Chapter 4

I hoarded the silver coins and headed to the backyard to feed the chickens. The fluffy chicks crowded around me, chirping nonstop. As I gently rubbed their little heads, the noise in my mind faded away, and I finally started to feel better.

Now that I had land and money, I supposed I could live well on my own.

But before I could enjoy a few days of peace, a carriage showed up and took me to the Prime Minister's Residence.

I had no clue why I ended up here again. Honestly, I never thought I'd ever come back to this place in this life.

Not long after, I saw Judy again. Seeing her after everything that happened in my previous life left me feeling a bit lost.

I had no clue why Judy showed up, and the voices in my head wouldn't stop. [What the heck? What's Judy doing here?]

[Damn, this plot is totally off.]

[Ella messed up the storyline. Is it because Zed can't meet Susan now, so Ella has to move into the Prime Minister's Residence as part of the required plot?]

Before I could even figure out what they were talking about, Judy was already standing right in front of me. Unlike the old life, she brushed off the maid and grabbed my hand. Her eyes were welling up with tears.

She talked a lot, and I caught the gist. Someone had bought that pendant and gifted it to the Page family. Judy thought it looked familiar, so she kept asking where it came from, and that was how she tracked me down.

She kept pressing me, asking where I got the pendant and if I knew who the real owner was.

I was filled with regret. I should have gone to the pawnshop under a fake identity.

She looked at me with so much hope in her eyes, just like any mother desperate to find her missing daughter.

But she didn't recognize me. It probably never crossed her mind that a girl from the countryside could be her own daughter.

The voices in my head started up again: [Is this really fate? If Ella doesn't return to the Page family, the plot can't move forward, and Susan won't get to be with Zed.]

[But if Ella admits it, Susan will be heartbroken again. I really can't stand seeing her sad.]

[Susan has it so tough. I really feel sad.]

The voices in my head were all talking at once, and Judy's words came in a rush, making me even more annoyed.

For some reason, I wanted to know if she ever found out who I really was, would she let go of my hand right away?

So, I looked at her and said, "This pendant? It's mine. Jenny, my adoptive mother, gave it to me."

Sure enough, as soon as I said that, her hand slipped away from mine, and she looked as hesitant as she did in my old life.

I smiled. Maybe an unknown daughter would fill her with hope, but a girl from a village would only bring her shame.

I let her look me up and down, like in my old life. The Pages called a family meeting to decide whether to accept me as their daughter.

The voices in my head were going wild, already revealing the plot ahead of time. They were all saying Zed and Susan would soon meet each other.

I looked down. I knew this story inside out, but I was done following the script.