Fire.

It was the element her family was known for.

Her father, her mother and now that he had awakened, her brother. They were all fire mages.

Fire was something she had longed for ever since she was old enough to understand the way people saw her. In fire she had seen hope. Hope for a different fate, hope for recognition, hope for the place that should rightfully be hers, hope for her family's love, hope for warmth.

His awakening had marked her as a failure.

Despite being the eldest, she still hadn't shown any sign of fire magic.

While people celebrated her brother, they whispered about her, they shared theories of what her fate would be. She wondered out loud if she, like the women before her, would carry the stigma of their family.

Their hushed words, their pity, their theories... all of it angered her. Clenching her fist tightly until her nails drew blood was the way she chose to deal with this whirlwind of emotion that swept her. Crying would be childish, her tears would have little effect on her situation. Screaming would certainly feel good, but it would only attract more condescending pity. She could leave, but then everyone would know how much she was distraught.

No.

She would bear with it. She would hold her head high and be the perfect image of a lady.

Her mother was right, being weak was a luxury that she couldn't afford, it would only hasten her demise.

 

 

---

 

 

The first day she landed in this world, Hazel had told herself that this was all a dream, a bizarre dream but a dream nonetheless. The second day , she still pretended that time was just working differently in a dream and despite it feeling like 2 days had gone by, it was only a few hours. However, the third day, she finally relented, admitting to herself that she was further from home than she expected. It didn't mean she gave up on going back either. There must be a way to return the same way she came.

She twirled the Holym ring on her finger. The prince had placed it on the table when he had left, not bothering dropping on one knee or even saying the words 'will you marry me'. He had just left it on the table, telling her to do with it what she pleased. Had Sophie not insisted, she would have left it there as well.

Even for someone like her, who didn't believe in the institution of marriage, being proposed to in such a lackluster way felt a bit offensive. Humiliating even.

She felt herself growing increasingly annoyed with the protagonists of this story, but she reasoned with her own mind and reminded herself that none of this was any of her business. She was just a passerby, unwittingly borrowing the villainess' body for a very short time. Hopefully she'd be gone by the time this engagement came to an end and she wouldn't have to suffer through whatever fate had in mind for Hazel Vedar.

Despite the circumstances surrounding the acquisition of the ring, Hazel had to admit that the jewel was pretty, not something she would necessarily wear, but still pretty. As for the hand that wore the ring, it was less delicate than what she would have expected of the hand of a noble lady. It was calloused, the skin of the palm felt coarser than it looked and the nails were cut short.

Was this the hand of a spoiled young lady? Even her own body, which was that of a poor student, didn't look this abused.

To say that living as Hazel Vedar was easy would be lying. Forget the days drinking in the sunrays and sipping tea, forget the days spent idle or in the shopping arcade, forget what she thought would be a few days of well-deserved vacations before she went back to her never-ending assignments. Between the hours upon hours of lessons she had to eat up, the overly complicated everyday etiquette, the unnecessarily intricate imperial rules of conduct she had to memorize, Sophie and Angela side-eying her suspiciously everytime she so much as yawned a little too loud and Rianon being an absolute nightmare to cohabit with, she felt like she had aged 10 years in the span of 3 days.

If it was just that, she would be able to endure it, but even 3 days later, she still felt the effect of the hangover. Her entire body alternated between sluggishness and hyperactivity. One second she felt like she had just drank an entire pack of redbull and the next she just wanted to lie down because her entire body weighed 10 tons.

If she had known being Hazel Vedar would be such an unpleasant experience she would have... well... she would not have done much since she never even knew it was possible to become a novel's character. Still. It would have made things easier for her if things were happening the way they were supposed to.

During the last 2 days, she had time to think about the ordeal and about the events that were supposed to happen in the next few weeks. If her memories served her right, they were still at the beginning of the novel, at a point where Rianon and Darin's feelings for each other were developing as they were faced with the obstacle that was Hazel Vedar.

As long as she inhabited the villainess' body, she had no intention of getting in between them. She had had her fill the first day, when she had been forced to sit through their nauseating flirting.

"So, you're telling us that you're a ghost who took possession of miss Hazel's body and is now parading around in her skin?"

Hazel's attention snapped back to her redheaded attendant.

For 2 days she had done her best to convince them of the veracity of her story. She now felt like Sophie was open to the idea that she wasn't just an amnesiac confused Hazel Vedar but, as she said, another person entirely. Angela, on the other hand, remained skeptical.

"I didn't say I was a ghost! But basically, yeah. I had a weird dream and before I knew it I was in this body", Hazel tried to explain a phenomenon that she herself didn't understand.

"Mmh... And where is Miss Hazel then?"

"If I'm in here then i would guess she's like me." They've already had a conversation the day before and she was getting tired of having to repeat the same words over and over again, only for it to have no effect. It seemed that no matter what she said or how she presented the information, there was no convincing Angela. the woman was adamant that their miss had bonkers after bumping her head a little too hard. "You really don't believe me, do you?", Hazel asked again, "What could I possibly gain from lying?"

"It's not that I don't believe you, I've just never heard of anything like this happening."

"You live in a world where magic exists but this is where you draw the line?" She crossed her arm defensively, accidentally rocking the small garden table in front of her.

Angela looked at her like she had just said the stupidest thing to ever come out of a human mouth. "What are you even— It's not the same! Magic is natural, it's all around us, like the air we breathe. The matters of the soul, that's just not something human can trifle with. It's a matter of the Gods."

"Angela, stop bothering Miss Hazel", Sophie finally intervened.

"Technically, she said she wasn't Miss Hazel, soooo... I don't have to uphold etiquette, right?" With a mischievous grin at her lips, she unceremoniously plopped down on the empty chair across from Hazel. "Are you also a noble in that world of yours?"

She didn't have the time to get comfortable on the chair before Sophie grabbed her by the arm, returning her to her initial position, standing next to the seated Hazel.

"No matter who is inhabiting it, the body is still that of miss Hazel and you are still a lady-in-waiting. Don't forget your manners, Angela."

"Urgh! You're really not cute when you're uptight like this." Angela groaned, her lips forming a pout.

Sophie promptly ignored the sulking redhead and focused her attention on Hazel.

"It's not impossible", she said pensively. "The Temple has no shortage of magical devices that can do a lot of strange things. It wouldn't surprise me to find that they created one that could swap souls or allow one to travel between worlds."

"Them again...", Angela groaned.

"They can help us then! I'll just ask the high priest for an audience and he'll help me", Hazel innocently offered.

The two other women gave her a look that seemed to say : 'What are you even saying, right now. Have you lost your mind?'

She didn't understand why though, from what she read, the Temple was a good force in the empire. Amy had described this institution as the other side of the imperial family. While the Emperor ruled with authority and power, the Temple was its softer, more positive counterpart. If she remembered correctly, the exact words Ames had used to describe its existence was : 'An outstretched hand over the continent, spreading the glory of the Goddesses and taking out the filth that threatened to plague the Holy Empire of Prath'.

The Temple didn't play a big part in the novel. They were only mentioned when Rianon was heralded as a Saintess candidate since they had provided her with the protection and legitimacy she needed to go against the villainess. Even if she was a villainess, they wouldn't refuse to help her without a good reason. Right? It wasn’t like Hazel Vedar was a criminal… yet.

Seeing the reactions of the two ladies-in-waiting, she felt that maybe she was missing something.

"I doubted it before but now I believe it. Even if she were to completely lose her mind, there is no way miss Hazel would utter such blasphemous words." The glare Angela laid on her pinned her to her chair.

"I-I don't—"

"Let's say you are not Miss Hazel, how did this happen?", Sophie cut her, a dangerously amicable smile on her face. Hazel wanted to defend herself but the brunette didn't give her the time to even think of a retort, she continued, "Do expect us to believe that you have nothing to do with this predicament?"

"How would I know? I'm just as much of a clueless victim in this situation as your Hazel."

In her indignation, she failed to properly grip the tea cup she was holding which resulted in her spilling its content on her pants. Thankfully, the tea had cooled down and only a little bit of the liquid ended up on the clothes.

Sophie was the first to react as she pressed a napkin on Hazel's lap. The contact startled her, making her want to jump away from her hand, but the still smiling Sophie caught her shoulder, stopping her momentum. Her eyes seemed to want to convey something like 'Miss Hazel wouldn't react like this. Get your act together.'

"Without information, there's nothing we can do at the moment. However, for the time being, you will have to live as Miss Hazel. That means replicating her behaviour down to the tiniest lift of her little finger. Am I clear?"

Hazel wanted to snap back and point out that up until now they were convinced she was the real Hazel Vedar so it shouldn't be that hard, but something in Sophie's change of demeanor told her that now that they had confirmed she she wasn't their beloved 'Miss Hazel', she wouldn't receive the same affectionate treatment she had been getting for the past 2 days.

Hazel couldn't find a voice to answer, she simply nodded. Something about Sophie's entire demeanor set off the warning signs in Hazel's head. The woman gave off an oppressing aura that didn't suit her cute harmless appearance.

"Good!", the brunette beamed. "I'm glad we came to an understanding because I truly do not know what I would do to you if anyone were to ruin Lady Hazel's future. Thankfully we won't have to find out."

The gentle amicable smile had not left her lips, making the atmosphere surrounding her all the creepier. Hazel couldn't help but shudder. Under Sophie's gaze, she felt like one of those people who willingly got out of the Safari truck because they wanted to see the big cats up close, but soon realized they had made a huge mistake when the cute cats they saw in the truck suddenly turned into actual dangerous lions ready to devour them.

Sophie ran her hand along her spine, prompting her to sit straight. She then lifted her chin and positioned her arms on her side and her hand crossed on her lap, hiding the stain.

"There. Now you look like a lady", she commented gently close to her ear. "Angela, I trust you can discreetly find people able to teach the lady. People who are aware of the fate that awaits them if they were to haphazardly open their mouth."

"I'm on it", the other woman replied before disappearing back inside the manor.

As if dealing with the new and improved Sophie wasn't nerve-wracking enough, Rianon, who usually ate at a different time or in her room, decided to bless Hazel with her agreable presence in the dining-room. From the moment the brown-haired woman had entered the room and laid eyes on Hazel, a deep scowl had been permanently sculpted on her usually soft features.

Stress, her constantly sore body and having to withstand these people's murderous auras made her lose both her appetite and will to get out of her bed. This day's only saving grace was the fact that she didn't have to be in the same room with both Rianon and Sophie. And that wasn't much of a saving grace.

 

 

---

 

 

"You ended up wearing it", Rianon who had been silent since the beginning of dinner said, pointing her fork to the Holym ring on Hazel's finger.

Hazel looked at the golden jewel. She had almost forgotten about it. It wasn't like she wanted to wear it, she would have been fine with leaving it in its box and shoving it in a drawer, but Sophie and Angela had insisted. Hazel wanted this ring so it would be strange for her not to wear it when everyone knew it was in her possession. Now that it was on her finger, she couldn't remove it even if she wanted to.

"I did. It's mine after all, isn't it."

"For the moment." The brown-haired girl corrected conspiratorially as she delicately stabbed her steak with her fork.

[What does that even mean?]

Hazel didn't know what to reply to such an uncharacteristic remark. This really wasn't the Rianon she had read about.

It was still a bit weird to conceptualize but Hazel was starting to accept that what Amy had written had only allowed her to see a glimpse of what was going on in this world.

It also meant she had to realize that the little she knew about the rest of the story might not be of much help. Without the absolute sanctity of the novel to rely on, she didn't know when or if things would go to shit. It was better to find a way to return as soon as possible, or at least reduce the number of enemies who would lead her to an untimely death.

Hazel looked at Rianon. The woman obviously didn't like her. The animosity she had seen since the first day she woke up had shown her that Rianon saw Hazel Vedar as a foe. Up until now the two of them had probably fought teeth and nails over the affection of Darin Praetor.

But the current Hazel had no interest in the guy. There was no reason they couldn't patch up the cousins' relationship. Without a man to come between them, they could get along just fine, right?

If Hazel was completely honest with herself, she would admit that she also wanted to befriend the woman to make her stay at the mansion more agreeable. Meeting the heroine in the corridor or the stairs had proven to be bellicose interactions, when Rianon didn't look like she wanted to snarl or spit in her face, she glared at her like she would have stabbed her in the gut if she had anything sharp in her vicinity.

"Listen Ria, I know you hate me--"

"What did you just call me?", the woman almost growled, the knife she used to cut her steak still in hand.

"Huh? Ria...?"

Hazel hadn't even thought about it, she had used the nickname other characters had used for Rianon in the novel. She didn't think it would elicit such a reaction since she had heard a few of the manor's staff call her 'lady Ria'. In the novel, Rianon had even told Hazel to call her by the nickname. Thus, she thought calling her by the moniker would be the olive branch their relationship needed.

Judging by the other girl's reaction, her olive branch wasn't well received.

"You like this don't you? Of course you do, you've always wanted everything that I had."

Confused, Hazel just stared at the inexplicably furious Rianon. What was she supposed to say? She couldn't even apologize or defend herself since she didn't know what she was being accused of.

"I better not look at a wall or you'll be batting your eyelashes at it like the pathetic hussy you are."

Although the word wasn't really directed at her personally, Hazel couldn't help but be offended.

"What is wrong with you?!”

Rianon merely scowled once more, as she got up from her chair. "If you're offended, you know where to take your complaints. You're always free to return to Zahar on your own. No one asked you to come and no one is holding you back."

Hazel was fuming. She shouldn’t be that mad, she wasn’t the one being insulted. But she couldn’t help it, the insult had felt almost personal.

[The audacity! The nerve!]

She was pretty sure she remembered Angela telling her that Rianon was the one who begged the duchess to allow her to accompany Hazel Vedar in the capitale. Look at her now, walking around and flapping her gums like she did Hazel a favor by allowing her to breathe the same air as her.

Was she acting like that because she knew she was going to be the empress?

Power really did reveal a person's true colors.

Hazel quickly got over her initial shock, she scoffed at the rude wench, "Hey, you! Don't you think you're taking this too far?"

Hazel didn't think she had a temper, she simply thought that, like any human, if she was pushed too far, she was in her within her rights to snap back at whoever was stupid enough to come for her when she was being her usual polite self. Her mother and sister, on the other hand, begged to differ. They always said she was the type to go from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds.

"How can someone's memory be this selective?", she jeered in disbelief. "Aren't you the one who begged mother to come here with me? And now want to act all high and mighty because you got the guy?"

Ignoring the taller woman, Rianon turned around and walked to the door without sparing her a second glance.

"Hey!", Hazel yelled, getting up from her chair as her rising fury made it hard for her to calmly remain seated. Forgetting the etiquette and manners she had promised to uphold, she pointed her finger at the insolent girl. "You should listen when people talk to you!" The other woman kept walking. "Ria!"

Brown curls flipped, as she turned around. If a look could kill and bury someone 6feet under, the glare she sent Hazel would have done that on top of sending her soul straight to hell.

"Call me that again and I'll cut your tongue", she said through gritted teeth.

These were the last words she uttered before she slammed the door shut.

"What the hell is wrong with her. Someone really needs some of life's freshly baked humble pie."

She sat back down, still seething after the heated altercation. It was only then that she noticed the astonished stares of the staff.

[Shit], she thought, clearing her throat uncomfortably.

She finished her meal, already bracing herself for the earful she'd later get from Sophie.