Did I just get engaged without realizing it? Calm down, breathe, let's think.
I sit up straight and laid down the spoon that held the soup I was about to enjoy and focused back to the conversation at the table. They were talking about the engagement and I had nodded my head meaning I did agree to their proposal.
'Oh Elaine will be so happy with Alex,' said the older gentlemen. Is there a way I can take back what I said? I don't want to be married to some random person I just met.
'Uhm, excuse me,' I mumbled out hoping they would not be angry if I took back the engagement promise since it was just made.
'Forgive the manners of my daughter, Duke Magnus. She should know not to cut in on a conversation like that,' the rich-looking woman said.
Oh so she was supposed to be my mother?
'She had just suffered from an unfortunate incident and fell from a high place. She must've forgot about the manners taught to her from a young age,' she said giving me a glare while drinking her tea. She must've done so on purpose because it was at an angle only I could see and not the so-called Duke.
Sneaky witch.
I could tell from the look she gave me and her tone that she was warning me from continuing to speak as if she knows what I wanted to say. Anyone could feel the tense situation. I quickly bowed my head slightly in her direction to show that I understood her warning.
I still wanted to speak, but something tells me that if I did there will be consequences. I felt like I was stuck and wasn't allowed to move a single hair on my body. Besides, who knows what made the owner of this previous body fall and hit her head? If the maid's words were any indication, no one would care about my well-being in this house.
For some reason, this scene felt a bit familiar. But it was impossible, I've never been engaged before and my name certainly isn't Elaine. What places still had dukes nowadays? Then it hit me.
Alex Magnus. I recognize that name.
He is the main character of the romance novel I read just before I died. Was I reborn in a novel? My face began to pale.
'Elaine, are you alright?', the Duke asked of me.
Was I alright? If I remember correctly Elaine was part of the book. But she was the villainess who died due to the crimes she was found guilty of. She had tried to harm the protagonist on several occasions and Alex who later became the prince will execute her in front of the whole kingdom.
No way am I dying by guillotine. My hands immediately went up to my neck checking if it was still intact.
'Elaine?', the Duke asked me again.
I soon realized that everyone was looking in my direction and I had to reply.
'Duke forgive me. I was lost in my thoughts, I am fine. Thank you for your concern,' I gave the Duke a small smile of gratitude and though my mother wasn't convinced, the other men at the table continued their conversation.
My mother who happened to sit beside me continued drinking her tea, but there was an air about her that was saying, "We'll talk about this later."
I can't believe this is really happening. This is too long to be a dream right? Too surreal.
I looked towards Alex who seemed indifferent about the current situation. He didn't even seem to care enough about his new fiancé to look in my direction instead focusing on his food like before.
I could feel my face was still pale so I took the tea in front of me to calm myself down. My hands on the cup were shaking. Did I really have to be reborn only to die again? And the first time I wake up I see my murderer?
I need to remember what the dream said before I woke up. He, whoever he is, needed me to do something for him in exchange for another life. This life that was given to me. If I manage to do what he asks of me, then will I be able to live?
And what happened to the previous owner of this body? The real Elaine Castelle. Was she dead?
I took a sip of the tea and realized that it has gone cold.
Putting the tea back down on the table, I took a deep breathe and relaxed. It is not time yet, according to the book Elaine was supposed to die at her 25th birthday actually. How ironic is that? Even with the thought that I still have time to live or to somehow change the story of this book, everything seemed dark including my future. Even the food doesn't taste good anymore. They tasted like ash on my tongue.
I don't know if what happened in the book will definitely happen to me. Perhaps there is a way to avoid my death. There is still time.
If I don't do anything to harm the heroine, I will not be persecuted right? However, why did the dream tell me to prevent the heroine and the male lead from being together?
Everything is a mess right now and I need to clear my head. One thing that I really need to do right now is make a plan. But I can't do that during this lunch time with the future in-laws. Well I will never actually get married to Alex so I don't need to worry much about that.
'Oh yes, you two will soon begin studying at Prestige Academy next year when you turn 18. Are you two excited?', the Duke seemed as cheerful as ever and here I was worrying about my life.
'Yes father, it will be great,' those were the first words I have heard from Alex and somehow I highly doubt it.