Back to Reality~
________________________
Tok tok tok.
"Your Grace Ophlia, it's us," Olivia said, knocking on the door. She rubbed her eyes. And looked around.
"Can we come in?" she called, hearing the two of them laughing outside her room.
The moment she said yes she stopped. And looked down at both her arms. Scratch marks. Nail marks. All over her skin. She felt a wave of worry wash over her.
They're going to be shocked and think I'm crazy.
Her eyes were already watering.
Suddenly.
TUB!!
The door that had been closed flew open wide, as if something huge had been slammed into it.
"That's why I said we should just wait," Celine said, looking uneasy.
Three knights were standing there holding a large wooden beam. Behind them stood Olivia, looking extremely proud of the whole situation. The knights excused themselves and left. Olivia grinned widely while Celine panicked at the sight of the door hanging completely open.
"Oh nooo oh no," Celine said over and over.
"Relax la Celine," Olivia said confidently.
Ophla, who had been anxious just moments ago, slowly took a breath.
Watching the two of them, the corner of her lips lifted slightly.
She chuckled.
Both of them stepped inside. And immediately Ophla covered her arms where the marks were. Both of them ran toward her.
"Your Grace, we thought you were in trouble!!" Celine said, already crying.
Ophilia went still.
Huh?
"Who said?" she asked, looking between the two of them.
Celine pointed at Olivia, who was smiling awkwardly.
"Well, because usually if someone takes a long time to open the door, something might be wrong," Olivia said, glancing down at the knights still cleaning themselves up outside. Celine shot her a look and turned back to Ophla.
"Are you okay, Your Grace?" she asked, checking her over.
But suddenly Ophilia's eyes went wide when she realised Celine had pulled the blanket she had been using to cover her injured arm. She snatched her hand back instantly and hid it behind her.
Noooo.
Both of them went completely still. They didn't say a word. Celine and Olivia had already seen it. Scratch marks. Nail marks. All across the skin of her arm. Both of them startled and ran out. But in completely opposite directions.
Ophla covered her mouth and slowly pulled the blanket back over herself.
They're going to think something is wrong with me. That I'm crazy.
She gripped the blanket tight. And lowered her head. Crying. Imagine how her life after this . She clutched in her bed.
"They're definitely scared of me now…" she whispered over and over.
Before she could finish that thought, she heard footsteps. She lifted her head and looked at the door still hanging wide open. But there was nobody there.
Maybe I imagined it.
She exhaled slowly.
"There's nothing I can do right now. Everything is just going to go back to how it always is. Dark. Cold," she said quietly. Her eyes were watering again.
TAP TAP TAP.
The sound of footsteps grew clearer. This time not just one set. More than one.
Suddenly, three heads appeared at the doorway, carrying medicine, food and drinks. Ophilia's eyes went wide. They glistened.
"Your Grace, whyyyy??" Celine said, still catching her breath from running to get Madam Irene.
"Madam!! Celine!! You too Olivia," Ophilia said softly.
Bwaaahhhhhhhh.
Olivia and Celine looked at each other and immediately ran toward Ophilia who was still sitting on her bed.
"Don't cry, Your Highnessss!!" Celine said, hugging Ophilia who was already sobbing loudly. Olivia, not wanting to be left out, joined the hug and cried along.
"Bwahh I miss my mom and all of you," Ophilia cried.
"I miss you too, Your Grace," Celine said, already fully caught up in the emotions.
Olivia, watching them both cry, absolutely could not be left behind.
"Bwahh, I miss all of you, also my mom and dad, and my novel," she announced loudly.
Ophla and Celine, hearing that, joined in automatically.
"I miss my hometownnn…." Celine sobbed.
"I miss my teddy bear!!" Ophilia cried.
"Um, I also miss my future husband," Olivia said, then immediately punched her own mouth.
Both of them went quiet.
"What future husband??" they said at exactly the same time, staring hard at Olivia.
"Oh you kids, you don't know?" Olivia said, wiping her tears. They shook their heads.
"Uh… that, em, your husband," she said, tapping her cheek. They tilted their heads.
"Hmmm… you want to know?" Olivia grinned at the two of them.
"You will ki…."
Before she could finish, someone stared at her sharply.
She cleared her throat.
"Um, nothing!!" she said, laughing awkwardly.
"Arh, you cheat," Celine and Ophla said together, disappointed.
Then Madam Irene stepped in.
"Your Grace, may I see the wound?" she said, walking toward them, a small medical box in her hands.
Slowly, she lifted both of Ophla's arms.
"Oh my god," Olivia said loudly.
"OLIVIA!!" Madam Irene said, the corner of her mouth twitching like she was trying not to scold her.
"Oh sorry," Olivia said, watching quietly as Ophla's arm was treated.
"It must hurt," Celine said, sitting beside Ophla.
"No, it's not," Ophla said softly, shaking her head.
"No, Your Grace. From now on, please don't do this anymore," Madam Irene said firmly, wrapping Ophla's arm carefully.
Ophla nodded slowly.
"Today, we're going to sleep with you, Your Grace," Celine said, glancing at Olivia hopefully.
Olivia smiled and nodded.
"Why not?" she said, pulling both of them into a hug.
Madam Irene looked at the scene in front of her. All three of them laughing together, warm and happy.
This is how it should be.
She took a long quiet breath, and slipped out of the room, leaving them the space to talk.
After Madam Irene left, something crossed Olivia's mind.
"Your Grace, did something happen?" she asked, leaning slightly toward Ophilia who was sitting stiffly in the middle of them.
"Oh, nothi…." Ophilia started.
She snapped back. She was trying to remember what happened last night. But the memory was blurry every time she tried to reach for it. As if everything that happened was nothing more than a dream.
Olivia felt something had happened to Ophilia. Her eyes kept drifting toward the bandaged arm, and she started pulling at her memories of the original novel.
Ting!
Something clicked.
If she's acting like this... I think it might be connected to her mother
she thought, eyes still fixed on the wrapped wound.
Celine, worried about Ophilia, was busy touching her forehead to check for fever. Ophilia smiled stiffly and shook her head. Olivia opened her mouth.
"Your Grace, are you feeling unwell today?" she asked, watching Ophilia carefully.
Ophilia looked confused. She tilted her head.
"Umm… I just remember something but it felt like a dream," she said, trying to recall what happened. But while Ophilia was busy thinking, something suddenly glitched from her hand.
Olivia looked more carefully.
The…
She knew it. A thread that had always looked faded before was now getting brighter in colour….. and immediately her whole body went stiff.
Her breath caught slowly.
"This…"
A thin line began to form. Like a thread.
But… it was unstable. Glitching.
…and this time
The colour appeared. Olivia's eyes widened.
"That can't be…"
…why now?
!!!!