#5 So Who's The Crestfallen?

l abruptly woke up to the sound of a voice pulling me awake.

"Wake up, darling. This is your new normal."

As if on cue, my eyes obeyed and slowly opened.

I saw the ceiling, it was all white.

"Venice..." my mother called out in a deep and melancholic voice.

"Mum.. What happened? Where am I?"

I immediately bombarded her questions.

"My child, my poor child." my mother sobbed.

I could see the IV attached to me, but I know we aren't in a hospital—she would've called a nurse or doctor if so.

I heard the door creak open and I saw my father—with my grandpapa.

"My sweet baby, you looked like her indeed." grandpapa said with remorse as he showed me a drawing or picture of this Lady.

She definitely looks like me, with this "transformation" mumbo jumbo.

"What does that mean, grandpapa? That's not grandmama—" I carefully said.

"She's.. The person I deeply love the most, but I was blinded by anger and hatred. Up to the point she died on me, her blood is in my hands. You probably know by now that I'm not a mortal. So is your father and your mother. But not your grandmama." he carefully pointed out.

My parents kept silent.

"Young one, this is Lady Vera Wisteria. A prominent Lady of the Kingdom of Sapphire. Venice Everette Raja Wisteria or Vera Wisteria for short. She's a sorceress, well she chose to be. When she died, I started a life with mortals and found Janice Hart—your grandmama. With that being said, I assumed many surnames to keep her safe, until she gave her last breath peacefully."

That is true though. My grandpapa—Vandel Vaughn—assumed many surnames. From Santiago to Jameson to Chavez to Lincoln...and many more. Smith won't be the last of the list, I'm certain. To "keep us safe" as to what he claims.

"There goes this tale that there'll be one vasal or more, one crown and the crestfallen—Lady Vera—will come back to life. Looks like everything is on set. But what's pondering about is that there's a big possibility that Lady Vera may or may not be the Crestfallen at all." my mum explained.

"You are the very first vasal, Venice. You must be careful. She's channeling her everything into you. To her, you're just a vasal, a marionette. She's.. a bit to handle. She's got that alluring voice that would make you bow down to her will." grandpapa said with a monotonous voice.

"Not only that, there was also a tale, I grew up hearing from the townspeople down in the centre square of Nightshade. That Lady Vera is not a Lady of Sapphire, but a heiress to it. Yet it wasn't proven since Papá knows that she is only a Lady, a Princess—but not a heiress, because she have brothers. And Papá attended the ceremony.

And it was rumored that Lady Vera was not the Sixth Lady's daughter. She was indeed King Regan's but not by the Sixth Lady Zeron. I forgot what the Sixth Lady's name is but her surname is Zeron, if I am not mistaken." my father said, deeply immersed with reminiscing.

"Listen to me, Venice. This is for your own good. Wear the pendant I'll be sending to you later. It will fend off Vera's attempts, for now. But you must be wise, Venice." grandpapa sighed.

He then took a deep breath before telling me something that would change our lives in a spur of the moment.

"You are a vasal to the late Lady Wisteria of Sapphire, you are like linked with her, accept it. Live with it." he slowly said, making me understand every bit of it.

"Pardon?"

I was stunned. Thinking they'd go like 'Oh no! Don't accept it!' or 'Make your own Fate, don't be a vasal.' kind of b***sh**s. Or even going berserk.

"You're a vasal to keep the Lady alive in soul. You're a vasal to the late Lady Wisteria of Sapphire. And from here, take precautions. The crown and the crestfallen may appear, or if not now, probably it's you who will produce the next vasals." grandpapa told me, in a deadpanned manner.

"If I'm the vasal,who is the Crest and the Crown?"

"I don't know, it may be Vera, but it can be somebody else. Who knows what she is up to? And as I've said, you may possibly produce a vasal too in the future. And it is possibly where the crestfallen and the crown shall stand before me." grandpapa said before leaving us, with a horrified look etched on our faces.

No...