PRINCESS XAVIERA DRAVIEN
"Did you pull this stunt to get my attention from Clara?"
I blinked. "What?"
He scoffed, his hands tucked in his pants. "For how long are you going to keep up with this nonsense? As if forcing this isn't enough, and now what?"
"Trying to take your life just to get my attention? Are you crazy?" He snapped.
As if waking up in the body of a total stranger and yet to figure out what's happening isn't enough, and now I have to deal with this?
He closed the distance between us, his eyes burning with rage, "you know, this is one of the reasons I can't cope with you, right? You are unreasonable and dramatic!"
"What is going on here? You are driving me crazy!"
He flinched, staring at me as if I'd lost my mind. I might not have lost it yet, but I was at the verge of that.
My brows furrowed, "Wait! Did you say this woman tried to take her life?
He scoffed, "Are you playing with me, Hazel?"
I scoffed. "Hazel? Who is that now?"
Wait! Hazel? Is that this woman's name?
"How did she die? I mean, what happened? How did she…" My voice trailed off.
No! Don't tell me this is what I'm thinking, please. No! My soul couldn't have transmigrated into this woman's body, right? Please, I can't handle that.
"Are you pretending right now?" He scoffed.
"You knew Clara was sick and I needed to be by her side, and you did this to get my attention from her? You are something else, Haze—"
"Answer my question!" I snapped, and his eyes flickered with shock.
I looked at him. "This woman… When did she die?"
He blinked.
"I mean me… When did I try to take my life?"
"I don't have time for this. If you want to die, just fucking die quietly and stop bothering me. I'm not about to be dragged into this mess with you!" He gritted angrily, and I scoffed.
I didn't know what that word 'fucking' meant, but I could tell from his expression that he was swearing at me, and I won't let this slide.
"Fucking you too!"
He huffed.
"You're crazy, Hazel,"
Then he turned to leave.
"You've not answered my question!"
He paused and looked back at me over his shoulder. "You should go back to sleep. Maybe you'll remember everything when you wake up again..."
"And I'll appreciate it if you don't call my phone or come over to my house anymore."
And with that, he stepped out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
I scoffed and ran my fingers through my hair, squeezing my eyes shut.
What on earth is happening? I still don't want to believe that I transmigrated into this woman's body. No! I can't accept that.
The lady from earlier walked in, her face dull… as if she was about to cry.
"You… come here..." I grabbed her hand, dragging her to sit on the bed with me.
"Who was that man?"
She blinked, glancing at the door.
"You mean Mr. Whitmore?"
I nodded.
"That's your… fiancé." She drawled, and I scoffed.
Fiancé? That annoying bastard just now?
So, I died and woke up in the body of this woman whose fiancé doesn't care about?
That's crazy.
"Whatever… So, tell me… How did this woman die?"
She blinked.
"You didn't die… You're here with me. Oh, God… How could you say that? And why do you keep referring to yourself as this woman?" She said, frustration evident in her voice, and her eyes glistening with tears.
Ugh!
"Whatever! So, what happened?"
"I'm sorry, Ms. Monroe, but I'm afraid it's better if you don't remember it,"
"Can't you see that I'm dying to know here?" I yelled in my head.
"Tell me. I'm just curious..." I tried to stay calm and composed.
I need to find out how this woman died. That way, I can find a way to go back to the underworld.
"You told me to never talk about what happened to anyone, not even you."
I scoffed. That doesn't make sense.
"I'm curious to know… Tell me what happened." I demanded.
She hesitated, but seeing that I insisted, she told me everything.
Apparently, that grumpy idiot, Knoxville Whitmore was this woman's fiancé, and this lady, Susanne, is her assistant.
Susanne had followed Hazel to Knoxville's house, keeping her distance as the two couples spent time sipping wine by the pool side. She didn't know what happened, but Hazel suddenly jumped into the pool after threatening Knoxville that she would kill herself.
I sighed.
What could've happened between them to make this woman want to take her life?
I tried to ask Susanne, but she had no more information about what transpired between them.
"Who is Clara?" I asked.
I noticed the way her eyes flared for half a second before she spoke. "That bitch! She's the reason behind everything!"
"What do you mean?" I blinked.
"Clara is Mr. Whitmore's adopted sister that he adores so much. God! That man is the worst person on…" her voice faded into a gasp, and she quickly apologised.
"Why are you apologising?"
"You love that jerk so much that you won't let me point it out even when he's treating you badly. Who on earth always picks their sister over their fiancé, huh?" She huffed.
"I always told you those two were suspicious, but you never wanted to listen. He didn't even care to stay with you and went to his sister as soon as she called that she was sick." She rambled on angrily.
So, in a nutshell, Clara is his mistress in the guise of his sister?
Whatever! That's not my problem. The only thing that matters to me right now is returning to the palace.
"When did she drown?"
She raised a brow, confused.
"I meant me… When did everything happen?"
She sighed, as if relieved.
"Yesterday."
My brows knitted together. That was about the same time that I drowned.
My goodness! We must've switched bodies at that moment.
Where is she now? Is she also in my body in the underworld?
Whatever! I need to find my way to the palace first.
"Vaelora, can you get the horses? We need to go to the palace."
She blinked, that terror from earlier creeping up her face again.
"Horses?"
I groaned inwardly, resisting the urge to pull out my hair in frustration.
"Carriage… I mean carriage."
She blinked. "What are you talking about, Ms Monroe? We don't use carriages here. It's not like we are in the era of good feeling or something." She muttered.
"And why do you keep calling me that weird name though? I'm Susanne… My name's Susanne Benson. Your sweet assistant." she said, offended that I didn't remember her name.
I blinked. What's she talking about? And what's this 'era of good feeling'? Ugh! She keeps driving me insane.
I leaned close to her, my eyes fixed on hers, "What year is this?"
"This is 2026, Ms Monroe. And we use cars now."
I sighed, not understanding a thing. That's not how we calculate time in the underworld.
"Wh… where is this place by the way?" I stuttered.
"Which kingdom is this?"
"Kingdom?" She blinked, "what are you saying, Ms Monroe? We're in New York."
My breath caught in my throat.
"What are you saying? You're scaring me. I better go get the doctor." she stood up to leave, but I held and pulled her back.
It was either I had transmigrated into another universe alternate to the underworld, or perhaps I traveled to the future.
That didn't matter. I just needed to go back.
I sat there for a moment, trying to think of a way, then it clicked! There's only one way to go back to my world… It's the same way through which I got here.
What did she call it earlier? Pool? Whatever that was, I needed it.
With that in mind, I turned to Susanne, wearing a smile.
"Vaelora… I mean, Susanne.. Can you take me to the pool?"
She blinked. "Huh?"
I almost pulled my hair angrily. Can we stop with these back and forth questions? I'm running out of time.
"I mean the pool you said I fell into."
"No! I won't let you go back there. Who knows what that jerk… I mean Mr. Whitmore will do to you this time because of his sister?"
"God! I hate them so muc…" her voice trailed off as the door opened and Knoxville walked in, his eyes burning in rage.
Someone followed. A familiar young lady.
I stiffened, my eyes widened.
Azeriel Dravien.
My half-sister…