"Ring"
A sound from a bell woke up Elise from sleeping on the bus. It's almost her stop and luckily she wakes up in time. She goes out on the bus and quietly walks to the dark alley. Her place is on the next street, two minutes away from the bus station. It was a fifth-floor apartment building and she lived on the fourth floor with her family.
It's late-night of December, the snow gives a very frosty vibe that makes her shudder from the coldness. She thinks of a warm dish from home but she remembered that her family was not at home. Two days ago, her parents informed her that they won't be at home for one week. She was only told this morning when she checked her phone and there were messages from her parents sent to her. She was looking forward to this day because a week from now will be her birthday.
It was dawn when her parents and younger sibling quietly sneaked out and went to god knows where. They just simply informed her that they left the house without even asking her if she liked to join them. Just a quiet escape and some noises she heard earlier but chooses to ignore then she woke up and read their messages.
She's a neet. A person who does not have work or is unemployed and in her twenty-eight years of prime. If you're a normal person you will also think that an almost thirty years old lady without savings or a job is pitiful and weird. Some people would think she was beyond saving but there were reasons for it, but they would think of it as an excuse.
Elise's first job was in her first year in college. She was a part-time office secretary who works five hours a day, work in the morning then study in the evening. She worked like this for almost three years without a break just to support her study but it wasn't enough when she reached senior college, her expenses on school became more expensive and her work and class schedules collided all the time. It was the hardest time of her life but Elise endured it. After asking a friend for another job, Elise had to work on the weekend. Her salary from her tour guide job was not enough but it helped her school expenses. Elise lives discreetly just to graduate from college.
Her parents on the other hand give up on supporting her study. They said that her smart little brother is more profitable than her who only had an average brain. Elise ignored them and strived harder. Thanks to her resistance she was able to graduate from college.
After graduation, Elise resigned from her part-time job. It was the most fulfilling thing she achieved in her life. She was much happier, Elise found a job after a month of searching and stayed at the company for a year. There was an incident where her co-worker kept harassing her to the point that she was scared of entering her workplace.
She became stressed over time and couldn't finish her job properly, huge anxiety developed her and that made her lose confidence. Elise's mentality becomes different and after careful thinking, she sacrifices her precious job. She ended it.
Weird enough after quitting, Elise's burden became lighter not until her family refused to support her decisions. For them, it was total crap that she resigned from her good job. It became a disappointment and Elise's anxiety widened. She found a job afterward but unlike the first one, her staying from one job to another became difficult. She developed panic attacks. A year becomes months and months then days... Elise changing jobs became frequent and her family stopped caring for her.
She understands very well that her family wasn't at fault because she chooses not to tell them her burden. It was easy for her to act naturally to the eyes of people even though she was not fine. It became a scary habit but developing it was part of Elise's life.
The elevator opens and she hurriedly goes inside. She eats quickly and prepares herself to go to bed. Elise checks her phone for messages but nothing from her family, just a message from a friend asking if she goes home safe. She replied with a smiley. Elise fell asleep feeling numb from the coldness.
--
Early in the morning Elise is awakened by the ringtone of her phone. Someone is calling her and she lazily picks it up. by extending her arm not with a small movement.
"Elise?"
"Who's this?"
"Heck. It's pretty, smart and your precious cousin Dina. Wake up now sleepy head."
Dina is Elise's cousin who's close to her but Elise did not like her. Elise has had an inferiority complex since they were in high school. Elise and Dina are the same age, they were childhood friends and Dina was always there for Elise helping her even though recently Elise avoided her because of her inferiority complex. Dina is a successful doctor. She's the definition of beauty, her skin is white and smooth while her face is round with two big black eyes and she has a smart brain. Elise realizes their gap became sensitive in her presence but Dina is good at pursuing Elise. She helps her just like a psychic, she knows when Elise feels upset.
"What do you want?"
"Meet me near your place. Let's eat up!"
Another thing that was weird about Dina was when Elise caught her talking to stray cats and her obsession with healthy foods especially vegetables. She also has this outgoing aura that drains Elise everytime they were together. She likes inviting Elise to eat. Whenever Dina likes it they would meet and eat then talk about Elise's situation.
"No way!"
"Yes way!"
--
Elise ended the call several times but Dina kept calling her that Elise had no choice but to get up. She hurriedly takes a bath and brushes her teeth because Dina keeps messaging her after not answering her call. Elise was annoyed early in the morning but had no choice because her cousin won't let her off the hook.
A fine restaurant near the apartment is a place where they will meet. Elise wears her favorite mint hoodie and black track pants. It's an out of place fashion to a formal restaurant but Elise does not care. She goes inside and sits in front of Dina facing her.
"I'm here. Let's eat now." Elise said in a low voice.
"Hmm, why are you in a hurry?" Dina asked her with her black eyes getting bigger.
"because I still want to go back to sleep!" Elise exclaimed, annoyed.
"Hmm, but I won't let you....."
"Tch."
"I know that they weren't home."
Elise stops checking the menu and looks up to Dina. She can't figure it out but most of the time Dina can see right through her like she's kind of a shaman.
"I think I might eat everything. I'm hungry because of your babbling."
"Okay fine. Don't worry L, this is an eat all you can." Dina cheerfully shows different kinds of food that Elise would like.
Elise then started to eat without holding back. She is lucky that she won't be cooking in her home. She saves her time lazing around after going home and the food that she ordered here is all delicious. She eats with gusto not minding Dina who is busy watching her.
Minutes passed and Elise was finished eating. She glances at Dina who is happily watching with her mysterious black eyes. Dina speaks after a moment.
"By the way Elise, I invited you today to give your gift."
"What?" Elise frowned asking Dina
"Here."
Dina gives the gift covered in a purple wrapper to Elise. The paper design is vintage and has medieval feelings on it. Fleur De Lis. The gift is beautiful but Elise with no apparent reason got chills after receiving it.
"I recently got interested in reading different kinds of books and I just want to share it with you."
"I don't read old books."
"You will like it."
"Nope."
"Yep"
"I don't like old books!"
"No way, you will like it."
Elise sighed and just accepted the book after Dina carved it to her obnoxiously.
--
After a chaotic meeting Elise is finally in her room. She glances at the gift Dina gave her that she throws after she came home. Dina won't let her go not until she promises that she will read the book. Elise out of curiosity and to make Dina let go of her... She decided to read it.
"The Lazy Lucky Princess. What dumb title is this?""
The novel tells about an orphan girl named Alicia who received an amount of abuse after her family went into debt because of her relative's greediness. She was beautiful, kind and blessed by the power of God but because of the conspiracy her parents died in an accident. Now she was sent to the La papillonne orphanage at the age of eight.
Alicia being most beautiful received lots of attraction from the orphanage, many noble patrons wanted her and some of them had an evil intention. The Director of La papillonne is a kind-loving person that's why Alicia lives a sensible life having lots of friends. But that sunny life ended when the Director died from poison.
After replacing the new director of La papillonne, the tragedy started. The new director was full of malice and harassed the children including Alicia. He tortured the orphans then killed them after. Alicia experienced lots of abuse but she was never killed because of the director's obsession with her but it changes when Alicia reaches the age of fifteen. The attempt of killing Alicia, the power of light saves her and the children. She became the savior of the orphans and the empire recognized her as the new saint. The emperor gives her the title of the kind saint and becomes engaged to the crown prince.
Cliché story. Elise continues to read and the novel surprisingly has lots of genre. It was tiring to read and every chapter was composed of annoying scenes. Elise never thought that she would finish the book in a day. She feels drowsy after reading The End, even though she was hungry and wanted to eat but her eyes became sleepier. In her consciousness a golden light from the book shines brightly and takes Elise's soul away from her body.
--
Elise wakes up by the sounds of cries. She was confused at first seeing a carriage and children inside the wagon. She felt the uncontrollable fear, and in her hazy mind Elise recognized a girl beside her. A long haired blonde with light brown eyes, pointed nose and pink lips quietly sitting with no emotion in her face.
She is Alicia the Saint.
Elise never thought that she would be transmigrated to the fantasy world. A medieval era composed of aristocrats, magic and divine power. An unfair world full of greed and violent people. Elise was frightened but slowly absorbing the reality. She was old enough but she never experienced this kind of phenomenon. She was just reading the book her cousin gifted to her.... She just read it so her cousin will leave her alone and stop messing with her. She never thought that she would wake up in a new body and in a fictional world!
But how the heck does she go here? Did she die after reading the novel? Oh my god! Did she really die? Elise is panicking inside but suppresses herself. How on earth will she live from now on? Elise quietly prayed and cried inside.