LIKE A person deprived of air for a long time, Talia woke up in that state. She was catching her breath as everything around her was a blur except the familiar flower field drawn on her canopy.
Wait. When did I have that canopy? No shit. I don't have a top in my room, just a ceiling with stardust designs. Where the fuck am I?
"Lady Victoria? Lady Victoria? The doctor is coming." A frantic voice snapped her from reverie, and the next thing she saw, a brunette with chocolate eyes and freckles around her button nose while wearing a maid uniform was hovering over her body.
She opened her mouth to speak, but her throat was scratchy.
How long am I asleep, anyway? Where's my mom? Wait, what? Lady Victoria? Who's that?
"Water," she spoke in a raspy voice. Her voice was a little different. It was velvety, even with a scratchy throat.
Is this the result of my accident?
"Where am I?"
The shock and horror reflected on the woman with a maid's uniform were so clear that Talia wanted to laugh. "You're in your room inside the estate of the Duke of Rozenreff, Lady Victoria."
Rozenreff?Why is it familiar to me as if I have heard it countless times already?
Talia froze when she realized why the name Rozenreff was familiar. She heard it countless times while watching the Thorny Crown! Talia briskly sat up even when her body protested. She had to confirm something.
"Hey, you. What's your name?" Talia nudged her head towards the maid as she tried to stand up to look for a mirror. She needed to confirm something – anything.
"Me? My lady?"
Talia rolled her eyes at the woman's stupid question. "Who else am I talking to?"
"I-I'm your personal maid Lillian, but you called me–"
"Lily," Talia continued. Like from the Netflix Series that she had watched.
Lily's face beamed when she mentioned her name. Talia knew her too well. She was the only loyal person to Victoria Rozenreff until they executed the latter.
Talia spotted a body-sized mirror near her dresser. Slowly but surely, she walked toward her new reality. When she was right before the mirror, the same image of the soul she spoke to in her dreams stood before her—golden ringlets paired with the coldest ruby eyes. The only difference was the body size. The woman in her dream was older. But the image before Talia was younger.
"Lily, how old am I?"
"Sixteen years old, my lady."
Talia touched her reflection.
So this is what they meant in my dream. I became a villainess inside a popular Netflix Series, which will later die when I reach the age of eighteen from the hands of the crown prince, the male lead of this story! Fucking unbelievable!
Wait.
Talia stopped panicking when she realized something was off. The official plot of the story started when the female lead met the male lead at a banquet when they were eighteen years old! She still had two years to change her coming death!
Just like in my dream, I am a blessed child of Gaia.
Sabina, the female lead. Ha! That bitch!
"Lily, what happened to me?"
Worry came back on Lily's face, but she answered her. "You fell to the stairs when you tried to push Lady Sabina, my lady."
Her eyebrow shot up immediately.
It looks like Sabina manipulated the scene, making me, Victoria, the culprit again. Because this is before the plot started, I don't know the happenings of this time. But hell will freeze over before I let you win again, Sabina dear.
THORNY CROWN, was a Netflix adaptation of the equally famous novel of this series. The author of this novel series died a week before Talia died in that world. And now, she's inside the popular Netflix series, "Thorny Crown." Talia couldn't believe that the actress who acted as Lady Victoria in the Netflix adaptation would fail compared to the real deal, even if how many times she would stare at her new body.
So I should stop referring to myself as Talia, huh? Despite that, the honest Victoria told me not to lose myself. Then, I will use my experiences as Talia to live splendidly as the reborn Lady Victoria, who will also crush Sabina to bits.
"Victoria is old-fashioned. Hmm. Lily!"
Her maid stepped forward from standing on the sidelines. The others who were not called stayed at the corner. She did not miss one particular maid, auburn C-cut hair with stupid yet greedy cobalt eyes, Mia. She was the downfall of the original Victoria since this Mia-mutt was a spy sent by Sabina, her dearest half-sister. She particularly hated this one since Victoria truly trusted this mutt until they executed her. The original Victoria saw how this mutt laughed secretly together with Sabina.
"Yes, Lady Victoria?"
"I implore you to call me Tori from now on and not Victoria. It should be Lady Tori. Do not make me repeat this, so pass it along with the other handmaidens."
Though Tori could see the bewilderment on Lily's face, the latter did not dare question her. "Understood, Lady Tori." Lily politely bowed before passing her order to the rest of her handmaidens. She knew that her new nickname would reach all the servants in this household by evening.
"Now, leave me alone. The doctor told me to rest, so rest I shall do."
She could sense the icy gaze among the maids that exited the room after showing her common courtesy by bowing their heads. Lily remained to check everything before reminding her she was only one call away.
Talia, now Tori, immediately sat in front of her study table. She looked for some parchment and a quill and started writing the focal points of this Netflix series. While writing, she used coded symbols as she was wary of the Mia-mutt spilling these goods to Sabina.
Better safe than sorry.
Victoria Rozenreff died when they framed her, saying she allegedly poisoned Sabina, who was the Crown Princess of the Empire of Eckrett, after getting engaged to Crown Prince Lauren Eckrett. They found a bottle of poison in her room, thus solidifying the evidence against Victoria. The duke who cherished Sabina more abandoned her eldest daughter, thus leading to the execution of Lady Victoria Rozenreff even when she was a noble. Everyone felt sorry for Crown Princess Sabina, who suffered so much from her half-sister. Everyone hated Victoria except Lillian, her maid. Nobody would know except the viewers of the series how twisted Sabina truly was. Sabina had the image of a saint, and Tori was itching to destroy that facade.
"Victoria!"
"Sister!"
Two figures came rushing in without further announcement. The first was a middle-aged man with a dominant stance and identical ruby-red eyes. He had chocolate-colored hair, like the female who entered her room. It was evident that Tori and Sabina were leagues apart from each other. While Tori had fiery ruby eyes and silky golden ringlets, Sabina had calm pale sapphire eyes and straight chocolate-colored hair. In simple terms, Victoria truly looked like a noble, while Sabina lacked the red eyes that symbolized the Dukedom of Rozenreff.
This is one of the insecurities of this maggot which will be revealed when they execute Victoria.
Tori's handmaidens came in after the two, along with the butler and the handmaidens of Sabina. Sabina's handmaidens, especially her maid, Shena, threw icy glares at Tori. Unlike before when Victoria would throw a tantrum at her father for bringing Sabina along, Tori calmly faced the two with a warm smile on her face – a perfect display of a noble's elegance.
"Thank you for visiting me, father, sister. Please have a seat. Lily, prepare me a chamomile tea."
"Yes, Lady Tori."
Tori noticeably saw her father, Duke Luwen Rozenreff, arched his brows at how her maid addressed her. Sabina, for a split second, arched her brow too.
They genuinely are a father and daughter pair.
The duke waved his hand dismissively. "There's no need. I came here to ask why you pushed Sabina, Victoria. It's been two years since your sister stayed here in the manor. You should mature and welcome the changes. It is good that Sabina understood your complex predicament."
Sabina gasped like a vulnerable child from their father's father on cue. "I understand my sister's flaws–"
Tori cut Sabina off, which was insulting to do between ladies. "Oh, I understand if that's how you saw it, my dear darling sister. I tried to push you since I saw how you almost trip, and I realized I'd rather hurt myself than see you in pain. So I pushed you towards the plain grounds and fell down the stairs in your stead. I'm a changed person now, father. I realized how I treasured my one and only sibling." The voice she used was soft and laced with understanding and love. Tori grasped Sabina's hands and placed them on her cheeks.
The look of disbelief flashed on the intruders' faces.
Tori continued, "I know you are not yet accustomed to being a noble lady. After all, you're a commoner all your life. Worry not, my dearest sister. I, Victoria, will help you with everything in me to help you become a true, noble lady." The sincerity in Tori's voice moved everyone except Sabina, Shena, and Mia.
Tori gently let go of Sabina's hands.
"Oh, Lady Victoria saved our Lady Sabina!"
"Lady Victoria sacrificed her health to amend all their misunderstandings."
"Lady Victoria is so kind. She truly changed for the better."
"What happened to Lady Victoria? It's like she's a new person?"
The whispers from Sabina's handmaidens made Tori mentally smirk at Sabina, who was busy maintaining her smiling face despite the unexpected turn of events.
"Then, there is nothing more to discuss. I apologize for barging here without analyzing another scenario that might have happened. Get well soon, Victoria." Her father leaned forward and kissed her hair, which shocked Tori momentarily before she replied with a quick hug to her father.
It was new to her who grew up without a father like Talia. But she could not let her past affect her survival plans, not when she was interacting with the female lead of the Thorny Crown Netflix series.
Sabina, who was busy maintaining her saintly façade, trotted with their father as if his ass was burning – too angry to stick with Victoria. "I'm going with you, father. And I-I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, Victoria." Though smiling, Sabina's eyes were gleaming with malice.
Tori answered her malicious look with equal fervent, hiding behind the pretext of a soft voice and a smiling face. "You can call me Tori. I have a feeling we'll be much closer to each other."
Sabina just replied with a forced smile before exiting with her father. Sabina's handmaidens followed suit. With a soft thud, the doors of her chambers closed.
"Leave the tea, Lily. And leave me alone for a while. I'll cherish the moment I had with my family. You know how much I love them." Tori sweetly smiled at Lily, which was also clearly heard by her handmaidens. They silently left her room. And when she knew she was finally alone, she couldn't help but laugh.