I slowly blinked awake, stretching my limbs and letting out a contented groan as my back clicked. I felt like I had been lying down for ages as my body was feeling really stiff.
Brushing my fingers through my short hair I sat up suddenly when instead of the chin length hair I was used too, my fingers were tangled in long, thick hair.. just how long had I been asleep?
Opening my mouth to call for my parents a startled squeak emerged instead.. this was not my room!
I threw off the covers and clambered from the bed, more confused than scared, until I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror on the wall. Then came the fear and disbelief.. the girl looking back at me wasn't me.. what the hell was going on?!
Do you have any idea how disorientating it is to suddenly look like a completely different person?!
I racked my brain trying to rationalise what was happening. Maybe I had an accident I don't remember and had to have my face reconstructed?
Studying my reflection I realised that could explain the new face but my A cups were now C or D cups! Maybe the surgeon who fixed my face felt sorry for me and decided to upgrade my pancakes into actual boobs??
"My lady you're awake! I'll inform His Majesty right away!"
The young girl who had entered without my noticing looked like a maid but departed before I had time to question her. Did she say Majesty? Looking in the mirror again I realised in horror that I recognised the gorgeous face looking back at me.. Princess Sophia!
Princess Sophia - the renowned 'Villainous Princess' - sent from overseas to marry our beloved Crown Prince she was reported as being evil and everybody hated her - why was I now her??!
Had we done some kind of body swap? I'd seen movies like that but it couldn't possibly really happen could it?
I stumbled suddenly as memories tore through my mind making me feel nauseous and dizzy. Flashes of images raced through my mind.. my old life, Princess Sophia's life, my parents, mine and Sophia's.. death?!
I saw Princess Sophia crying, I saw Prince Daire Vaughn Cato rejecting her, I saw the Princess committing suicide with pills, I saw myself laughing with my boyfriend and my sister. I saw myself walk in on them in bed together, I saw myself run away crying, I saw them grab me and push me off the railing outside his apartment door and then saw myself plunging to my death from the 6th floor.
The ground was coming up fast to meet me as I came close to fainting; the memory of my death too traumatising for my body to cope with.
I was falling then I was caught on a hard chest, arms coming around me. The last thing I remembered before the darkness took me was the most amazing scent, of masculinity and maleness and I wanted to eat it.
"Smell.. so.. good.. want.. eat.. you.."
* * *
Waking up, everything that had happened before I fainted came crashing back to me with the speed of a freight train!
I sat up quickly, once more in the bed from earlier. I realised it wasn't a dream and I cried. I cried for the confusion and panic of waking up in a new body, for Sophia who had died and lost all opportunity to make amends or for her hopes and dreams to come true, I cried for my parents mourning a child who was still here but unable to be with them, I cried for the old me - the naive innocent girl and I cried for the betrayal I hadn't had time to process.
When the tears dried they dried on the cheeks of a new woman. I would take my revenge on my sister and my ex boyfriend. I would show them how villainous Princess Sophia could really be.
Princess Sophia had died tragically, sad and alone, she deserved the opportunity to show everyone that she was a good person and turn things around. I would do that for her!
I needed to check if my original body had died, if so it would be likely that Sophia and I had died at the same time and I had taken over her body, a miraculous second chance at life. If my original body was still alive then maybe Sophia and I had swapped bodies.
The most likely scenario was that I was in a coma from being pushed off a building and this whole nightmare was a crazy coma dream!
A throat cleared and I realised that while I had cried, sobbing my heart out, I had had an audience. Prince Daire stepped out of the shadows on the other side of my room and my face paled as I realised who had witnessed my breakdown.
"Your.. your Majesty."
I had never met Royalty and didn't know much about them! I think I was supposed to curtesy but I was sitting down. I lowered my head instead in a sort of bow.
"It's a pity your attempt at suicide wasn't successful, the world would have been better for it. Remain in this room you do not have permission to leave and if you do I'll have the guards throw you in the dungeons."
My mouth opened and closed like a goldfish in shock at such a disgusting statement coming from the stunningly gorgeous and kind Prince!
" How dare you say such a thing? You should be ashamed of yourself! You're the Crown Prince Of an entire country but you can't show compassion to someone who would have rather been dead than continued on in the life she was living? Can you imagine the level of misery and hopelessness she must have been facing? However much you hated her she deserved better!"
Panting slightly, unaccustomed to speaking after being quiet for so long, I realised my mistake. I had been speaking about Princess Sophia as if she were someone else!
I could only hope the Prince hadn't noticed..