Anna woke-up feeling worse than last night.
Her head is pounding, as if all her blood is pumping all at once in her head.
Perfect. This is what she gets for eating spoiled food.
She started moving, and now she also feels like she is gonna throw up.
Quickly, she tried to get up. For some reason she cannot seem to do so, as if she is drowning in her own mattress. It took her a full minute before she was able to get herself sitting on the edge of the bed.
Today was just one of those days where her body is feeling a little bit too heavy.
She was breathing hard now, despite finally being able to sit up she still feels out of breath.
What time is it? I did not hear my alarm go off.
She looks back at the sheets of the bed trying to find her phone. Her eyes slowly adjusting to the dark room, it was then that she realized she was staring at a rich and heavy, velvety bedspread.
This is not my bed. A rising panic started on her chest.
Where am I?
She started to look around. It was a large room, only illuminated by the opening on the drapes by the two high ceiling windows far off the wall.
Starting to stand up, she planned to go open those large windows when she suddenly felt very dizzy. Like her world is spinning and she could not seem to make it stop.
Feeling wobbly, she felt that the sudden urge to throw up is back again. It was then that she started vomiting. Grabbing a basin looking metal from some nightstand, she buried her face in it and just kept going.
It's as if her stomach is getting turned over. Her belly would tighten. and whenever she feels like she has emptied everything out, it would clench again and prove her wrong. She just couldn't stop.
When finally she was done she felt so much better, as if a cool breeze was suddenly blowing on her face. She could feel beaded sweats all over her face. The feeling of being just too weak and tired envelopes her that she just ended up sitting on the floor.
Oh my god, I thought I was gonna die. What is happening to me?
It was then when she touched her tummy and realized it was way too big.
She quickly looked down, and saw her oversized belly covered by some thin flimsy piece of clothing. Not quite believing what she saw, she grabbed the long, chemise-like, white, linen, cottony fabric, at the hem and she pulled it up so that she could see her bare stomach.
"AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" As soon as she saw her swollen belly she started to scream.
The door to the room burst open and two scared women who were dressed in what looked like an 18th century Victorian maid uniform entered.
"M-Miss, a-are you ok?" the first maid stammered, she was a young looking petite girl with freckles and a brown short wavy hair.
"My stomach. It's big!!" She told them frantically.
"Calm down Miss, you are almost on your 9'th month, your tummy will definitely be the biggest in your last months of pregnancy." The other much older maid answered. This one looks more composed but her sweating face tells her she is as nervous as the first girl.
"P-pregnancy?" She asked.
How in the world is she pregnant? And.. Who are these people?
She looked around the room and noticed that she was in a very unfamiliar place. Where is she?
The room was big, too big. While it was dark she could see shadows of solid oak furniture scattered in the room. There was a heavy looking four poster bed, two elaborately carved cushion chairs facing each other, while a circular table with what looks like a vase sat on the center of it.
At the end of the room there is a dresser with a big circular mirror on it. It was then that she caught a reflection of herself in the mirror.
Sitting on the rich intricate pattern of the carpeted floor, is a woman with long straight thick black hair. It curls just right at the tips as it lays resting on the carpet floor.
The eyes that were staring back at her were that of Silver dark eyes instead of her supposedly brown eyes. The same shock registered on its face as she moved her hand to her face.
"No. This can't be. That can't be me."
This is the last thing she said before fainting.
"Miss, Miss.. please wake up."
Anna woke up with a start. The dream is still fresh from her mind.
"Miss, are you ok?" The younger maid asked, while the other much older maid gave a sigh of relief.
"You?" She asked the younger looking maid.
"O-of course it's me M-Miss, are you okay? you have been dreaming."
Anna looked at her belly, true enough the massive bump was there.
Glancing around, she is back in the large room. This time, she is propped on a massive four poster bed, heavy draperies of velvet and silk hung all over the top of it, and the two giant windows now lay open.
So it wasn't a dream.
She suddenly has the urge to see what's outside. Getting out of the heavy sheets, she placed her feet on the floor and started to walk to the window.
"M-Miss?" The maid nervously called when she saw where she was going.
Outside she can see carriages by narrow cobbled paths, rows and rows of 18th century Victorian architecture and people dressed in extravagant dresses of the same time period.
What she saw confirmed what she thinks is happening to her.
As a burnt out employee, her hobby has always been reading webtoons online before she goes to sleep. If the story is especially good she would stay all night getting lost in the plots of these stories. Unfortunately, most of them were not up to her taste so she would often drop a lot of series in the process.
Her favorite has always been what they called an isekai historical romances, where stories about princes and dukes have always fascinated her. Right now, looking at the busy street below, she just couldn't help but admire everything. It is simply beautiful.
She wanted to lean more on the glass window but the maid suddenly held her back.
"M-Miss, forgive me, but you cannot be seen outside."
She looked at the hands that held her back.
The maid's face turned white, she quickly removed her hands on her then dropped down on her knees.
"I am so sorry to have touched you Miss, I did not mean to offend you, please have mercy on me." The maid trembled.
"Why can't I be seen outside?" She asked.
The tearful maid looked at her puzzled. "Well, people cannot find out about your... Uhmm.. D-delicate condition. You said we would die if anyone ever finds out the Missus' is with a child." The last sentence said with tears on the young maid's face.
Judging by the way this maid always stammers in front of her, she could tell this maid is definitely afraid of her.
Why is she so afraid? She also notices that the other older maid seems to be fidgeting as well. As if they were both terrified of her.
Her eyes circled the room and landed on the mirror by the dresser for the second time that day. Seeing her face again, she noticed how very dark her hair was, how her eyes were slanted in such a fierce, almost catlike way.
Yes, a resting bitch face. Her face is definitely designed to look like some villainess. She is positive she has been transmigrated to a novel, and it looks like she is inside the body of one of the bad guys.
Ok she has to think, which one is it? She have read multiple webtoons, she is not even sure which one she is on.
Think. A story where a villainess gets pregnant. What's the title? She came up with nothing. And even if she remembers, she has read so many she is not even sure which one is it.
She tried to calm down, maybe she will remember in a bit, she just needs to investigate. Looking back on the maid, she decided she better know who these people are.
"What's your name?" She asked the maid.
The maid looked even more puzzled now.
Oh no, what if these people became suspicious of her?
"U-uhmm.., It is me... Hannah, young Miss, you hired me 7 months ago and have been serving you faithfully since then."
Hannah is a pretty generic name in webtoon that does not give her anything. She has to know, maybe she will remember something, a memory from the previous owner of this body.
Trying to concentrate, all that came up from her memory was from her past life, she has no idea who she is. Looking at those unopened drawers by the dresser, maybe she could find something that will help.
"Alright Hannah you may leave."
The maid looked puzzled, it is clear she was expecting not to be let go so easily. The sigh of relief was evident when she gently stood up, bowed her head, walked back to the double doors and closed them behind her.
As soon as she was out, Anna started rummaging through the dresser. In there, she found a quill and some paper and then a couple of letters.
She quickly opened the letter and read each one. That was when she saw where it was addressed to;
Secilia Ana Marie Dela Riva.
"Is this my name?"
She thought hard but she couldn't remember anything. Well at least it has an Ana in it, which is not so different from her original name 'Anna. She started reading through the letters, most of them were invitations to a ball. Some were from ladies who were clearly wondering why she is not going out at all. From the way they penned their letter she could see that they were more curious than actually concerned.
Then finally she found a correspondence from someone named Dr. Richmond Smith.
Miss S.
I have only received your request just now and rest assured that I would be very happy to perform the necessary procedure. This is of course if this is still your wish or if you haven't done it already. I do apologize as I understand the matter of urgency for this, but as I have just arrived from the 6 month voyage from the Southern colonies, thus, I was otherwise unable to answer your request sooner.
Let me know if you still need my services.
Your Servant,
Dr. Smith
Procedure? What procedure?
She gasped, dropping the letter from her hands.
Could it be? She was so shocked. Whoever owned this body is planning to kill the baby.
Hold on, maybe she's wrong. Afterall it doesn't really say what procedure it was, it could mean a totally different thing.
But if it is, then it kind of makes sense. The maid called her Miss, not Ma'am or Madam, which means she is not married. Pregnancy for a non-wedded woman is a no-no in this strict society. This also further explains the secrecy.
Her heart was racing, she touched her belly. I wonder who could be the baby's father?
A strong kick caught her by surprise. She felt it directly above where she laid her hand. After that she felt it moved.
It was then when hot tears started running on her face. As the baby continued to move in her womb, she realized how much she had always wanted a child of her own. How she has been so jealous of her ex having his.
She really wanted one so bad. And now, caressing her swollen belly, she realized she has one right here, growing inside of her.
"Thank you, Oh god thank you." She hasn't prayed in years. With all that she has been through, somewhere along the way, she just stops believing her life could be better. But now, she has a miracle of both a second life and a chance to fulfill her wish of having a child.
"If your real mommy does not want you, then I will have you instead. You will have all my heart and I will not let you suffer the way I have suffered. I will be the mother I never had to you."
With that she felt another kick, and she could not help but smile.