One More Step

Kyra slowly opened eyes. What greeted her was too strange so she closed her eyes again quickly. ''Impossible. Afterlife is like this? You gotta be kidding me."

Her mumbling woke up the person that slept, as it seems, next to her. She could hear slowly approaching steps and suddenly big warm hand covered her forehead.

"Kyra, my child, are you finally awake?" The raspy voice belonged to a man. But, she never heard such a voice before.

She slowly opened her eyes and in front of her appeared good looking man in his forties. Her eyebrows scrunched as she whispered with a dry voice. " Who are you? And where am I?"

Suddenly she stopped talking. Why is her voice sounding like a small child? One thought crossed her mind. Reincarnation? Transmigration? She heard of such things when she traveled with the army. Some of her fellow female soldiers would comment on some novels that had such an idea.

At that time she reprimanded them. They should better think about their missions than some stuff that is impossible. But now looking at her own situation, she sighed.

She looked at the man that sat there and looked at her in the grievance. He looked actually very good. But that beard looked just too ugly on his face.

He rose his hand and stroked her forehead slightly. She could see long fingers approaching her and his soft hand again stopped there. Her eyes looked at calluses inside his hand, but there was not even one. It seems this man doesn't work hard jobs.

He stood up and went to the door. ''Come in and help her put clothes on. Quickly.''

Girl of age 11-12 came in and smiled brightly at her. ''Miss, you are finally awake. I really thought you will die. Ahhhh...'' As she bawled her eyes out she walked fast to her and started undressing her as her father quickly closed the door.

''Don't take me wrong, but who are you, who am I and where are we actually?'' Kyra looked around the room and even she had to admit that such lavish old-style furniture never saw even in the old man's house. She laid on a huge bed covered with silk. The big windows were open and she could see that she had a fireplace, a multitude of small white cabinets, a huge mirror and a beautiful white seating set. On the small table stood tea set and next to it plate full of cookies. Wow, the cookies looked... inedible. Why do they look so gray and ugly?

The girl was stunned and stared at her with an open mouth. But she quickly gathered herself and nodded like she realized something. ''No wonder you don't remember anything. After being hit so hard, it is a wonder you even survived. Sigh...''

Kyra scrunched her eyebrows and had a bad feeling about the story that it seems comes from third-rate novels. What, maybe bad stepmother? Or a harem full of nasty wives that hated each other guts? But the truth was even worse...

While taking her clothes off the small girl started explaining. ''Where should I even start? Well, let's start with you. Your name is Kyra Jong and you are a concubine born from outside. Your father brought you here after he found out about your existence. But to tell you the truth, maybe you would have lived a better life outside than in this hell house.''

Kyra looked at her dazedly as she realized why her father's features looked a bit...Asian. 'Did I transmigrate into a novel? Or am I getting crazy? What is this???'

The little girl saw her face and started laughing. ''Your mother died by birth and your grandmother took care of you. Unfortunately, she became very ill and sent a notice to the Lord about you. As it seems she promised your mother to send you to this place only if there is really no other option. Your mother actually wanted you to stay out here and live a simple but happy life.''

'God have mercy with me... I am in one of those stories with a bad main wife that hates her stepchildren and wants them dead.' Kyra sighed.

While she still dazedly let the little girl put a set of clothes on her she still listened to her story. ''Your father Lord Jong has been by Emporror's side since they were children. The main wife is actually one of his cousins. But, her line of the family is lately becoming outrageous and as it seems many bad things will happen to this family. Let us hope we all survive.''

''I am Anna and your personal maid. Lord Jong saved me from slavery and let me have a nice little life, but I felt that is unfair and asked him to pay off my debts by serving him. Then he appointed me to you two days ago. When I think about that day I put a lot of clothes on you as well and probably saved your life when you got hit. Better put again more. Just in case someone gets again the idea to hit you. Don't worry, I will help you when you walk.'' She looked at the clothes in her hands and considered padding the back of her mistress that already now looked like a scarecrow.

Better being ugly and saving a life than losing it and looking pretty.

Right?