Tale of The Substitute Princess

Chapter I

01: IS THIS A DREAM?

My forehead creased when I felt the sunlight hit my eyes. Ano pang silbi ng blinds na binili ko kung hindi naman tatakpan ang sinag ng araw?

I turned to my side to avoid the sunlight because I still wanted to sleep, I needed all the rest that I could get. Gumalaw ang kamay ko para hanapin ang hotdog kong unan.

Nakaramdam ako ng inis dahil hindi ko 'yon mahanap. And is it just me or my bed got bigger and wider? Along with the pillow, it got softer too. Napakunot ang noo ko.

That's when I realized that something was wrong.

The pillow on my head isn't the pillow that I use, the bedsheet wasn't familiar, and the scent of the sheets smelled nice but I wasn't familiar with it.

Agad akong napaupo sa kama. My eyes went wide open when I was welcomed by a different room. I started to panic so I hurriedly checked my clothes, it's a cotton nightgown. Mas lalo akong nag-panic nang marealize ko na hindi akin ito. I never bought a nightgown nor do I own any. Who changed my clothes?!

I rushed to the full-length mirror to get a better check of myself. I stared at my face in the mirror, wala namang sugat. Kinapa ko ang dibdib ko, tiyan ko, hanggang sa pwet ko, wala namang nagbago. I checked my neck to see if there's a hickey, good thing there's nothing. Tinignan ko ang legs ko at gano'n pa rin naman. Pinakiramdaman ko ang sarili ko kung may masakit sa akin lalo na sa gitna ng hita ko. I didn't feel anything weird so I dismissed the thought.

That's when I scanned the room I'm in. The room was wide and the color palette was beige and brown. The ceiling is high and there's a chandelier. There's a big round carpet on the floor, wherein there's two sofas and a small round table in the middle of it. I also saw another chair that is placed in front of a vanity table. There's also another door that looks like a cabinet door and a big window with cream colored curtains.

Overall, this isn't just a random room, it's like someone actually owns this room. And I'm pretty sure they are rich considering the space and things.

Bakit ako nandito? Nasa'n ako? As far as I remember, I was able to come home perfectly fine yesterday. It was Steven who dropped us off and I don't think I remember letting anyone in.

Wait, maybe I forgot to lock the door that's why I was kidnapped? Umiling ako. I wasn't that careless. Kahit sobrang pagod ako, hindi ko naman nakakalimutan i-lock 'yung pinto. I live alone so kailangan ko talagang maging maingat.

Sinubukan kong hanapin 'yung cellphone ko para tignan kung anong oras na pero hindi ko makita. I tried to look for a clock. I found one, instead of the usual numbers, roman numerals ang nakita ko, it was already morning.

Bigla kong naalala 'yung text ng kapatid ko sa akin, he's going to visit me tomorrow. I need to get home or else he'll get worried kapag hindi niya ako maabutan sa bahay bukas. Ayaw kong ako ang sesermunan niya dahil mas matanda ako sa kanya, it should be the other way around.

I was about to plan how to escape here—because who knows if I was kidnapped—when the door, a big one if I may add, opened.

Pumasok ang isang babae na nakasuot ng maid outfit. Not the cosplay type but more of the conservative type. The dress is a black long sleeved that reached her feet—pero hindi sayad sa sahig—with some apron-like white ruffles on top of it, there's also a black ribbon on the neck part. She looks pretty with her short hair—just above her shoulders—and she has bangs.

She made a slight bow to me by holding the hem of her dress with her right foot placed behind her left foot.

"What's happening?" I asked, confused. Why is she suddenly bowing to me?