Villainess Reborn: SEASON ONE

CHAPTER TWELVE

TATIANA LORIEL

The sun was high in the sky, and the birds hid away in the shadows. It was summer in Aragon, and Tatiana only figured it out because of the scorching heat. Every day she asked for something cool to drink in her room since it felt like she was being cooked in an oven.

She kicked off the thick fabric that was touching her shin as she walked. She wondered how people here managed to survive wearing this thick uniform and an apron added to that. Sweat trickled down the side of her face just after she wiped it off using the back of her hands.

"Where are the training grounds?" she complained, her voice covered in annoyance. She's been circling the palace grounds for a while now, but she still has no idea where to find the training grounds for the knights. If only Emma could have been the one to do this since she was the one tasked with this.

In the end, she realizes that it's her fault and her responsibility, since she was the one who lied about being Maria in the first place.

She then crossed a bridge over a pond full of lotus flowers and koi fish. Tatiana envied the ducks on the lake, diving into the pond and swimming around. She badly wanted to jump into the cool water to soothe the heat, but that would only cause chaos and her wig might fall off. She shook her head to remove the thought. Just learning that she was not going around in circles was enough for her.

After exploring around the tiny garden, she once again entered another covered walk, like an open hallway on both sides. It connected the two buildings of the palace together using a long covered walk right after passing by the pond.

"Why did I do this in the first place?" she mumbled to herself. She walked by what looked like a large silver platter that hung on the side of the wall she had just passed by. When she looked at herself, she realized the mess that she was in.

The strands of her real hair that were kept under the wig started to fall on her face. She immediately tugged the hair back under the wig and arranged it since it was already toppling over to the side. At that moment, her hands froze in place.

Every time she looks at her reflection, she can't help but see a stranger instead of herself. She keeps seeing a different person in a whole different world. That's when reality hits her. It makes her realize that she most probably isn't real, that she's a villainess in a book that's meant to die in four years.

Fear started to creep in as she stared at herself. She can't possibly die in both lives, right? Her past life ended right before it started out for her and in this life, she is destined to die at the age of nineteen, just like in her previous life.

Once again, she forced herself to stop thinking about it and slapped both of her cheeks.

"I need to get myself together," she whispered to herself, "I need to do the things in front of me before I worry about anything else."

She turned and bumped into something hard and stumbled back. Thinking there was a wall on the side, she stepped back and hissed while rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"I apologize," the wall spoke. Tatiana raised her head in shock when the wall spoke, except that it wasn't a wall. It was a person, an extremely tall and big person.

This person was wearing a fitted black shirt with straps that looked like a belt around his shoulders and chest. He was also wearing cargo pants and boots. Gray streaks of silver hair fell on his slanted and lifeless-looking eyes.

Tatiana's cheeks warmed up. It was the first time she had seen someone so unrealistically handsome. The guy reminded her of the anime guys she used to watch back then. And this guy looked exactly like one. He was extremely handsome, tall, and hot, just as hot as the summer in Aragon.

"Fudge," Tatiana whispered in awe, but immediately covered her mouth because of it. Her eyes widened in surprise as she stepped back. The guy's forehead creased in confusion.

"Fudge?" he asked, "what is that?"

Tatiana wanted to run away. It was embarrassing enough to ogle at a stranger with saliva dripping down the side of her lip and now she used an expression that does not exist here.

She bowed several times and apologized. In the back of her mind, she was slightly relieved since she knows that she won't see this guy in the future. The palace is huge, and she is wearing a disguise. There is no way on earth that anyone will recognize her—

"Tatiana?"

Immediately, her whole body froze. She recognized that voice. She quickly bowed her head and covered her face using the bangs of her hair.

"Tatiana, is that you?"

The guy she had just met eyed her while she was busy making a nest out of her hair. Tatiana leaned on the wall and turned her body to it. The person behind her took a step forward.

"Captain," the guy in front of her said. But the person he was referring to did not respond, instead, he walked towards them and blocked Tatiana's way as she was trying to escape. Her head was drooping low and the only thing she could see was a pair of boots.

She stepped from side to side trying to find an opening, but the captain in front of her only closed in on her, blocking her every step. The guys behind them looked at them weirdly because they looked like they were both dancing.

He wondered why the captain was eager to catch the poor palace servant, but then he remembered what the captain called her.

Tatiana.

Tatiana.

Tatiana Loriel.

Her highness, Tatiana Loriel.

The guy bowed his head in respect.

"My apologies! Your Highness!"

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END