The Villainess's Secret Bedroom Service
Chapter 129: Meiling?

Chapter 129: Meiling?

Rosalie returned to the spot where she left Princess Angelica holding a small sharp fruit knife which she received from one of the roaming servants. However, Angelica was nowhere to be found.

Lady Asher’s eyes widened, reflecting her profound bewilderment. She swept her gaze across the surroundings, her thoughts racing. She contemplated the possibility that her friend had merely relocated to another location, but the outcome was the same—a baffling disappearance that seemed to defy all logic.

’I could not have been away for more than a mere two minutes. Where on earth could she have disappeared to?’

All of a sudden, an unusual and somewhat drastic thought flickered across Rosalie’s contemplative mind. Swiftly, she hurried to the precipice of the cliff, casting her gaze downward. Her eyes widened in terror as she beheld a disconcerting sight – a canvas of white foam and bubbles adorning the otherwise tranquil expanse of azure water.

"Could it be... No, it can’t be..."

In a heartbeat, she released her grip on the knife, letting it clatter to the ground, and swiftly pivoted around. Panic surged through her, compelling her to search for anyone who might come to her aid. However, in that frantic moment, a realization dawned upon her – if Princess Angelica had indeed tumbled into the water while struggling for breath, time was now an invaluable, irreplaceable luxury.

Thus, without a moment’s hesitation, the lady took a deep breath filling her lungs to the brim, and jumped as well, praying that Rosalie’s body could handle the swimming.

"Goodness gracious!"

Duke Amado exclaimed, his voice carrying a tone of sheer astonishment and concern.

"Her Grace, Grand Duchess Rosalie Dio, has just fallen into the water!"

As he was en route to revel in the breathtaking azure expanse of the Great Sea, Duke Amado raised his voice as high as possible to broadcast the startling spectacle he had just witnessed. His proclamation reverberated, instantly capturing the attention of the assembled guests.

Gasps of panic and bewilderment rippled through the crowd, drawing people to the precipice of the cliff. The sight before them left them in a state of disbelief, struggling to ascertain the veracity of the Duke’s words. It was not until a fellow onlooker also raised their voice, confirming the urgency of the situation.

"Summon the knights immediately! Someone, fetch the knights without delay!"

...

The moment Rosalie’s body met the water’s surface, a chilling sensation washed over her being, as if the very essence of ice had cloaked her. Despite the warmth of the season, the sea clung to its frigid, unwelcoming embrace, resisting the onset of spring’s gentle warmth.

Initially, the girl grappled with an unsettling blurriness clouding her vision. It had been years since she had last immersed herself in open waters, and she struggled for precious seconds before her sight began to clear.

Then, it appeared before her eyes – the floating cascade of Angelica’s dress, slowly descending into the depths, its layers dancing like petals in the steady underwater current. With determination, Rosalie altered her course, moving herself deeper and swifter in her quest to reach her friend. However, her own voluminous dress and the unyielding cold of the water presented formidable obstacles that demanded her utmost effort to overcome.

’This is hard...’

Fatigue crept through her body, each stroke of her arms and legs seemingly burdening her more. Yet, the notion of surrender remained an unwelcome visitor in her thoughts.

’No, I cannot give up. Why did I leap if I cannot rescue her? I’m doing well; I must go on.’

With this resolute determination bolstering her, Rosalie furrowed her brow and pressed on, her movements imbued with newfound purpose. Deeper she swam, fueled by the flicker of hope. Finally, she achieved her goal – reaching the sinking body of Angelica, she enveloped her waist with her left arm and, summoning her remaining strength, employed her right arm to push them both back toward the surface.

All of a sudden, the water surrounding them underwent a remarkable transformation, transitioning from a deep, velvety blue to an inky black abyss. A faint yet unmistakable humming emanated from all directions, permeating the void. Soft, luminous yellow lights dotted the darkness, resembling a swarm of aquatic fireflies.

’Oh... How could I have forgotten this? The novel did mention that the Great Sea was home to a myriad of magical creatures. Most of them are said to be harmless. If I remain unobtrusive and continue swimming, perhaps they won’t pay me any attention.’

However, just as she concluded this thought and prepared to resume her journey, a peculiar, amorphous, shadowy entity materialized directly before her. Its formless, featureless face hovered perilously close, nearly brushing against her own, while its large, round, yellow eyes locked onto hers with an unwavering gaze.

In an instant, a hauntingly soft, feminine voice echoed within Rosalie’s ears, as though its source resided deep within the recesses of her mind.

"Come... Join us... Follow our kind... Bestow your power upon us..."

Abruptly, Rosalie’s body began to quiver uncontrollably, as though a seismic force had taken hold of her very being. Simultaneously, an eerie stillness enveloped her, rendering her utterly immobile, unable to move even a single muscle. An unrelenting wave of terror engulfed her, akin to an internal drowning sensation, saturating her very soul.

In that very moment, a growing contingent of shadowy, enigmatic figures materialized seemingly from the void, encircling the two young women on either side. Yet, contrary to Rosalie’s expectations, these spectral beings extended their long, formless arms not toward her, but rather in the direction of Angelica, ensnaring her in their inky embrace, resembling serpentine coils.

The sight of Princess Angelica ensnared by these enigmatic entities finally jolted Rosalie into action. Breaking free from her dazed state and mustering what remained of her mental and physical strength, she moved herself forward. Despite the oppressive resistance of the water, she fought her way upward, desperately striving to breach the surface.

Finally, a glimmer of sunlight pierced the surface, and with a resounding, desperate gasp, Rosalie clawed her way into the open air, pulling the princess along with her. In the midst of this tumultuous moment, she noticed another figure swimming toward them. Acting on pure instinct, she quickly pushed Angelica’s body in their direction before submerging herself once more.

The reasons for these actions eluded her. Time was a fleeting luxury she couldn’t afford to ponder. A compelling yet elusive force tugged at her, beckoning her back to the chilling, obsidian void of the unfamiliar depths. Resistance was futile, and she succumbed to the inexorable pull.

In the end, surrender was her only recourse. Rosalie closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, welcoming the frigid water into her lungs, allowing her body to relinquish control. As her consciousness dimmed, the faint echo of a familiar name reverberated in her ears, the last vestige of awareness before the darkness overtook her.

"Meiling?"

***

"Wang Meiling! Are you reading another fantasy romance story again? Aren’t you a bit too old for those?"

"Oh? Come on, Ren Ying, stop judging! The plot is good and the characters are very well-written!"

Meiling set aside her phone and accepted the freshly brewed cup of plain black coffee her colleague offered. The office cafeteria bustled with activity during the lunch break, but Meiling paid little heed to her meal. "Acme Fever," the latest web novel penned by one of her cherished authors, had just been released, and her thoughts remained firmly ensnared in its enchanting narrative.

"Well, you’re probably secretly rooting for the villainess anyway. So typical of you! Always uncovering good within the wicked."

Ren Ying teased with a mocking smile, concealing her pink lips behind a big white office mug. Meiling merely shrugged, releasing a long, weighty sigh.

’Oh, Ying Ying, you’re missing the point entirely! These women possess remarkable personalities and endure such tragic pasts, yet they’re fated to meet their demise, merely to propel the novel’s plot. It’s unfair!’

"Don’t you think you’re empathizing with them a bit too fervently? They’re merely characters, nothing more."

Meiling found herself without a compelling retort. Perhaps her colleague had a point – it did appear rather peculiar to become consumed by fictional characters, especially those in minor roles. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help it, because often she felt akin to them.

In the personal scheme of Wang Meiling’s life, nothing particularly noteworthy unfolded. While she might not be cast as a villainess in reality, she certainly didn’t occupy the role of the protagonist either.

Born into modest circumstances, Meiling possessed looks that fell slightly below the average. This background afforded her little choice but to wrestle for recognition. She perpetually dwelled in the shadows, shying away from unwarranted attention, laboring diligently for what others could effortlessly take for granted.

Fatigued by the ceaseless toil and the ache of solitude, her sole refuge remained firmly nestled within the realm of fiction. Yet, even within that sanctuary, the characters with whom she resonated were invariably the ones relegated to the margins. Those who bore no significance, the forsaken and forgotten, mirrored the reflection of her own existence.

"What? She ends up getting killed by her jealous brother? How does that even begin to make sense? She simply yearned for liberation from his suffocating grip! So what if she leaped into Damien’s arms without thinking? She had to barter her very soul with the demon to escape that nightmarish household, for heaven’s sake!"

Meiling tossed her phone onto the bed, collapsing beside it, cocooning herself in the warmth of her soft winter blanket. She lay on her side, grappling with the knowledge that her emotional investment in fictional characters was, in all honesty, peculiar, if not downright irrational. Nonetheless, she couldn’t help it, for these characters served as stark reflections of her own fractured existence.

"Rosalie wasn’t impoverished, she wasn’t unattractive, and she didn’t commit any wrongs. But then again, neither did I. Yet both of us are forced to grapple with life’s adversities simply because we yearn for something better. Something as simple as a decent life."

She shut her eyes and exhaled a protracted sigh, clutching the blanket with a white-knuckled grip.

"I suppose it’s foolish to wish for a rebirth within the pages of a novel... But if such an opportunity arose, I would seize it without hesitation. I would rescue myself. I would go to great lengths to find happiness, because we all deserve it. Every one of us deserves to be happy."