"Where am I?"

WHEN Elodie came back home from school, she was exhausted and the only thing she had dreamt of since morning was to curl up in her bed and continue reading her novel. She gets inside her bed covers after switching off the lights and then switches on her bed stand lamp and grabs a hold of her book.

Flipping the pages up to chapter twenty, she puts on her glasses and clears her throat for no reason and starts reading the first paragraph. As the pages go on, her eyes start to droop and after several tries of staying awake, she fails miserably and drifts off to sleep.

~

"Miss Serena."

"Miss Serena."

Elodie groans, slapping the hand that is shaking her and turns to the other side but her eyes snap wide open and she realizes what she's heard. The harsh warm light seeping through the huge windows hits her smack on the face and she flutters her eyes to adjust to the exposure. After doing so, she looks to the side and sees four foreign women but based on their uniform, they look like they are maids with their heads bowed down and hands clasped in front of them.

One of them looks up. "Miss Serena, your husband is awaiting your presence down stairs in the dining room,"

Elodie furrows her eyebrows. "Husband?" she asks, and the maids share a knowing look. The same maid that is talking to her nods. "Yes. Your husband, Mr. Alexandria is waiting for you for breakfast,"

Elodie rubs her eyes and when she looks down, she sees a gold band that has gems all around it on her ring finger on her left hand and she tilts her head. She remembers reading her book and determines that she had fallen asleep but when she woke up, her white bed covers are replaced by soft silk burgundy ones and her small room is replaced with a huge one that has double doors behind the maids that she doesn't recall her mother hiring when this month, the money is tight.

She scratches her head in confusion. "Where am I?"

The first maid also furrows her eyebrows not understanding Elodie's reaction.

"Miss Serena, are you not feeling well?"

"I can't seem—I don't unders-What's up with my voice? Why am I speaking this way?"

"Miss Serena?" the maid asks, sounding concerned.

"Serena? Who's Serena?"

The other maids start mummering and the first maid purses her lips in annoyance. "The rest of you, get out and call for a doctor. Kelly, call the emperor,"

The maids obey and swiftly walk out of the room and the environment grows silent apart from the twittering of the birds. The maid comes closer to her and sits on the bed, placing the back of her hand on Elodie's forehead. "You don't have a fever,"

Elodie stares at the maid's face and admires her beauty. "What's your name?" she asks her, and the maid's eyes widen in surprise. "Miss, don't you remember me?"

Elodie is about to retort a sarcastic response but she bites her tongue. "No. It's as if I can't seem to remember anything,"

The maid nods and places a hand on her chest. "My name is Judy, miss Serena, and I am your personal maid,"

Elodie's eyes widen and try to place the name in her mind but nothing comes up. She then gets out of bed and walks over to the mirror at the corner of the room and she almost yelps at the reflection. The face she is seeing isn't hers at all. Far from it.

She normally has brown shoulder length hair and tired green eyes, a straight nose and medium sized lip but now, she has long pitch-black hair, slitting brown eyes, an almost round face, a button nose and pink pouty lips that is a little smaller than her original ones.

She looks beautiful.

"Miss Serena," Judy calls out but Elodie doesn't respond.

Rapid knocks are heard on the door and Judy quickly goes over to the door and opens it. A short old man, dressed in a suit with a white lab coat on top, walks in holding a black sling bag held in his hand. He bows his head respectfully and Elodie awkwardly replicates it and this makes the man quirk an eyebrow. He then clears his throat. "Empress, I have been informed that you are unwell,"

Elodie nervously looks around the room—at Judy and the—what she supposed to be the doctor. "I'm fine," she answers him. The doctor looks up after the statement. "The maids have told me that you are in a deranged state,"

"Deranged?"

"Those bra-

The bedroom door slams open and a tall, muscular man strides in interrupting Judy's statement. Elodie's eyes widen in shock and awe at the man that stands before her. His stoic face makes him look more breathtaking with his cold blue eyes staring right through her soul and Elodie almost pees on herself.

"Serena," he says, and Elodie almost sighs out loud at his deep silky voice. Looking at him, she knows that he was way older than her. Probably, ten years apart. But come to think of it, how old is she?

"Yes?" she responds.

"I have been told that you aren't feeling well,"

Elodie gulps and shakes her head. "No. I'm fine. Thank you,"

The man's eyes widen and Elodie starts feeling self-conscious—whether she said something wrong.

"Are you sure?" he drawls, and Elodie nods her head.

"I don't appreciate lies. So, I will ask you again—are you sick?" he inquires, his tone strong and hard.

Elodie gulps in fear and hesitantly nods her head. "I reassure you that I am okay,"

"Sire, I must intervene," Judy interrupts and her head turns towards her.

"What is it?" the emperor asks.

"Miss Serena doesn't seem to recall anything,"

"What do you mean?"

"I meant that—I suppose she has forgotten her memories,"

No one says anything until the emperor turns back to Elodie. "Do you know who I am?" he asks her.

Elodie thinks back to what Judy told the other maids and based on the clothes the man is wearing, shows that he either he's the emperor or is working at a prestigious job here.

"Yes," she whispers. "You're the emperor,"

The emperor doesn't say anything else for a while. "Then what is my name?"

Elodie is taken aback at the abrupt question and she feels sweat forming on her palms. She has no idea who this man is and looking at him, he looks like he will bury her alive if she says something wrong. How is she supposed to answer that? Not only doesn't she know her name but also is shocked to find out that she is married!

"Serena,"

Elodie comes back from her thoughts to her irritated so called 'husband'. She cannot believe that this fine specimen standing in front of her is her husband. Not a friend. Not a boyfriend but her husband.

The emperor clenches his jaw at the lack of response. "Get out," he says.

Serena jumps in fright at his voice but obeys the command nonetheless. She tries to round to the door but a warm rough hand clasps around her upper arm.

"Not you," he says, and Serena turns to see both the doctor and Judy, walking out of the room.

Serena's heart pumps fast and loud when they remain in the room together with no supervision and her mind starts to spiral of all the things that could happen. Never in her life has she ever been alone with a guy but the emperor is not just any guy, he's a man. A very handsome man.

"Serena,"

"Hm?"

"If this is some kind of joke to gain my attention then you're very wrong. I don't have the time and leisure to play with you,"

Serena gasps at his rude tone and she looks up at him but shrinks a bit when their faces are almost too close. She clears her throat and tries to rip her arm out of his hold but the emperor doesn't let go. "Let go," she tells him.

The emperor smiles, his white teeth displayed and Serena almost goes blind. Pun intended. "There you are," he mocks, and Serena furrows her eyebrows not understanding why he could say such a thing.

"Serena Gianny, daughter of Martin Gianny—the man who stole from me," he continues.

Serena hisses in pain at the strength inflicted on her arm. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she grits out.

"No idea?!" he snaps, shaking her a bit. "You're the reason why my mother is dead!"

Serena stops struggling and stares at the emperor with wide eyes. "Dead?" she stammers.

"Yes. Your father killed my mother. How dare you forget your place?!"

"I don't know what you are talking about!" Serena shouts, and the emperor scowls. "I don't even know your name!"

Serena breathes hard after her tantrum and from her point of view, she sees pure confusion written all over his face. He finally releases her arm and Serena jumps away from him, rubbing the swollen area with her other hand.

"What is the matter with you?" he asks.

"Matter with me? What about you?" she retorts.

The emperor sighs and starts pacing in the room, running his fingers through his hair. Serena finds it odd how it is possible to have such obnoxious hair from the roots. Of course, somebody can dye their hair to look like this but they would have to dye their eyebrows as well. She also admires his broad back and the veins protruding on his neck whenever he clenched and unclenched his jaw.

He finally sits down and looks at her. Serena tries to read the expression on his face but doesn't manage to do it. "If you can't remember, then there's nothing we can do about it," he says.

Serena doesn't say anything and at that moment, the door opens and this time a woman walks in.

"Xavier," she calls out. "I heard the news,"

Serena awes at the beauty of the woman standing before her and she wonders why is everyone good looking. From the hair and the similar features on the woman's face, Serena could tell that there's a probability that they are siblings. The woman goes over to Xavier and puts a hand on his shoulder then up to Serena. Her eyes are filled with hatred and Serena flinches. What did she do for the pair to hate her? Did her father really kill their mother? Stole from them?

But she's not Serena so she has no answer to what happened in the past. However, why is the name Gianny familiar?

"What did you do?" the woman hisses out, and Serena stumbles before taking a seat on the bench near the window.

"I-I did n-nothing," she stammered.

"You-

"Stop it," Xavier says, and the woman shushes. He looks up at her sister and shakes his head. "I don't know what's happening but she's not in the right state,"

"Right state?" his sister exclaims. "Don't let that pretty face fool you!"

She then glares at a dumb-founded Serena. "She's nothing but a witch!"

Serena raises her eyebrows in surprise and scoffs. "Witch? Who are you?"

The lady stares hard and comes closer to Serena who doesn't back down. As much as she's confused, she is not going to allow anyone to treat her like some sort of trash and to add on that, she is grateful that she's tall but when the foreign woman draws closer, Serena's confidence falters a bit when she sees that she's much taller.

"You might fool my brother but you won't fool me," she starts. "I can see right through you. Those cold hollow eyes and a black heart that has no remorse. A shallow he-

"That's enough, Jade," Xavier stops her. Serena hears his footsteps coming closer and sees his handsome face behind her sister. He looks down at her with no emotion and Serena averts her eyes to the enormous garden that stretched all the way to the trees.

"I'll call the doctor. So, do not get out of this room," he says, and walks out of the room.

Jade is still giving her a stink eye and Serena feels terrible. What did she do to be shown such treatment? This was far much worse than her bullying in school. When will she get some rest?