4 Unknown Variables

Note* from this chapter forward I'll only call her "Hina Kudo" cause using both Hina and Natalie can get confusing later on*

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Hina woke up to the sound of the distant chatter outside her window. She had a terrible headache and a slight cold. She felt weak and tired as thoughts from the night before came clouding her memory, rushing to the forefront of her mind as she realised that she was still trapped in this hellish situation.

[I still can't believe I somehow escaped the original first night]

Despite that, she couldn't help but wonder how it must have been and felt for the actual Hina. Was she angry? Sad? Confused? No one had ever stopped to consider how young she was and how sexual acts were all alien to her. She had no one to rely on. Even the middle-aged attendant who bathed her spoke not a word of advice to explain what she was getting into. They all just watched while she was abused and still had the nerve to mock her. It was all so infuriating.

She carefully got out of the bed and threw on a robe. After wandering in her thoughts, she quickly noticed the ginger tea placed on one of the side tables near her. Beside it was a note that said: "get better before I return". Her stomach twisted at the thought of having to share a bed with him again. In the novel, Hina was thrown into a smaller room at midnight after her husband was done with her, but that changed now. Although she wished the whole marriage situation could be escaped entirely, she had to admit that this was some progress. She nodded in agreement with her thoughts before her moment of silence was interrupted.

"Come in" she answered to the knock on the door.

The doors slowly opened as a group of maids swarmed into the room, all uniformly dressed in their white and navy blue workwear. Behind them was the attendant she was familiar with. Hina felt something bitter in her mouth and her hands urged to slap her but she couldn't let her emotions take over right now. 

"Good morning Mistress. Following the master's words, I have brought the best maids. Please pick the ones you'd like to serve you, my lady"

Hina eyed the woman and then shifted her gaze to the bunch of maids. They were all young girls, but still older than her. She remembered how she was scrutinised and bullied by the shameless maids in the novel. They were all just minor characters so there was nothing distinctive about them, but the fact that the maids who bullied her could be among the ones in front of her irked her. 

"How many maids can I have assist me?"

"As many as you'd like, mistress"

"What's your name?" Hina randomly asked one of the maids. The poor thing was trembling, obviously nervous as she fumbled with her hands.

"Ah- I- I am Suki, mistress"

Suki! A familiar name. Hina quickly recalled the character. She was one of the people she had trusted the most in the novel. She was the only one who truly stayed by Hina's side and took care of her. She even died for Hina at the end of the novel. She recalled how touching that scene was for her even though no one else seemed to care about it. The only problem was that in the novel, Suki shows up two years from now, so why was she already here? How was she here right now?

"Okay. I'll take Suki and the other two next to her." She signalled with her hand and the three maids stepped forward.

"As you wish, my lady. Will you be having breakfast in your room, my lady?"

"Yes, I'd like that"

"I'll see to it, my lady. I'll leave you be now" the woman stepped out with the maids that weren't picked, leaving Hina with her new caretakers.

After a brief introduction, the maids prepared a bath for Hina. They brushed her hair so gently and dolled her up in the finest dresses. She felt it was such a waste to look so pretty while cooped up in a room all day. The day went by surprisingly fast and soon the sun had set. Tired of staring at the same four walls, she decided to go out for a walk in the gardens.

"Please allow us to accompany you on your walk, young mistress"

"No. I'd like to go alone"

"B-but the head maid will scold us if we let you go alone, my lady" Suki insisted.

Hina eventually allowed Suki to escort her, while the rest stayed behind. She didn't like the thought of people keeping an eye on her every move but she knew she would have to adapt to their presence. She strolled around the garden that was filled with pink roses, allowing the setting sun to beam on her skin. It was warm and quiet and she didn't even care about the guards stationed at almost every corner she turned. However, Hina was still confused. It was her second day in this world and the thought of no longer going back to her world troubled her. For what reason was she brought here? Was she supposed to complete some sort of mission? Did she die from stress in her own world? Or could it be because of that darned comment? None of it made sense regardless. She had to make a plan. Her survival depended on it.

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It had been almost two weeks since she came to this world as Hina. She was quickly adapting to the new environment and this small body she found herself in. She had also gotten a personal journal, which Suki secretly got for her from the city. Hina spent the past week writing down every single thing, down to the smallest details, that she could remember about The Knight's First Love. She even jotted down things that happened in the side story. It was a lot of information, but there was very little data on Hina Kudo. She had never been so frustrated. The novel barely said much about Hina's married life. The only details stated was that her husband was abusive and obsessive and that he died mysteriously when Hina was about seventeen. She recalled how some readers often claimed that Hina probably killed off her husband to get his wealth. Nonetheless, it was all just speculations. 

The two weeks went by with so much bliss for Hina Kudo. That was because Hina's husband had gone on an impromptu business trip. He had sent a letter stating that he felt terrible for leaving his new wife alone but that he would be back in six weeks. Hina was so happy about the news.

The head maid had notified her about the Lord's request to try and get close to her stepdaughter, Tanaka. Tanaka was the youngest child of the Lord and she was twelve years old. According to the information Hina had gotten from her maids, Tanaka was described as a hot-headed child who was spoilt silly by her father. She was sly and very mean. She also hated to study and was said to be the spitting image of her mother, who was known to be a beauty.

Oh gosh! Hina thought.

"This is going to be a long breakfast" she whispered underneath her breath as she stood in front of the huge golden doors that led to the dining room. Hina didn't like kids. Although she was one right now, she was originally over twenty before waking up in this little body. However, how was she supposed to act like a stepmother to a child she was only two years older than? Hina was still a child herself, not to mention she didn't have a good mother figure while growing up. What was she supposed to do? Hina stood there for a good five minutes before finally opening the doors.

Hina had eaten every meal so far either in her chambers or in the gardens so this was her first time dining here. The huge room and its exquisite furniture didn't wow her as much as the little child. Tanaka's eyes were a beautiful pair of striking blue. That was the first thing that caught Hina's attention. The child also had long beautiful dark brown curly hair that accompanied her doll-like face perfectly. Tanaka was seated at the Lord's seat, as her maids seemed to be in a frantic trying to get her to sit somewhere else.

"It's fine. Leave her be, it's just a seat"

Hina sat at the opposite end of the table, watching the twelve-year-old. She seemed displeased to not have gotten the reaction she expected from Hina.

"How have you been, Tanaka? It's a shame we're just meeting now " Hina lied through her teeth. In fact, she was happy to have not met her before now.

"Don't expect me to call you "mother" or treat you like one"

"I see"

"I'll never accept a small thing like you as my mother! You're even younger than my sister!" Tanaka looked like a cat with its guard up.

"Aww, that's so sad. I'd really like to get close to you" Hina's words were thick with sarcasm. She was slightly annoyed at the child's rudeness but the little girl had a point. Hina was too young to be anyone's mother and she didn't fancy the idea either.

[Do you think I want to be here?]

A variety of delicious food was served for breakfast and the rest of the time passed by slowly for the both of them. Hina could barely get anything in her stomach as Tanaka's cold stares were fixed on her. They both exited the room after breakfast in a hurry to get away from each other when Tanaka said

"By the way, I told elder brother about you. The new stepmother who came to take his mother's place. I sent him a letter on your wedding day, you see. He has been away for some time but he replied last night to let me know that he will be back very soon. Elder brother is not a patient person but I hope you treat him well, my dear new stepmom"