Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The Situation at Hand

By the time I woke up once again the day had become night and the gentle breeze that surrounded the room around me had vanished alongside the setting sun. My head was no longer killing me, but my mind was still confused by the predicament fate had dragged me into this time. Not only had I died, a cruel and horrible realization in and of itself, but I had been thrown into the body of another person. With confusion guiding my every move, I gently crawled off the bed and stood with my own two feet. 

The floor of the room was covered in a nice carpet of seemingly high-quality, the embroidery of which contained several types of roses and similar flowers. Taking a deeper look around myself I noticed a full-body mirror in the distance, resting by the window's side. I approached it, and when my eyes had acclimated to the low light of the room to such a degree that I became able to distinguish my features upon the reflective glass my eyes widened in surprise.

Long crimson hair. Skin pale as snow. Sharp features that indicated an early air of maturity. A height slightly above average for a young girl. And a pair of scarlet red eyes. That was, without a single drop of doubt, the description of...

"Helena....Ravengard?...."

My surprise was not minimal in the slightest. In fact, I almost fainted when I realized the man behind the voice that had spoken to me moments before I fainted into unconsciousness. If this was a whim of some God or the threads of fate guiding me into tragedy I did not know. But what I did realized at that singular moment was that I had become Helena Ravengard. Sole heir of the Duchy of Ravengard and the most prominent figure in the novel of my own making: "The Downfall of the Raven".

I did not think this to be possible. To be reincarnated into a novel? Into one of my very own making? My head was spinning on a completely different axis thanks to this grim realization, but I pushed that worry aside since I had just realized what horror laid before me. If I had become Helena, then that would mean all the tragedy that followed her in the backstory of the novel would be inflicted upon me.

A hell of my own making? Now that's what I would call an ironic ending for someone as unlucky as me.

"I can't catch a breath huh?"

Although dejected by this line of thought I returned to the bed, sitting down instead of laying upon it again. The moon on the distance was slowly hiding itself alongside the horizon. Meaning that the morning sun would soon shine upon the household again. Going back to sleep would be useless, so instead I started to try and remember as much of the story as I could muster while I moved around looking for parchment and a pen. Before I forgot anything of importance I had to write it down in order to decide on a proper plan of action.

I may not have many ambitions, but it would be a true shame to follow the original plot of the story when all that would bring me is pain and suffering right? So I put my hands to work.

Writing down piece after piece of information I began to organize my thoughts into charts with character names and affiliations. Of course, if I had been reincarnated into the novel things would occur more or less in the same timeline as the original story. But if I could simply make slight adjustments for my survival, then there would be a chance for me to evade becoming the final boss of the novel.

With multiple names listed down, one of them surfaced into my mind. The warm embrace I was pulled into earlier had left a deep impression upon my memory. After all, there was only one man in the entirety of the Novel that truly showed love towards Helena. And that was none other than her father: Duke Raphael Ravengard. 

The man was, simply put, an honest man trapped inside a society of lies and deceit. With some past as a well-known strategist during the unification wars, Raphael was granted with the tittle of Duke. Receiving him and his late wife into the nobility of the Empire. House Ravengard was known as a prominent military figure during its early days, but without the need of expansion and the elongated period of peace that accompanied the Empire after its unification, Raphael guided the Duchy into a period of prosperity.

It was in this prosperity that Helena was born, with her mother dying during the procedure. It was a cliché setup for a hated child, but I decided to turn it around by making the father a caring man instead of a vengeful one. Of course, this made his death later on a necessary process for Helena to start turning into the Villainess of the story, but in this lifetime...With me as Helena, then such a tragedy could be avoided.

"It is decided then. Now, I should probably call for the butler."

Making my decision out loud I nodded to my own statement. The first step would be to start acting like Helena, or at the very least feign amnesia to justify my lack of court manners and all. If my father couldn't trust me then I wouldn't be able to save him from his imminent demise after all. I walked over to my bed once again, using my sharp eyesight to locate the correct rope that hanged by the side of the bed itself.

Grasping it with my small hand I yanked it, taking quite some strength in order to fully pull it in order to make the bell outside the door ring. If I had opened the door myself then it would've been easier, but I was curious as to just how hard it was to use the mechanism. If it took that much strength, even from Helena's body, then it meant that the fever she was suffering was no joke at all. Yet another disgrace I put on this poor girl...

With guilt starting to invade my heart, the butler knocked twice on the door before entering. A gentle smile on his face, wrinkles over his aged face and the grey hair nicely combed backwards gave the man a regal appearance with a warm aura around him. 

"I see the young miss has awakened again. Should I call for his Grace, or the doctor perhaps?"

"Actually I was hoping you could call for the maids...I would like to get dressed before breakfast."

"Of course, my lady. I shall call for the maids immediately. Do remember not to push yourself too hard, his Grace would be upset if you fell ill again so soon after recovering."

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Although his whole appearance and words were meant to be as warm and gentle as possible I knew better than to guide myself by appearance alone. I was the author, I was the one who made this man so of course I knew that behind that smile laid a greedy and manipulating man. Now that I have been thrown into this world I sure despise the past me that wrote so many parasitic people.

As I hid my suspicions behind the weakened expression he was so used to seeing, the butler left the room and I remained sitting in the warm bed. Letting out a long sigh, I waited for the maids to arrive. Even if I didn't want to admit it my current body was incredibly weakened, be it the fever or the "medicine" that the butler has been feeding poor Helena's body, I could feel every muscle growing more and more tired with every step I took inside the room.

It took thirty whole minutes for the maids to arrive, get everything ready and help me get dressed properly. Of course they weren't doing their job correctly, but at least they weren't stealing from us just yet. Once I was fully ready I headed out of the room and towards the hallway. Remembering the not-so-complicated layout of the household with the help of what remained of Helena's memory.

Slowly but surely I made my way into the dining room where father was located. Waiting for his breakfast to be served, he certainly seemed excessively happy to see Helena up and about again. Raphael was a busy man, so often away from home due to his duties with the Royal Family and whatnot. So seeing his daughter was, more than anything, a luxury he couldn't always afford.

"Lena, dear. Are you alright? Are you sure you should be walking already?"

"I'm fine, father. You don't have to worry so much." I did my best to reply with a smile on my face, even though my breath was already running short from walking.

"Hummm...Alright but sit down, let's have breakfast together shall we?"

Father called for the chef, instructing him to make a second meal for me. The chef nodded along and returned to the kitchen, if I was lucky the butler had yet to bribe the chef to put the "medicine" in the food just yet. Sitting down by my father's side, I looked over at him for a few moments.

It's true that I was the one to write his character, but taking some time to actually appreciate the appearance of the man that would be the target of so much attention in the novel reviews was certainly something else. Although he was certainly very handsome, his eyes were looking tired. His beard was growing just a bit longer and his usually shining long hair was starting to lose its color.

"Is everything okay, father?"

"Hum? Of course, my dear. You're here with me aren't you?"

The guilt once again started to crush my heart. Oh, how much would I want to apologize if only I wasn't in Helena's body...I was having some trouble accepting the situation I was in, but I had forgotten that all these people were no longer just words in paper anymore. They were living people now. And all the misfortune that was to befall them would all be from my own will. Looking at him with a sadder expression, I decided to apologize anyways, even if I couldn't truly convey what I meant by those words.

"I'm....sorry. You just returned from work and I'm being a bother already..."

"Oh, Lena...You will never be a bother, don't even think of things like that okay? You are my little princess, you are the most important person in the world to me. I love you, Lena."

"Just as much as you loved mother?"

"....Just as much as I loved your mother."

I gave Raphael a tight hug and he returned it. We remained like that until breakfast was served, when we separated in order to start eating. In comparison with the bland meals Helena had received while Raphael was away or busy, this proper breakfast was truly delicious. Even now do I wonder just how much confidence does the butler have to straight up steal from the budget meant for Helena's wellbeing.

So while we ate I made a decision once again. The first obstacle to be dealt with should be the butler. Without him my body would start to actually recover and Raphael would have less things to worry about. Plus, with the butler in jail, the budget would return to normal and I would be able to start making moves to prevent future tragedies. 

By the end of the meal the food lost taste for me, but at the very least I was able to convey part of my feelings towards Raphael and make sure that my resolve would remain steadfast until the butler was finally gone from this household. Or, if necessary, this life.

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