"Not too far off," my mother confirmed with a nod, her tone weighted with somber acknowledgment there was a guilty shadow hovering over her eyes when she confirmed my words. A shudder, akin to a chill, crept down my spine as her words sank in, the realization of my predetermined fate settling heavily upon me.
A wry smile twisted upon my lips, tainted with bitter amusement, as I understood my role in the cruel machinations of both the Bamaltore Royal family and the shadowed echelons of noble society.
In their eyes, I was nothing but a pawn—sacrificed without remorse upon the grand chessboard of their ambitions.
I should've known why my family chose to paint this picture for the eyes of others about me. I'm sure that they meant nothing but well; but I'm now a person who's well aware of my future. The portrait my family painted for the world to see, draped over my shoulders like a heavy mantle, would soon unravel in the most catastrophic manner imaginable. No amount of noble lineage or societal status could shield me from my inevitable fate.
A fate that I soon realized all started from here, all started from the decisions my parents made for me.
I wonder if my loving parents knew that their hands are stained with the blood of my innocence.
Of Leticia's innocence.
I found myself mulling over my thoughts, something that I habitually do when things get out of my expectations. however my inner monologues were eventually cut off when my father started talking again.
"Moving on," He said waving his hands. "The main reason why Letty was dragged here is not the revelation of the annulment. Nor the recalling of the items that was once ours."
"Right, right." my mother chimed in from my other side.
"Letty, when the royal treasurer returned your dowry, along with the compensation from the royal family, your mother and I made the decision to put all these money under your name." Leonardo, my father, said, his smile tinged with a hint of vaguely hidden sinister satisfaction as he casually dropped his nuclear bomb of a revelation into my unsuspecting lap. I was more than sure that my parents enjoyed the reaction they were receiving from me.
A odd, almost indistinguishable sound left my lips, almost as if stifled by the suffocating weight of disbelief. They didn't even let me formulate and voice out the words that was hovering on the tip of my tongue when they thrust another piece of document unto my stiff hands. My mother, from the corner of my eyes, could be seen with a gleeful smile on her face. In that moment, the nickname bestowed upon her by society, the Belladonna, seemed all too fitting
My jaw slackened (once again this morning) as I scanned the papers in my trembling hand. A quick glance confirmed my parents' words — they had indeed transferred all the dowry they had prepared for me, along with riches that could elevate me to a rival of the wealthiest merchants in the kingdom.
"Mine?" I pointed at myself.
"Yours." My mother nodded.
I bowed my head, lips quivering in an effort not to bite them, suddenly, I was not comprehending the whole situation.
This had never happened in the novel, not once did this scenario come up. It wasn't making any sense— This, wasn't making any sense. I could feel my hands trembling as I scanned the documents in my hand, trying to see if there's anything that could shake my memories of anything that I've missed but nothing came up. Not a touch, not a whisper, nothing.
Pause.
'What if this indeed happened in the novel?' my eyes hovered over the date that was stamped on the official court document. 'But inkjabber hadn't written this part because for whatever reason.' I struggled to connect nonexistent dots together.
'What if Leticia died far too young before Leonardo and Vittoria could reveal this information to her.'
"You know," My father said, breaking my thoughts for a split second, his tone laced with wry amusement, "If your mother hadn't dragged you out of your room, I wouldn't have given you this document until you turned at least 25." He said, as if this was just a thought on the back of his head hat he hadn't planned to reveal .
Inwardly, I was shaking my head.
'Leticia, oh you poor soul.'
Everything was coming to picture now, to say the least that the original soul of this body was ridiculously pitiable was an understatement.
Now.
'What the hell am I going to do with this much capital in my hands?' Doubt clouded my face staring at the money that was in the form of documents. 'If I compare this to my modern standards I'm basically a billionaire.'
As if seeing the hesitance on my expression, my parents merely smiled and talked amongst themselves while they waited for me to speak. Which I was grateful for.
I bit my lips and relaxed unto the chair with a sigh. 'What do those heroines do again in this kind of situation? Runaway was it? I'm far too timid for that.' I smothered my hair, conscious of how my parents would perceive me now.
Stressed, I was very stressed, but I fought hard not show my complicated feelings fo my face.
'Should.. should I just make a business?' The thought swam in my head, and I was honestly tempted to do just that. I had experience working with such a big capital before (of course it wasn't my money that was being spent), and I know how things work.
Only this time, I was the manning and shotgunning everything.
"What are you going to do now Letty?" My mother, Vittoria, softly asked. Her hands were reaching for the cookie on the table in front of her, while her attention was on me. I smoothened the parchments on my hand. A small smile beginning to show on my face, still full of hesitance, however, now with a bit of plan for the future.
"...I would like to think about for a bit. May I keep all related documents concerning me? Including this of course..." I motioned to the paperwork on the table, along with the one in my hand.