Two: New Life

I sighed for the nth time and wondering if I should do this. I mean, who would want to act stupid when you're completely sane?

Rumi Penelope, I guess.

I wanted to roll my eyes so bad when I regained most of Penelope's memories, and if you'll ask me if its all good, then you better shut your mouth up. Right Ayla, just shut up.

"Are you okay, Ruru?" Mother asked me when she might have noticed that I've been sighing endlessly since we leave the hospital. It was already been three days after I woke up inside Penelope's body and exactly three days to accept my new reality. And also three days straight when I started to wonder what should I do from now on, now that I am already living as Penelope.

I felt mom's gentle tap on my left shoulder before I finally gave her a look. I mentally frown with the thoughts of, 'I am still not used with this kind of affection.' 

How am I supposed to handle this? How am I going to live this new life without being discovered? 

I let out a smile, the kind of smile I always used to my customers in my previous life. I don't know if this new mother of mine will notice it but I just wished they'll never found out.

They all thought that I really had a memory loss though, what's the truth was, I already regained most of Penelope's memories. And though I regained the previous Penelope's memories, I still acted as someone who can't remember a single thing from the past.

Sometimes, acting clueless was really that helpful. Just like what other people often says, ignorance is a bliss.

It was sometimes a wise decision to act ignorant. Because I can barely escape from thorough questioning about this and that. And just thinking about what I've experienced while I was confined in the hospital just makes me sick. I can clearly guess that my so-called parents, did noticed the change in their daughter who may now look, 'completely fine', speaking of which means their daughter was fine and 'sane'.

And by saying that Penelope is currently fine, subjectively meant that Penelope was no longer stupid. Sounds harsh but it's the truth.

This Penelope was completely stupid. But now that the soul was no longer the same, I think I can twist this extra's fate in the future, right?

I thought about how was Rumi Penelope, been portrayed in the novel.

Rumi Penelope Lee, the pretty but stupid daughter of the Lee family. That's the only line that has been emphasized in the novel's plot but I never thought that she could be someone who's really, really, that stupid.

The author should have added the description with, Penelope is the incarnation of Yoshiko, although the difference was their obsession wasn't the same like Yoshiko with bananas. She's completely alike with Yoshiko for pete's sake, now that I've been rummaging over Penelope's memories again. I only remembered Yoshiko from the anime series that I only seen from one of my student customer who often went to my shop to watch animes in his tablet.

Aside from that, everything that's been flashing inside my head were all embarassing.

I could feel my face suddenly heated like a warm pot of water, like that of a teenage girl seeing her crush in front of her. The feeling was the same but the cause differs. I'm blushing from embarassment, me, as a woman in her late twenties who's inside a teenager's body. Well, atleast I know that two comes up when one is added to another one.

My mother must have misunderstand me when she noticed that I'm blushing. She deliberately put the back her palm above my forehead and ask me. "Are you feeling sick again?"

I looked up to her once again and smile.

"I'm fine," I finally answered her without much care about what was really inside my head. I mean, I wanted to erase all of Penelope's past and her memories completely.

But inspite of this, Penelope is really pitiful.

She's a poor child in the novel, a cannon fodder. Not important in anyway and was describe as only a 'stupid' extra who fell for the male lead and died for the female lead. Because if Penelope is really an important cannon fodder, the author must have given a lively description of her character to as well let the readers know who she really is and not just calling her as some stupid extra.

Penelope is a well loved daughter of the Lee family. A prescious princess in a castle, whose life was full of colors and happiness. That was Rumi Penelope. But why gave out a description that she's only stupid and nothing else? It's unfair, isn't it?

Before I could even let out another sigh, alongside the long road came the sight of a magnificent black gate. It has a delicate design and looks like its always been polished every single day because it looks shiny. Our car reduces its speed before it finally went across the gate I've been describing earlier.

I'm actually still in the spot of asking myself which person that gate belongs, but it's too late to think about it when we ran passed by it as it opened.

I've never seen something like that in real life, to be honest.

Then another thing shocked me again. I know that the Lee family is a wealthy one but I never thought that it would be like this. Who owns a mansion that I think was as huge and magnificent like the White House of United States?

Well, I haven't gone to the White House before but let's assume that they're the same in size.

We're still far from the exact place but from where we are, I could finally see a modern-like mansion most likely built in a middle of a forest?

Wow~

Can I really live like this?

And so, if Penelope has this kind of wealth, then what about the main characters of the story?

***

I think I'm going to puke.

In reality, I have a twenty-eight years old mentality, disguised as a teenager but who would think of sleeping in this kind of bedroom. To think of sleeping in a bedroom with pinks and princess style decoration in every corner?

I think I am sane enough not to do that.

Secretly slapping both of my cheeks just to be awaken, I swallowed a frustrating sigh and thought about my situation. I already know that this is my new reality. And though I had to act like a teenager, I can't tolerate this one.

I immediately run outside the room facing all of the servants standing outside the hallway as well as the butler who lead me here.

"Butler Park, am I the one who decorated this room? Did I suggested for this kind of style? I mean, did I like this style?" I asked innocently wanting to know if this is really Penelope's choice. "Is this my favorite style?" I added, my eyes were huge as though I was an owl. Pursing my lips into a tight and thin line, I wait for his answer.

But when the butler nodded his head and stare at me in confusion, I had this feeling of finding Penelope's soul right thus moment and drag her back right now to give her scolding.

'You're no longer a kid but why would you want a room that looked like place for a crawling baby!'

I sighed mentally, supressing the heat that might cause an explosion of my mind. Penelope was retarded. She's a special child, so let's not think about this. Let's calm down.

"I'm getting a new room," I hurriedly turned my back as if something was chasing after me. That's the only thing that my mouth said before disappearing in front of the butler and the maids.

I didn't turned around to look at their rection but I could feel their stinging gaze on my retreating back as I stepped my way out of the corridor, leaving them behind. It's no use thinking about their thoughts about my sudden change. In fact, I don't really plan on hiding it in the first place.

So, I'm going to act as Ayla Navarez inside Rumi Penelope Lee's body.

Let's live this life without shame.

***

"The butler told us that you change your room?" 

Mother's eyes are glimmering from the light of the dining room suddenly asked me, making me jolt in a way of making me uncomfortable. Her eyes are filled with curiosity as it wavered like a teary pearl, fresh from the ocean.

I know that I just acted in a hurry and it was actually a careless decision, especially when I had to act as how Penelope should be, but I don't really plan of doing it. Of course, little by little, I should mend how they see Penelope was before but what I really did earlier could raised suspicious ideas that might exposed me. Who knows if they believe in reincarnation, right?

I mentally sighed before I nodded my head trying to focused on my meal.

"Ruru."

I thought they'll stop asking me to let me continue with my meal now but it suddenly broke my expectation when I heard my father called me by my name. I almost forgot about it but my head just looked up and met my father's eyes. It seems like I won't have a problem with people calling me by my new name.

"Yes, daddy?" I asked him back though its not basically what I should do. I mean, calling him daddy, sent chills all over my body.

I'm not really used with this.

How I wished I could adjust faster than accepting the reality that I am here living in my second life.

Father fake a cough then took a sip of juice near his dinner plate. It was not until he talked again when I really wanted to runaway from here from seriously a humiliating situation.

"One plus one?"

It's a question that really left me in wonder. I mean, at first I don't know what does he meant by asking me that question but it seems like I have to answer him, regardless. I actually felt embarassed when I heard him asked me an unexpectedly simple question but without realizing it, I answered his question in the end.

"The answer is two."

Ugh~

This is annoying.