CHAPTER 2
Rassia
"Rassia…"
"My lady…"
"Please, wake up…"
Parang may mga boses na tumatawag sa’kin.
"Tita… five more minutes…" pikit kong sagot, sabay tagilid ng higa. Inaantok pa ako, parang ayoko pang bumangon.
Then realization hits. Napabalikwas ako ng bangon at mabilis kong nilibot ng tingin ang paligid ko.
Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. Teka! I already died! Don't tell me na sa heaven na ako?!
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I noticed was the ceiling.
Hindi ito yung kisame ng kwarto ko. Instead, it was covered in intricate gold carvings, curling across a high ivory ceiling like something straight out of a palace. The chandelier above shimmered softly, reflecting light all over the massive room.
The room is ridiculously large.
Mas malaki pa sa buong bahay na tinitirhan ko.
My bed also was huge. Parang mas malaki pa sa king size, and sobrang lambot ng kama na parang lulubog ka sa sobrang lambot nito. The layers of silk sheets wrapped around me, it's too luxurious to even feel real.
Everything felt… old yet, elegant.
Parang nasa European period era ako, yung tipong nasa mga historical novels lang.
"…Where am I?" mahina kong bulong, halos hindi ko marinig ang sarili kong boses.
The last thing I remember…nahulog ako sa rooftop. And I was sure I died. So why am I here?
My breathing got a little shaky as I slowly raised my hands in front of me.
"…What."
These hands. They weren’t mine.
They were pale. Smooth. Slender fingers with perfectly shaped nails, like someone actually took care of them.
Walang-wala yung dati kong kamay na magaspang dahil sa kakatrabaho at paglalaba. The small cuts, the roughness, the dryness. lahat ng ‘yon, wala. Instead, what I was looking at now were smooth, delicate hands. Soft. Flawless. Like they’ve never done a single day of hard work.
"What the hell…” I whispered.
I quickly touched my face, then my neck, then my arms, like I was checking if this was real.
My skin…It’s soft.
Way too soft.
"I’m not even this smooth," I muttered, almost in disbelief. Wala nga akong pambili ng mga body care. Pero ito? This body looked like it had been taken care of its entire life.
No scars. No rough patches. No signs of struggle.
This isn’t my body! but, if this isn’t my body… Then whose body is this?
Right. I mirror! I need a mirror.
I ran straight to the mirror and i froze.
The woman staring back at me was gorgeous, like unreal gorgeous.
I had long dark red hair flowing all the way down to my waist, smooth and shiny like silk.
My skin was pale and flawless, almost porcelain.
My eyes.. It is dark, deep and striking in a way that feels almost dangerous.
Mahaba yung pilikmata ko, framing my eyes perfectly, and my nose was sharp and well-defined.
My lips were heart-shaped, soft-looking, like they were naturally perfect without even trying.
Alam ko naman na may itsura ako before, but this?
This was something else entirely. The kind of beauty you can’t even explain properly, no matter how hard you try.
She didn’t just look pretty... she looked powerful, like someone who belonged in a completely different world.
I couldn’t even recognize myself anymore, because whoever this woman was…
she was far beyond anything I’ve ever been.
"I’m so beautiful…" I touched my face, still in disbelief, like I needed to feel it just to make sure it was real.
Teka! That’s not the point.
Bahagya kong pinagsasampal ang mukha ko at kinurot kurot ang braso ko. Baka sakali na magising ako! but nothing changed. No matter how much I tried, I wasn’t waking up.
Isn’t this supposed to be a dream?
“M-My lady…?” the servant said nervously. I almost didn’t notice her at all, too caught up in everything that was happening.
I turned to look at her and she immediately stepped back, as if naman na kakainin ko siya ng buhay. Sa pagkataranta niya, accidentally niyang na sagi yung vase sa gilid.
She quickly dropped to her knees, trembling.
"I swear, hindi ko sinasadya, Lady Rassia!"
She lowered her head even more, her whole body stiff with fear.
"Please… have mercy…"
Huh? What’s wrong with her? Rassia…? wait! that sounds so familiar.
Oh! I remember. Rassia. That’s the name of the villainess in the novel I just read.
She was a hardcore villainess, the type who never missed a chance to bully the female lead. Every chapter, she’d do something cruel, na parang nature niya na. Walang hesitations at guilt. Just pure malice wrapped in elegance.
And in the end she got punished. Exposed for everything she did, dragged straight into the dungeon, and eventually got killed.
'She was pale as snow, almost like she had never seen the sun in her life. Her hair was like blood... long, dark red, And her eyes… they were dark, deep, and unreadable, like you couldn’t tell what she was thinking just by looking at her.'
Now that I think about it. I look exactly like how she was described in the novel.
Could it be...
"My lady, please forgive me for disturbing your sleep… and for the vase as well!" the maiservant said, her voice trembling as she kept her head bowed low, clearly terrified to even look at me.
"It’s alright, you can just clean it," I said with a small smile.
I noticed how she froze for a second, like she didn’t expect that answer at all. Her eyes widened in surprise, like she was waiting for punishment instead of forgiveness.
“T-Thank you, My Lady! I truly didn’t mean to cause any trouble,”
Then, her expression changed, as if she suddenly remembered something important.
"B-But I must inform you… Master Russel suddenly fainted earlier, hindi pa rin po nagigising."
Russel is Rassia’s younger brother.
After Rassia’s mother died giving birth to her, the bloodline was considered “unstable” since Rassia was a woman and not seen as a suitable heir. The nobles pushed the Duke for a male successor to carry the title and secure the family line.
Under that pressure, the Duke had another child with another woman, solely to produce a male heir.
I don’t know why, but I’m feeling worried… like I’m actually his real sister.
I want to see him.
"Take me to him."
I rushed through the halls, not caring about anything around me. I just needed to see Russel. That was the only thing in my mind. Mas lalo ko pang binilisan ang lakad ko.
The doors were already open when I arrived.
And there he was. Russel.
He was lying unconscious on the bed. Sobrang putla niya! oo, maputi naman talaga siya, but this was different. His skin looked almost lifeless, like all the color had completely drained out of him.
The healer moved closer and nilapit niya yung kamay niya sa noo ni Russel to check his condition.
Napahinto ako at medyo nagulat. There was a green magic circle glowing over his hand, nag g-glow ito habang na sa ibabaw ng noo ni Russel.
Oh! I just remembered. This is a fantasy world. Where magic and powers actually exist.
“Anong nangyari sakanya?” I asked immediately.
The healer turned to me, bowing slightly. “My Lady, Rassia.”
He hesitated for a moment before speaking again, na para bang ingat na ingat siya sa bawat salita na binibigkas niya.
"He collapsed due to extreme stress… and lack of proper food. His body is exhausted."
“Stress? Walang kain?” Kumunot ang noo ko.
The healer nodded. “Yes, My Lady. It seems he has not been taking care of himself properly. His body simply gave in.”
I stepped closer to the bed, looking at Russel again. Umupo ako sa tabi niya. I reached out and held his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Will he wake up?” I asked.
The healer nodded.
"He will recover… but he needs rest. Proper meals. And no stress at all. His condition is not dangerous, but it could become worse if ignored."
I see. So hindi siya nababantayan at naalagaan nang mabuti. Isa lang ang ibig sabihin neto, minamaltrato siya.
This… nangyari ‘to sa novel!
Russel collapsing like this, being weak, neglected… hindi ‘to bago. Part 'to ng story. And si Rassia? Wala siyang ginawa. Alam niyang minamaltrato si Russel, aware siya sa lahat… pero pinabayaan niya lang. This happened five years before her execution in the dungeon.
Rassia was jealous of him. At such a young age, na-awaken na ni Russel yung powers niya, and he even had an animal spirit. He could control the air na parang natural lang sa kanya na sundin siya ng hangin.
Meanwhile, Rassia had nothing. Not a single ability, no power, no blessing.
And in a world like this… malaking bagay 'yon.
But I’m not Rassia.
Maybe this body belonged to her, maybe this world sees me as her… but I’m not the same person who stood by and did nothing.
If this really is the moment where everything started going wrong… then I’m not going to follow that path.
"You may go," I told the healer.
“I will send a letter if Russel’s condition worsens,” I added.
The healer bowed respectfully, placing a hand over his chest. "Understood, My Lady. I will remain on standby if you need me. I pray for Master Russel’s swift recovery."
My eyes then shifted to the maid who had come with me earlier. Nakatayo siya sa gilid at nakayuko.
"…Who’s the maid taking care of my brother?” I said coldly. Nakita ko na nanlaki ang mata niya at napayuko lalo.
“Bring her to me. This instant.”
"Masusunod po!" she immediately turned around and hurried out of the room, almost rushing in her panic like she couldn’t leave fast enough.
I came back to my room. While walking back, I couldn’t help but admire the ducal palace. Every corner I passed, there were knights standing. They are tall and fully armored. Everything felt so grand.
Parang kahapon lang, my only wish was to disappear and just graduate, wala ng iba. Pero ngayon, even that feels so small and far away. Graduation wouldn’t even matter here, not in a place like this where everything is already inside the palace.
I’m sure there’s even a huge library here somewhere. Pwede kang mag self study, hindi mo na kailangan pumasok sa isang university. A world like this is more focused on magic and politics anyway.
Power. Status. Abilities.
That’s what matters here.
And especially now that I’m Rassia, I can already feel how heavy that name is.
Hayop talaga! Napakagat ako ng labi. Sa lahat ng characters, si Rassia pa talaga?! pwede namang yung female lead nalang! or kahit side characters tatanggapin ko!
Why Rassia, of all the possible characters?!
I heard heavy footsteps coming closer.
Three knights appeared first and behind them were the maid from earlier at napatingin pa ako sa isa pa nilang kasama.
Naiiba siya sa lahat, hindi katulad ng iba na laging nakayuko kapag kaharap ako. She was the only one who actually looked at me. I noticed that she held my gaze for a little too long, na parang binabasa niya ako.
"Explain. What happened to my brother." I said coldy.
"My Lady, I have been doing everything i can to take care of Master Russel,” she said carefully. "But he keeps refusing meals and isolating himself. I cannot force him to eat without causing him stress.”
Tumaas ang kilay ko.
“So you’re saying kasalanan niya?” malamig kong tanong.
“Matigas ang ulo ni Master at ayaw kumain,” the older maid said, may pagka defensive ang tono niya.
“If he’s like that, of course there’s a reason,” I am not accepting excuses.
"Ginawa ko na ang lahat. The meals are prepared and brought to him on time, but he either refuses to even touch them"
“So you’re just letting him starve?” I asked
“Hindi po gano’n, My Lady,” she quickly defended herself. "I continue to offer him food and check on him daily."
“And you didn’t think to report it earlier?” I said, eyes fixed on her.
“We were told… not to disturb you for minor matters regarding Master Russel.” natigilan ako ro'n.
“…Minor matters?” I repeated.
“My brother not eating is a ‘minor matter’ to you?” I asked slowly.
“My Lady, hindi 'yan ang ibig kong sabi—”
"Then explain it properly,” I said firmly. “Because from where I stand, it sounds like no one here actually cared enough to make sure he was okay."
Silence followed.
Even the knights avoided looking at me.
The older maid finally spoke again, more controlled this time. "We followed protocol, My Lady. We did not want to overstep our boundaries regarding Master Russel’s personal behavior."
"Protocol, huh?" I repeated. Then I took a slow step forward.
“From now on, if my brother does anything like that again, if he refuses to eat or he looks weak.. you report it to me immediately.” Napahawak ako sa sintido, trying myself to calm.
"Understood, My lady." I turned my gaze back to the maid. She was still looking at me confidently.
There was something about her presence that didn’t sit right with me. She's too calm. Too composed. Like she was used to situations like this.
I walked up to her slowly and calmly, closing the distance until there was barely any space left between us. Dahan-dahan kong hinawakan yung baba niya. Like I wanted to make sure she understood every word I was about to say wasn’t a joke.
I’ll let this slide… for now. But that doesn’t mean I’m ignoring it
Not now. I'll deal with this later.
Right now, Russel is still unconscious.
And that’s the only thing that matters.
"If I found out you’re hiding something… or you’re lying about my brother," I continued "malalagot ka sa’kin."
“My Lady, I am telling the truth—”
“I don’t care about your excuses right now,” I said flatly. “Just make sure of one thing, nothing happens to him again.”
My eyes stayed locked on her, then I leaned in slightly, enough for only her to hear.
"Because if I find out otherwise,” I added, quieter this time but sharper, “you won’t like what Rassia Quentin does next."