ALL NOVEL Chapter 12 – The Short Distance Before Meeting The Destiny
It felt unearned - the fear Elana’s passing instilled in the surroundings. She held her head high and marched towards one of the halls where people usually spent the evenings chatting, dancing and drinking wine.
It was still a bit early for most people frequenting the place to be there, but Elana had to start her search somewhere. Most of the student body went to the place at least once every week. It was a good practice.
No one wanted to be cast out of the social circles. From what Elana could recall, at the start, the heroine had tried to mingle with the nobles. Because the villainess had not been able to tolerate a commoner talking and laughing among the new generation of the Kingdom’s movers, the heroine had been bullied into leaving.
It was also in the Great Hall of Elation where the Heroine had caught the prince’s attention. The villainess's unfair treatment of the commoner had pulled at his heartstrings and soured the relationship between the duke’s daughter and him even more.
Of course, Elana had no intentions to repeat actions set by some contrived plot. She would see if the heroine was worth the effort, and if she was, Elana would face her directly, not through ploys and trickery.
The game’s personality had avoided direct confrontations due to the prince, but Elana didn’t care what the dickhead thought. Plans to overthrow the king were already set in motion. With her warning, the Duke would be more careful. The prince didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
Elana frowned as another two people her age rushed away upon spotting her. It was tiresome. They feared her father, not Elana herself. She would need to change that.
“Ah, Lady Elana!”
Finally, someone didn’t run away upon seeing her. Elana faced the man, trying to recall his name and position. “Kurt.” She soon recognised the man who had once been engaged to Mary - but mysteriously, that arrangement had fallen through. “What do you want?”
The handsome, shaven man with short-cut black hair bowed slightly and offered his arm. Seeing Elana ignore it, he shrugged. “I just wanted to greet you. It has been a while since we talked. We, the scions of dukes, should be on the best terms, don’t we?”
If Elana didn’t know better, she would have been fooled by the disarming smile the man offered. But she did. Kurt was another person who tried to woo the heroine.
At first glance, he was charming and harmless, but in actuality, Kurt was cunning and driven. He just hid it well. Given the chance, he would claim the throne for himself. Although the heroine would still become the queen, this path counted as one of the ‘bad’ endings.
Elana doubted he had gone out of his way to search for her. There had to be more to it. She didn’t dismiss Kurt outright. He could be useful to distract the Prince. So, she allowed him to walk along her, if at a respectable distance.
After the man was done with the small talk, Kurt finally revealed why he had come. He smiled again, then sighed and shook his head. “...But alas, it was not meant to be.”
Elana didn’t answer and waited for Kurt to get to a point.
“But I have been searching again. The Black Rose Academy has many beautiful flowers, but most of them have prior arrangements. Even just a day or two ago, I thought my heart would be healed as I met a lovely girl like no other. But…” He signed again, making sure Elana was paying attention. “But the Prince was already talking to her. Even now, they are exchanging words. My position…” He ruefully smiled while peeking at Elana’s face.
Kurt’s words had the impact he had wished for. Elana’s face twisted into a scowl of displeasure.
Although for different reasons than what man had intended. Kurt had planned to use Elana’s engagement with the Prince to make her go berserk, but it was the fact that the Prince was daring to talk with her target that she was set off.
“Are they there now?” Elana began walking faster. She couldn’t allow the prince and the heroine to fall in love with each other. The game’s plot could not be allowed to repeat.
“I,” Kurt hurried to follow. “I saw them talking just now, yes. But…” He ‘failed’ to keep up, letting Elana rush ahead.
It was laughable. Elana despised such schemes. She was aware of her own cruelty and the fact that she was failing as a human being in many areas. But she did not hide it. Or at least… Not for long. She hated being duplicitous.
That was why it had been so hard to lie to Mary when Elana had met her for the first time. Acting wasn’t her strong suit. She had done it only to not be discovered right away. Gradual changes were fine, but she couldn’t switch to a new personality overnight.
Elana was aware she was rushing things. It might not be smart, but it suited her much more. She felt much more confident in facing the world on her own terms.
It would be the world that bowed or Elana that broke. It had happened once before. While she regretted her death, she didn’t regret the way she had lived and died.
Soft music reached Elana’s ears as she neared the Great Hall. Laughter and conversations travelled through the air, giving the place an inviting atmosphere.
The wide, open doors had a constant flow of comers and goers milling about. They noticed Elana’s arrival and hurried to free her way.
Elana threw back her blonde hair, making sure her glorious visage was unobstructed. She wet her lips, making them glisten. Her steps become slower, more regal. She raised her chin, ignoring the sudden, hushed whispers that surrounded her.
It was time to meet her destiny. Elana stepped through the doors, where the heroine was waiting.
Then… Elana froze.
