Chapter 1: Reborn
There was a stabbing pain that Sophie felt as she tried to move her body around.
She tried remembering why she was feeling this pain in her stomach but unable to find a response she decided to lay as still as she could, instead trying to force her eyes to open. Before she could open it herself she felt someone pull it apart as brightness shone in them making her immediately wince and close them shut again.
"I am sorry my lady I wasn't aware that you are awake." An old man's voice filled Sophie's ears as she felt her mind grow more confused. Who was this man? Why was he speaking to her like that?
Trying to open her eyes again this time she saw a lavish painting greet her. It was of angels and clouds drawn on what looked like the top of a canopy bed that she had been laying on. The setting didn't sit well with her as she moved her gaze away from the comfortable and lavish bed on to the far away wall that had décor ornamenting them seemingly looking something out of a historical book or a period drama.
Where was she?
Feeling another stinging pain in her stomach she winched as she felt someone help her up as she watched another person, astonishingly dressed in a maid costume fluff her pillows behind her back as the first helped her to drink water out of an intricately designed glass.
"What happened to me? Where am I?" She finally managed to ask, feeling a lot better now that her throat hadn't been so parched. Looking expectantly at the man who had been dressed in weirdly old-fashioned clothes that suited the settings, she waited for a response.
"You were brought back to your room after you collapsed in the dining room, my lady. You had mistakenly eaten some of the poisonous berries that a maid had brought with her unknowingly and served you but after the medicines, I have given you, you are completely out of danger now."
That was good to know but what was this man talking about?
Sophie could barely understand what the man was saying. She never knew him and she definitely didn't have any 'maids' that could 'serve' her a poisonous fruit. She was almost so poor that she could become a maid for someone rich if she got enough payment to clear off all her debts.
For a woman like her, all these talks seemed too unrealistic that at one point she had to pinch herself to make sure that she hadn't been dreaming.
"Oh my goodness, please my lady, don't hurt yourself, Lord Amias will punish us if he were to see you hurt," One of the maids begged her making her instantly stop as she furrowed her brows at that name.
Amias? Where had she heard that name before?
But she could hardly care about all that as she huffed and nodding her head she asked, "Is Caleb here too?"
The expressions that the others gave her made her feel tense inside as one of the maids asked, "We didn't know a Lord Caleb was to arrive here today but if he does then we will inform you immediately."
Lord Caleb? She wanted to laugh at that thought as she remembered her long-haired slightly on the healthier side, boyfriend. An image of him roaming around in a cape with metal piercings that lined his ears made him look odd and she smiled at that thought.
It was hilarious to imagine fitting Caleb into a historical setting as that man had always been made for punk and rock. Something that they both loved and adored. They were a perfect fit together and were the only family to each other in the wide world where they were both born as orphans.
Keeping those thoughts aside she tried to recall what happened before she fell unconscious to try to understand her situation better right now as she sat back and closed her eyes.
She remembered in flashes of her memory that she and Caleb had decided to have a date in the library, being big bookworms that they both were. They had spent all their evening there and when it was closing time they had decided to hide to spend more time together while also satisfying one of Caleb's lifelong fantasies of staying the night in the library.
It had been bliss all night as Caleb selected a book to read to her while she laid there wrapped in his arms among the comfortable scent of the books. She had never felt this happy before and when they finished reading one of Caleb and her favorite book-
Suddenly she opened her eyes as she placed a hand on her chest remembering what followed after. Their laughs and their smiles had been swiped away in an instant when there had been an earthquake making the interior of the building collapse and before she knew or could do anything to run away she had become unconscious.
The feeling of worry, anxiety, and fear rushed through her body as she tried to remember if Caleb had been alright or not. Just the thought of something happening to him had sent her mind into a frenzy as she yearned to catch a glimpse of him.
"My lady where are you going?" The maids shouted in hysteria as they tried to make her sleep in her bed again but she struggled and cried as she said, "Leave me alone! I need to get out of here!"
"Hurry! Call the master!" The man who seemed to be her doctor said as he tried to subdue her with some kind of a scent that he brought near her nose making her breathe it in and then slowly she felt herself lose her vigor to fight, and was instead stuck to her bed crying as she worried for her boyfriend.
She didn't understand what had been happening to her but it didn't matter to her more than Caleb. She needed to know that he had been safe. She needed to see his slightly dorky yet comforting smile that would tell her that everything had been okay.
As time passed in what seemed like heavy hours but had been barely a few minutes Sophie took her time to look around the room that she had been forced to stay in. She noticed that the room had wide windows that she could use to escape when she was alone as she stared out that same window and at the setting sky outside.
Suddenly the large doors to the room opened and it didn't make a banging noise but the arrival of the 'Master' scared her as she looked towards it to see an almost unbelievable sight presented to her.
What kind of man could look like an angel?
Had she really died?
The face of the man that had been so far set plainly, assessed her as she did the same to him but she couldn't help but feel as if her eyes were gawking at him. His blonde hair had been almost like a halo on top of his hair complementing his pale features and blue eyes. The light filtering in through the window to the side of her bed had only been helping in enhancing these features of his as she had to force herself to take her gaze away from his fine build that was hidden under the luxurious suit that he had been wearing.
"What is the meaning of this Veraya? Why are you acting in such a manner when you are aware that you should be taking proper rest," the man briskly scolded her making her snap out of her trance as she slightly shook herself to look away.
Was he talking to her?
She couldn't help but wonder, unfamiliar to him and to the familiarity he showed with her while calling her a name she had never heard befor-
Suddenly she stopped that train of thoughts as she narrowed her eyes and looking at him she asked, "What did you call me?"
The man looked taken aback by her tone and commanding a silent word to the others in the room he dismissed them quickly as he then took the seat next to her bed and asked, "What is this, tell me. Is this another one of your schemes to separate Rose and me?"
The more the man spoke the more confused she became as she asked, "Rose Conwyn?"
"Lady Rose Conwyn," he sighed correcting her for her disrespect as he then muttered, "How many times do I have to tell you to treat her with some respect?"
"Camden?" she called trying to verify her doubts as the irritated-looking handsome man brought his gaze to her face and asked, "What is it?"
But she couldn't reply back as she let out a silent gasp at the realization of her situation. But how could that be possible? How could she have been meeting the Male lead of 'The Rose of Aethel', which was Caleb and her favorite book.
Camden Amias and Rose Conwyn had been the main character of that book and had to go through many struggles to finally be able to get together at the end. The story had been a heart touching one and had a happy ending but one of the many obstacles that the couple had to go through to finally be able to love each other had been the interference of a minor villainess, that being Camden's sister, Veraya Amias.
"You are telling me that I am Veraya Amias?" She asked hysterically, making Camden back away from the strange expression of worry and madness on her face. He couldn't help but wonder if the poison had affected his sister's head and memories in some way.
No, that couldn't be. Taking another look at her he rose up and fixing her with his glare he said, "I don't care about the kind of game you are playing but I hope that you would go back to being normal after getting some rest."
He was quite sure that Veraya was only trying to play with his head to succeed in another one of her petty plans. He was tired and frustrated after a day's work and deciding that he could not expel anymore of his energy in trying to understand his evil but childish sister he decided to go back to his chambers instead.
"Wait," she tried to say wanting to talk to him but a glare that he gave her, shut her up at once as she remembered the fate that Veraya met somewhere near the beginning of the novel itself.
Camden had her executed when she had been framed to have poisoned Rose by someone else and as her reputation had already been bad, given that she had always publicly shamed and disliked her. She had died at the hands of the very same man that had been glaring at her in warning to not irritate him more than he had already been.
It saddened her and made her angry to know that she had been reborn into such a negative role but at that moment fear sparked in her as well at the reminder of her short life and keeping silent she nodded her head in defeat.
This was something odd that Camden noticed, the slight curve of her lips tilting downwards instead of a depraved cry of anger had been very uncharacteristic to her nature, and feeling slightly guilty at showing anger at an ill person he said, "I will check up on you tomorrow so get well till then, also Rose will be coming to visit you too, please don't create a scene."
With that said he left making Sophie let out a sigh of relief as she fell back into her bed thinking about what had become of her life.
At least she was alive although somehow she had been reborn into her favorite novel, she had been alive and hopefully, Caleb had been alive as well in the real world. If he hadn't been here then he had surely not died, right?
That was her only hope as she saw a maid enter soon after and start to light a few candles in the room to light it up dimly as the night fell. The darkness that was slowly blanketing the sky was serene and peaceful as she sent out her wishes to whoever that god was that had helped her to somehow stay alive although she must have died in the real world.
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