He sat down on a large armchair and moved me to his lap when the doctor entered the room. Darq held me in his right arm and a beer in his left hand.

"My lady, your ankles are neither broken nor sprained. You should be able to walk without assistance," said the doctor listlessly as he ignored my filthy captor.

I wiggled my way out of Darq's hold despite his protests.

"The doctor might be wrong, Fel. I'll stay here for a bit longer to make sure you're okay," he said as he followed me down the staircase.

"Dude, no. Just go away, I'm fine—" I turned to wave him off, and he ran right into me.

We tumbled down a flight of stairs, and I landed on top of him. His chest was so damn hard, I might as well have landed on the ground.

"Ok, maybe you're right. Maybe my ankle IS sprained," I lifted my head off his chest and glared at him. I was livid but couldn't stay mad for long when I felt his touch. His hand held the back of my neck like I was the most precious thing in the world.

"Ah, sorry, haha. At least you're safe thanks to my quick reflexes," he closed his eyes and laughed nervously. His cheeks were beet red; why is this guy always blushing? I looked away from the brute.

He started to pat the back of my head with his hand but I swiftly pushed myself off him.

"Could you politely fuu...go away, Your Grace? Before I actually get injured?" I asked while I dusted myself off. I left without hearing his response. I could make out his hulking footsteps speeding up behind me, so I sped up my powerwalk to keep a good distance between us.

[DUDE, LET ME ISEKAI IN PEACE!]

**********

After the doctor left, two Royal Guards stepped into the mansion. I already had two Northern guards stationed outside the front door. There was no need for these new guards to be here.

"I already have my guards," I curtly said as I noticed their royal uniform and crest.

"The Second Prince was quite worried and sent us to ensure your safety personally," one of the guards responded. He looked at Darq and continued, "His Majesty requests your presence, Your Grace."

Darq's eyes narrowed in suspicion. He left without a word. 

What an obedient dog. 

"If you would excuse me, this lady must go and make herself decent," I said as I turned away from my newest captors.

The maids were in a state of panic all day because a large dirty man carried their master around the mansion while she was still in her nightgown. I was pretty much naked in their eyes.

After dressing me in an unnecessarily frilly purple gown, my lady-in-waiting led me to the dining room. She was the nasty blonde that just stared as the Duke assaulted me earlier this morning. Her dress differed from the other maids in the mansion; I believe her name was Sheraton. 

Why was she dressed in a maid outfit at all? Historically, ladies-in-waiting were of lesser nobility hired to chill with the top-shelf noble ladies. They wore fancy dresses, not maid uniforms. The ladies were usually blinged out to not embarrass the aristocrat they served.

I sat down on an uncomfortable but beautifully carved wooden chair at the head of the long dining table. The pristine dining room lacked the warmth of my past life's dinner table. We didn't have a formal dining room; we just had a table in the kitchen. It was infinitely more inviting than this large and sterile room.

The banquet table looked to be around 25 feet long. Three of these tables would be the length of my semi-truck. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples.

Finally, I can organize my jumbled thought.

My father was absent today; he had to investigate the source of the explosion with the Royal Guards. His Majesty summoned my father and Darq to participate in the investigation.

I felt the Duke's murderous intent back at the ball, but he stayed with me since the explosion. I'm not sure of his motives. Maybe he volunteered to scare me and keep me away from the angelic Saintess since I "tormented" her.

He was all smiles earlier at the ball before I wore the wine. He chatted happily with the Saintess and princes beforehand. 

Was Fellanie a villainess?

Fellanie's interactions with the Saintess were courteous in her memories. The North was quite traditional. They trained her to be the perfect noble lady from birth.

She introduced the Saintess to many of the lords and ladies of Isakia. Fellanie corrected some of the Saintess's manners so she wouldn't be publicly embarrassed. She gave honest advice on fashion to help the Saintess dress properly at tea parties and other events.

Saintess Aino fell from the sky around a year ago into a pond in the Imperial Garden. The Church deemed her to have divine powers, whatever that meant. She knew nothing of this world. Fellanie taught the Saintess etiquette because she was the Crown Princess.

After taking empress lessons, she escorted and taught the Saintess late every night. She attended every tea party and banquet with Aino without fail.

At the crown prince's birthday banquet last year, she slapped a glass of wine from Aino's hand and spilled it all over her. Everyone remembered the event as bullying.

A glass of wine was handed to our Saintess by a skittish new maid. Fellanie was right to stop Aino from ingesting that potentially-poisoned wine.

The gossip evolved from a slap into "the villainess threw a whole bottle of wine at the divine Saintess!" And then, "the villainess drove a wagon of wine bottles into the angelic Saintess and broke all of her limbs!"

I've only been here for a day, and I am ready to go home. I didn't have any leads on how I got here or getting home. I couldn't ask anyone for help, and I had no plans on telling anyone that I wasn't the real Fellanie. 

Where the hell was the real Fellanie anyway?

The butler walked into the dining room with an envelope in hand. 

My first course for dinner was a summons to the Palace. 

Tomorrow.

To meet with my arch-nemesis, Second Prince Asshole.