1 Prologue

The night was colder than she expected. She always liked the rain and the after scent that hung in the air, but she despised the chilly nights that made her nose run. She had been hooked on a romance novel the past weeks and was quite obsessed with it. She was usually grossed out at the thought of anything, not crime or horror, so this was new for her.

The novel called "The Knight's First Love" had hit the internet about a month ago but it was already the centre gist of all conversations. Natalie wrapped her blanket around her body with a cup of hot lemon tea in one hand, to reduce the cold from seeping in.

The Knight's First Love tells the story about Hito. A slave boy with a tear-jerking past and how he encounters the female lead- Sakura, the noble's daughter. They only meet briefly as children but fate reconnects the two later on in life. However, Sakura is soon to be married to Shota, the second prince. While Hito must find a way to prove his worth, there is also the nation's favoured soldier who harbours some feelings for Sakura.

Amid all this heartbreaking love is the second female lead- the Villainess- Hina Kudo.

Despite her father being a nobleman, she was born to a slave mother- a footbath maid. Her mother was a woman filled with greed for a better life, even if it meant putting her daughter's life at risk. After Hina's birth, she and her mother were forced to live in the countryside in a small house, away from sight. Hina and her mother were viewed as a stain on the Minister's legacy. Hina was often poisoned by her mother since her early childhood. It was her mother's way of gaining pity and attention. Hina would drink or eat the poison in whatever form it was served to her, hoping it would make her mother love her someday. On her fourteenth birthday, her mother sold her off to a filthy old rich merchant in return for some gold. Hina Kudo was abused and wronged all her life. She also ends up falling in love with the main character and is eventually killed by the second prince over a misunderstanding.

As much as Natalie enjoyed "The Knight's First Love" she couldn't help but prefer the second female lead to the main lead. To her, Sakura was a weakling born into wealth and all the good things of life while Hina Kudo was a character with so much depth and development.

"All Hina wanted was to be loved" she whispered to herself. In a way, Natalie saw some similarities she bore with Hina Kudo. She too was abandoned by her birth mother. She still remembered the day her mother left her at the playground. The woman had promised to be gone for only a few minutes.

"I'll be right back, Nat" she smiled at five years old Natalie, handing her a lollipop. She never came back.

"She could have at least just dropped me off at an orphanage or given me warmer clothes"

Natalie shook off the thoughts of the woman and placed her phone on the bed beside her and forced her eyes shut. She had been busy the past days and had barely gotten enough rest. University life was not all rose and candy-like she had thought. She was too young to die from stress. She was planning how she was going to celebrate her 22nd birthday next week with her parents. Her adoptive parents were the best thing that ever happened in her life. She also had a troublesome younger sister she adored regardless. It was the perfect fairytale she wanted. Despite all the good things she had to be happy about, she found herself tearing up. Hina Kudo's life was simply to make Sakura shine brighter. All her sufferings and struggles existed to end up benefiting the main lead. Natalie knew it was just a novel.

Just a novel.

So why the heck was she still up at 11 pm unable to sleep and sad over Hina's death?

She ended up reading through the comments online, replying to those that dared to slander Hina. Most people were excited about the ending between Sakura and Hito and seemed to have forgotten about Hina Kudo's tragic life. It made her angry and disgusted. In a fit, she commented, "In another lifetime, I wish that Hina Kudo gets the happiness she deserves!".

She immediately got a "like" on her comment and felt somewhat better now. At least there was someone else out there who felt Hina Kudo deserved better. With the night air getting colder and her eyes becoming heavier, she placed her phone on the side drawer beside her bed and gave in to the sleep.

___

"Hina!! Hina!! Why is that bitch still not up at this time?"

The door banged open and she could faintly see the shadow standing over her.

"Haha! She's sleeping like a princess. How dare this unfilial daughter!!"

" Wake up now, Hina!!"

The shadow shook her violently from her bed.

"I don't have classes today. Stop disturbing my sleep" she warned. She hated being abruptly woken from her slumber. It always put her in a bad mood.

"What is this bitch saying right now?" The shadow walked away and she adjusted her sleeping position. A girl needed her beauty sleep. The shadow suddenly appeared again, holding something heavy Natalie couldn't see. She was slightly awake but wasn't ready to be fully awoken. Not yet.

"Get up Hina!!"

Natalie felt the rush of cold water being poured on her by the shadow. She jumped out of the bed, ready to scream at the fool that dared to ruin her sleep but got a slap instead.

"You bitch! I wasted good clean water on you. You better be happy it's not dirty water today." Natalie watched the beautiful stranger ramble on and on about some marriage. She was speechless. The woman looked just like how she had always imagined Hina's mother to look, just way prettier. Hina's mother was supposedly a beauty who managed to gain even the noble's attention.

" Hurry up already!" The woman banged the door as she left the room. Natalie was still in absolute confusion.

[Why am I seeing Hina's mother? And why the heck is she bossing me around? Am I dreaming right now? Wow, I was so pained over Hina's death that I'm actually dreaming about her now?!]

Natalie stood up from the wet bed, suddenly cold and hoping she could wake up from this realistic dream already. She swore to herself to never read any novel with so much passion again.

"That damned woman!" She screamed aloud. She was once again surprised. Her voice sounded so unlike her. It had a very feminine cherry-like tone to it. Why was she sounding so sweet when she was angry? The dream was becoming annoying. She needed to wake up first. She imagined how hard her younger sister, Ella, would laugh at her when she tells her about this dream.

[So embarrassing. If I was going to dream, it should have at least been a rated 19 dream! Not one with an abusive mother!]

She shifted around the small space of a room, uncomfortably. It looked very similar to how she imagined Hina's room from her childhood. The small drawer, the few pieces of clothes, the broken window, all of it. Hina had a small mirror she always kept in her drawer with her clothes. Natalie drew it open and found the mirror just where it ought to be.

[I might as well see how I look right now]

She picked up the mirror and the reflection shocked her to stumble.

"What's going on? I look nothing like myself!" She kept staring into the mirror as if some hidden answers were bound to pop out.

[No no no! This is insane! Even for a dream, this is just insane!]

Her big moon-like shaped bright golden eyes, her strikingly creamy bright golden-brown soft hair that was a perfect pair with her eyes, her small nose, her pink lips and the fair pearliness of her skin. It was all Hina. Even the beauty mark on her nose down to the scars on her left shoulder and her elbow. How didn't she notice any of it before?. She had felt somewhat smaller and closer to the ground. Like a small child. Her usual profound curves, her dark purple hair, her grey eyes, all gone. She needed some air. She needed to get out of here for now. She needed to wake up. Why wasn't she waking up? She had pinched herself several times but she was still lost in the dream.

[Why do I look like Hina Kudo?]