Where am I? Who am I? Why am I?

Chapter 3: "Where am I? Who am I? Why am I?"

Huh? Where am I?

I woke up in a dark place that seems to be an infinite space. No ground, no walls, no roofs, or anything.

I looked down and realized.

My two melons are gone.

But... not just that; my entire body is gone.

...?

I have no body now. I mean, I know I was a bit ungrateful for the female body I possessed but that didn't mean I would prefer not having a body at all...

I decided to look away from my non-existent body and take a look around.

I walked, er... floated...?

I can't say I walked when I don't have legs to begin with.

I floated forward as I turn my vision left and right.

...

It's weird. Why am I so calm? This space looks scary and lonely and yet, it doesn't bother me. The atmosphere, no, something just tells me that it's going to be okay.

...or is this a rare symptom of shock?

In the distance, I saw a familiar sillhoutte of a young lady. She is surrounded by a glowing purplish red aura.

I floated closer.

The young lady seems to be in her early-20s.

She is laying down with her eyes closed. Long green hair and an elegant look, and is wearing what seems to be a night gown.

I blinked and whispered,

"You're the body I possessed..."

Although she looks older, she is no doubt the maid I possessed.

...

Is she sleeping?

Just as I thought this, her eyes opens and she quietly sits up. She raises her head and stares at me.

She sighs as if disappointed.

????

"Pardon me, but... May I ask who you are? Where are we? And... You're the body I possessed, aren't you?" I asked.

The lady shifts her sitting position to a more casual one. Left leg up, right leg crossed, left elbow rests on the left knee.

What's this? She reminds me of a thug in dark alleyways.

"I'm the original owner of the body." She answers, neither smiling nor frowning.

"Are you a soul? where am I? Where are we?"

"This is the space in between life and Death."

Excuse me? But I just got reincarnated and now I'm dying again?! Was that just a Free trial??? Not even a day has passed yet! And I already passed away?

"Pfft-" The lady chuckled, "no mister. You are not dying."

no? Wait- 'mister'? Did she just call me 'mister'? I am far from being old.

"That's not the point here, mister. I need your help."

I don't want to.

"You don't want to?"

Did she just read my mind?

"I can hear your thoughts."

...pardon?

Why is that making me nervous all of a sudden?

The lady sighs, "Did I really summon a 24- year old or a dramatic teenager?"

Summon?

"I summoned you."

Summoned...me? Wait. The help she meant isn't some kind of hard, troublesome job, is it? Like changing the fate of the world or something, right? Hahahaha...

She smiles sadly, "...I'm sorry to burst your bubble..."

...?

Lumien stares at her, eyes glooming with fear, knowing that whatever this strange lady involved him in, is not something he would like.

The lady stands up and levels her eyes with him. She gazed at the floating light in front of her with utmost seriousness.

"I am Dia."

...

Damn it.

I was hoping that wasn't the case. ಥ‿ಥ It was a pointless hope. It was too obvious from the very start.

This lady in front of me and the body I possessed is Dia.

Dia, a maid in Trouvaille Residence. She is also a character in a novel I once read, <My Prince is Out of My Reach>.

Why was I reading such a novel with a cliché title in the first place, you may ask? It was recommended to me.

I found the novel in my favorite library; it's a place I frequently go to every time I return home. The owner, who became a close friend of mine since I'm a VIP costumer, lent me this book. He said it was the only copy in the entire world. I even thought maybe he wrote this story himself and made me his first reader.

He knew I wasn't a fan of romance novels and so, he lent me this book thinking it might pique my interest.

It didn't.

I liked the heroine but it made me jealous of the male lead. Tsk.

The novel <My Prince is Out of My Reach> is a romance, drama novel. Its setting is in the same world and kingdom as I am-- Mahika, Kingdom of Lune. The characters are from the real world too, but I didn't think the plot was based on a true story. I thought it was just some fan fiction. The setting is real, the plot isn't.

I hope it isn't.

Dia, dark green hair and magenta eyes, pale and petite. A maid who served the heroine and her brother. She was favored by the heroine and soon enough, the two became close friends. But as time passed by, she was consumed by greed. And thus, became a Villainess.

Despite her cute appearance, she was a scary mad woman.

She betrayed her masters and hurt the heroine. She even dared to go against a royal prince! She was an antagonist who disappears and then shows up out of no where. She was the biggest obstacle between the heroine and the male lead. In the end, just like every ending of a villainess, she died in the hands of the male lead a.k.a. the second prince of Lune Kingdom.

I cursed Dia whenever she hurt the heroine, but not to the extent that I hated her. I liked it when she does something that blocks the romance between the heroine and the second prince. I was a bit bitter when it came to the heroine ending up with him. The problem is, whatever she does just strengthens their love even more. Tsk.

...

Damn it.

If I was going to possess someone in the novel, It would've been nice if it was the male lead!

Dia looks at him and listened to his thoughts.

"So you hate the romance between them too, huh?"

Lumien who was crying in the corner turns to her and replies.

"The romance itself wasn't bad, I just got attached to the heroine too much."

Dia's eyes fall to the ground.

"I see."

For some reason, for a short moment, Lumien saw a flash of sorrow and bitterness in Dia's eyes. But that disappeared as sudden as it appeared.

Lumien breaks the silence as he asks,

"Why did I possess your body?"

Dia looks at him. She tilts her head as if the answer should be obvious enough,

"To change my fate."

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