"Lady Odette, where are you going?" Sarah, my maid, shrieked in horror as she saw me climbing out of the window.
"Shh!" I muttered a spell to stop Sarah from rousing the whole estate to watch me running from home in the middle of the night.
Sarah wanted to speak again, but found she was not able to. She frowned disapprovingly at me and mouthed, "Lady Odette! It's nearly midnight!"
"Yeah, I know. That's why I am choosing to sneak out now!" I rolled my eyes and then I muttered a sleeping spell before Sarah muttered one at me. Sarah collapsed on the floor. "Sleep tight! See you tomorrow!"
I climbed out of the window in my bedroom and jumped down. As soon as I jumped down, I muttered a simple wind spell to control my descent. The god my family served was the god of wind. I was sent to the wind temple when I was ten. Father expected me to at least grab a priestess position, not the higher ranking one, just a lowly one. But I could not even do that. I could master simple wind related spells, but more complex and advanced ones? I couldn't master them as well as my teachers and Father wanted.
But simple wind spells were enough for me to plan my escapade. In order to get away from going to the tea party, I needed to prepare a potion. A potion to make me look like I was feverish and sick. Very sick. A potion even healers could not discover I was faking it.
Why did I know the arts of god of darkness? From my second life where I really turned into a villainess through and through. You thought I used it on Rachelle? Of course not, due to the laziness of a certain someone, I had to do the work of the priestess of darkness. I could remember the ingredients for that potion and that's because I made more than twenty of them during that time.
I pulled the hood over my head to make sure it covered my face and walked quickly to the forest near my estate. The ingredients for the potion were just common herbs. I should be able to find them in the forest.
After a few hours, I had finally collected all the ingredients I needed. I was stretching out my cramped limbs when I noticed a crow staying on the branch of the tree next to me. It tilted its head when it saw me looking at it and then cawed. It then flapped its wings and flew away. When it flew by me, a black crow feather fluttered down and landed next to my leg.
I picked it up. The feather seemed to have a subdued golden hint when I flickered it under the moonlight.
"It can't be... No that's not possible." I laughed dryly. Even though I did not believe the crow just now was really that crow, I placed the feather in my pocket. "Just in case. Just in case." I patted my pocket for good measure.
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"Odette, Sarah said you had fallen sick," Father eyed me with doubt in his eyes.
I had tried pretending to be sick quite a few times when I was small. The good old times when I was still naive and young. No doubt Father was considering the odds of me faking ill so I did not have to bring Rachelle to the tea party.
What a surprise that my father was totally correct this time, but sadly he would not be able to uncover the truth.
"Father, I am not feeling quite well. I might need a healer." I sneezed. "Please tell Rachelle I am so sorry I could not bring her to the tea party." I sneezed again. "The invitation... Sarah bring me the invitation! Please don't let me hold Rachelle back, maybe Rachelle can go on her own. Rachelle must be so disappointed." I brushed the non-existent tears from my eyes.
The door pushed open at that moment with Rachelle rushing in. "Odette, how are you feeling? You look feverish! Oh dear, oh dear. How are you feeling, dear Odette?" Rachelle cried with worries, her lavender eyes began to grow misty.
Just as I had predicted. Rachelle must come rushing in to visit me. It's true that your enemy was the one who knew you best.
"Rachelle, I am so sorry. The invitation is here, it seems like you have to go on your own. It's such a pity. I thought I could accompany you to your first tea party," I sighed and dabbed my eyes with a handkerchief.
"Don't be, Odette. It saddened me that you're suffering now." Tears seemed to be about to fall from Rachelle's eyes. She squeezed my hands as she said this.
"Rachelle..." I pretended to be really touched. I did learn something from my last life, my acting greatly improved. I knew just how to act to look like we were great and loving sisters. The kind my Father would be very pleased with. When in truth, I just wanted to barf. Could you believe you had such deep feelings for someone you had only known for one day?
"Rachelle, don't let me hold you back. It's nearly time for the tea party, go and prepare!" I waved my handkerchief in the direction of the door.
Father nodded dotingly at Rachelle. "You heard what your sister said. Go and prepare."
Fighting back the urge to roll my eyes at this display of fatherly love, I waited for Rachelle to turn it down. Kind hearted Rachelle would never leave her ill sister in her sickbed alone while she went out to play.
"No, I am not going!" Rachelle cried. "How can I leave my sister here alone when I am enjoying myself? I won't be able to forgive myself! I am going to stay here and take care of Odette!"
"As expected of Hera's daughter," Father said, a look of approval appeared on his face. "Odette, learn something from your sister. Get some rest." Then he walked out of the room.
As expected from my father. Here it came, from now on the two of us would always be compared. While Rachelle shone till the end, by comparison I would always be the incompetent one.
"Odette, do you want a cup of hot tea?" Rachelle smiled lovingly.
"That'll be great." I smiled back. Now I just had to keep Rachelle at home till Lady Florence completed her final choosing.
Lord Hank you might just have to wait a tiny bit longer to meet your one true love. I smirked as I took a sip of tea.
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Author's note
A little prank from Odette ;p Hope you enjoy reading this chapter! See you next time!