"I'm disappointed in you," a cold voice says harshly, glaring at the young woman who defiantly glares back, her chin held high. As if a furious man wasn't currently standing in front of her, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, clearly wanting to pull that out. The only thing that's stopping him was the fact that she's his sister, and he didn't want to be labelled as "the murderer in the Wang family," which will definitely spoil the perfect image that his father had painstakingly kept. A commendable feat, considering the devil in the form of his sister.
"Weren't you always?" The girl shot back, her voice level, although a small quiver could be detected. He could clearly see the anger in her eyes, and even a fool could tell that she was struggling to contain it. However, something else was in her eyes. Something he couldn't put a finger on. Was it guilt? Regret? Sadness? Hurt? He couldn't tell.
But she knew what it was. It was everything. Anger, at the way everyone had shunned and ignored her without giving her a chance to prove herself. Disgust, at how people below her could be showered with love while all she got was coldness. Sadness, because she knew that she could never win the hearts of those she loved most--her father, her brothers and the prince--even if she took away the people that they cared about. Regret, because she should have actually drowned her sister-in-law instead of just pushing her off the bridge and into the pond.
But she didn't feel guilty. Why should she? Why should she feel guilty about the things that she did, when the only reason that she did them was because she was forced to? Because she had no choice but to resort to such measures? No. No, she wouldn't. She would never.
Unless...something changed. If something had went her way for once. If someone she loved had reciprocated it, and had given her the love that she deserved. Only then, would she change. Only then, would she let go of the past. The past that wasn't fair.
➹➹➹
This morning, I woke up to find myself gasping for air. What kind of dream was that? I couldn't help but wonder.
Well, that doesn't matter. I should quickly finish my project. It's due soon, after all. I quickly jumped out of my bed, my mind still groggy. Which is probably the reason why I haven't yet noticed that I was in a bright vermillion hanfu (漢服) instead of my pink and blue pajamas. My feet hit the floor with a loud thud. Strange. I never make a sound when I get out of bed. I looked down at the floor, my eyes furrowed. But that raises another question: Where am I?
Most certainly not in my room. I didn't have wooden floors, a giant bed with a tall wooden frame, with red drapes hanging down from it. Yeah, this is definitely not my room. No matter where I turn, I was met with foreign objects. Intricate paintings of auspicious animals--cranes, tortoises, dragons and phoenixes--adorned the white wall. At the corner stood a small bamboo plant, illuminated by the sunlight streaming into the beautifully carved window. A few meters away from the bed was a long rectangular wooden table, with scrolls and paintbrushes lying around--which, I presume, must be used for calligraphy. And opposite of the bed, was a large, sturdy wooden door. Man, this room looks fit for royalty. It was exactly what one would expect an ancient Chinese princess' room to look like.
Once I was done with admiring the room and appreciating how beautiful it is, realization finally hits. Hard. I sat back down on my--well, not mine, technically--bed and tried to process the new information.
No matter how I think about the situation I'm in, I could only come up with one answer: I must've been transported into another world--or possibly, another place, in another timeline--which I didn't even know about.
Sure, I've read those kind of insanely popular novels where the main character is isekai'd into their favorite manga or otome game or whatever, but in my case, it's totally different. It's not even comparable. For one, I've never heard of, must less seen this scene before, nor know about the characters I'm dealing with, or the life that I've landed myself in. I didn't even know how this world works. The C-Drama that I watched earlier doesn't even count as it's only set in a similar setting.
If I think about this carefully, it probably is actually a scene in the past or something (that I didn't know of, of course) since this is definitely real, and not in a novel or anything.
In my original world, I've learnt Chinese, so yeah, I understand it perfectly well. But this--in a world where technology is not present, and people still believed that it rained because the gods were angry--is on an entirely different level. Unfortunately for me, I'm all alone, and I've got absolutely no clue about what I was supposed to do.
Would I ever be able to go back? I must be. I was able to come here, so I can go back too...right? What if I don't find a way? What if I won't be able to see my parents and Francis ever again? Oh no! What should I do then? What-
Suddenly, my head snapped up. Wait... I always go to bed with my phone in my pocket (don't ask). I looked down excitedly, patting my pockets (or rather hanfu) to see if I had my phone with it. I let out a gasp of surprise and relief when I felt my phone, and immediately whipped it out.
Thankfully! I must have been transported here with it! Now I just have to call my parents and brother, and they'll somehow find a way to get me back home. Easier said than done. Because the moment I turned on my phone, I discovered that my battery was dead. I'm so dead. How will I go back then? My family members...they must be searching for me right now. They must be really worried...
Bang! My frantic thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door hitting against the wall, causing my heart speed up even more, as I quickly concealed my phone, lifting the covers of the blanket and slipping it in.
To my relief, a girl that looked to be approximately 18 (my age back in my original world) entered, carrying a tray with a few items. She wore a simple peach-colored hanfu that sat on her shoulders perfectly, and her hair was tied up into a neat bun. It looked like what a maid would wear. She started walking towards me, and I stood up as well, preparing to ask her where I was.
However, I was taken by surprise when she took one glance at me, and immediately dropped the tray the she was holding, her eyes widening and a startled expression taking over her once tranquil features. The teacup came crashing down towards the floor, and her voice was barely heard through the ear-splitting shatter of ceramic. Barely. However, that didn't restrict my heightened senses (it somehow got better this morning), so I heard it, albeit faintly.
"My Lady, you're awake!" She gasped, her eyes overridden with emotion and brimming with tears.
YOU ARE READING
Ambrosial
Romance"Why me?! Why me, of all people?" These were the only thoughts I had when I first came into this foreign world. I wanted to go back. Never before had I felt so alone, so desperate. I take my words back: I didn't want to be here. I didn't belong here...
