⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

"Would you like your hair up or down today, My Lady?" Marise asked. Her hands were skilfully styling my brown locks as I sat in front of the vanity mirror.

"Anything is fine by me"

"My Lady! I could not possibly make the decision for you!"

"Down then," I mumbled. It's not like I care how I look. No matter how much they styled my hair or did my makeup, I'd still be a walking skeleton anyways. Marise pouted her lips, unhappy that I was making the decision half-heartedly, but still did as I asked for.

I found out that the first person I met that night was none other than Marise. She had been assigned as Evangeline's personal maid long before I even arrived in this world. Honestly, I don't remember her much from the story, other than the fact that she followed Evangeline in the background. 

I sighed inwardly.

Out of all the characters in the novel, why did I have to be stuck in her body?

Evangeline Amelia Alcmene, the only daughter of Duke and Duchess Alcmene and also the third representative in the sealing ritual. Why am I so upset about this, you ask?

It's because Evangeline was the one character that I completely disliked in the novel. Even Elijah, now knowing that he's the traitor, was still higher in my favourite character list in comparison to her.

Not only was Evangeline such an annoying, spoiled brat, she was also cowardly and useless during the course of the novel. Upon entering the cavern that led to the stone tablet, she suddenly became scared of what's to come and attempted to run away. Because of this, Elijah thought she had somehow found out about him and decided to kill her before she could alert the others. He decided to hasten his plans of betrayal and quickly aimed his sword at her running figure. 

But, Malakai, who sensed his blood thirst, quickly stepped in between them and took the hit for her. If it wasn't for him, Evangeline would have ended up as a lifeless corpse.

Sigh.

I understand that sometimes fear gets the better of you in the face of danger and of course, your survival instincts will kick in. However, this happened before the betrayal occurred, meaning she tried to run away from her responsibilities, not because of Elijah. If she knew she wasn't up to the task, why did she even insisted on joining the ritual?

Also, did she stop to turn around to help Malakai when he got stabbed on her behalf? 

Nope-ity, nope, nope, nope!

She saw what happened behind her and kept running, without so much as a glance towards the man who saved her life that laid on the ground with a gaping hole in his torso. The chapter even mentioned that she didn't think about calling for help—all that mattered to her was that she survives the ordeal.

What annoyed me the most was the fact that she could have saved him! She had teleportation scrolls in her pouch so, all she had to do was touch him and they would have been able to escape together. He was right in front of her! It wasn't that difficult to stretch out her hand.

Throughout the novel, Evangeline claimed that she wholeheartedly loved Malakai. She even went as far as to announce to the whole world that she would be his wife in the future, thus leaving him in an awkward position of being semi-taken in high society. 

So, why?

Why did she end up leaving behind the man she 'loved' to die on his own? She just whooshed herself out of there without a second thought to her 'beloved' Malakai.

Unforgivable!

"Lady Evangeline, stop! You'll crease your dress!" Marise cried, attempting to loosen my clenched fist.

Oops!

I unclenched my fist and gave an apologetic look to Marise. After a few weeks of rest, it was decided that I was finally healthy enough to join my parents for dinner. Marise was looking forward to being able to perform her maid duties after her mistress was in bedrest for so long and even meticulously selected the dress for tonight.

Honestly, I don't understand the point in putting on a nice outfit and makeup for a simple dinner with the family. Isn't it just amongst the three of us? Who's there to judge how well I dress? Back in my original world, I would just come to the dining table in my pajamas.

Though I guess, how I would I know the ways of nobility?

I shifted my thoughts to the events that will happen in the future. Evangeline is currently 17 years old and it's somewhere in spring, meaning the selection ceremony will occur at the end of the year. According to the author, Evangeline will receive her powers somewhere between her birthday and the ceremony.

I guess I had been somewhat lucky to have transmigrated into her body before the start of the novel. At least that gave me enough time to work on what I'm going to do. After the selection, there will be more or less one year left until Elijah betrays the kingdom and unseals the gates of Gahenna.

I shivered at the thought of it. Even though the author never continued about what happens after, I could make a pretty smart guess about how this world will end up. One mid-level demon is enough to overwhelm a dozen mages and a high-level demon could already be considered a national threat. Imagine hundreds and thousands of those demons unleashed onto this world.

"If the gates open, then everyone will...." I trailed under my breath.

"What was that, my lady?" Marise suddenly spoke next to my ear, almost causing my soul to leave my body.

"Marise! Don't startle me like that!" 

"My apologies, Lady Evangeline," she giggled. I wonder why such a nice person like Marise would bother to stay with someone as self-centred as Evangeline? Is it because of the salary? I doubt it's because Evangeline's a great boss. I recalled that in the novel, Marise was almost always cleaning up after her mistress's mess, sometimes she was even severely punished in her place. Towards the later chapters, Marise ended up being killed as she tried to protect Evangeline from a demon and yet, Evangeline barely shed some tears for death. I left a few... colourful comments on that chapter.

I pressed my lips together. I don't want someone to die because of me. It might be better for her to leave this household before the end of the year.

"Are you in need of money, Marise?" I blurted.  

I quickly clamped my mouth. Crap. Was that too rude?

"Ah! I'm sorry! I- I just wanted to let you know that if you ever need help, please don't be afraid to let me know. If you don't feel comfortable around me, you can always choose to leave this household. I'll even ask father who has connections with the other houses to find you an equally well-paid employment"

Marise looked at me, shock flitting across her cute face before it settled into a soft expression.

"Don't worry, Lady Evangeline. I can't imagine ever being separated from you"

I looked at her face a little longer, her soft smile imprinted in my mind. It didn't seem like she was lying. She placed the hairbrush down and clasped both her hands on her chest.

"If it wasn't for Lady Evangeline, who saved me with her ingenuity and kindness, I wouldn't be comfortably living here"

Marise smiled as if she was remembering a fond memory but, I couldn't share in her sentiments. After all, I don't know what had happened between Marise and Evangeline in the past. The author wrote quite a bit about Evangeline's backstory so, it wasn't like I had completely zero knowledge about the people in her life. However, with the smaller details, I might need to use my illness as an excuse to feign amnesia. 

I sighed deeply. It doesn't seem like she wants to leave anytime soon. Not to mention, it'd be difficult for Marise to find employment outside the Alcmene manor if she was suddenly fired without a proper reason. Since it's still a little early in the novel and I do need all the help I can get to adjust into this world, I'll probably think of something when the time comes. For now, I'm sorry Marise, but I need you to stay by side to help me.

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙