Viella’s POV

I stared at the empty jug on my nightstand. I definitely drank way too much water, my stomach feels uncomfortably full now. But honestly? It was worth it. At least now I have a solid excuse to stay locked in here and avoid going back down. I really don’t have the stomach to see those "lovely couples" playing house in the garden.

I rolled my eyes at the very thought. How romantic.

My gaze drifted back down to the diary, landing on the list I’d just scribbled.

"Hmm, let’s start with the first one," I muttered, tapping the pen against my chin.

"The Original Book."

If I want to know how this story was supposed to go before Elias decided to lose his mind, I need that manuscript. I’m certain he’s writing something entirely new now, a twisted version of the ending. To find the truth, I have to get my hands on the original book, which is definitely hidden somewhere inside Elias’s mansion.

It won’t be easy to sneak out and get it but then again, it won’t be impossible either. Not when I have the "best soldier" on my side.

________

No One’s POV

Meanwhile, in a small, sparsely decorated room a sharp achoo! broke the silence.

Lily rubbed her nose, her eyes narrowed. She was currently sitting on the edge of her cot, surrounded by a collection of thin, wicked

looking blades. She had been mid-motion, polishing a throwing knife, when the sudden sneeze made her hand slip causing a small cut and blood dripped on the knife.

Opposite her, a shadow seemed to flicker in the corner of the room.

"I am sorry about that," Lily said flatly. She didn’t look up as she began to clean the blood.

_______ 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

The room fell into a heavy stillness as Viella smirked, finishing the last of her notes. She looked down at the scribbled plans with a sense of satisfaction. After a long time, she stood up, stretching her limbs until her joints popped. She cracked her neck and let out a long, weary yawn.

It was already past midnight. The silence of the mansion was visible.

Driven by a sudden impulse, she stepped out onto the balcony once more. The cool night air hit her face, refreshing after the stuffiness of the room. She leaned over the stone railing, her eyes searching the garden below.

Dante and Alina were nowhere to be seen. The spot where they had been standing was now empty. Only the guards remained.

The estate looked peaceful. From this height, it was easy to forget that she was trapped inside a ticking time bomb of a plot.

Viella sighed, turning back toward her room.

Viella collapsed into her bed, the silk sheets cool against her skin. Even in her state of exhaustion, she can’t ruin her skincare routine.

After a meticulous layer of moisturizer, she finally let her brows relax.

Beauty sleep matters more than the plot, she thought drowsily. With that final, defiant vanity, she dozed off, her body too heavy to fight the pull of sleep any longer.

The Dead of Night

Tick. Tick. Tick.

The rhythmic of clock echoed through the silent stone halls. The gears shifted, the wind started blowing big faster, and the clock hit 3:00 AM.

Viella’s eyes snapped open. A groggy fog clouded her mind as she struggled to sit up.

"Has it... already been eight in the morning?"

she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.

She blinked, waiting for the sunlight to hit the gold-trimmed curtains, but the room remained dim. Her hazy eyes scanned the darkness, moving till they snagged on something or should we say someone.

A figure was sitting directly in front of her bed.

Viella’s heart did a violent jump in her chest.

She jolted upright, her breath hitching in her throat. She saw a pair of pale hands resting calmly on their lap. They were placed elegantly.

Gh... ghost?! The thought screamed in her head. She opened her mouth to shriek for Lily, for the guards, for anyone but her throat felt dry. She couldn’t let out any word.

The figure finally stood up, drifted closer. It stopped directly in front of the bed, looming over her.

Viella’s eyes widened, her heartbeat got faster. The moonlight finally caught the features of the intruder, and the "ghost" leaned down until their faces were inches apart.

A cold finger poked firmly into Viella’s stomach.

"Tsk. You even gained weight, you fat girl."

Viella froze. The insult was so petty, so personal, but she was too busy processing everything....this face....it was...

But before she could find her voice, the woman’s hand moved upward, cupping Viella’s chin with harsh grip. She tilted Viella’s head left, then right, inspecting her under the silver light.

"Hmm... you’re taking care of the skin, though. I have to give you a point for that." The woman hummed, her eyes tracking the glow of the moisturizer Viella had applied earlier.

"Basically, you get 1 out of 100."

"Who..." Viella finally managed to choke out, her voice barely a whisper. "Who are you?" She needed to confirm it.

The woman pulled her hand back, dusting her fingers as if she had touched something slightly grimy. She looked around the room with a look of pure loathing.

"I am the one whose life you are currently making a mess of," the woman replied, her eyes flashing. "And if you keep ’inviting your death’ by being dumb, there won’t be a body left for me to return to."

"So you really are the original Viella..." Vivien muttered, her voice trembling as she stared at the figure that looked exactly like the original Viella.

"Obviously," the woman snapped, tossing her hair with grace. "Who else is as gorgeous as me in this room?"

Vivien felt a flicker of her old snark rising despite the fear. "Now I can see why Dante never liked your attitude," she muttered under her breath.

"What did you say?" Viella’s eyes narrowed into slits.

"Nothing!" Vivien shook her head frantically.

"Absolutely nothing!"

"Whatever. Don’t be over-smart," Original Viella dismissed her with a wave of her pale hand.

"But... you’re alive?" Vivien asked. "Is this dream or... reality?"

Viella let out a chilling laugh. As the sound echoed, the moonlight seemed to shift, turning red.

Suddenly red liquid started to drop from her abandon. The metallic scent of copper filled the air as the blood became visible, soaking her dress.

Vivien’s eyes widened, her breath hitching.

"Of course I am not Alive," Viella hissed, her voice dropping.

"The one last thing I wished for was to have my body taken over by someone who could erase Alina... but looking at you now, I think you’re the one who’s about to get erased. Tsk, tsk."

Vivien felt a surge of indignation and glared back. "I’m doing my best here!"

Viella laughed once more. She reached out, her hands dripping with thick, ethereal blood, and wiped them across Vivien’s nightdress, leaving dark, wet smears on the white fabric.

"You better do your job right," she whispered, her face inches from Vivien’s.

Suddenly, the scent of blood grew overwhelming, thick enough to choke on. The room began to spin. Vivien’s strength vanished instantly, and she fell back into a deep, heavy slumber before her head even hit the pillow

"Tsk tsk what a weak little soul. Fainted before even getting her full answers."

________

Viella’s eyes snapped open, her breath hitching in her throat.

She scrambled out of the sheets, nearly tripping over her own feet as she rushed to the full body mirror. Her hands flew over her body, patting her chest, her stomach, and her arms

everywhere those bloody, pale hands had touched.

"Nothing..." she whispered, leaning so close to the glass her breath fogged it up.

She checked her nightdress. It was fine. No dark smears, no metallic scent, no blood stain. She poked her stomach tentatively, remembering what that original Viella did.

"That was a dream?!" She gripped her hair, pacing in a tight circle. "Nah, nah. You cannot tell me that was a dream! The smell was literally right there! And hewl nah! 1 out of 100? She really had the audacity to rate my skincare while being a corpse herself???"

Knock. Knock.

Viella jumped. Her head snapped toward the door.

"My Lady? It’s Lily. I’ve brought your morning—"

Before Lily could even finish the sentence, Viella lunged. She threw the bolt back, grabbed the door handle, and pulled with a violent SLAM.

Before Lily could blink, Viella reached out, grabbed the front of her uniform, and hauled her inside the room, kicking the door shut with her bare feet.

Lily stood there, miraculously steadying the tray of tea that was now spilled. She blinked slowly, her sharp eyes scanning Viella’s disheveled hair and manic expression.

"Good morning to you too, My Lady," Lily said calmly.

"Did you have a nightmare, or did you finally decide to go through with the plan to strangle the Author?"

"Lily, look at me!" Viella hissed, clutching her shoulders

"Do I look fat???"

Lily paused, her sharp eyes traveling slowly from the top of Viella’s messy bedhead down to her bare toes. Without a word, she gave a single, definitive nod.

Viella’s eyes narrowed into a dangerous glare.

"I am giving you exactly three seconds to look more closely," she hissed.

"I will ask again. Now answer honestly..."

She stepped closer, pointing a dramatic finger at her own waist.

"Do I look fat?"

Lily didn’t even flinch. She took a half-step back, tilted her head, and nodded again.

Viella’s hopeful face fell instantly. Her shoulders slumped, and she looked like she was about to cry.....or scream.

"I mean, you are much healthier than how My Lady used to be," Lily added, her tone softening just a fraction, though her eyes remained teasing. "It’s not a huge difference, but it’s there. Your cheeks have more... substance now. It makes people want to poke them."

Viella kept glaring, her hand instinctively going to her cheek. Poke them? That’s exactly what that ghost Viella did!

Lily let out a short breath, seeing the genuine distress on Viella’s face.

"Fine. Get ready, My Lady," Lily said, turning toward the door. "I will go and prepare a salad for you. No dressing, just greens."

Just as Lily’s hand touched the latch, Viella’s instincts kicked in. "Hey, no! I still want my pancakes!"

Lily didn’t turn around, but Viella could see the corners of her mouth twitching. She let out a small smirk and slipped out of the room, the door clicking shut behind her.

Viella stood in the center of the room.

"Which means..." she whispered, her gaze drifting back to the mirror. "That was definitely a dream, but a dream where I had a direct line to the Original Viella."

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TO BE CONTINUED.