A week’s worth of staying in bed flew pass far too quickly. I had taken the days to retrace back the original Seilah’s actions, her words as well as her motives before her fateful accident but none came up fruitful. What I had indefinitely learned was that Seilah Siren was a shrewd and secretive woman. She never left any clues to what she was thinking, not even a personal diary that could have recount her thoughts of the day. As such, I could only go through her vague memories and even then, it was not enough.
The week didn’t passed all that peacefully, however, as I exchanged secret letters with the Crown Prince. His words were always short and curt but this gesture was unheard of in the original game. Even today, Maya had passed me a letter from him upon hearing that I was now better.
----------------------------------------
Lady Siren,
I request your presence at my quarters to discuss what we last talked about.
I believe you will find my request most beneficial.
I’ll send my best knight to accompany you here so that there won’t be another assassination attempt on your life.
Leon should arrive this afternoon at 2PM. Please follow his instructions.
Regards,
A.D
----------------------------------------
The letter was the longest the Crown Prince had ever written but it was still just as self-centered like the other ones. I sighed, crumpling it into a ball before discarding it right into the trash bin where it rightfully belonged. It was one thing to be requesting a meeting when my body had just gotten better but to send his best knight while he was at it proved that he still didn’t trust me enough and was even taking jabs for previously standing on the wrong side.
But he could also have been worried… No.
I frowned, picking up the quill as I tried to write my own reply back to him. Meanwhile, Maya simply stood by my side, watching me wryly.
----------------------------------------
Unto His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of Diamond Kingdom,
Lady Seilah of the Siren Duchy sends her greetings once again.
I’m afraid I must humbly reject Your Highness’s offer to come to your Palace as I have yet to fully recover.
I am still scarred from the previous assassination attempt that you have mentioned and would need further time to recover from the shock.
If your Highness had even an ounce of kindness
If you had common sense
I would be eternally grateful if Your Highness could extend your kindness to this lowly subject and rearrange such meeting to a different time.
Also, you’re sending your best knight?
Are you still trying to keep me in check, you distrustful Prince or are you actually being kind for once to think of my safety?
I thank you for sending me Sir Leon to assure my safety but I would not want to burden such an esteemed person into handling my personal affairs.
I will arrange for my own knight, Sir Cole, to accompany on our next rescheduled meeting.
Yours faithfully,
Lady Seilah Siren of the Siren Duchy aka I’m over this!!!
----------------------------------------
“Lady Seilah,” Maya interrupted my furious writing. “I believe your head will roll should His Highness receive such an… emotive letter.”
I clucked in disapproval. “His Highness has always prioritised on honesty so I would think he might appreciate my fervent words directed to him.”
“As your most trusted servant, I retract my previous words. Instead, I think everyone’s head in the Siren Duchy will roll once His Highness receives such a brilliant and honest letter. As wonderful as it is, I’m not so sure he would appreciate such… of your fervent emotions.”
“Huh… So Maya? You think he’s a dickhead too, right?”
“… Lady Seilah, those aren’t words befitting of a noble lady.”
“You’re noble too though Maya.”
“An illegitimate daughter of a Baron is not comparable to my lady’s existence.”
“… You’re not disagreeing with me about the Crown Prince, then.” I sighed, burning the letter I had just written with the candle on my desk. There shouldn’t be any traces of my honesty in case it could lead to further misunderstandings that outsiders do not understand. “… He’s insufferable.”
Maya pursed her lips together. “He is quite… charismatic in getting things done quickly.”
“A tyrant I tell you!”
Maya let out a small laugh, earning a small smile from her lady. It was nice to see the always stoic Maya letting loose once in a while for she had always been a serious person with how the game described her. In Maya’s eyes, the change in her lady’s personality was as clear as day.
Before the accident, Seilah had always been deeply engrossed in her own thoughts, never speaking more than necessary. Most times, her personality had felt calculative, as though she was ten steps ahead of whatever she was talking about, even if it was about the mundane things.
The Seilah before her now was still engrossed in her own thoughts but she had been more honest in her feelings instead of keeping it pent up. As someone who was with her the most, these obvious changes didn’t end there but to also the littlest things. For example, Seilah used to love drinking tea before bedtime and always avoided coffee whenever she can for it reminded her of someone. The Seilah before her now still takes to having tea at night though it was most strange that she requested for coffee to start her day.
It was almost as if she was an entirely different person.
Maya shook her head at that thought. As strange as the thought was, it was also somewhat believable but she had already decided that it wasn’t her concern.
Either way, Seilah still treated her nicely and she would give her life to her mistress, a past vow coming back to her mind.
I wouldn’t be privy to her thoughts, merely watching her gaze affectionately onto my face before we were interrupted by a knock on the door. The door was half opened, revealing pink pastel hair behind it and the person feigning a cough.
[You’ve raised the affection of Cole Star, +1]
[Cole finds your smile enchanting!]
[Cole’s Total Affection: 1 point]
Wait, what?
I tried my hardest to hide my blush, hoping that my face wasn’t red. “… Come in.”
Cole opened the door and bowed, before walking straight into my personal office. It was difficult to meet his eyes knowing that he had found my smile enchanting and I felt giddy at the non-verbal compliment.
Wait, no! Cole’s a potential love interest too?!
I inwardly slapped myself on my cheeks upon that realisation. It would seem the game is still progressing much differently to the game that I was used to since Cole wasn’t a side character anymore. I knew I was right when I deduced that his pink hair left more to the story than what we as the gamers knew.
But if he’s a potential love interest… does that mean he has a back story too?
I couldn’t help the doubts that had crept in my mind, though I pushed it away for the time being. “What is it, Cole?”
“My Lady, it would seem that the carriage and your escort for today have arrived much earlier than anticipated. The Knight is currently waiting outside on our front yard.”
“Wait, what?! Already?!”
I hurried to the windows only to confirm the truth. There was a luxurious looking carriage waiting for me and a familiar looking face standing right outside its’ doors. A quick look to the wall clock, however, showed that it was only 1pm in the afternoon. It was an hour earlier than the stipulated time that the Crown Prince had written in his letter.
“Isn’t it far too early?!” I felt like tugging my hair out.
Cole agreed. “Yes, when I asked the Knight earlier, he mentioned that it was His Highness’s instructions to give you ample time to prepare and also so that you wouldn’t be able to refuse his invitation.”
“… That Prince…”
“Should I turn him away, my lady?”
I felt a headache coming on. “No, tell him I’ll be down at 2pm. The Prince is right. I do need time to prepare. I can see now that heads will roll if we refuse his invitation.”
“… Then I’ll be on my way.”
“Maya, let’s go.”
The mentioned young woman bowed. “As you wish, my lady.”
----------------------------------------
The Knight assigned to me was Leon Greengrass, the Knight Commander of the Royal Knights that is also being headed by the Crown Prince himself. House Greengrass have been inheriting the title of Knight Commander for many years, serving their swords to the Royal family for generations. It wasn’t strange for Leon to swear his loyalty to the Crown Prince but it was definitely strange that his own father, Duke Greengrass, had quickly left the Knights in his care when he turned of age, as though not wanting to serve the King.
He was definitely a handsome face, bronze skin complimenting his dark green hair and brown eyes perfectly. The man was especially beautiful with how suave he looked while waiting under the hot sun for an hour and I hurried over, feeling bad for making him wait.
“My lady, there is no need to rush.” Cole reminded me in place of Maya. I had no choice but to leave my maid behind since this meeting was supposed to be a secret. The Crown Prince did mention to bring as few people as possible, and even better, none at all. But there was no way I was going to the Palace alone knowing that someone out there is out for my neck. “The Knight will still wait regardless if you’re late or not.”
“Cole…” I lament at his carefree attitude. “Even if you are a Knight of House Siren, Sir Leon is still a Knight Commander of the Royal Knights. Should you really be addressing him so casually?”
“… I don’t like him.”
“Well, let’s put our personal feelings aside. He’s greeting us after all.”
[You’ve reduced the affection of Leon Greengrass, -1]
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
[Leon is not happy to see you!]
[Leon’s Total Affection: -1 point]
“Leon Greengrass greets The Lady Seilah Siren.” The former bowed respectfully.
What the hell?! Negative points?! I’m not happy to see you either, mister!
“My Lord.”
It was clear to Cole who had been waiting on his lady ever since her accident that her face had turned a little too red, as I glared angrily at the Knight’s face. A slight pout had formed and Cole resisted the urge to laugh at the situation.
“My lady,” He whispered for my ears only, breath tickling on my skin. “let’s put our personal feelings aside.”
“… Don’t be cheeky.”
[You’ve raised the affection of Cole Star, +1]
[Cole finds you amusing!]
[Cole’s Total Affection: 2 points]
I was almost swept away by the rude shock of the previous text box, feeling my heartbeat quicken in anger. I had to calm myself down if I were to get through this journey in one piece.
In the original game, Leon and Seilah both loathed each other with a deep passion. Leon hated how cunning the woman was and how much she resembled a certain someone that he despised for making his life difficult. In fact, in Leon’s route, he brutally beheaded the cunning Seilah when she had poisoned his troops in their Coup D’état. All the other routes also mentioned how much they couldn’t get along with each other, and it was surprising for their relationship was worse than with Seilah and Aereus the Crown Prince.
But I wasn’t the original Seilah and I had hoped to make a favourable new impression so that there was no chance of Leon extinguishing my new life. This goal proved harder than I thought especially since he was already not elated at seeing me.
“I apologise for the long wait, My Lord.” I curtsied, though it was futile as he merely looked at me blankly.
Leon shrugged his shoulders. “That’s nothing new. Isn’t that your specialty?”
Why this rude-
“It takes time for a lady to prepare. After all, His Highness’s letter arrived at the last minute so I was unable to take proper preparations to head to the Royal Palace.”
“… That has never stopped you before from treating the place as your own residence, coming in and out whenever you fancied.”
Ergh! He’s not wrong but why does he have to be this rude about it?!
“I humbly apologise for my previous… mishaps… but I assure you that I will behave with proper decorum from now on. I hope it will be to your satisfaction.”
“You…” Leon didn’t bother to hide his misgivings. “What are you up to, this time?”
The man moved forward intimidatingly and I almost stepped back if it wasn’t for Cole standing protectively in front of me.
“Sir Greengrass.” Cole said it with such a frightening force. “I believe we should be on our way lest His Highness punish us on our tardiness.”
The frown on Leon’s face deepened, as though he hated dealing with Cole much more than he hated Seilah. I took note of this subtle change on his face as it changed back into a blank expression, opening the door to the carriage as he ushered me inside.
If only our first meeting as the new Seilah had went well, I would have liked to think that I had time to admire the golden and ruby like decorations of the Royal carriage that much better.
----------------------------------------
It was rare for the original Seilah to step foot into the Crown Prince’s Palace and thus when the carriage first arrived, I had been in awe at how grand the place actually was. It was not as grand as the King’s, but it was still a sight to behold for the second most important person in this Kingdom.
Leon had forced Cole to stay at the carriage for the Crown Prince hadn’t allowed anyone else except myself to enter the Palace Grounds. The latter had no choice but to accept his wishes and thus I found myself reluctantly trailing behind the green haired brute. Every little action of Leon’s proved that he wasn’t a big fan of Seilah.
He walked too fast with his long legs, and even as athletic as I was, I found it difficult to keep up with him. The original Seilah had a good stamina, and even in my old life, I had represented my class during track and field so I thought I was a pretty good runner. All these achievements were not needed, apparently, since I now have trouble following a brute of a Knight.
“Sir Greengrass.” I frowned, catching my breath. How huge was this place really?! It seemed as though we’ve been walking for hours before we could reach the Crown Prince’s private quarters. “Can’t you walk a little slower?”
[You’ve reduced the affection of Leon Greengrass, -1]
[Leon thinks you’re making excuses!]
[Leon’s Total Affection: -2 points]
This bastard!
“I seem to recall that you had no problems slipping unnoticed whenever you’re at His Majesty’s quarters and thus treated you as such. Is there a problem now that we’re here at His Highness’s Palace instead?”
The smirk on Leon’s face was far too annoying to take in considering that I knew the original Leon in the game always treated the main protagonist Luna kindly, and never had such expressions when he was with her. He did always treat Seilah with contempt, though. Still, it wasn’t a good excuse for the son of a Duke to be treating a lady of his standing so rudely.
“Yes, there’s a huge problem.” I glared, hoping my next words would prick at his conscience. “It would seem my bodily parts are not working as well as they are ever since my accident. You know? The one where someone tried to murder me and was almost successful at it?”
Of course, Leon didn’t budge. “Ah, my condolences. Then I shall walk slower and hope that His Highness would be kind enough to let our tardiness slide.”
“Of course he would.” Somehow, I felt like I didn’t want to lose to his verbal war. “You are his most trusted Knight. Should you speak up, I’m sure His Highness would understand the reasons why.”
“And why should I speak up on your behalf?”
I felt my anger rise, placing a hand at my chest in an attempt to slow it down. Obviously, it was futile. This was something I noticed ever since I possessed the body of Seilah. Since the young woman had always kept her thoughts and emotions locked deep within herself, her temper was bound to flare at the littlest things but she always kept herself in check. And although I wasn’t the original Seilah, I was still good at keeping my anger in, though frustrations was a different story all together.
“Because you’re bound by your knightly duties and gentlemanly traits.”
Leon sighed. “One that isn’t extended to you, Lady Seilah.”
“You…” I felt the anger rise again. “Why do you gotta be an insufferable bastard?!”
“… What did you call me?”
His voice lowered, deep and threatening as he eyed my figure scarily. Although the change had been scary, I knew that he wouldn’t simply murder me on the Crown Prince’s grounds considering that the latter had something to talk to me about.
I hope.
“An insufferable bastard.” I crossed my arms, hoping he wouldn’t see the large gulp I just took a second ago. “I know you don’t like me very much but I’ve been polite to you this entire time. Shouldn’t you return my manners?”
“Why should I?” Leon scoffed at my words. “I swore my sword, oath and loyalty to my master, the very same one you’ve been plotting to remove from power all this while. His Highness might have taken pity on you since you informed Ezekiel about the potential assassination and ended up being almost assassinated instead but I still don’t trust you.”
“And that extends to me asking you to walk a little slower?!”
“If I did, you might have taken an opportunity to put a knife in my back. Like I said, I do not trust you.”
“So I can’t put a knife at your back if you’re walking fast?”
“I would think not, seeing how out of breath you are right now.”
The headache seemed to be getting worse as I tried to make sense of his words. First of all, where should I even start at his ridiculousness?!
Wait, I get that he has a point… but still!
“Look here you piece of shit.” The wires holding my sanity together in my brain finally snapped. Leon’s quick reflexes took a hold of my hand before it could reach for his collar. But still, I didn’t allow that to scare me. Fear could be such an adrenaline sometimes. “I’m out of breath right now because my pudgy little legs can’t keep up with how fast you’re walking!”
“P-Pudgy?” Leon seemed surprised at my choice of words.
Of course, the original Seilah would have never think any part of her to be pudgy, and while my legs were definitely not that, it was the only vocabulary I could think of in my fit of anger.
“If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t put a knife in your back at the Crown Prince’s Palace! How stupid can you get?! I’d get arrested even if I had been successful at doing it, which I might add, I won’t!” I pointed angrily to his face, seeing how he was still holding my hand captive. It felt weird as my hand dangled weirdly. “Look at me! And now look at you! I can’t even grab your collar because your reflexes are too fast!”
“… One can never be too careful.”
He’s so thick-headed!!!
I attempted to stamp onto his feet, one that Leon dodged perfectly, surprise evident on his face once more. “What are you-”
“God! I can’t even stamp on your feet as I want because look at how quick you are at avoiding danger! You are the most bull-headed person I’ve ever met in my entire life.”
“You were trying to step on my feet?! Why?”
“Because you’re such an asshole!” I huffed, attempting to do it once more. As usual, Leon avoided my feet like the wind. “See? You’ve avoided it easily!”
“… What in the world are you trying to prove-”
“I’m trying to prove that I cannot keep up with you, and thus I won’t be able to assassinate you, or whatever fantasy you have of me. So please, I beg of you, My Lord. Can’t you just walk a teeny bit slower so that I can keep up? I think I am going to die of exhaustion before I even reach His Highness quarters at this rate. My feet can’t take it anymore!”
Leon finally let go of my hand, sighing as he ran his now free hand through his annoyingly gorgeous green hair. I could only hope his thick head understood what I was trying to say.
“Fine, I understand.” He uttered begrudgingly. It took me by surprise when Leon suddenly scooped me up into his arms, walking towards the Prince’s quarters once more.
“What are you doing-” I attempted to be free of his hold but the man simply hugged me tighter. “Are you trying to suffocate me to death instead?”
Leon simply glared, though it wasn’t as scary as his previous ones. “I didn’t know you were such a noisy woman. Your legs are tired thanks to my oblivion, are they not? Then I must simply carry you to the Crown Prince.”
“No, sorry, I take it back. Are you trying to embarrass me to death instead? Do you know how many of the Palace workers will see you carrying me? I have a reputation to uphold-”
“Just shut up and accept my kindness.” He sighed. “If I knew that the great Seilah Siren could throw a temper tantrum, then I would have brought some cloth with me to keep your mouth shut.”
Wow. What a gentleman. Not.
“… You really are such an insufferable bastard.”
He shrugged coolly. “At least I’m returning your manners.”
I had no choice but to keep mum, knowing that he had returned my words back at me. My acceptance of the situation still didn’t make me any less embarrassed though, as maids and butlers continued greeting us all the way to the Crown Prince’s quarters.
[You’ve raised the affection of Leon Greengrass, +1]
[Leon finds you curious!]
[Leon’s Total Affection: -1 point]
I sneaked a peek onto the brute’s face but a mere blank expression rested on his face as usual. One thing for sure, Leon Greengrass was good at masking his feelings. I was lucky that the text box was there to guide me for it wasn’t so easy to read this annoying person.
We eventually reached the Crown Prince’s quarters after five minutes and Leon returned me back to the floor surprisingly gently. Although I was still wary of his intentions, I was more than glad that my show of temper finally got through his thick-headed skull. It was a step in the right direction, though I did wish that I no longer needed to show my temper for our future interactions.
“Wait here. I’ll head in first to inform the rest that you’ve arrived.” Leon knocked on the door, before turning back to me sharply. “Don’t go anywhere else.”
“… Like I could. Did you lose a few braincells along the way? I mentioned that my legs were exhausted.”
A rare smile appeared on his face. Weird. “I always expect the unexpected with you, after all.”
The man finally entered, closing the large doors behind him. I sighed, feeling more mentally exhausted at having to deal with Leon instead of walking the large Palace grounds. I knew that the main reason my legs had been so tired wasn’t because the Palace was huge but rather because they haven’t walked much ever since the accident. It would take some time before my legs fully recovered, and I kept that thought in mind, knowing that I might need to take extra measures for the next few days or so should I head out.
If there had been another assassination attempt…
I shuddered at that horrific idea. It was times like this that I wished Cole was right by my side. At least I had an ally right next to me.
“Oh? Have you been summoned as well?”
A voice broke me out of my thoughts and my head perked up to see my new company. Silky blonde hair and light blue eyes greeted my sight, its’ owner taking me by surprise by suddenly appearing to my front.
Where did he come from?
I felt my body instantly reacting and on edge at this newcomer, his handsome face peering down my eyes knowingly. “… Grand Master…”
The man smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. This was a normal sight as I rummaged through Seilah’s memory for he always smiled at her like that. I shouldn’t even have the need to go through my memories for his face had been one I was familiar with.
Sion Fae was the Grand Master of the Order of Magic and the current Archmage for the Royal family. He’s considered the youngest and most talented mage in the world at the age of thirty and had once cursed Seilah to eternal slumber when she had poisoned Luna in the game. The man always kept his true personality hidden, for he was actually working for the Crown Prince’s faction even though he was officially employed by the King himself. This was a secret I knew from playing the game but one Seilah wasn’t privy to.
“Yes, I’ve been summoned by His Highness to his quarters today.” I made a mental note not to get on his bad side.
I considered Sion to be the game’s most intelligent character. He was the main reason to why the Crown Prince could bring Seilah down in every route for he always found evidences against her treacherous nature.
“Hmm? That’s odd.”
“… What do you mean?”
I flinched when he took a step closer, playful blue eyes staring into my own as he bended his knees to meet them. He was definitely far too close, lips almost touching my own. If my muscles had been a second later, our lips probably would have already touched.
“What are you-” I tried to take a step back but Sion’s hands had been quicker as he wrapped them tightly around my waist. “Grand Master-”
Wriggling out of his grip was useless as he was much stronger than me. I had no choice but to glare into those cursed eyes of his, feeling his warm breath on the tip of my lips and feeling his steady heartbeat as my hands tried to push his chest away. Sion simply took a while to regard the expression on my face and he finally grinned once more. It was nerve-wrecking as I saw how elated he had been for the first time through Seilah’s eyes.
“You’re not Lady Seilah, are you?”