, some may say, and in modern times, we'd call it the living room. Rot rapped on the door lightly with her knuckle and almost immediately, the doors were pulled open, revealing three figures in the room. I turned my head to examine the others that were present and I wasn't surprised to see that Liliana was no where to be seen in the room.

If Rot's words were correct, then why would my father show his wife to the woman he was trying to woo?

The walls were painted a plain and depressing white, somewhat resembling an asylum if that existed here. Two couches were situated facing each other and a wooden table was placed in between them. My father, as handsome and unlikeable as yesterday, beckoned me over. I was expected to sit by his side like a true, filial daughter.

"Ah.. the Baroness seems very young and pretty," the dark-haired woman who was seated beside an angelic-looking blonde commented. Her bright smile insinuated that she meant no harm, but I stiffened.

"I'm not the Baroness. I am the daughter of Baron Poloro. Feiya Poloro," I emphasized on the last words. Perhaps, my voice sounded too sharp and defensive, for the older woman wilted. Her wrinkle-less, beautiful face faltered, but she tried to keep up her smile. Unfortunately, she wasn't a master at maintaining a false pretense like most nobles were, and I knew both father and I could read her like an open book.

"I'm sorry," she bowed her head. "It was because the two of you didn't look anything alike.."

"There's no need to apologize," Father cut in smoothly. He, not once, even looked my way. Just pointing at how 'well' he treated his daughter. His gaze towards Caroline, the awaited person, was warm, like a father doting on a child. Caroline's face was thundered. But, her blonde hair hid her expression. I was staring at her too keenly, so I could even notice the slightest, micro shift in her features.

"Maple, I plan to turn you into a formal worker at my estate," my father's voice was soft when directed towards 'Maple.' So, Maple was her name.

"No, no. You don't have to do that. I just.." Maple peered down at her shoes. Her fingers fisted her worn-out, murky-brown dress and I could see her thin arms quiver vaguely. She whispered out. "I don't want others to get the wrong idea of my child and I. I only saved you, Baron Poloro, because it was my duty. Please, do not reimburse me in return. I just ask you to.. to.."

She couldn't finish her words as though she were humiliated.

"Your life in exchange for money," Caroline finally lifted her head, her voice sonorous and clear, like an immovable hill. And, it was as though the ground beneath me had suddenly morphed. Like a thunder had struck the top of my head. My chest throbbed, as though all my muscles were screaming out for relief. I held my breath until I realized that I wasn't breathing at all.

"We want money for saving your life," Caroline spoke slowly. Her nobility shone through how mellifluously she spoke and effortlessly at that. When she finished, our eyes seemed to have met for a brief second. But, in that one moment, I had just realized how beautiful the color of her eyes were. They were a shade of molten gold, like polishing a diamond over and over again until it practically glowed.

Father's smile grew crooked at her words. "That.. I can't do that."

"Why not?" Caroline prompted. Her blue eyes unwavering. I found myself being drawn inside the swirls and blotches of white in them; something which made her seem holy, like an untouchable sculpture. Only now could I affirm the author's words; she was so beautiful that the gods envied her and wanted her and wanted to become her.

If Feiya Poloro could be considered beautiful, Caroline was an otherworldly beauty.

"Feiya," Father called my name in moments of distraught. I simpered and mocked him inwardly, but I put on my business-like, professional smile.

"The little forest that you two live in one day will be cleared out by merchants to build grander buildings. The house that you cherish so much will be destroyed. And then, you'll have no where to go, and I doubt that someone like you could only have so much money. So, what I'm saying is... to work for us. We'll provide you with a home, money and expenses to cover up your every need. I think living as a maid here will be tenfold times better than living as a nomadic."

"How did you know we live in a forest?" Caroline's eyes turned sharp and her voice dropped. She was no longer willing to put up appearances after the severity of my words.

Darn it. I cursed inwardly. Of course, as expected from a protagonist of a revenge story, Caroline was quick-witted and jumped to nitpick like a nagging grandmother. I felt as though she would be a headache in the future. But, she was still my key to survival. I at least wanted to acquaint myself with her.

"Well, it's obvious. Our area is surrounded by multiple forests and you're..." I looked down at the mutilated hem of her dress. Noticing my gaze, Caroline unconsciously shifted away from my sight like a self-conscious child.

Well, she turned from a Duke's daughter into a widow's adopted child overnight. Even if she would grow up to become a merciless woman, right of now, she was barely an adult. I could understand her concerns. I averted my eyes back down to one of the tea-cups which had already been filled with tea that gave out a sweet aroma. I wasn't a tea expert, so I just picked up whatever they gave and placed the ring on my bottom lip.

I was only pretending to drink.

"Are you sure that they'll clear away the forests?" Maple looked at me for guidance. Her guileless, viridescent eyes chased each and every of my movements as though they were a testimony from god. If I were back in my old world, being stared at so hard by a woman meant that there was more to their limpid gazes. But, unfortunately, I knew my own situation. I was a girl who had only recently started growing body hair and a pale, sickly and fragile young lady.

Forget about anyone liking me, my only suitors were men who wanted a literal child instead of a woman. They think they'd have the upper hand over me and that'd probably make them hard with their inflated egos bigger than the thing hanging between their legs.

"I really want to show you my gratitude, Maple," my father cut in.

Ah, so they were already on first name basis. What a skimpy man. He already had two beautiful wives but here he was, setting eyes on a widow. To think Feiya would have to call this beast her father. I found an incoming migraine and I slammed the bottom of my cup back onto its complimentary plate, attracting the attention of the three people present.

"Miss Maple. Do accept the job," as I was speaking, both of my eyes were trained on Caroline and she knew it. I knew she knew it. She tilted her head a little to the right side to evade my piercing gaze. I smiled. "It would be nice if I had a friend around my age here as well. The rest are too old or too young."

"Is that so?" Maple's stare towards him was a little sympathetic as though she saw remnants of Caroline in me. I let her think that way, for the sooner Caroline was integrated into my house, my natural habitat, the faster I would be able to charm her. Who would ever be able to resist the friendship of a girl who seemed like a single gust would send her toppling over? If Caroline were the same, pigeon-hearted lady I know, then she'd have to choice but to cave into my outrageous demands. Albeit, I supposed friendship wasn't that inordinate.

"Yes. I'd been hoping for a friend all along. I'm very glad to see your daughter," I played my appearance of a beautiful and sickly noble lady to my advantage. Even the slightest downturn of my lips would be able cause pain directly in her heart. Why? Because Caroline and I, we weren't that much different.

Caroline averted her head at my words. I smiled and bent my waist, leaning forward to clasp both of Maple's hands. Hers felt rough against mine, alluding me of her life before coming here.

"Miss Maple," I trailed off, rubbing her knuckles with my palm affectionately. Her hands flushed warm against my cold metacarpus. "Please accept it."

Maple pursed her lips, but couldn't persevere under my unrelenting gaze.  She sighed and her unoccupied hand settled on top of both of mine. She mustered up a weak smile, as big as it could get, but I could understand where she was coming from.

"Okay. I'll work here."

"That's settled then. You can ask the head maid for more information regarding your job," Father perked up. When he smiled, he looked more good-natured. But, under that handsome mask laid a monster that was willing to sacrifice his own child. He rose to his feet and picked his brown overcoat and hung it over his arm. He turned to face Maple.

"I have some business to attend to. In my absence, you can ask Feiya everything you're curious about."

"I will," Maple tried to muster a smile, but failed to do so. She looked more constipated than overjoyed. "Thank you, Baron Poloro."

"Just call me Marcus. I'll check up on you afterwards, Maple," his tone was gentle. I rubbed my arm up and down, practically cringing in disgust. Before he could walk off, I tugged at his sleeve. His head whipped in my direction and a look of repulsion creeped onto his face. I nearly rolled my eyes at the sight. Dude, it wasn't that I was begging for your attention like a touch-starved wannabe daddy's little girl.

"I have some things to say to you, Baron Poloro," I surmised. Father peered down at me, then raised his hand and wrenched my fingers away from his sleeve, subsequently fixing the cerulean cuff links on it.

"Fine," he uttered vaguely. "We can talk outside."

I didn't turn back to examine the look on Caroline's face as I followed my father out the doors. As soon as they were slammed shut behind me, I raised my head to stare straight into him. He stared back, unflinching and with an unwavering gaze. He felt like an impenetrable wall that no matter how hard I tried to climb, I would slip on a certain spot and drop all the way down, only to rinse and repeat the process over and over again.

"You can't like Maple," I said lowly. "Choose anyone else, but you can't like Maple at all cost."

"Why?" Baron Poloro's eyes were deep and profound. "Is it because of they Caroline girl?"

"So what if it is?" I countered back.

"I've told you, Feiya," his large hands cupped either sides of my shoulders with a bruising grip that made me feel as though he were crushing my body. "It's weird. Don't talk about girls. Don't even look in their direction. You do know that you're weird, right, Feiya? Next time you talk to me about a girl, I'll send you to a monastery to cleanse you of your sins."

I didn't know Feiya in the original story had ever mentioned about a girl, even Caroline. Well, no kidding. She barely even spoke more than ten words in the novel. However, I felt as though I were learning something that I shouldn't have. It felt like I was invading Feiya's privacy.

"It's not about Caroline," I said. "It's Liliana. Your new wife after the death of your last spouse. Don't make Maple become my new step-mother. If you want to woo every woman you see, then I wouldn't even be surprised if a horse becomes my next mother. Can't you even keep it in your pants before Liliana dies? That's the least respect you can do for her."

"Respect?" He barked with laughter as though hearing the term come from a girl that was two heads shorter than him was a funny concept. "What respect do you and Liliana deserve? Both of you are women. And women who overstep their boundaries never achieve good endings. You know what happened to your mother, Feiya. Don't be too smart."

I balled my hands into fists and imitated his laugh. "Bold words from a man who lived off his dead wife's property."

Baron Poloro waved his hand dismissively and slid one arm into one of the holes of the coat, then with the other. He rearranged his crumpled shirt and faced me, sneering. "In the end, I'm alive and she's not. Really, who's won?"

"A scumbag who knows himself is even worse than a scumbag who doesn't," I hissed.

"You've changed," Baron Poloro pulled down on his coat. He cocked up a curious eyebrow and stretched out his hand as though inclined to pat my cheek but I backtracked until my back hit the door. He snorted. "I liked it better when you couldn't talk back to me."

Without waiting for my response, he sauntered away, seemingly in a hurry as though his coattails were on fire. I leaned back onto the door, a sigh stuck in my guts. All of a sudden, the surface supporting my back was gone and I found myself falling back.

"Hup—" I waited for the floor to hit me. But instead, a pair of slender arms wrapped around my shoulders, upholding me to the ground. The eyes that I had squeezed so tightly slowly peeled open and I met eye-to-eye with golden orbs, like pearls uncovered from beneath the sand, shimmering.

"Caroline," I breathed out. My fingers dug into her arms and my face paled.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Caroline's eyelashes casted long shadows over her cheek-bones which maintained a certain amount of baby fat. "I'm sorry."

"...that's alright," I steadied my breath. "Can you let me go now?"

Caroline pressed her lips together, a tad embarrassed after realizing that her arms were still clutching tightly around my waist. She supported me up and immediately retracted back her hands back to her sides. I, too, withdrew back my hand behind my back.

Maple, with a face full of concern, rushed to Caroline, grasping the girl's arm as though trying to confirm whether an injury had occurred. After seeing that there was none, she breathed in relief and turned to face me. An apologetic expression graced her features.

"I'm alright," I lifted up a hand to prevent words of consolation. "I'll take you to meet the head of the maids now. Then, I'll arrange your rooms. If there's anything you want to tell, or change, you can say it to me now."

Whilst I said these words, my eyes were mainly focused on Caroline.

"There's one thing..." Caroline started.