Four: Elena's brother

A servant had found her slumped on the floor and quietly escorted her back to her chamber. The moment the door clicked shut behind her, Lana stumbled to the edge of the massive bed and collapsed, sinking into the impossibly soft mattress.

She wished the floor would eat her, just open up and drag her down into some dark pit where knights and mortifying kisses didn't exist. Lana rolled on her stomach then pressed her face deep into a pillow as if she trying to hide from reality itself. Her hands gripped the sheets, knuckles white with tension.

What have I done..

She had kissed him, shoved her lips on him like some crazed noblewoman having a dramatic fit and then ran away like a coward. Now? She was supposed to just…go on with her day?

She groaned, kicking her legs in frustration. There was no way she could look that knight in the eye again. Ever. His stupid perfect face, his shocked expression burned into her memory now, whether she wanted it there or not.

The mission had barely started, yet she was already falling apart.

Lana, who had never had a boyfriend, never even felt the flutter of puppy love and never held hands under the stars or let herself imagine such things. She rolled on her back again and stared at the ceiling in quiet disbelief. Love had always been something distant to her, awkward, uncomfortable, maybe even dangerous

Her entire life, she had avoided it. Every time someone looked at her with warmth in their eyes or tried to get close, she shut them without hesitation. How could she not? The image of her father still haunted her, his charming in public but cruel in private that slowly draining the life out of the woman who once smiled like the sun. Lana had watched her mother fade, piece by piece until grief became her resting expression. Until silence replaced laughter, until it was too late..

Her father didn't kill her mother with his hands, he did it with neglect, his manipulation and with slow quiet cruelty. Now here she was, in the body of the perfect heroine in a romance novel, being told that the only way back to her world was by making one of four male leads fall in love with her truly, selflessly and completely.

So love? No, thank you. Not because she didn't believe in it but because she believes she doesn't need it. With a quiet sigh, she raised her forearm over her eyes, trying to shut everything out even herself.

"How the hell do you make someone love you…when you have spent your whole life running from it?" She didn't have the answer and that scared her more than anything.

If Nina was by my side right now..she will be excited to help me even for something this insane. A soft, bitter laugh slipped from her lips, hollow and fading. I hope she is doing alright..

A knock echoed from the door, Lana didn't pay it much attention at first, assuming it was just her servant bringing another meal. She lay there, torn, quietly debating whether to even let them in but after more knocks, her shoulders sagged as another sigh escaped her and she pushed herself upright, the weight of the day still clinging to her like damp clothes.

Maybe foods can help me to get rid of this stress

"Come in," she said, voice low.

The door opened but it wasn't a servant.

A guy stepped in with a bright, unfiltered smile like a boy seeing his favorite person after forever. Before Lana could even react, he was already moving, crossing the room in seconds then, without warning, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug so fast and full of energy they both toppled onto the bed, landing in a clumsy sprawl of limbs.

Lana lay there, completely dumbfounded. The embrace had come so suddenly, so carelessly full of warmth, it left her breathless and yet she didn't push him away. The man finally pulled away, looking down at Lana with a smile so wide it nearly reached his ears.

"You have no idea how many stars I have counted until i can finally hug you again," he said, overflowing with joy. Lana narrowed her eyes then the man chuckled at her expression. He could tell she had no idea who he was, something he had already expected as the Count and countess had warned him ahead of time, told him the news: Lana had woken up from the deep sleep or coma but with no memory of her past.

The man rolled off her and stood, his feet hitting the floor with a light thud. Lana sat up slowly, blinking at him like he was a walking puzzle.

He flashed a grin. "Let me introduce myself. Hugo Fortaine, your charming, unbelievably handsome older brother." He gave an exaggerated bow, one hand on his chest like some prince playing pretend.

Lana stared at him for a long second. "Oh," she said, voice flat and expression unreadable. Hugo burst into laughter, throwing his head back as if her one-word response had been a perfectly timed joke. Lana raised an eyebrow, watching him as he held his stomach, nearly bending over from how hard he was laughing.

"You really did lose your memories," he wheezed between laughs. "That was the most tragic 'oh' I have ever heard."

Lana blinked slowly, unimpressed. "Glad I could entertain you."

Hugo laughed even harder, nearly doubling over. "And you can talk back now!" he managed, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. Lana narrowed her eyes at him. "I do have a mouth, don't I?"

That only set him off again, his laughter echoing through the room like she had just told him the best joke of the century. She sat there, blinking slowly. Is this guy always this dramatic? she wondered, slightly getting annoyed

"Are you just here to laugh?" Lana asked, her voice dry as sand. Hugo froze mid-chuckle, his smile faltering just a little. He straightened up, brushing imaginary dust off his coat.

"Well," he said, grinning again, "I was going to cry but you beat me to the awkwardness."

Lana rolled her eyes. What a joker. Maybe she would laugh if she wasn't so tired and completely not in the mood.

It was the first time, Hugo saw his sister rolled her eyes. His sister seemed like a completely different person. Everything, her posture, her mannerism and the way she spoke, was so far from the soft, gentle Elena he remembered. The Elena who couldn't even harm a fly and yet, for some reason even with his sweet beloved sister seemingly gone, this new version of her absolutely amused him.

"Oh, right, I nearly forgot," Hugo said, snapping his fingers. "Father and Mother are waiting for us in the dining room"

"I have already asked Father to let me eat my meals in my chamber until I'm ready to join them." Lana replied

"I know, Father mentioned it but I told our servants you will be coming down tonight, so they won't bring your meal up."

Lana shot him a sharp glare, eyes narrowed in clear annoyance as Hugo only responded with a sheepish smile, shrugging like a kid caught sneaking sweets. Lana exhaled slowly, pushing the irritation down. There was no point in arguing, it would only waste her energy as she could already tell, he was the kind of brother who will cling to his sister and pester her endlessly until he got what he wanted. She rose to her feet and headed for the door, not even glancing back to see if he was following.

Hugo followed after her, a smile still playing on his lips. He seemed to match the new Elena effortlessly as if he had known this version of her his whole life. There was no awkwardness, no hesitation, just an easy, natural rhythm like he already adjusted to whoever she had become.

As they walked side by side down the hallway, servants bowed politely as they passed. Lana glanced at Hugo out of the corner of her eye. With the way he carried himself, straight posture, neatly styled hair, not a wrinkle out of place, he looked like the kind of guy who would scold someone for running in the halls. The type who followed every rule to the letter, probably believed in discipline like it was a religion. He literally looked like a strict honor student but his attitude? Totally didn't match.

Then there was his hair, Lana couldn't help but notice it, it was a deep shade of blue like the night sky just before it turned completely black. Unusual, striking and nothing like their parents. Their father had warm brunette hair and their mother shared the same as Lana's own so where did his come from?

Hugo must have felt her staring as he turned his head slightly, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

Lana hesitated but then asked before she could stop herself, "Your hair. Why doesn't it match? I mean... Father's brunette and mother has my color so, you?"

Hugo chuckled softly. "It's from our grandmother," he said, not looking at her as he walked.

"She had the same hair color when she was young. Kind of skipped a few people, I guess."

Lana glanced at him then back ahead. "Oh." She didn't press, the answer sounded simple enough but something about it still felt… off.

They arrived at the dining room, where their parents were already waiting patiently where their parents were already waiting patiently, as soon as they saw Lana enter with Hugo, smiles spread across their faces. Since waking from the coma, this will be Elena's first time joining them at the dining table and what makes this even more unusual, this will be the first time in a long while they were all together, Hugo was home, they were complete.

All throughout the dinner, Hugo kept talking, his voice bright with laughter as he shared memory after the memory of "Elena." He spoke of how she used to trip over nothing and end up covered in bruises, how she once filled her entire chamber with flowers from the garden, sneaking them in handfuls at a time. How she used to cry over the smallest things, scraped knees, lost hair ribbons, sad stories in books.

The table was full of gentle laughter, warm smiles, soft nostalgia as Lana sat there, smiling politely, doing her best to look like she belonged in the moment. A minute passed, the conversation shifted naturally, this time to Julien and Amelia, their childhood antics, the silly little things they had done together. Lana stayed quiet now as she ate slowly, methodically, her expression calm. Her attention drifted somewhere far from the table. These stories, they meant nothing to her, she didn't care about their games or their bruised knees or the inside jokes they still remembered.

She just wanted to eat

"Oh, by the way," he said, reaching for his glass, "I ran into Julien earlier. He told me he will drop by to visit you tomorrow. Said he is finally free, no duties for once."

When Hugo brought it up, Lana's hand froze mid-cut, her fingers tightening around the utensils without thinking, dropping them as the sound around the table muted for a moment.

Oh, damn, she had almost forgotten that he was one of the male leads. The last thing she wanted was to interact with that man, whoever threw her into this world must really want her to break down crying.

Lord, why me?! This is so fucked up, so unbelievably fucked up! He has a girlfriend! A whole damn relationship and what, am I supposed to smile and play along? Pretend that doesn't matter? Pretend I'm still in love with him? Like hell I will, I am not Elena!..There is no way the key to getting out of here is with him, right?...Right? Argh, why am I the one suffering here, this is Nina's dream, not mine! This stupid novel!

The Countess caught the subtle change in her daughter's demeanor and asked with quiet concern, "Are you feeling alright, my dear?"

Lana glanced at her, quickly masking whatever slipped through her expression. She managed a gentle smile. "Of course, Mother," she said quietly, hoping that would be enough to keep any more questions away.

The Countess gave a small nod, trusted her daughter words then turned her attention to Hugo with a smile. "You should take Elena for a walk around town while you are here, darling" she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Hugo smiled. "That is exactly what I was thinking, Mother. Don't worry, I will take her around town and won't bring her back until she remembers everything," he said jokingly.

Lana just wanted this dinner to end already.