Before long, she was done and headed out wearing a white bathrobe.

PROLOGUE
The faint chirping of birds outside, along with the chattering of the
workers in the early morning, slowly woke the young miss from her
slumber. Her nightgown ruffled against the sheets pulled up to her
shoulders as she tried to open up her eyes. The bright rays of the
morning sun seeping in through the spaces between the curtains
blinded her briefly, but soon enough her sight adjusted to the light. A
soft yawn escaped her lips, rubbing softly her closed eyes with one
hand and helping herself off the bed with the other.
"Good morning Milady, did you sleep well?" a gentle voice from the
side greeted as soon as she sat on the edge of the bed.
A smile played on her lips as she nodded at Marian who seemed to
have been waiting for her for quite some time, near the doors of her
room,
"I did. Good morning, Marian" she slipped on the slippers waiting just
below her feet and walked towards the said female slowly.
The ribbon tying her hair slowly slipped off the tips with every step
she took and finally, it fell on the floor and her long wavy locks came
undone, glowing in a color of fiery red under the faint rays of the
bright sun.
Marian who had taken care of her since she was a child couldn't get
accustomed by how breathtaking she looked, even though she had just
woken up.
Marian walked behind her while she headed towards the dressing table
just beside her bed, pulling out a small chair with a pink cushion
stationed on top.
She accepted the offered help from Marian and settled down. Her eyes
immediately flickered to the big mirror on top of the table, having
another look at that person's face, that person's golden honey orbs, that
person's long and soft crimson-colored hair. She stared at her own
reflection as if it was never hers, to begin with; truth be told, it really
wasn't.
It has been almost a month since it happened but she still wasn't used
to seeing such a beautiful person every time she looks at a mirror. In a
daze, her hand traveled to her face, and her lips curved up into a subtle
smile, "Marian, please help me dry my hair" she requested.
Without protest, "Yes, Milady" the older female nodded and excitedly
took a dry towel, before starting to dab the fabric against her wet
locks.
All the while her own mind still lingered around the mystery as to why
she came to this world. It never once entered her mind that changing
lives came as easy as changing from a pair of pajamas to an elegant
off-shoulder dress.
However, life had proven otherwise.

"Let's get you ready for breakfast, Milady" Marian urged and lead her
towards the door leading to the bathing room.

A big white bathtub along with expensive looking bottles of what it

seemed like shampoo, soap, and other toiletries greeted her. Two other
maids helped her take off her nightgown and get in the warm water
inside the bathtub and started cleaning up her. Careful with every
touch on her smooth ivory skin.

CHAPTER 1
The soft rustling of papers being gently crumpled as she bumped
shoulders from shoulders matched her steps, hastily making her way to
reach the Academy's stadium amidst the busy street she was currently
trudging on. Eyes in the muted color of honey kept a stoic and calm
glow as she avoided meeting anyone's gaze.
The white printed sheets of paper she held in her arms are slowly
having creases, but nonetheless, anyone who'd seen the thick rim of it
stuck between her chest and coated arms would be impressed. It's not
just that. Bags of black tinted the lower areas of her slightly puffy
eyes, proving how much time and effort she poured into making what
seemed like a research paper.
She swiftly passed through every person in front of her until she
reached the crossing area with the ground painted with white and
noticeable lines and two traffic lights stationed across each other to
ensure the safety of every student and citizen. Her tightly ponytailed
ebony hair swayed side to side with every swift stride she took and
finally, she stood in front of the golden gates, the entrance to the
esteemed Gregoire Academy. After a brief scanning of her
identification card, Loreign proceeded inside.
A 10-meter long walkway greeted every student walking towards the
main building inside the prestigious campus. Perfectly trimmed bushes
lined up at the sides of the whole walk, some adorned by flowers
varying from different colors of blue, violet, and pink and some were
in the plain color of green. At the end of the path, a fountain with a
mermaid statue holding a harp elegantly sat as the water came out
from her mouth.
And finally, the main building that seemed like a mansion from a
fairytale. The outside was painted white and complemented by
occasional lines in royal blue, the glass windows from the side were
wide enough to see the chairs lined up inside the parlors and waiting
halls for the students. A terrace from above also had chairs and tables
set outside exclusively for those in the Royalty course to use.
It doesn't stop there.
The three main buildings circled around a castle-like tower stationed in
the middle, with a flag fluttering with the wind at the top, showing the
symbol of the Gregoire Academy which is a Phoenix in Gold and Blue
color. Everything about the school was like a scene pulled out from a
fairytale and screamed prestigious.
However, Loreign didn't care.
She never bothered to take a good look at the school she's attending.
She never once took the time to walk along the path leisurely while
holding her bag. It simply wasn't productive for someone like her.
Instead, she hurried along to the quadrangle behind the buildings
where the students are expected to gather. She took an empty seat at
the front and immediately started rereading the documents she had in
her hand for the 6th time today. Loreign wanted no errors when she
submits her work, she spent 3 weeks revising and revising until she
could finally deem it praiseworthy by the professors. Her eyes stayed
on the pale piece of paper checking each word in every sentence and
the information she gave to present that topic.
A good 30 minutes passed by and the quadrangle slowly became filled
with students sitting with their own social groups, courses, and classes.
Luckily for Loreign, she also finished proofreading her own work, so
she peeled her eyes away from it and started looking around. The
students were all in their own little groups and own little worlds,
talking about things either related to their studies or fashion which
mostly applied to girls.
And Loreign remained alone for the rest of the waiting time and
listened to another speech of their dean. She didn't mind though. She
preferred her own company over the others who all seemed like they
have all the time in the world to be smiling like that.
'How lucky, wasting time as if it's unlimited'
Loreign made her way to the third building where students in the
Aristocrat Class are also in. There are 3 groups the students in
Gregoire Academy are divided, The Nobles, The Aristocrats, and The
Scholars.
As it said so in their class name Nobles are royalties in their own
countries, in other words, the princes and princesses.
The Aristocrats are the sons and daughters of big companies or
influential families who are next in line to inherit their family business.
Lastly are the Scholars, they are students who aced the entrance exam
and passed the scholarship test and got sponsored by their selected
people.
Loreign belonged to the Aristocrats, being the heiress to her father's
growing Trading Business which is supposed to be launching
internationally if it weren't for her father getting sick.
That was her main problem. If she wasn't ready to run the family
business by the time he's gone, the whole company will fall under the
reign of her aunt.
'That man's dying'
Yes, that man. Not once did she ever called him father, and not once
did he made her feel like his daughter. For him, Loreign is simply a
tool to replace him when he's gone and for Loreign he is simply the
reason she came to be. If anything, Loreign called hin President.
But never a father. 
They were in a contract where he is the contractor and Loreign is a
worker he had wrapped around his fingers.
CHAPTER 2
The rest of the day went on smoothly after Loreign submitted the
report she had created. She walked out of the room and directly headed
straight to the exit at the rear side of the campus. Right outside the
gates were cars and limousines lined up waiting, of course, she too had
one. Loreign hopped inside the white car waiting in line without
muttering another word.
"So how was school?"
The question was supposed to be a sign of concern, however, her
aunt's sarcastic tone changed its entire meaning. Haruno Meiko, the
half-sister of her father.
Loreign glanced at the woman wearing a dark green dress, face void of
any reactions.
"It was fine, I learned a lot"
An irritated scoff escaped the older woman's lips, seeing how unfazed
she seemed to be.
"You seem to be having fun." Haruno starts, "I don't think that's a good
attitude when our company's going bankrupt?"
Hearing the emphasis on the word our, as if to tell her that the
company will surely belong to her urged a flat hum from Loreign.
"Well yes Auntie," she snapped back, "Studying business patterns and
market trends in the last 5 years is definitely fun"
Her tone was cheerful, eager to answer even, but her reply was more
than enough to keep the old woman shut.
A small smile played on Loreign's lips as she faced the woman again.
"How about you Auntie?"
Her eyes fell on the jewelry shining on Haruno's neck, wrists, and
fingers. "I see you have been having fun buying new rings! I wonder
where you got the money from?" Loreign's dull yellow eyes stared
intently at the older female, eyeing how uncomfortable she scooted
around in her seat.
But Loreign wasn't finished yet.
"I mean, we are going bankrupt right, Auntie?"
The sweet tone end of her question sent chills through Haruno's spine,
as it ironically contrasted to what her words meant.
"I-I always had thes—!" Haruno defended, only to stop after a sudden
realization that she got caught again in her own niece's bare laid trap.
"I never said you didn't, Auntie"
The driver stationed at the front of the car had his eyes glancing back
and forth at Haruno. The older woman fumed in embarrassment,
huffing loudly as she faced the other leaving Loreign alone.
Loreign on the other hand savored another victory from outsmarting
her hateful aunt. She wasn't one to get mad with only a few spiteful
words, but these past few days, her aunt seemed to be successful in
irritating her with her mindless comments.
Of course, she had her own ways to get to the woman's nerves too.
Saturdays were supposed to ba resting day and studying during
weekends isn't really her thing but it was way better than being stuck
at home where her despicable and conniving aunt. Haruno officially
moved into their house yesterday, and as much as Loreign wanted to
drive her out she couldn't.
Her aunt still held more power compared to her.
That's why instead of enduring a whole day with Haruno, Loreign
went to the library.
The soothing sound of pages slowly turned as if rifled by the wind is
one of the things that Loreign enjoyed as she herself read through
another book she had in her hand. Her eyes scanned the words written
on each page slowly careful not to leave any of the details out. It was
the third book she started reading when she arrived at the library this
morning and she had 3 more books to go through.
Her mind would occasionally wander but she was eager to finish all of
the books today. The books proved vital for her to be able to inherit
the family business and fortune that's why she wasn't in any position to
slack off. Loreign wanted that position ever since her mother died, she
wanted to have the power to bring her deceased mother's case in light.
"Tch. They think that their crime's old and forgotten just because
Mom's case is closed"
Anger burned inside her yellow eyes but it immediately diminished,
along with her once clenched fist that she just unfurled. 'It's no use
getting angry now'
Hours passed and it was currently 8 in the evening. The Library staff
tapped Loreign's shoulder, "We are closing now. You can fill-up the
form at the desk if you want to bring home that book" a woman
wearing a gray uniform and a white handkerchief around her neck
said.
Loreign closed the book in her hand and flashed a generic smile at the
stranger, "It's okay, I just finished reading all of these" she slowly rose
up from her seat and stacked the books in a tower before heading off to
return it to their shelves.
The staff curiously looked at her from time to time as she walked
towards the exit. '6 books in just one day? Did she really read it
properly?' is what ran through the worker's mind.
Her black braided hair stayed resting on her shoulders as she made her
way out of the Gregoire Grand Library. She walked along the same
path back to the main building in peace.
Being a student for almost a year now, Loreign had the chance to visit
the buildings inside the Academy when she goes off to find a peaceful
place to study. More or less, she knew where all the corridors go.
However, as she continued to stride along the hallways, she realized
that she's getting nowhere because the trail she was sure she was
familiar with turned into nothing she's ever seen before.
CHAPTER 3
Loreign flickered her gaze behind her and proved her suspicions right,
she was really on a different path. The walls surrounding her looked
the same as the ones back at the main track to the main building,
however, no rooms were seen lined up on the left side.
It was bare. Empty. And Loreign was there accompanied by the
echoing sound of her heels hitting the solid ground.
"I don't have time for this." she huffed, pulling out her phone to try and
access the campus navigation map online. Only to be greeted by her
screen glitching all of a sudden and powering off.
A weird feeling kept coming to Loreign, knowing that her phone isn't
damaged in any way providing no clear explanation as to why it
suddenly malfunctioned. Chills went down from her spine as she felt a
strong force pulling her towards the darker part of the hallway.
Loreign knew to herself that she isn't some heroine in a horror movie
getting all stupid but she couldn't bring herself to walk away. Maybe
her will was weaker that's why her legs are moving on its own,
carrying her weight.
She bit her lower lip and tried to anticipate what would be the outcome
of this. Is this some sort of paranormal thing where a ghost seeks
revenge and decided to use her? However, as she ventured further into
the darkness, the surroundings slowly lit up in a warm color of blue.
The moon guided the way all the while Loreign braced herself for
what is to come. Even though she herself is in a tight spot, Loreign's
mind wandered off to the signing of rights that will be held tomorrow.
She needed to be there or else, her aunt will take over.
A faint sound of shimmer snapped her back from a trance. Only then
did she realize that she had stopped walking. The overwhelming force
she felt pushing her from behind was no longer there. Instead, the quiet
tranquility of the place calmed Loreign down.
"I have to get back" she muttered and spun her heels back to the
direction where she came from. Even though she didn't have any
explanation of what just happened, getting home was what mattered
the most to Loreign.
Her mother and father were the ones who established their business,
her mother died trying to protect it from people who wanted to take
them down. She needed to get back now.
But then, her determination faded as she stopped.
This time, on her own. Her gaze landed on the mirror magically
floating on the walls of the academy, reflecting the moon's shine in
resplendence. But that wasn't what caught her attention. It was her
eyes. Her usually dull and dead-looking eyes shone in brightly in
golden color reflected in the mirror.
She wanted to go, but her gaze seemed fixed on her own self portrayed
by the mirror. The more she looked at it, the more she felt sucked in. It
was suffocating and every part of her body began to ache.
It was a subtle pain at first.
But then it continued to worsen as if the bones inside her body are
being crushed at the same time. "AAAGGGGHHHH!!" Loreign let out
a loud screech before she fell on the ground.
She didn't have any strength left and succumbed to the dark.
A faint bright light blinded her for a second as Loreign desperately
opened her eyes. A few seconds more and slowly her sight began to
adjust but it was only her eyes that got used to the lighting inside the
room.
Loreign's heart raced seeing thick white sheets covering her hips and
waist, pillows wrapped in soft cases, a big sized bed she sat on, and
another female wearing what it seemed like a maid outfit standing
beside her. This wasn't her room.
"I-Is this some sort of prank? I really need to go home"
Her words only received confused looks from the other female, "But
you are home, Milady"
"M-Milady?" Loreign stuttered, getting annoyed that this joke was
going too far. "Who are you? Who paid you to play this kind of joke
on me? Was it a student at Gregoire Academy? Or did my aunt sent
you to keep me from attending the ceremony?" she asked continuously
not leaving out any of the possible facts explaining why she's in this
place.
The maid's brows furrowed even further, "I don't understand what you
mean Milady, I haven't played a single joke on you since I served you"
Loreign gulped down the forming lump inside her throat and heaved a
heavy breath, telling herself to calm down. 'Panicking won't do me any
good'. She removed the soft blanket on top of her and got off the bed,
feeling unbelievably light but she was too occupied to pay attention to
that detail.
She headed towards the doors only to get stopped by the same maid
with hazel brown hair and eyes of the same color, "M-Milady! You
cannot go out wearing that!"
"Stop calling me Milady, we're in the 21st Century miss." Loreign
hissed and tried to get through the woman standing in front of her exit
to this room. But she didn't budge no matter how hard Loreign tried to
pry her away from that place.
Loreign was aware that even if she's not that tall or strong in build, she
would at least pose a problem when she kept pushing this other girl
away. But why is it that the maid was still chuckling while holding her
in her arms?
Struggling was futile when the older woman lifted her up and dragged
her towards a table with a big mirror on top. She was trying to get out
of the woman's hold but Loreign ended up sitting on the chair.
"I need to get out of here. Let me go and I won't report this to the
authorities miss" Loreign hissed again, glaring at the woman.
"What are you even saying, Milady?" the maid cooed and started
fidgeting with her hair. "I haven't seen you this energetic before!"
"I said let me go!" she wiggled out and climbed up a seemingly tall
table near the window. This was her last resort, if she doesn't go now,
the company will meet its end.
She was about to jump, after finding a good spot to cushion her fall,
however, instead of cars and other modern buildings greeting her,
farms, villages, and forests did instead.
Loreign turned slowly at the maid frantically bringing her down, "H-
Hey, w-what year is it?"
"Oh, it's the Imperial Year 25, and today's the annual celebration of the
founding of the Theisen Empire, Milady"
'What?'