-Eris-
With a gentle but deliberate press of the thumb, the wax seal, an intricately carved insignia of a fully bloomed rose, gave way, releasing the envelope's delicate flap. The scent of pressed petals lingered faintly, as if the letter itself had been steeped in memory. Its parchment, thick and cream-colored, bore the weight of the quiet longing for a friend.
To my dearest friend, E,
I pray this letter reaches you in good health and high spirits. Forgive my silence these past few days; I've been unwell. Life along the Kingdom's borders is ever fickle, one moment scorched by relentless sun, the next chilled by biting winds. It's a place of extremes, and my constitution, though trained to endure, occasionally falters.
How I long to be where you are. If only my circumstances allowed me to travel freely, I would be at your side without hesitation. Still, I find comfort in knowing that our reunion is not far off. The academy awaits us both, and I am already imagining our midday meals together, while sharing stories and secrets.
Until then, know that you are dearly missed.
With affection and anticipation,
Sera
It was a well-written letter, penned by someone named Sera. But who was she? Eris furrowed her brow, searching her memory for any mention of a girl by that name in the novel. Nothing surfaced, not even a fleeting recollection.
"Strange," Eris murmured. "If they were close, why didn't the original Eris mention her even once in the novel?"
And the academy?
Well, the novel did mention Eris attending the academy, but only briefly. The Aetherspire Academy was no ordinary school. It was a prestigious institution that accepted only the most gifted individuals, with a long history of producing prodigies.
If you lacked talent, you needed something else: money. Lots of it.
And that's exactly how Eris Leonel Virelli got in.
She had zero talent, but she had wealth. Well, her parents' wealth.
But in the novel, her stay was short-lived. In the second year of her stay at the academy, she was expelled when she could no longer afford the tuition.
"Wait, holy cheese!" Eris Hale blinked, stunned. She had completely forgotten that part. The original villainess had studied at Aetherspire for a year before being kicked out. But how? She was the daughter of a duke. House Virelli was one of the richest noble families in the entire Kingdom of Aurel.
So how could she not afford it?
Then it clicked.
It wasn't that House Virelli couldn't pay, it was that the duke refused to. He had cast her out after she entered her deceased sister's room and touched a few personal belongings. Enraged, he stripped her of everything: her allowance, her status, her dignity. She was poorer than a beggar. At the very least, they have a few coins, but at that time, she got nothing. Well, at least, they allowed her to bring some of her clothes.
She ended up living with her aunt, a greedy, gambling addict who saw Eris as a walking jewelry box. For a month, Eris played along, pretending she had money. Her aunt, not exactly the sharpest knife on the shed, believed her. But once she realized Eris was even poorer than she was, she threw her out.
It was only for a short while, though, the duke eventually brought her back to House Virelli, likely realizing she was his only remaining daughter and the sole heiress to the dukedom. But even so, by casting Eris out in the first place, he unknowingly set her on the path toward the very person who would lead her to a tragic end.
Eris Leonel Virelli met her killer: Theodor Blackthorn.
Their first encounter wasn't dramatic. No words were exchanged. Just a brief but electric glance. It wasn't described well in the novel, but Eris Hale could imagine it. Theodor is probably one of those good-looking guys you see at a bus stop or an airport and can't forget. That's probably why, even after many years, the villainess still remembered him.
And it wasn't just her noticing him. He noticed her too. Maybe he felt something, just a flicker of interest. But in the end, he still killed her.
Eris Hale wouldn't take that chance.
She couldn't walk the same path as the original villainess. She couldn't afford to catch anyone's eye, especially not his. Those dangerous red eyes. Even if she didn't fall for him, even if she never crossed him, he might still kill her. A single misstep could trigger him.
Men who toy with women's hearts are bad enough. But a man who's a sociopathic, pathological liar, and a murderer? That's a death sentence. He's a total red flag and he hides it well behind his charming appearance.
"I'd be damned if I let that guy get close to me," Eris muttered, swallowing the lump in her throat.
She scribbled in a notebook, presumably the original Eris Virelli's diary.
'If I want to avoid that situation completely, I must not get kicked out of the Academy.
That means I must not enter my dead sister's room to avoid angering the duke.'
"Sounds like a plan," she said with a satisfied smile.
She reached for a sheet of parchment in soft pink, the original villainess's favorite color, and began writing her reply to Sera.
Once finished, she folded the letter with deliberate care and sealed the envelope with the insignia of House Virelli: an eagle in mid-flight clutching a scroll in one talon and a dagger in the other, a symbol of wisdom sharpened by resolve.
The night had fallen. Stars shimmered. The moon hung high.
Back in her world, she'd probably still be in the office, fixing the coffee machine or doing someone else's work, because she couldn't say no for the hundredth time.
"Well," she hummed, "maybe falling into this novel isn't so bad after all."
Her eyes followed a shooting star and wished for a better day tomorrow.
-to be continued-