Chapter 1

“You’ve lost a lot of weight.”

Laura looks at her mother who’s lying down the hospital bed. It is undeniable how weak her mother has become just by hearing the voice alone.

Looking at her mom’s weakened state, her grip on the straps of her shoulder bag tightened as she tries to give her best smile. At least if she smiles, her mother can be less worried. She walks towards her mom as she pulled a nearby chair, and positions herself just beside her mother’s bed.

“I’ve been on diet these days,” she lied. Truth is, she’s been only eating a slice of bread every single day because she doesn’t have the money to buy enough food.

“You don’t need to diet. My daughter is already so much beautiful,” her mother smiled.

Despite the pale look on her mother’s face, Laura still thinks that her mom is so pretty when she smiles.

“Between you and I, I think you’re the one who shouldn’t be on a diet anymore. You have to eat more food,” she answered back, with the intention of pointing out that compared to her, her mother is in no position to call her thin.

Laura brings out two pieces of apple, which she bought a little while ago, from her bag. She pulled the drawer just beside her mom’s bed and took out a small kitchen knife and a saucer from it. She began peeling one apple, slicing it down to bite sizes.

After doing so, she watched as her mom begins eating the sliced apple.

Her mother had changed so much from when she was younger. Back then, she remembers that her mom had rosy cheeks instead of plainly pale ones. She had muscles from working in their family’s small barn unlike now. She’s nothing but skins and bones.

If only Laura could earn enough money to move her mom to a better hospital, then she knows her mom can get better. But even with two jobs and working 16 hours a day, she could barely pay for her mom’s current medical bills.

“Laura, I know you’re a good kid. Please take good care of yourself too or mom will worry,” her mom softly utters as she tries to reach for Laura’s mouth, attempting to feed her with apples.

Moved by her mom’s actions, Laura genuinely smiles as she moves her mouth closer to her mom’s hand and bites down the apple.

“It’s tasty,” she remarks. Her mom gently smiles. “Don’t worry about me, and focus on getting better, mom. I am okay,” she assured.

Her mom nods at her.

Yes, it’s gonna be okay, she thought to herself. A lie.

For a while, both of them become so quiet, unable to continue with the conversation. The two of them must know that it is impossible, after all. All the odds are against their real situation.

“Are you going to sleep here tonight?” her mom asks, interrupting the silence. But before she could even answer, her mom speaks again. “Go home and sleep on a bed instead of a hospital chair. Take a good rest.”

It was Laura’s turn to nod. “I will, mom. Really, don’t worry about me. I’m not a kid anymore,” she jokingly said.

“My baby is all grown up,” her mom weakly answered.

Hearing the words from her mother’s mouth, Laura couldn’t help but crack a sad smile. I’ve grown up well, thanks to you, she inwardly said.

“I will take a rest first then,” her mom continued before finally closing her eyes.

Laura waited for her mother to fall asleep before she decided to leave the hospital. It was 5pm when she left. She has another work by six, and she hasn’t slept for the past 20 hours. Well, she’ll get by for another 10 hours if she drinks two or more cups of coffee.

As she exits the hospital building, she looks at the slightly gray sky. It’s going to be rainy tonight. Silently, she prayed that it pours so hard that less people will be coming to the restaurant where she works at. Because that’s the only way she could take a little rest.

She begins walking down the street. During this time of the day, the streets surrounding the hospital look the busiest. People are all getting swept up by the rushed hour.

Laura had always thought that its lucky to experience the rushed hour, get caught by the heavy traffic, and just be excited because there’s a nice dinner with family waiting at home, and finally a good rest.

Well, for sure, one day, her mom will be waiting at home too instead of lying down the hospital bed. And the two of them can have a nice dinner together.

For sure, one day.

With those positive thoughts in her mind, Laura crosses the pedestrian not realizing that the traffic light had already turned to red.

A loud horn from a car pierces her ears as its headlamp blinds her eyes. Suddenly, a car is coming towards her and the last thing she could think of was her mom.

“Olivia? Olivia?”

“Mom... mom...”

“Olivia!”

Laura opens her eyes only to realize that she’s in an unfamiliar room, woken up by an unfamiliar person.

Out of reflex, Laura immediately backed away from the woman who calls her Olivia. She is relieved that dying was just a dream about something that happened a few days ago. But who is this unknown middle-aged woman in front of her?

“It’s okay. It was just a bad dream, Olivia.”

Olivia... Olivia. Ah, that’s right. Right now, I am Olivia Reign, she thought to herself as she remembers how she and the real Olivia carried out their plan to swap places last night.

Laura carefully looked at the woman in front of her, and searched her brain which among the photos in Olivia’s guide notebook is this woman.

“Mother,” she called, trying to sound as natural as she could. Never once did she ever expect she’ll be calling an aristocrat with that word.

Olivia’s mother, Ophelia, worriedly looked at her daughter as she asks, “have you calmed down?”

Finally pulling herself together, Laura fixes herself and sits upright, just the way Olivia had previously taught her.

“I apologize for my unrefined action, mother,” she said. “I was taken by surprise. It will never happen again.”

Ophelia looked at Laura with so much grief as she says, “It’s okay. I am your mother, Olivia. I was even hoping you’d cling to me after a bad dream, just like the old times.”

Laura finds it awkward to be sweet-talked by a complete stranger. But for her mom’s medications, she wants to do her best and live Olivia’s life.

According to Olivia, she is not close with anyone inside the house – not even to her parents. Most of the time, she acts arrogantly in front of everyone. Which is why, Laura was instructed not to be giddy with anyone. Instead, she has to keep her walls up and act unfriendly to everyone, including her parents.

“I am okay, mother,” she coldly replied, completely ignoring Ophelia’s earlier remark.

She carefully got out of the bed.

Knowing that the real Olivia’s mother is watching her, she could feel her anxiety of being discovered as an impostor crawling up and down her spine.

“Is something going on today? It’s not often that you personally come to wake me up.”

Ophelia closely watches her daughter move towards the dressing table. “Well, today is the day, my child. You’re finally meeting your groom.”

Groom?! Olivia never mentioned this to me!

“Are you sure that I am prepared for this?” panicked, she asks.

“Yes, honey. Marriage is inevitable for the sole daughter of the Reign family. Duke Crezford, a young aristocrat, has arrived in the city two days ago, and today, he’s coming for breakfast with us. You’re not planning on escaping, right?”

Who the hell is Duke Crezford?!

Laura has the habit of fidgeting her fingers whenever she starts to panic.

She does her best to hide this action and all the other anxieties mixed with guilt that’s creeping on her by reaching for the comb on top of the dresser. Carefully regaining her composure, she starts to comb her hair while watching her face in front of the dressing mirror.

“He is basically here already. If so, then what choice do I have but meet this Duke person?” Laura tried to sound as sarcastically as she could, just as how she imagined the real Olivia’s response would be. “Don’t worry, mother. I am not going to scheme and escape.”

In fact, the real Olivia did already, she wanted to add.

For a moment, Ophelia eyed her daughter. It was as if she was closely examining the person in front of her.

“I can guess that you had told me already what you’ve come to tell. Mother, may I ask for some privacy? I’d like to change my clothes,” Laura managed to say, trying to brush off Ophelia’s probing eyes.

Ophelia then nods, and tells her, “I’ll see you during breakfast.”

Just as Olivia’s mother leaves the room, Laura immediately runs towards the door and locks it. Just then, she loses all the strength she had in her knees and slowly kneels down the floor.

Pretending to be Olivia might not be as easy as she had initially thought.

With the thinking that Olivia’s plan is impossible after all, Laura stands up and makes up her mind.

I can’t do this.  I’m going home, she thought, walking towards her queen-sized bed.

Under her bed, she reached out for a certain chest entrusted to her by Olivia before carrying out their plan. The chest is somewhat vintage with very detailed carvings. Laura is positive that she could live for half a year without working just by selling the chest.

Admiring its superior quality, she subconsciously traced the carvings down to a keyhole. Just like some sort of reflex, her hands made its way to the small key that’s hanging around her neck as a necklace, under her sleepwear.

“Never, ever take this off.”

She could still hear the echoes of Olivia’s voice in her head. It sounded like she’ll get discovered in no time once she loses it. Casting away all these thoughts, she takes off the necklace and uses the key to open the chest.

There she finds Olivia’s guide notebook. She remembered that Olivia supposedly had written down a mobile phone number at the last page. She immediately scanned through the pages and found it.

Olivia had warned Laura last night not to call her because a connection between the two of them might be too risky.

Even so, Laura stubbornly reaches for the telephone in her room and dialed the written number. To her surprise, a loud ringtone filled her bedroom.

She couldn’t believe it at first. But realizing that Olivia’s phone was in her room all along, she began following the ringing sound and eventually found where it was coming from. Olivia’s smartphone was right inside the bedside drawer.

Olivia had fooled her.

Having given up, Laura sits on the bed, resigning herself to her inevitable fate in the house of Reign.

For a while, she felt lost, blankly staring at the wall. Can she really impersonate the real Olivia like this? Can she survive as an impostor inside the Reign family?

Just then, three consecutive soft yet loud enough to hear knocks pulled her back in thought.

“Miss Olivia.”

Laura promptly fixes herself along with her hair and clothes as she sits straight up, right before switching back to being Olivia.

“Come in,” she gallantly said.

The door opens and Laura need not to turn to know it is one of the housemaids. Although it’s uncomfortable, Laura kept her back as straight as she could and her chin up.

Without turning an eye, in an imposing tone, she continues to ask, “what is it?”

For a moment, Carol’s eyes squinted upon watching the young lady she had always served since she first arrived at the Reign household.

“The heir of the Crezford clan has come. I have been tasked to escort the young lady to breakfast. But I see that the young lady is not done preparing yet. Allow me to help you, Miss.”

The maid’s voice was filled with so much respect. Laura nods as an answer, and the maid immediately walked her way in to help her dress herself.

It didn’t take too much time. Eventually, the maid led her to the dining area where her mom– rather Olivia’s mother, Olivia’s father, and two unfamiliar men awaits.

As she settles herself in a chair, she could feel someone’s piercing stare at her.

That must be Duke, she thought.