Chapter 14

Annabel looked at the Empress, stunned by the woman's sudden appearance and the unexpected emotions it stirred within her. The regal figure stood before her, radiating an aura of warmth and familiarity that felt almost surreal. Slowly, the Empress's words began sinking in, leaving Annabel grappling with a whirlwind of conflicting feelings. "I'm sorry, but I'm not your daughter," she finally managed to say, her voice trembling slightly as she fought against the tide of emotion threatening to overwhelm her. She couldn't even bring herself to look directly at the pink-haired woman, who wore a soft, inviting smile that only deepened Annabel's turmoil.

For some reason, when she looked at the Empress, a strong, almost primal urge surged within her—a desire to run into the woman's arms, to feel the comfort of maternal embrace. It was a yearning reminiscent of a child running eagerly towards their mother after what felt like an eternity apart. Memories she couldn't quite grasp flickered at the edges of her mind, and she felt a deep connection to this elegant figure, as if threads of their lives were intertwined in ways she could not yet understand. Annabel's heart raced as she stood at the crossroads of revelation and doubt.

Despite this, the Empress' warm smile did not disappear as she looked upon the young woman in front of her with genuine affection and a sense of hope. The light in the room seemed to brighten, casting a soft glow around them. "I understand you haven't completely awoken due to the spell that binds you, but trust me when I call you 'my daughter.'" She said gently, her voice filled with tenderness.

"Wha—?" A sharp pain ripped through Annabel's head, causing her to gasp as an overwhelming flood of memories she had never encountered before flashed before her eyes, vivid and disorienting.

"Mummy!" The voice of a small child cried out in pure joy, pulling Annabel's attention upward. She squinted against the sunlight, her heart racing as she saw little Cassandra running across her field of vision in the lush expanse of the Imperial Spring Garden. The small girl had a large, infectious grin on her face, her laughter ringing like music through the air. Annabel's gaze followed the direction in which Cassandra was sprinting, and her breath caught in her throat as she spotted the Empress seated at a delicate garden table, gracefully enjoying her afternoon tea.

The sensation of nostalgia washed over her, even though Annabel had never seen any memories that belonged to Cassandra before, yet here they were, invading her mind like uninvited guests.

"Daddy's here!" The Emperor suddenly appeared in the garden, his face sporting the same silly, joyful grin, exuding an infectious happiness that filled the air with warmth.

As the memories continued to pour into her mind, they brought with them a rush of emotions—happiness, love, and a sense of belonging—overwhelming in their intensity. Annabel felt as if she were drowning in feelings that weren't her own. She collapsed to her knees, her head being held tightly by her hands as the pain and confusion twisted within her, leaving her gasping for clarity amidst the chaos. Each new memory felt like a piercing shard, and she struggled to anchor herself in the present, desperate to understand the connection to this life she had never known.

However, all came to a sudden halt when everything around Annabel was engulfed in an unexpected darkness. She found herself kneeling in the room that had become all too familiar to her; it was Cassandra's bedroom, a space she had spent countless hours in since awakening in this fantastical world.

As she looked around, the opulence of the room enveloped her senses. The walls were adorned with intricate tapestries, and the soft glow of the moonlight filtered through the heavy drapes, casting delicate patterns on the floor. In the middle of this luxurious sanctuary, fit for a royal princess, was an elegantly carved bed. There lay the small girl, blissfully asleep and completely unaware of the eerie shift in the atmosphere. Her peaceful slumber continued undisturbed until, quite suddenly, the still curtain began to billow as if stirred by an unseen force, leaving Annabel with a sense of unease.

The window which had been closed only moments earlier was now open and a shadow began moving inside the room like a snake.

"No!" The Empress screamed as the shadow snake entered Cassandra's small body.

"The curse will devour her soul using her body's magic." The Emperor stated unable to do anything.

"Are you able to dispel it?"

"No…" He looked completely lost and distraught upon answering her question.

"No! My baby!" and needless to say that the Empress fell to her knees beside the bed, holding the child's hand. However, the expression of someone coming up with an idea appeared across the Empress' face. "If the curse is using her magic to devour her soul then what if we swap her soul with another?"

"What do you mean?"

"The curse is designed to devour a soul, not the body's life, right?" In that moment the Emperor realised what his wife was getting at. "I don't know who these people are but it's clear their goal is our daughter's body. Without a soul in it, her body would be nothing but a puppet." Her worlds seemed to make sense to the dragon as he glanced at the corpses on the ground. They clearly weren't trying to kill Cassandra but take her.

"However, transfer a soul is something that can't be done without sacrifice." The Emperor stated as he knew of the ritual she was speaking of.

"Yes, I know."

It was then when the vision had completely disappeared, returning Annabel to the vast ocean and sky, with the Empress standing before her once again.

"I-I don't understand." Were the only words that escaped Annabel's lips, her mind swirling with confusion. She struggled to process the flood of memories that had just washed over her, each one more perplexing than the last.

"In order to save you, I sacrificed my life and utilised an ancient ritual. I exchanged your soul with another." The Empress stated simply, her voice steady yet laced with an undercurrent of sorrow. "However, I did not realize that the ritual would exchange your soul with someone from another world. Nor did I comprehend the grim truth that you wouldn't be able to return until the body of that world died." Annabel could see the guilt etched across the Empress's face as she spoke, her eyes reflecting the weight of her actions. "But the worst part of it all was the fact that you had to suffer because those people were unable to bond with you, because subconsciously they were aware you were not their true child."

Annabel's heart ached as she absorbed the gravity of the Empress's words, the realisation settling heavily upon her shoulders. She felt like a ghost haunting the fringes of reality, tethered to two worlds yet belonging to neither. Desperation and longing surged within her, igniting a flicker of hope amidst the chaos.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I…I have been by your side since your souls were swapped and saw everything." The words hung heavily in the air, as the Empress began to cry, her face falling into her hands. It was a heart-wrenching sight; tears streamed down her cheeks, and the weight of her sorrow was palpable. It was clear that she was completely engulfed in misery, crushed by the enormity of the truth she was revealing. "They might not have been aware of the soul swapping, but their bodies and minds rejected you because of it."

Listening intently to this revelation, Annabel felt a deep resonance with the Empress's words. She knew exactly the feeling that she spoke of, a lingering sense of disconnection that had haunted her for as long as she could remember. Deep down, Annabel had always felt that something was fundamentally off about her parents, as if they weren't truly hers at all. An unsettling thought crept into her mind: if what she was hearing had been true, then everything was starting to make sense, unraveling the mystery of her strange childhood and the profound emptiness she often felt in their presence. The pieces of a long-buried puzzle were finally aligning, and with each revelation, a new layer of understanding unfolded before her.

It was also the reason why, despite her complicated relationship with her parents, when she met Maximus, her heart felt strange in a way she had never experienced before. What she felt was an overwhelming mix of guilt intertwined with something else entirely different—something new and unfamiliar. This sensation was a profound sense of comfort, a soothing presence that wrapped around her like a warm blanket on a cold night. It was as if Maximus brought with him an unspoken understanding that eased her inner turmoil and made her feel safe in a way she had longed for but never thought possible.

Then… who am I?" Annabel's voice trembled as she grappled with the shocking revelation. If she wasn't Annabel Winter, then who exactly was she? The weight of her identity felt crushing, a heavy mantle she had never anticipated wearing.

"You are Cassandra Annabel Albuquerque. You are the daughter born to one of the Five Great Dragons, the Emperor of the Albuquerque Empire, Maximus Julius Albuquerque, and I, the eldest daughter of Count Winter and the Empress of the Albuquerque Empire, Sophia Winter Albuquerque!" Her voice rang out with such Authority, the kind befitting an Empress, as if the very air around them quivered in acknowledgment of her words.

In this world, it was a tradition that only those of royal lineage were bestowed middle names. Therefore, when someone married into another family, their formal family name would become their middle name, a symbolic gesture meant to signify the bond and unity formed through marriage. It was a practice steeped in history and significance, a way to blend families and strengthen ties.

But Annabel Winter… the pieces began to click into place. It was becoming increasingly clear why she had chosen to change her name as soon as she reached legal age. This decision was not merely a whim; it was an act of reclaiming her true identity, a way to embrace who she was meant to be in a world that dreamed of.

That's right, every single night in the other world, she found herself enveloped in vivid dreams of this world and its uncertain future. These dreams were not merely fleeting images or random thoughts; they were rich with details and emotions, pulling her deeper into the intricate tapestry of events yet to unfold. But how was this possible?