Chapter 14. Parting Ways

For the next few days, I did nothing but mourn.

It was a hard pill to swallow, that my friend had died because of me trying to change the story.

The room we shared seemed so empty and gloomy now. Only in her absence did I realise how Leila's resplendence brightened up my dull life so much.

"What happened to Leila was tragic." Ma'am Olivia remarked when she gathered all of us. "Hopefully, she's now in the presence of the heavenly gods."

A lot of servants shedded tears upon her death. She was, after all, a kind and amicable person.

"Still, life must go on." The head maid appeared to be impervious, but even her eyes were swollen.

"Life must go on, huh?" I muttered grimly.

"Isabelle." Ma'am Olivia called me.

I lifted my gaze to her. "Yes, Ma'am?"

"The Crown Princess Selection will start in a few days, so they're asking for more manpower in the Sky Palace." She crossed her arms. "I'm thinking of sending you. Pack your things and relocate there."

I acquiesced by simply nodding in response.

I know she's just being considerate. They must be concerned about me falling into depression after what happened, so they want me to leave this place where Leila and I worked side by side.

But it was an unnecessary worry. I'm okay.

Again, this isn't enough to break me down.

As soon as we were dismissed, I returned to my room and began sorting my stuff. While packing my things, two knocks on the door startled me.

"Hey," Rumi leaned on the doorway. "Grand Duke Averill is asking for you. Come to his chambers."

This is the first time we've seen each other since Leila's body was discovered a few days ago. We never got to talk properly after the incident.

"I see," I looked away. "Thanks for telling me."

Hailing from the east, Rumi was blessed with sharp and slanted eyes. An eastern beauty with straight black hair, as I've described her before.

Due to her outlandish features, she had quite an intimidating appearance, the type of woman that you would be scared to meet gazes with. This time, however, I can't look at her for a different reason.

I was too ashamed to even show her my face.

"You look guilty." Rumi commented. "Good. Do you even know why Leila went to the garden, Belle?"

I kept mum and unmoving on my spot.

"It's because we couldn't find a single strand of your hair." Rumi recollected emotionally. "I told her not to worry, but she couldn't stay still at all."

Her words caused a pang on my chest.

"I told you not to cause trouble, right?" Her hands landed on her face. "I know you didn't want this to happen, but still... I can't help but resent you a bit."

My heart was torn asunder when Rumi broke down into tears. I couldn't even comfort her.

"I'm sorry." I shut my eyes. "I'm truly sorry."

I also resent myself, Rumi.

Since I couldn't bear to listen to her sobs anymore, I escaped from my room. With a crestfallen face, I went to the grand duke who had called for me.

When I announced my name outside the room, he gave me permission to enter. I came into his quarters and found Alistair on his desk with a mountain of paperwork. He greeted me with a smile, but it faded as soon as he saw my face.

"Ah," Alistair sprung from his seat and hurried towards me. "There must be a hole in the ceiling. There's water leaking out, huh? Let's wipe it off."

That's what he said, but in truth I was just crying.

I love how considerate he was to not make me feel embarrassed. The grand duke wiped my tears with his own sleeves, but he didn't ask me anything.

"Your Grace, you're supposed to hug me at times like this." I grudgingly told him, sniffing.

He smiled. "In my defense, I didn't want to hug you thoughtlessly and cause you discomfort."

"But friends normally hug to comfort each other."

"What friend? You aren't my friend." Alistair said defensively. "I don't fantasize about my friends."

Gosh, he just says whatever he wants. If I were another girl, I would have dropped my panties for him. Good thing I'm immune to his flirting.

"I'm upset right now. What I need is a friend, not a sexually frustrated grand duke." I rolled my eyes.

"Alright. I'll be your friend for today, Isabelle."

At that moment, I knew what I had to do.

I need to draw the line once and for all.

However, when I saw him smiling at me with so much affection, my heart faltered. The truth is, I want to be with him as well. This feeling of yearning inside me, if not love, then what is it?

For a moment, I wanted to hold him and forget about the novel, the heroine, the future, all of it.

"Pardon my rudeness, Your Grace."

So I did. Bravely. Even though it was against the original plot. Even though it might change what was supposed to be set in stone. I touched him.

I touched the forbidden fruit.

When I wrapped both of my arms around his waist, Alistair flinched. He didn't seem to expect that I would hug him out of my own free will.

"This gives me hope, you know." he commented.

"Don't," I smiled. "We're just hugging as friends."

"Would you happen to be interested in becoming friends with benefits?" Alistair shamelessly asked.

"No."

He chuckled. "How regrettable."

Alistair Kirsten de Averill. The second male lead of this novel. The man I met during the prologue of this story, and happened to meet again several years later. He's my master, my first love, my Aki.

Yes. I am, in fact, in love with Alistair.

But no, I won't confess these feelings to him.

Instead, I will bury them deep inside myself. Because even if it's true that he genuinely likes me, my existence would only cause him pain.

I am an extra. I am not meant to live long.

I will always die in one way or another.

"Your Grace," I pulled away from him. "This may be the last time you'd be able to call for me. As it happens, I will be transferred in the Sky Palace."

"Hmm. The Sky Palace, huh?" He rubbed his chin in cogitation. "Only female guests are usually allowed to stay there, but I can pull some strings-"

My tone instantly rose. "Your Grace!"

When I looked at his face, he seemed confused.

"Don't chase after me anymore." I knelt down on bended knees. "I'm grateful for your affection, but this lowly servant can't reciprocate your feelings."

My eyes remained on the floor while the grand duke stood rooted to his position. The afternoon breeze blew the curtains of his office, filling the silence that conquered us in his chambers.

"What a dangerous view." Alistair sneered while gazing down on me. "Stand up, Isabelle. I may have imagined this view many times, but it's not stimulating when you're dumping me like this."

I smiled ruefully. "How vulgar, Your Grace."

"I apologise. Whenever I see you, I just want to make a mess out of that pretty face of yours."

Since I refused to get up, the grand duke stooped down to level our gazes. His eyes hinted a bit of sadness, but Alistair still smiled to me.

"I understand." He gently took my hand. "I shall not pursue you anymore. I respect your wishes."

My eyes watered with tears. No one in this world has ever respected me, a lowly maid and a mere commoner, as much as Grand Duke Averill does.

"But I am only stepping back for your sake." He whispered to me. "Should your heart ever ache in my absence, come find me. I am confident that I'd still be the same lovesick man by then, Isabelle."

"Okay," My tears fell. "Okay, Your Grace."

"Hush. The one who should be crying is me, since I am the one who was dumped." Alistair chuckled.

"My bad," I kept sniffing like a kid.

"Won't you give me a goodbye kiss, Isabelle?"

I wiped my cheeks. "I'm sorry, but no."

"What a shame." He smiled before placing his forehead on mine. "Really, what a shame."

I couldn't give him my love, but deep inside I had promised him my survival. I will live. I will live long enough to see him get his happy ending.

---

And so, we parted ways like that.

It's not like we were officially in a relationship, but it still felt like bidding farewell to a lover.

However, instead of bringing my dander down, it actually steeled my resolve even more. Now, I can focus on the things I have to do for my survival.

One of them was meeting the notorious villainess of this novel, Lady Ruth Alessia di Camellia.

I heard from the servants that no official decree has been issued yet, but the king's aid had already reached out to quite a few ladies to be potential candidates for the Crown Princess Selection.

Among them was Lady Camellia, who summoned me to the Sky Palace a week after the incident.

I lowered my head in respect. "This humble servant greets the lady of the Camellia duchy."

The villainess sat with admirable dignity in her chambers. She was smiling, but her ocean blue eyes studied me from head to toe, like a hunter perusing her prey before making a move.

"I apologise for not coming sooner, my lady."

"It's fine. I purposely gave you a week to mourn for the death of your friend." Her voice was so soothing to the ear. "Raise your head, Isabelle."

I stiffened. She knows my name. It looks like she already conducted a background check on me.

When I lifted my gaze, our eyes met.

"I wish to speak with the servant alone." she stated without batting an eyelash. "Get out."

Her maids complied without a word. All of them left the room, leaving me with the lady inside.

My heart pounded. To be honest, I was nervous in her presence. Even though I can't remember the exact contents of the novel, there was one thing I'm sure about her: that she was, by nature, evil.

"My lady, I wish to express my gratitude to you for proving my innocence regarding the incident." My voice was surprisingly clear and steady as I spoke.

It looked like Lady Camellia wasn't even listening to me. She seemed to be relaxing, with her eyes closed and her back slumped on her seat.

Seriously, why did she even call for me here?

Since I'm not allowed to leave unless she tells me to, I stayed still amidst the uncomfortable silence.

It was only after a few minutes when the lady slowly opened her eyes. She looked like a doll with that calm and dreamy look on her delicate face.

"You," She finally broke the silence.

A sinister smile formed on her face.

"You also came from another world, didn't you?"

---