Even though all Stella wanted to do was run far away she couldn't feel her legs and was paralyzed with fear. "It's okay miss Albion." He said in an annoyed tone even though he tried to hide it but she could still feel it. He stood up and started dusting himself off and even though Stella was afraid of him she couldn't believe that he knew that she was sick but still left her on the floor.
. "Are you still feeling unwell?" He asked waiting for an answer. Even though Stella did not want to reply she knew she had to or else he would be offended. "Unfortunately not Grand Duke Aster." She forcefully replied using the same tone he used before slightly bowed and then quickly walked away hoping that he would also leave.
Noticing that she was almost to her room and that the Grand Duke wasn't following her she sighed in relief. When Stella opened the door to her room she saw a young boy with silver hair and blue eyes like herself sitting in a red chair. As soon as the young boy saw her entering the room he immediately ran up to her. "Ella, mommy said you were feeling sick, so I came to check on you." He said cheerfully.
Seeing his face up close made Stella recognize him as her six-year-old brother Lenox Albion. Feeling awkward being around him since he knew the real Stella. Not knowing what to do Stella sighed. "I'm still not feeling up to playing with you why don't you go back to your room I'll have Emily bring you a snack." She said before kneeling to his eye level not daring to touch in fear that he might realize that she's not his sister.
"Okay, whatever you say Ella." He said sadly before hugging her tightly. Lenox gave her a wide smile before rushing out of her room. Stella kept on looking towards the door even after Lenox had left the room feeling guilty that his real sister has already died and she was just living in her body. After a few minutes of looking at the door, Stella sighed to herself before walking towards the window.
As she stared out of her window all Stella saw were reminders that this was not her world. The ethereal trees, the beautiful sky, and the large mansion that was not her home. Her home had been a small apartment with only light colors and her cat and the last reminder to show her that she didn't belong here was Lenox showing her that this was not her home nor family.
Seeing his beautiful smile that was not towards her but towards his sister who had already passed away made her feel awful inside. For a few hours, Stella sat on her balcony and watched the beautiful scenery while feeling like she was a trespasser in this world. A soft knock on her door brought her back to reality and she tore her head away and said "You can come in" Seconds later Emily's head peaked through the door and she opened it wide back and came inside with a tray filled with a three-course meal.
Stella's eyes opened in shock and immediately felt hungry. "Sorry for the late lunch young miss, I hope you enjoy it." Emily said while putting down the tray at the table that Stella ate in the morning. When Emily put down the tray Stella quickly walked over to the table and sat down feeling tired. When she looked at the tray on the first plate she saw a perfectly cooked steak with sauce in the second place was a fresh salad with lettuce, strawberry, grapes, apples, carrots, and cabbage with a white sauce on top and it smelled delicious. On the last plate was a cheesecake with chocolate and vanilla cupcakes.
Knowing that all of this was for the original Stella made her stomach turn but when she looked at the three-course meal all those thoughts had been replaced with how delicious the meal looked. Stella stared at it with need before she hungrily devoured her meal. While savoring her meal Stella didn't notice Emily's gaze filled with happiness and a hint of suspension.
After quickly eating her lunch Stella slowly got up and looked around her room. Then she cast her eyes on Emily "What do you think about how I treated you in the past." Stella asked her while looking directly into her eyes. Emily looked surprised and flustered by her question "Of course you treated me with great care young miss." She replied while looking at the ground to avoid Stella's gaze. Stella saw from her bodily gestures that even though her head was down, what she said was the truth.
Which Stella thought was suspicious as what Emily said directly opposed to what the maid from before said and asked. "What about my behavior when the Grand duke was here?" After asking this question Stella could see the hesitance from Emily and thought why to ask when she knew that the original Stella was a horrible person to the maids when the Grand Duke was there.
"Don't bother answering instead answer this question, what do you think about the Grand duke?" Stella asked before sitting on the edge of her bed. When Emily heard her question she suddenly raised her head to face Stella. Emily looked at Stella for a few seconds before she answered "I think he is a wonderful and caring fiance but-"
She stopped mid-sentence and looked at Stella with a questioning gaze. Stella knowing what she wanted to ask sighed before saying "You can continue." "But whenever he's around all you want to do is gain his favor." She said finishing her sentence. Even though Stella had already guessed that was the case she felt good to know for sure that the original Stella acted like a different person when the Grand Duke was here but that she also was not a horrible person.
"That's all you can leave Emily, thank you for your help." Stella told her wanting to be alone so she could think about her problem. "It's my pleasure young miss, but please don't forget that Royal Academy starts next month." Said Emily while holding the now empty tray and walking outside. When Emily said the words Royal Academy Stella remembered that even though it was an adventure the beginning of the novel was a school setting. 'So I came here at the starting of the novel.' She thought to herself.
She smiled feeling happen that she knew everything that was gonna happen in the future. Lying down on her bed Stella closed her eyes and went through everything that happened today. She stopped smiling afterward knowing that it would be a challenge to survive despite knowing the future. 'I have to figure out how to avoid the Grand duke seeing as he was still a student of the royal academy of Raina despite being a Grand Duke. The other future problem was that the female lead also attended the school. Sighing she stood up from her bed and headed for her door knowing what she had to do.