Chapter 3 I AM NOT PENELOPE

Joseline's Pov

I was not Penelope.

Unfortunately, everyone around me believed I was.

If this was some elaborate prank, I had to admit the people behind it deserved an award. They had thought of everything. From the strange clothes to the room and even the woman with scale-like skin standing beside my bed.

The only problem was… it felt too real.

The sheets beneath my fingers were soft, woven from silk instead of cotton. The air smelled faintly of lavender and burning cedar. Sunlight streamed through towering glass windows, painting golden patterns across the marble floor.

Nothing about this place resembled my room back in New York.

A sharp ache pulsed through the back of my head and I squeezed my eyes shut.

I opened then again when I heard a thunderous roar.

My heartbeat quickened. “What was that?”

The woman looked toward the window before smiling reassuringly. “Iy is merely the morning traffic, My Lady.”

Traffic? Traffic didn't sound like that. The sound came again. A thunderous roar shook the windows, making the chandelier overhead trembled.

Curiosity overcame my fear. Ignoring the dizziness, I climbed out of bed and staggered toward the nearest window.

“My Lady…” The woman's warning came too late.

I pulled the curtains aside and my jaws dropped.

Dragons. Hundreds of them. Not statues.

Not decorations but real dragons soared between enormous towers of white stone, their scales flashing crimson, emerald, sapphire and obsidian beneath the morning sun.

Some were so large they could have swallowed buses whole. Others glided gracefully between the rooftops as though flying was the most ordinary thing in the world.

People walked through the streets below without sparing them a second glance. Children pointed excitedly. Merchants continued selling fruit. Soldiers rode dragons instead of horses.

Nobody screamed. Nobody panicked. It was almost as if this was normal.

"There are no dragons in New York," I breathed. "This isn't New York."

"No," the woman answered softly. "It isn't."

Cold spread through my body. If this wasn't New York, then where was I?

"My Lady," the woman said gently, approaching me. "Please step away from the window. You're still recovering."

I slowly turned toward her. "Recovering from what?"

She hesitated. “You… don't remember?"

My pulse jumped. "No. What happened to me?"

"You suffered an accident."

My eyebrows knitted together. "What accident?"

"You fell."

I blinked. "...Fell?"

"Yes."

"From where?"

"The sky."

“Excuse me?"

The woman folded her hands politely before answering. "You fell from Lord Cedric's dragon while he was escorting you to the capital."

I blinked again. "My… what?"

"You were being brought here for your wedding."

Everything inside me froze. "My…" My voice barely came out. "...Wedding?"

She nodded as though she had just informed me the weather was pleasant. "Yes, My Lady."

"You were to marry His Majesty." My throat went dry.

"His Majesty?"

"The Crimson King,” Her lips curved into a respectful smile. "King Drakarys."

A face flashed through my mind. The long crimson hair, piiercing red eyes, and d deep voice asking if I was alright. Drakarys was the man from earlier.

I stumbled backwards until the edge of the dressing table dug into my spine.

"That…" I laughed weakly. "...That's impossible."

The healer's smile faded. "My Lady?"

"I'm not marrying anybody,” I shook my head over and over. "I don't even know who this Drakarys person is."

Confusion flickered across her face. "Lady Penelope…"

"I am not Penelope!"

The words escaped louder than I intended. The room fell silent.

The woman looked at me with heartbreaking pity. It wasn't disbelief. It was concern. Like she truly believed I had lost my memories.

My breathing became uneven.

"No…" I whispered. "No, no…" Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. The memories inside my head didn't belong together. One belonged to me. The other… The other belonged to someone else. None of them were mine. Yet somehow… I knew them.

The healer carefully took my trembling hands. "They told me this might happen."

Her voice was warm. "Memory loss isn't uncommon after a fall like yours."

I stared at her. "You don't understand."

"I understand enough."

"No!" I pulled my hands away. "You don't. I'm not Penelope. I'm Joseline. My home is New York. My parents…” My voice broke. My parents… Their faces suddenly felt blurry.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying desperately to remember. Nothing came, only emptiness.

When I opened them again, tears blurred my vision. “I want to go home.”

The healer looked away.

"I'm afraid…" She paused. "...this is your home now."

Those words shattered something inside me.

I sank onto the edge of the bed. This couldn't be happening. People didn't wake up inside someone else's body. That only happened in fantasy stories and games. Not real life.

The healer gently rested a hand on my shoulder. "My name is Adira Venash” then she smiled faintly. “I hope we can be friends.”

Despite everything… Something about her smile felt safe. It reminded me of warm soup on rainy evenings. Of someone who genuinely wanted me to be alright.

"... Thank you," I whispered.

She squeezed my shoulder. "You should rest. I'll return shortly with your dinner."

She reached the door before stopping "Oh. One more thing."

I raised my head.

"Congratulations, Lady Penelope. In four months, you will become Queen of the Crimson Kingdom."

The door clicked shut behind her. Silence swallowed the room. Four months?

I had four months until I married a man I'd never met. Four months until I became queen of a kingdom that wasn't even on Earth.

My breathing quickened as I shot to my feet. "No, no, no."

I rushed toward the enormous mirror standing beside the wardrobe. The girl staring back wasn't me.

She had porcelain skin, golden eyes, long black hair that cascaded to her waist. She was breathtaking.

She was… Penelope.

I slowly lifted my hand and the girl copied me. I touched my face and so did she.

When a tear slipped down my cheek, she cried too.

This wasn't a dream. I really wasn't Joseline anymore.

A deafening horn suddenly echoed across the kingdom. Then another and another until the entire castle shook.

Shouts erupted outside. Running footsteps thundered through the corridors. I rushed back to the window and gasped.

The peaceful city had transformed.

Soldiers flooded the streets. Dragon riders launched into the sky. Castle guards raced toward the gates and somewhere below, someone screamed.

"Open the eastern gates! The King's battalion has returned!"

Another voice shouted louder. "Prepare the healers!"

"They're bringing wounded!"

My heartbeat pounded. This wasn't a celebration. Something had happened.

Suddenly, a fierce wind ruptured from the sky, bending trees and blowing heavily around.

When it stopped, I stared beyond the castle walls and gasped in horror.

Descending from the clouds was a colossal crimson dragon.