Chapter 5: A Sudden Twist

What happened? Who was that just now? That situation wasn’t a part of Sera’s memories in her past life. She walked backed and forth around her room as she tried to organize her thoughts.

When she felt tired, she sat at her study desk and pulled a paper and a pen from the drawer, and started writing things down. First, she wasn’t in a dream. Second, she truly went back to the past and that was her reality now.

What should she do?

It was the biggest question in that situation. Of course, her goal was to survive, but how exactly would she try to survive? Did she have to relive that life again?

She clenched her fists as she remembered the days when she couldn’t do the things that she wanted because she promised to live quietly. Would something change if she tried something that she liked?

She put a big question mark on the paper filled with her scribbles. What should she do in order to survive? If only she could leave…

She froze after realizing what her thoughts were about. It was like a eureka moment. A time where she realized that she had a brilliant idea.

She could just leave the house! But the problem was… how?

How would she leave that house when her father took her in to hide her existence?

“My lady?” Mary knocked on her bedroom door.

She crumpled the paper and threw it back in the drawer before she went to open the door. “What is it, Ma—”

She closed her mouth when she saw the beautiful person who caught her a while ago. What was he doing there in the annex? The maids were all informed that no one except the family members was allowed to visit her place.

“I’m sorry, my lady…” Mary bowed her head to apologize.

She looked at her brother who stood beside the stranger. His brows were furrowed and she was sure that she could’ve been scolded if not for the visitor who seemed to be curious about her.

“Who is she, Xander?” the boy asked.

“That little girl is a guest,” Xander said as he pushed the door open and entered her room.

She had no choice but to follow them and ask Mary to prepare tea for the guests. She opened the cabinet on her bedside table and took out a box of cookies. With an awkward smile, she put the cookies at the center of the table.

“Let’s have some snacks while waiting for the tea?” She asked, trying to be as hospitable as she could be.

“What’s your name, Miss?” the boy asked again. He looked younger than Xander but not older than Andrei so he should be around age 13 or 14.

Sera looked down. Despite living her life for eighteen years in the past, there was never a time when she encountered the boy. How should she answer such a question? Was it okay to tell him the truth?

“Your Imperial Highness, why are you so interested in her?” Xander said in a disgusted tone.

“Because she looks just like your father, Xander,” the prince said with a smile. “Is she your sister?”

Sera’s eyes grew wide. How naïve of her! How could she expect to hide her identity when her appearance was from the Fiore bloodline from head to toe? But what shocked her more was the way her brother called the boy. Your Imperial Highness? What was the Crown Prince doing in the Fiore Manor’s annex?

“Sister? Do you think a daughter could survive carrying the Fiore Family’s genes?” Xander cocked his brows at her.

Sera secretly rolled her eyes. Why was he acting that way? She wasn’t the one who insisted that she was a Fiore. If she could deny it, she definitely would! She wouldn’t want to be put in the same category as her heartless brothers.

“I think this lady here survived somehow.” The crown prince smiled at her but she just looked down and hid her face.

Having the attention of the crown prince was burdensome. How did she even manage to catch his attention? She was supposed to live a quiet life and run away to survive. But at that moment, she’d rather stay inside the annex and never come out ever again.

“You’re pretty bold, aren’t you?” The crown prince asked her as he leaned his head closer to her. “Why did you jumped off the window?”

Sera felt her mouth ran dry at the sudden question. Why did she even do it? Had she known that there was someone below, she wouldn’t even dare to jump. Now all she could do was look for a way to get out of the problem.

“I did not, your imperial highness. It was an accident.” She felt as if she had been forced to lie in order to survive. Her eyes grew wide when the crown prince held her chin and lifted her head to face him.

“Lies.” The crown prince smirked, crossed his arms as he leaned on the couch, and turned to Xander. “If you don’t want her here, can I have her instead?”

Sera’s eyes grew wide again. What was wrong with him? Why would he want a clueless little girl like her? Couldn’t he get the gist of the situation? She was someone who was supposed to be hidden in the annex.

“Forgive me, your imperial highness. I don’t think I would give my daughter to you at such a young age.”

The three of them looked towards the door and saw the duke standing there. It was the third time that Sera saw her father and she realized that she was a spitting image of him. If she tried to act like him, would she give off the same vibe?

“Duke Fiore.” The crown prince smiled. “Then, will you send her to me once she grows up?”

“If you still want her by then, your imperial highness.”

Sera felt disgusted by their conversation. How could they talk about her as if she was an object to be given away? How could they talk about such a topic right in front of her?

“You disgust me, Duke.” The crown prince scoffed. “How could you easily send her daughter away like that?”

“But my methods are effective, your imperial highness.” The duke smiled back. “Knowing that I’d give her easily to you, you don’t want her anymore, right?”