The Unexpected Awakening

I was overwhelmed by a strange and intense sensation, a pain that felt like someone was repeatedly stabbing my heart. It rendered me speechless, unable to comprehend why this agony had gripped me. It was as if the world around me had shattered, leaving only this excruciating pain.

"Ella, what's wrong?" Voices reached my ears, but they seemed distant, as if coming from another world. My fingertips trembled, and my lips quivered uncontrollably.

"Are you feeling unwell?" More concerned voices surrounded me, but I couldn't respond. My body felt weak, and I clung to the hem of my dress for support, the only thing keeping me upright.

"Ella." The calls persisted, each one pulling me further into a sea of pain. It felt as though my insides were being torn apart, and I couldn't make sense of it. The world blurred around me.

I stood amidst a crowd, watching a couple's heated argument. Their quarrel had nothing to do with me, yet I felt an inexplicable connection to their pain. The man pleaded with his wife, insisting he hadn't cheated on her, that the other woman had been a fleeting, meaningless encounter. But the wife's anguish mirrored my own, as if I were the one betrayed.

In my eighteen years, I had never fallen in love, nor had a man ever touched my heart. I was a stranger to heartbreak. So why did this pain grip me so tightly?

Before I could make sense of it all, my eyelids betrayed me, closing against my will, and I crumpled to the floor.

***

"Lady."

"Lady."

"Wake up!!"

"It's past sleeping time."

"If you keep sleeping and miss breakfast time, the duke will be very angry."

Voices echoed around me as I struggled to regain consciousness. I felt disoriented, as if I had been drugged.

"Lady, it's not time to rub your eyes. It will make wrinkles under your eyes, showing the signs of aging, which is not good for you."

A voice offered advice, but I didn't recognize it. Confusion enveloped me.

"Who are you?" I finally managed to ask.

"Lady, it's me, Misa," came the reply.

Misa? I didn't know anyone named Misa, and I certainly hadn't befriended her. Where had she come from?

"What are you doing in my room?"

"And how did I come home?"

"Wasn't I -"

"Yeah, lady, you consumed a lot of alcohol at your engagement banquet," she explained.

"Alcohol? Banquet? Engagement? What are you talking about?"

"I was on my way to my college, and all of a sudden, I fell on the road, and when I woke up, you were speaking extremely rubbish. If you are joking, just tell me because I'm losing my mind."

I felt a growing frustration.

"Lady, I think you are not feeling well. Let me call the imperial doctor," she suggested before leaving, leaving me in a bewildered state.

I wanted to curse, but I couldn't find the words. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, none of them making sense.

I forced myself to get out of bed and began to explore the unfamiliar room. It was decorated in a way that seemed fit for a princess. Had there been some kind of mix-up? Had I been mistaken for someone else?

While pondering this, my eyes fell on a mirror, and I was shocked by what I saw.

"Whose face is this?"

"It's not my face. That's not how I look."

"My face has many flaws, but this face is flawless, as if it's all thanks to some divine bloodline. Why do I look like this?"

"Hey, anyone here?"

"Someone explain to me what's going on."

I called out, growing increasingly agitated. Misa appeared before me.

"Lady, you want something?" She asked.

"Yes, tell me who this is. Is this a magic mirror?" I asked.

"No, Lady, it's just a normal mirror, and the person you are looking at is none other than you."

"Me? Is this pretty looking? Don't joke with me."

"Yes, lady, it's you. Of course, you would be pretty, as you are the first daughter born in five hundred years, so you were born with all the qualities.''

She continued to speak of me as if I were a princess, which only added to my confusion.

"Can you tell me what my name is?" I asked.

"Lady, you are the one and only daughter of Duke Arnous de Olger Usoro and Duchess Aurelia de Olger Usoro. Your name is Ellanious de Olger Usoro."

"And you are saying I'm a princess?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes, lady, you are the only princess."

"So what's with the engagement?" I inquired.

"You are engaged to the crown prince of the empire."

Oh God, what had I gotten myself into?

"Lady, you are indeed Ellanious de Olger Usoro," Misa chimed in as she returned to the room.

"So, what now?" I asked, feeling overwhelmed by the weight of my new identity.

"We need to call the imperial doctor to examine you," Misa replied.

As they made the necessary arrangements, I couldn't help but feel like I had fallen into a whirlpool of confusion. Memories that didn't belong to me, a life I couldn't fathom, and a newfound title that felt like a heavy burden.

I touched my face once more, staring into the eyes of the princess in the mirror. It was a reflection of a life I had never imagined, a life that had been thrust upon me in the most bewildering way.

As I awaited the doctor's arrival, I couldn't shake the feeling that my world had been turned upside down, and there was no going back to the simplicity of the life I had once known.

My mind is bewildered with thoughts I couldn't cope up with. How on earth can so many things possibly happen in such a short time when I can't even think properly? Is it possible? Or is it just a dream I'm having, and I will wake up soon? I couldn't possibly be leading a good life ever.