Chapter 71. The First Snow

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the first snow that slowly took over the autumn wind. Once my vision adjusted, a familiar face greeted me, her visage calm and collected.

"Your Highness?" I blurted out, astounded.

My hands subconsciously landed on my cheeks when I felt their dampness, a sign that I was crying earlier. Or rather, this person was.

Once I saw my ironclad body, I was hit with the realization that Kallen has died in the palace.

This body belongs to Ellis.

And she was crying right before I took over.

"Is that you, Kallen?"

I have yet to fully grasp the whole situation when that question brought me back to my senses. But instead of helping, it just added more confusion.

I stared at Princess Odette, dumbfounded.

But then her query finally got through me, and my confusion quickly turned into horror in an instant. Feeling a surge of betrayal, I grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against the ground.

"Princess," I glared at her. "What did you say?"

"I asked if that's you, Kallen." She reiterated, her amethyst eyes staring back at me calculatedly.

My jaw clenched. "How did you know?"

"That you would eventually possess Ellis?" she replied. "I overheard you talking in the camp."

"You knew, yet you still did it?" My voice cracked as I spoke. "You knew what would happen to Ellis if I were killed, yet you still sent me to the palace?"

Her eyes narrowed into slits. "You should know that the plot can't be changed. It had to be done."

My face distorted in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"If anything, I chose the lesser painful death for Ellis." Princess Odette stated. "She merely had to wait until you died. You did all the dirty work."

"Your Highness!" I fumed. "She loved you!"

"I know," she answered firmly. "I spent my whole life with that girl on my side. Of course I'd know."

I was taken aback by her crestfallen expression.

"This is hard for me as well." Her Highness spoke emotionally. "Do you think I just woke up one day and decided that Ellis would have to disappear?"

The imperial princess bit her lower lip.

"This isn't the first time I sacrificed someone as an imperial princess. A commoner like you wouldn't understand, and I have no hope that you would."

"What were her last words?" I asked, ignoring her reasoning. My chest heaved for my counterpart.

Princess Odette opened her mouth to speak, but her voice betrayed her. For a while, she stared at me tight-lipped before answering my question.

"I love you."

Silence pervaded between us. It felt like we both had an agreement and offered that moment to mourn for the knight who lost her life to me.

I'm sorry, I kept telling her on my mind.

Even though we're not exactly on best terms, Ellis was loyal and pure in my eyes. She was faithful to her virtues. I considered her an admirable knight.

Moreover, Haniel was quite close to her, too.

He treated her like a younger sister.

"There's no point in dwelling over it." Princess Odette was the one who broke the prolonged silence. "I can only hope she rests in peace."

At first glance, one would think that the imperial princess was completely impervious at her loss.

However, I saw the way her hands trembled.

Perhaps she's trying so hard not to break down.

Once the two of us have calmed down, I finally got the chance to look around. We weren't in the camp. Based on the cedar trees around, it must be somewhere halfway from the capital to the north.

"What's the situation?" Princess Odette inquired.

"I killed your brother, the crown prince." I replied without blinking an eye. "Was it right to assume that you wanted him dead, Your Highness?"

She pursed her lips, consumed in deep thought.

"To be honest, I only wanted you to incapacitate Dion." Her face softened upon mentioning her sibling. "But I would've killed him myself after that, so it doesn't matter if you did it for me."

How heartless.

"What of Grand Duke Averill?" She changed the subject nonchalantly. "Is he alive? I hope he is."

"He's wounded from fighting me, but it's nothing serious." I shrugged it off. "I made sure not to hit his vital spots. I just had to put on a good show, else he'll be branded as a traitor in the palace."

"You did well, Kallen." Princess Odette praised me rather genuinely. "I knew I could count on you."

"I don't want your praise." My brows furrowed in annoyance. "We had a deal. I already did my part, so now it's time for you to tell me, Your Highness."

Her face turned serious upon my demand.

"Who exactly is Runa, the author of this story?"

I waited in anticipation. The imperial princess, on the other hand, slowly turned her back from me.

"First of all," She sighed. "You should know that the name Runa is of Old Norse origin. It means secret lore, which reflects the author's identity."

My head tilted in confusion.

"Similar to a lore passed from mouth to mouth, Runa wrote this story on paper... but the whole idea of it isn't from her. We're quite the same."

I frowned. "So she plagiarized this story, too?"

"Technically, she didn't." Princess Odette glanced over me. "Unlike me, Runa had the permission to write it, because the idea of this story came from her own sister."

Somehow, I had a vague feeling.

That what I'm about to hear would be hurtful.

"Basically, I ruined their lives." Her Highness confessed. "I plagiarized the story that the two sisters worked hard to create, and I was the one who reaped their once-in-a-lifetime success."

I clicked my tongue. "You're the worst."

"I know," Princess Odette smiled. "I regret it."

Once again, she heaved out a depressing sigh.

"I have a question." I swallowed the lump on my throat. "If the idea was originally hers, why didn't Runa's sister just write her own story herself?"

The princess had an ashamed countenance.

"There were many reasons. First of all, she was too busy working as a maid to put food on the table." Her shoulders fell. "Second, she was an orphan who didn't know how to read and write."

I flinched. Why does that sound familiar?

"Third, she was mute, which made it difficult for her to communicate with others." Her Highness continued. "So Runa wrote this story to fulfill her sister's dream to have her own novel published."

An orphan who didn't know how to read and write. A girl who worked as a maid. Above anything else, someone who was mute.

Those descriptions fit all the roles I've taken so far. If it's true, then Runa wrote this story as a tribute, and incorporated her sister's traits on the extras.

"All in all, Runa is a transmigrator like us who wants to bring chaos to this world." Princess Odette summarized. "She loathes this story."

"Why?"

"Because it's the novel that ruined their lives." she answered. "When my novel got successful, they tried to shed light on the truth that it was stolen.

"In the end, they were hated for trying to attack a famous author. Runa's sister fell into depression and killed herself after dealing with much hate."

When I glanced over the princess, there was a sullen look. It had a mixture of guilt and shame.

"I still regret it to this day. After all, it was a story I merely stole on a whim." She said in a small voice.

I couldn't think of anything to say, so I kept quiet.

"I didn't know that the two sisters were struggling so hard. This novel could have helped them earn money. Moreover, I destroyed someone's dream."

She paused for a while.

"So I totally understand why Runa killed me."

My eyes widened in shock. I looked at her, and the princess was smiling regretfully in front of me.

"I told you that a fan killed me, but it was a lie." She admitted sadly. "It was actually the author who killed me. It must've been frustrating for her, seeing me signing books when her sister committed suicide because I stole their work."

It was the first time I heard about this, but it stung my heart for some reason. I didn't like it. I didn't like the sense of affinity I felt from her narrative.

"Runa," I held my breath. "Who is she now?"

She stared at me intently before replying.

"It appears that you already know the answer." Princess Odette smiled sadly. "Who else wants to destroy this world so badly, to the point that they sold their own soul to the devil at a young age?"

I shouldn't have asked that.

The more I know, the more it makes sense... and when things finally make sense in this world, it gets harder for me to direct my anger on her.

"I have one last question, Your Highness."

"What is it?"

"The author's sister who killed herself," I inhaled sharply. "What was her name in that world?"

It was the first snow. The cold breeze was starting to make my skin hurt, but it didn't compare with my aching heart. I already knew the answer, too.

"It was Callista. I believe her name was Callista."

---