I won't be the villainess

Chapter 8 - friends like a family

The Queen of Kou was very kind.

That next day, Anastasia  was brought by Melissa, Kieran and Jamison to the castle. As Anastasia entered the throne room, she bowed and said her greetings, but she was promptly stopped by a woman with green eyes and long, maroon hair tied up in a bun, a few strands curled to the side, tucked behind her ear- this was the Queen. She immediately brought Anastasia and the other Korean reincarnations into the side room behind the throne room. The room was small and cosy, a few sofas dotted around a small coffee table. On one sofa, sat Leonard and a man with silver-coloured hair and teal eyes, like Leonard's- the King. Immediately, the woman ushered her to sit down opposite them, going to sit next to the king and her son. She turned to Anastasia, a beautiful, soft smile decorating her face.

'Ah.. my mother used to smile at me like that..'

"Hello, my name is Marilyn Kou d'Kayam- but I used to be Kim Daeun. It's nice to meet you."

'Even her voice is beautiful.'

Anastasia smiled, before bowing her head slightly and introducing herself too.

"My name is Anastasia d'Astello. My past name was Park Jieun. It's nice to meet you too."

The Queen's smile broadened and in Anastasia's eyes, she was simply too bright. Leonard grinned, greeting all of them, as the others took their seats on the remaining sofas. She watched as the King nudged his wife, as if waiting for her to introduce him. The Queen laughed, taking the hint.

"And this is my husband, Alexander Kou d'Kayam. He's the king of this country."

Anastasia bowed her head slightly, introducing herself once more. She was curious about one thing, and asked about it.

"Are you a Korean person too?"

The king smiled softly.

"Sadly, no. It's just my wife, Melissa, Kieran, Jamie and you. Leo was taught Korean by his mother, and I can't speak it well."

Anastasia 'ah'-ed in acknowledgement as the seven conversed. She told them about her position in the game, her life up til gaining her memories and after gaining them. The king and queen nodded, pitiful but seemingly proud of her escaping her fate. At the end of her ment, the Queen got up to sit next to her.

"Well then, it looks like I'm about to claim another child as my own, huh?"

She said with a smile. The others in the room smiled and laughed softly with her words. Anastasia looked confused, and it made the king and queen smile more. The king spoke up.

"To you, who lived as Antoinette, and didn't have the luxury of a loving mother and father, you now have us."

Anastasia's eyes widened, and all the people in the room smiled noticing so. Both as Antoinette and Jieun, she was happy. She smiled a watery smile to them, muttering thank yous as the queen pulled her in for a hug. These were Anastasia's first proper parental figures in this world.

They spent the rest of the time simply talking about the academy and the story, making jokes about Emily and her group of boys. The King and Queen learnt of her financial situation and immediately gifted her with a yellow mana plate- thin, glass-like, card-sized jewel plates- the credit card equivalents of this world. The colour of the plate depended on who you were: workers having purple, merchants: blue, company holders: black, nobles: yellow, royals: white and anyone else: orangey-red. The King told her that they would put a large sum of money every month, and she could spend it as she wished. Anastasia thanked them greatly, feeling immense joy to the point where she almost cried. The seven people had lunch and dinner together, bonding. She had become close with the others her age, calling them by nicknames such as Jamie, Lissa and Leo.

As she, Melissa, Kieran and Jamison turned to leave, the King and Queen took her aside saying,

"Feel free to call us and Uncle Alex and Aunt Marilyn- all the kids do."

"You can even call me Aunty."

Anastasia smiled at their words, truly grateful. They both brought her in for a quick hug before letting her go, saying it would get dark soon. The other three dropped her off at the inn first. As she got to her room, she thought about Melissa's words telling her that she would be able to stay at her home for the remainder of the wait period until school starts. Anastasia felt excited at the fact that she was friends with Melissa, as in the past, Antoinette wasn't able to be friends with others as they thought of her badly and as too strong of a character.

But now, she was happy, and she would stay happy, here in Kou.

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Bless our little protagonist!! She's finally finding people that will cherish her for who she is! Anyway, please leave comments for me to read on your thoughts etc. and vote please :))