Chapter 3 Waking Up In An Unknown World

• Eumerica's POV
• "Rica! Rica!" As I strained to open my eyes, a low, feminine voice said.
• They were shut tight... It seemed as though they had been closed for a very long time.
• "I swear! I saw her lift her fingers! And her eyelashes were shivering too!" The voice spoke once more.
• "Stop saying nonsense, the physician said it will take a very long time for her to wake up. And it is even possible that she will not awaken from her vegetative state."
• Compared to the first voice I heard, this one was different.
• The physician? Was I saved? Did he later come to save me?
• Thinking about the possibility that I was saved and that the person I was waiting for had come to save me, my previously bitter heart was suddenly filled with hope.
• As I flickered my eyes open, I was met with two unknown faces.
• "I told you I saw her fingers moved! Eumerica is awake!"
• "That can't be true! She drowned and it was a long time before we noticed!"
• Drowned? I managed to speak but I felt too tired. A sharp ache shoots through my head and into my bones.
• I scanned my surroundings, trying to make sense of the strange faces I was seeing. Not only was the location unfamiliar to me, but so was everything around me.
• I squeezed my eyes, desperate to escape my seemingly real dream. But it was real, really real.
• "Where am I?" With a low, feeble voice, I asked. I exhaled because I felt like all of my energy had been gone after saying those words.
• "Rica is awake! You made it through!"
• I frowned again. There is unquestionably something off. This is not the Palace!
• "Looks like you made it through once more, wench!"
• "Stop it, Mia! She just woke up!"
• Even so, I was not concerned about what they were saying. The fact that I was outside the Palace still took me by surprise.
• My eyes fell upon the fabric I was wearing as I strained to stand.
• It was a filthy, frayed cloth that had nothing in common with my royal attire. What in the world was going on?
• "Did you guys kidnap me?!" I asked, finding the strength I had lost standing up. "Are you aware of who you just abducted? This is the future Queen of the Kingdom!"
• Before they both burst into laughter, the two of them that I had just seen exchanged confused looks. They had on the same soiled clothes that I had on.
• The girl with brown hair who caught my attention appeared to be the one who had been making cruel comments to me ever since I woke up.
• The other girl had white hair, packed up in a messy bun. Her mouth curled into a smile as she gave a quick, innocent blink of her eyes. "Rica! Do you lose your mind when you jump into the water? Which Kingdom are you talking about?!"
• The white-haired girl laughed along with the brown-haired girl who passed a mean look to me.
• "After causing us so much trouble! You have the nerve to call yourself a stupid Queen?! Do you realize how much we have suffered since your thoughtless leap into the water?"
• "Mia!"
• "Leave me alone, Maris!" The brown-haired girl whom I've guessed to be the one called Mia snapped at the white-haired girl called Maris. "We had to take care of her, work tirelessly, and still prepare for the upcoming mating ball. Does she think she's the only one going through hard times? How could she have chosen to end her life in such a way? How could she... hmm" With trembling lips, Mia could not say anything more before breaking down in tears.
• I was dumbfounded and confused as I stared, feeling as though I was in a completely different world with people that I could not understand.
• Mia turned around and walked away, her eyes welling with tears before I could say anything.
• Maris on the other hand, let down a deep breath. "I will speak with her. She is not usually like that, so do not take offense at her remarks.
• She turned around and walked away too, leaving me alone with my confused thoughts. I collapsed on the bed I was sleeping, breathing heavily as I couldn't concentrate on a thought.
• "What's going on with me? Am I still dreaming?" I mumbled to myself. Or was this something that the Crown Prince and Jameela had planned?
• At that moment, a shiver went through my whole body as I turned and tossed on the bed. Tearing through my head were fragments of images, faces I did not recognize, and conversations I did not know about.
• Instinctively, I walked towards the table that was a few meters away. There was a mirror on it.
• A wave of trepidation swept over me as I raised the mirror to my face. The glass surface shimmered, reflecting the dim light of the room.
• My own reflection stared back at me, but it felt as though I was gazing upon a stranger.
• Her features were familiar yet foreign, an uncanny resemblance that sent a shiver down my spine.
• There was something deep and unidentifiable in the eyes that met mine, a mix of resolve and grief. Even though they were my eyes, they seemed to be hiding things from me.
• However, there was something distinct, something subtle but distinct. Was it the way her brow arched or the way her chin tipped?
• Waves of her hair framed her face, evoking features that resembled mine but appeared to be from a different era and existence.
• Each line and contour spoke of experiences I couldn't recall, memories that danced just beyond the reach of my consciousness.
• I was filled with a tangle of contradictory feelings as I studied her reflection.
• Who was she, this woman who wore my face yet seemed to inhabit a world entirely her own? Was she an illusion from my mind, a trick of the light?
• Or was she something more, a remnant of a past I had long since forgotten?
• I reached out to touch the glass with trembling hands, as though bridging the gap between us. However, the glass stayed cold, providing only more questions rather than any answers.
• Was I born again?
• It was a doubtful thought that lingered like a ghost in the night, echoing in the back of my mind.
• And one question glowed brightl
• y in my soul as I stood there, lost in a sea of uncertainty:
• Was I given a second chance at life?