As I walked into the castle’s garden, a sweet fragrance filled my nostrils. I saw a vibrant array of flowers of all colors and sizes. The tall sunflowers with their bright yellow petals towered over the smaller roses that sprawled across the ground.

Red, pink and white lilies stretched their delicate petals towards the sun, while the scarlet poppies swayed in the gentle breeze. The purple and lilac lavender gave off a calming scent, while the delicate daisies, with their buttery yellow centers and white petals, danced in the breeze.

The garden was alive with the buzzing of bees and the fluttering of colorful butterflies as they hopped from flower to flower collecting nectar. I swirled my body, dancing under the bright sun.

Every time I went to this heavenly garden gave me moments of peace, and I thought it would be until now.

In an unexpected moment, I tripped my foot, coliding with one another. I kneeled on the floor with my bleeding knee. As a nine-year old, I ended up crying out of pain.

Suddenly, a shadow of a boy surrounded my body. He extended his hand to help me stand up. I took it, however, it’s just after when I realized what his face looked like.

The boy had a raven-black hair that falls just above his shoulders, but I can’t clearly see what his eyes looked like. His features were sharp and defined, giving him an air of regality.

He is dressed in fine, elaborate robe which made him look like a prince. Like his suit told, he was the prince of the Western Continent.

“Are you hurt?”

“It—It hurts,” I replied, ended up crying after, but that crying stopped after he suddenly hugged me.

“Don’t worry. It’s fine.”

“Mmm,” I nodded with a smile. When he released his grip, I asked. “Who are you?”

“I’m Xenos, and I’m going to be engaged to you.”

“Really!?” I blushed as I hastened to put my hands covering my widened mouth. “I’m… Glad.”

“Why?”

“Because I—I love you…”

Am I really glad that it turned out this way? No!

Nothing here is real!

It’s been three months since Ellyn left. The ceiling welcomed my eyes that illuminated my morning as I slowly opened it. The dim vanished as I stared at the hanging chandelier that stayed still.

“Thank God, it’s just a dream,” I muttered, pulling my body straight up the bed.

Would I really fall in love with someone who just extended their hands to me? Even for a nine-year-old, it’s unrealistic. It wouldn’t be the case if he prevented me to fall down the ground.

Xenos was written by the author as the antagonist lacking personality. He was average at everything, good at nothing other than blending with the background. The author hated him more than everybody else.

The most common noticeable error in writing his character was the lack of dialogue tags. Whenever he spoke, he didsn’t have tags. Though he had some but only with telling what he feels.

In short, he lacked emotion.

I didn’t know why the scene was written by the author that way. It’s one of the worst reasons to fall in love. There’s no real reason why Veniara fell to him. Xenos stood there like an idiot.

But it will happen soon, the next day in particular. I didn’t know what the trigger of the event is, but I need to do my best to avoid that scene. There might be possibilities that something would possess me to do that scene.

For now, I need to find a way out of that situation.

Elara came in my room, straight towards my side while holding the same notebook she had for three months.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Miss Veniara, you should prepare for now. Your majesty is waiting for you at dinner by 800. Your training with the Cavalry Captain will start at 1000, while Teacher Jesselyn will arrive in the mansion by 1200. You can stop by the library after 1400. Would you like amendments to the schedule?”

“I would like to steal a moment of your time after 1400. Are you willing? I would like you to help me brainstorm about death,” I replied, standing up from my bed and removing my clothes. Elara assisted me in changing into my gown.

Fresh as the zephyr, I walked out the room and greeted the people with a smile. My every step is the crème de la crème of refinement. Unlike before, I already eliminated stains of a commoner after learning from Ellyn.

As I sat down my chair in the dining room, I followed the etiquette, the manners, the formalities that were required. I accepted the refined, elegant dishes that were presented in silver plates and crystal glasses.

Together with my family, I ate what was appropriate, at the appropriate time, and in the appropriate way, observing every rule and every protocol. The only thing remained the same was my reaction to dad’s jokes.

After we ate our dinner with respect, I drank my water from the premium glass with my calm arm. Unlike before, I’m already confident in doing things with elegant poise.

Then father muttered an announcement. “Veniara, my dear, are thou informed that tomorrow shall be the arrival of the Western prince thou will be engaged—”

Suddenly, I informally sprinkled water from my mouth to my side. I couldn’t stop coughing after it.

“Of course, cough, father!” I replied with a blush. “Cough. I’m well, cough, informed what will happen, cough, tomorrow.”

I wished he never brought up the topic at all. The nightmare earlier came back to me again. It would be convenient if he forgot about it, but it will never be.

After all, it’s a matter of political interests, and I couldn’t pry at it. Matters as complicated as this weren’t mentioned in the book, which is why there might be some scenarios that a problem will soon rise without me knowing.

Everything happening right now was real. No matter how many times I pinched my cheeks, it would never change.

By twelve noon, I approached Jes who was sitting at the bench and waiting for me at the garden. Her cheeks compressed from a smile after she saw me.

“My most profound student, I can still feel your passion from your exact time of arrival. Well then, shall we continue training from our last session?” Jes asked, standing up.

“Your lead, Teacher Jes.”

I had learned more than the books, thanks to her. She informed me of the capabilities of magic and how logical every process can be.

I became her most profound student after mastering customized chants like she can do. She bragged every time that I’m the only student of hers who can do that. That news even came out of tabloids, but my name wasn’t disclosed.

But it took me severe perseverance for it to master. If I am not capable of it, I wouldn’t possess the ability to save Elara and the others from the giant golem three months ago.

If I continued expanding my mana bank and mastering her teachings, I could end up to her level who can use nonverbal spells. I might become a high-level mage if the public knew, but I had no plans for that.

Heal, Enhance, Ether, Invisibility, Smite, and Holy Light are the spells which I mastered from her. I used the combination of Holy Light and Smite from the previous incident.

Invisibility, on the other hand, only affects vision. I tried using it in the golem, yet it still detected me. With that, I concluded that there are also other ways to chase down someone.

Ether was a deffensive barrier, Enhance was for buffing, and Heal was a regenerative spell. I can wounds, poison, and burns but not curses, viruses, or a pandemic if possible.

I wouldn’t reach that far if I only depended on books and not for my teacher. After I mastered the spells before, she only frequently visited me, once a week per se.

I trained even if she isn’t there. Ever since Elara took over my scheduling, I could only allocate two hours per day for my training. But since then, I can now sleep properly in peace.

Two hours after practicing, we both sat at the same bench. As I catch my breath while hanging my arms on the board, Jes reached out a bottle of water from her hand.

“You’re getting good at it. Good job!” Jes exclaimed while offering the bottle.

I took it, drank, and exhaled after refreshing myself. “Thank you again for checking me, teacher Jes,” I replied, but my tone fades as I gradually lowered my head.

“Oh, right! Aren’t you going to Noxiams academy after age twelve? Well, you’re lucky because I’m currently teaching there! All other students will be jealous because of you. ‘A student in-level of a professor.’ That was a good outline— Veniara, are you feeling down?”

She asked after noticing my stale reaction from her bragging. The moment she called me, I suddenly came back to my senses.

“N—No!” I squealed and laughed, even though my tone spoke fake.

“I’ve encountered hundred faces same of yours currently. I can tell if my student is lying, even just from her eyes. You can tell me what worries you.”

“How could I tell? Tomorrow or sooner, I’ll be in the tabloid again. Even if no name was mentioned, I’m still your subject. You can’t fool me, Je— Teacher Jes.”

“T—Then, I’ll make this an exception!” Jes stuttered, facing away. “I won’t put you in the subject just this once.”

“You just admitted that it was you scattering the Kingdom’s personal affairs after all!” I shouted, and after a sudden pause, I sighed. “I won’t tell you a reason. I just need a suggestion for something.”

“And what would that be?” She asked, turning at me again with sparkling eyes.

“There’s this event tomorrow, and my parents are looking up for it. Then there’s I who is forced to attend it. I never wanted to attend it, not in my life. How can I reasonably avoid it? Do you have any ideas?”

“If you’re looking for a reason to roam around, why not accept my request?”

“Request?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.

“Or rather than a request, it’s a commission. Are you willing to accept it?”