Dong!
The iron bell rang in the western tower, and it particularly vibrated through her bones. Elira didn't even blink.
She was sitting in the library for hours; a candle was lit in front of her. Books were scattered around her, half open. Candlelight threw weird shadows on the walls, turning her own reflection into something strange and unfamiliar.
Her eyes burned, but her head? Sharp. Too sharp. Like a knife you're scared to touch.
"Three days...No, now two and a half days." She said to herself, trying to believe herself.
"Do not shame this family." She remembered the Duke's words.
But that was not the word for which she was feeling anxious. She was anxious about the story. She knew what would happen to her when the heroine arrived at the Royal Ball... That day when everything was revealed.
She pressed her thumb into her fingers.
"I need a plan," she whispered.
Rustle
The voice behind him had straightened him up.
"Who's there?" Her voice was cut off by a heavy silence.
But no answer. only the gentle rustling of the velvet curtains in the air.
Tap...Tap...Tap...
She heard the footstep sound, soft but careful.
Elira stood so fast her chair fell against the floor. Her pulse quickened, and her heart was beating very fast.
"He is not a servant; I have to be careful," she whispered.
"Show yourself," she called.
This was not a request. She was done asking nicely.
A figure stepped out, thin and small. Just a maid, but her hands shook like she was holding a snake instead of a note. Her voice was barely audible.
"Forgive me, Your Highness. A message… it arrived without a seal."
Elira's eyes narrowed. That was wrong. Everything official had a seal. This wasn't official. This was trouble.
"From whom?" she pressed.
The girl swallowed hard.
"I...I don't know, Princess. It was found at the kitchen door."
The maid gave the note with her shaking hand. Elira took it. The edges of the paper were torn, like someone wanted it to be delivered fast.
She unfolded the paper.
"Beware the Ball. The story has already changed."
Her breath stopped after reading it.
"The story... has already changed?"
She looked back at the maid.
"Who gave you this?"
"No one, it was on the floor," the maid whispered.
Elira observed her for some time and then nodded her head to go.
"You can go, and no one should know that you were here; otherwise, you will regret it."
The maid bowed her head and walked out, leaving her alone with that note.
She holds the note so tightly that the paper crumples.
"Someone knows."
"Someone is watching."
She started walking quickly, and the tail of her gown swept the floor like smoke.
If the story changed, then only the heroine's entry would not be dangerous for her. The script is not now, according to the story.
That should be good news, but a new game means new rules.
She needed information. The main character was the death flag for her. But the side characters? They were invisible, and invisibility was power.
She remembered their names. The healthy boy with the limp. The cook's angry daughter.
The old knight who drank too much and remembered too little in the story. There was scenery in the book, but now? Now they might be her lifeline.
She blew out the candle with her fingers.
"I will not die in someone's story."
The night passed quickly in Duskbane.
Elira was watching the courtyard in the moonlight from her window. Servants used to carry lamps in the garden. Their voices started to fade in the air.
She stepped outside, and the guards straightened up and greeted her.
"Your Highness"
"Princess"
Every look was an exam for her. They were observing her.
She gave them a cool and regular nod. Her heart was beating fast.
The grand staircase always felt like walking into a play. Voices of laughter came up, sharp as broken glass.
...Princess became restless....
...Duke's patience ran out...
Elira's lips curled. Let them talk. They always thought she was the villain. Maybe she was, maybe she wasn't. It did not matter anymore. The rules had changed.
She stepped out from the stairs slowly. Her gown, midnight blue in color and silver thread, was shimmering in torchlight.
Someone stepped out of the darkness at the bottom.
"Princess Elira"
The voice was soft and low.
A tall man was standing near the wall. She remembered the scar on his jaw.
"Lord Adrian?..." She said carefully.
He was a noble, and the rumors were about him doing smuggling and dirty deals.
"You walk the halls alone," Adrian said, pushing off the wall with confidence.
"Brave---or maybe just foolish. There are knives in every shadow, Princess."
"You're here, too. She gave him a thin smile.
"Maybe we both like tempting fate."
"Maybe we do." He laughed while showing teeth.
The silence between them grew, thick and uncertain.
I hear whispers, Princess. But I'd rather hear your secrets." Finally, Adrian leaned in just a fraction, lowering his voice.
"whispers of schemes before the Ball." You can find my ears useful.
A test or an offer.
Elira bowed her head and studied him. This was not an opportunity for a meeting.
"And what do you hope for in return for those ears of yours?"
Adrian's smile deepened.
"Consider it a favor; one day, perhaps, I'll ask for another."
Classic rogue, she thought. Dangerous, unpredictable, exactly the kind of companion she needed.
"Then perhaps we should talk." He lowered his voice. "Somewhere less… crowded."
"Lead the way." His eyes shone like midnight steel.
They went out in the garden, where the scent of flowers was spread everywhere.
Crunch, Crunch---
Their footsteps sound.
The castle was behind them.
"You've seemed… changed recently."Adrian was the one to shatter the quiet first.
"Different?" Elira's brows raised.
"Calm. Cool. As if you know something none of us do."
"Maybe I do." She gave a clever, funny laugh.
His smile faded.
"Then tell me this: who wants you to die before the ball?"
The directness surprised her, yet she maintained a neutral expression. "Is that your hypothesis?"
"It's the only theory that fits," Adrian said in a low voice.
"The Duke has enemies. You have others. And everyone knows that a royal ball is the perfect place for a quiet murder."
Her heartbeat quickened. The book never mentioned anything about the murder. It is another change.
"Why are you sharing this with me?" she inquired.
"Because if someone takes your life, it will create confusion." Confusion is harmful to business. Adrian stated plainly.
Business is not loyalty. She almost smiled. At least he is honest.
They stopped under this archway, dripping in black roses, petals looking almost oily in the moonlight. Weirdly poetic, if you're into that sort of thing.
The moon hit his eyes, and bam—suddenly the guy's got silver eyes like some kind of fairy tale villain.
"You need my help?" Adrian's voice, all sharp edges.
Elira didn't blink. "No, I need information. And I need it quiet. I want to know who's making moves at the ball—every guest, every scrap of gossip. Nothing slips past."
"And if I say yes?"
She didn't blink. "You get paid. Duke's coin, and trust me, he doesn't compromise when it comes to his own family."
He just stared at her, silent long enough that she almost rolled her eyes. Finally, he nodded once.
"Fine. Done."
He started to melt into the shadows, but Elira snagged him by the sleeve.
"Wait. If someone asks why you're talking to me...."
"I'll tell them the princess threatened to ruin my trade routes," he said through gritted teeth. "That wouldn't be a lie either."
"Perfect." She let go with a faint smile.
Adrian gave a bow, a dramatic, ridiculous bow, like he was born to cause trouble.
"Until the ball, Your Highness."
And just like that, poof—gone. The night swallowed him up.
Elira, all alone now, under those drooping black roses.
Crunch.
A petal hit the ground. She didn't even look down.
Her brain wouldn't quit spinning. Some stranger's warning, a partnership with a guy who probably sleeps with a dagger under his pillow, a plot that's shifting beneath her feet.
She looked up at the moon.
The story had already changed.
Her heartbeat quickened.
"Good," she whispered to the night. "Let it change."