The three of them-1

Julie woke up in front of an intricately decorated dressing mirror.

A tall woman with silky black hair and mystical eyes was looking back at her like a portrait.

"Miss Julianna you've woken up", someone called from behind her and helped her stand up from that chair. The lady was dressed in a black and brown outfit like a maid.

Julie murmured a thank you and tried to find out a lift or an exit with her wobbly legs and found herself in front of two huge doors.

She blinked at the door and then turned around to the lady who had helped her before. "Where's the exit ?"

"Yes Mam?"

"The exit. I must have fallen asleep during Rex's shooting again. Is Rex Baren still here?"

The lady looked slightly mortified. "Are you talking about Sir Reeland my lady?"

"Who's Reeland?"

The lady looked genuinely scared and whispered in a low voice. "Are you alright Lady Julianna?"

Julie blinked. Lady Julianna? Like the villainess in the novel 'The Three Thorns'?

She looked at her hands and then at her dress and immediately knew something was very very wrong.

"Can you show me the mirror again please?"

The maid led Julie back to the dressing mirror again and the silky haired woman started back at Julie.

Her hair had turned black and her eyes were a mystical colour, like it couldn't decide which colour to pick and she was wearing a flimsy dress with way too many frills.

Julianna Emore.

The villainess of 'The Three Thorns' novel.

And also someone who will die at the age of 20.

"Oh my god-

Her leg tripped on the cushion chair and she fell down, hitting her head on the floor.

'What on earth was going on?'

The last memory she had was that of her visiting her friend Rex Baren's film shooting. She and Caine (another mutual) had visited the set to encourage him for his first theater role based on the novel, The Three Thorns.

Somehow it seemed that she had been soul-wise transported into the body of Julianne Emore, one of the antagonists of the story.

And now here she was in the world of the story? Or was it a true world? Was this some sort of a prank?

She stormed back to the huge doors she had seen before and swung it open with some effort. The doors were as heavy as they looked and they smelled of fresh wood. Definitely not a good sign.

There were guards lining the hallway who looked at her with alarm as she made her way towards outside. She needed to confirm something and she needed to do it before she lost her mind. The doorway led out to the underground rooms and towards the maze. She dashed down the stairs knowing each pathway by heart and ran down the stairs one by one, feeling the room get hotter by step.

Behind her the lady maid was calling her name but she ignored the maid's cries, her bare feet hitting each step with wobbly momentum.

And there, at the end of the stairs, was a cage.

Just like in the story.

Julie's feet burned as she made her way towards the cage holding the large bird with red flames covering it's body.

The Leire Phoenix.

It's body shone with a golden red colour, the flames at the tips of its feathers licking the enormous cage's railing. And that was more than enough proof for her to know that she was not in her world anymore. Her legs gave out halfway and tears flooded her eyes from the scorching heat. Why was this happening to her?

The phoenix cocked it's head to one side as if to mock her and say, 'Nice to see you. You're not the person I know'

It's red eyes and feathers glowed within the cage and Julie felt herself drawn towards it.

"Lady Emore?" , someone called from the darkness behind the cage.

Julie stood up again alarmed, wishing she had taken one of the guards down there with her.

The person appeared from the other side of the cage, wearing a red cape and black shirt with knee length boots and exclusive gold buttoned cuffs. Only one person dressed like that in the entire empire and Julie braced herself when a pair of golden green coloured eyes settled on hers.

The Crown Prince.

"Your highness", Julie muttered bowing, her Julianna instincts kicking in.

She looked up at the crown prince to see him glare at her , that annoying crooked smile plastered on his face. He stopped a few feet away, marvelling at the beautiful bird's flames then turned around to look at her and then frowned.

Julie smiled trying not to grimace. This person did not expect to see her here, that was very much clear.

In fact he suddenly had his face turned to the other side like he was embarrassed.

"I'm sorry that I came on such a short notice Lady Emore", he said his cheeks getting red and Julie wondered whether it was from the heat from the pheonix.

"But I wish you had a minute to put on a coat before coming to see me"

"Huh?"

Julie looked down to see that she was wearing a flimsy dress that ended at her knees exposing her legs and arms worldwide.

Right. People here weren't used to showing much skin in this century.

Not to mention this was like an outright insult for the nobility.

Julie quickly muttered a sorry and then fled upstairs faster than how she came down and ran back to her room shutting the doors with zero effort this time.

"Oh my god, maid!!", she called out burying her face amoung the cushions laid on the bed.

It was only 10 minutes or something since she had got here and within that time she had already managed to look like an idiot.

In front of the Crown Prince of all people.

The maid reappeared somehow guessing that the worst to occur has probably occured and helped her dress up properly, pulling out a few dresses from the closet.

"Send someone over to attend to the Prince, Why wasn't he in the waiting room?" She whined.

Aren't princes supposed to wait till their host arrives?

"He came here to see the phoenix my lady. He greeted Lord Emore before coming here and was going to leave soon "

Julie paused for a moment thinking it over.

Yes, in the story at this time the prince was mostly avoiding Julianna as she was a suitable marriage candidate and his parents were pestering him to get married. No wonder he didn't come here to greet her.

Then there was also the matter of the Red phoenix located in her basement.

Correction : The Prince's phoenix.

She took a deep breath trying to calm down and recollected what she knew about this story.

So far as she knew three powerful people ruled this country. They were the current emperor (Crown prince's father), The southern dragon and the Blood witch who ruled the mages in the north. The story begins with the arrival of the heir of the Sand kingdom, the lost Princess Nele who comes to take revenge on the emperor for destroying her country but then she falls in love with the crown prince while causing a rift between the mage, the emperor and the dragon and after a bloody war all three decide to form a separate kingdom. But then the sand princess steps in and makes everything alright.

It was a pretty bloody story involving a war and all and Julie had barely managed to go through the script with her eyes open. Her roommate Caine had been more enthusiastic likewise, he was a history professor and liked stuff like this.

Then there was Rex who was cast the role of the Army general who too would be in love with the same princess. Sadly for him, he dies in the battle ground.

This story was supposed to be Rex's soul and big break. Why was She reliving this??

Was this punishment for not reading the story right?

Her train of thoughts were broken as the maid suddenly announced.

"My lady, The Mcrose twins have come to see you"

The Mcrose family. Another Duke family under the dragons territory.

"The Prince has left?" she asked annoyed that people kept coming to see her one after another.

"Yes Miss. He wished you to see him next time err- fully clothed"

Julie smiled painfully. "Of course he did"

If there was one thing that Julie remembered clearly, it was the Crown Prince Kale Liere's behaviour towards Julianna.

In other words, he hated her.