Slowly, Kayla stirred from the suffocating darkness that had engulfed her, her consciousness returning in fragments. Blinking through the haze, her vision gradually cleared, revealing the concerned faces of her mother and father hovering over her.
Confusion clung to her thoughts as she struggled to piece together the events that had just unfolded. For a moment, the world around her seemed to spin, but then it settled.
"You're awake!" Her mother and father exclaimed almost in unison, their voices carrying a palpable mixture of relief and worry.
With a quiver in her voice, Kayla managed to whisper, "What... what happened?"
Gently, Kayla's mother extended a cool hand and placed it against her daughter's forehead. Her voice, filled with maternal concern, softened as she replied, "You fainted, dear. We were so worried about you."
Her father, nodding in agreement, chimed in, his eyes reflecting both relief and anxiety. "We've called for a doctor," he added reassuringly. "You're going to be all right."
It felt as though she hadn't seen her parents in an eternity, and then, suddenly, the memories came rushing back.
She had been on the brink of death! How was it possible that she was still alive? Her eyes darted around in confusion, realizing she was no longer in the Duke's mansion but in the familiar surroundings of her parents' house, her childhood room.
"Did they save me?" Kayla's thoughts raced, though there were no tears left in her eyes to shed.
As the fog of bewilderment gradually lifted, a profound sense of gratitude washed over Kayla. She couldn't help but wonder how she had ended up here, in this moment, but for now, she had no desire to leave the safety of her parents' embrace.
She squeezed her mother tightly, whispering, "I've missed you."
"Kayla, I never left you," her mother replied, and those words only deepened Kayla's confusion. She couldn't help but furrow her brows as she looked at her mother, realizing that something was peculiar. Her mother appeared noticeably younger than she remembered. A similar observation struck her when she glanced at her father. His once-grey hair had reverted to its youthful black, and the fine lines that had etched his face were gone.
An undeniable sense of unease gnawed at the edges of her consciousness, and a torrent of questions swirled within her.
She blinked at her parents, her gaze shifting back and forth between them. Her voice quivered with uncertainty as she asked, "Why am I in your house? And why do you both look... younger?"
Her parents exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions betraying a mix of surprise and concern. It was as if they hadn't anticipated her inquiries, or perhaps they were grappling with finding an explanation.
"Kayla? Where else would you be?" her father ventured to ask, his tone tinged with confusion.
"Do you think the marriage proposal is a bit too much for her to handle, given how young she is? It must have come as quite a shock," her mother suggested to her father.
"You're right; that must be it," he agreed, his gaze never leaving Kayla, his worry evident. "Kayla, you do realize that you won't get married until you're 18 years old, right? There's no need to stress about it, my precious princess. You're only thirteen now."
"What?" Kayla exclaimed in shock, her voice filled with disbelief. "I'm not thirteen!"
There was no way she could be thirteen. She leaped out of her bed and rushed to the mirror, her heart pounding with trepidation.
And what she saw in that mirror left her utterly stunned.
She had been sent back in time.