‘What the...!?’ his light blue eyes were extremely charming but they were also freezing as if this person was someone without a heart or a soul, yet, he was able to see into one’s deepest desires.

“I’m afraid there’s still a long time for the Hunting festival my lord,” my defenses immediately rise and I begin acting like the dumb and naive girl who knows nothing of the world. Swiftly, I gather my balance and free myself from the disturbing position I had been previously placed in.

“You’re right... I’ve been away for so long that I must’ve forgotten...” he fixes his dark blue suit before locking his eyes into mine and kissing my hand, “I’m Viktor Inkheart, it is my deepest pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m Ophelia Criswell, it is a pleasure,” after setting some distance between us, I grab the hem of my dress.

“Would you like a...” as his deep voice was about to question something again I feel another presence behind me.

“Lady Ophelia is already engaged my lord, I’m sure you must know about this... Even if you’ve lived in Vingarden for so long,” Bradley was beside me, glaring intensely at Viktor. His emerald eyes displayed his disdain for the man standing before him.

“What wonderful news, congratulations on your engagement my lady,” he politely smiles before delivering a deadly blow towards this new opponent, “And congratulations on your engagement with Lady Amanda as well, my lord, I’m sure you must be thrilled...!”

“You...!” as Bradley was about to lose his composure I intervene.

“This was indeed a pleasurable conversation my lords, we shall meet at another date,” without giving them any time to reply I immediately leave towards the large halls that headed to the carriages stationed outside.

 

✽✼✽✼✽✼✽

 

“I’m sorry milady but we can’t leave until the party is over,” the coachman states, and I click my tongue.

‘Of course not...’ this was also one of the reasons why I hated royal balls. No one was allowed to leave until the queen gave her permission or announced the end of the event.

Part of me wished to obtain an unquestionable power so that I could do whatever I pleased however, no one besides the royal family, held such reality. In the end, nobles, aristocrats, and commoners were different sides of the same coin: brought down by heavy shackles who kept them in their lowest even at their highest. That was the harsh reality of monarchy.

Annoyed, I return inside and grab a butler's attention. After faking a strong headache, he led me towards a secluded room not far from the ball’s location. As we walked I could sense a burning sensation on the back of my neck and, not soon after, I realized the blazing hot glares from the young maidens were its cause.

‘It has finally begun uh...’ I frown displeased with the situation.

“We have arrived milady,” he politely states after opening a large dark wooden door.

“Thank you,” I steadily answer and, after delivering me a gentle smile, the man leaves.

 

My attention shifts towards the room that was small, yet extremely luxurious.

A large red vivid divan stood in its center alongside a medium-sized chandelier made purely out of gold. Around me stood a couple of bookshelves with some uninteresting books and a handmade wooden table with beautiful inscriptions from its artist.

My feet step on the bright red carpet with gorgeous golden flowers and then I find my hand grabbing a light blue covered book. After glancing over it slightly, I notice it was a romantic novel created by one of the most famous authors in Ashen.

Seeing the intense brightness outside I sit on the divan and begin reading the book, page by page, enlightened only by the light of the full moon.

‘As if this would ever happen,’ I chuckle at the silliness of the book.

 

I’d never read a novel like this, however, I could understand why the ladies loved it so much. The base concept of the story consisted of a kind-hearted girl who was saved by the crown prince and, after getting rid of his fiancée due to her evil deeds, ended up marrying him and becoming the queen.

This was just a portrait of what young maidens wanted: a strong, beautiful, and powerful man who will love her unconditionally, through thick and thin. The ideal knight in shining armor will always come to her rescue, even if that means risking his life for it.

‘To think that this is what actually sells...’ the problem with these types of stories is that they aren’t real, they are simply born out of ideals and desires, making them nothing more but pure fantasy.

 

Even judgmental, I open the book and begin reading it. To my surprise, the novel began when the heroine was already sixteen years old and was about to head towards the capital for her debutant ball.

My eyes flow through the words and a couple of yawns escape my body.

‘So predictable...’ not surprisingly, at the debutante ball of the year, she was almost instantly noticed by the prince who became fazed with her beauty.

“Couldn’t they make this more realistic? Seriously...” I mumble while shifting towards the next page. My whole body cringes when reading the crown prince’s cheesy quote towards the lady.

 

“Ophelia...” suddenly I hear a voice, a voice that I had heard several times before, that voice.

‘Am I really...’ there was no other explanation. My deepest thoughts must have become something that only I can hear, ‘It is what it is...’

My fingers swipe some pages ahead of the book and I begin reading a scene where the villainess turns every noblewoman against the heroine at a tea party.

‘And now he will appear...’ just like magic, the crown prince appears and saves her from the harassment, making all the other women present resent their own actions.

“As if the crown prince would ever appear at a Duchess’s tea party,” I chuckle at how irrealistic the story was. The event in question was clearly women only, however, the main character obviously found a way to be present in it.

“Aren’t you scared of me?” the voice questions me with a louder yet calm tone.

‘I don’t fear my thoughts,’ the answer briefly passed through my mind as I shifted to the next page of the book.

“I like this book more,” seeing the villainess grab a large glass of wine and pour it on top of the heroine’s angel head made a thrilling sensation run through my bones.

‘Maybe you are not so useless after all...’ I chuckle while understanding that these sort of evil deeds were quite amusing to read.

“Are you ignoring me?” the voice continued to bug me, making me slightly angered.

“Are you going to show yourself to me?” finally I speak up to it but my answer is the devastating sound of silence.

 ‘Of course not, you’re not real,’ I thought as skipped several pages of the cheesy book.

“If you insist...” at these words I feel an abnormal cold breeze, making me shiver momentarily before looking upwards. The novel that was previously on my hands drops to the floor and my body became unable to move. I was terrified.

‘What... Is this...?’ even though it was slightly darker I could distinctly see a human body covered by light grey clouds, just like in my dream. Everything came back to me, the feelings of that night, the weird events that had been happening around me, all my frozen memories of forgotten despairs and terrors.

“No... You’re not real... This can’t be...!” my eyes were completely widened as tears began rolling down my jade cheeks.

“Oh, darling... I am afraid that I am real,” a pale hand appears from within the clouds and wipes my tears away gently, “Don’t cry.”

Even though I couldn’t sense any ill-intent from his actions, I was too drowned in fear to understand what were his intentions.

“W-Who are you...?” hearing my words, the cold hand travel towards my lips, telling me to be quiet.

“Everything,” at this whispering word the hand is promptly drawn back and the clouds simply disappear, leaving nothing but an empty room once again.

Horror came over me as I felt the sudden urge to throw up everything I had eaten. I quickly place my hand on my head, grabbing my hair strongly while leaning my torso forward. My chest hurt so much as if someone had removed all the available air in the room, making it extremely hard to breathe.

‘What the fuck was this!?’ I couldn’t understand anything that had just happened. Tears flew down my face as my body trembled uncontrollably.

“So if I’m not imagining it... Then what is going on!?” mumbles of several theories flew through my lips as if they were nothing more than casual conversation. As my mind tried to process its own thoughts, my fingers find their way onto my lips and I begin munching on them due to the overwhelming stress.

Comprehending that I wouldn’t get an answer no matter how many scenarios I thought about, a growing sense of danger took place. This was enough to bring my soul back to the solid ground, facing the reality at hand.

‘I need to leave!’ without a second thought, I close the book and place it on the bookshelf before heading towards the harsh wolf’s den.

 

Once I returned to the large ballroom I could hear all the gossip wandering around. The lady’s comments were ruthless and cold-hearted due to their overwhelming jealousy.

‘I need to find them...!’ even then I did my best to ignore them since they were nothing but extras in my life, people who held no real power and were compelled by ignorant feelings like jealousy and disgust.

“Tsk... What a slut, seducing all the lords... How tainted can she be?” one of them said as I quickly walked through the room.

“I’m sure Duke Criswell treated her well... She is just doing this to get attention,” a man in his late forties said while glaring down at me. I grit my teeth in frustration.

“Ah! Ophelia Criswell... She is unquestionably rotten to the core... Until now she was just acting like a two-goody shoe to get in her majesty’s good side,” another woman commented to her peers.

I knew this was something that was bound to happen. Once I would throw away my pride as a noble, I would be labeled as the pitiful yet fake victim, however, I never thought the backlash would be this severe.

‘It’s his fault...!’ part of me knew that the main reason for this growing jealousy was due to the problems that had arisen. Bradley Trace, the angel of the kingdom had his eyes set on me, that was something even a blind person could see and thus, I became the target of the hurtful maiden’s hearts.

“Why did it have to be him...!” I mumble to myself before hearing that thing’s voice echo in my ears once again.

‘Ophelia...’ it said, over and over again, as if he was a broken melody, using the same instrument, on the same part of the song.

‘No...! Not again...!’ time wasn’t on my side. I couldn’t allow myself to crumble like this, not in front of so many wolves, ‘I need to find the Duke!’

My head was pounding loudly, making every sound burst my eardrums and my eyes were hurting from the previous flow of tears.

‘I’m afraid that I’m real,’ that voice ran wild inside my mind, or in the ballroom, I had no way of knowing what was a fact or just an element of my imagination.

 

“Ophelia...!” Bradley grabs my arm and I turn my head, facing him. His emerald eyes open in surprise after seeing my horrified expression.

“Not now...! Please...!” I turn my face away but he grabs me even tighter.

At this point, I didn’t care about what he thought of me, I didn’t care about how weak I looked. Everything was confusing, everything was unsettling however my despair was clear as water.

“Come with me,” without a second thought, he carefully lowers my head before grabbing my hand.

I didn’t know where we were headed but all my steps felt overwhelming slow as if we were never born to reach our destination in the first place.

“Go to the Wharton’s estate,” he declared to the servant who looked troubled, “I will deal with everything, now go.”

After opening the door, his warm hand helped inside the carriage. A large sense of relief came over me once I felt my body sit on the comfortable ride. His warmth disappears as he closes the door.

“Bradley,” I tell him through the glass window, “Thank you.”

Finally, the carriage begins to walk and for a glimpse of a moment, I could swear I saw a slight blush appear on his cheeks. Due to my exhaustion, I ended up falling asleep on the ride and, after that, my memory of the events in that secluded room became extremely blurred, as if it had been purposely erased by something... or someone.