Barbara's eyelids fluttered as she tried to shake off the grogginess. A relentless ache throbbed in her head, and her body felt weighed down by an oppressive heat. "Sonia," she called out, her voice weak and raspy, summoning her maid to bring an ice cooler to alleviate her fever.
As she struggled to open her eyes, she was met with an enveloping darkness that unnerved her. Furrowing her brow, she made a concerted effort to sit up, but something felt off. The air carried a pungent odour, a curious mixture of hay and mud. The bedding beneath her felt coarse and unfamiliar, a stark contrast to her own luxuriously soft bed. Even the thinness of the quilt felt out of place, considering the prevailing weather.
it was as if her maid had neglected her duties, especially at a time when she was unwell. However, Sonia had been thoughtful through years of serving her. She had taken care of her meticulously and never complained.
Throughout her ponders, the door was opened and a little boy went in. "Big sister! You woke up!" he yelled, jumping to her side. "I will tell Greta," he added, going out.
Barbara's frown deepened. 'Big sister?' she thought, looking at the boy. She had never seen him before. He was around ten years old, with a skinny frame, pale face, big brown eyes, and short brown hair.
The door was once again opened. This time, the boy came with a girl following him. She was shorter and skinnier than the boy, with ginger short hair and brown eyes. She had similar traits to the boy, so she must be his sister.
"Look, I told you big sister is awake," the boy said to the girl, who nodded. Her eyes sparkled.
"Big sister, are you okay?" he asked.
Barbara didn't answer; instead, she looked at her surroundings. The room lightened when the boy opened the door, so she noticed she was not in the Marquis' manor.
"Thank you for saving me. I must go to my house. Can you tell me where I am?" she asked the children, moving her heavy body.
"Big sister, what are you saying?" the boy asked.
Listening to the boy's reply, Barbara put her legs on the floor and stood up, supporting herself with the wall as a wave of dizziness rushed over.
The boy should be young, so he perhaps did not know where the location of this house was. As soon as she walked out, she was taken aback. The houses in these streets were lined up disorderedly. their ageing facades pleading for restoration. 'How can someone live in there?' she wondered.
Barbara snapped from her thoughts when someone nudged her. She shifted her gaze below to see the girl staring at her pitifully. 'What was that look?' she mulled as the girl looked at her as if she knew her.
"Big sister, are you leaving?" the boy asked, having the same look.
Barbara nodded, and the girl started crying. She stretched her hand to wipe the girl's tears, noticing her hands differed from before. Her fingers were full of blisters while her arms looked tanner than her usual white skin. Barbara stared at her body, which appeared totally different. She was taller than that! Barbara's heart trembled from panic.
"Do you have a mirror?" She inquired. The girl nodded and ran inside.
'What is happening!' she thought. Her heartbeats rose.
As the girl brought a small-sized mirror, Barbara gulped and stared at her reflection. The mirror fell from her hand, crushing into the floor. She froze. "I am dreaming," she murmured to herself as what she saw didn't resemble Barbara in the slightest.
…
On the other side.
The Marquis' family stood by Barbara's bed when the physician treated Barbara. The physician shook his head and looked at the Marquis.
"There are no signs of waking up. The cold water perhaps damaged her head, thus she was sleeping."
"When is she going to wake up, then?" Bernat questioned the physician.
"I do not know."
"What do you mean you don't know? Isn't it your job?" Bernat bombarded the old man with questions. His voice trembled with anger. "She had moved her fingers a couple of hours ago, so she must wake up soon," he added.
The physician patted his head and looked at Barbara. "The case is complicated. The lady can wake up soon and there is another possibility for not waking up," he stopped midway.
Both mother and daughter exclaimed. The marquis fisted his hands. A mix of anger and hopelessness erupted in his chest. When he got the news about his other daughter drowning in the lake, after a couple of weeks of saving his other daughter from kidnapping, he nearly broke down. He was sure that someone was targeting their family, and thus felt useless for not protecting his family.
Bernat stood in front of his daughter, who lay motionless in her bed. Her face looked paler and her eyes were closed. He feared those eyes would never open once again. The incident burdened him a lot, especially after neglecting her for a long time. From the day Aurora lived with them, she had never brought him tea like she used to. He thought she was angry at him and would pass with time, but she was distancing herself from them slowly.
Every day, he would tell himself that he should talk to her and make her feel less shunned, but his job and responsibilities in the court besides the bad thing that happened with Aurora made him very busy. He regretted his actions a lot.
Sensing someone patting his shoulder, he shifted his gaze to the right to meet his wife's tearing eyes. His eyes swelled with tears. "She will wake up," he said, most likely to convince himself.
"Milord, Sir Richard is asking you to visit Lady Barbara," the maid notified.
"Get him in," Bernat ordered. "I will stay with Aurora. You can leave," he spoke to them.
Susie and Aurora left the room, letting Bernat alone. As they walked in the corridor, Aurora asked, "Do you know the man who saved my sister?"
Susie shook her head. Barbara's saviour sent her into a carriage. At that time, they were nervous about what happened to notice anything about the man. Besides, he didn't come in person, but sent his fellows instead.
"The carriage where he brought my sister will be a match with the royal family's. Even the clothes my sister changed into were made from expensive fabrics. The grey coat was made from wolves' fur. Madam Sofia said those furs were hard to find and very costly."
"The man had a good heart to treat our daughter well. Your father is still searching for him to compensate him," Susie said.
"Mother, don't you find it weird? Why sister did go to the lake at this time and why did the man risk saving My Sister? Did they know each other?"
Susie stopped seeing Richard standing at the end of the corridor. She forced a smile and nudged her daughter to stop. Upon noticing Richard, Aurora greeted him.
As Richard passed by, he exchanged greetings with them. Susie watched him walk away and then turned her attention to her daughter, carefully studying her expression, which seemed perfectly normal. Susie couldn't shake the feeling that Richard might have overheard their conversation. A sense of unease crept into her chest as she gazed at Aurora.