Chapter 3 – The Villainess
1983 Words
Elara’s POV
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
I stared at the woman in the mirror.
She stared back.
I raised my hand.
She did the same.
I touched my cheek, slowly tracing the unfamiliar shape of my face.
“No.”
I stepped closer.
The woman in the mirror had long dark hair falling over her shoulders, clear skin, full lips, and eyes that looked nothing like mine.
But I knew her.
I had spent hours reading about her last night.
“Elara Vale.”
The name came out as a whisper.
I stepped away from the mirror.
“No. No, no, no.”
I pinched my arm.
Pain shot through me.
“Ouch!”
I grabbed my arm and stared at it.
That hurt.
Which meant I wasn't dreaming.
I looked around the room again.
The enormous bed.
The expensive curtains.
The carved furniture.
The unfamiliar clothes.
Everything was still there.
My breathing became shallow.
“How?”
I walked toward the wardrobe and pulled it open.
Dresses filled every space.
Silk.
Lace.
Embroidery.
Colors I couldn't even name.
I touched one of them.
It felt real.
Too real.
I closed the wardrobe and turned around.
There had to be something.
Something that would prove I was still Eliana.
My phone.
I searched the bedside table.
Nothing.
The drawers.
Nothing.
I checked beneath the pillow, beside the bed, even inside the wardrobe again.
Nothing.
My phone was gone.
So was everything else that belonged to me.
I walked toward a large portrait hanging on the opposite wall.
My steps slowed.
A beautiful woman stood in a garden wearing a dark blue gown.
I stopped.
It was the same face.
Underneath the portrait was a small golden plaque.
Lady Elara Vale.
My stomach dropped.
I touched the plaque.
Then I laughed once.
It sounded completely wrong.
“Of course.”
I sat on the edge of the bed.
Of all the characters I could have become, I had to become her.
Elara Vale.
The villainess.
The woman who spent half the novel making everyone's life miserable because she was obsessed with Cassian Draven.
I remembered her perfectly.
She was beautiful, wealthy, powerful, and spoiled.
She had been raised with everything she could possibly want.
Except Cassian.
And because she couldn't have him, she destroyed herself trying to get him.
I covered my face with both hands.
“I read this book for entertainment.”
I lowered my hands.
“Why am I inside it?”
There was no answer.
I looked toward the mirror again.
Elara looked back.
Except this time, something felt different.
The body was hers.
The face was hers.
But the person behind those eyes was me.
Eliana.
I didn't know how it had happened.
I didn't know why.
And I certainly didn't know how to get home.
A knock sounded.
I immediately straightened.
The door opened.
The maid from earlier entered carrying a tray.
She stopped when she saw me standing beside the mirror.
“My lady?”
I turned toward her.
“Yes?”
She looked slightly surprised.
“Your breakfast.”
She carefully placed the tray on the table.
I watched her.
She was young, probably around my age, with brown hair tied neatly behind her head.
And she looked nervous.
Not ordinary nervousness.
She looked like she was afraid of making a mistake.
I didn't blame her.
According to the novel, Elara wasn't exactly kind to the people working for her.
“What is your name?”
The maid blinked.
“Lydia, my lady.”
“Lydia.”
“Yes.”
“How long have you worked for me?”
“Almost four years.”
I nodded.
“Alright.”
She looked at me carefully.
“Are you feeling better, my lady?”
“Yes.”
“Your mother asked me to remind you that your bath has been prepared.”
“Thank you.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
I noticed.
“What?”
“Nothing, my lady.”
I almost smiled.
Apparently, Elara didn't say thank you very often.
“Take me to the bathroom.”
“Yes, my lady.”
I followed her.
After a few steps, I stopped.
“Lydia?”
She turned immediately.
“Yes?”
“What day is it?”
Her brows pulled together.
“Monday.”
“The date.”
She told me.
My heart stopped for a second.
I knew this date.
I knew exactly where it fell in the story.
Early.
Very early.
Before Cassian and Seraphine's relationship became serious.
Before Elara's biggest mistakes.
Before the mate bond.
Before everything fell apart.
I released a breath.
I had time.
That was good.
I could work with time.
I wouldn't make the same mistakes Elara had made.
I wouldn't chase Cassian.
I wouldn't fight Seraphine.
I wouldn't humiliate myself for a man who didn't want me.
I would stay away from both of them.
Simple.
At least, it sounded simple.
We entered the bathroom.
I stopped again.
A huge marble tub sat in the center of the room, filled with steaming water.
I stared at it.
“This is a bathroom?”
Lydia nodded.
“Yes, my lady.”
I walked closer.
“It's enormous.”
She looked confused.
“Is something wrong?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“Nothing.”
I stepped into the bath.
The warm water surrounded me, and for the first time since waking up, I felt myself relax.
I closed my eyes.
Maybe this wasn't completely terrible.
I had another chance.
A chance Elara never had.
I could live quietly.
I could enjoy the wealth.
I could avoid unnecessary drama.
And most importantly, I could survive.
Then pain exploded through my head.
I gasped.
My hands gripped the edge of the tub.
Images flashed before my eyes.
A forest.
Darkness.
Blood.
A scream.
Golden eyes staring through the trees.
A hand covered in red.
Then a man.
He stood beneath a pale moon, completely still.
I couldn't see his face.
I tried to move closer.
The image disappeared.
I opened my eyes.
My breathing was heavy.
Lydia rushed toward me.
“My lady!”
“I'm fine.”
“You look pale.”
“I just…”
I stopped.
What was I supposed to say?
I saw a mysterious man standing in a forest covered in blood?
That would sound insane.
“I'm just tired.”
Lydia hesitated.
“Should I call the physician?”
“No.”
“But—”
“I'm alright.”
She lowered her head.
“Yes, my lady.”
I leaned back against the tub.
My heart was still racing.
That vision hadn't been in the novel.
At least, not the one I remembered.
And that bothered me.
After my bath, Lydia helped me dress.
She chose a simple green gown.
When she finished arranging my hair, I looked at myself in the mirror again.
Elara Vale.
I still couldn't get used to it.
Lydia stood behind me.
“You look beautiful, my lady.”
“Thank you.”
She paused.
I looked at her through the mirror.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“No.”
“Then why do you look surprised?”
She lowered her gaze.
“You don't usually thank the servants.”
“Oh.”
I turned around.
“Well, I do now.”
She looked uncertain.
“Yes, my lady.”
A small smile appeared on my face.
“Good.”
We left the room.
As we walked through the estate, servants lowered their heads whenever they saw me.
Some moved out of my way.
Others avoided looking at me completely.
The atmosphere made me uncomfortable.
But I couldn't blame them.
They knew Elara.
They didn't know me.
We reached the dining room.
I sat down.
Lydia remained behind my chair.
“You can sit.”
She froze.
“My lady?”
“Sit with me.”
“I couldn't.”
“Why?”
“Because I'm your maid.”
“And I'm telling you to sit.”
She hesitated before taking the chair beside me.
I pushed a plate toward her.
“Eat.”
“My lady, I—”
“Eat.”
She quietly picked up the fork.
We ate for a few minutes.
Then Lydia spoke.
“Your mother asked me to remind you about Lord Cassian.”
My hand paused.
“Cassian?”
“Yes, my lady. He is expected this afternoon.”
Of course.
I had forgotten.
Cassian Draven.
The male lead.
The man Elara had been obsessed with.
I looked down at my plate.
In the original story, Elara had spent the entire morning preparing for his arrival.
Flowers.
Dessert.
A beautiful dress.
Anything to make him notice her.
I wasn't doing any of that.
“No flowers.”
Lydia looked surprised.
“No flowers?”
“No.”
“What about the dessert?”
I smiled.
“The dessert can stay.”
She laughed softly.
I looked at her.
“What?”
“You've always liked sweets.”
“That hasn't changed.”
For the first time, Lydia smiled without immediately hiding it.
Then the sound of horse hooves echoed outside.
Both of us turned toward the window.
A servant hurried into the dining room.
“My lady, Lord Cassian's carriage has arrived.”
My heart began beating faster.
Cassian was here.
Already.
I stood.
“Let's go.”
Lydia followed me.
We walked toward the entrance.
My mother was already waiting there.
She looked at me from head to toe.
“You changed the dress.”
“Yes.”
“I thought the blue one suited you better.”
“I like this one.”
She sighed.
“Fine.”
She looked toward the doors.
“Lord Cassian should be here any moment.”
I nodded.
“Alright.”
“And Elara…”
I looked at her.
“Try not to embarrass this family.”
I almost laughed.
“I won't.”
The large doors opened.
Cold air swept into the entrance hall.
A carriage stood outside.
The door opened.
A man stepped down.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Dark-haired.
He wore a black coat over a dark shirt, and even from a distance, there was something commanding about him.
He walked toward the estate as if the entire world already belonged to him.
My mother straightened.
“Lord Cassian.”
He entered the hall.
His eyes moved across the room.
Then they stopped on me.
For the first time, I saw Cassian Draven in person.
Not through a book.
Not through a description.
Not through someone else's words.
Him.
He approached us.
“Lady Vale.”
His voice was deep.
I knew it.
Not because I had ever heard it before.
Because I had read his words so many times that hearing the voice attached to them felt strangely familiar.
“Lord Cassian.”
He gave me a polite nod.
“It has been some time.”
I forced a smile.
“Yes.”
His gaze remained on me for another second.
Then he looked toward my mother.
“Lady Vale. Thank you for having me.”
“My pleasure,” she replied.
She gestured toward me.
“You remember my daughter.”
Cassian looked at me again.
“Of course.”
I kept my expression calm.
I knew what was supposed to happen next.
I knew what Elara would have done.
But I wasn't Elara.
And I wasn't going to follow her script.
Cassian held out his arm.
“Would you care to take a walk?”
I stared at him.
That wasn't how I remembered the scene.
For the first time since arriving in this world, I realized something.
Maybe knowing the story wouldn't be enough.
Maybe the moment I entered it, the story had already begun changing.
I placed my hand on his arm.
“Alright.”
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD