Cecilia walked down to the stairs and Mary followed her.
After a long debate, the maid helped her dress including wearing a tight corset that pressed against her stomach and the waist. And her dress looks like pastry.How can they treat humans like this? She asked to herself.
But when she saw her reflection in the mirror, she couldn't complain. Her body is in the perfect shape! Slender, slim and flawless.
Even so, there was a question that came to her mind.
Who is the lunatic who sets such a painful beauty standard?Although Cecilia's old memories helped her to recognize every corner of the giant house, still she couldn't hide her admiration when she saw it in person.
Jeweled chandeliers, soft carpets along the corridors and stairs, glossy marble floors and a lot of paintings with high artistic value.Cecilia wondered what happened to the real Cecilia. Was she also punished for a mistake that was considered fatal?
Did she replace Ji Eun?
But if Ji Eun died, wouldn't Cecilia's soul be stray?There is a slight feeling of guilt.
As if she had stolen her place. But quickly, those feeling vanished as she remembered the river of fire.In all likelihood, the real Cecilia would get a second chance just like her."Miss, please have the salad,"
A male waiter delivered a small plate of lettuce and spinach which was drizzled with a little olive oil when she had just sat down.Beside her, were several rows of knives, spoons and forks made of silver and sort into different sizes.
If she didn't have memories of the real Cecilia, she would have been confused.After the salad was finished, the waiter handed her a plate of eggs, sausage and bacon.
The appearance is so tempting and appetizing.But somehow, Cecilia remembered her breakfast from the past that she often missed.
Warm white rice with a bowl of vegetable soup and spicy pickled cucumber.And for some reason, as soon as she put the sausage slice in her mouth, her eyes were blurry with tears.
No matter how busy her mother was, she still had a time to prepare food for her.
Even though, she has to eat all alone at the simple dining table.Even though, her house smells like soju and cigarette's smoke, she missed her parents.
Just a little bit.
Although it just seventeen years of life is full of the sound of screaming, beating cane, or arguing between her parents.
Deep in her heart, she prayed that her father and mother would find happiness.
Maybe, her mother would filled the divorce form, which she always wanted. In order to be free from the temperamental drunken husband.
His father must have agreed it because he always wanted to live a life without his wife's scolding.
"Is something wrong, Miss?" Mary asked carefully.
The male servant looked scared and didn't dare to look up.
His hands were shaking."No. I just missed her. My mother."
That unexpected answer shocked everyone in the room, including Cecilia herself.
"Ah, sorry. I must be still half awake. Sorry, I didn't mean it that way."
This time the servants exchanged glances and sent out the same telepathic signal. Our lady said the word sorry twice in the same sentence!!
Cecilia's stomach was full after finishing her meal.
Either because of the corset or Cecilia's limited stomach capacity. In her past life, she could eat up to five bowls of rice. And it can get doubled if she is in the bad mood.Of course her mother was angry when she notice her uncontrolled appetite. You will be a pig one day, she said at the time.
But now she is determined to maintain her health by adjusting her diet menu.
Cecilia also thought that she should get so much exercise to keep in shape. Now, this is her way of appreciating herself.
The things she can't do in the past.The male servant, whom she just remembered as Thomas, put a plate of a slice of vanila cake with white cream and strawberry pieces for her dessert.
He also filled her glass with water.Cecilia drank a little before eating the cake."Miss, what happened?" Mary handed her a white handkerchief.
It turned out that, without realizing it, her eyes were teary again!Of course, it's not tears of sadness but the happiness because she can eat a cake without worry about the money. She did not expect that in this new life, she could eat and feel so many new things that she never experienced before.
This time, she really determined to live a good life.
Not entirely about the river of fire, but because of her gratitude for this second chance she was taking now."This is delicious. Can I speak to the chef?" Cecilia said as she finished her cake.
Thomas nodded and walked out of the room. Two minutes later he arrived with a fat man dressed in white and a red tie on his collar. He looks so nervous and his hands squeezed his white hat.
"You called me, miss?"
"Yes. I want to thank you for the dish you've served so far. It's so delicious!"
The cook, named Miguel, could not hide his surprise. His brown eyes widen and his eyebrows rose upward. His jaw was dropped.
Looks like he didn't expect this. For him, everything was normal if his mistress to throw a plate to his face.Cecilia then removed her amethyst brooch from her chest and attached it to Miguel's tie, who was still frozen in place.
"Thank you for your hardwork, Sir Miguel," Cecilia smiled and turned to leave the dining room.
Miguel turned his head to look at Thomas who looked just as confused as he is.
"Hey, what does that mean? Is she just fired me?"
"I don't know. Today, Young Miss looks so... different."
"I almost died when you said that Young Miss was looking for me." Miguel said with a sigh of relief.
"Be grateful because nobody get fired this morning."
***
The capital city of Handelburg is very beautiful. Victorian-style buildings neatly lined the road. The green trees add the coolness in the middle of this summer.
It was very different with her hometown back then. The sight was clearly visible from the horse carriage window.
Even so, Cecilia couldn't help feeling uneasy. She went back to biting her nails to divert her nervousness.
She said to herself that everything would be all right. But, it doesn't work.Until her carriage arrived at the destination, Cecilia slumped back into her seat.
"I wish I could just disappear from this place. Ah, no!"
Her personal bodyguard, Theo Wallace, opened the door and reached his hand out to help Cecilia off the carriage.
"Thank you, Theo."
The bodyguard bowed slightly and did not answer anything.
Cecilia sighed again as she muttered, "Here goes nothing."Cecilia wanted to cry.Somehow, the party was already started when she arrived. She felt so embarrassed when everyone gave her scornful glances.The tea party was attended by seven people, including herself.All of them came from among the Count and Viscount families.Only Cecilia who came from the Duke's family, which is higher position than anyone else at the party.Even so, they treated her like she was an invisible creature.They do occasionally asked her but never include her to their conversation.Sometimes they threw a cynical glances to her.The real Cecilia would usually get angry and walk away from this place.But now, she didn't even have the courage to get up from her chair.She took another sip of the tea and cast her gaze towards the flower garden. Letting the six people chuckle while looking at her.Right now, she didn't know who's the real bad guy here.One of the invited guests named Ka
"Albert, I want you to send this letter to Father." Said Cecilia to Albert Constance, the loyal buttler. Albert is almost fifty years old.His hair was dyed black to hide his gray hair. His body was still upright and his brain was as sharp as ever."Yes, miss. I'll get a courier." Albert answered swiftly. He didn't even seem curious about Cecilia, who was sending a letter to her father for the first time.Cecilia looked at Albert with a big smile. Even in his previous memories, Albert was one of her trusted people. The Constance family already worked at the residence of the Duke of Lancia since a long time ago.Albert himself is the 9th generation. His eldest son, Christo, has become a personal assistant to the Duke of Lancia and preparing to take over Albert's duties when he retires. And so on.The history of the Lancia and Constance will continue to be woven forever. "Is
"Are you serious?" Asked Duke Armano Lancia when Cecilia came into his study room. He sat with his legs crossed and hold a glass of champagne. The man looked as same as in her memory.He still handsome, tall and athletic stature at the age of 40 years. He looked just like Cecilia except for his gray eyes. Or the lenght of their hair. Their genetic sure isn't a joke. "Welcome back, Father," she said, while bowing for greeting. "Sit down," Cecilia nodded and took the seat opposite of Armano. The Duke's study is surprisingly simple. There are only a work table, several shelves filled with thick books, and four chairs with a round wooden table to greet the guests. No plants, paintings or photographs. The only decoration is the tapestry of the family's emblem which is hanging in the wall behind the desk. "I repeat the question. Are you really serious about the contents of your letter? I immediat
"You didn't sell the chilli pepper? Why?" Cecilia asked with full of curiosity at the market seller. "Because it didn't sold well. There no one who like spicy food here, Miss," Impossible, she thought to herself. No one hate the spicy food. "Aah, darn it!" she left the market with empty handed. Now, she has to think another plan since her korean food restaurant plan is failed. "Ouch!", said a woman who bumped with her. "Ah, I'm sorry, Maam. I.. eh? Miss Jenkin?" Miss Jenkin is a woman who used to be her teacher. In her past, Cecilia threw an ink bottle, which made with thick glass, to her To make it worse, Cecilia ruined her reputation by saying that the poor teacher is incompetent and lack of manners to the noble society. It didn't take a long time when Jenkin's name is removed from the job market since many nobles refused her service. Jenkin's face gotten pale. She look like she was met with a ghost, "Oh, no!"
Cecilia feeling so tired after her fake possesed performance. Mary combed her hair and keep complaining about her dissapearance. Cecilia know that her servant is worried about her. When they met at the market, Mary was cried and hugged her so tightly. "You have to promise me that you will never doing that again, Young Miss. Now, your hair is done and let's go to the dining room. I heard Lord was waiting there." Her eyes widen, "Father?" "Yes! You must be happy, right, Miss?" Mary said with a big smile on her eyes. "It's strange," she said and start walked to the dining room. Armano closed his eyes. He looked like thinking about something. But his eyes was opened when one of his servant said, "My Lord, Young Miss is here," "Good evening, Father," Cecilia elegantly bowed to greet him. "I'm sorry to made you wait." "It's okay." he said while raised his right hand as a sign for the servants to serve the foods. Even after on
"Albert, are you secretly help her?" "No, My Lord," Armano and Albert are in the study room. The Duke reading the proposal with corcerned look. Of course, the proposal which made by Cecilia is far from perfect. It lacked from research and the side effect impact from her projects. She wrote about fifteen different bussines plans. Including a request to do a building construction. But still, it better than his expectation. It's been a year since Cecilia refused to study with her teacher and just busy to wasting her family's fortune. But the fact that she is staying up late to wrote fifty pages of her businness plan, is still amazed him. "Is she secretly being a genius, Albert?" "She is your daughter, My Lord," "You are right, Albert. It is explain everything," "Are you going to accept the proposal?" "No. Eventhough she is the part of Lancia's, she have to be smarter than me." "Are you
Jenkin was peeled the onion while her employer called her out from the kitchen. He said that there is a costumer want to meet her in person.Jenkin, who now works as cook at the small restaurant, wondered why. Is it something wrong with the food? She thought to herself. But, it impossible since I always follow the recipe.She rubbed her hand to the kitchen's towel twice. Just to make sure that she is clean enough to met the costumer.Her employer pointed at someone on the corner of the room. The costumer's figure look like a middle aged man. She can't see his face clearly because he wear a black long coat with hood. He stirred the soup without showing any interest."Is there anything wrong with the soup, Sir?" She asked.But the man didn't answer."If you dont have anything to say, I will go back to the kitchen, Sir.""Are you Adeline Jenkin?""Yes. That what's written on my birth certificate,"The mysterious man slowly
Cecilia sit on the chair, waiting that man to wake up. There is no clue about his identity. The most reasonable reason she can thought is that maybe this man is just a poor beggar and passed out due of the exhaustment.The doctor told her that the patient isn't in the critical condition anymore. Malnutrion and dehydration was the main cause of his unconsciousness. But, it doesn't change a fact that her carriage took a part to worsen his condition."Fortunately, your carriage was stop at the perfect moment, Miss," The doctor said while he write something on his paper. "He will be awake in no time.""Is that so? Thank you, Doctor. Please treat his condition throrougly. Do not worry about the payment."The doctor, whose name is Abraham Grande, nodded. Even a commoner like him know about the rumoured Cecilia Lancia.Beautiful woman with nasty and despicable traits. He just agree on