Splash. Splash. Splash.  

I don't know what in the world is going on, but the mansion is currently flooding with water as the antique furnitures were already drenched. I checked every places that has a source of running water earlier; the public bath, shower rooms, washrooms, laundry, and the kitchen as all of the faucets were open. I proceeded to close the water faucets in every room and move to the next one as this was not really an easy task because this mansion happens to be a four-storey building!

It was impossible for me to go to the fourth floor since it had an metal barrier preventing me to climb upstairs. So, I was closing the faucets from first to third floors. I was really having a rough time since I accidentally twisted my ankle earlier. I couldn't move as fast as I could since it would be really painful.

Though, I don't know why whenever I close a faucet, it would suddenly reopen once I leave the room. I'm not exactly sure if I was the only one inside this house either. Now that I think about it, maybe the person that could be possibly pulling all the pranks on me was the handsome young man that I saw earlier in the portrait displayed at the grand staircase. What if he is also the same man that was speaking to me through my mind?

"If I don't act fast, I might drown in here!"

I considered escaping as well, but the main door wouldn't budge no matter how much I tried pushing it. All doors except the main entrance cannot be opened. I tried finding a back door, but unfortunately, there was none. Same goes with the windows, it was locked as well. There were some that had a plank wood nailed on it from the outside as the other windows were cracked, but it was too small for me to fit in. I tried searching for an item to throw at it, but the objects here were so hefty and I do not even know why. I could not even lift a mere flower vase for crying out loud!

Eventually, the water level risen up to my neck as it was only a matter of time until it goes over my head. My body reacts involuntarily as I immersed in frigid water. The black mamba that I was following earlier suddenly disappeared in thin air, same goes with the albino monocled cobra. There were no signs of those venomous reptiles anywhere.

This is probably the start of my second trial, or what the voice in my head said to me earlier. I am also not entirely sure what are the hidden intentions of the mastermind nor what he expects me to do, and what the 'trials' were all about. I hope this would be my final trial, and that I would be able to overcome it.

I don't know how much time has already passed since I had not seen any clock throughout my exploration of this mystical mansion to help me indicate the exact time. My body has been subjected to a cold environment for quite a while now as drowning might not be the one that kills me, but the hypothermia brought by the icy water.

The teeth in my mouth chattered together relentlessly and uncontrollably, it was hard to prevent my body from shaking. The last amount of air escaped my lips and was replaced with icy cold water that arose all over my head. Every muscle in my body ached in protest as I struggled relentlessly towards the surface.

As soon as I was able to lift my head out of the freezing water, the electricity suddenly went out, and darkness surrounds me. My eyes soon adjusted within the dark as my breaths were agonizingly painful and terribly short. I extended my scrawny arms weakly to grab the chandelier that was right above my head, grasping it tightly within my palms. I struggled to keep my head above the watery grave that waited to swallow me whole. There is no way I would allow myself to die in a place like this!

Every second that passed, the more my expanding lungs felt like they were being scorched. My arms and legs were numb from the ceaseless movement. I could feel my hands slowly slipping from the leverage, and before I knew it — I was already sinking rapidly, my lungs were burning with desire to breathe again. The water flooded over my lips, freezing them as it poured into my mouth. As panic faded into numbness, my heartbeat slowed down increasingly. The flood had taken over me; I was at its mercy.

Like being trapped in another world where I couldn't breathe or escape.

My eyes slowly fluttered open as the first thing that I saw when I woke up was a blurry image of two people standing right in front of me. I could still feel my head pounding as I waited for my vision to adjust back to normal. I do not know where I am, but everything looked so strangely familiar.

"M-My daughter is finally awake!" I heard a feminine voice announced merrily as a shadowy figure rushed towards me and pulled me into a warm embrace.

I jolted in surprise. Who is this person? Where am I?!

Her voluptuous chest suffocated me as I tried pushing her away from me. I panted heavily, trying to catch my breathe.

"I'm so glad that you finally regained your consciousness, you were in comatose for a whole year."

I felt a pair of warm hands that gently cupped my cheeks as she wiped away my nightly tears that dried on the surface of my eyes. I blinked a few times to get rid of the blurriness.

My eyes widened in surprise as my mouth slightly dropped open, this overly-familiar woman standing beside me happens to be my mother.

"You might be so confused and agitated right now, but you will soon make a full recovery and be completely unaffected by the coma." She reassured me as her lips curved into such a breathtaking smile.

"Let her get some more rest, Charlotte. You can dote on her all you want later on." A deep, masculine voice spoke as I turned around and saw a strict man standing in front of my bedchamber.

Our eyes suddenly met each other as I saw a kind smile forming his lips. That scary-looking, middle-aged man happens to be my father.

"You say that, but I could easily tell how you're restraining yourself to cuddle with our daughter!"

"E-Enough with your pretentious assumptions!"

A melodious giggle erupted from my lips as my parents ceased to banter with each other, and they looked at me with a hint of kindness in their eyes.

"It seems like I've gravely worried my parents," The laughter gurgled to a halt in my throat as it was replaced with a jovial smile. "Thank you for taking good care of me through this past year. I will be forever grateful for everything that you have done for me."

"Of course, we are your parents! It is only natural that we will do anything for our one and only daughter." My mother cheered as she was about to wrap her slender arms around my petite body again when my father refrained her to do so.

"Charlotte. Did you not hear me?"

"My, you are such a killjoy! I just want to spend the rest of the day in showering my pent-up affection to our beloved daughter. It is not my fault that you are so bashful to express your familial love, Oswald."

"I am not! We still have to send donations to the church for their efforts. They are the main reason why the curse that inflicted our child is finally gone for good."

Curse?

I hurriedly leapt out of the mattress and sprinted to the bureau. I saw my reflection within the mirror, and it seems like they were telling the truth — there are no longer trails of ancient markings that swirled all over my body. I tugged on the collar of my nightgown and revealed the nonexistent grotesque pitch-black curse imprinted on the centre of my undeveloped chest. It is really gone!

Not only that, my eyesight was also restored back to normal. It was no longer necessary for me to live in a monochromatic world. Everything within my field of vision is blooming in vibrant colors.

It is also easy for me now to move around using my legs. To think that I will no longer suffer in pain anymore was truly a delight! I felt like God decided to give me another chance in life. I have never felt so alive before!

"Gracious heavens — Cover yourself, young lady!" I heard my mother vehemently stated as it completely slipped out of my mind that my bosom was exposed. "Do you have no shame? There is still a man in this room, even though he is your biological father."

"Forgive me for my indecency, Mother! I just wanted to make sure that my curse was already gone just as you claim it is." I raised my collar to hide my unattractive chest as my body truly lacks sex appeal. I can't wait until puberty hits me.

A sigh of dismay escaped her red painted lips. "I will turn a blind eye on this one, but next time you behave in such an obscene manner — Expect that I will no longer tolerate your actions."

"Understood."

The both of them eventually retreated from my bedchamber as they advised me to make a full-recovery as my top priority. Even though they are both harsh, I am completely aware of the fact that they know what is the best for me.

Duke Oswald Darius von Ainsworth.

Duchess Charlotte Annalise von Ainsworth

I am truly blessed to have such wonderful parents that I can respect. The least that I could do was to repay all of their efforts and make them proud of me.

I have not forgotten that I still have my obligations as the future empress of the Belvedere Empire.

It has already been a year and there are probably so much opportunities and events that I missed. I have to work hard so I can meet everyone's expectations of me and gain their merit as I am the current Crown Princess of this honorable empire.

I decided to go to the washroom to refreshen myself, dabbing rinses of water all over my face as I stared at my reflection within the mirror.

"So I was in coma for a year..." I mumbled under my breathe as everything is now back to normal. I have recuperated from my ailment and regained my health. I started to have doubts since this was too good to be true.

"If this is just a dream... then I don't want to wake up from it."

I went back to my chamber as I decided to read some books for a meanwhile. I grabbed one of my favorite romance novels within the bookshelves that was written by an well-known author of the current era. His poems, novels and comedies are full of wit and exuberant vitality.

As I flipped through the pages, a faint musky scent hung in the air. The nostalgic smell lingered in my nose as if all of the books in the world smelled like how the author poured his mind and soul into creating a masterpiece with words of black and white.

I proceeded to re-read the novel. It is a story about the love triangle between a man and his two consorts.

Love and Desire
Written by Maximillian Emmanuel Mortimer

In the beginning, there was an brief introduction about the pitiful pair of twins who were separated at birth as they are both the main female protagonists of this novel.

The youngest sister was sold to the mercenaries as the eldest sister became a member of the royal family, and she was forced to enter a political marriage against her will. They both had a fair share of experiencing adversity despite the difference in status and circumstances.

The kingdom they were living in is a ruthless and savage country as the corrupted governance of the aristocrats affected the balance of power. The negligence of the upper echelons caused a negative impact upon the peasantry as they were harshly discriminated, and most of the population of the lower class have starved themselves to death.

This is where the main male protagonist was introduced. He is nothing more than an illegitimate child of a nobleman as he wanted to make a change. He had empathy with the proletarians as he used his intelligence to oppose the government. This fictional character had inherited his full share of the striking handsomeness and profound wisdom which was hereditary in the family.

The leading male character lend a helping hand to the peasantry. During his labor, he coincidentally encountered one of the leading female characters which was the younger sister who was enslaved by the mercenaries.

A life of a slave was like living in a nightmare. They were used for agricultural and artisanal labor as well as domestic, sexual, reproductive, and military service. Not only that, they may be punished by whipping, shackling, hanging, beating, burning, mutilation, branding, rape, and imprisonment in response to disobedience or perceived infractions. There were also some overseers who abused their slaves to assert dominance.

As the story progressed to reach its peak, the man began to gain merit as he exploited the treacherous acts of the nobility, and stripped them from their titles and lands. Not only that, he also freed the slaves from captivity and fixed the dishonest jurisdiction in the country. The plebeians also revered him as a hero of justice because of his astounding efforts.

How cliché it is.

Ah, this was also the moment that the younger sister had fallen in love with the leading male.

Nonetheless, I continued reading the story.

The esteemed royalties can no longer turn a blind eye to his defiance as he earned their wrath. He was sentenced to an unjustified death penalty for resisting the administration without even holding a fair court trial.

The masses were oppressed by the authorities, they held grudges against the tyrants as they raised the flag of retribution. They were greatly indebted to the man who saved the country from ruination as the least they could do was to spare his life.

This is where the candidate to the throne, the eldest sister, made an appearance at the rally. She finally stepped in the fray and ended the flames between opposing sides. She defended the heroic man and pardoned his sentence.

It was at this moment, the hero and the crown princess fell in love with each other.

And the ones who took the punishment instead were the main representatives of this empire, the highest rank of nobility which are the Emperor and his Empress after going through a lawful trial. They were charged guilty of high treason and accusations of corruption as they were banished from the dynasty, and stripped from their honorable titles.

The older sister ascended to the throne and became the rightful Empress but she didn't had an Emperor to rule the country together with. The promised engagement with her fiancee was completely terminated since she had never once felt his love for her.

There was a strong petition to make the heroic man to be the Emperor who would stand beside the Empress, and rule the nation.

Since love had already bloomed between the sidelines, he was immediately crowned as the Emperor. They were supposed to have their happy ending — until the younger sister came into the picture.

After many years being apart, the twin sisters reunited once again. Of course, they were happy since they finally found each other.

But that happiness was short-lived.

The official announcement of the ceremonial matrimony soon reached the youngest twin as she managed to prevent the exchange of vows.

She was envious of her older sister who had everything that she ever wanted, and lived her life comfortably within the palace walls. It felt like her twin sister stole everything away from her, and now she was doing the same thing as she was about to marry the only man that she ever loved throughout her life.

She begged her not to take him away. He meant the world to her. She told her how she couldn't live without him. But the eldest sister also felt the same way. There was no man in this world that could ever replace him.

They decided to let him choose between the two of them. But the man could not make his decision — he loved them both equally.

I facepalmed myself as it was getting a bit difficult for me to continue reading the next few chapters. Since I have already read this before, I was not really fond of how the author ended this story. There is no use in complaining about it since this is his work, but as for me — being unable to write a good conclusion was Maximillian Emmanuel Mortimer's only flaw.

A sigh of dismay escaped my lips as I just continued reading so I can finish it and move to the next book.

Since the pair of twins had not reached a conclusion, they started to fight among themselves. The victor of the match shall be rightfully wedded to the Emperor.

And they had an unexpected outcome — the two sisters who only had each other, could not bring themselves to harm one other as they decided to withdraw the duel.

In the ending, both of them were married to the hero as everyone lived happily ever after.

After reading the last few sentences of the final chapter, I closed the book and rubbed my temples. I fully admit that his literary is truly fascinating, but happy endings are not really the cup of my tea.

Don't get me wrong, happy endings are nice and all. The only thing that I liked was that everyone lives happily ever after. Although that rule was only applied for the three main protagonists as they were protected by the plot of the story. Authors have the privilege to use their paper and pen to write the impossible to become possible.

Maybe because it can't happen in real life, that is why I am always envious of it and prefer them to have a sad ending...

I do not even know why I am so riled up with this book. I pushed away my nonsensical thoughts and began to choose another novel to read within my bookshelves.

Then I suddenly heard someone knocking on the door. "I have brought your meal, Milady."

"You may come in." After those words of approval left my lips, the door flung open as a middle-aged man wearing a standard butler suit entered my bedchamber while pushing a food trolley.

"All of the servants within the household were very happy that Milady has finally regained her consciousness."

"It seemed like I have caused enough trouble for everyone. Nevertheless, I want to express my gratitude." The head steward placed my meal on top of the dresser as I knew that his eyes and ears were peeled. "Thank you for worrying about me. I am truly overjoyed that I was able to return back to my daily life as well."

He is Frederick Gibson. The Head Steward of the House Ainsworth. His family has been working for us, generation by generation since its founding. He is also one of the oldest servants that are serving our family.

"It is only natural that we would be worry." He gave me a wrinkled smile as there were a few strands of white hair that indicated his senility. It might be only his job, but he treats me a lot kinder than any servant in this household. He was the one who took care of me ever since I was an infant. He tended to my needs as he was there in my beck and call. There is no one as loyal as him working in our manor.

Mr. Frederick served me a Mortrew. It is a luxurious pottage with meat paste which has been fortified with eggs, breadcrumbs and spices and then cooked to the consistency of thick custard. I decided to eat the meal that was graciously made just for me.

"It's delicious!"

"I am honoured and humbled by your approval, Milady."

Eating my meal parched my throat. He seemed to notice this as he immediately brewed me a delicious tea.

The fragrance of the fresh and especially dried whole flowers is surprisingly like a crisp apple, and I suspect that the flavor might also carry the same taste.

I lifted the porcelain cup and placed it near my lips as I took a sip. This tea has gentle notes of an apple, and there is a mellow, honey-like sweetness in the cup. It has a silky mouthfeel and yet remains a clean, delicately floral herbal tea, and even from the very first sip it feels wonderfully soothing.

"What do you call this tea?"

"It is a chamomile herbal tea, Milady. Do you like it?"

"Yes. It has a light, airy, and really palatable taste that most people enjoy."

"Inhaling the aroma of the chamomile also relaxes both mind and body. I thought that you might be stressed for everything that happened, so I brought you a drink that could ease your worries for a little bit."

I placed the porcelain floral teacup on top of the saucer as I smiled at our thoughtful and loyal steward.

"Thank you. It really means a lot to me."

He returned the gesture with a kind smile gracing his lips as he only nodded in response.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

There was someone knocking on the door as I responded rather quickly. "Come in."

The door opened as soon as I gave them a permission to enter inside. It was one of our youngest butlers in the household as he was holding an envelope and a package wrapped in an ivory seamless floral patterns with a golden ribbon tied around it. He was also carrying a bouquet of fresh dandelions in his arms.

"Greetings Milady, there are gifts addressed to you that came from the Imperial Palace."

"Thank you." I gracefully smiled at the delivery young boy as he simply returned the gesture. He has short, straight black hair and a pair of pale blue eyes as his complexion is fair. He looks quite adorable, but I haven't seen him before. He must be a new employee.

Mr. Frederick took the letter and package as well as the bouquet from the male servant as I gave him the permission to leave. He respectfully bowed his head and closed the door afterwards.

I saw an ivory envelope with a golden waxed seal as the crest was imprinted with a common wild plant that has large, round yellow flowers that change into fluffy balls of white seeds. The Dandelion flower is the emblem of the Imperial Family.

The head steward carefully placed the package on top of my dresser as he handed me the bouquet of dandelions as I admired its ephemeral beauty.

"Open the letter for me."

"Certainly." 

He grabbed a paper knife as he used it to lift the waxed seal of the envelope. Once he opened it, he gave it to me.

"Thank you." I stated as I took the envelope and began reading the contains of the letter slipped inside. I had a hunch who was the sender of this letter after seeing the familiar calligraphic handwriting.

To the Lady of House Ainsworth.

From Your Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince of the Belvedere Empire sends a warm greeting.

I felt my heart skipped a beat after reading the first two lines of the letter. It is from my beloved fiancée.

The Duke of House Ainsworth had informed the Imperial Family that My Lady has finally awoken from her deep slumber. To commemorate your recovery, a grand celebration shall be held within the Palace of Belvedere. I also sent you a wonderful present. I would be truly pleased if you consider wearing it later.

Happy 13th Birthday, my dearest fiancée. I wish that this year would bring you utmost happiness. I look forward to reunite with My Lady once again.

Sincerely Yours,

William Edmund de Belvedere

It was hard for me not to smile after reading the letter that was sent by my future spouse. I could not help but feel as if I was in cloud nine.

"Judging from the beautiful smile adorning your face, it seems like you received such a good news."

"Indeed! I was so confused with everything that suddenly happened to me that I have completely forgotten that today is my birthday!"

I plopped on my mattress and hugged the letter and the bouquet tightly within my arms as a smile filled with pure bliss never seemed to escape from my lips.

"Milady, I advise that you should get some rest before the party starts." Mr. Frederick said as he placed my utensils on the trolley after I finished eating and drinking.

"But I slept for a whole year! I am not tired yet."

"It is important to get some sleep when you can."

"I will keep that in mind. You may leave now."

I dismissed our head steward as he bowed his head and left my bedchamber afterwards. I stood up from my bed and placed the letter that I received from a special someone inside my drawer. I decided to drown myself in the seas of fiction to kill some time.