On most early mornings, the sounds of a zither could be heard from deep inside the courtyard of the Prime Minister Manor's eldest miss. For those who served there, it was regarded as a privilege to hear their mistress's playing.
Yet today...
For some reason, rather than the soft, elegant melodies the eldest miss usually favored, a thunderous tune full of killing intent rose and fell through the air.
As the courtyard's servants went about their morning duties, their steps were several times lighter than usual. The eldest miss was gentle and magnanimous, but they might be her next targets if she was furious enough!
When the song reached its last, chilling note, the two servants stationed outside the bedchamber exchanged worried looks before quickly entering.
Their mistress was seated at a low table, hands clamped around her zither. Still in her nightclothes, with her long, disheveled hair framing her pale face, she looked nothing like the graceful and dignified eldest miss the rest of the world usually saw.
"Young miss..."
One of the servants, Huixin, called out in a soft voice as she approached her mistress. The other one went to prepare the cup of tea the eldest miss normally drank after her early morning practice.
"Young miss!"
Once again, Huixin attempted to get her mistress's attention, but to no avail. Even when Yiyue served the tea, the eldest miss was still lost in whatever madness had overtaken her since she'd first opened her eyes this morning.
"Huixin, should we send for a physician?" Yiyue asked in a low voice, tugging onto the older girl's sleeve. "The young miss has barely recovered from her fever, I'm afraid that..."
"I understand your fears," Huixin placed a firm yet reassuring hand on her shoulder, "but until it is absolutely necessary, we must wait for the young miss's instructions."
Biting her lip, Yiyue nodded.
Naturally, after following the eldest miss for so many years, she understood the overly cautious nature of their mistress very well.
But she couldn't stop her heart from trembling as she watched the eldest miss stare into the distance, an eerie light shining in her eyes.
Just what was it that had made her mistress lose herself like this?!
In reality, Rong Lian had been aware of her maids all along. Thankfully, they hadn't called for a physician despite her seemingly crazy actions.
This last thought made an uncanny laugh, bubbling with pure rage, escape from her lips. With the information she'd received, Rong Lian felt it was a miracle if she didn't become half-crazy.
As it turned out, this life of hers was just another part of a story!
In hazy, feverish dreams, the plot had unfurled like a play before her eyes, showing her what the future held.
Now, Rong Lian finally understood the strange sensations she'd had since she was a child.
The reason for why random places or people seemed familiar, although she'd never encountered them before. Or why she had always disliked to even hear the name of Mu Lingxue, the unfavored daughter of the Grand Commandant¹.
―――
¹Grand Commandant (太尉): title referring to the supreme military commander in control of all the nation's armies.
―――
It was all because this was the world of a cheap romance story. In which she, Rong Lian, was the so-called villainess, whose evil schemes brought the male and female leads closer together in the end.
As she thought up to here, her body shook uncontrollably with hatred, eyes squeezed shut in an attempt to rein in her emotions.
But she couldn't stop picturing that hateful image of Mu Lingxue crowned in the full glory of an empress, to the point that her chest squeezed painfully. Seconds later, blood splattered all over her prized zither.
"Young miss!"
Her alarmed maids cried out as they rushed to help her stand up. Rong Lian allowed herself to be led towards her bed, feeling extremely weakened.
She leaned back into her soft pillows as Huixin wiped her lips and fed her some medicine. Her maid's calm gaze never wavered from her, effectively forcing Rong Lian to drink it all with a grimace.
"Young miss, please don't disregard your body like this," Yiyue admonished from the other side, her eyes already red with tears. "This servant doesn't want to see the young miss like that ever again!"
Rong Lian grasped the thick quilt on her lap, her eyes firmly trained on it. She was unable to face the sincere love and worry that was surely reflected in their eyes.
In her dreams, due to her desperate attempts to regain her engagement, these two had sacrificed themselves for her and were flogged to death.
'No! Never will I lose someone dear to me again!'
Looking up abruptly, she startled the two maidservants with the fierce glint in her eyes. Rong Lian made a solemn vow in her heart, full of steely determination.
She would protect them along with her little brother, and never allow them to sacrifice themselves.
She would make sure they remained by her side as she rewrote her absurd fate and rose to her rightful place.
To hell with the novel's plot, this time she would be the female lead!
A serene smile on her lips, Rong Lian finally spoke for the first time since waking up.
"Huixin, Yiyue, call the rest of the servants in. This young miss will be visiting Her Majesty."
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Important Names:
Rong Lian (荣莲): Rong is a surname meaning 'honor, glory', while Lian (莲) means 'lotus'.
Mu Lingxue (慕灵雪): Mu (慕) is a surname meaning 'admire, yearn for', Ling (灵) is 'quick, clever, sharp; spritely, fairy' while xue (雪) is 'snow'.
Huixin (蕙心): Huixin appears in an idiom ('fine nature and clever mind') that describes a woman as beautiful as well as intelligent. Servants have no surname.
Yiyue (怡悦): Together, Yiyue means 'happy, joyous'. Servants have no surname.