HOW DARE YOU!!!!" A voice echoed from an inner chamber, and instantly, Linda Song found herself collapsing to her knees, her trembling hands pressing on the marble floor against her will. She gasped for air, her mind racing to decipher how she had ended up in this grand, unfamiliar room and why she was being punished for something she knew nothing about
.
With her forehead pressed against the cold tiles, Linda strained to recall anything that might explain her current predicament, but nothing surfaced...all she could remember was being dragged into this room from nowhere of recollection.
Suddenly, a sharp blow landed on her back, yanking Linda to reality, "Ru Lingyi, can you not hear Her Highness speaking to you? Or are you daft?" A furious voice barked at her.
"Her Highness…Ru Lingyi?" The names echoed in Linda's mind, their weight new yet, they fitted strangely. From the woman's tone, Linda could tell that the figure in the inner chamber was the one being addressed with reverence, but who was she?
"I–I'm sorry, Your Highness," Linda threw out the words stammering, hoping they might absolve her of this crime she had unknowingly committed.
Her body quivered as her thoughts raced, where was she? What did she do? How could she escape this nightmare? But before she could process another thought, the furious woman cut through the silence.
"Stubborn wretch! I see you do not wish to speak. Your Highness, it would be best we sent her to the Office of Careful Punishment," The lady said as she turned facing Her Highness.
"Office of Careful Punishment?" The name sent a chill through Linda's spine. She had no idea what awaited her there, but judging from the venom in the woman's voice, she figured it could never be anything good.
A moment of silence stretched across the room. Linda strained her ears, lifting her head ever so slightly to glimpse the situation as the chamber curtains parted, and a regal figure stepped forward, Her Highness.
Her presence was undeniable, commanding the room as if she held dominion over half the world. Linda dared to roll her eyes upward, but all she could see were soles of the woman's shoes and the flowing hem of her silk robes.
"You are sorry?" Her Highness mused, pacing before her. "And what, exactly, are you sorry for?"
Linda swallowed hard. That was the moment she realized she had no idea why she was apologizing. "But how did I get here, and why am I inside this body. Last I can remember, I was in the office archive room sorting Purchase and documents, and now I am...wait, the stone? is that why she is questioning me? is it truly a time travel relic?" Linda thought.
She forced her eyes upward, desperate to catch a glimpse of the woman before her, but the fear of punishment crushed her will.
"What am I sorry for? What do I say?" she thought, but before an answer could form, Her Highness swirled abruptly, leaning in so close that Linda could feel the heat of her breath.
"I see you are quite the loyal dog," she snapped, her voice like steel. "Guards!"
Linda flinched at the sound of hurried footsteps, two figures stormed in, their presence heavy with impending doom.
"Execute her!" Her Highness commanded.
The word 'execute' slammed into Linda like a wave, forcing her head upward in a desperate reflex. But before she could see Her Highness's face or even comprehend what was happening, her breath was already fading.
The rope tightened around her throat, the strong grip of the guards pulling it mercilessly. Linda clawed at the restraint, her fingers beating against the coarse fibers. Her lungs burned, her mouth battled in a futile attempt to draw air, but none came.
And that was it, life was gradually failing her, darkness began to cloud her eyes. Was this her own way to die?
"Stop it!"
A voice…powerful and commanding cut through the chaos and immediately, the pressure on Linda's neck loosened, and she collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.
As she struggled to regain her senses, her blurred vision settled on the woman who had commanded her sentence. She was beautiful, Young, and Innocent, even.
Linda could barely reconcile the change in demeanor, the same person who had called for her execution was now still, her expression unreadable. Linda could not help but notice that another power had entered the room, a higher authority.
Footsteps measured and deliberate approached. Linda twisted her neck, looking above her shoulders as she strained to see who had such dominion over this wicked ruler.
"Greetings, Your Highness, Consort Yang," Her Highness spoke softly, her tone shifting as she lowered her stance, raising her right hand above her head in reverence.
Her eyes blinked rapidly, betraying the unease within her.
"Concubine Qin, stand up…quickly," Consort Yang gestured smoothly.
Linda recognized the shift in power instantly. The woman before her–Her Highness, was Concubine Qin, but she was no longer the most formidable figure in the room.
"Concubine Qin, what is the problem?" Consort Yang stepped forward, her voice carrying a calculated grace. "Sister Qin, you mustn't trouble yourself with a lowly servant. Why not allow me to take her? I could use more hands in my garden."
"Me? A servant?" Linda nearly choked on the words in her head. Was this what she had become? A mere servant?
Concubine Qin hesitated for a while, calculating her words,"This servant is slow and weak. She can barely complete a task."
Consort Yang's lips curled into a knowing smile. "Sister, worry not…I have the perfect job for her. Unless, you are unwilling to spare just one servant?" Her eyes narrowed with a challenge.
Concubine Qin faltered. There was no escaping Yang's words, her reputation for eloquence in the imperial harem was unmatched. Left with no choice, Qin obliged.
"A'yin! Get her up and have her pay respects to her new mistress!" Qin said, her expression unreadable.
A'yin, Concubine Qins's handmaid, barked the order at Linda, but Linda remained frozen, her mind unraveling the turn out of events. Has she truly been traded between mistresses like livestock?
"This cannot be real. It must be one of those ridiculous dreams," she thought, "and there's only one way to wake up."
She lifted her hands in acknowledgement of her new mistress, preparing to kowtow, just as she has seen in movies, then deliberately let her forehead fall straight to the ground, so that the impact would jolt her back to reality.
But instead, a life-threatening bang struck through her skull.
"Silly girl, easy with that. I am not the Empress!" Consort Yang teased.
"Tell me...what is your name?"
Linda swallowed hard, still trying to recover from the impact she just suffered. No one knew her real name here.
She contemplated adopting a new one, but in the end, she decided to stick with what she had been called upon awakening. It was best not to complicate things further.
"My name is Ru Lingyi," she answered innocently.
A strange silence followed.
Consort Yang suddenly stopped fanning herself, shifting her gaze to Concubine Qin.
"Do you not know how to properly address a superior?" A'yin interjected.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Linda quickly added, still uncertain of the etiquette expected of her.
Consort Yang frowned. "Is the inner court now accessible to even a sparrow?"
"Humbly replying to Your Highness," A'yin bowed. "She is only a palace maid from the Flower Department, that is why she lacks proper decorum."
"Well," Concubine Qin cut in, ready to reclaim control, "I will ensure she learns."
Consort Yang's eyes gleamed knowingly.
"Don't bother. She is mine now." Yang replied instantly and with a swift gesture, she signaled Linda to follow her as she stormed off with her entourage.
Concubine Qin tightened her fist as she watched helplessly, her cold gaze burning into their retreating figures.
Linda had been handed over like an object, thrown into a world of alliances and betrayals she could not yet understand. But one truth settled in her gut…she was no longer Linda Song
She was Ru Lingyi.