[A week after aderi's debutante]

Aderi was in her own study room looking out at the window. She was sitting down currently responding to letters from people who are inviting her to parties and those who wished her a late happy birthday.

"Writing back letters is so tiring..." Aderi said as she followed it with a sigh while wiggling the pen in her hands.

"It's already been one week and I'm still not done replying...not to mention, I only got to open half of the gifts, being someone with a high status is indeed a big deal," Aderi said as she looked back at the paper on the table.

"I wonder...what was Caelias gonna tell me that night, I never saw him again after that," Aderi said wondering what was Caelias gonna tell her. Especially since it seemed important.

"Why is he so mysterious, why did he help me just like that...why? Isn't he supposed to be the person who'll behead Aderi?" Aderi asked herself as she gripped the pen in her hand.

"It's only a riddle if you don't know the answer..." Aderi mumbled remembering what Caelias told her that day in his garden.

°

"Are you sure we've only just met now?"

°

While thinking about what he said, she remembered another thing Caelias said to her that day.

"Are you sure we've only just met now?..." Aderi mumbled another word Caelias told her that day.

"Does that mean we've met...before?" Aderi asked herself as she lost grip on the pen she was holding.

"From the start, he started calling me "Aderi" not "Lady Callista" he isn't the type to make a mistake like that due to him being royalty and him knowing the rules more than anyone" Aderi replied to herself confused.

"Could there be something I overlooked in the novel?" Aderi asked herself as she stood up from her seat. She then started pacing back and forth in the room trying to think of something.

Then it hit her.

The chapter is about how

"Could it be that? In the garden scene Aderi was 7...could that be why Caelias knows me? I didn't experience that due to me being reincarnated as the 14 years old Aderi...so could that be it?" Aderi asked herself.

"How could I forget about this detail? Am I that seriously so serious about trying to survive and trying to maintain a good relationship with the people here that have important roles in the novel?" Aderi asked herself.

"But...are the others important? Did I lose touch and started having fun? I know some people I've met weren't mentioned in the novel but I'm meeting them here, like Lucas's brother, and Cael" Aderi said frustrated as she tries figuring things out.

"..."

She fell backward after losing strength in her legs. She knocked something behind her in the process. It was a vase and it fell alerting the maids outside.

"M'lady, are you okay!?" One of the maids opened the door and yelled. But Aderi wasn't able to answer as she sat there shocked with the broken vase pieces on her side.

"Did you hurt yourself, m'lady!?"

"Are you okay m'lady!?"

There were now a lot of maids in the room trying to help Aderi up. But Aderi couldn't hear them.

All she could think about was Cael.

Cael her long-lost friend that has black hair and blue eyes, but now had , that hair has now turned .

No wonder Aderi couldn't find that dear friend of hers...because that person doesn't have those same features anymore. Cael--

"H-how could I not know...how did it slip into my mind, was I just having fun?" Aderi asked herself over and over again.

"No wonder he was so eager to help me, no wonder he called me Aderi from the get-go...no wonder I couldn't find Cael anymore," Aderi thought as she was being held by the maids. She was in a state of shock.

Aderi right now feels betrayed, frustrated, and... disappointed in herself.

Upon hearing the news, Thomas quickly went to where his daughter was. The maids manage to make Aderi stand up but she was just there staring into space.

"Aderi...Aderi...are you okay!? Did you hurt yourself!?" Thomas asked as he held the shoulders of her daughter.

"Aderi answer me!" Thomas said worriedly shaking Aderi's shoulders. Aderi looked up at her worried father after realizing she was zoning out.

"F-father..." Aderi mumbled.

"My daughter...are you okay? Did you hurt yourself? What happened?" Thomas asked panicked.

"I-i lost my balance," Aderi said as she hung her head low.

"Maids! She has a cut on her arm and hands, bring out the first aid!" Thomas commanded as he noticed the cuts from the vase.

"N-no need! I'm sorry but...I have to go-" Aderi said as she pushed her father aside and ran out of the room.

"ADERI! YOUR CUTS!" Thomas yelled but she was already out the door.

"Should we chase after her, duke?" Thomas's assistant asked.

"No...I think she needs space, whatever it is, I think it's something serious...Check every letter and gifts she received, someone might enter a death threat inside" Thomas ordered.

"as you wish, my lord," The butler said as he bowed before going out of the room.

°

°

Aderi was stumbling as she went back to her room.

"Why did he keep his identity? Why? Why didn't he make an effort to say it to me? Is that why he told me to wear that ribbon every time? Is that why he kept complimenting that ribbon?" Aderi's thoughts were all over the place.

"Was he trying to give me a hint all this time!? Why a hint! Now I feel dumb that I made friends with the person I tried to avoid the most!" Aderi almost fell but she managed to hold the handle of her door. She opened her door and saw someone inside, sitting in her chair.

It was Jake.

"You!" Aderi said as she went inside slamming the door behind her.

"Huh? Wait! What did I do!?" Jake asked confused seeing the mad Aderi who was approaching him.

"TELL ME! WHY DID HE KEEP HIS IDENTITY TO ME?" Aderi yelled at Jake as she pinned Kake on the chair by putting both of her hands behind the chair's back.

"Huh?" Jake asked again shocked at how Aderi was behaving.

"CAELIAS IS CAEL ISN'T HE?!" Aderi yelled asking.

"So you found out..." Jake asked.

"SO YOU ALSO KNEW? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" Aderi asked.

"He told me to keep my mouth shut" Jake replied honestly.

"Get out of my room, now! And tell Cael--no, tell I don't want to see him anymore, tell him I don't want to talk to him anymore!" Aderi said as she unblocked the path.

"Wait, I'm here for a different rea-" Jake said as he stood up, but his sentence was cut off.

"I don't care, to get out!" Aderi said as she pushed Jake to the balcony. After she managed to get him out, she shut the balcony door and closed the curtain.

Aderi's sat down and hugged her knee, the sense of betrayal was hitting hard, but not as hard as the disappointment in herself.

She knew she was too relaxed before the real timeline of the novel approached. That made her make friends who were not even mentioned in the novel. She was too forgetful about the events. She tried so hard to manage a good relationship with her grandparents so if ever her father kicks her out she has a back door plan.

But...in the end, she managed to meet Caelias all because she went to that vendor.

She worried about the person who is gonna kill her in the end. She made friends with the person she doesn't want to get involved with. She got worried when her dear old friend said goodbye to her that day.

"it seemed like...I worried for nothing" Aderi whispered as a tear rolled down her cheeks. All of the worry about her dying one day and all of her disappointment was formed into tears.

"It seemed like I didn't try hard enough...is my end near?" She asked herself.

She hugged herself tighter from the feeling of being scared of her end is near. After all, who would want to die again?

°

°

Aderi fell asleep crying and when she woke up, the moon was already up in the sky, shining so lovely.

Three knocks can be heard on her door, but she ignored them figuring Jake was back.

But the knocking did not stop it was only just getting louder and louder, Aderi even put the pillow in her ears but it didn't work. She had enough and opened the curtain.

Indeed someone was there, they were wearing a cloak, the night was dark and as well as Aderi's room.

Aderi opened the balcony door.

"Jake, if you're here to pass on Caelias's massage don't even bother, I won't hear it ou-" Aderi was cut off when the person pulled their cloak back.

"It's me...Aderi" Caelias said in a soft voice.

"Y-you...didn't I say I don't want to see you!?" Aderi yelled.

"Aderi I know...I'm sorry okay, this is what I feared, that you'll hate me if you get to know who I truly am" Caelias said apologizing.

"I know you felt betrayed right now but I was gonna tell you at your debutante but we were interrupted...I couldn't tell you sooner since you don't even seem to like me as Caelias..." Caelias explained.

°°°

Indeed, Aderi doesn't like Caelias for a valid reason, another reason why Aderi feels so disappointed in herself is that she once told Caelias that she doesn't like the royal family.

°°°

"Then why didn't you tell me you were part of the royal family?" Aderi asked.

"Cause I was afraid you won't see me for me..." Caelias said. Aderi looked away.

"I worried a lot for you so much to the point I forgot about my survival! Couldn't you have given me a single letter?! That night when you said your goodbye, you made me think I'll really never get to see my dear old friend Cael" Aderi said frustrated. Silent filled the air after what Aderi said.

"I'm sorry, but you should go" Aderi said as she stepped back and closed the door and the curtain. Caelias didn't say anything else.

He knew Aderi was right, he could have at least sent her a letter but he didn't. But in the end, he also doesn't know why Aderi hated the royal family, well by 'royal family', Aderi meant him...Caelias