Staringat herself in the mirror, Yvonne finally understood why they called her Alessandra—or rather, why they took her for Alessandra. The reflection staring back at her was that of a stranger, yet it was undeniably hers.
She was Yvonne Esperanza.
A poor, young orphan from the lower streets of downtown in the Midwest of Valeria—now standing in front of an ornate mirror that reflected the youngest daughter of the prestigious Questrie family.
The woman in the mirror had dark, straight hair instead of her naturally wavy brown strands. Her eyes were not the familiar emerald green she had known all her life, but a deep, endless blue, like the sea at night. Even the shape of the stranger face was different—soft and round whereas hers had always been oval.
Every surface that could reflect an image showed Alessandra Questrie.
And yet, beneath it all, she knew—only she knew—that she was still Yvonne Esperanza.
A deep sigh escaped Yvonne lips as she turned away from the mirror and sat heavily on the massive king-sized bed behind her, her fingers tightening around the fabric of her dress. Her chest felt tight, as though the walls themselves were closing in on her.
When Yvonne had demanded to know how she ended up in this mansion, she was told they found her at the bottom of the Listener's Cliff.
That explanation made no sense to her. None at all.
The Listener's Cliff stood over three hundred feet high. A fall from that height should have crippled her—if not killed her outright. Yet here she was, alive, unbroken, and wearing another girl's face.
What unsettled Yvonne even more was that she remembered everything before that day with painful clarity. She remembered collecting her wages. Buying food and necessities for her two little sisters, Nathalie and Nathanial. Remembered promising them she would be back before nightfall.
She also remembered with painful heart the way Nathalie had clung to her sleeve before she left, her small fingers weak but stubborn. Nathalie had been suffering from a weak heart since birth, and the medicine Yvonne bought with her last wages was barely enough to last a week.
Nathanial tried to act strong, standing beside her with her tiny arms crossed, promising she would take care of Nathalie like a proper big sister.
But they were only seven.
They had lost their parents when they were three.
Yvonne had been an orphan herself, adopted by their parents before they were born. And then, four years later, tragedy struck again.
If Yvonne didn't return that night, there would be no one to bring food. No one to buy medicine. No one to tell them everything would be alright.
And then…
Nothing.
No matter how hard she tried, she could not remember what happened next. Every attempt to force her mind past that point ended the same way—her thoughts would suddenly go blank, her vision would blur, and a splitting headache would tear through her skull as though something unseen was crushing her brain from the inside.
It was as if Yvonne mind had been sealed.
She knew, with terrifying certainty, that she had never been anywhere near the Listener's Cliff that day. Which meant the truth was unavoidable.
Whatever happened to her—whatever caused this grotesque exchange of appearances—occurred after she collected her wages.
And that meant only one thing.
Someone had erased part of her life. Also, without her knowledge.
And the most dangerous thing, she don't even know where to start with this sorcery.
Appearance swap.
Just remembering the name made her stomach tighten.
District Blackthorn, the land of Yvonne birth, was governed by the Blackthorn's family. The Questrie's family, whose daughter's face she now wore, stood second only to the Blackthorn's in influence and authority.
But this situation was far from normal.
Valeria may have been a land of gifted individuals, but it was also home to sorcerers—some of whom practiced forbidden magic. One such banned sorcery was known as Appearance Swap.
Three thousand years ago, that very magic plunged the kingdom into chaos when a sorcerer used it to impersonate the King and impregnate the Queen. The child born from that deception came into the world wielding full demonic power, and the kingdom nearly collapsed under the weight of the war that followed.
The conflict between the demonic prince and the rightful crown prince devastated Valeria. Salvation only came when a woman blessed with the power of the Great Phoenix rose and fought alongside the crown prince, forcing the demonic heir to retreat into the Shadowlands where he is said to
After that calamity, Appearance Swapped was permanently banned. The punishment was death—for both parties involved. Later discoveries revealed that the sorcerer responsible had been the King's own brother, who manipulated the King into allowing the forbidden magic under the guise of loyalty.
And now…
That same forbidden sorcery had been used on her.
What a curse!
What terrified Yvonne most was that Appearance Swapped required the willing consent of both participants. And she had given none. Which meant the sorcerer responsible was not only powerful—but dangerous beyond measure.
With that realization, Yvonne knew she had only one option: survival.
So she made plans.
Plan One: Escape the mansion and find Alessandra.
The plan failed almost immediately. On her first attempt, she became hopelessly lost within the endless corridors of the Questrie estate and was eventually found by the guards. Under the sharp, interrogative gazes of Alessandra's parents, she had lied—claiming she merely wanted fresh air and wished to familiarize herself with the estate.
They accepted the excuse.
The second attempt ended far worse.
Yvonne managed to reach the garden, confident she had finally found a hidden escape route—only to be chased relentlessly by two enormous beasts that she later discovered were wolves.
They weren't ordinary wolves. They carried enchanted collars bearing the Questrie crest.
That terror haunted her long after. She then abandoned all further attempts to sneak out.
She could have used her powers—but the mansion was surrounded by a powerful magic resistance barrier. Any unregistered magic was immediately suppressed.
So Yvonne moved on to Plan Two: Use Alessandra's parents to leave the estate.
That plan failed before it even began.
It became painfully clear that Alessandra's parents favored her twin sister, Cassandra. Cassandra was adored, cherished, and admired by everyone. Her every attempt at manipulation was quietly dismantled by that two-faced girl.
Still, all hope was not lost.
The day Alessandra was to resume school had arrived. Though, she wasn't totally happy about school since she never went to school which meant she couldn't even read.
And that makes Yvonne feel it deep within that the school will somehow expose her. So, the plan was to find a way to escape before reaching the school.