Still In Pain

Ilvia delicately uttered, "My lady," as she gently shook Scarlet's shoulder. Scarlet had stayed up late, lost in thought. She slowly opened her eyes and grunted upon seeing Ilvia.

"Can you please let me be?" Scarlet pleaded, hugging her knees to her chest. She felt truly alone in this time, with no one to care for her.

"My lady, are you feeling unwell?" Ilvia asked, noticing her sickness. All Scarlet wanted was a happy life, not this misery. Was betrayal her fate in the end?

"Should I inform His Highness?" Ilvia inquired, her hands folded together.

Scarlet's thoughts turned to the emperor, wondering why she was stuck in this era. He had died in the script she received, but was that truly what her heart wanted - him dieing? He had saved her last night, did that mean she should save him in return?

If she ever returned to her own world, it didn't seem safe either. But here, in this time, he could protect her from the beasts from last night.

Letting out a heavy sigh, she replied, "There is no need to inform him, Ilvia."

As she sat up, her maid reminded her, "My lady, you must take a bath."

Scarlet agreed and followed Ilvia to the steaming bath, filled with floating chrysanthemum flowers. As she dipped her foot in, she exclaimed, "Ouch! Why is the water so hot?"

"My lady, you have always preferred it this way," Ilvia reminded her, confusion in her voice. Oh, that's right. She almost forgot she was in Scarlet's body. They were different in different areas.

"This will not do, add more water," Scarlet demanded.

Her maid complied, and as Scarlet immersed herself in the warm bath, her tension melted away. She tried to get comfortable when suddenly she heard a voice.

"Hey, mate."

At first, she thought she was imagining things, but then the voice interrupted her thoughts again. Who had the audacity to enter her chamber, and how was she hearing a male voice when Ilvia was the only other person present?

"Do not worry yourself, mate," the voice uttered once more.

Kayla's anger grew with each utterance of the term "mate."

"Do you not fancy the name?" the voice mocked.

"It is irritating me. Do I look like your prey or some creature in your eyes?" Scarlet retorted, her ire bubbling to the surface.

As if hearing her thoughts, the voice replied "it cute seeing you angry, mate. In the future, I yearn to see more of your fiery temper, mate. Such charming act is a rare sight."

Scarlet was about to protest when he interjected, "And should you not be grateful for my rescue?"

What does he mean by gratitude? She wondered. She was confused as to what he meant by save. The last thing she remembered, those red eyes that were usually blue were thirsting for blood and then she heard his voice, and it was his- jareth.

"You believe the rumors about Jareth being a devil." 

"Why would I not?" Scarlet retorted in disbelief.

He was rendered speechless, halting in his steps. 

She knew she shouldn't have being like that yesterday and should have thanked him instead. But who was he?

"He clearly used the spell on her. Does that mean it does not work on her?" He whispered, assuming that Scarlet could not hear him.

"The sleep spell. I doubt it will work on me," Kayla scoffed. It was no surprise that it would not work on her, as she was not Scarlet's and had no connection to her.

"What do you mean?" he asked, as if reading her thoughts.

"Nothing," she replied promptly. No one was to know that she was not Scarlet and was, in fact, from another world. It was her top secret that she intended to keep.

He knew she was lying and there was something she was concealing, and jareth knew it too.

"But who are you?" Scarlet asked.

"I am Darcie, jareth demon," and with that, he vanished out of Kayla's thought.

Scarlet almost cursed out. How could she forget Darcie? He had died along with jareth. 

Ilvia was concerned about her mistress spending too much time in the water and pulled Scarlet out. She coughed up the water she had been holding in for minutes.

"My lady, are you alright?" Ilvia asked anxiously.

She was a mortal, for goodness' sake, but what was happening to her?

Kayla emerged from the bathtub, enveloped in a towel, and proceeded to dress. As her maid servant tended to her hair, her mind wandered to Jareth and his demon who had rescued her. She couldn't help but feel grateful, wondering if he held the key to return to her own world.

"My lady, I have finished," Ilvia declared, admiring Kayla's reflection in the mirror.

"You look as stunning as ever, my lady," she complimented with a smile.

Kayla returned the smile, despite the fact that she now resembled her younger self. She couldn't help but applaud the body's owner for taking such good care of herself. 

She possessed a petite, slender frame, with deep blue eyes, an oval face, and rosy pink lips shaped like a heart - a perfect mirror of her youthful appearance. But how had she ended up in this script world as a younger version of herself? It was left as a mystery to her.

She gazed at the silver hairpin adorning her hair and smiled. Her hair were long and silky, cascading down to her waist.

Turning to face Ilvia, she spoke with a smile. She had decided not to dwell on the strange events that had occurred.

"Ilvia, I would like to take a stroll," Kayla announced.

Ilvia beamed and led her outside. She was thrilled to see her lady breaking out of her usual dull demeanor.

Countless thoughts swirled through Kayla's mind, but she pushed them aside, determined to have a good time.

"My lady, shall we visit your usual spot?" Ilvia inquired.

Kayla nodded in agreement. The former version of herself had often sought refuge in the garden when feeling down or lonely. Kayla couldn't help but feel sympathy for her, knowing that she had died at the hands of Consort Vera.

Kayla was utterly mesmerized by the sight of the stunning garden, adorned with colorful butterflies. She was engrossed by the variety of flowers, with tulips being her favorite.

The thought of tulips reminded her of Jayson. He used to bring her bouquets of tulips every year on her birthday. She couldn't help but smile at the memory as she takes a deep breath.

Ilvia broke the silence with a sudden query, "My lady, would you care to tend to the flowers?"

Scarlet nodded in agreement, and Ilvia darted off in a direction unknown to her. She strolled down a path adorned with flowers on either side, leaving just enough space for a human to pass through.

At the sight of a peculiar black flower at a distance from the others, Scarlet knelt down. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the flower, as it stood alone and abandoned, much like her.

Curious, she reached out to touch the flower. To her surprise, a sharp thorn pierced her skin, causing her to wince in pain. Blood began to trickle down, but Scarlet was too engrossed in her own injury to notice the transformation taking place. The feeble flower, unable to stand on its own, straightened and stood tall.

Kayla looked up, still in pain, but her expression shifted to longing. Could it be real? She questioned herself.

But it couldn't be. She couldn't possibly be seeing her deceased mother before her.

"Mom," she called out, aching to embrace her. The last time she had hugged her mother was on the day of her passing.

Why was she seeing her mother now, in a time and place where neither she nor her mother belonged?