The fresh air of the palace garden felt liberating, clearing away the residual fear and anxiety I had just experienced. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my still-shaking nerves. Freedom! I was finally free from Sebastian!
But, as is the tragedy that always follows me, that freedom lasted only ten seconds.
"Liliane!"
That voice. The voice that once made my heart flutter, and now only made me want to sigh. I turned and saw Sebastian walking quickly towards me, his face still red and troubled.
"You can't be serious about all that nonsense," he hissed, grabbing my arm. "This is all just a stupid play to make me jealous, isn't it? To make me pay attention to you?"
In my head: "A play? Sebastian, darling, this isn't a play. This is the end of a very long season of a drama called 'Why Did I Ever Like You,' and the audience is already bored."
I pulled my arm away from him. "I am serious. More serious than your sword instructor's face. We are finished. There is no relationship between us anymore. Please, stop following me," I said, crossing both hands.
"You can't just end everything! You embarrassed me in front of the entire palace!" his voice rose, full of childish indignation.
"I embarrassed YOU?" I couldn't hold back my voice anymore. My round eyes grew wider and my small mouth opened wide. "You were cheating and confidently brought another woman while I was still around. So you think that, all this time, you weren't embarrassing me?"
"Listen to me... "
"NO!" I yelled with my exaggerated drama. But honestly, my frustration had peaked. Instead of listening to his rant any longer, my primitive instinct spoke. I turned and... ran.
I ran past the flower beds, past the fountain, my breath ragged, my expensive gown flowing in the wind. I heard his footsteps chasing me from behind, and that only made me faster.
Inside my heart, I screamed: "I am the villain being chased by her crazy ex-lover! Oh god, is this a curse or what?"
And like in all classic stories, just as he was about to catch me, I crashed into something or someone hard, solid, and sweet-smelling... and something dangerous.
"Oof!"
The impact nearly sent me sprawling, but a pair of strong hands caught me, holding me steadily.
I looked up, gasping for breath, and found myself staring into a pair of cold, sharp gray eyes, eyes I had just seen last night in the ballroom.
Duke Tristan.
He looked at me with a flat expression, then his gaze shifted to Sebastian, who stopped a few paces behind me, his face red and panting. Then, he looked back at me. One of his eyebrows raised almost imperceptibly, and there was a faint amused light in the depth of his gray eyes, an expression that was utterly infuriating.
"Lady Liliane," he said, his low, resonant voice seeming to make the air around him tremble. "Do not run away from me again. And you, please release my fiancée," he concluded, and my face immediately puffed up like a pufferfish in disbelief.
"Hey, we broke up, don't talk like that again," I whispered, hiding behind Tristan's large body.
"Wait, I think I understand one thing. Do you have a new lover, and did... did you cheat on me with him?"
What drama is this now?
"Hey... I didn't intend to do that. I'm a healthy fan, you know?! I intended to match my favorite character with your mistress!"
"Stop imagining things and leave. Aren't you tired of seeing my face?" I said loudly, then hid again.
"You... hah..."
"Your Highness..."
A soft but clear voice sounded from behind. I turned, and there stood Lady Genevieve, wearing a pale blue gown that billowed in the wind. Her face was calm like a spring pond, and her steps... ah, her steps were like poetry. Even the grass seemed to whisper, "Oh my, this woman is so elegant."
"Your Highness," she repeated, her voice soft but full of conviction. "I heard a commotion in the garden, so I came immediately."
Oh, of course, you came, Lady Genevieve. Your timing is always perfect. If this were a play, you would definitely be the female lead, and I would just be a confused extra who wandered into someone else's scene.
The Crown Prince immediately straightened up, his red face suddenly calming down (or at least trying to). "Genevieve... what are you doing here?" he asked in a tone that tried to be gentle but still sounded like someone who had just choked on his pride.
Meanwhile, poor me, Liliane, stood between the two centers of gravity in this drama: one man who still couldn't accept rejection, and one woman who seemed to have descended from the heavens to remind everyone how they should behave.
I quickly scrambled my brain.
Option one: Stay here and watch them exchange tense dialogue.
Option two: Pretend to faint.
Option three, the one I chose: Run away as quickly as possible before the world realized I was still here.
I looked at the two of them, who somehow already looked romantic with the arrangement of blooming flowers falling around them.
Well, time for the mouse to leave quickly.
I walked stealthily. Fleeing like a shadow.
But somehow, I reflexively pulled the hand of the person closest to me.
Once we were far enough from the garden, my breath was ragged. I stopped, still holding his hand, then looked back to make sure no one was following. "Phew, finally safe..." I said with relief, patting my chest.
Then that deep voice sounded. Calm, low, but with a slight hint of amusement in it.
"Lady Liliane," Tristan said. "Is this part of your grand plan to avoid your ex-fiancé, or... did you genuinely intend to kidnap me in broad daylight?"
I froze. My brain stopped.
I... was holding Duke Tristan's hand?
And had just dragged him out of the royal garden like a criminal fleeing a crime scene?!
"Oh no... no no no..." I mumbled, turning his body back towards the palace, but my hand was still gripping his.
But upon realizing the situation, I felt frustrated with myself.
"It shouldn't be like this! I, I was supposed to match you with Lady Genevieve, not run away with you!"
Tristan looked at me for a long time, then, for the first time since we met, he gave a faint smile. That small smile was like a crack in a stone wall, but it was enough to make my heart stop for a fraction of a second.
"What a pity, Lady," he said softly, his voice flowing like sweet irony. "It seems you just rewrote that script with your own hand."
And there I stood, my hand still holding Duke Tristan's, my face burning, and one big thought spinning in my head:
"Oh no. My mission, I was supposed to bring you closer to the female lead. Not carry you away."