The words I heard that day did not leave me alone. Not for a second could I continue to go about my day without thinking about what she told me.

“I’m here now to seek your forgiveness. For deceiving the crown, the people of Lumina, and myself. For bringing dishonor to the Santos name, who are your direct descendants and were expected to honor your teachings.”

The words echoed in my head, running around my consciousness like trains on a train track. Was this the same girl destined to team up with Alexandra and poison me? Was the novel wrong about her?

The fact she came to the same church that had failed her, asking for forgiveness and self betterment is astounding to me. It gave me a weird sense of sonder. That the characters in this novel are real people in this world, with more complex emotions than what was written on the paper. Could the story really repeat as it was written?

“Lady Catalina,” a voice called, breaking my train of thought. It had been the high priest, who had bursted into my room.

“I’ve brought some correspondence. It was delivered by a Montfort servant,” he explained, behind him trailed another set of servants, carrying in crates.

“And those are from Camelot. They come to bring your dresses,” he explained, gesturing with his head to the new dozen intruders in my room.

Dresses? Ah. Those. The crown had insisted on making me dresses after the banquet because they were so sure I’d stay with them, yet I fled to the monastery instead. Those dresses probably had sat in the closet unused. The crates poured in, forming a stack in my humble room.

“They made this many dresses for me?” I asked out loud, glancing at the now crowded room.

“Oh, fear not, lady. This is only half,” one of the servants explained with a bow.

Half? But these crates took up my entire room! How can there be more of these? Why did the king make so many!??!

Once they were done, he reached out, presenting me with the letter. It had a crest which I’d grown quite familiar with.

“House Montfort? What could they be asking now?” I pondered out loud, opening the envelope.

“Lady of Opal, may this letter find you well. I’ve been writing to express our immense gratitude for the miracles you performed at our Northern post. Please accept an invitation to tomorrow’s supper at the Montfort residence as a humble thanks for the kindness you’ve shown. Signed, Duke Ivan of Scarlet.”

I remembered this part in the novel. Catalina was invited to have dinner with the Montforts and ended up matching dresses with Alexandra. Alexandra, bewildered believed it was done on purpose. So, she demanded that Catalina would change if she wanted to eat dinner. Her parents took Catalina’s side and kicked out Alexandra in her stead, which only fueled Alexandra’s growing hatred.

The next afternoon, I spent it preparing for the dinner. I had some of the nuns help me with my hair and getting into my dress.

“I can’t believe our very own lady is getting invited to the dinner!” One of the nuns squealed, passing a brush through my hair as she styled it into a sleek bun.

“Don’t call me that, it sounds like you’re one of my maids,” I replied with a sigh.

“Right, sorry Lady Catalina,” she replied with haste.

The women of the covenant are supposed to treat each other like sisters, and they are supposed to be blind of status. For some particular reason, most of the womens ignored that willfully. Maybe because I was the saintess they felt I needed some sort of honorific. I could tell it agitated the older nuns when they did, and I really don’t want trouble here.

“This dress is gorgeous, Lady Catalina,” she gushed, holding one up from the crate. It was a deep midnight blue, with some black detailing at its corset. It was quite beautiful, if I had to admit. Once I was all dressed up, a Montfort carriage came to pick me up at sunset.

I rode in silence down the streets of the plaza, the sky painted with reds, oranges, and pinks. By the time I arrived at House Montfort, the early night had begun to creep in. At the steps were the duke and duchess of opal, embracing each other as they stared down at the carriage.

A servant drew the door open for me, helping me out and walking behind me as I made my way up the steps into the Montfort residence.

“Greetings, Lady of Opal,” the duke smiled, and I curtsied.

“Thank you so much for inviting me tonight, your grace,” I replied, raising my head.

“It was the least we could do to show you how thankful we are,” the duchess said, walking towards the door.

They led me down the corridor into the dining hall, where Nicholas was already sitting, staring at the empty plate in front of him. He raised his head, making eye contact with me. Then, he stood up from the table, curtsying in greeting.

“Greetings to the Lady of Opal,” he said, sitting back down in his chair.

“Why don’t you sit next to him, Lady Catalina?” the duke beamed, placing an affirming hand on his shoulder.

“If you insist,” I replied, settling down next to him.

The duke and the duchess also sat down, their eyes never leaving me. I glanced up at the clock on the wall, the handle just past six.

“Supper is ready, we’re just waiting on Alexandra,” the duchess explained with a sigh.

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“She should be here soon. She’s not one to keep us waiting,” the duke replied, tapping his finger on the table.

As soon as he said that, the doors burst open. The lady stood there, clad in a deep blue dress and a regal updo. It almost seemed planned, the way our outfits were matching down to the hair. I could see why Alexandra would think I did it on purpose.

She stood at that doorway, staring me down. Her gaze was sharp, and I could tell the storm was going to rage on.

“Alexandra, what are you doing? Greet our guest,” the duke exclaimed, staring at Alexandra. He turned to me, “I apologize for my daughter’s lack of manners,” he sighed.

I stood up from my seat. “Greetings, Lady of Scarlet,” I said, curtsying.

“Greetings, Lady Catalina,” she barked, her piercing gaze still staring me down. The duchess put a hand up to her lips, noticing our outfits.

“Oh my! What a coincidence that the two of you are wearing the same dress,” she uttered, eyes wide.

“I’m so sorry. I did not know this would happen,” I apologize, lowering my head in shame. I glanced at Alexandra through the corner of my eyes, noticing her fists clenching. She was about to freak out, no doubt.

“I’ll go change,” she huffed, spinning on her heel and slamming the door behind her.

What? That is not what happened! I remember the long tirade Alexandra did all throughout the dinner. She did not back down! So, why did this happen?

The house rumbled under our feet, shaking the china on the table. The rumbling halted without being acknowledged by anyone at the table. Had I imagined it?

The duke and the duchess exchanged looks, then turned to Nicholas.

“Why don’t you show her around the manor, Nicholai?” The duke said with an incredulous smile.

“Alright, father,” Nicholas stood from the table, waiting for me as I did the same.

“Follow me, Lady Catalina,” he spoke, leading me out the dining room and down the corridor.

“This is the hallway,” he said, gesturing to the space around us.

He cannot be serious. We walked down the hallway, and he lead me into a study.

“This is my study,” he said. He stared at me, wanting a response. What was I supposed to say?

“Very nice,” I replied with a smile. This is so awkward.

He spun on his heel, leading me up the steps. “This is where the sleeping quarters are at,” he said, pointing down the hallway. He led me into one of the rooms. I expected to be greeted with a bed, but instead, I’m greeted with a balcony. It overlooked the gardens, which under the night looked pitch black. We once fell into uncomfortable silence as we usually do, Nicholas staring at me. Did he want me to say something again?

“You have a very nice home,” I said, hands pressed on the railing.

“Thank you,” he replied with a shrug.

We paused again, staring down at the darkness below us.

“You are not from here,” he spoke up.

“Pardon?” I asked, a cold wind blowing me by.

“You are not from this world.”

My blood ran cold, and for a minute, I felt my heart stop beating. How did he know? Was I so obvious? He’s not bluffing, he has so much to lose. I could have taken it as an insult to my honor, so he must be very sure to dare make such a claim. I needed to say something, or he might take my silence as an answer.

What do I have to lose, anyway? They’re not going to deem me insane for all the miracles I’ve performed. The kingdom needs me.

“How did you know?” I gasped, raising an eyebrow.

“It was an educated guess.”

What? This man does not make any sense. How did he risk everything in that moment? He had to be aware of everything that could’ve gone wrong, so why would he say something so reckless?

“I’m sure you noticed, Alexandra is acting differently,” he said, now turning to face me.

“Her eating habits changed. The way she speaks has changed. And more strangely, the way she acts is completely different. She forgets things that were part of her normal routine. It’s like she’s a brand new person.”

It seems I wasn’t the only one that noticed Alexandra’s weird behavior. I listened intently, eyes on him as I drunk up every word of his explanation.

“But what really convinced me was the shape of her soul. it has completely changed.”

“You can see souls?” I interrupted, slightly dazzled.

“Yeah. For whatever reason, I was born with a high amount of mana,” he paused, realizing that I had no clue what he was talking about.

“Mana is what drives all the magic in this world. It’s what alchemists use to make their inventions,” he explained.

“Oh, like how they made the lamp post?”

He nodded. “The lamp posts, the railroad, sewing machines. They’re all powered by mana.”

The novel never provided much of an explanation for the world’s magical properties, but I’m glad Nicholas did.

“Anyone who has high enough amounts of it can see souls. The shape of her soul..it changed. I haven’t seen anyone with a shape like hers,” he said, gritting his teeth.

“When I first saw you, I saw the shape of your soul. It was different, and at first I just chopped it off to you being a saintess. But the more I stared, the more I realized it was similar to Alexandra’s.”

Before I could get a word in, he continued. “Your mannerisms were weird too. You bring your hands together when you pray, but it's customary to spread it out at the sides.”

“So, you think she’s from a different world?” I finally interrupted, staring at him.

“It’s very possible. It’s the only way I could really begin to explain what’s been going on.”

“I see.” I said. I glanced up at the moon, which shone on us. In a way, I felt relieved. It was nice knowing that someone else knew my secret. And it’s comforting to think I might not be the only one completely uprooted from their home. But his words left me with some unanswered questions, and a handful of doubts.

He turned, facing the doorway.

“We should probably head back,” he said, walking back towards the door.

“Alright.” I agreed, raising myself from the railing.

That night, I had found an unexpected ally.