Chapter 3: Her look-alike

Azea and her mother made it home after a long day of shopping. She rushed to her room while her mother went to fill her father in on all that had gone down at the school.

A talk that Azea was certain would result in them searching for another solution for her 'problem". Azea couldn't be troubled to think about that.

It had been a long exhausting day, especially with all the crying that she was forced to do. To keep up the appearance of a useless, crybaby.

Azea entered her bedroom, dropped on the bed, and sighed. She could make a living in acting, she was so good that she fooled everyone who knew her. Even the smart mamas that claimed to know everything can't have a clue about her.

She slowly got up from the bed. Azea locked the door to her room and sauntered over to the bed. She went down on her knees, she pushed out a box under her bed hidden carefully away from prying eyes.

Setting the box on the bed, she reached into her neck for her locket. She opened it revealing a key hidden inside it, Azea took out the key and unlocked the locked box.

Lifting the lid, the light from the window cast down into the box giving off glimmering lights from the gold. The number of gold coins in the chest was enough to spend the rest of her life unmarried.

As a woman, she wasn't supposed to have her own money. Society expected her to rely on a man for the rest of her life. From birth, until she comes of age she was to depend on her father. After a while, she was to depend on her husband.

To carry their names all her life. Azea wished to have the right to pick a name of her own. To be free.

Azea was the queen of her life, and she swore to rewrite her fate differently. She closed the chest and returned it to its hidden place.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The peace of the room was disturbed by the knock on the door. Azea unlocked the door swiftly expecting her mother to have fancied a chat over the events of the day.

However, to her surprise, it was her lady in waiting that stood on the other side of the door. "My lady, how was your day? I assume you have a fantastic time today," she rambled on as she stepped into the room.

"My day was terrible, Aya," she responded. Azea entered the room and threw herself once more on the bed. "Now I'm certain that I will never marry," she cried out.

"Nonsense, my lady is beautiful. You will find someone soon and you'll see how happy you'll be," Aya assured.

She gently sat on the bed beside Azea and took her hair in her hands. Freeing them from the pins that held them in a perfect bun.

Aya poured some oil onto her hands and slowly began to massage Azea's blonde hair. Azea relaxed to the massage, Aya's hands felt so nice on her sculpt.

It was tiring keeping up the appearance of what she wanted the world to see her as. However, she couldn't trust anyone with her plans. The success of her plans relied on everyone believing the story she was telling, which meant that she could reveal her secret to anyone including, Aya.

It was lonely, the path she had chosen. Nevertheless, she walked on it with her head held high. Only she understood what awaited her at the end of the road.

After a while, she felt sleepy. "I do not fancy dinner today. Leave me and inform everyone that I wish to be left alone," she ordered Aya.

Aya nodded, and she got up from the bed. Lifted the blanket to cover Azea.

"My poor lady," she thought bitterly. She cast a sympathetic look at her lady one more time before she exited the room. Locking the door behind her.

Azea fell deep into slumber unaware of the pity she was receiving from her lady-in-waiting.

At night~

The day had gone by in a blink of an eye. It was night with Azea still lost in her dreams. She slept peacefully, and couldn't be troubled by the world around her.

The cool breeze of the night blew against her exposed arms. She continued to sleep.

Unaware of the figures that were sneaking into her room through the open window. Two shadows entered the room quietly not to alert anyone of their presence.

They hovered over Azea's bed with a lantern. "Should we wake her?" a male voice sounded among the two.

"She looks so peaceful, I feel guilty disturbing her," a female voice sounded.

Azea frowned.

"We have to wake her. How else are you to converse with her?" the male inquired from the lady he was with.

Together they stood beside the bed undecided. However much they wished to wake Azea from her sleep none of them dared to do it.

They argued about it, their judged voices waking Azea from her sleep. Leading a double life made her cautious, as such, she was always a light sleeper.

She slowly peered her eyes open, she clenched the blankets under her palms. Terrified by the unknown presence in the room, however, she refrained from screaming and put on a brave face.

"Who are you?" she asked startling the two strangers into silence. They stopped their bickering which Azea appreciated. "What are you doing in my room? I should warn you that there are guards outside my room. I need only shout for them to come in and apprehend the both of you," she threatened them.

"No, we mean you no harm," the female spoke. She lifted the lantern to her face for Azea to see her. Seeing her face on the lady before her, Azea was blown out of her mind.

She fell back on the bed and fainted.

"Hey," the girl called out shaking Azea to wake up. "Here," the male offered the girl water to sprinkle on Azea's face to wake her up.

After sprinkling some water on Azea's face. The girl came around, however, Azea kept her eyes shut afraid of seeing her reflection without a mirror.

"Is she awake?" the girl asked the male.

"How about we try to prick her with one of your pins? That is sure to do the trick," the male suggested.

Hearing the suggestion, Azea braced herself and opened her eyes. There was no way in hell she was letting a stranger prick her body. "Any part of you that touches me. I will be sure to cut it off and feed it to the dogs in the street," she gritted her teeth sitting up on the bed.

The strangers backed away a bit after her threat. Azea got up from the bed, and she went to light all the candles in the room to eliminate the darkness in the room to be able to see the intruders better.

She returned to the bed and reached under her pillow and retrieved a sharp dagger. Before facing the intruders. "What are you..." she froze when she saw a perfect reflection of herself standing before dressed in a pink silky dress.

Azea blinked.

She wiped her eyes yet the person was still around. The girl stood in perfect stance, as they were taught in the academy. From her braided hair to the carefully applied makeup and posture. Azea had never seen a more presentable lady version of herself.

"Hello Azea, I'm Aleena De Luza, the daughter of house De Luza. Honored to make your acquaintance," she introduced herself.