"Daphne!" someone called out as she made her way to the back of the building to honor Grant's invitation to his ride.
She turned, her gaze falling on an approaching figure dressed in a black-and-white ball gown, black gloves, and a black hat secured beneath her chin with a ribbon. The woman had a petite figure and a bright, familiar smile.
She looked familiar. Daphne studied her face as the woman stopped in front of her.
"Daphne, it's been a while I'm sorry for the loss of your father." the woman says, pulling her into a soft hug before offering a brighter smile. "I thought I wouldn't be able to meet you when I saw you with His Graceship earlier."
Daphne smiled politely.
"So, the rumors that you're getting married to Governor Grant are true," the woman said, eyeing her curiously.
Daphne nodded, silently dreading the sound of that.
"Well, I must say, it came as quite a shock to most of us," she continued. "We all swore Governor Grant would never look at any woman twice—let alone take one as his bride."
Daphne rolled her eyes. "That's his business."
The woman laughed, tapping Daphne's shoulder lightly. "By the way," she said, "Lady Yiwa is inviting you for brunch tomorrow at noon."
Daphne's eyes widened. Yiwa? The female lead?
Trying to hide her excitement, she replied, "Oh, tell her I'll be there."
"Of course, you should. You're getting married to her cousin, after all."
Daphne smiled brightly, this time, a genuine one.
She was going to meet the female lead of her favorite novel.
"Also," the woman continued, "she said I should deliver something important to you in case you meet her cousin before you meet her."
Daphne leaned in, curiosity piqued.
"She said, whatever you do, reject Governor Grant's kind gestures. He's allergic to kindness. If he ever shows you one, it's only because he plans to bring you down—either by death or disgrace. There's never any good with him."
Of course, Daphne knew this about Governor Grant. She knew him better than anyone in this world because she had studied his character for months before ever landing in this story.
But what truly made her eyes widen was not the warning itself, but the realization of who this woman was.
"Celistra!" Daphne exclaimed, realizing too late that she'd said it aloud.
Celistra blinked in surprise. "What? Why? Are you a victim already?"
"No, no, no, not that!" Daphne quickly grabbed Celistra's hand, excitement bubbling in her chest.
I just can't believe I'm meeting Yiwa Locke's best friend—the daughter of Gravenne's Left Chancellor!
"Thank you!"
Celistra's lips spread into a cheerful smile. "You're welcome. Although, the message is from Yiwa."
"Yeah, absolutely," Daphne said, withdrawing, her chest heaving with excitement. "I'll be sure to thank her properly at brunch."
Celistra offered one last smile before turning around and sauntering away.
The moment she disappeared from sight, Daphne let out an excited squeal, pumping her fist in the air.
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh my goodness, I'm meeting Yiwa!" she exclaimed, practically jumping on her toes.
She jogged off toward her waiting carriage, completely forgetting that she was supposed to meet Grant.
Even when she arrived home, she still didn't remember her appointment with him. She skipped straight to her bedroom and dashed to her closet, eager to pick out the perfect dress for brunch.
Morning came faster than she'd hoped, but she still hadn't decided what to wear for her meeting with Yiwa.
Amaris walked in to find the bed covered in scattered clothes.
"What is going on, my lady?" she gasped.
Daphne turned to her, dark circles under her eyes betraying a sleepless night.
"What's wrong with your eyes?" Amaris asked, stepping closer.
"Amaris, Yiwa has invited me for brunch this noon, and I have no idea what to wear," Daphne murmured.
"Yiwa?" Amaris frowned. "Who is—?"
Daphne glared. "You can't be serious right now. Yiwa Locke! Governor Grant's cousin!"
"Oh… what about her?"
"She invited me for brunch."
"She did? That's… strange."
Daphne snapped her head toward Amaris. "What is?"
"I thought she wanted you to stay away from her cousin?"
"What are you talking about, Amaris?"
"Have you forgotten about the letter she sent the day the late King betrothed you to the Governor?"
Daphne froze. "Yeah… I—I don't remember. Can you remind me?"
"Come on, my lady. You didn't let any of us read it. The moment you saw the contents, you started crying and forbade anyone from seeing it because it supposedly 'stripped you of your dignity.' But you did tell us that Lady Yiwa asked you to stay away from Governor Grant."
Daphne's focus drifted as her thoughts raced. Then she snapped back to reality.
Maybe Yiwa had only said that because she knew how dangerous and ruthless Grant Castiglione could be.
"It's nothing serious," Daphne said finally. "She was just… worried."
"Are you sure?" Amaris drawled. "After that day, you started avoiding her."
"Well, that's because I was too embarrassed to face her or something," Daphne muttered.
Amaris shrugged.
"Anyway, enough about that," Daphne said, straightening up. "We need to head to the market."
Amaris frowned. "For what?"
"I need the perfect dress for brunch, and you'll be coming with me."