Chapter 1 - Maristella Janice La Bellafleur (2/2)
I snapped back into alertness. “Where am I supposed to go?” I asked slowly.
“You were supposed to go to the tea party at Trakos mansion with Lady Dorothea!”
Florinda impatiently forced me out of bed, then began to help me prepare with the other maids of the mansion. Wash, dress, make-up… I surrendered myself to the maids like a doll. Until now, I was still unable to fully comprehend what had happened to me.
What was going on here? I couldn’t believe that what I was experiencing was real, even though I was seeing it with my own eyes. This was all like a dream.
“It’s done, My Lady. You look so pretty.”
“You really are beautiful, Lady Marie. Your beauty grows with each passing day!”
But the lavish praises of the maids did not impress me. Florinda pulled me towards a full-length mirror, and as soon as I saw myself, I let out a laugh.
“Ahahaha.”
My reflection in the mirror was exactly as described in the novel. Long, lustrous black hair fell to my waist, and my eyes glistened like pomegranate seed jewels. With my small, egg-shaped face and pale skin, I was reminiscent of a gloomy cold beauty.
This suddenly felt real now. I possessed Maristella. I gently touched my cheeks, and another maid came into the bedroom.
“Lady Marie, Lady Dorothea is here,” the maid said.
I pulled my eyes away from the mirror and walked out of the room. Maristella’s bedroom was on the second floor, so I had to go downstairs to go outside. My heels tapped against the stairs as I descended, then I went out the front door.
“Marie!”
In the novel, Dorothea’s voice was said to be as lovely as a nightingale singing. Because of that, I knew that the red-haired woman smiling brightly in front of the carriage was Dorothea.
“Come on, Marie. We’ll be late!” Dorothea chirped.
But I couldn’t smile at her like she smiled at me. The more I tried, the more my mouth hardened. I knew the reason. It was because I hated her. She took advantage of the good Maristella, and abandoned her in her misery.
“…”
I failed to control my facial expression, and I pressed my lips and walked towards the carriage where Dorothea stood. As I drew close, she suddenly hugged me without asking my permission. I was taken about by the sudden touch.
“Do you know how long I waited?” she pouted in her honeyed voice. “I waited forever for you!”
“…”
I doubted it, as Dorothea’s carriage arrived just as I went down towards the front door. The vacant expression was still on my face, and Dorothea released her arms around me.
I still didn’t feel quite awake. Against all common sense, I was suddenly dragged into this story, and was expected to embrace this woman. No matter how well a person could adapt, no one could do it so quickly in this situation.
Dorothea suddenly looked down at her chest. “Oh, I guess the ribbon on my dress came loose when I hugged you.” Her face turned sullen when she looked at the loose ribbon. I looked at it indifferently, when her face brightened.
“Tie it for me!”
“…What?” I said bluntly at the sudden request.
“Tie the ribbon for me!” she demanded temperamentally. “Or else it might unravel.”
Her words jerked me into full awareness of the situation. The Dorothea in front of me now was the ungrateful woman that treated Maristella like a pushover. Dorothea would eventually betray her and have her killed. Instead of treating Maristella like a friend, Dorothea treated her like a maid, ordering her to tie a ribbon she could easily reach herself.
An angry heat crept up at the back of my head. Dorothea disrespected Maristella even before I came into this book. I twisted my foot and surreptitiously undid the red ribbon on my shoe.
“Dorothea,” I sang in a friendly tone. “You want me to tie your ribbon for you?” I gave her a bright smile. “Alright, I’ll tie it for you.” I could easily tie a ribbon anytime. However, there was a condition.
“Tie the ribbon on my shoe first,” I said.