My heart pounds as my skin shivers and my lungs feel full. Warm liquid ran down my face, I didn't know if they were tears of blood. I try to breathe, and my lungs won't fill. Why did I wake up only to suffer like this? Why did I even wake up? I couldn't even die properly. I try to get air to fill in my lungs but, it's suffocating. I can't pull the air in. I can't breathe. Why can't I just die? Why am I still suffering?
I know I need to act more rationally but how can I be rational when I can't breathe to calm myself. I felt like I was suffocating. Wait to suffocate? When I got shot I felt like I was drowning not suffocating.
I try to make myself focus if it doesn't feel like I'm drowning then maybe I'm not dying. I try to focus on my other senses. I start with my hearing. It was silent wherever I was. So that means I wasn't in the hospital because they'd most definitely have me on some kind of machine that would beep. I try to open my eyes but only see darkness.
I feel myself start to calm down a bit. The construction on my chest starts to ease ever so slightly.
I keep going with my senses. The smell is out because I can't breathe. My mouth tastes like morning breath, and not like blood. Another sign I'm not dying. I move my hands and feel what I'm lay on. It feels soft and silk. A bed maybe? I think I'm on a bed on my stomach. Is that why I can't breathe? I push up with my arms much easier than I normally would be able to, must be the adrenaline.
I push up and feel a bit of pressure off my chest. I try to breathe again and get a bit of air flowing through me. I feel tears trail down my face. Finally, air! I flip myself around.
Had I just been suffocating because I was laying on my stomach? Well, that and that I was having a very clear panic attack.
I start over on my senses. I listen to the room around me, still quiet. I take a deep breath and smell the air; it smells like rose and berry. I was expecting more of a lemon and cleaning supplies smell. I touched the surface of the bed one more time. I spread out more than my hands could explore from just simply laying here. Lastly, I open my eyes softly and the room is dark, but I can still make out some distinct shapes. I saw a couch and some chairs, a vanity, a desk, an armour, and a few other pieces of furniture that I couldn't quite see.
I was now calm enough to try and make sense of what was happening. So, first thing's first, I died. There is no way I lived from that gunshot. Second, I've been reincarnated. Third, this isn't America, I highly doubt it's even the same earth I'm from. Fourth, whoever I am now is extremely wealthy.
I sit up and see that the bed I'm in is probably bigger than a king-size bed back in my old world. I scoot towards the edge and see a curtain is around the bed. That must be why everything is hard to see. I pull back the curtain and see that it is early morning, or the sun is just setting. I'd say it's rising.
All I wanted was to go back to sleep, but I was afraid if I did that I'd see it all over again. I reached up to push my hair out of my face and felt curls. I smiled at least this new body has curly hair that's at least an upgrade. I stretch out my arms and frown. Why are my arms so short? I groan I'm shorter than I was in my previous life! I knew those short jokes towards my mom would come and bite me in the ass later.
I get out of bed and start to look around a bit. This room looks familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. I walked over to the mirror to see what they'd given me to work with. They being whatever god ruled this part of the universe.
I look into the dark lit mirror and see pastel pink hair, slightly tanned skin, and angry pale blue eyes. No way...I'm Elisia Reygnheart, the villainess from The King's First Knight the game I was playing before I died. The game is more like a play for story with minor choices.
I pinch myself there is no way I'm Elisia! I grimace as pain shoots through me. I search the room for a calendar of some kind but don't see one.
I groan and look down at myself and can guess I'm on the cusp of puberty. Before she met Dimitri and lord Evergreen, considering my hair is still long. I roll my shoulders and pop my knuckles as I think.
A knock on my door makes me jump.
"Lady Elisia, your father has asked for you to come down to breakfast. He has some very serious news," a maid asks from the other side of the room. I huff and tell her to come in.
I look at the younger woman, she had burnt orange hair and green eyes, Augusta, or Aug for short. I nod at her as she enters going over to the vanity.
"How would you like your hair, my lady?" She asks.
"Up and away as usual," I say trying to act like Elisia.
"This is the first time in a while your father has called on you, don't you think you should make an effort?" Aug asks.
"No, why would I? He doesn't care, so why should I?" I say straightening my back.
"Yes, milady," She says, "What dress would you like to wear?" she asks. I bite my lip at the idea, while I love dresses, I don't want to wear that many layers right now and Elisia does wear pants often because she was a knight to be. But she isn't in knight training yet, a dress it is.
"Ugh, how about the emerald green one?" I ask gesturing to the dress at the back. She smiles and nods.
"Good choice," she says with a hearty smile. She finishes twisting my hair up and grabs the dress. She pulls out the chemise, the corset, the corset blender, the undergarments, and the stockings. I huff and she helps me get dressed. She does the corset loosely, but it still makes my heart pound at the memory of drowning in my own blood. I push it away and cram that memory into a box and seal it.
"So, milady. What do you think?" Aug asks putting two green, emerald earing in and clasping a delicate green, emerald next to the seal that showed I was a Reygnheart. The only thing Elisia had left of her mother and her most prized possession. I grabbed it and fiddled with it.
"I look beautiful, good job Aug," I say because, in all honesty, I did look beautiful...well not me Elisia looked beautiful.
"Thank you, milady," she said blushing. I stand following Aug out of the room; Aug was only a couple of years older than Elisia and was Elisia's only maid. So, they were together often and that means I had to be the most careful around her.
I take a deep breath as I stand outside the dining room. I look over to Aug for affirmation, she nods with a smile. I give her a small smile and nod back. If only she knew I wasn't Elisia.
I push open the door and instantly the air in the room becomes tense.
"Ah, Elisia we've been waiting for you," Elisia's father says. I think his name was Gordan, but he's hardly mentioned in The King's First Knight.
"Then I apologize for making you wait," I say taking the seat to the left of Elisia's father. I look over and see Oleander and his mom next to me. Oleander looks at me with fear clouding his eyes, his mother looks at me with indifference. I look across from me and see Alfonse. He looks at me with contempt. Instantly I want to leave.
"It's quite alright, it's still early. I just wanted you to be aware of what is going to happen next month," he says getting started. The maids start putting food down in front of everyone. I become saddened when I get a bowl of oats. I look around and see much yummier food being served to the others. Oli gets French toast with strawberries and whipped cream. I look in jealousy.
"Like you all know we are in the process of trying to prevent war with Vernal, and as the king's royal advisor and most trusted friend, I have volunteered to go there and talk things out. So that means I will not be in the dukedom, therefore I would like to start training Alfonse officially. And in a month's time, I will be leaving. I won't be coming back until I settle this dispute. I know with full confidence that Alfonse will do a wonderful job as duke in my place."
I put on a proud face, now I know exactly where I am in the story at least. That means later today I need to sneak out of the mansion and meet Dimitri and his father when Elisia was 12. This is when she gets attacked by thieves. They break her arm and cut her glorious pink hair. I gulp at the thought, but this is a necessary pain. This is the motivation for her knight training and I'm going to make sure I become a knight no matter what. I'm going to become the first female knight instead of the heroine Claire Piper. That useless bitch.
I look across at Alfonse and see he's sitting straighter, but his body reads nothing but worry.
"So, we'll be holding a small party to celebrate his coming of age and taking over the dukry," he says with that my soul shrinks. No, I totally thought I was going to get out of the whole party thing because Elisia never gets invited to anything like that. But I can't just avoid going to a coming of age and take-over party.
"I know this is a bit unexpected and quick, but Nivia has volunteered to help you out, Al. Since I won't be here she'll be my replacement. That means Her and Oleander will be moving back here," Gordan says with a smile towards the snow-coloured woman, Navia was Oli's mother.
After Elisia and Alfonse's mother died she replaced her. They looked very similar, both had snow-white hair, soft blue eyes, and were pale as snow. The biggest difference was that Nivia had no interest in being a duke's wife, but after being swept away by Elisia's father she agreed to marry him. Nivia never tried to be a mother to either Elisia or Alfonse she knew better, she however was an excellent mother to Oleander.
I look at her and smile politely. Elisia didn't hate her in the original game, so I have no reason to be rude to her.
I see Oli's eyes grow wide, he grabs his mother's hand tightly and looks up at her with wide eyes. He was only 10 right now, but even most 10-year-olds aren't this clingy or sappy. He is rather cute though; he has wide blue eyes and white hair with freckled skin. He saw me looking and instantly turned even whiter somehow. Was Elisia that scary? She hadn't even really become a villain yet. Was he afraid of my colouring? Or was Elisia ruder than I thought at first?
"So, that's all I wanted to say. The party will not be optional, it will be set for 2 weeks from now." 2 weeks is kind of short notice for real life but I guess that's normal in things like this.
"Al, come with me we've got some further things to speak about," Gordan says standing and leaving. His red hair picked up and swayed as he walked his green eyes in an icy stare, and Al followed without hesitation a copy of the duke. I chuckled to myself as I notice that the hair of the siblings seemed to fade. Looks like Gordan ran out of ink. Nivia looks at me from the corner of her eye as I giggle to myself. Her plate of eggs and grapefruit was almost empty.
"What do you think of all this Elisia?" she asks.
"I'm proud of his grace for choosing to go, it was very brave of him to do so. I'm happy that my brother is becoming the duke. And I'm so glad you and Oleander are coming back," I say trying not to offend. She looks at me with curiosity.
"What will happen to you when Alfonse becomes duke?" she asks.
"I'm not sure what you mean?" I ask softly.
"Will you be married off or try to live off the estate?" she asks slyly. I scrunch my brows; I'm going to do neither. I'm going to be a knight, but I can't tell her that yet.
"I'm not sure. I assume I'll get married off no matter what," I say taking another bite of oatmeal.
"Hm, I see. That is after all the sad fate of women in this kingdom. Back home in winter Women had a claim to heir and can do anything men can," she says taking a drink of her coffee. I smile softly. I had no intention to get involved with that kind of thing. I want to run the royal guard. I want to be in charge of battle strategies and combat.
"I have no interest in becoming a duke, I don't think I'm quite fit for it," I say shrugging.
"I see, well if you ever change your mind let me know," Nivia says. I look at her and fight the urge to smirk. A future ally in becoming a knight.
"I will thank you, Lady Nivia," I say giving her a soft smile. She returns it and gently moves Oli's hair.
"Come now, Oleander and I'll show around the grounds a bit. Have a good day Elisia," Nivia says with a small smile.
"You too Lady Nivia," I say softly. Oli ignores me as he races out of the room. I finish my meal and leave.
I go to my room and plot how I'm going to escape today.