As the silence of the void slowly faded Zarah heard voices. Her eyelids were heavy ,she tried to open them but failed. The voices she heard though were panicked and urgent.
There was movement, she felt it but was unable to do anything as her limbs felt weak.
For reasons she had not yet realized she felt herself drifting to sleep again.
The next time Zarah felt herself wake up she opened her eyes using all her might and found a bunch of curious -and extremely pretty- strangers peeking at her and cooing at her like a baby.
She looked at them curiously and tried to speak but all that came out was a crying noise?
What the actual hell?
She was confused.
Not only was her body not cooperating but now she also couldn't speak ? Is Heaven out to get her? She doesn't remember committing any bad deeds?
Then the lady with brunette hair poked Zarah's cheek and she whined. The lady asked the lady with peach hair, "I wonder who left this baby Zarah here? Even wrote her name so we know it"
The lady with peach hair huffed , "The Madam thinks its another courtesan who got pregnant and left her child here"
The brunette sighed , "Isnt it so ironic? Our lives? We live in this brothel and complain about the treatment but if we have a child we get to keep it and the one's prettier than us who become courtesans they get to escape but have to leave their children in the hell hole brothels"
The peach haired lady hummed in agreement, "I suppose only the flower maidens are the lucky ones their children get recognized as royalty,who cares if it's illegitimate?"
The brunette snorted laughing.
Zarah on the other hand was having a mental crash out.
What did they say? She's a baby? At a brothel?
WHATTT?
She felt her stomach lurch in panic and anxiety.
She had died....
Oh God she had died...
SHE HAD FUCKING DIED!
The very thought made her burst out crying.
The idly gossiping pretty ladies were startled at the sharp crying and rushed to calm the crying baby down.
By the evening Zarah had very sadly accepted the fact she had died and reincarnated somewhere? She didn't know where she was....damn her for reading too much!
Though it wasn't entirely her fault. She hadn't heard much useful information, just the fact she was in a brothel and the names of the two pretty ladies.
The brunette was Olivia and the peach haired one was Lyra.
Well...a brothel...she could think of a couple webcomics she read with brothels....but one in ancient times? Her guess was "Beneath The Crown" but she needed more information to confirm her suspicions.
She yawned.
Who knew being a baby was so tiring? Being awake was an entire workout!
Well she better sleep....the thinking could wait till tomorrow,she was already dead and was reborn !
That took a lot of energy to process.
Zarah thought as she felt herself drifting to sleep.
The morning light shone beautifully as it landed on the lake, the water glistening like gold sparks. A beautiful sight truly. One seeing such a sight would definitely be entranced.
That would be the case for someone seeing it for the first time or someone simply enjoying it but for Zarah who had to pick the weed near the pond every Thursday? It was infuriating!
Zarah kicked the grass in anger.
It had been 6 years she reincarnated! 6 years! And in that 6 years she spent 2 of them cleaning this damned area near the pond.
How she hated the stubborn weed! Growing quickly always! She stomped on them before pulling them out in rage.
A brunette of the same age with blue eyes shook her head sighing, she watched the blonde angrily pluck weed her green eyes flaring in anger.
The brunette called out to Zarah with a dry tone, "Done killing the weeds Zar?"
"You should get it Iris! Why do they grow out so quickly! I hate it!"
Zarah whined out loudly.
Iris rolled her eyes amused, "If we don't do it the Madam will whip us"
Zarah huffed pouting, "Even if we do it she will find one way or another to cancel one of our meals!"
Iris sighed, "What can we do? Afterall if we don't obey we will end up like Tiana.... they say they beat her until she wasn't breathing ! I heard Lyra and Olivia whispering about it but they stopped the moment I walked in"
Iris's voice was sad and Zarah's face glummed at the mention of Tiana.
Zarah,Iris and Tiana were all left infront of the brothel the same year.
Zarah and Iris were closer and were best friends but they were close with Tiana as well.
Tiana had refused to make tea for the Madam of the brothel because Tiana had hurt her hand while cleaning the horse stable.
The Madam didn't take it kindly...she had Tiana whipped....they didn't see her after that.
Some of them say Tiana was sold to slave traders ,others say she died from the relentless beating.
Whichever it was, it was bad and it made Zarah tear up thinking her friend was no more.
It also made her wary, it was an indirect warning to her and Iris and all the other girls in the brothel to keep in line and obey otherwise the punishment was clear.....
Zarah and Iris finished plucking the weeds and headed back indoors inside the brothel.
As they went inside girls were being selected as who will earn the title of flower maiden and be sent to the palace.
This time though the Madam seemed more meticulous than usual,they didn't say anything, simply bowed and moved past her.
As they entered the sitting area Olivia was engrossed in a conversation with Demi and Lila.
"The Madam seemed more serious than usual why is that?" Zarah asked Olivia as she went and sat beside her.
Iris sat beside Zarah and asked the older ladies, "Where's Lyra and Yena?"
Demi smiled patting Iris's head, "They have clients right now sweetie"
Olivia looked at Zarah and laughed, "Always so observant aren't you Zarah? Sometimes it feels you're as old as us"
They all laughed at that as Zarah sheepishly scratched her neck.
Cause she was the same age as them....mentally, physically she was 6.
Iris huffed a pout, "Aren't I also mature?"
Lila cooed at Iris pulling her cheeks.
"OF COURSE YOU ARE DARLING! YOU BOTH ARE!"
"Just that I am more mature" Zarah said smugly to Iris as she whined hitting Zarah's shoulder playfully.
Demi shook her head as they all laughed.
After laughing her heart out at the kids antics Olivia said, "You know the Emperor died last week right? Tomorrow is his daughter Crown Princess Ines's coronation, from tomorrow she will be Empress Ines"
As everyone talked and discussed it became white noise for Zarah who felt her world fading.
Empress Ines?
This was the final nail on the coffin.
She had indeed reincarnated into "Beneath The Crown".
That meant.....
Oh Zarah is supposed to die soon...
She felt a cold shiver down her spine.
No no no no that can't happen !
She won't die!
She will live ! She will be careful! She will live!
Zarah felt her tiny hands clenching into fists....
'I will live'
She thought before she smiled and paid attention to the conversation again.