Married 24 Times

Ileana stood in the center of the room, politely waiting for me to step inside.

But I couldn't move my legs! This was the forbidden space, the one room in this house I was absolutely forbidden from going into. I knew things had changed, but what had I done that they had changed this much?

I struggled to get words out. Ileana noticed my obvious panic and her face softened.

"I know it can be a bit strange at first to move in together so suddenly. Julian ordered me to place your things in this room, but he also had me prepare a secondary room for himself, should you be too nervous to live together so suddenly."

I numbly listened to Ileana. It took me a moment before I realized what she was saying. H-He was going to live in another room? This was going to be my room?

I hesitantly took a step inside and looked around. During my first life whenever I had barged my way into this room, I was always yelled at and scolded for invading Julian's privacy. Now I was being invited in. The difference really was too great!

The room had multiple large windows letting in huge amounts of light. On one side of the room two arched double doors led out onto a balcony overlooking the back gardens. There was a massive fireplace with a sitting area and multiple paintings probably worth tens of thousands were hung on the walls. In the center of the room was a bed so large and inviting, I struggled to resist the urge to immediately jump onto the comforter.

"I have placed a majority of your personal items in the adjacent vanity room, but some are waiting in boxes over here."

Ileana walked past the sitting area to one side of the bed where I could see two boxes I had packed waiting for me to go through them. I looked down the hallway she had pointed to earlier and could see it opened into a room with a vanity table. Two closets led off that room and what looked like another room could be seen beyond it. I glanced back at Ileana as if asking permission and she nodded with a smile.

I walked cautiously towards the vanity room. I knew I was being absurd. It's not like anything was going to jump out at me, but I was too nervous! This was territory I had never explored before. How could I suddenly believe it was mine?

In the room there was a feminine vanity table set with multiple make up brushes and creams of various kinds. On the other side I hadn't seen was a thin dresser with various men's cologne arranged on top. In the center was a large pin tucked bench to sit on. I peeked through to the other room past this one and discovered it was the bathroom.

To call it just a "bathroom" felt wrong somehow. The room stretched out before me was a least double the size of the vanity room I had just been in. It was larger than my bedroom had been at my parents' house. There were two sinks with granite countertops on either side and on top were mirrors that covered almost the entire wall. The mirrors faced each other, creating an infinity mirror. Beyond the sink was a claw-footed bathtub larger than any bathtub I had ever seen. And above the bathtub was an antique gold chandelier to match the sconces on the walls.

Being rich really was different.

To the other side of me was a closet for the toilet. Wait a minute, was that a bidet? Seriously? Just how many unnecessary luxuries were in this house? I shut the door and turned the opposite way to an opening in the wall covered in tile. Walking around the corner, I found myself in a small room covered floor to ceiling in tiles. I looked up and realized this wasn't a room but a walk in shower with multiple shower heads.

The rich lived differently, huh.

I walked out of the bathroom in a daze. I thought my bathroom I'd had in this house had been over the top, but I did not understand the heights to which a bathroom could truly reach. Ileana was waiting in the vanity room with the second closet door open.

"I wanted to show you how I've arranged your clothing before I left you," she said with a smile as she led the way into the closet. The clothing inside was more than I had ever owned. "Yesterday when Julian had me order you those wedding gowns, I also arranged for you to have a new wardrobe made up in your size."

"You... You were the one who ordered those wedding gowns?" I looked at Ileana in shock. She had attended the wedding yesterday, but I hadn't realized she'd had a hand in those gowns. They really had come from Julian and not the Leonhart's.

Ileana nodded with a proud look on her face. "The one you chose was actually also my favorite. Julian had me send it to the cleaners this morning so you can keep it as a keepsake."

"Thank you, Ileana." I was filled with a warm feeling in my chest.

"It was no trouble at all. Now look at your new clothes before I feel it was a waste."

I nodded and began browsing through all the garments. Ileana hadn't exaggerated when she'd said she'd purchased me an entirely new wardrobe. I was worried she had gotten rid of my old clothes, but I found them mixed in here and there. She had purchased only clothes that fit in with my old ones and I found multiple articles of clothing that would match well with clothes I had already owned. I felt tears beginning to form in my eyes and couldn't help but start crying.

"Alice? What's wrong?" Ileana immediately started to panic at my tears but I just shook my head.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so happy." I wiped furiously at my eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling. "You did such a nice thing for me."

Ileana waved her hands frantically. "No, no, I was only doing my job."

"I know, but I'm truly grateful. I was so worried about coming here and you're doing your best to make me feel welcome." I gave her a watery smile through my tears.

Ileana's expression turned awkward. "Truthfully, I was only doing as Julian asked. Had he told me to ignore you, I would have. Please don't thank me. I don't deserve it."

I blinked in surprise and laughed. "How about I thank you both?"

I didn't fully understand why Julian was treating me so differently this morning than this morning had gone in my past lives, but I knew it had something to do with my ridiculous behavior yesterday. If my anger and tears had gotten me this good treatment, I didn't mind showing more of my emotions freely. In my first life I had been a brat, in my next lives I had struggled to be manipulative and conniving in pursuit of revenge, and in my last life I had been indifferent, letting anything that happened to me, happen.

But in this life I would live normally. I would let out any feelings I had, whether they were good or bad, and I would tell people how I felt. I was done suppressing myself for others. If I wanted to live a happy life, I was going to make this marriage successful and I was going to enjoy everything I was given.