"You monster!" Renzille screamed, springing up with her hand shooting up to her throat, holding her neck.
She was panting and breathing heavily, her heart pounding inside her ribcage as the memory of her head rolling in the floor flashed before her eyes.
The feeling felt so real that she's thinking that it wasn't a mere nightmarish dream.
But my head is still intact.. Renzille thought, her hand trembling against her neck as she squeezed her throat, groaning quietly to herself when she felt a stinging pain after she squeezed a little too hard.
Feeling her head still on her shoulders, she couldn't help, but feel relieved.
She let out a sigh and dragged a hand down her face, her pointer finger and thumb settling on her temple to massage the incoming headache away.
I'm so glad that it's just a dream—
"My lady!"
The sound of doors bursting open and a shrill voice bouncing off the walls had distracted Renzille from her thoughts, causing her to groan aloud to let the person know that they were just disturbing her.
"Stop being tardy and get up, my lady! Be more like Lady Celine! She's already up and about, preparing to leave to go to the city square!" The lady that barged in without knocking said, not caring if she was being informal with Renzille which caused Renzille to feel irk.
Renzille sat up and glanced at the girl who's in charge of serving her now that she's back from war, but she became frozen when she saw the face of the person standing by the feet of the bed.
"Cons?"
"You know my name?" The maid raised an eyebrow, seemingly slightly taken back that the lady she's serving knows her.
Renzille grimaced and stared pointedly at the maid. "Who would forget you?"
You tried to kill me after my coming of age ceremony.. You slipped Stella's venom into my drink without knowing that kind of assassination method won't work on me. Renzille thought, her red eyes narrowing at the maid.
Speaking of which.. Why is she alive? Am I still dreaming? She mused, wondering if she fell asleep and had a weird dream due to stress or something.
As far as Renzille remembered, she had killed Cons the moment she found out she was the one who put the poison in her tea— not giving any care if she had created a mess for other servants to clean up.
What's happening? Renzille shifted in her bed and stood up, her knees shaking slightly as she looked around.
The layout of her room was the same as ten years ago— the furniture, books, pens, papers, bed, drawers, and her desk are on the same spot where she had put them fifteen years ago which soon got changed after five years had passed.
"Are you okay?" Cons asked, raising an eyebrow.
Renzille shifted her attention from the furniture to the maid, staring blankly before she nodded her head.
Oh, well.. I can kill her later, but for now.. I have to see what's happening right now. I have to look for clues, something that might help me wake up from this dream. Renzille thought to herself, going through the motion of her morning routine.
She was bathed, dried off, dabbed with mild scented perfume, dressed in a red dress— the same dress she used two days before her coming of age ceremony.
That's a little.. Strange. Renzille blinked, staring at her gloved hands with furrowed eyebrows.
"Your brothers and sisters are waiting, my lady!" Cons called from her bedroom, making her peak her head out of the dressing room with a frown.
Isn't this how it went down that day..? Or am I remembering it wrong? Renzille thought, biting her tongue to hold back what she wanted to ask the maid before proceeding to exit her room.
"Big sister!" The familiar voice that sounded like two metals scraping against each other reached Renzille's ears, making her frown in disgust.
"Don't dare to think of stepping closer to me." Renzille stated bluntly, narrowing her eyes towards Celine. "You reek."
The said noblelady stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide in surprise and disbelief at what she just heard— did Renzille, the child that wasn't worth investing people's money on, suddenly spoke to her in a disrespectful tone?
"Pa.. Pa— Pardon?" Celine stammered out, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment.
Renzille wasn't like this yesterday! What could have happened last night for her naive big sister to act like this? She hasn't done anything yet, right?
Renzille didn't give her any more attention and turned her head away, her footsteps brisk as she made her way to the grand staircase of the Thillion mansion, the clack of her heels the only sound that can be heard echoing in the wide and spacious hall.
She walked down the stairs, being extra careful not to miss a step because if she remembered correctly..
Twack!
Renzille whipped her to the right, her body instinctively evading the food that was thrown her way.
"My lady! Oh, no— kya!"
Cons rushed down the stairs, but before she could reach Renzille, the stair step she put her foot on came crushing down under her weight, making her foot, up to her knee, sink into the newly broken stair step.
"Ow! It hurts! Help me!" The maid cried, but Renzille didn't pay her any mind and continued making her way down the stairs, her eyes shifting to glance on the chocolate cake sloshed on the side of the staircase— almost falling with its frosting the carpet.
I was too slow to dodge that cake and had to go back to my room to change.. Resulting in me being late in the breakfast reservation with my other siblings. Renzille thought, walking towards the door which was held open by the butlers.
"Big sister!" Celine called from behind her.
Renzille quickly walked to the carriage that was waiting and didn't waste any time to go inside.
"Let's move." She told the coachman, closing the door of the wooden vehicle. "Don't bother waiting for Celine. She can get another carriage to take her to the restaurant."
"Understood, my lady."