Chapter 1
04-March-2021
Chapter one - The Begining!
Oh god, oh no! how did this happen?! I was just going for a walk, a nice, simple, completely normal, walk to the shops. I just wanted a midnight snack, but no. This isn’t some weird fantasy world, even if it is this can’t be happening! this isn’t supposed to happen.
I looked up from my plate of food, in front of me I saw my ‘family’ eating, together, in a large dining room. At a large 12 seater table. Across from me, at the head of the table was my ‘father’. To his right on the long side of the table, sat my ‘mother’ and across from her was my dear sweet, little sister. Except he wasn’t my father, she wasn’t my mother, and the adorable little girl was in fact, not my sister. I was an only child.
Then again, I’m no longer me, am I? I am now the sweet, innocent, lady Anastasia Marion Sucliege Showartz (pronunciation: Lay-de Ah-na-stay-zhi-a Mah-re-on Su-klee-zh Show-wort-z).
My real name is Tex, short for Texas, not from Texas, never been anywhere near, Texas. Not even American. I live alone, I am 20 years old and I do not have a little sister, especially not a little sister called Mari (pronunciation: Ma-ri) who is turning 8. I do not have a mother called Jaquleon (pronunciation: Jack-lon) and I do not have a father called John. Good. Ol’. Dad..... John.
It appears I have somehow been reincarnated? transmigrated? transported? to a novel I read, a novel called ‘I was reincarnated as the no-good, filthy snake, villainous who’s only end was to die by the wicked Grand Dukes spoiled wife!’ Yes, it is quite a title isn’t it.
I am self monologuing again, aren’t I? yes, yes I am, life as a shut-in sure has made me a fine piece of societal trash.
“Anastasia dear? are you not feeling well? you look quite pale,” Mother said with worry snapping me out of my panic.
“No, everything’s fine Mother, I’m just a bit nervous about my political marriage with the Grand Dukes cousin is all, are you sure there’s no other way to get us out of debt?” I replied, let’s hope Mother understands my passive-aggressive not so secret way of telling her I don’t want to marry.
Mother laughed like an innocent child who was obviously hiding the fact that they had done something they shouldn’t have.
“Oh dear your so funny, but you know how life is, sometimes things happen, we just have to move on and think positive!” She replied pained with guilt. It was the expected reply I’d gotten this morning, no matter how many times I tried she simply refused to break the engagement.
It was quite the surprise being woken up in such a lavish bed, in such an extravagant room. Not to mention that I looked like a completely different person. Typically I’d be thrilled to wake up in such a place, marry the Emporer or the Grand Duke, but alas that was not how this was going to go.
It wasn’t any better in the novel either, you see the original plot was that I, Anastasia, married the Grand Dukes cousin and then surprise surprise, was destined to live a life of depression and sorrow. The Grand Dukes cousin whose name was something along the lines of Jim? Jem? Jeb? Jam? well anyway wasn’t a bad person or cruel to Anastasia in any way. He just wasn’t the one she loved and so they agreed upon the terms that they would see other people in secret.
Unfortunately, dear Anastasia just had to fall for the Grand Duke....s best friend James. Oh ho ho, you’d think James’d love the pretty and kind Anastasia but no, he loved the heroine who was to become the Grand Dukes wife. Anastasia mad and infuriated that the heroine had gotten not only the Grand Duke, the Crown Prince about to be Empoorer and her beloved James to love her, was too much. She was overtaken and swallowed with rage, greed, jealousy and just about every other emotion you’d expect.
In the end, Anastasia tried to kill the heroine but, expectedly failed. She was executed. In comes the next story, my girl Ryo, she read the original novel and was reincarnated into the story. In Ryo’s version instead of going after James, she went right after the Crown prince, she paid no mind to the Grand Duke or James.
However, that didn’t work out, just like the original version the Crown Prince, even though he and Anastasia were becoming close... didn’t come close enough before the heroine came into the beautiful, deadly and maddening picture.
This time... was no different, but instead of trying to kill the heroine, she was killed in an alleyway by some drunkard having a bad day. She was there to well... leave. She couldn’t do anything no matter how hard she tried, the Crown Prince became obsessed with the heroine and distanced himself from her, the Grand Duke didn’t like her because he didn’t know her, and James was... around.
That’s how I got here. Maybe I should go straight for the Grand Duke? or get James and I’s marriage to be thrown away before it happens? I would, but to be honest, I’m not that smart, or brave, or social, or have any skills except staying in my room.
I’m not even one of those cool gamers that know all these cool fighting scenarios, no, I played gacha games and watched anime, read novels, manga, manhwa and occasionally did art.
I’ve come to the decision, I shall run away to the countryside. To be honest I have no idea what it’s going to be like, as neither of the novels about Anastasia went anywhere near people who weren’t nobles living in the capital of the country. Oh... maybe I should move to a different country entirely, yes that’s what I’ll do.
Oh, I just remembered, the novel has supernatural beings in it, like vampires, werewolves, witches and warlocks, monsters and mayhem. It was barely touched upon as this was a predominantly human country where demons and the rest of the supernatural beings were, not allowed.
If I leave the country I’m just as screwed as if I would be going along the original story. Now that I think about it, the Grand Duke sure did like his cousin. My ‘family’ does have some very rare features in the looks department. It sure would be bad if this.. medium-sized country was ruled by the Grand Duke and crown prince... together. Oh right, it is, so shall I organise my options.
1. Marry James, be unhappy and depressed for the rest of my life and possibly end my existence.
2. Go for the Duke or the Crown Prince and try my luck with them having knowledge of their likes and dislikes... and die.
3. Go to the country, probably get found, do option 1, or die because I lack any common skills what so ever in the modern world let alone this world where machines hardly exist. Mental Note- I’m sure that the country is no better than medieval times.
4. Go out of the country, out of the Grand Duke and his somewhat friend until the heroine arrived Crown Prince area of jurisdiction, and be killed by either nature, starvation, dehydration or death by being slaughtered.
What great, truly favourable for me options. Truly wonderful. My first 3 options are all certain death, three isn’t certain death but it’s too uncertain. The last option it is, will I survive? I sure hope so. I’d accept death but death seems painful.
“Eat your food Anastasia, you need to eat,” commanded my Father.
“yes, of course, Father” I replied with haste. Is this how a noble lady acts? it’s so hard to sit up straight and watch my mannerisms, not to mention the cutlery, why are there 3 forks?
It looked delicious though, a nice juicy steak and.. salad. I’m not a fan of steak or salad but I must eat so that I can stay strong for when I escape. I get married next week, and I’m being taken to the Grand Duke’s cousins estate tomorrow so in short, I leave tonight. It was still morning so I had all day to pack and well, I haven’t thought that far ahead.
My family and I ate in silence, in the original novel my parents were good people, but they had certain problems. My father tended to occasionally gamble, only to appease the other nobles, and my mother was a tad insecure about her appearance and reputation. She often bought dresses, jewellery and other accessories she didn't need, so she could stay in favour of recent trends.
As Lady Anastasia had to be the responsible one in the family because of my parent's weak wills, I was forced to wear old clothes from my mother. I'd occasionally get a good dress, only when going to important events. Of course, this never happened to me, I didn't even inherit the original Anastasias memories. I only know what was shown in the novel.
I was often ridiculed or snickered at by other nobles, not face to face of course, as nobles are, they were more secretive about their disdain and disgust for others. Only for their reputations. Although that's the case they would play mental warfare quite often, rumours, whisperings in front of their victims, subtle humiliation.
I was not fit to handle any of those, I knew nothing about etiquette and was not as strong-willed as other souls reincarnated into the villainous. It's a lot harder on your mental state than shown.
I gulped down my breakfast and left with haste to begin learning about Anastasia, and all that she had. I couldn't go around in the other rooms as it would look a bit suspicious going in and out of them. I went back to my room, took a while as I took a few wrong turns.
I searched through Anastasia's desk, her drawers and looked through all her clothes to find suitable attire. Usually, I was not the type to wear dresses in my normal world, but as I was no longer me it was quite enjoyable wearing one.
I packed necessary items, a few dresses, not too noticeable but not too shabby looking in case I ever needed them. Pyjamas, of course, they were adorable and made of the finest materials... I assume. I also packed a few different kinds of underwear and some toiletries like a toothbrush, toothpaste and more. Thank god for my curiosity as I know what women in this type of era used for when that time of the month rolls around.
Thankfully I had already been given suitcases so that I could pack for when I go to the Grand Dukes cousins estate. It was quite convenient, all I had to do now was ask my parents for some more money to buy 'dresses' to look presentable for the Grand Du- I'll just call him Jim.
A gentle knock on the beautifully carved door frightened me for an instant.
"Miss Anastasia? It's me, Mary, I came to check on you and help you pack," She explained, Mary was my personal maid. She was nice and caring.
"No need to be concerned with that Mary, I was... just so excited that I already packed everything myself!" I exclaimed excitedly.
"Are you sure? Would you like me to come inside and make sure everything you need is packed?" She offered politely.
"NO! I mean, no need for that, I've got everything sorted!" I hurriedly corrected myself. I was going to leave and find my parents in this incredible mansion, but it would be easier to ask Mary to take me to them.
I rushed to the door, "Mary, dear, if it's not to much trouble could you please take me to my parents? I'd like to ask something very important of them," I asked. Her face contorted into that of confusion for a second, it must have been the 'dear', we are the same age and I sounded like a mother.
In the original Novel, I or, Anastasia was also twenty years old. Typically a noble lady would have been married at eighteen or as you as sixteen but my parents, feeling bad about my upbringing cut me some slack... and then they decided to force me to marry Jim.
"Of course, they're in your Fathers office discussing details about the marriage, last-minute checking to make sure everything goes smoothly," She answered as we began to walk.
She knocked on a large double door, a reply came from the other side, it was Father. Mary opened the door for me, I walked in and saw Mother sitting elegantly on the edge of fathers desk in a beautifully crafted green dress.
Father was sitting in a large, wooden chair, what you'd expect a nobleman to sit on.
"Mother, Father," I greeted them with a nod and a courtesy.
"I'd like to ask for a reasonably large amount of money, as I'd like to buy some more dresses, as I have recently found out that Ji- my fiance, is a fan of a different line of dresses to the ones I'd bought," I explained, I made up an excuse on my way over here.
Knowing that my parents love to impress the other nobility it was the best decision. They looked at each other and had a silent discussion, I was starting to become nervous.
"Yes, of course! It's good to see your finally showing interest in your fiance and appearance!" Mother expressed with joy. Well maybe if you guys didn't drag us into debt the whole of Anastasia's life she might have asked for these things.
"I'll prepare a carriage right away, Mary please inform the other servants so they can get the necessary things ready for my daughter," Father commanded in a stern tone. Mary lowered her head in acknowledgement and left.
"Thank you, Father, Mother," I commented.
