My thoughts were cut off when soft knocks echoed from the door of my room. I tensed my shoulders at the unexpected noise, my head instantly recalling all of Leticia's memories instinctively, eyes darting about embarrassed of the fact that I was caught of guard.
I only let my whole body ease down when I recalled how the maids of the mansion kept on bothering Leticia when they realize that their young miss wasn't going out for her daily meals.
'The maids are probably here to wake me up.' It wasn't rare for the noble people in the kingdom to sleep late and have their maids wake them up. It was especially more so for Leticia who was not only in her depressive mood, but was also the only daughter of the Medicci household.
I shuffled my feet, unsure of what to do facing other people that Leticia might know, but Natalia didn't. "Leticia?" The voice from outside the door called out, it was then I realized that it wasn't the maids from my memories. But the voice of Leticia's mother. Duchess Vittoria Medicci.
The tension on my shoulders was back a hundred fold. Rightfully so, for I was afraid.
As a daughter, Leticia saw her mother as her closest aid, a figure she could rely on, someone who loved her and gave her everything that she wanted. Vittoria was someone who Leticia wanted to be. That was Vittoria to Leticia.
However, as a person who read the novel, and as a person who's opinion on Vittoria was solely based on reading said novel. Vitorria to Natalia was a scary person.
Duchess Vittoria Francesca Gul. Medicci, the Belladonna amongst the garden raised flowers.
In the novel, Vittoria had many nicknames, she was once called Eris the goddess of the battlefield. Fearless in battle, a head spear the kingdom could not discard even if they wanted to.
The barbarians that served under her also once associated her with Enyo, the war goddess, as when she acted heads would fall. In turn, because of that, the name Bellona, the female god of war stuck with her because of her affiliation with the name.
In the end, the title 'Society's Belladonna' was born from other people's mouth, passed on as rumours, and when the duchess came back unscathed after every battle she set off too, the title felt less like a rumour— and more of a fact the people in the kingdom can't deny.
'This scary person is real, and is actually Leticia's mother, oh gods, that means this person is now my mother too!' My thoughts ran wildly inside my head, because of my hesitance, another knock resounded from the door as I stood frozen in fear from where I stood in front of the mirror.
"Leticia, it's me, mom." The voice was noticably gentler now, matching the memories in Leticia's mind. That despite her mother's gruesome reputation outside, to Leticia, her mother was the most gentlest woman she knows.
Not to Natalia though.
Although hesitant, Natalia— no... she has already accepted the fact that she was Leticia now, and she should start to act like it.
Although hesitant, Leticia, me, I, opened my mouth, "Mom?" I called out, my voice cracking, the hesitance in my tone was palpable. But to the other person behind the door, my answer was all she needed.
"Yes, that's right, it's mom. Can you open the door for mom dear?" Vitorria called out, her voice was noticably happy, she seemed relieved almost. It struck me awkward hearing the happy tone.
My actions was slow, laden with hesitance with every step as I went and got near my door. My (now) mother on the other side of the door waited patiently for me, as if she could hear me approaching cautiously.
With trembling hands, I twisted the doorknob and opened the door slowly. Vitorria seemed like she wasn't about to barge her way in like her reputation had perceived her, and somehow I was relieved of that.
When I opened the door and peeked outside, the face of a gorgeous woman met mine. With auburn hair clipped into a neat bun, and piercing green eyes that was much like mine, Vittoria was exactly like the novel depicted her to be. A classy, mesmerizing woman.
Vittoria's expression was coated with relief now that she saw my face, like the mere fact of 'me' seeing 'her' brought her at ease. The unfamiliar feelings of receiving such concern made my stomach churn.
As an orphan, I've never received that much unconditional concern before.
As if she didn't see how my steps faltered, and how my expression waned like I know it did. Vittoria who called herself my mother approached me tenderly with an agonized face.
I froze as her arms wrapped around my shoulders, and it was then I realized how small and petit I was compared to my mother.
Despite wearing a luxurious gown, it couldn't hide the lean muscles on her arms when she reached out and hugged me.
"Oh dear, look at you with your sunken cheeks and pale face. How much have you suffered, come tell mom." Mother, Vittoria, truly seemed like she was distraught by my visage. The words that I have formulated on the tip of my tongue was dissolved when I felt my eyes sting involuntarily.
Then I realized that Leticia's sadness had seeped through me.
And like a child, I couldn't stop the sob that escaped my lips, or how my body moved to reciprocate the hug my new mother gave me, or how my high strung thoughts of never going back to my own world finally left me in shambles.
But Vittoria didn't seem to mind though as I sobbed helplessly in her arms.
I sobbed more of the fact that this person would never see her real daughter anymore, I sobbed for Leticia's parents who would never know that their daughter was gone, and an imposter had taken over in place of the real one.
I sobbed helplessly because I don't know what this would mean for me.