Just as Viella was lost in her thoughts, a pointed noise broke the silence.

"Ahem, ahem!"

Viella snapped out of her thoughts, nearly jumping off the bed. She looked up to see Lily standing by the wardrobe, arms crossed and a knowing smirk playing on her lips.

"When did you come in?!" Viella demanded, trying to smooth her hair and regain her composure.

"Since the moment you kept blushing while thinking about Lord Dante," Lily replied casually, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Hey! I wasn’t blushing and specially wasn’t thinking about him at all!! okay?" Viella countered immediately, though she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks again, betraying her words.

"Oh, really~?" Lily leaned in, her voice dropping to a teasing whisper. "Did you have fun though my lady~?"

Viella’s face grew redder than a ripe tomato.

"Shut up!" She grabbed a nearby silk pillow and hurled it at her with all her strength.

Lily dodged the flying cushion with practiced ease, chuckling as she picked up the cushion and place it where it was. As she turned her back leave, she muttered under her breath,

"Even if it’s a different soul, they both act the same when it comes to that man."

Just as Lily vanished, Viella slammed her eyes shut, burying her face into the silk sheets. But it was useless. Every time she closed her eyes, Dante’s face appeared, the way his dark hair had fallen over his forehead, the dangerous heat in his gaze, and the sensation of his breath against her ear.

"Ahhh! I’m going to go crazy... or I already am crazy!" she groaned into the mattress, her voice muffled.

"This plot has officially made me lose my mind totally!"

She stayed facedown for a moment before rolling over, her legs flailing as she began kick-hitting the soft bed beneath her in a fit of pure frustration.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

The expensive duvet didn’t deserve the abuse, but she didn’t care.

After a few seconds of the tantrum, she finally went still, staring up at the ceiling . Her breathing was ragged, and her cheeks were still radiating a warmth.

"Tsk. Whatever," she muttered, forcing her expression into nonchalant one. She sat up and smoothed her disheveled dress with trembling fingers.

"I ain’t falling for that obsessive maniac. No way."

She reached up and touched her lips, then immediately pulled her hand away.

"He’s a red flag. A giant, walking, talking, breathing red flag," she reminded herself.

"And I have exactly five days to find Elias and get out of this nightmare of a book before I get killed or else get locked here forever"

But as she sat there in the silence, she couldn’t help but notice that the headache hadn’t come back.

Viella sighed, her throat feeling like she’d swallowed a handful of desert sand. She reached for the water jug on her nightstand, only to find it empty.

"Great," she muttered, giving the bell pull a sharp tug. She waited, but no one came. Totally silence. No footsteps, no rustle of skirts, nothing.

Growing impatient, she pulled on a light silk robe and stepped out into the hallway. The grand corridor, which usually had a lot of maid cleaning and walking was now silent totally.

"Duh, now I have to go down and fetch some water myself," she grumbled. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

She was halfway to the stairs when she spotted a lone maid hurrying along the lower landing, carrying a silver tray with a bottle of wine undoubtedly for Nonna’s nightly routine.

"Hey!" Viella called out, her voice sharp. The maid jumped, nearly rattling the glasses.

"Where is all the maids? Why isn’t anyone answering the bells?"

The maid bowed low, her voice trembling slightly. "My Lady... Lord Dante issued a sudden order. He commanded that everyone-save for those attending to Nonna-leave the main estate immediately. He said he is not to be disturbed under any circumstances, and neither is... well, the estate is to remain silent."

Viella nodded sensing something wrong.

"I see. You can go."

"But wait," Viella called out, stopping the maid in her tracks. A sudden question came inside her mind.

"Where’s that maid... Alina?"

The maid dipped into a low, shaky curtsy. "Lord Dante ordered her to stay with him, my lady. He said he required her assistance specifically."

Viella’s eyebrows shot up. So that’s why he doesn’t want to be interrupted?

A strange, cold pinch tightened in her chest. She immediately shoved it down.

Whatever.

"Okay, you can go." She dismissed the maid with a sharp wave and hurried toward the kitchens.

The kitchen was mostly dark, though a few guards still stood like iron statues near the service entrance. Viella ignored them, focusing on filling her water jug.

As she turned to leave, her gaze caught a movement through the floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the moonlit rose garden.

There they were.

Alina was standing close perhaps a little too close to Dante. The moonlight caught the silver embroidery of his coat and the pale fabric of her uniform. Dante’s face was glowing under the moonlight.

"I thought he will be inside his study or perhaps his room. But no he’s here enjoying his works with Alina" Viella looked at them boredly.

He was holding several sheets of paper, and they seemed locked in a quiet, intense conversation. It was a perfect scene- the powerful cold mafia and the gentle sold off girl who was destined to melt his heart.

It looked exactly like a scene straight out of a romance novel.

Viella rolled her eyes, her reflection in the glass looking tired and pale. "Well, it is a book, after all," she whispered to herself. "And they’re the main leads. And I’m just the villainess destined to be killed by the end of the Chapter."

Suddenly all the memories of Dante being close to her flashed through her, she shook her head,

"Either way he gonna end up being a character control by the plot..by this book."

With a sharp toss of her head, she gripped her water jug and walked away.

Yet she didn’t notice the heavy gaze which followed her until she vanished completely.

Only then did it return to the rustling pages.

"Lord Dante, should I make a cup of coffee? You probably need it," Alina chirped, her voice cutting through the midnight air.

The silence was absolute. Only the sound of flipping paper answered her.

"Lord Dante, overwork is harmful for you. You’ve been at this for hours," she continued, leaning in with practiced concern.

"Lord-"

Alina kept going, her voice echoing off the stone walls. Even the men around her were getting irritated, though they remained still but it was visible on their face.

When their boss first brought this girl to the estate, they had felt a flicker of pity for her. She had looked so small and fragile-a tiny mouse thrown into a lion’s den. They expected her to be crushed.

But seeing her now felt totally different. There was a desperate, hungry edge to her innocence. Surprisingly, their boss also showed such closeness to her, allowing her to linger by his side while he worked.

Suddenly, a glimpse of Dante’s cold eyes fell on them, sharp and cold, as if he could clearly hear their wandering thoughts.

The men stood perfectly still, their annoyed expressions vanishing instantly.

"Alina, you don’t have to worry about me... Take some break," he said, his voice low.

Alina’s face brightened with a shy, triumphant smile. "Lord Dante is kind," she whispered, bowing her head.

"This is way easier than I thought," Alina hummed to herself, her heart fluttering with a sense of victory. She turned on her heel and left happily, her footsteps light as she disappeared into the corridor.

The moment her shadow vanished, the atmosphere in the garden shifted.

The soft, indulgent tone Dante had used vanished instantly. His expression shifted, his jaw tightening. The "warmth" he had shown for the sake of the scene evaporated, leaving only a cold, predatory focus.

His face hardened.

"Report everything that happened while I was away," Dante ordered. His voice was cold, stripping away the lingering "kindness" he had shown Alina only moments ago....

__________

In the Bedroom

Viella didn’t even bother with a glass. She grabbed the jug and chugged the whole thing, the cold water splashing against her chin as she drank with a desperate intensity.

She slammed the jug back onto the nightstand and wiped her lips with the back of her hand, her eyes flashing with a mix of exhaustion and irritation.

"Tsk," she hissed into the empty room. "I am going to strangle Elias. I swear it."

"I don’t know what kind of stupid plot he’s writing this time, but making me watch a low-budget romance in the garden while I’m dying of thirst? That’s just complete rage bait!!"

She threw herself onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

But then,

Viella sat up, She grabbed a diary from the nightstand and a fountain pen, the ink scratching against the thick paper with a frantic energy.

She began to list her reality in numbered points:

1. Original book (Have the old plot, but totally.

vanished from the book.)

2. The dagger (The weapon meant for my

heart-where is it now?)

3. The changing of plot (It’s shifting too fast.

Dante is acting weird.)

4. Original Viella’s appearance (Why does Lily

think I’m a different soul? Is original Viella.

coming back?)

And most importantly -

5. Survive till the ending and somehow manage

to slip away.

Viella looked down at the page,

"Duh, so many stuffs," she muttered, dropping the pen and rubbing her temples. "How is my this little brain gonna handle all of it?"

Viella stared at the diary, her pen hovering over the paper. A hollow, nervous laugh escaped her lips as the reality of her situation settled in.

"But then again, it was my fault for provoking Elias," she whispered, her voice cracking slightly. "Who knew he could actually regain control like this? I thought I had him cornered."

She leaned her head back against the headboard, feeling a wave of regret. She had played with the Author, mocked his script, and tried to rewrite her destiny. She thought she was being clever, but all she had done was turn a boring tragedy into a high-stakes thriller.

"So basically, I invited my own death. Aha... ⊙⁠﹏⁠⊙"

Viella squeezed her eyes shut, calming down and opened them. She looked up at the dark ceiling,

"Is this punishment for all the sins I have committed?!" she cried out. "I swear, once I return to my world, I will never ever commit any crime! I won’t even jaywalk! I’ll be the most law-abiding citizen ever!"

She thought about her life before this nightmare. Sure, she might have cut a few corners or been a bit too ambitious, but this?

Being hunted by an obsessive maniac and a vengeful Author was a bit much for a first-time offense.

"It’s okay even if I am poor! I’ll eat instant noodles every day and never complain! Just let me out of this book!"

"Aha...I really am my own worst enemy."

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TO BE CONTINUED