Chapter 22 - North Pole

"Beth, I want a better dress." i said as i looked at the heap of clothes which had been created in two hours.

As the elder daughter of Duke I should have a more presentable dress. It was not like the dresses Beth had shown me were not good. They were made up of fine silk with bright colours but there was something missing something lacking which made them look ordinary. Even if the few were good, either their neck is too deep or the hem is too tight. I did try many but none of them seem to be fitting me.

As if the dresses were not mine to begin with.

"You did not like any dress, my lady?" asked Beth as she showed me another dress.

It was not like I wanted to make things difficult for her. It was just that I was anticipating a lot! I wanted to gain the crown prince's attention so that I could find a way to stay around him. So that whenever there would be an ambush I can protect him.

Since he was the crown prince it should not be difficult to find a chance to protect him since he had garnered the hate of every noble. Not many were ready to accept him as the new emperor, so he was bound to get ambushed sooner or later.

In my last life, Gerard was the one to assassinate him and if I was not wrong he would do that 2 years after from now, 4 months after our engagement but even before that there were times when father stayed all night at the palace due to the attack on the crown prince.

"My lady, what about this one?" my reverive was broken when Beth brought another dress.

It was a red dress with lace work on the neck and hemline. Its front was slit open and the inner had a skirt of darker shade of red with pearl and rubies adorned in the front and in the hemline. My eyes twinkled as I looked at the dress. It was so perfect.

"This dress is so beautiful. Why did you not show this one to me before?" i asked as i almost snatched the dress and went behind the frame to change it.

"Don't just stand there, come and help in wearing the corset. A bit more tight, yes, it is perfect,"

I walked out and looked at myself into the mirror. My face was looking rosie and the dress fitted the body perfectly.

"The dress is sent by her highness for the occasion half an hour ago, my lady"

I raised a brow as I looked at the dress again.

I tried to scratch my skin to check if I was feeling any kind of allergy. But I felt nothing.

"Help me in taking out the dress."

"Yes, my lady"

I checked the dress properly to see if it is torn from somewhere or rigged. But the dress was flawless. It was so perfect that the more I saw, the more I fell in love with it. It was something like what you see on pinterest and drool as the dresses can not be worn anywhere else except the red carpet where I was never invited.

Maybe she was just trying to get brownie points from father and I was worrying too much.

"It's time for your medicine and your therapies my lady"

I nodded as I laid down on my bed. Closing my eyes as she took my clothes off and used the cold compressor.

I have to make plans, a lot of plans. First I have to be a strong knight and protect the crown prince so that I can get my memories back. Then I have to defeat Gerard.

Gearard was a very proud man, so to kill him only weapons are not enough. I had to break his will, his pride and have to make him realise that he was not that good enough, he thought he was.

I had to infiltrate his privacy and do everything that he did and be better than him in it. Though it was easy to say, it was one hell of a difficult task.

He was good at fencing, business and social etiquettes. Now I have to go above him in everything. 

I continued to ponder that I did not realise when my eyes turned heavy and slowly I succumbed to sleep. 

"Do you think you can defeat me? Abi? No matter how many lives would you take, your death is written from my hands.'' I heard the voice in a dark room and soon, the face started becoming clearer. I saw him standing there with the same sword in his hand. It was already filled with blood.

I took a few steps back but he continued to move forward and stood in front of me.

"You are going to die from my hands, Abigail. You would never be able to escape.'' I heard his laughter reverberating in the air as he looked at me madly. His eyes were filled with bloodlust.

And in the next moment he moved his hand and used the sword over me in one swift motion.

"Aah.." i shouted as the cold metal touched my skin and once again i lost from him.

I sat with a start shocking Beth who looked at me with utter horror as my back and forehead was wet with sweat when the temperature was cold to begin with and she was giving me cold compressions. But the eyes I had seen in my dream or shall I say a wisp of the past was enough to even sweat me even if I had been at the north pole.