2 ~1~ Waking Up in a Different Place

"This is a not good for us, dear."

"Yes, dear, but we have to keep our calm for the sake of our daughter. She will be able to overcome this, just trust me, alright?"

"I'm going to put my faith in you, William."

"Oh, I feel so bad for my dear little girl."

The large, opulent, and expensive-looking chamber became the scene of two sobbing individuals.

They were crying over their little girl, who was sound asleep. They undoubtedly couldn't hold back the tears as they mourned the memory of that night when their little daughter got harmed. However, the family physician sensed something was wrong as soon as they started crying.

At first glance, it would appear that the young lady has been poisoned, but upon further study, it appears that she is only fast asleep. There was initially a lack of details concerning the ongoing probes. Because of this, pinpointing the exact poison the young lady ingested will be difficult.

The physician was checking out the lady closely while she slept. He was considering the poison's weight while staring at her sleeping face. As he looked at the small child, however, he noticed that one of her fingers, which was resting on the bed, was wriggling.

"Oh, my lord and madame! In a word of grace, it's miraculous!" When the physician's exclamation was heard, the two people who had been weeping incessantly turned to face the man, as did the servants who had surrounded them. Even as the people around him looked at him strangely, he couldn't help but crack a grin at the sight of the young woman.

'Is it possible that I dreamed that I died?'

'Why do I keep having these dreams? Why did I suddenly hear a wail? I felt like I was drifting off to sleep in a pool. As to why my head started hurting so suddenly, I have no idea.' Anne thought as she was hearing voices from her dark vision

"Goodness gracious, what are you saying right now?" Frank had been questioned.

When the Duchess asked him a question, the physician was grinning as he examined the sleeping young lady. The physician, who introduced himself as Frank, said nothing to the Duchess but stared at the child until he came over and gently grasped her other tiny hand.

"If you haven't bothered responding to what my wife just said then you're already----" William wasn't able to finish his words

The physician's gaze has shifted from the sleeping baby to the adults in the room. He turned to stare at the two people, who seemed both confused and intrigued by him. Then he flashed them a grin that suggested he was becoming even stranger than usual.

As in, what is this man doing at the moment? The Duke thought with creased eyebrows

Now, he seems much creepier than usual.

William, the duke of the manor where they are staying, added to his thoughts as he gave them a stern look similar to the one Frank had given them.

"The young lady of the Chutlier household, your daughter, is now stable, and it appears that she will be able to wake up in no time, as I told you before my lord and madame, which I know must have come as a surprise to you."

"WHAT?!"

"Oh, my goodness, we really appreciate that!"

"Is that right, dear?"

"Frank, I'm quite proud of you." The Duchess burst out into a whimper before William could finish.

"Ugh!" The two individuals observed the child as she groggily woken up. After taking a step back, the young lady peered at her environment questioningly. She may be more perplexed by the fact that she doesn't know any of the individuals there than by anything else.

Her other hand appeared to be tightly gripped. When she turned to look at the person next to her, an elderly man had a firm grip on her other hand and a smile that was just too strange for her. She almost got the chills from it. However, she quickly yanked back the elderly man's hand. Nonetheless, the old man's perpetual grin is beginning to annoy her.

Anne thought, 'What the heck? Just who am I, anyway? I don't understand why these people are showing signs of both fear and worry. What an absolutely terrifying elderly man!'

When she tried to ask them where she was, she seemed unable to form words. Instead, two people were coming toward her, and one of them had already sat down on the bed. A hand reached across, and the woman gently lifted up the sobbing child. It appeared that she was smiling through her tears.

'Exactly what is causing these two old people to break down in tears? And I certainly didn't know her before now. I don't know why I went into this place. This is ridiculously beautiful and expensive. My parents would have to labor for a millennium just to afford a room, much less such a vast one. The more I consider it, though, the more unique it seems as though the furnishings and color palette had suddenly become dated. Is it possible that I'm up to no good?' Anne added to her thoughts

Anne, now a young woman, could hardly trust her imagination. She was shocked and confused at first, but as the old lady whispered something that made her stand still, her interest grew.

"What a rapid healer you are Frank, my precious little one, I am very pleased and proud of you for recovering fast! Oh, thank God!"

"Our dearest daughter was finally back!"

The young woman was then consoled by a man dressed in traditional nobility garb, who hugged her and sobbed once more.

'Did the unknown automobile that hit me magically teleport me? Is it possible I'm just losing my mind?' Anne couldn't believe her thoughts

There was a pause after she pressed for further information, but she said nothing. But when she looked down and saw her own hands, she was taken aback. She had never considered such a possibility.

Again, Anne thought, 'What he heck? I can't figure out why my hands got so small. I looked at it before, and it was bigger, and now it's smaller! Huh?!'

The physician's gaze didn't leave her bewildered face for a second. After seeing a lady who had taken poison and was only a day from death, Frank felt initially relieved.

This suggests that the experimental medicine he took had the desired effect. But the side effect of the drug he developed was what made him sweat profusely on his forehead and make his smile disappear suddenly.

'Despite my best efforts, I have not yet perfected the experimental medication. Oh, in the meantime, I'll have to tell these two people the truth. I just couldn't risk having my good name linked to something so questionable,' Frank thought

There, Frank feigned a cough. Soon, all eyes were on him. The young lady, too, looked at him with confusion.

"Your Graces, Duke and Duchess Chutlier, if I may say so, I think the young lady Victoria momentarily overlooked something."

Frank had just a few more words planned before William cut him off. The Duke couldn't believe what Frank, the family physician for decades, told them.

The news initially stunned him. But when he found out that his daughter's memory loss was a direct result of the gathering she had attended the day before, he felt like everything was coming apart at the seams.

"Did I forget to explain that unlike her father and Duchess Olivia, she has no idea who she is?"

"Frank, are you really real?"

"Relax, my Lord. For the sake of your health, you really ought not to get angry"

"What would make me more upset, Frank, hearing my baby scream or knowing that she has no memory of her parents? Do me a favor and tell me the worst thing I can do for my health"

In unison, everyone in the room grew silent. When the Duke was angry, they couldn't reason with him. The Duke's frustration stems from the fact that everyone knows he will always come out on top. Frank wanted to tell the truth, even if Duchess Olivia already knew.

Anne, on the other hand, struggled to believe what she was hearing. She spun around to look for any sign that anyone else could have noticed her confusion and apparent attempt to make a point.

'I mean, what the heck? I don't understand why, out of all the possible places to reincarnate, I ended up in this household. It's the Chutliers' house, right? What a horrible person Victoria is!' Anne once more looked around to be horrified with her knowledge

After a moment, she reclaimed her hand from the character who was supposed to be her mother and turned her attention back to the doctor. Her sigh came right then and there.

'No way! Although, I am already here, Does this book and this figure I despise represent a final resting place for me again? Why?! Unfortunately, now is not the time to consider such matters. I just have to pretend like I totally blanked.'

'The novel's antagonist was someone I despised so much that I could never picture myself as similar to her. But the more I hated the character, the more I appreciated what they added to the story. Only in this one scenario do I imagine Victoria being followed from childhood into adulthood.'

'Because of her silence about what happened that night, she discovered terrible news. Now, I just have to act like I don't remember who I am. I have no choice to do this in order to save myself'

"Sorry to bother you, but I'm lost. Who are you, exactly? Who exactly are you all?" Anne spoke in a calm manner with her eyebrows creasing continuously

Frank claims Anne to have amnesia. Anne is a commoner, an ordinary person from the modern society who has been reincarnated into the body of a villainess inside a novel

'I knew I could always trust my gut instincts. At some point, either she will remember or she won't. However, I should focus on what she has to say first.' The physician thought

There was a little gap, during which Frank continued to stare at the lady.

Everyone, including the Duke, Duchess, and other servants, was taken aback by what they saw and hear.

Rather than only informing them, Frank made it abundantly clear. To call the physician's bluff, they needed to see the lady for themselves, too. Nonetheless, the lady eventually overcame the obstacles in her way, and she is no longer in imminent danger.

Anne knew the ending to the story. Traumatized by what happened, Victoria became even more determined to get her revenge.

This tragedy had hardened her somewhat, but a monster already lurked within.

That was the only redeeming quality Anne had ever seen in the evil lady. She will go out as the villainess she was always destined to be. However, Victoria was not in her own body. By that time, Anne had already arrived until her second birth, she had no idea how much she valued her first, and she had no idea why or how it had ended.

'I would say my family and friends would miss me if I were gone. In addition to missing me, they'll probably file a lawsuit against the one who caused my accident. I've already begun to miss them, despite their serious and protective nature toward family.'

'Nonetheless, I passed away there, so there's no use in doing it now. I hated Victoria because of her snobbishness, but I guess I'll have to adopt her persona if I want to figure out how to survive this time.'

'This time, I'm getting the heck out of here before the conspiracy even begins.'

***

"Your majesty, your appointment with Lady Victoria Chutlier is already scheduled for next week."

"Now you can finally unwind, Fahar."

 "Your highness, I will always be in your service."

"Then, let's see what she'll offer next," Charles Hesiton said, referring to the highly unpleasant lady that was greatly obsessive and annoying

Little did he know what he'd be expecting afterward.