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Chapter 4: Parallel Mornings
🕑 Added 2024-07-25 05:53:02 +0000 UTCOnce I slowed down, I could eat both breakfasts simultaneously with no hiccups. But still, drinking warm soup while enjoying cold yogurt was a weird sensation, to say the least. Both of them were good, by the way, nothing to complain about.
Taking a final scoop of the soup, I cleaned out Feyt's tray.
“Aaah~” I let out a satisfied sigh.
Mom picked up the wooden table with the empty bowl and glass. As she stood up, the wooden table balanced on her right hand, she held her hand onto my forehead.
“Does it still hurt, Feyt?” She rubbed a part of my head, it stung.
“Ow~”
“Hmm, yeah, Fray really hit you hard. I thought I told you kids to take it easy with the playing around.”
Fray? That sounds familiar.
A memory revealed itself to me.
…
It was roughly yesterday afternoon. I heard from Dad that Fray was returning home from her travel. Excited to meet her, I hid behind the doorway ready to scare her.
I kept a constant watch over the window and I finally saw her approaching from the market. I stayed close to the door frame and placed my ears onto the wall, hearing her footsteps as she approached. The moment she opened the door, I jumped at her.
“Boo–!!”
Bonk—
I was met with a hard bash on my head by a really hard stick. Where did that stick come from? I didn’t know, it felt like it appeared out of thin air. All I could remember was Fray’s shocked face, and then darkness.
…
That explained a few things…
Past Feyt, or rather, past me, was rather mischievous… Though, I couldn’t help but find the stuff I did funny.
Right, I’m fifteen.
“Are you okay?” Mom asked. “You’re not usually this silent.”
Well, I was worried about talking at the same time as Carine if I tried to communicate. Explaining to others about my current situation of having two bodies would be headache-inducing, not to mention they would probably label both of us as crazy.
That aside though, I needed to answer Mom. The Feyt I knew would answer all questions with gentle words, so I needed to focus hard and get into character.
After swallowing my saliva and nervousness, I opened my mouth as Feyt.
“I’m alright Mom! The soup was really, really great!” I managed to say without letting it slip to Carine.
I let out a small, internal, victory cry.
“Oh, alright then!” Mom got up and headed to the door. “Just let me know if you need anything, okay? Oh, and don’t worry, I’ll make sure to have a talk with Fray.”
Your eyes look scary.
“That’s alright, Mom! No need to do that. It’s my fault Fray was shocked,” I assured her.
Mom’s eyes widened as she stared at me from the doorway. Then, out of nowhere, “Ahh! My baby Feyt is such a sweetheart!” She squealed.
“Uh…”
“Okay, okay! I’ll just tell Fray to apologize to you later. For now, rest, kay’?”
“O-Okay, Mom!” I nodded
Mom left the room, bringing the entire bubbly atmosphere with her.
Now that things were lonely again, I took a moment to bask in my surroundings.
The small room had a rustic charm. The wooden shutters let in beams of morning light, illuminating the rough furniture. There were trinkets and handmade decorations made out of wood and hay placed on a wooden shelf.
What I couldn’t help but notice though, was the sound. I could hear every bird chirp, every chatter outside the window, every step taken in the house, all with surprising clarity. Were the walls of my house that thin? Or was it something else?
—
Meanwhile, as Carine, I finished my luxurious breakfast and took the chance to glance around my ornate room. The centerpiece of the room has to be the golden chandelier hanging in the middle of the ceiling.
Light from the balcony door windows hit the chandelier, raining down golden light straight onto my face. It stung my eyes even when I tried my best to avert my gaze from it. I should ask Father to take it down.
Oh, wait, I remembered filing several complaints to him about it already.
A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.
“Lady Carine, may I come in?” It was Leila’s voice, ever so polite, or perhaps I should say monotone?
“Yes, come in,” I replied, trying to keep my voice similar to how Carine would usually talk, with elegance.
Leila entered with a small bow. “Have you finished your breakfast, My Lady? Shall I clean your room?”
I looked at the empty plates of food on the silver tray beside me. The meal was finished, but everything remained neatly arranged.
My bed was tidy, with no crumbs or spills. Maintaining the grace expected of the duke's daughter was second nature to me. I didn’t even realize how tidy I set up the tray. The urge to be tidy seemed to affect my muscle memories.
“You may, Leila.”
Leila approached my bedside table and began to clear away the tray. I watched her work, feeling a sense of satisfaction in how I conducted myself.
This was how a daughter of a duke was supposed to eat—gracefully and elegantly. I began to gain confidence in my ability to lead my life as Carine.
As Leila placed the last of the plates onto the tray, she picked it up and stood up straight. She turned to me and asked, “Has your injury been healed, Lady Carine?”
“Huh? Oh, right.”
I placed my hand on my bandaged forehead, “It still stings a little, but that’s it.”
“Ah, if that is so, then Lady Reina has instructed you to follow your schedule as usual. Your schedule for today includes an etiquette session with Lady Maltine, a private lesson with Professor Karvin, a small rest before lunch, and then we–”
Wait, wait, wait, what’s going on?
“–After that, you would have a private sword lesson with your parents,” Leila finished.
What was that list?! Do I have to do that all today?!
I sighed inwardly. The life of a duke’s daughter was not as relaxing as I expected it to be. Of course, the memories inside me of Carine’s life already told me to expect something like this.
My only hope was that I wouldn’t be stuck in the same position I had back in my past life, a lifeless puppet for my bosses.
“O-okay… You may leave, Leila.”
“Excuse me, My Lady.” Leila left the room with a bow.
Left alone with my own thoughts, I pondered my dual existence. The stark contrast between Carine’s life and Feyt’s life was overwhelming. How was I going to manage both?
No, no, one step at a time.
I could eat breakfast simultaneously, even if I had to take it slow, but what about basic stuff, like walking?
Alright, time to learn that next.
