The woman began to sweat profusely. Of all the things in her previous life, the one item she would never forget was that one-of-a-kind necklace her mother had made for her.
She recalled a memory during childhood when her younger self nearly drowned in a swimming pool in an attempt to prove her bravery towards her peers. Luckily, an older kid noticed her lack of movements underwater and quickly dove in to save her. She came out alright in the end, but that event traumatized both her and her mother. She never attended a pool party ever since.
Filled with guilt, her mother made her daughter promise to never seek attention in that manner ever again. As encouragement, she promised that she would gift her the most wonderful present ever, should she continue to work hard to make a name for herself without taking any shortcuts.
The excited young Adele waited patiently, having been taught even in her young age that the greatest gifts always took time in order to be the very best.
It was only during Adele's first ballet recital half a year later that her mother finally gifted a sparkling silver necklace as a reward for the little girl's hard work.
And as promised, it was the best present Adele could ever receive!
Her mother knew about Adele's dream of becoming the future star dancer of the Swan Lake ballet, so she had the front of the heart-shaped pendant engraved with the image of a swan in order to help inspire her daughter to never give up.
But what made the necklace unique and special to her was the tiny, cursive message engraved within the locket.
"Adele, My Beloved Treasure"
On the other half of the locket sat a black and white picture of her mother happily holding her infant daughter.
'But for that locket to be here ... How can that be?!' Adele frantically thought as she touched her bare neck.
That necklace had been in the jeweler's shop for repairs when Adele attended the yacht party. That means she wasn't wearing it at the time she fell into the water. She highly doubted that anyone else in the shop would want to steal a sentimental accessory like that either.
And even if she did wear it at the time, there was absolutely no way it could possibly appear with her in this world, since she woke up in a completely different body.
So how?
Suddenly, her head began to throb in a different way than before. Clutching her head, Adele began to gasp in pain. At the ragged sound, Prince Siegfried finally turned his attention away from the locket in his hand.
"Odile?"
Initially, his first instinct led him to believe that the woman was pulling his leg again. But as he begun to notice how unnaturally pallid Adele's complexion had become, the startled prince swiftly knelt beside her, pulling the glove out of his right hand before placing it on her burning forehead.
"!"
But Adele didn't notice his worried expression, nor could she fully sense the comforting touch of his large hand. She couldn't focus on anything but the head-splitting pain that's taking over her senses. Her vision started swirling in motion as she felt her trembling hands become more slippery with sweat.
"Odile! What is happening to you?!"
The suffering woman could vaguely gauge the prince hissing at her temperature, before hurriedly yelling instructions to the knights. In the background echoed the sounds of shuffling armor, the panicked cries of her ginger maid, and the blonde man's agitated curses.
"Your Highness!"
"Call the royal doctor! Now!"
"Thanat's Name! What the hell's going on?!"
But Adele paid them no mind. She could barely even hear the sounds of her own harsh breathing.
All she could fathom are the several broken images that suddenly melded together into an unfamiliar scene that flooded into her mind's eye.
In her head, Adele found herself standing at the edge of a dark lake in the silence of the night. In her inactivity, she realized that she couldn't move a finger, nor could she feel any semblance of sensation save for her vision.
As if her sole purpose there was to be a mere observer.
'What in the world ...? Where am I?'
Her point of view suddenly moved downwards. She saw her own skinny fingers tightly clutch the silver locket as it shone against her pale neck. Then, with her other hand, she pulled out a thin black dagger from the inner pockets of her purple robe. She lifted the glinting blade in front of her eyes, seemingly examining its sharpness, before slowly resting its edge on the palm of her right hand.
In a swift movement, she slit the clear and delicate skin open. Red droplets of blood quickly dripped out of the angry wound, disappearing like smoke as they fell onto the calm surface of of water.
On the dark ripples' reflection stood the glowing red Blood Moon. As big, round, and eerie as the first time she laid eyes upon it.
As the light of the red moon shone unbearably brighter, a woman's incoherent mumbling began to surround Adele's ears. And as the softspoken words grew louder and harsher, she realized that the voice belonged to this body, the original Odile, who was speaking a garbled language that she couldn't understand.
All ... except for one name.
'Odette.'
Adele felt the urge to gasp as Odile's voice faded away with her surroundings. Then she felt her vision crash into the water, almost the exact same way she herself fell onto the sea.
The scene that appeared next was vastly different from the images before.
It showed a foggy picture of an unfamiliar woman lying on the ashen ground. She was surrounded by a crumbling house engulfed in enormous flames. Her long hair, as dark as ebony, was spread out like a web all over her bloodied body, as she shakily reached out a wounded hand towards Adele.
She couldn't see her face clearly, but for some strange reason, Adele felt in her soul that that woman behind the flames was gentle and unafraid.
Even smiling.
The woman's dry mouth was moving, as if trying to tell her something important. But Adele could not hear the stranger's words. All she could hear was the weak sound of her own childlike voice.
"Mo… Mom.."
And then, the morbid scene was abruptly cut off by a loud, reverberating voice.
"Presenting the honorable Baron Wolfgang Von Rothbart, and his daughter, Lady Odile Von Rothbart!"
This time, Adele opened her eyes to an enormous set of gold-gilded doors, as it slowly unlocked to reveal a magnificent grand ballroom glittering with bright, twinkling lights. The enormous room was decked with several tall glass windows, while exquisite golden chandeliers lined up the painted high ceiling.
Inside were several fine-looking men and women, dressed in colorful robes, extravagant gowns, and exquisitely-made masks. They twirled in twos across the wide marble floor.
"Now remember, Odile." A deep, gruff voice breathed against her left ear. "The palace grounds have been blessed by the goddess Celes to prevent strong magic from working to its fullest. That means that we only have around an hour to deceive Prince Siegfried until the transformation spell we placed on that locket wears off of you."
Adele's eyes turned towards the speaker. A tall, lanky man with graying burgundy hair stood nonchalantly beside her. He was dressed handsomely in a rich brocade robe with dark fur lining, decorated with braided cords of rubies and pearls.
Behind his hawk-inspired mask, his reddish-gold eyes, more akin to fiery amber than topaz, squinted stealthily like the bird as he cordially waved at the nobles who sent greetings his way.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes, Father." Adele heard herself say.
"Very good. Do not forget, we cannot dawdle for too long. That brat Odette might find a way to escape from the forest. I have placed some precautions, but we cannot remain complacent."
The sinister man squinted his wrinkled eyes towards Odile, tightening the clutch he had over his daughter's small hand.
"Make sure to do the job well. And please, disregard those useless romantic feelings of yours. This is our only chance to destroy both the last princess of Vasilica and the only heir of Tchaikovia. If we fail now, then our Thanatian bloodline will be discovered. Then WE will be destroyed."
"I understand, Father. Do not worry."
Adele felt her lips form into a smile. She could only imagine the arrogant expression plastered on Odile's face.
"Before the night is over, I will make sure that Siegfried will be mine."
"Good." Rothbart smirked before turning his sights towards the familiar young man moving towards them from the center of the ballroom. "Speaking of the lad, here he comes. Remember, time is of the essence."
After giving Odile one last pointed look, the older man placed a polite smile on his face as he gracefully bowed his head towards the arriving prince. Unlike everyone else, the crown prince did not wear a mask. Adele couldn't help but admire his youthful looks.
Though his beauty didn't differ too much from the one in his current age, there's a quality about it that made his aura seem brighter and younger. The notable scar on the left of his chin wasn't there, and his skin tone was more rosy than tanned. Even the length of his dark hair reached only below his shoulder.
But most of all, his bright silver-gray eyes seemed more dazzling than ever. Like a pair of unblemished diamonds.
Adele had to stop her appreciation when she felt herself bend her upper body low, her eyesight caught her reflection on the glinting floors.
She could make out a masked young woman dressed in an exquisite black-feathered gown. Its pleated corset bodice showed off the wearer's womanly figure, while the fitted skirt smoothly billowed from the hips to the floor. The lower the skirt went, the more clustered the feathers were.
On her thin arms were a pair of glittering opera gloves. Unlike most women in the room, her shoulders and arms were barren of any heavy sleeves and decors. The dark color itself conrasted perfectly against her skin, giving the young woman a glowing effect.
The simple black mask worn on her face only added a certain mystique to her overall beauty. Its thin elastic handles reached behind her burgundy hair, bound into a tight bun in order to elongate her slim neck.
On top of her head sat a tiara of pearl and onyx, shaped in a manner similar to that of a swan spreading its wings.
And sitting on her pale neck was her silver swan pendant. Or in this case, Odette's necklace.
Adele didn't know what to think of the fact that the necklace was being used for Rothbart's nefarious scheme. She didn't have the time to mull it over as she felt her eyes slowly lift up towards Prince Siegfried's.
"Your Royal Highness, the future Sun of Tchaikovia. We are honored by your presence."
"I don't understand." Prince Siegfried murmured as he stared strangely at Odile. "Why is Odette with you, Baron Rothbart? And why was she announced as Lady Odile?"
'It looks like the magic had worked.' Adele thought to herself as she marvelled at the prince's confused yet hopeful expression. Compared to the frosty reception that she received from the current prince, this younger Siegfried clearly treated Odette in a much more affectionate way.
This was exactly the kind of prince that Adele had initially expected him to be.
"I have heard the plight of this poor young lady. She pleaded to me for help when I happened to encounter her during my excursion near the Western Forest." Rothbart lied smoothly. He knitted his wrinkled brows together, as if he truly felt sorry for Odette's situation.
"I'd hate to imagine what it would be like for my Odile to experience the same terrible things Miss Odette had to go through. Since my own daughter is currently away on her travelling tour abroad, I figured that it wouldn't be of harm to have this young lady meet you here under her name. After all, I've heard that you had personally invited her to this ball. Or so she claims."
"Oh, yes ... Of course." Siegfried's frown revealed that he still carried some uncertainty. But as he took one look at the pendant sitting on Odile's neck, before glimpsing the abashed smile on "Odette's" face, his doubts seemed to quickly melt away.
"I thank you, Baron Rothbart, for your generosity. You have no idea how much I've wanted Odette to come."
"Of course, Your Highness." Rothbart nodded. Cautious, he slightly leaned forward. "Though, forgive me for my proposing this, but I do implore that you use my daughter's name when addressing the young lady. After all, we do not want the rest of the court to become suspicious of Miss Odette's identity."
"Yes, I understand. Thank you for the advice, Baron Rothbart."
Young Siegfried then turned his attention to "Odette". His eyes shone in pure joy as he leaned closer and held out his hand.
"Dance with me, Odile?" he invited sweetly.
Odile's eyes shifted towards Rothbart, who gave her a nod in approval. Then her attention redirected towards the crowd gathering behind the prince. From the looks of it, the noblemen and women all seemed to be surprised at her appearance. Concealed by their masks, they openly stared at the couple with questioning eyes.
"Odette? Is everything alright?" Siegfried murmured gently with concern.
At that, her focus returned back to the prince.
"Oh! It's nothing." Odile replied in an airy manner. Smiling, she placed her elegant hand on top of Siegfried's.
As if they were a perfect fit.
"There's nothing that could ever keep me away from you, my love."