Parisa didn't dwell on the small show of emotion that Adele had given her. Instead, she focused on the food and devoured every drop of soup and bread. When she'd finished, her stomach was full and warm, and Parisa slid down into her chair. Her eyelids grew heavy and the warmth emitting from the fireplace only increased her exhaustion. Those days, camping in the woods had been with the two men had been draining. She'd tossed and turned most nights, fearful that they'd want or use her as they'd done the first evening. The cold, frozen earth she'd slept on had been little help with getting rest, either, as she'd been used to her hay bed, at least for sleeping.
Parisa wasn't sure if the lord of the house would pay her a visit this night. She hoped he'd at least wait until tomorrow. She didn't think she'd be able to perform well.
"My lady, please rest in your bed if you plan on sleeping." Adele said, her voice distant to Parisa's ears. The girl vaguely felt herself nod in acknowledgement to Adele, but didn't feel herself stand. Adele gently pulled Parisa from the chair and led the girl to the other side of the room, helping her undress and ready for bed.
"Thank you," Parisa said as she snuggled under the warm blankets. The plump pillows cushioned her head while the soft silk sheets cocooned her body. Adele had no response and Parisa only knew she was gone from the room when she heard the delicate opening and closing of the door.
Sleep clutched Parisa in its grasp and pulled her under. She fell away from the world and her circumstances, taking comfort in the memories of her past life as she dropped into her old body, Su-ho.
***
She was sitting in a cafe with two girls she'd met earlier at her high school entrance ceremony. They were twins and almost identical if not for the differing haircuts. Ari wore her hair short in a cute bob while her sister, Bora, wore her hair long and with bangs that framed her petite face perfectly. Both had deep brown eyes and a mole under the corner of their right eye.
Su-ho had bumped into Ari when she was coming out of the bathroom. From there, the two of them had gotten to talking. One thing let to another and now, here they were, discussing classes, teachers, and their new classmates.
Bora brushed a long strand of shiny black hair behind her ear.
"I hope we'll be in the same homeroom." she said, looking down at her iced Americano. The dark liquid sloshed around in the plastic cup when she lifted it. "It'd be nice starting the term with a familiar face."
Ari smiled, her lips a delicate shade of pink from her lip gloss. She bumped her shoulder against her sister's. "Well, I think it'd be good for you. Force you to get out of that shell of yours." Ari looked towards Su-ho. "Tell her."
Su-ho wasn't sure she was in any position to 'tell' Bora anything. She'd only known the girl for three hours, though she could agree that Bora wasn't the most outgoing person. When Ari had introduced them, Bora had barely been able to look her in the eyes as she'd said her greeting. Su-ho had found it endearing, but she could see how it could complicate things for the girl in the future when it came to making friends.
"Well," Su-ho said. "I think Bora's fine." she smiled at the girl, hoping it would ease any anxiety. "She'll get there on her own in time."
Ari crinkled her nose and ate a slice of her strawberry shortcake. "You're too nice for your own good."
Su-ho laughed and took a sip of her mocha.
***
"My lady, it's time to wake up."
Parisa's eyes peeled open, a low moan escaping her mouth. Above her, the extravagant canopy over the bed came into sight. She blinked away the bleariness as the tendrils of her dream—of her memory—began to fade. Parisa tried to grasp it, but it slipped through her fingers like water, dripping away until all the remained were blurry faces and distant voices.
"My lady?" Cordelia's face came over, obscuring Parisa's view of the canopy. Parisa jerked back into her pillows, her heart thudding.
Right.
She wasn't in a cafe. She wasn't Su-ho. She was here, in the Astri estate, sold her 200 gold dacrems.
Cordelia smiled and pulled away, giving Parisa space to sit up. It was a difficult feat, the bed soft and plush enough to suck the girl into the mattress. She didn't think she'd moved at all throughout the night, which was a feat. More than a few times she'd been told by clients who spent the entire night that she was a restless sleeper. A few had even docked payment because of it.
Parisa rubbed leftover sleep crusties from her eyes.
"How did you sleep, my lady?" Cordelia asked as she placed a tray on Parisa's lap. Parisa's nose twitched, and she looked down, finding a plate of two eggs and bread that looked fresh and toasted. Saliva instantly damped her mouth, and any leftover exhaustion vanished.
"Um, Parisa is fine, please." she said as she looked up at Cordelia. She still couldn't accept any title that had 'lady' in it. "And I slept well, thank you." Parisa returned Cordelia's smile.
"Today, I'm to show you around the estate and then lord Astri will come to pay you a visit later this evening."
The food Parisa had been lifting to her mouth paused halfway up. She closed her mouth. Her saliva dried up. For a moment, she was frozen, and then she forced herself to move.
"Okay," Parisa said and resumed her eating. She could do this, it was no different from usual. In fact, it was even better than usual because now, she had a proper bed, proper food, only one client. An easy life was basically assured.
***
The estate was large, Parisa knew that, but she had underestimated just how large it was. She and Cordelia had been walking around for the last hour now and it didn't appear they were anywhere near being done with the tour. They'd left almost as soon as she'd finished her breakfast this morning. Parisa had been eager to get out and see her new home. She wasn't sure how much she'd be able to walk around on her own. There was a lot she was sure she hadn't been told yet in regards to her freedom.
Cordelia showed her to the kitchen where the staff prepared meals. She was shown to the indoor garden where flowers of all different colors bloomed. There were the stables where the horses were kept and the training grounds where the Astri guards practiced. The entire time, the luxury of each location amazed Parisa. She was also glad to see more of the staff. It made things seem less isolated since the only people she'd met so far were Cordelia, Adele, and the lord of the house. Parisa didn't think Sam or Johnny counted since she was sure they were long gone by now.
Parisa enjoyed seeing the stable the most and petting the horses. There was a beautiful dark mare that she'd been particularly taken with. As she stroked the snout of the horse, her thoughts drifted to Rika back home.
- Are they taking proper care of her? Perhaps they hired a stable hand with the extra money.
Parisa could only hope that was the case.
"Parisa," Cordelia called from the stable entrance. She hadn't wanted to enter, but Parisa had almost pleaded with the maid to let her see the different horses. Cordelia had given in and Parisa had been glad it was her instead of Adele who'd decided to be the guide for the day. She wasn't sure Adele would have allowed it.
Parisa gave a last loving stroke to the mare before turning and following Cordelia back outside. She burrowed deeper into her long, fur-lined coat. It was a new addition to her closet, much like the soft violet dress she wore and the small diamond hair clip that pulled her front strands to the back.
Parisa glanced briefly at the male guard that followed her and Cordelia. He was a head taller than herself and had wavy auburn hair that reminded her of a burning sunset. Cordelia had introduced them when they'd left the bedroom. His name was Xavier, and he'd been standing outside her door. He's startled her at first, but her muscles eased when he shot her a smile. His brown eyes were as warm as the blazing his hair reminded her of.
Xavier gave her another smile when their eyes met before shifting his gaze to the rest of the area.
- We're on the estate grounds. Why do we need a guard?
Parisa kept the question to herself and scurried to keep up with Cordelia, remnants of snow on the sidewalk crunching under foot.
"Where to next?" Parisa asked.
"I believe your lunch should be ready about now. Would you like to take it in the kitchen or your room?"
Parisa opened her mouth to say her room but hesitated. Could she take it in the kitchen? Her fuzzy memories from when she slept came to the forefront. While she didn't remember the conversation, she remembered the feeling of being with others. It had been pleasant and had filled a void in her that had been growing since the day of her rebirth.
"The kitchen." Parisa whispered.