"No!"

I screamed, flailing around the bed and knocking several pillows to the floor.

I usually don't scream out what I feel during a nightmare, it was actually surprising I did so right now.

With my heart racing, I laid there on my back, trying to catch my breath as confusion slowly settled in as the fleeting details of said nightmare left my mind.

Normally I'd remember even the tiniest, most useless detail for a few minutes.

"Your Grace! You're finally awake! I thought my ears were deceiving me!"

I flinched in surprise to hear such a joyous cry, making me scramble up to a half-seated position, my body being supported by my elbows.

'What…?'

I blankly stared at the person standing by the foot of the bed, who happens to be a young girl of fourteen or fifteen years of age wearing a prim and modest maid outfit, and carrying a small basin, with a towel draped over one arm.

Her type of clothes were the least of my concern though.

Squinting through the dim light, I could see several heavy and thick curtains, too much floor space for a bedroom and luxurious room decorations.

My already confused mind, which has a few sleepy cobwebs strewn in, struggled to process the situation I'm in.

I'm certainly a nobody to be kidnapped and be brought to such a place.

"Oh, Your Grace! Thank you for coming back to us safely!" The maid wailed as she came up to the side of the bed and amazingly didn't spill the contents of the basin to my face.

I sat up, flabbergasted by her reaction.

Was I a victim of mistaken identity? Did they take me from my home, thinking I was their runaway young miss? How is that even possible?

"Um…"

I tried to speak but the door opened to reveal a stern looking old man, probably in his early fifties, wearing a crisp and smart-looking butler suit. His well maintained salt and pepper hair and beard, along with his somewhat still fit body screams DILF.

"Marie, you shouldn't be screaming in Her Grace's chambers." He reprimanded the maid as his eyes swept through the room. He stopped short to ogle when his gaze stopped at me.

I mustered up the courage to give him an awkward smile.

Silence befell the room, save for the maid's sniffling.

Feeling uncomfortable with the growing awkwardness of the situation, I cleared my throat.

"Um…where am I? And…who are you?"

I flinched, pulling up the blanket in a defensive manner when my questions resulted in the maid bawling louder and the butler's stoic expression broke. He had raised his hand to cover his mouth in an attempt to stop the sobs that were silently escaping him.

☆☆☆

To my horror, it wasn't a case of mistaken identity, nor a vivid dream.

I ended up in a case of body possession.

During the time when more maids poured in to help me wash up and get dressed comfortably in simple yet expensive looking clothes, the face that stared back at me wasn't mine at all.

I've read enough web novels and web comics over the recent years about this type of setting, yet I'm drawing a blank on this person's name and story.

I may not have the best memory, but I'd surely remember a female character who has medium length, soft and wavy lilac hair, fair skin and a pair of captivating golden irises.

However, nothing comes to mind. Even staring or touching the buttons of my clothes which bear the family crest doesn't jog my memories.

Most intriguing of all, the maids who had helped me had expressed great joy upon learning I could see again.

Apparently, I lost my eyesight when I was younger in some horrid accident and since then, I've been cooped up within the castle when growing up. As to why I was unconscious recently, they all frowned at me, wondering how I could forget that I insisted on going out to meet someone but got into another accident that almost took my life.

"Breakfast is on the way, Your Grace." The butler, Robbe, informed me as he entered the room again. "Also, the royal doctor that is in charge of your well being is on his way to check on you."

I nodded at that, trying to keep my expression as blank as possible while I sift through my memory for any hint of which story I unfortunately fell into.

It seems I possessed someone important, for a royal doctor to be personally assigned to monitor my health.

"We also had notified His Grace and he said he's coming home as soon as possible."

"Mm…"

Thanks to the chatty maids earlier, I learned that the 'His Grace' that Robbe mentioned is my oldest brother, Allen, who had gone to the Capital for a meeting in the royal palace as our father's proxy. 

Judging by how every attendant I came across this early morning had talked about his reluctance to go 'to some stupid meeting' as his concern for his baby sister far outweighs his sense of responsibility as the heir, it seems like the original owner of this body has a good sibling relationship with him.

I, however, do not know how that actually feels even though I am also the youngest child in my original life, and it's been bothering me how I'm supposed to act in front of him.

"I guess I'll be eating alone this morning…" I half mumbled to myself, glad that I have some time to gather myself before interacting with my new sibling.

No one mentioned other family members living in the castle, so I assumed it's just me and Allen. Which is a good thing for my socially awkward self.

At least I could ask my older brother as to why I'm also called 'Your Grace' instead of 'Young Lady' when he gets home as it doesn't make sense for someone like me, who grew up effectively blind over the years, to hold a position close to his.

Robbe uncomfortably did a fake cough to get my attention, making me aware that I spoke a little too loud.

"That is…temporarily the case, Your Grace. Your father, the Duke, and Young Master Darius are both busy hunting down the group that had caused you harm for the past three months you were unconscious. As for the Duchess…she's…well…went to pray to the Lord Dian for your speedy recovery."

I pursed my lips at that, choosing to ignore how he hastily ended his words when talking about the Duchess.

From what I could deduce from how the people around me talk about them, it seems like the original owner was well loved by her family and by the people who worked in the castle.

What could be the reason I got pulled over here?

I surely didn't wish to have a functional and loving family recently.

Servants came in minutes later, bearing an overwhelmingly large assortment of breakfast.

I stared at the table incredulously after they had set down everything and seeing the amount of food choices surprisingly made me lose some of my interest in eating.

A simple tuna and egg sandwich, a corn and crab soup and a cup of hot coffee would have sufficed!

Who on earth can actually finish this much food?

Robbe sidled up to the table, eyeing the young lady's expression carefully.

"We were instructed by His Grace to provide you with enough food choices this morning. Is it not to your liking?"

"Mm…I see." I sighed. "I understand his good intentions but this is too much…next time please, talk some sense into him. Food waste isn't something to take lightly, as there are families who struggle to put three meals a day on their table."

The stunned silence that greeted my ears made me realise too late that this isn't my body and the lady is a noble, who probably won't care about how other people scrape by.

Not to mention I have no idea of the situation within the territory.

Glancing at Robbe and the servants behind him, it was somewhat relieving to see that he didn't seem totally put off by my words.

"I shall relay your thoughts and feelings, Your Grace." Robbe said without much change in his tone and expression. "I will also try my best to calm His Grace, but it's best that you'd be prepared for his emotional outburst. Surely you remember the last time you refused his pampering, he had a meltdown because his baby sister no longer loves him, and instead have chosen—"

Robbe cleared his throat to stop himself from saying anything further when I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Go on." I urged him, curious about what kind of drama queen my oldest brother is.

Robbe glanced back at the servants behind him, who then moved their gazes away from us, obviously trying not to be part of the conversation. The old butler only sighed, giving me an apologetic look.

"He bemoaned that you have chosen the uncouth and glib bastard of a crown prince instead of him."

I sighed, holding up a hand to my forehead.

Maybe the reason why the original owner pulled me here is because she wanted to run away from the smothering love of her family.

I've only been here for a few hours and I'm already tired.