Surviving As The Duke's Daughter

In a strangers bed

Sibyl stirred in her sleep. As she awoke, the throbbing pain radiating throughout her body became more glaringly obvious. She turned to her side and groaned. The pain was getting more unbearable by the second.

Then suddenly she felt warmth slowly filling her entire body, the pain slowly left her. With her discomfort gone, Sibyl slowly opened her eyes.

She became confused at the sight above her. A beautiful wooden canopy and pretty girlish curtains decorated it. Sibyl decided to ignore it. She was out of her wits. She could see but, her hearing wasn't there. Luckily, her hearing slowly came back to her and the first thing she heard was soft chanting. It took her a while to gather her wits as she stared upwards at the canopy.

By the time the chant was over, Sibyl was sitting up right, staring at her hands. She didn't even have a clue how she sat up, it just felt like going through the motions. Delicate fair hands, perfectly shaped finger nails and slender long hands. Sibyl flexed her fingers and touched the silk sheets pooling in her lap.

Another thing quickly drew her attention away from the strangeness she felt with her hands. She could hear talking, but she couldn't make out the words. 'The room I'm in is terribly noisy,' Sibyl thought.

"But why can't I understand them?" Sibyl whispered. The people talking in the weird language she could not understand stopped when she said that. Sibyl paused, the strange language, she had just spoken it!

She was certain she didn't understand the words she muttered, but she knew what she wanted to say better than anyone.

Her breathing slowed, a terrifying feeling crept up inside her. Sibyl grabbed a fist full of the silk sheets in each hand as she slowly raised her head.

At the foot of the bed stood three young women. They were dressed in maid costumes with their hands folded in front of them.

They stood straight as a rod, with their heads tilted downwards and eyes glued to the floor. Sibyl couldn't hear anything but white noise at that time. Not even hearing the talking that briefly stopped had begun once again.

"Why are cosplayers in my room?" Sibyl asked herself out loud, that strange language seemed to roll off her tongue naturally, but this time she understood what she said clearly.

Sibyl paused, she just asked this question, and it made her realize something. And that was how obscenely large this room was. Not only that, but the weird Victorian furniture that encompassed the empty spaces.

After scanning the room and its furnishings, Sibyl finally focused on the people to the side. Two people stood at almost the foot of the bed, dressed in priest robes. Their hands folded on their chests, looking back at her in concern and pity.

Concern, Sibyl can understand the concern, but pity? These weirdly dressed people pitied her? A frown marred her features, tossing the confusion to the back of her mind, she looked at the three people nearest to her bed.

A stunning older woman with bright red hair with blue eyes, perfectly curled and pinned up on her head. The woman wore a dark green Victorian-styled dress with ruffled long sleeves. Her breast was pushed up and on display. Sibyl could see the movements, and the air around the woman breathed nobility.

Taking her gaze from the woman, she studied the handsome older green-eyed blonde man sitting next to the beautiful woman. His face sternly staring back at her with a frown. Sibyl had a feeling if the man smiled, his handsome face would shine. His clothes mirrored the Victorian dress code.

Behind them stood a young man, his hair blonde like the older man's. His facial features mixed with the older woman's and man's. It was clear that this young man was the product of their love.

"Who are you?" Sibyl opened her mouth and asked as politely as she could. She paused and raised her slender finger to touch her throat. The feeling of unease only amplified.

Did she always have such a soft, melodic voice? Not only that, but what exactly was a cosplayer? Why did she think the maids were that? Her head began to ache as her thoughts began to be filled with questions.

Too many questions but no answers. She vaguely felt like something was wrong.

"My daughter?" Sibyl heard the older woman calling out in disbelief. "How is this so? Why can't you recognize mother?"

Sibyl was taken aback when she heard the older woman say this. Sibyl squinted her eyes and studied the three people by the side of the bed once more. She didn't know them and was one hundred percent sure that they weren't her parents.

'These people were strangers. Who are they?' Sibyl thought to herself.

"Apologies, but you aren't my mother." Sibyl tilted her head and politely informed the older woman. "I'm not sure where I am, but I'm certain you aren't my mother. Too beautiful, too fair, to be my mother."

The older woman's eyes widened in horror, her composure completely lost as she raised her hands to her mouth to cover her gasp of shock.

"Enough of this nonsense!" The older man stood up in a rage. "This kind of scandalous thing you did and still have the gal to pretend? How disgraceful and lowly of you, Sibyl."

"Father, don't say anymore. Sibyl was truly hurt, almost losing her life. Please allow the priest to check her condition." The young man quickly intervened and meditated. The older man scowled but sat back down, glaring at Sibyl in rage and disgust.

Sibyl was truly confused why this older man seemed to have misgivings about her, even going as far as accusing her of pretending. She truly did not know him or anyone in this room.

"You've taken me against my will, mistaking me for another, and yet have the face to accuse me? Excuse me, sir, but you are quite rude. Let me go at once, I must go home." Sibyl angrily exclaimed. But after she said this, the aching in her head intensified.

This situation, everything about it, was wrong. Why does she speak like that? She had never spoken like that before? What could this mean? This strange language, the strange mannerism in her words. Everything made her head spin. Nothing made sense to her, and it only intensified her sense of dread.

"Quickly check my sister!" The young man opened his mouth and ordered the two priests before his father could explode in rage. The young man remembered why the situation became like this very clearly.

The reason Sibyl almost died all started because of this father of theirs. His decision has ripped apart their family's peace. There hasn't been a single day of peace since Sibyl entered the academy. If their father were to hit Sibyl once again, in the state she was in, wouldn't it hurt her even more?

The two priests moved and began chanting, a pillar of light formed and landed on Sibyl. Sibyl frowned as the light landed on her. The warm feeling she felt when she awoke was this light? Then what was this light? As quickly as the light formed and landed on Sibyl, it left. The priest had their answers.

"Speaking to the young master, duke and duchess," One priest opened his mouth and spoke. "The young mistress is merely confused at the moment. Her memory is lost, but we can remedy the situation."

"That is good, quickly treat Sibyl." The older woman heaved a sigh of relief, regaining her bearings and wit, she ordered them quickly. The two priests bowed and began chanting.

Sibyl was confused, this series of events was quite stimulating. But as the next pillar of light landed on Sibyl's body, the aching in her head intensified.

A groan of pain escaped her lips, Sibyl fell back, hitting her head on the bed's headboard. She wiggled and twisted, the pain in her head only intensified by the second. It wasn't anything to worry about, in fact it was a normal reaction to the treatment, so the priest continued without pause.

However, she began screaming. The pain was simply too much to bear, thus it alarmed everyone in the room. Looking closer at Sibyl, she clearly wasn't feeling good. The priest immediately stopped chanting and the pillar of light faded. Sibyl stopped screaming and curled up on the bed. Her bright red hair covering her beautiful face from view.

The older woman, concerned, stood and climbed onto the bed and brushed Sibyl's hair away from her face. Sibyl's eyes completely rolled back. Only the whites of her eyes could be seen.

The older woman, alarmed, quickly pulled Sibyl into her arms. "Sibyl? What is wrong with my daughter?"

The older woman's eyes darkened as she glared at the two priests. The two priests immediately knelt in fear. This was their blunder. They didn't know a simple chant would do that.

Yet this only got worse, before they could answer. Sibyl's body began to violently shake. Blood poured out of her eyes, nose, mouth and ears.

Chaos erupted at that sight. With everyone shouting out her name, "Sibyl!"