Born a staggering 8.8 pounds, from young I was never the small or weak type. With voracious appetite, ability to shake off rare bouts of colds with ease and a natural love for outdoor sports, I had always been healthy, athletic and on the strong side.
As my parents liked to say, they "always knew" I'd be either an athlete, gym teacher, or a cop.
But the body of this blonde, lean and frail girl seemed quite far from my own body. I didn't remember much after writhing on the marble floor with pain, gripping my aching chest, gasping for air and seeing Hanes and Hyle walk away nonchalantly.
There was vague recollection of being on the back of someone, and then the next time I opened my eyes, I knew it was morning, back in the dreadfully now familiar bedroom and in the same body of this unfamiliar young woman.
With Regica sleeping on my sofa, I stood in front of the vanity mirror of the room, scrutinising the body I was in with some fascination. This young woman had such pale, milk white skin, like she had never seen the sunlight before.
Very carefully, I lifted my hands and touched my face. Her skin was soft and smooth. Perks of being young. In about two months' time on my birthday I would be turning thirty. This girl seemed in her early twenties.
I inched closer to the mirror. There were slight dark circles under her eyes- I couldn't bear even thinking in the word 'my'- and her complexion seemed a little sickly white. She seemed slightly over 5'5- quite a few inches shorter than me as a 5'7.
"You're up, my lady!" Regica was up, yawning. "I will bring your medicine. Should I bring you anything? Breakfast, or tea?"
Regardless of what kind of a ludicrous situation I was in, one thing was for sure: this woman Regica seemed to be on my side, and she seemed to know me, too. I needed information to get out of this place. If it was even possible.
"No thank you to breakfast or tea." I sat on the bed, and patted the spot next to me. "Let's talk."
At my gesture, Regica blinked, then awkwardly stood in front of me. "Yes, my lady."
"So...I'm experiencing a memory loss. You know me...the condescending bastard from last night also knows me?"
Regica was quite an open book. Her facial expression swiftly changed from one of profound sadness to terror as I spoke one sentence after another.
"Yes, you seem to be experiencing a memory loss and of course I know you, my lady. And...if I may cautiously add, it might not be a good idea for such a distinguished lady like yourself to speak such coarse words belonging to the streets. But- y-yes, His Majesty of course knows you, as well."
"What is my name?"
"If I may speak my lady's name-"
"Please do."
"It is Helena Lisabelle Katrine."
What a tiresomely long name. "What is my age?"
"Twenty-three, my lady."
I whistled low. "Wow. Seven years younger. What country am I from? The guy- His Majesty- mentioned something like-"
"Kingdom of Irennia, my lady." Regica's brown eyes welled up in tears. "My apologies."
"No, it's fine. I woke up from some kind of an accident, did I? Maybe a gun shot?"
"Gun shot...miss?" Regica swiped at her eyes with her dress sleeves, startled. "You do remember?"
"It was really a gun shot? Maybe here?" I pointed to my ribs, where the runaway Fred Miller had shot me.
"Yes, yes!" She nodded excitedly, her cheeks flushed. "Oh perhaps you are really starting to recollect things now-"
"Not really. But it seems like I'm not hurting at all here." So the spot of injury was the same.
"That's because you were in recovery for a long time, my lady."
"How long?"
Regica hesitated. "Two months, my lady. For two months you never opened your eyes."
"Who shot me?"
Regica fiddled with her fingers, chewing on her lower lip. She lowered her eyes. "No one shot you, my lady." Then, with a slow exhale, she looked at me again. "You did."
"I did?"
"After hearing news that your father...the emperor of Irennia had passed away from shock after visiting His Majesty...you went missing. We went looking for you. His Majesty also went looking for you himself on a horse, with Officer Hyle. And right in front of His Majesty, you shot yourself."
Sour taste crawled up my throat. I couldn't deny it anymore. There was no sick joke, I wasn't being held captive by a criminal, and this certainly wasn't a dream. I was literally in the body of this young woman Helena, and I was living in a completely world.
Letting out a long, shuddering breath, I stood, and pulled away the lace curtains.
Through the windows stretched out before me seemingly endless patches of grass and dirt roads. Carriages, horses, people dressed in attire similar to that of Regica's, dresses, pants, shirts and hats that belonged to a time not of mine. I wasn't just in a different country or a region. I was in a completely different era.
"Wow." I let out, looking hard at the passing people, the towering five-story castle of bricks that I was in. "Just wow."
"My lady? Are you in shock?" Regica cautiously asked.
"No, I'm fine, thank you. Um, then... then what about the bastard- the man from last night. Who said I'm a gift from...from Irennia. What does that mean?"
A muscle twitched in Regica's jaw, and in her voice I heard barely contained anger. "Castrinsa Kingdom and Irennia Kingdom had agreed upon peace. But not long after Emperor Hanes rose to throne, he launched full on war with Irennia, to have access to Irennia's rich resources, which are not in Castrinsa. As a sign of surrender and obedience to Catrinsa, Emperor Hanes demanded numerous crates of gold, silver, silk and diamonds from Irennia. He also demanded a peace offering.... You, my lady, the seventh child of the late Emperor Kusthek."
"A peace...offering?"
"Six months ago you were brought to Irennia, and you became the second wife of Emperor Hanes, with the title First Concubine Lady Helena."
Not only wife, but also second wife. My mouth felt dry. So that is what Hanes had meant by 'gift'. What a jerk.
"I think that is sufficient information for today, my lady. You must get your rest. I will bring your medicine."
"Just two more questions." I raised my hand, blinking. "Um, it might be a bit late but, who are you? And what do you mean by medicine?"
Regica's lips trembled again, and her eyes turned red in an effort to not shed tears. "I'm Regica Ursulwa, your lady-in-waiting, my lady. I'm also an Irennian and accompanied you here six months ago."
"Oh." I nodded awkwardly, and offered a smile. "Well, nice to see you."
She sniffed, her hand on the doorknob. "Regarding the medicine... you have an illness, my lady. A respiratory condition, as the physician back in Irennia said."
"What, is it serious?" Was this why this woman's body seemed so frail?
"Um..." Regica pursed her lips, unable to meet my eyes. "We hope to find a cure, my lady."
With that, she quickly left the room. I sat back on the bed, staring out the window, trying to register all the information I'd just gathered about the young woman whose body I was in. For the next few moments before a knock came on the door, I wondered why the names Irennia and Castrinsa and Hanes seemed all so familiar.
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