Lianza froze. Her eyes, fixed on mine, widened. Then narrowed.
"What did you just say?"
"Listen to me before..."
Lianza put a finger against my lips.
"Shhh... No. I don't think you understand what you just said, Dariel."
The finger began to emit Empero. I felt my lips freeze to the point where it burned.
But I endured it.
"You just told me I'm yours. And now you ask me if you can invite someone else. I knew it wasn't a coincidence."
Lianza grabbed me by the collar and pulled me to her. I could feel her breath on my face, her eyes full of tears.
"I was going... going to refuse him. For you. And you come and do this to me, Dariel Elcronne."
Lianza stopped crying, her face turning cold, expressionless. The Ice Queen had returned in the blink of an eye in front of me.
It was the first time Lianza had used her mask with me. I was supposed to be the only one she didn't use it with. I was supposed to save her from her tragic fate.
I tried to form a word, but I had no lips. Lianza's Empero had caused such intense pain in them that first I felt them burn, and then nothing. No pain or any sensation. It was as if my lips were anesthetized.
I had underestimated the effects of the System's punishment.
"And now you don't speak. I figured. You're like the rest. You always were."
I tried again, but only unintelligible moans came from my mouth.
With her hand still on my collar, Lianza threw me to the floor. Before leaving, she turned around. For a few seconds, her face went back to the one she always showed me. Vulnerable and blushing.
"I think this is it, Dariel Elcronne." She held back a sob. "From now on, you're just my bodyguard. I expect you to act accordingly."
The pain from the fall kept me from getting up.
I wanted to speak, I wanted to tell her it wasn't what she thought, that I had the situation under control... But the truth was, not even I knew how I was going to deal with this. In the end, as she walked away from me, the only thing I could do was let out unintelligible words:
"Dhi an zah... Epeha..."
I cursed.
Is this what you wanted, System?
[Truth be told, it was quite entertaining. A tragic breakup. Two broken hearts. An inevitable destiny. I wonder what you'll do now, Romeo, to get out of this situation. 😂🍿]
I stayed silent, lying on the dusty floor, staring at nothingness itself.
Was this how it was all going to end? Me, a pathetic literature student who got a second chance at life, going to ruin everything?
I couldn't be any lower.
I had to do something, but the plot of this novel turned everything against me.
Dariel Elcronne had no power. He was just a glorified bodyguard for being Lianza D'Tariel's lapdog.
I spent a while thinking, turning the situation over in my head. I wanted to save Lianza from her death, but my current self couldn't do it.
"Are you there, Dariel?" Layda asked.
I pulled myself together.
"Y-yes. Give me a second."
I tried to sit up. My body still hurt.
I placed both legs on the floor and pushed myself up.
Maybe getting up might seem like a simple task that anyone could do without much trouble. But things got very difficult when you felt like a royal carriage pulled by twelve horses had run over you. Yes, twelve.
After an agonizing minute, I managed to stand up.
The door was ajar, so I just pulled it open.
"Sorry, Lianza sent me to fetch a book for her," I offered as an excuse.
"Was that it? She looked really weird when she left. Her heels sounded louder than usual, and the garnet in her eyes seemed to extend to the sclera. It was like she had just been crying."
Layda's description struck a chord in my heart.
"She can't stand dirt, and as you can see, the forbidden section is flooded with dust and years of damp smell."
"Was that it?" she repeated. "Lianza doesn't act like that."
Layda seemed to realize what she had just said.
"I mean, a future queen shouldn't lose her composure over simple dust and an unpleasant smell."
"Ever since Lianza D'Tariel could reason, she was taught to be as immaculate as possible," I explained.
And it was true. Lianza hated dirt... Or maybe that was just another thing that was part of her mask? By this point, I didn't know if I really knew her. Reading about a character, falling in love with her through words and idealization, was very different from real life. And now I was realizing it.
"Makes sense," Layda replied after a few seconds. "Well, how about we finish studying? It's almost time to leave, so the library won't stay open much longer."
We studied in silence for about twenty minutes. My lips had fully regained their sensitivity.
Layda turned pages. I pretended to read.
My head was spinning. Lianza had dumped me. The System had cornered me. And I still couldn't speak clearly.
Then I saw it.
The System had said 'invite'. It didn't say 'court', like last time. It didn't say 'partner', or 'companion' either.
Invite.
"Layda."
She looked up.
"As you know, the Welcome Ball is in three days. I want you to come."
Her lips parted.
"I'll go. It's mandatory, actually."
"I didn't mean that. I want you to come, Layda..."
She tilted her head.
"...With me..."
Her lips parted. I could see a blush on her cheeks.
"Really? You're inviting me?"
"...As my Cloak Bearer," I finished.
Her smile froze halfway. It was as if her face had stopped in time.
"Huh? Cloak... Bearer?"
"Do you accept?"
"I... I don't know what to say. I'm a student at Mayorka, Dariel Elcronne. My days as a servant were left in Alaranne, along with my family and my past."
Layda's eyes seemed to be reading something in the air.
"But," she added, "it is a great honor that a noble house invites me, even if it's as a 'Cloak Bearer'. So yes, I accept, Dariel Elcronne. It's very kind of you."
That had been easy... too easy. I still couldn't figure out what was going on with the Layda of this novel, and things with her only got weirder and weirder.
I turned to leave.
In the glass of one of the bookshelves, I saw her reflection.
Layda's tender smile had dropped. Her lips were a flat, expressionless line. Her fingers opened the notebook she had kept closed during our entire study session. The same notebook she had hidden when I caught her before we came to the library.
She wrote quickly in it, and then her characteristic expression returned.
I kept walking, pretending not to have seen anything in the reflection.
[+10 Experience Points → Persuasion. 🎭]
[What an ingenious way to not look like a cheater, Romeo. I congratulate you. Truly. No sarcasm. Well, maybe a little. 😏]
[Special Reward: Item delivered → "Basic Status Vision". Single use.]
[Usage Condition: You must keep your aim fixed on the target; if you stop aiming at them, the item's charge will be canceled.]
Something small and round materialized in the inner pocket of my suit.
It was a pocket watch.
I left the library. The hallway was empty. The sun was setting over the horizon.
That night, I didn't hear Lianza cry.
And to be honest, that hurt more than if she had.
At dawn, the poster appeared on the notice board in the main hall. Golden lettering on black parchment. The seal of House Jahke in the top corner.
'House Jahke has an important announcement to make at the Welcome Ball.'