Reborn as the Duke's Daughter

I open my eyes and I'm welcomed with the sight of the most luxurious room I've ever seen in my entire life. The room is vast and spacious and I can imagine my whole apartment fitting into this one room. Even with the pink and white color scheme, which I'm not really a fan of, it's actually pretty pleasant to the eyes. This is definitely a room catered and decorated for a woman with a delicate taste and has an eye for soft and creamy pinks. It somehow looks like someone's bedroom but, to be honest, it looks more like an expensive hotel room with a Victorian-era theme. From the cabinets, end tables, to the closets, they all look like hand-carved mahogany with golden edges and handles. Are those even real gold? And wait...hold the phone, but are those golden chandeliers with jewel-encrusted candlesticks hanging on the ceiling?! I'm so confused but...more importantly, I'm so worried. What am I doing in this kind of place, anyway? Have I drank too much at the office party last night and somehow, I checked myself into a lavish hotel? Base on the quality and the riches that the room seems to emanate, I fear my savings won't be able to cover the price of renting this room even if it's just or one night. For sure, the cost of this Victorian-era-themed room is definitely out of my price range. Heck, with the salary from being a slave working for slave-driving bosses and facing off rude people almost every day, I can barely afford to rent a decent apartment. Just thinking about the rent I had on my small, dainty apartment is making me dizzy and I worry if I can last a month without being kicked out. However, even if my apartment's small and shitty, it's found in one of the safest neighborhoods in the city. Not only that it's near my workplace, but I can also guarantee that I won't be dying any time soon from a mugger stabbing a knife through my side just to get my meager earnings. It just goes to show that even though I'm dirt poor, I still have standards. My safety is top priority and if my workplace is giving me hell, I'd at least like to go home without fearing someone might enter and murder me while I sleep...or worse. This is why the rest and relaxation I'm having on my days off at home is like a balm to my soul. One which I don't mind paying overtime for. However, back to the problem at hand...I don't know if I can manage to work overtime to pay for this hotel room AND my apartment at the same time. Did I say that my safety is a top priority? Well, what use is that if I die from overworking in the end? I groan at the sudden headache that's making itself known. I swear, the pain just got worse when I thought about going flat broke the moment I get out of this hotel room's doors. It seems to be punishing me for the stupid thing I did by checking myself in here while drunk. Maybe I should start packing my things and try to slowly leave because I'm terrified that the longer I stay here, the higher the price I'll be paying when I check out. Unfortunately, I don't think I can move a muscle thanks to the crippling pain from my head. Ugh. This is just what I needed. First things first, health is always the priority. But why am I slaving away, sacrificing my health at a corporate company that treats people like beasts or robots instead of humans, you say? Well, that's a story for another day but right now, I'd like to believe that I am prioritizing my health first. Therefore, it's best to ease the pain before anything else so I can focus on what needs to be done. I turn my head to the side, hoping I can somehow find a position where my head doesn't hurt as much, only to pause in place. That's because the door suddenly opens and when I turn to look, I saw a woman wearing a frilly maid uniform entering the room. She's carrying a tray with a small basin of water and a white face towel as she shuffles carefully inside. Oh no, oh great, oh geez. Is this going to be added to the price of my stay here as well? Don't tell me I also asked for room service and to be BATHED or WASHED by someone while I was inebriated? I groan inwardly, wanting to just bash my head on the wall. If only it's not already punishing me by giving me a painful headache, I'd do it. Ugh, drunk me, why did you have to go and screw me over like this, huh? If only I can turn back time, I'm going to kick you in the ass for this stupid move you've pulled. Better yet, I'm going to stop drinking. Seriously. I'll definitely stop for good this time. I'm about to open my mouth and ask the woman if I can still cancel the room service. However, before I can do or say anything, she lifts her gaze from the tray and our eyes meet. She blinks. Now's my chance! "Oh, excuse--" Her eyes suddenly widen like saucers before she gasps and scampers back out of the door, tray and all, all the while yelling at the top of her lungs. "Master! Young Masters!! The Young Miss is finally awake!!!" I wince because her shrill voice seems to echo in the room, ringing through my ears, and resonating up my aching head. Misfortunes upon misfortunes, it aggravated my already throbbing noggin that I had to groan in pain. Just what on Earth was she yelling about? Young Miss? Is there someone with that name in the same room as me or...did she mean me? Haha, it sounds like this hotel is not only Victorian-era inspired, but it's apparently into cosplaying and roleplaying as well in order to fit their theme to a Tee. It's very commendable of them to treat their guests and customers the same treatment as if they really were in the Victorian era but... As enjoyable and as exciting as that sounds, it also means that this is going to be an additional digit or digits added to this hotel's already expensive price tag. I suddenly want to curl into a ball and cry my heart out for my financial misfortune. On the bright side, though, my headache is finally fading away. This makes it possible for me to struggle to sit up in bed, close my eyes, and figure out where my stuff is so I can hightail it out of here...after I pay an inevitably hefty sum, that is. Well, I might be poor but I have standards in my living conditions and I'm not a criminal nor am I going to be...no matter how tempting it sounds to just pack up and leave without looking back. Ugh, still, I wish it were that simple. But that's not possible since they already had my credentials and my drunk and wasted-looking face is probably on every CCTV camera already. Therefore, making a quick escape is impossible that I might as well pay my dues rather than get caught and spend time in jail. When will my bad luck end? With a heavy sigh, I open my eyes and look around. It's when it finally sunk into my brain that I am, indeed, in an unfamiliar, not to mention, luxurious room. When I opened my eyes before, I thought it was all a dream at first but then...it's not. Oh, how I wished it stayed a dream and I won't have to be worrying about money after this. But, as frustrating as it seems, I'll just have to stop crying about what's already done and own up to my mistake. Nevertheless, it's a little...weird. Because, for the life of me, the longer I look around the place, the more the room feels a little more familiar to me at the same time. But how can something like that make sense? How can something be unfamiliar seem familiar to you all of a sudden? I don't feel like my brain is coming up with an answer to such a question and before I can ponder about it any further, something catches my attention from the corner of my eye. Rather than contemplating such a difficult question with no answer on the horizon, I reach for the thing that caught my eye instead. It's a handheld mirror with a golden handle on top of an expensive-looking bedside table. I should probably check myself out first and make myself look a little more presentable and dignified before making my exit from this hotel room. I probably look like a monster because waking up from a wild night from an office party and becoming drunk as hell does not make for a pretty picture. It's scary how one innocent-looking event can easily transform someone from a human to a beast. My nightmare look was probably why the maid ran out of the room so fast, like the hounds of Hell are chasing her when she saw me. Taking in a deep breath, I brace myself for the inevitable and at the count of three, I raise the mirror and see...someone else? I gasp in surprise, dropping the mirror on the bed. After gaping at the walls for a couple of minutes, I finally regain my senses. Looking around me, I make sure that I'm in the hotel room and not a TV prank show. Okay...so far, I see no cameras nor stage crews within the vicinity. I'm very good at sensing stuff like this so when I think or feel that there's no one here, there's no one here. But... Eyeing the mirror again, I rub at my eyes to make sure that I wasn't just seeing things. I pick up the mirror to check myself out once again. As I stare into it, I confirmed that no, I'm definitely not seeing things. I pinch my cheek for good measure and I can feel the pain from it. The reflection mimicked my movements as what it's meant to do and I see myself wince at the ache from my pinching fingers. It's official then. That is really me in the mirror. But how the heck is that possible?! Gone are my flat, black hair and my drab, boring dark brown eyes, which are the typical Asian features. In its stead are soft, fluffy light pink hair that smoothly curls inward like a cloud and bright jewel-like amethyst-colored eyes. "Whoa..." I breathed, amazed and fascinated beyond belief as I finger the soft and silky strands while blinking my eyes at least a couple dozen times. This...is not really real, right? For sure, these are just contact lenses and a wig--ow! Okay, so I just pulled my hair and it hurts. This is definitely my real hair and clearly not a wig. Is this a product of a very good quality and most probably expensive hair dye then? Oh my god! Is this going to be billed to me as well?! I mean...I love the color and my hair has never looked so natural and so healthy before. I'd be happy to pay for this and even get this kind of treatment again once I check out but... After this, I'm definitely not just going to be flat broke, but I'm also going to be buried in debt!!! I feel my lips wobble as I feel the onset of tears but I stubbornly tried to hold it in. Why oh, why did I have to go get so drunk and indulge myself in such a way? Why?! That's it, I'm really going to cry right at this moment-- "RAFFY!" I flinch in surprise at the sudden roar, making me drop the mirror yet again when the door slams open with a force that slightly shook the whole room. Then, in came three men who look so similar to each other. All of them are sporting varying shades of dark blue hair. The oldest of the three has the same jewel-like amethyst-colored eyes as I have, while the other two younger ones(probably a couple years older than me or so) have sparkling scarlet eyes. And following them from behind is a maid(the one who came in with the tray from before), a butler, and a knight. All of them are looking at me with expressions of relief and bright shimmering eyes as if they're going to be crying any time soon. Not only that, but they're also looking at me as if I just got back from the dead. ... Hmm...come to think of it, the people before me emit the same familiar yet unfamiliar feel just like the room I'm in. It's like, there's a little voice inside of my head that tells me I've known them all my life. However, I'm pretty sure that I haven't met any one of them before. "Raffy! Oh, my little girl! My little strawberry cupcake! You're finally awake!" The oldest man, the one with dark blue hair and amethyst eyes, exclaims tearily as he drops to his knees so we're almost face to face. He's beaming but I feel like he's waiting for...something. All of a sudden, I have this urge to roll my eyes at his overreaction and just silently open my arms for the hug my Dad's been waiting for whenever he's being dramatic. Wait a minute, hold on... Did I just acknowledge this person before me as my Dad?! But...how can it be I was an orphan and I-- And just like an overflowing dam that suddenly broke, all my memories--then and now--came rushing towards me, drowning my head with millions upon millions of information all at once. And as quickly as that happened, it feels like my headache is back with a vengeance. The pain piercing my head is so sharp and so strong that it won't be long before I'm going to faint from the agony. And is it just me or is everything going dim around me? Oh, wait, no, I AM fainting! The last things I heard before blacking out are the anguished screams and desperate yells of my family calling my name and then...darkness. *** So, while I'm unconscious, I'd like to make some things clear. Yes, I didn't misspeak on the last line. Yes, I did say that those people are my family. Yes, those men are my Dad and my two older brothers. The head maid, main butler, and captain knight are the three most trusted people of the Opponia family so they're technically like family too. Now that all my memories come back to me like an avalanche, I am more than capable of sorting through them in this dark void of my unconsciousness. First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Rafflesia Anne von Opponia, eight years old, and the only daughter of Duke Castor, Mighty Savior of Asturias, Precious Aid to Lord Ellynmen, and the Grand Duke of Opponia, one of the most prestigious dukedoms--actually, it's the ONLY dukedom in the Empire of Aster. And let me just get this out of the way, yes, I am named from the most hideous-smelling flower in the whole world. Why on Earth would someone name their only daughter from a flower that stinks like a dead rotting body is beyond me. Still, I can discuss more about that later. Let me just clear something up from before first. Like the room. Yeah, well, the luxurious room that I was in is, in fact, my own bedroom. It's apparently not a hotel room that I impulsively checked into during a wild night at an office party. Besides, how can an eight-year-old drink alcohol in a place where apple cider is considered an alcoholic drink and become an office worker in a world where the most decent job you'll get, as a nobody loser like me, that can earn you a minimum wage is either muck out the stalls of someone's stables or wash chamberpots from a middle-class family. However, I'm not a nobody loser anymore, am I? To make things even clearer as to why I speak like I've been living another life is because yes, I am literally living a new life and I lived a different life from before. If one might ask why how do I know that and if I know where am I really, then I can answer that without problems. Allow me to introduce my past self. My name was Crystal Armos, twenty-one years old, an orphan, and living life working my ass off as a customer service agent dealing with awful people and even a bigger jerk of a boss just to put food on the table. The only ray of sunshine in my dark and bleak past life before was during the weekends. The days where I didn't have to virtually face rude, stuck-up, and arrogant customers and where I just kick back and relax with my boyfriends. Well, technically, as a nobody loser, I never had a boyfriend during the twenty-one years of existence on Earth but it's not worth crying over since I've found someone...or something better. And that's spending my day at home during the weekends and playing my favorite visual novel game called Asturias: The Romance. Yes, I know that all of you there are finally thinking of the same thing by now and if you still don't get it then let me elaborate. My name was Crystal Armos and I died back on Earth while I was playing the visual novel on my phone while riding the elevator down. The elevator malfunctioned and broke and that was the end of Crystal Armos. Now, I'm Rafflesia Anne von Opponia, one of the characters in the game and therefore, in conclusion... I reincarnated in a game and my adventure inside the romantic visual novel I've been playing in my past life starts now.