It's been two weeks since I got here.
Two weeks of a clean slate.
Being the queen's butler isn't that bad. She has her moments, sure.
I already know she's interested in Arthur, and I've made sure to keep some distance so things don't get messy.
But love?
Still nothing.
Maybe it's because I'm the queen's butler, which means I barely step outside the palace.
I've only left once.
Just once.
And that was when I escorted her to the ceremony at the cathedral.
And Isolde?
She's out of the picture.
Beautiful, kind, sweet—doesn't matter. She's taken. Forced into an arranged marriage with the prince of a neighboring kingdom and quietly loved by the knight who's been at her side since she was twelve.
Yeah, that one is something else.
Sir Rowan Vale.
He's been guarding her since she was a kid, the classic forbidden love setup.
So no, chasing after Isolde would be pointless and also wrong.
Rowan looks at her the way a man looks at the sun. He knows he can't touch it, but he can't look away either. Part of me respects him for that, the other part of me thinks he's delusional.
And me?
I'm just drifting through this palace, trying to figure out what I'm meant to feel.
And it doesn't help that almost everyone in this palace is a guy.
And how do I spend my time?
Pouring tea, polishing silver, and pretending the corridors aren't as empty as they feel.
"..."
The end?
What's the end goal of all this?
My transmigration?
My love story?
This was supposed to be the moment I built new bonds.
Made fresh connections.
Maybe even… yeah, that.
But two weeks in, nothing.
And the Queen?
No. I'm not dumb enough to gamble everything on her.
Talking about endings, how's the novel even supposed to wrap up?
Not finishing it is one of the few regrets I carried over from my old life. Maybe the second biggest one, right after the ache of missing my family. My mom, my little sister.
Yes she annoyed me sometimes, sure, but she's still my sister.
Anyway, the novel. I keep wondering how it will end.
Not that it really matters to me now. I don't plan on being a butler forever, and the story barely touched him, as It revolved around Isolde.
And Arthur?
He didn't even get mentioned, even though he might be the Queen's secret lover.
But the ending…
What was it supposed to be?
When I think about how the novel could end, the first thing that comes to mind is that Isolde deserves better than the life her father planned for her. That much was clear even before I transmigrated. King Charles Luminaris always acted like his decisions were for the good of the kingdom, but half the time he was just pushing his own fears onto her. He kept talking about peace, about alliances, about duty, but he never stopped to ask what she wanted.
The arranged marriage was the biggest example. He forced it on her like she had no will of her own, he didn't even let her speak. Her whole future was handed off to a prince from a neighboring country she barely knew. And the sad part is that she accepted it. At least on the outside. Inside, she was breaking little by little, and the author wrote that part well enough that you could feel it even without trying.
But she loved her knight. Everyone knew it except the king. Even when I first read the story, I could tell how deep it ran. Sir Rowan Vale wasn't some random side character, he was well written. Calm. Loyal. Steady.
The kind of man that loved her quietly, and it wasn't the childish kind of love either. It was the type where you stand beside someone even when you know the world won't let you have them.
That's why he's one of the best characters in the story. The kind of man a reader can respect. Not perfect. Not chosen by destiny.
Just someone who tries to do the right thing even when it hurts.
Meanwhile, I never liked Isolde in the early chapters. She acted spoiled sometimes, she was snapping at people who didn't deserve it, and she acted blind to the trouble around her. But later, when things got worse for her, the author showed her layers. She wasn't cruel by nature. She was scared. She felt trapped.
She was trying to hold up under pressure. That's when she became one of the best written characters in the novel. That's when I started to understand her, and that's when she became the standard for girls I would want in my life.
So, how could their story end?
If I had to guess, the first major event would be the king finding out about her feelings for Rowan. He couldn't stay blind forever, and in a palace full of servants, knights, guards, and nobles, there's no secret that stays hidden for long. Someone would slip, maybe Rowan makes a mistake during a ceremony.
Maybe Isolde reaches for him at the wrong time.
Maybe a jealous noble sees something.
When the king finds out, he won't be calm.
He's not the type to discuss things gently when it touches royal reputation. He'll act with anger first because he'll feel betrayed. Not betrayed as a father, but as a king.
And that's what makes him dangerous.
He sees things through the lens of the crown, not the heart.
He'll summon Rowan. He'll demand answers.
Rowan will tell the truth because that's the kind of man he is. Honest, even when honesty hurts him.
And so he'll be punished.
Not killed, as the king wouldn't be cruel without reason, but he'll be stripped of duty. Sent away.
Locked in the dungeon for a short time.
Maybe even banned from the kingdom entirely.
Isolde will break down because she won't be able to stop it.
She'll try.
She'll beg.
But her father will ignore her.
All he'll see is a daughter who stepped outside the rules he set for her.
After that, the wedding preparations will continue. The king will double down on the arrangement because now it's not just politics, it's pride. He'll want to show the world that no scandal can interfere with his plans. Isolde will be pushed into dresses, meetings, rituals, and endless planning. She'll look calm on the outside. Quiet. Obedient.
But readers will know she's losing hope.
The prince she has to marry isn't a monster, at least not initially; the story never frames him as a villain, as he starts off polite and kind enough, but he neither knows nor loves her, seeing her merely as a duty just like the king, and though he'll treat her well, it won't matter because Isolde's heart will never shift toward him, not even a little.
The turning point in the final act would probably come when Rowan comes back.
He returns because he hears that the wedding is only days away.
He wouldn't let her walk into a life she hates, even if he believes she'll never be his.
He'll come back because he can't stand the idea of her suffering alone.
The climax will take place during the wedding in the hall full of nobles, with the King seating on his throne and the Prince standing beside Isolde. Everything will halt when Rowan appears, looking tired, bruised, but determined. Isolde will freeze upon seeing him, the Prince will notice her reaction, and the King will stand up with anger in his eyes.
And then the truth will surface.
Isolde will confess everything.
Finally standing up for herself.
Finally choosing something that belongs to her.
She'll tell her father she loves Rowan and that the marriage means nothing to her.
Rowan will stand beside her, not just standing there, but ready to face whatever comes next.
The prince will likely withdraw since he's not a fool and can see that forcing the marriage would be a disaster, as he doesn't want to be tied to someone who doesn't want him.
The king will struggle, his pride damaged.
But in the end, he'll give in.
Not because he understands love.
But because the political damage of forcing the marriage after such a public confession would be worse.
Isolde and Rowan won't kiss in the scene. The author never used cheap romance tricks, Instead, they'll stand together, free at last, but with a long road ahead. Their relationship won't magically solve everything, as they'll have to earn their peace.
And that's how the novel would end. Quiet, simple, and honest. Not perfect, but true to the characters.