Chapter 5 – Reincarnation 

She felt like she was falling into a bottomless abyss.

The feeling of being swallowed up in an endless darkness felt more comfortable than she originally thought. Whatever it was, it was better than the moment when she existed as a hindrance between Lucas and Trisha’s sickening love affair.

She hoped that she would not wake up from this sleep if possible, and if ever she did so, she would be able to return to her original self, a person from a different reality. But after getting caught up in the story, she realized nothing would come her way. Sure enough, the world of dreams simply vanished away and she followed the plot as it exactly was.

Instead of escaping, she reincarnated back to Diana’s teenage self.

“Lady Diana, it’s time to get up.” A middle-aged woman was shaking her shoulder as she managed to open up her eyelids.

The white blanket and the nicely decorated room before here were vastly different from the imperial landscape she was used to as the empress. Moreover, the title of ‘lady’ was far from her title as ‘empress’ which made her believe without a doubt she had gone back in time.

“Did you sleep a lot?” the maid asked in her state of confusion.

I think I’m completely trapped in this story.

Now she had to accept the fact that she was Diana. Although she tried to be courageous in changing the plot, her self-determination had ebbed down when the flow remained the same. But now… she reincarnated as Diana when she was still seventeen years of age.

Today… Diana opened her mouth slowly. But halted as she needed to understand the situation first.

The maid spoke a second time seeing her silent, “Are you still dreaming? You’ll meet the prince today.”

All her blood seemed to drain from her face. The comforting darkness was only brief. She hasn’t recovered from her injury yet, and she felt it was too cruel to see Lucas again.

“I need to get ready, then…” she surmised, dread filling her stomach.

Now used to being pushed into the flow of the story, Diana started the morning preparations by calling on the maids. Everyone coordinated well and quickly groomed Diana’s delicate body.

“How beautiful our lady is! His royal highness, the crown prince, would surely marvel at the sight of you when he sees you.”

Indeed, the girl facing the mirror was a beauty. She looked fresh and innocent as a flower in the garden. But in her mind, meeting Lucas would only be a waste of time as she already knows his true nature.

“Oh dear, you must be too nervous. You don’t have to worry.”

After she had gone through the worst, Diana believed there was nothing more to look forward to.

“It’s all right. Lady Trisha will be here soon,” the maid continued.

“Trisha?” Diana’s brow furrowed.

Do I have to hear that name even as I come all the way here?

Charlotte, her servant in waiting, gazed at Diana with a curious look. “Yes, you asked her to accompany you because you said you were nervous going alone.”

“I said that?” she murmured.

The maid didn’t hear Diana and continued to comment. “Lady Trisha’s bright personality will surely uplift our lady’s mood.”

Oh… it seems to be this way. There were two main characters in the book, but it seems the young Diana was also responsible for bringing Trisha into the spotlight of the story.

The original Diana was inherently shy and naive, she felt insecure meeting the crown prince alone. Therefore, she had inserted a lively Trisha in their first meeting supposed to be shared by only the both of them. And as expected, thanks to Trisha, the atmosphere had considerably improved.

But this time, “No…I’ll go without Trisha,” she said.

“Are you sure, lady? She might be on her way now–why all of a sudden?” Charlotte looked at Diana with a bewildered stare.

“I’ve changed my mind.” Diana turned and stared at Charlotte. Although it seems like she had woken up from a deep slumber, she looked strangely mature.

“If Trisha comes along, I won’t be going.” The seventeen-year-old Diana said decisively.

Now that she knew the flow of the story was unchangeable, she made her first decision entirely based on her own feelings.