Years later, I Country, Duke Parvan Mansion...
"Your Grace, it is time to dress up." One of the first class maidservants named Lili reminded the woman who had been sitting in that pavilion since early morning.
There were pastries and tea in front of her but she barely touched them. Instead, it was apparent that her mind was wandering. Lili even doubted it if she had heard what she just said.
Out of options though, she walked in front of the woman, clicked her fingers and called her attention once again.
"Your Grace..."
Doon lang naman tumingin sa kanya ang babae at sumagot.
"En, Lili... I heard you the first time. Let me just finish my tea before going back."
Lili no longer said anything else and simply stepped back. However, the woman spoke to her again.
"Also, you should stop addressing me as that. Especially today..."
"It is my mistake, Your... I mean, My Lady."
Lili and Lulu, the two maidservants serving Veira even when she was still maiden and came along with her in this mansion after marriage, couldn't help clenching their hands out of grievance after hearing their mistress's words.
Why?! Why would this mansion humiliate their mistress like this?! She didn't deserve it!
They bowed their heads to hide their misty eyes as well as the anger in their faces.
On the other hand, Veira noticed their expressions and understood their feelings. But...
She just couldn't dwell on them right now. She couldn't even dwell about the fact that today, a new Heir's Wife would enter the mansion and most likely, would very glad to step on her head right away.
No, she couldn't afford to think any of that right now.
She had more pressing concern to think about.
Like the fact that she had been dead for a very long time now (more like one dynasty long ago), but now she was alive again.
Her soul after death did not cross over nor reincarnate. Instead, it had been trapped in this world for a very long time. Yes, she had been a wandering spirit for a while.
It must be because she died unjustly. Then as she watched the next thing that happened after her death... how the useless emperor let her beloved country fall... how the traitors used her death to conquer and lied to her beloved people... it was no brainer that her soul accummulated resentment which definitely the main reason why she failed to cross over then.
But as years, decades and more likely, even century, passed by, her anger had finally subsided. Now, she could only feel indifference... dullness...
Should she still aim for revenge, eh? Those people were already dead a long time ago. They lived and accomplished things after stepping on her dead body and even nth of their next generations were prosperous. Hell, they might even have happily crossed over and reincarnated before she could do so.
Yes, damn. Heaven is just that unfair to her.
Even this sudden reincarnation, she didn't want it. Look! A week ago, she took over this body of a lady who married in this Duke's mansion as the Heir's Wife, got demoted as concubine half a year later and today, a new Heir's Wife would enter just to humiliate and step on her head.
She wanted to curse the Heaven.
She just freaking wanted to cross over! Forget all the BS that happened in her past life and stayed in spectral world forever! But hell no. The freaking Heaven, instead, brought her in this body, only to suffer another round of disgrace.
"Damn it!" Veira muttered the curse under her breath. Other maids didn't head her clearly but Lili and Lulu, who were nearby, did.
Shock was painted on their faces, looked at each other but said nothing to remind their mistress.
"Let's go. We don't want to miss this wedding at all."
'Since someone wants to be a canon fodder, let them face a bit of my irritation then.'
Veira stood up and started to walk back to her courtyard to prepare and meet this new Heir's Wife.
***
Veira's marriage to Gavin Parvan, the heir of Duke Parvan's Mansion, was actually a plot for revenge of someone else. Especifically that Crown Prince Rowan.
In every imperial kingdom with several abled princes, hindi maiiwasang magkampi kampihan ang mga officials at princes para magplano sa pagdating ng panahon na mamatay na ang kasalukuyang Emperor.
In I Country, the same thing was happening. Gavin happened to be a well-known supporter ng Second Prince who was the greatest challenger of Crown Prince to the throne.
Meanwhile, Veira's father, Prime Minister Tan, was from Third Prince's faction who were obviously trying to be a fisherman while fish and clams were fighting.
One day in court, Duke Gavin angered the Crown Prince and in revenge, he bestowed marriage to him. He was to marry Veira Tan, first legitimate but unfavored daughter of Prime Minister Tan as his betrothed.
Yes. This male chauvinistic Prince used a lady's marriage, specifically hers, to insult his enemy.
But instead of castigation, he actually received praises for this "smart move" of his. Why, it was exactly hitting two birds with one stone!
He had his revenge, at the same time, forced the Third Prince's faction to be weary of using the Prime Minister now that he had association to the Duke's mansion through marriage.
On the other hand, the Original-Veira thought this marriage was finally the key for her to get out of that unfavored... unloved situation.
You see, she actually had a huge grudge against her father after he married his favorite concubine just three months after her mother died.
The new wife naturally doted on her real children while she, who was originally the sole legitimate child of Prime Minister Tan, was thrown at the back of the residence and lived like a poor man's child. She got half amount of her siblings' daily allowance. The clothes she received were coarsed and rough. The food allocated for her were almost like left overs dahil napagpiliin na ang mga ito ng ibang masters ng residence. Wala ng mga karne at tanging gulay na lamang ang natira doon.
For ten years, tiniis niya ang ganung buhay.
And when this marriage came to her, she treated it like a golden ticket to freedom.
Only to get disappointed, of course.
What she didn't expect was, that unfavored treatment would just continue up until she really entered the Duke's mansion.
Well, she could have realized that if her brain wasn't full of sunshines and rainbows, in short, hopes. Just the mere reason why she had that marriage in the first place was already a huge, waving, slapping-her-face red flag.
But no, she was blinded by the prestige of the Duke's mansion. Thus when after six months of marriage, she was still not pregnant and it was used against her by her mother-in-law to demote her as concubine just to make way for another woman to enter the mansion as the Heir's Wife, she ended up very ill.
Then ten days ago, she had a heart attack, causing her death and letting another soul to take over her body.
Really pathetic!
That's what Now-Veira thought as she was trying to understand the original owner's story from the memories in her head.
But...
Mabuti na rin at siya ang pumalit sa kaluluwa ng kaawa-awang dalaga na ito. She would definitely give this Gavin and his newly wedded wife a great surprised today! This would be her gift to Original-Veira in exchange of her occupying this body now.
***
