A gentle summer-infused breeze swept through the empty air of the Cherliann manor, carrying with it the scent of dewy leaves and flowery aromas. Contrary to her wintry appearance, Irene adored the warm season. The blazing blue sky and golden sun beaming down a delightful warmth and radiance, onto the endless gardens dappled with colours.

Two summers passed by as swiftly as the wind, since the army of Laydel had gone to fight in a one-sided war against Izadel. Irene, now seven years old - smiled from her seat at the garden pavilion while writing another letter to her father, the duke of Cherliann, who had been away for almost two years now.

Throughout this time, Irene had been keeping a close eye on her father through Snow, who would visit the duke discreetly once a week. There were times where the phoenix would report the duke had obtained an injury, or that he and his army had fallen into a trap - but very rarely did they find themselves tied down by such situations. Rudien was not the type of man to fall at a single injury, and neither were the soldiers he raised.

"That father of yours is seriously frightening," Snow would tell her. "But he's so cool at the same time! Maybe being summoned by his daughter isn't so bad, since I get to see him in action!"

Meanwhile, Irene had been rather busy during her time at the manor, with her education broadening and her social life expanding, little by little. Although she was only seven, she was already well-versed in almost every aspect of being a noble. Whether it was dance, etiquette, courtesy or even the hidden meanings behind certain actions.

Perhaps it was because she herself had created this world, and knew exactly what the culture was like.

Beside her at the garden pavilion, sat Sarah - her mother, as well as a regular guest and Irene's etiquette teacher — the Duchess of Firventia. After her lessons with the socialite would come to an end for the afternoon, the two duchesses who had been long time friends would sit in the garden and have tea together.

Duchess Carla Firventia was a beautiful woman with auburn hair and amber eyes, who was married to the duke of Firventia and had two twin sons - Ivan and Haren. Although it was normal for a hired teacher to be a lower-level noble, Carla had taken a liking to Irene, and requested herself to be the one to support the young lady in her growth.

As a genius in social networking, Irene was of course, obliged to her teacher being the woman of high society. Although Carla's ulterior motives were obvious, Irene knew it would benefit her to have a famous person adored by the nobles of Laydel, on her side.

This will spread a lot of good rumours, which will ensure I have a good reputation.

"Little Irene is such a dignified lady already!" Carla proudly exclaimed, as she sang her praises to the mother of her student. "She learns incredibly fast, and she masters everything I teach her. I'm sure when she comes of age, she will become a star in society."

Sarah smiled, gently stroking her daughter's hair as she set down her teacup. "It's all thanks to you, Carla. Thank you for taking on this job, even though you really didn't need to trouble yourself..."

"Nonsense! I adore Irene, as if she's my own daughter! It's truly an honour to be able to contribute to her growth. Especially since she's the child of you, my dearest friend!"

As if I'm her own daughter huh... Irene flinched, wanting to sigh. She must be thinking that in the future, I can marry one of her sons. As the two duchesses continued to chatter away, Irene remembered her encounters with the twins of Firventia, Ivan and Haren.

Although they would grow up to be incredibly handsome young men, who were also close friends to Prince Daniel and Rayvis, they were rather overwhelming. Ivan, the elder twin was rather cheeky and would always be up to something mischievous. His personality was rather explosive, and it was hard to control him.

Meanwhile, his brother Haren was a quiet and timid character who usually followed the elder twin everywhere, like a lost chick. In the future, Ivan would become a promiscuous ladies man, while Haren would be a kind man who people adored, but he'd always be preoccupied with trying to manage his elder twin.

I'd rather not get too involved with those twins, mostly because it'll be hard to get away from them. Irene thought, despite the fact that she had often encountered the boys - since they would come over to play with Rayvis sometimes. Luckily I'm just a dumb little girl in their eyes, they only seem to show interest in my brother.

As Irene finished writing her letter to Rudien, she waved toward a nearby maid, who approached the table at her signal. Irene then smiled as she handed the envelope to her. "Can you send this to my father, Lily?"

The maid bowed her head respectfully. "Yes, My Lady. I will see to it now."

Sarah and Carla watched intently, as the duke's face appeared in their minds. As the duchess of Firventia gazed at her friend seated opposite, she noticed the wistful smile upon her elegant face.

"It's already been two years... Time flies, doesn't it?" Carla sighed softly, taking another sip from her teacup in a graceful manner. "I've heard from my husband that our military has already crushed two-thirds of the enemy's forces. It won't be long until he's home, I'm sure."

Sarah nodded, gazing at the silver flowers decorating the porcelain teacups. "Although I know he's coming back, I can't help but long to see him... I'm sure our children feel the same."

As Irene continued to listen to the conversations of the two women, she started to doodle with the leftover paper she had. Although rather boring, the topics discussed among the duchesses were rather informative. They always spoke of things that were happening among the ducal houses, which helped Irene keep tabs on important events that were currently taking place.

"Speaking of which, have you heard?" Carla waved her hand and leaned in, her eyes widening slightly as if she had some good news. "The Einfreds have adopted a daughter, from among the common people! It seems she is a young girl similar to Irene in age, who has awakened powerful magic. The Duke of Einfred has taken a liking to her."

Sarah's eyes widened, while Irene froze in total awe. "Is that so? How generous of them! I'm happy for Lady Einfred. She's always wanted a daughter!"

An adoptive daughter to House Einfred...

A girl with affinity for magic...

Irene could feel her heart racing in her little chest, as memories from her original story rushed through her mind like a sudden burst of wind.

It's Isabella! The main story has started to unfold!

This is my chance!

Irene glanced up from her drawings, and gazed at her mother and teacher with interest. "There's a girl my age in House Einfred?" She asked with eyes brimming with curiosity.

Duchess Firventia smiled at her enthusiasm, nodding her head. "Her name is Isabella. She's a kind and gentle soul, and her healing powers are undeniably strong."

"Wow, really? I'd love to meet her..." Irene marvelled at the thought, her cheeks turning red as she remembered how much she admired Isabella in her original story.

The protagonist and heroine of her first ever story — Isabella Einfred. A beautiful young girl who started off as an orphan working at an inn, but the moment she discovered her abilities, her life had changed forever.

But Isabella was never a greedy or power hungry character. Instead, she was patient with those around her, kind and lovable. She was the kind of person who never dwelled on her previous misfortunes, and helped those in need. It was these qualities which made Daniel and Mikael fall head over heels for her, but Irene was sure that they didn't like her enough, compared to how much she did.

Although the original Irene was always cruel toward Isabella, even attempting to kill her at the end of it all - the Irene now had built a stable image for herself. The story ended up going in a favourable route — one where instead of being enemies, Irene could be friends with Isabella.

And that was something she had been anxiously yet excitedly waiting for, for a while.l now.

My precious Isabella is finally here! She screamed in her head, trying to contain her excitement. I really want to see her soon!

But it seemed the twinkles in her golden eyes made it obvious to both Sarah and Carla, that she was very much curious about this new person. The duchesses laughed gently, before Sarah placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"If you'd like to get to know her, why not send her a letter?" She suggested, her clear blue eyes shining as Irene gazed up at her mother. "Exchanging letters is a great way to become acquainted with someone! You may become good friends in the future."

Exuberantly, Irene nodded her head. Her smile widened as the sparkles in her beautiful golden eyes grew all the more radiant. "That's a great idea, mother! In that case, I'll be going to write her something now!"

And with that, Irene hurriedly gathered her things and excused herself from the garden, saying goodbye to Duchess Firventia for the day before heading inside. As she rushed to her chamber, she happened across Snow, who was with River up until he noticed her running through the corridors.

"Sprout? What are you in such a hurry for?" He asked her, flying above her head as she entered her bedroom.

"Not now, Snow! I've got something urgent to do!"

The phoenix blinked, bewildered as she rummaged through the drawers of her resplendent room, bringing out her best pens and papers, her book of pressed flowers, and the wax seals she received as a gift from her mother for her seventh birthday.

Snow silently watched as she seated herself at her desk, and sat quietly in thought.

What should I write?

I'm so excited yet nervous I can't breathe...

"What's all this for?" Snow continued to ask, craning his neck downwards to get a better view.

"There's someone I want to become friends with, so I'm writing her a letter," Irene smiled, thinking intently as some ideas of what to say came to mind. "She's someone I've been longing to meet for a while."

Snow raised his head, his feathers raised slightly in confusion. "You want to be friends, but you haven't even met her?" As much as he tried to get his head around it, the phoenix only found himself in more confusion. "Humans are so odd."

"A bird brain like you wouldn't understand," she told him, before trying to wave him off her head. "Now leave me alone, I need to focus!"

Snow squawked petulantly in response. "Fine! How rude, hmph!"

Irene chuckled softly as he left the room, most likely going back to River to complain about how humans were weird creatures. Even though two years had passed by, their childish bickering never did end. Despite this, Irene and Snow developed a close bond with one another.

After he left and the room was finally silent, Irene turned back to the paper in front of her, she took a deep breath, thinking again about what to write, before finally coming up with a letter that she was sure, would be nice for Isabella to read.

I was the author of this world, after all! I know Isabella more than anyone. She smiled, as her little hands took the fountain pen and began to write in a neat and careful manner. I hope this letter is received well...