"This..." Elijah blinked several times before finally sitting up straight. "Where the hell am I? And what the hell is this dress that I'm wearing? Am I still dreaming?"
Elijah then tried to rub her eyes and yawn to make sure she is wide awake. But even so, she still found it strange that she's no longer inside the library. Raising her hand, she was surprised to see that it was smaller than before.
'Huh? Did I turn back time and became a child once again? What kind of fantasy nightmare joke is this?' She thought. 'I am even wearing a dress which I have never ever tried.'
Looking around her, she realized that she was actually sitting comfortably on a huge branch of a gigantic oak tree. Seeing how high she was from the ground, she immediately paled in fright as she actually have never climbed a tree before. She disliked going outdoors, never really played with other children in the orphanage and spends most of the time inside the children's quarters, reading. But now, she's so up high that she began to panic as her body trembled.
"How did I even manage to get here?" She blurted out as she tried to figure out how to go down. She knew martial arts from her trainers but because of a certain incident, she's yet to overcome her fear of heights.
Sighing, Elijah decided to remove her shoes to lessen the probability of an accident. She threw her shoes down in a hurry and grasp a nearby branch for support. Though she thought her life was boring enough, she still doesn't welcome the idea of her dying at the very young age of 16.
"Now that I think about it, I especially don't want to die from falling down a huge oak tree." Elijah added as she tightened her grip on one of the thinner tree branch as support. She then tried to move down one of her foot but she couldn't see where she's stepping properly because of her bulky dress. "Ugh. This dress is gonna be the reason why I'll die young. How did I even got up here?!"
Placing her foot down on top of a lower branch, she tried to move as carefully as possible. Elijah felt a bit happy knowing that her plan to go down slow and steady is actually working. However, before she could even put a foot on the next branch, her hand accidently touch something hairy.
"Ah!!!!!!" Elijah yelled in shock and fear as she realized that she had actually touched a hairy caterpillar with her hand. It's not that she fears the caterpillar, it was an impulse of shock as she fears she'd crush the caterpillar and squeeze its insides. Due to that, she finally lost her balance and slipped. Grabbing whatever her hand can reach, she tried her best to still hold on. Unfortunately, the branch she held onto still couldn't carry her weight. "Ah!!!!"
With a loud thud, Elijah landed on her butt after falling. "Ouch!!!"
Groaning in pain, she fell on her back, laying on the ground.
'Good thing I was able to go down a little bit or else I would really be bloody and dead now had I fallen from the place where I somehow fell asleep.' Elijah thought in defeat.
"Damn you, oak tree branch!!!" She yelled in frustration as she tried to stand up but failed. "Ouch!!!"
Checking her injury, she realized that she had sprained her ankle quite seriously. Not to mention how she hurt her butt and back, it might bruise gravely too.
"Bad luck! Bad luck! Too much bad luck!" She yelled as her eyes began to tear up. She thought of how strange her clothing and her surroundings is. It was her personality to tear up when she feels extremely frustrated or angry.
'What the hell is place anyway? I have already fallen. Why am I still dreaming? And why am I not waking up? What kind of nightmare is this?' Elijah groaned inwardly, trying to supress her body aches as she had always done in the past. She's used to the feeling of pain anyway. 'This is nothing. No...n-not painful. I...I cannot feel pain. Ugh!'
"Tch. What a mess." A cold voice sounded from behind her which made her turn around in shock.
"You..." She muttered but unable to form more words.
That boy looking straight at her made Elijah speechless for a moment. His silver hair swayed with the wind while his cold gray eyes made him look more indifferent. "So you acted out like a child that you are earlier and walked out of the outer gardens only to end up like this? Truly a mess. What a disappointment when you're supposed to be a pristine lady from a reknowned Dutchy."
"Huh?" Elijah replied in confusion, blinking her eyes stupidly, trying to make sense of his words.
"Don't pretend not to know anything. I'm sure you did that earlier for a show. I have heard a lot of things about you and for sure you can be said to be quite an expert on it. I'll applaud you for that." The boy continued as his eyes never left her. "Now tell me. If you decided to act tough, you have to make sure to do it till the end. So, now you have to answer me...why did you end up like a mess like this, Melanie Von Diovre? Did you really want to create trouble and implicate me by acting miserable like this?"
'Melanie Von Diovre? He called me Melanie? That name sounds very familiar.' Elijah pondered in confusion before a light bulb exploded in her head. 'Melanie Von Diovre! How can I forget? She the most hated Villainess in the Novel titled Death is the Answer written by Bixie Finnery, one of my recent favorite authors....but...but...what did this boy say?...what did he call me? I am Melanie?'
"You were talking to...ME?" Elijah asked to confirm her suspicion.
"Did you suddenly turn dumb after falling from the tree?" The boy asked, obviously annoyed by her question. "Who else is called Melanie Von Diovre here except you?"
"I am truly Melanie Von Diovre?" Elijah blurted out in a whim, not believing the situation she's in.
'This must be a dream. How...how can I be Melanie Von Diovre? How can I be the Villainess of a novel. This is simply ridiculous. How can I wake up from this nightmare of a dream?' She thought anxiously as she tried to recall what happened to her before she woke up trapped on this dream. 'I was just reading in the library. It wasn't anything fancy. It's my regular routine and there were many times I fell asleep in the library while reading. I did not die in the real world. There was no accident or conflict or anything that can cause me to be brought inside this novel. For Pete's sake, I was just simply reading. Could this be really happening to me or am I really just having a nightmarish dream because I read too much novel?'
Seeing the fluctuation of different emotions in her purple eyes, the boy frowned and bent down to get a closer look at her. Seeing her messy hair and pinkish cheeks, he couldn't deny that this girl will truly become a beauty once she grew up. It's just that her personality isn't really to his liking. "Hey, did you really get dumb or something? What's wrong with you?"
He gave her a slight nudge in her shoulder which made her jolt in surprise. Then streams of tears suddenly flooded her eyes. The boy was taken aback. Shocked as why the brat in front of him is suddenly crying. "Hey...I...was just asking. Why are you suddenly crying? I didn't really say that you are dumb. So...don't cry."
"It's because you said I am Melanie Von Diovre." Elijah blurted out and wept louder. It's all overwhelming to her that she's suddenly entered this world and in the villainess body for goodness sake. She wasn't an emotional girl, she's just extremely frustrated. Then suddenly, she started hitting her face and head. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"
"Hey! Melanie! Stop! Stop that! What are you doing?!" The boy yelled as she struggled capture both of Elijah's hands to stop her from hitting herself. "Why are you beating yourself? Don't hurt yourself. Stop it!"
"But I am Melanie Von Diovre, aren't I?!" Elijah yelled frantically. She was just recalling everything from the novel and all the things Melanie did and how her life ended. Just by thinking about it gave her goosebumps.
'What about my life? What about my plans? Now that I'm suddenly here, is it all in vain? What about everything I've been through?'
"Enough. Don't cry." The boy commanded sternly as he steadied her trembling body.
"But I'm scared. I don't know anything. And now...this!" Elijah voiced out in panic. "I...wanna return. I want to go home. I truly wanna go home. Please, send me back home."
Sensing her fear, the boy's brows furrowed as his frown deepened. At first he thought that all this was part of this little girl's ploy. He doubted it and thought she was acting to trouble him. But seeing her like this, he felt that she wasn't acting at all. She's truly trembling in fear and he suddenly felt the need to protect her. He didn't understand what she's afraid of and why did she suddenly cry and panic. Seeing her purple eyes shed tears and her small body tremble in fear, he didn't like it.
'Was it because I insinuated that she became dumb and she was hurt by my words?' The boy pondered. 'Or was it because she got hurt and her pain is causing her to have delusions and confusion?'
"You're hurt now. If you kept crying, it will hurt more. Come on. I'll take you back." The boy finally offered after his own deliberation. He simply cannot leave this injured and weeping girl here all by herself. It will be a bigger problem for him if he did that.
"But. Where are you taking me?" Elijah managed to ask after she calmed down a bit, hiccuping in the process because she cried too much.
Seeing her glistening eyes and wet face, the boy's hand automatically went to her face and gently wiped her tears. Then he carefully positioned himself and carried her without further a due. Her sprained ankle is now swelling badly as she really fell from the tree badly. Now, he somehow felt responsible because he simply watched from the sidelines when she was trying to get down from the tree. Sighing, he said, "Sorry."
"Huh?" Elijah blurted out because she was still too engrossed with her own dilemma that she didn't seem to have awareness of her present surroundings.
"Nothing. Just keep still so as not to aggrevate your injury. I will ask some attendants to bring back your shoes as soon as we reach the outer gardens." The boy explained. He himself was quite bewildered as he became quite chatty today which was unusual. He didn't like talking that much but now he talked more words than he could maybe have spoken in a week. "Don't be scared anynore. Just calm your senses, little Melanie. Don't worry. I'll make you sure to get you back home safely."
'Home?' Elijah thought and smiled sadly. 'If this is really all true and I have been transmigrated to become this novel's Villainess, then...will I really be able to go back?'
Seeing that she was about to tear up once more, the boy frowned, his gray eyes still looking cold but puzzled. "Did I say something wrong again?"
"No." Elijah replied and shook her head. "It's just that I am not really sure how to go back."
"Like I said. I will send you. I'll make sure that I do." The boy replied firmly.
"Really?" Elijah asked, seeking comfort in his words. Though she knew now that they are both talking about different things. She knows the boy was talking about taking her back to the Duchy, her home in this world. But her side, she was referring to something else, it's returning to her original world. However, due to her anxiety of entering a different world, a strange but familiar world, she wanted to be comforted. Even by just those little words that she can somehow find her way back.
"Of course. You can trust me. I will send you back." He comfirmed which made Elijah finally smile gently.Taken aback, the boy paused for a second and just stared at her. A flicker of light flashed through his indifferent gray eyes. Then, as if nothing happened, he continued walking towards the outer gardens carefully carrying Elijah in his arms.
'I am Melanie Von Diovre. If this is a dream, then I hope to wake up soon. But if the Gods are playing with me and this is real, then I have to do something about my fate. I don't want to die. Therefore, to live, I must live the life of Melanie Von Diovre. The only beloved daughter of Duke Orvin Von Diiovre, a powerful figure in this kingdom. I will live as her until I figured out a way to return and go back to earth. If I can come here, then surely there must be a way to return. I will surely go back.' Elijah thought. Then she looked at the boy holding her. 'Thank you, your highness the Crown Prince.'
***