It was an hour later when the lady in green being transported back home by her servants woke up in a horse-drawn carriage with red velvet interior.For a long while, she stared blankly at the empty seat opposite hers, looking as if she was yet to regain her soul. If not for a thoughtful maid asking if she wanted some water or tea, she would not have recovered from the stupor.
She ignored the question and had the personal maid draw the curtains of the carriage for her.
After that, she unconsciously held her breath as her eyes slowly widened at the sight outside.
The houses, the clothing style of the people, the roads, the fresh air… and the extra memories in her head. Everything was telling her that she was no longer in her world or time.
Where was this? Why was she transported to an unknown place? She didn"t know the answer. She would have to go through the extra memories to get a grasp of her current situation.
Before suddenly waking up in her current body, she was Aliyah Monte, a Youtuber specializing in contents about weird history, artifacts, creatures, and conspiracies…. Her topics were educational but mostly unheard of which meant extra effort in doing research.
She was supposed to be in a museum that just received batches of goods and relics from an archaeological site at Anatolia, also known as Asian Turkey or Asia Minor. Hearing that the items seemed to be from before or early medieval ages, she attended the exhibit, her t.i.tle for the next video even decided.
So why did she appear here?
When she lowered her head, lost in her thoughts, a weird feeling arose in her heart. It was because she remembered seeing the cover ill.u.s.tration of the e-book she was reading yesterday.
Aliyah was sure she was in a weird state a while back which meant the spirit medium"s sorcery worked on her. Since the ill.u.s.tration popped up in her mind, she unconsciously tried to recall the plot of that story.
According to the synopsis and spoilers she read online, the e-book was about an aristocratic girl seeking justice for her brother who died a mysterious death for discovering the royal family"s secret.
It was a mystery-romance-fantasy medieval-themed story of which a movie trailer had already been announced.
Aliyah remembered getting curious about it and buying the electronic copy online. However, since she was someone easily bored, she only read the first two chapters, checked the spoilers online for the rest, and then took a glance at the last page. That was how she finished a best-selling book.
So now, what did it have to do with her current situation?
Did the author learn of her bad treatment of the work and feel like she did not give it enough respect so he or she sought out a witch or ghost to punish her?
She shook off the stupid thoughts.
A while later, her green eyes that were still scanning the medieval scenery outside darkened.
"If I"m not mistaken, the memories I received, together with the body and ident.i.ty, are that of the female lead. The one who is always seeking death and playing with fire."
"The scene earlier matches the opening chapter of the novel which I have also seen in the movie trailer…"
"Marian Obson, 17 years old, the female lead…"
In the story, this female lead went to a spirit medium to get some help in reawakening her hazy memories of the night when her beloved older brother died. She also wants to talk to the spirit of her deceased brother, unaware that the world is much complicated than she could ever think. Its wonders are beyond the comprehension of normal humans and not only limited to witchcrafts, angels, spirits, and demons.
This was a fantasy medieval world. The one who sealed Marian Obson"s memories about her brother"s death was dabbling in witchcraft. That person was also somebody employed under the royal family. The involvement of the crown made the story a bit complicated.
"In the book, it was explained that the continent and the countries are believers of those so-called ascended G.o.ds. Wors.h.i.+ppers of fallen angels also exist."
"Uhh… Fallen Angels are supposed to be servants of this so-called Great Deity, creator and the first-ever guardian G.o.d of the continent. They used to be angels and were banished from Heaven because they fell for mortal women, procreated with them, and fathered giant monsters called Nephilims."
"The warlock who killed her brother is said to have used a magic item blessed by Jeqon, the king of the Fallen Angels."
"There is a seal in her mind so when the medium tried to pry on this seal, Marian received a mental backlash… However, in the original story, it only put her in a coma, not let some spirit from another world or the future take over her body…"
"Since I"m here and haven"t become a sleeping beauty, the plot must be changing then…?"
After going through the plot, Aliyah, now Marian Obson, fell into deep thoughts. Her maid kept quiet, afraid to disturb her. It probably helped that "her" brother had just had his funeral yesterday, so she looked to be grieving, not thinking something unscientific.
Not long after, she raised her eyes upon the horizon, unknown emotion danced within her emerald eyes.
Only one thing was for sure, as she swept her gaze around as if she was inspecting the streets for something, gone was the confused soul from a minute ago who kept staring blankly at the ground. She was reviewing her situation again and also digesting the memories of the female lead.
If she wanted to survive until she determined how to get back, or if she would want to go back, she needed all the information she could find and then determine her next course of action.
"Interesting… Even though something changes in the plot of that book due to my takeover… I"m still sure that I"m being watched by the culprit behind "my" brother"s death… My current situation is interesting. Yet, it"s also dangerous…"
The ride continued until they left the town proper.
From the distance, a castle with tall brick and stone walls appeared on sight. One glance was all she needed to know that the castle lord who built the place was a cautious person and a standard lord who wanted his place to be like a manor. He must have wanted his territory to be self-sufficient as to have less contact with outsiders. It was weird since n.o.bles nowadays used the open field system. Yet it was also no surprise since centuries ago, plagues and wars frequently broke out.
Their group gradually neared the castle. Aliyah knew that if she wanted, she could simply use the main gate and had the people standing by the twin towers there to raise the drawbridge. That was her privilege as "Marian", the daughter of the territory lord, Viscount Osbon. But the wait for the drawbridge sounded troublesome so she simply instructed her carriage driver to take the side entrance.
The carriage then entered an elevated doorway that could be accessed through a wooden structure sloping upwards. The elevated doorway was a precaution against war and attacks, after all, gateways were recognized as weak points in tumultuous times.
Within the walls, since there was still a distance away from the castle, various questions formed in her mind again.
If she truly traveled in time or transmigrated into a book, how could she go back?
Who was the one behind this phenomenon and what is her motive?
Does she really have to go uncover the plot behind Marian"s brother"s death even though she knew her life will become smoother and more peaceful if she stays put?
There was no expression on her face as she got off the carriage. She stared at the medieval castle standing tall before her. Her personal maidservant handed a clean handkerchief to her which she used to cover her sensitive nose that was already smelling a lot of annoying odors.
She had already confirmed that apart from the unfamiliar customs and traditions, the most hateful things about a medieval castle... were bad sanitation and smell.
…