Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 137017 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137017 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Kalon stared at me for a moment, then rubbed his chin. “I see. He really doesn’t tell you anything, does he?”
“Why would he? I’m little more than a pawn to that family. I have a pure and powerful noble bloodline that’s now linked House Vermillion to the Imperial Family so my dear sister can find herself a better husband than she would have otherwise.” I sat back and spread the sheets out in front of me, then reached for the little bell on my desk to call Bella back inside.
She didn’t appear.
“Bella?”
“I sent everyone away so you could sleep,” Kalon said. “Your lady-in-waiting told me the staff woke you up early this morning. I’ve told them to be quieter.”
“They’re only doing their jobs. But how am I supposed to get tea now?”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small red stone. “Like this.”
“Is that… a magic stone?”
“Yes. It’s imbued with magic to make it a communication device. This one is paired with the one Ark wears as a brooch. I merely activate it, and he knows to come.” He tucked it away again. “I suspect he’ll send one of your maids here.”
“Whoa.” I stared at his pocket. “That’s fascinating.”
“Would you like one?”
“One of what?”
“A communication stone. I need to meet with Aerwyna, so I can ask her to bring a pair with her when she comes here.”
I met his gaze. “But aren’t they expensive?”
“If you’re buying them, yes. However, the mages of Stein provide me with whatever tools I desire in return for their funding.” He paused. “I’m the one who has the stones anyway.”
Huh.
That was true.
He owned all the mines in Stein. It wasn’t like he had to pay for the stones in the first place.
“That makes sense.” I hesitated. “Then, yes, thank you. I’ll graciously accept your offer.”
His lips twitched into a smile.
Bella knocked on the door then pushed it open, pausing to greet us both. “Ark said you needed me, my lady.”
“Yes, would you bring some tea?”
“Of course, my lady.”
“Just enough for Alicia,” Kalon said, standing as she nodded and left. “I’ve heard about your work, so I’ll leave you to it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Why? You were so offended at my presence not long ago. Have you changed your mind and would like me to stay instead?”
“I think we’ve gotten to know each other quite enough for today, thank you.”
He chuckled. “I do have a request.”
“Go on.”
“I’d like for us to have to have dinner together every night.”
Was that it?
“Very well,” I replied. “That’s reasonable.”
“I’m glad you think so. We’ll start tomorrow.” He buttoned his jacket and picked up the box of his stuff. “Make sure to finish your work at a decent time. It won’t do for my fiancée to overwork herself.”
Hmm. He was being quite caring. “I shall keep it in mind.”
***
I flopped back onto my bed and stared at the canopy above it.
I was exhausted. So exhausted that I wasn’t sure I could even fall asleep right now.
Everything I knew—no, everything I thought I knew, was wrong. The Kalon I’d spoken to today was nothing like the Kalon in the book. That version of him was cold to Alicia, and he certainly never would have sought her out for something as simple as a greeting.
Nor did he give her a magic stone.
Or ask her to eat dinner.
Or laugh.
In fact, the version I knew would have gone out of his way to avoid all those things.
I knew my actions had changed things in this world, but how was it possible that a whole person had changed to such an extent? His demeanour was completely different, even when compared to the ball.
Then again, even our initial meeting had proceeded differently. In the book, Alicia had been the one to approach Kalon, and eagerly, too.
In this timeline, he’d approached me, and I’d been anything but interested.
I couldn’t wrap my head around it. What was so different now? Was it really just that the mere existence of my soul was enough to completely uproot the entire storyline?
Was it even truly a storyline anymore?
Maybe I had to remind myself that this wasn’t truly a fictional world. After all, the people here were real—they laughed, they cried, they got hurt. They died.
I might have first known it as a fictional place, but that didn’t mean it was any less real right now.
So, what would happen now?
In this real and ever-changing world, it stood to reason that the storyline I was so accustomed to wasn’t going to come to pass. Even if it did, it was unlikely to be in the way that I expected, a bit like this engagement to Kalon.
It’d happened as it was meant to, but the events leading up to it changed.
Maybe the big events in the plot would stay the same, but how they happened would be different.