The walls of Ashmille's manor conference room were lined with tapestries and ancestral portraits, the tension in the air was as fresh as morning dew. The long mahogany table gleamed beneath the flickering candlelight.
Seraphyne sat primly at the table's end, posture straight, smile mild, heart pounding.
Across from her sat Crown Prince Elliot Cray Truvania—her supposed fiancé, her fictional "true love," and the man currently lavishing his attention not on her, but on the girl seated to his left: Ellise Viremont.
Ellise laughed softly at something the prince said. It was the same lilting laugh she used in the novel.
Again, Claire—no, Seraphyne—thought grimly. We're already back on script.
At the head of the table stood Lord Thalor Archwingg. He was red-faced and seething, a stack of fresh bandit reports clenched in one hand.
"Why the hell did you go out without permission and without your knights, Seraphyne," he barked. "Do you think you can handle everything on your own now?!"
Seraphyne didn't flinch. "I was safe, Father."
"And what if you're not?!" Thalor slammed the table.
"Please calm down, Lord Thalor. It was Lady Seraphyne's bravery that turned the tide," Ellise cut in quickly, placing a gentle hand over her heart. "Lady Seraphyne helped us spot the ambush before it overwhelmed the escort. If she hadn't been there…" She trailed off, letting the silence speak volumes.
Seraphyne blinked. What.
Even Arthur gave Ellise a subtle, confused glance. He hadn't said much since entering, he now turned his attention fully toward Seraphyne, brows slightly furrowed.
Seraphyne forced a polite smile. "Lady Ellise is too kind," she said evenly, resisting the urge to say, I literally hid behind a rock until it was over.
Elliot nodded absently, offering Ellise a smile. "You both acted admirably. The ambush could've ended far worse." His tone shifted from public praise to gentle concern. "Lady Ellise, are you well? You were too close to the front lines."
"I'm fine, Your Highness," Ellise said sweetly, eyes cast down with perfect grace. "Lady Seraphyne was the one truly in danger. I just… couldn't stand by."
Arthur's gaze moved from his sister to Seraphyne. "I didn't know you would be there," he murmured quietly, moving closer to Seraphyne's side.
"I'm fine, I just needed to breathe some fresh air earlier so I got outside." Seraphyne said, surprised by the sincerity in his voice.
Her thoughts twisted uneasily. This wasn't just déjà vu. This was divergence. Ellise was changing the timeline—but not necessarily in her favor.
When Lord Archwingg finally excused himself to check on the banquet preparations, silence blanketed the room like a dropped curtain. The knights trickled out, leaving only four: Seraphyne, Ellise, Arthur, and Crown Prince Elliot.
Claire knew this moment. It had happened in the novel—exactly this scene. Ellise subtly winning Elliot's favor, Arthur quietly beginning to mistrust his sister. It was the hinge of the second act.
She folded her hands in her lap and stood, walking gracefully toward the group.
"I just wanted to say…" she began with a practiced sweetness, "thank you, Lady Ellise. You arrived with your knights at just the right time. You and Sir Arthur both saved us."
Arthur blinked. "Well, I—"
"But…" Seraphyne tilted her head innocently. "I was just wondering… how did you know there would be an ambush there?"
The air turned sharp. Arthur straightened slightly. Elliot raised his brows.
Ellise's lips parted. "I—it was a coincidence, of course. I insisted that we take a patrol near where the Crown Prince's ship will dock, just to be sure it is safe. Pure luck, really."
Seraphyne gave a light, lilting laugh. "Of course! That's what I thought too. Just very… perfectly timed luck, wasn't it?"
Ellise froze, her smile faltering a fraction.
Seraphyne went on, her voice still musical, her eyes sharp. "It almost seemed like you knew exactly where to be that I wonder if something else was going on."
Arthur's head snapped toward his sister. "You said we were going south to check if the docks were passable."
Ellise waved a hand quickly, her smile stiff. "That was just a hunch. A guess. You know how I get when I'm right."
"A hunch," Seraphyne echoed. She clasped her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly with a mock-innocent beam. "Not a deal with the bandits then? No pre-arranged moment to swoop in and gain some heroic glory?"
Ellise's eyes widened, the color draining from her face for a heartbeat.
"That's a serious accusation," Elliot said quietly, though his tone was more curious than angry. He glanced between the two girls. "Lady Ellise? Is there something I should know?"
"Of course not," Ellise said quickly, her voice too high-pitched. "Seraphyne is joking."
"Obviously," Seraphyne replied, throwing in a titter and a dismissive wave. "What a ridiculous idea. Honestly, I've been reading too many dramatic novel. I'm sure it was all coincidence." She turned to Elliot with a bright grin, eyes glittering. "Just like how I happened to be there as well because I was hoping to see Prince Elliot before the banquet begins."
Elliot's ears turned faintly pink. "Ah… I see."
Ellise's smile tightened until it cracked like porcelain.
Claire felt the subtle shift in the room's gravity. It wasn't enough to shatter the narrative—but it rattled the framework. She had inserted doubt, planted seeds. Arthur was thinking. Elliot was reacting. Ellise… was unraveling.
"You're very amusing today, Lady Seraphyne," Ellise said after a pause, her voice cool.
"I'm always amusing," Seraphyne replied pleasantly.
The door creaked open then, and Lord Archwingg reentered. "The banquet hall is ready. Prince Elliot, if you'll accompany me—"
"Of course," Elliot said, giving a shallow bow. "Ladies. Sir Arthur." Then proceed with Lord Thalor to the banquet hall to begin the event.
As the two walked ahead, Arthur get close to Seraphyne. "Seraphyne," he said slowly, "what you said earlier…"
"Just a silly joke," she said with a smile. "Forget it."
Arthur didn't respond. He just studied her like someone re-reading a letter and realizing the handwriting had changed.
When he finally left the room, Seraphyne was alone with Ellise.
Seraphyne let out a long breath and leaned against the back of a chair. Her heart was still racing.
She was sure of it now.
Ellise was still reincarnated.
The ambush, the intervention, the fake humility—it was all too clean. Just like in the novel.
"So…" Seraphyne started a conversation between them. She can't let Ellise know that she is also a reincarnated soul.
"I have heard rumors, is it true?"
"What rumors?" Ellise asked.
"That you're… changing in a good way. Arthur also said it last time, like how one day, you opened your eyes and then you just suddenly became a good person, treating the people around you nicely and doing good deeds ever since." Seraphyne can't hide her expression and tone. It was like a threat and a signal for war at the same time.
"I'm turning over a new leaf. I realized how wrongful I was, and now I want to change. Is that so wrong?" Ellise hinted at the end, making her point.
"No. In fact, it was a good thing. I really want to know you for a long time now. I idolized you, Lady Ellise." Seraphyne's words made Ellise taken aback and confused.
With one eyebrow raise, a visible discomfort crossed Ellise's face. "O-oh, is that so? I guess we can be friends. It's strange that we're still not, even though you're very close with my brother." Ellise let out a fake laugh that Serapyne's ears did not missed. She slightly smirked and taught "That's some obvious façade."
Now, let the true Villainess play the role of the villainess.