Morning arrived far too peacefully for someone who had clearly suffered emotional devastation the night before.
Esmeralda remained buried beneath her blankets, unmoving, as if the world outside simply did not exist.
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Then-
"...Nope."
She turned to the other side of the bed.
"That did not happen."
Silence.
A pause.
Then, with absolute conviction-
"That was a dream."
A very vivid, very dramatic, very unnecessary dream.
Honestly, her imagination had gone too far this time.
Or worse-
"I am in a comedic reboot of the actual story," she muttered under her breath.
Rael looking at her like that? Speaking to her like that?
Please.
Absolutely not.
Rael would never.
And if he did?
Then clearly someone up there had decided to start adding challenges to my daily life.
Esmeralda slowly pulled the blanket down just enough to stare at the ceiling, eyes narrowed in deep suspicion.
This better not be a revised edition.
Her brows furrowed.
That wasn't right.
In the story, Rael wasn't supposed to look at her like that.
He was supposed to fall for Amaria.
Slowly. Inevitably. Romantically.
With soft glances, tender smiles, and an unreasonable amount of eye contact she distinctly remembered skipping.
So why-
Her expression twisted slightly.
-why me?
Esmeralda sat up abruptly, the blanket slipping from her shoulders like a rejected draft.
"No, no, no-this is wrong."
She pressed a hand to her temple, as if she could physically flip through invisible pages.
"Did I skip a chapter? Did I miss a scene? Did someone rearrange the plot while I was asleep?!"
She paused.
Squinted.
"...Did I drink something weird last night?"
A beat.
"...Was it the tea?"
Silence.
She stared ahead.
Because if Rael didn't fall for Amaria-
Then what happens to me?
Her stomach dropped.
If the story was changing, then her future was no longer something she could predict.
And that was far worse than the original ending.
Because at least before-
She knew exactly how she would lose.
Now?
She didn't even know where the story was heading.
"...And I can't even break the engagement now," she groaned, flopping back dramatically onto the bed, one arm thrown over her eyes.
Not after that confession.
Not after the way he looked at her.
Esmeralda dragged the blanket back over her face like it might reset reality.
"This is a disaster."
By the time Belle arrived, Esmeralda was already seated before her vanity, composed as ever.
As if she hadn't just argued with fate five minutes ago.
"Milady, the palace has sent word," one of the maids said, bowing slightly. "There will be a grand ball tonight."
Esmeralda's reflection stared back at her-calm, poised, untouchable.
A perfect noble lady.
A complete fraud.
"A ball?" she repeated lightly.
"Yes, Milady. It is in honor of the Daughter of the Goddess. The child has... been revealed to the public."
Esmeralda's hand paused mid-motion.
So it had begun.
Amaria.
The name settled heavily in her thoughts.
In the original story, this was the turning point. The moment the world fell in love with the blessed child. The moment everything began to revolve around her.
The moment Esmeralda's own downfall quietly took root.
"...How extravagant," she murmured, though her eyes had sharpened just slightly.
"His Majesty and Her Majesty have invited all noble families. Preparations have already begun."
Of course they had.
The empire would celebrate its miracle.
Later that afternoon-
Esmeralda found herself in her usual place.
The garden was quieter than the rest of the estate, tucked far enough that even the servants rarely passed through. At its center stood the old tree-wide, sturdy, familiar.
Safe.
She sat beneath it, back resting against the trunk, knees drawn slightly toward her chest.
For once-
She wasn't pretending.
"My heart burns for you, Esmeralda."
Her fingers tightened slightly against the fabric of her dress.
She had told herself it was a dream.
A ridiculous, overdramatic, completely unnecessary dream.
Esmeralda let out a quiet groan, tipping her head back against the tree.
"Why didn't I say anything that time? I mean, I get that it was the first time a guy had confessed to me but-" she muttered.
That wasn't in the book.
None of it was.
She brought a hand to her face, dragging it down slowly.
"Fantastic," she sighed. "Not only is the plot broken, I'm improvising."
A pause.
"...Badly."
The leaves above her rustled softly in the wind.
For a moment, she simply sat there, staring ahead, her thoughts looping back to the same thing.
"You seem to be having quite the difficult time."
Esmeralda stiffened.
Then slowly-
She turned.
Aziel stood a few steps away, as composed as ever, his presence quiet rather than startling. Sunlight filtered through the leaves above, catching faintly against his hair.
He hadn't interrupted.
He had simply... arrived.
"My lord...How long have you been there?" she asked.
"Long enough to know you are blaming a broken plot for your troubles," he replied mildly.
Esmeralda stared at him.
"...You heard that?"
"I did."
"...Pretend you didn't."
Aziel's lips curved slightly.
"As you wish."
He stepped closer, though not enough to intrude, and glanced toward the tree before looking back at her.
"May I?"
Esmeralda gestured vaguely beside her.
"It's a public tree. I don't own it. Unfortunately."
He sat down with quiet ease, leaving just enough space between them.
Comfortable.
Not distant.
Not close.
Just... there.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then-
"Are you attending the upcoming ball? I heard it's to celebrate the prophecy of the blessed child of the Goddess Serafim." Aziel asked.
Ah.
There it was.
Esmeralda leaned her head back against the trunk again, staring up at the shifting light between the leaves.
"...Undecided."
"Undecided?" he repeated gently.
She hesitated.
There were many reasons.
Too many.
The story was changing. The future was uncertain. Every step she took now felt like walking into something she could no longer predict.
But-
Those were not things she could say.
"...I don't particularly feel like seeing someone," she admitted instead.
Aziel didn't press.
"His Highness," he said simply.
Esmeralda let out a small, defeated sigh.
"...Am I that obvious?"
"Only to those who are paying attention."
A pause.
"...I see."
She hugged her knees slightly, her voice quieter now.
"I just-" she started, then stopped.
What was she even trying to say?
That things were wrong?
That he wasn't supposed to look at her that way?
That she didn't know what to do with something that wasn't part of the story?
"...It's complicated," she settled on.
Aziel nodded, as if that alone was enough.
"Then allow me to simplify it," he said gently.
Esmeralda glanced at him.
"If your hesitation comes from uncertainty," he continued, "then avoiding it will not make it clearer."
She blinked.
"And if it comes from fear..." His gaze softened slightly. "Then perhaps it is something worth facing."
Esmeralda looked away.
"...That's very wise," she muttered. "Inconvenient. But wise."
Aziel smiled faintly.
"I have been told that before."
She let out a quiet huff.
"But what if I go," she said, frowning slightly, "and everything becomes worse?"
"Then at least you will know."
She paused.
"...That's not comforting."
"No," he agreed calmly. "But it is honest."
Silence settled between them again, softer this time.
The wind stirred the leaves above, scattering light across the ground in shifting patterns.
"...What would you do?" Esmeralda asked after a moment.
Aziel considered the question.
"I'd go," he said simply.
She glanced at him.
"Even if you did not wish to?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because avoiding something does not stop it from existing," he replied. "It only delays when you must face it."
A pause.
Then, more quietly-
"And because running from something important rarely leads to a future one is satisfied with."
Esmeralda stilled.
Something in his tone-
Not forceful.
Not demanding.
Just... certain.
She exhaled slowly.
"...You're very good at this."
"At what?"
"Making things sound reasonable when I would very much prefer to be unreasonable."
Aziel's eyes softened, just slightly.
"Then I will consider that a success."
A small smile tugged at her lips despite herself.
"...Fine," she said at last. "I'll go."
Aziel inclined his head.
"I am glad."
"Are you going as well, my lord?"
"Unfortunately, I have to head North on that day. For business, as always."
"I see..."
Esmeralda leaned back fully against the tree again, closing her eyes briefly.
"...I'm going to regret this," she added.
"Possibly."
She peeked one eye open at him.
"You're not very reassuring."
"I prefer to be truthful."
A beat.
"...That's even worse."
This time, Aziel let out a quiet laugh.
And for the first time that day-
The tightness in Esmeralda's chest eased, just a little.