[GL] I'm Just A Side Character... So Why Is The Heroine Chasing Me?!-Chapter 21: Confrontation

Lan Yue stepped down from the carriage, her legs stiff from the long ride. The grand gates were painted deep red, flanked by stone lions whose eyes seemed to glare at anyone who dared enter. Rows of lanterns cast a warm glow across the entrance, but there was nothing warm about this place.

She knew that from the novel. And she felt it now, standing in the cold night air.

This isn’t a home. It’s a battlefield.

Zhao Lingxi descended from the carriage with quiet grace. Her face had returned to its usual mask of ice, revealing nothing of the chaos that had happened just hours ago. If Lan Yue hadn’t witnessed it herself, she would never believe this composed young woman had been drugged and nearly destroyed.

Liu Ruyan and Chen Mei rushed forward from the servants’ entrance, their faces pale with worry.

"Young Miss!" Liu Ruyan’s voice trembled. "We heard what happened at the palace. Are you hurt? Did they"

"I’m fine." Zhao Lingxi’s voice was flat. "Prepare hot water. I need to bathe."

Chen Mei nodded frantically and ran off. But Liu Ruyan hesitated, her gaze shifting to Lan Yue with something cold flickering in her eyes.

What’s her problem? Lan Yue thought, frowning slightly.

Before she could dwell on it, a sharp voice cut through the night.

"Well, well. The prodigal daughter returns."

A woman emerged from the shadows near the gate. She wore elegant robes of deep purple, her hair pinned with jade ornaments that glittered in the lantern light. Her face was beautiful but cruel, her lips curved in a mocking smile.

Lan Yue recognized her immediately from the novel.

Madam Hua.

"I heard there was quite a scene at the Empress Dowager’s banquet," Madam Hua said, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "Poor thing. First you kill an unborn child, and now this? It seems bad luck follows you wherever you go."

Zhao Lingxi didn’t even look at her. She simply walked past, as if the woman didn’t exist.

Madam Hua’s smile twitched. "Don’t ignore me, you little"

"Madam Hua."

Another voice joined them. This one was younger, sweeter, and somehow more dangerous.

Zhao Ruoqing stepped into the light.

She had changed from her palace attire into a simpler dress of pale blue, but she still looked every bit the elegant noble daughter. Her eyes were soft with concern, her lips pressed together in a worried pout.

"Please don’t trouble Sister," Zhao Ruoqing said gently. "She’s been through so much tonight. We should let her rest."

Madam Hua huffed but stepped back. Even she knew better than to cross the Second Miss openly.

Zhao Ruoqing turned to Zhao Lingxi with that same gentle smile. "Sister, I’m so glad you’re safe. When I heard what happened, I was so worried. That terrible Shen Yiming. I can’t believe he would do such a thing!"

Lan Yue watched the exchange carefully.

Worried? You were the one who planned the whole thing.

But Zhao Lingxi’s expression didn’t change. "Thank you for your concern, Second Sister."

"If you need anything. anything at all. please let me know." Zhao Ruoqing reached out as if to touch her arm. "We’re family, after all."

"Of course."

Zhao Lingxi walked away without another word, heading toward the Clear Frost Garden. Lan Yue hurried to follow, eager to escape the suffocating atmosphere.

Behind them, Zhao Ruoqing’s gentle smile slowly faded.

Her eyes turned cold as ice.

---

The Clear Frost Garden was exactly as they had left it, shabby, neglected, and isolated from the rest of the estate.

Lan Yue helped Chen Mei prepare the bath water while Liu Ruyan assisted Zhao Lingxi inside. The night air was cold, and the small brazier in the corner did little to warm the room.

’At least we fixed up the place a bit before leaving for the palace,’ Lan Yue thought, looking around. The floors were clean now, and the broken furniture had been moved aside. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

She waited outside while Zhao Lingxi bathed, sitting on the stone steps and staring up at the moon.

What a mess.

In the span of one day, she had attended a royal banquet, been attacked by her drugged mistress, and was now stuck in the middle of a revenge plot she wanted no part of.

All she wanted was a peaceful life. Was that too much to ask?

"Lan Yue."

She jumped at the voice. Zhao Lingxi stood in the doorway, her long black hair still damp, dressed in a simple white inner robe. In the moonlight, she looked almost ethereal like a fairy who had wandered down from the heavens.

Or a ghost who had risen from the grave.

"Young Miss?" Lan Yue scrambled to her feet. "Do you need something?"

"Come inside."

It wasn’t a request.

Lan Yue swallowed and followed her into the room.

The door closed behind them.

Zhao Lingxi sat at the small wooden table, her dark eyes fixed on Lan Yue. The candlelight flickered, casting dancing shadows across her face.

"Sit."

Lan Yue sat.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The silence stretched between them like a taut string, ready to snap at any moment.

Finally, Zhao Lingxi said, "Do you know why I was banished ten years ago?"

Lan Yue hesitated. She knew the answer from the novel, but should she admit that?

"I. I heard rumors," she said carefully. "About Madam Hua’s unborn child."

"I was accused of pushing her down the stairs." Zhao Lingxi’s voice was calm, almost detached. "She claimed I was jealous of her pregnancy. That I wanted to harm the child so Father would pay more attention to me."

"That’s ridiculous," Lan Yue blurted out before she could stop herself. "You were only ten years old!"

Zhao Lingxi tilted her head slightly. "You believe I’m innocent?"

"Of course I do!"

The words came out more forcefully than Lan Yue intended. She caught herself and looked down, embarrassed.

But when she glanced up, she saw something flicker in Zhao Lingxi’s eyes. Surprise? Interest? It was hard to tell.

"You’re strange, Lan Yue," Zhao Lingxi said softly. "You speak your mind too freely for a servant. You move too confidently. And when I was under the influence of that poison." Her gaze sharpened. "You didn’t scream. You didn’t cry. You fought back."

Lan Yue’s heart pounded. "I. I was just trying to survive"

"Most servants would have frozen in terror." Zhao Lingxi leaned forward slightly. "But you analyzed the situation. You looked for an opening. You waited until the Crown Prince arrived before playing the victim."

She saw all that?

"I’ll ask you once more," Zhao Lingxi said, her voice soft as silk. "Who are you?"

Lan Yue’s mind raced. She couldn’t tell the truth that she was a transmigrator from another world, that she had read this story as a novel, that she knew exactly how everything was supposed to end.

But she couldn’t stay silent either.

Think. Think!

"I" Lan Yue took a deep breath. "I haven’t always been a servant."

Zhao Lingxi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Before I came to serve you, I lived on the streets," Lan Yue continued, weaving truth and lies together. "I had to fight for every scrap of food. I learned to read people, to sense danger, to survive. When that man locked us in that room and I smelled the incense. I knew something was wrong. I didn’t have time to be scared. I just reacted."

It wasn’t the whole truth, but it wasn’t entirely false either. In her past life as Bethany, she had fought for survival. She had learned to read dangerous situations. The apocalypse had forged her into someone who didn’t freeze when death came knocking.

Zhao Lingxi studied her for a long moment.

Then, slowly, she leaned back.

"A street rat who clawed her way into a noble household," she murmured. "Interesting."

Lan Yue held her breath.

"Very well." Zhao Lingxi rose to her feet. "I’ll accept that answer. For now."

Lan Yue nearly collapsed with relief.

But before she could relax, Zhao Lingxi added, "However, if I ever discover you’re lying to me or worse, working against me, I will not be merciful."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, Young Miss."

Zhao Lingxi nodded and turned away, moving toward her bed. "You may go. Rest well. Tomorrow will be. eventful."

Lan Yue bowed quickly and hurried out of the room.

The moment the door closed behind her, she slumped against the wall, her heart still racing.

That was too close.

She looked up at the dark sky, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

In the original novel, Lan Yue had been a simple character, loyal at first, then consumed by jealousy, and finally destroyed by the very mistress she had served. A tragic side character whose death was barely a footnote in the heroine’s grand revenge.

But Lan Yue wasn’t that person anymore.

I’m Bethany. I survived the apocalypse. I fought zombies. I led an entire base of survivors.

She clenched her fists.

I’m not going to die as cannon fodder in someone else’s story.

From now on, she would carve her own path. She would stay by Zhao Lingxi’s side, not out of blind loyalty, but because it was the safest place to be. The heroine would rise to the top. Anyone standing with her would be protected.

And anyone standing against her would be crushed.

So I’ll make myself useful. I’ll prove my value. And when the time comes.

She glanced back at the closed door.

Maybe I can even change the ending.

---

Inside the room, Zhao Lingxi lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

Her mind replayed the events of the night, the poison, the Crown Prince’s intervention, her Second Sister’s fake tears, her father’s cold indifference.

And Lan Yue.

That strange servant who looked at her with eyes that held no fear.

A street rat, she says.

Zhao Lingxi’s lips curved into a faint smile.

Lies. But interesting lies.

She closed her eyes.

In this world where everyone wore masks, perhaps it was fitting that even her own servant had secrets.

It doesn’t matter. Whether you’re friend or foe, I will discover the truth eventually.

And until then.

Her smile sharpened.

I’ll let you dance on my palm.