Viella’s Pov

I plopped onto the soft bed, the thin silk of my nightgown fluttering around my legs. It wasn’t even night yet, but I didn’t care.

Evil thoughts kept bubbling up in my head,

Hehe- Dante really thought he could lock me up and go back to his "Male Lead" duties? He’s going to pay for that. This is my revenge. I’ll turn this manor upside down until he regrets.

But wait.

I sat up abruptly, the silk sliding against my skin. A cold shiver ran down my spine.

What if he’s actually being manipulated by the plot? Well, then he’s going to be the first one to eliminate me before Alina and Elias could even touch me. And if he’s just acting then... I guess I’m still gonna die....by his punishments, right?

I mean I do still remember his words, "I will make sure you can’t run away from me" while holding my legs. He definitely gonna chop them off.

"Ughhhh!" I screamed into the bed, my voice muffled by the pillows.

I kicked my legs in frustration, the hem of my nightgown bunching up. Why can’t I just leave this shitty world? I’d honestly rather be alive in my broke-ass house back home, eating instant noodles and worrying about rent, than die being a rich woman here. Anything is better than facing Dante’s suffocating obsession. And those two crazy bastards.

I popped up again, my mind racing with thoughts of those crazy bastards.

I have Lily keeping an eye on Alina and can see her movements, but what about Elias? The main problem... the Writer. I wonder what he’s planning or even doing right now.

I ran my fingers through my wet hair, my heart thumping.

These shits are giving me a massive headache. Why can’t I just kill everyone and leave this whole damn useless book...

Just as I said that, my head started to hurt againthe same agonizing pressure I felt before. "Dang ittt!" I gasped, clutching my temples as my vision began to blur.

Suddenly, a flash came. My body felt heavy, paralyzed, as if I were being submerged in water. I tried to force my eyes open and for a split second, the lavish gold of the manor was gone. I saw a sterile white ceiling... smelling of antiseptic... looking like a hospital bed.

Am I... back? Is that my real body?

Confusion flared, but darkness surged back in, swallowing the white light. When I finally managed to pull my eyes open again, the hospital was gone. I was back in the room, but the atmosphere had shifted. A maid was kneeling in front of me, trembling violently.

"I am sorry, Lady Viella! Please forgive me!" she wailed.

I looked down. Shards of glass were shattered all around her feet, What just happened? Did I do this?

I looked up to see Lily standing in the doorway, her usual calm replaced by a look of genuine shock. I looked at the sobbing girl, confused, and simply waved a hand to dismiss her. Lily stayed silent, eventually coming inside to start cleaning up the glass.

"Lily—" I started but

Suddenly, she stood up, her usual subservient posture hardened.

"My lady, I respect you because you are in my original lady’s body," she said.

"But please, from next time, don’t try to act like her. You can’t replace my lady."

The room felt like it was spinning. The "original" Viella? What Is she even talking about?

"Wait, Lily, trust me!" I reached out, my fingers trembling. "I have no idea what just happened. I was literally here on the bed, and the next second I am standing and... this. Can you tell me what just happened?"

Lily sighed, her shoulders dropping as if the weight of my presence was finally exhausting her.

"The maid you just saw came holding a glass of water since you’re the one who ordered it,"

Lily explained, her voice flat. "While you were taking it from her, she spilled a bit of it because of her trembling hand. You poured the rest of the water over her, shattered the glass at her feet, and said ’’Don’t you know how to treat the mistress of this house well? Such a useless little thing.’’

Lily sighed, her gaze softening,

"It’s how Lady Viella used to act whenever she would come over to Lord Dante’s estate,"

Lily explained, "This is why I asked you not to disrespect my lady by acting like her. You may have her face, but you don’t have her heart- even if that heart was cold to everyone."

I stood there, frozen. The realization hit me. Now don’t tell me it was the original Vi-

"I apologize if I sounded a bit harsh," Lily added, dipping her head slightly as she continued to pick up the shards of glass. "But I adore my lady a lot. Seeing you mimic her worst traits... it’s painful."

"Lily, I wasn’t mimicking her," I whispered, my voice cracking.

"In fact, a freaking headache came over and I don’t know what happened," I said. "I just know I saw a white ceiling... a hospital bed. I wasn’t here, Lily!"

Lily just looked at me as if I had completely lost my mind. She stepped closer and placed her cool hand over my forehead, checking for a temperature.

"You seem to have a bit of a fever," she said quietly. "I will send medicine over for you... rest for now."

With that, she turned and walked out, leaving me standing.

The moments ticked by, and my body only grew hotter, the heat radiating from my skin until it felt like I was being cooked from the inside out.

This had to be the fallout from whatever just happened.

"Damn, it’s painful..." I hissed,

It felt like my blood was turning into molten lead. I couldn’t even keep my head up anymore, so I slumped forward, burying my face in the plush pillows. I lay there on my stomach, limbs heavy and useless, my eyes fluttering shut as I tried to breathe through the fire.

Click.

Footsteps approached the bed.

"Lily... you brought the meds?" I managed to croak out, my voice muffled by the pillow. I didn’t even have the energy to turn around

My back remained exposed, the thin silk of the nightgown clinging to my damp skin. "Keep them beside the table... I’ll have them later..."

I waited for the sound of a glass clinking or Lily’s usual sigh. Instead, a sudden, searingly cold hand was placed firmly on my back.

The sudden cole touch made my breath hitch. Because of the thin, delicate silk, there was barely any barrier between that icy palm and my burning skin.

My mind was foggy, clouded by the rising fever, but the sensation was so grounding, so cool, that I didn’t pull away.

In my delirious state, I didn’t think about who it was. I just felt that freezing touch and let out a small whimper of relief. I wanted more of it. I wanted to sink into that coldness until the fire in my veins died out.

"So cold..." I breathed, my eyes half-lidded

The icy hand continued to caress my back, tracing the line of my spine through the thin silk. In my delirious state, the touch was the only thing keeping me from dissolving into the heat.

I let out a soft, broken sigh, finally succumbing to a deep slumber.

The figure standing over the bed watching her. When her breath finally became stable, he stopped his movement.

He reached into his coat and pulled out a pristine white handkerchief. With slow movements he began to wipe the beads of sweat from her forehead and cheeks, his touch surprisingly gentle.

The figure looked down on her face, hair still wet. Because of fever Viellas face was flushed and the wet face gave her a seductive look.

"You’re making it difficult for me, amore mia," he murmured, his voice low bit raspy.

"You’re becoming more and more hard to resist."

He leaned down, face inches apart from her, he pressed a lingering, cold kiss to the shell of her ear, his lips barely brushing the skin.

"Little kitten needs to be punished for testing my patience," he whispered,

These are just promise of what was to come.

"Soon."

He straightened up, tucking the now-damp handkerchief back into his pocket. He didn’t look back as he turned and glided toward the door.

In the hallway, a passing maid nearly collided with him. The moment she saw him, her blood turned to ice. She didn’t look at his face-she didn’t dare. She dropped her gaze to the floor, She stood there, frozen and trembling, not daring to utter a single word until the sound of his heavy footsteps had completely vanished into the darkness of the corridor.

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TO BE CONTINUED