-Eris-
It's only been a week since she started living as Eris Leonel Virelli in the novel The Prince's Obsession, and it's been nothing short of amazing.
Yes, that's right, amazing.
She's literally having the time of her life, spending her days staying in her room, eating, drinking tea, and chatting with Matilda, Amira, and Solidad, the personal maids assigned to tend to her needs. It almost feels like a well-deserved vacation after all those stressful days and overtime hours she had at her workplace back in her original world. And what makes everything even better is that she hasn't seen the duke, the duchess, and most of all, that one annoying butler with yellow eyes.
"This is probably the best thing that ever happened to me," she sighed as she drank her fourth cup of tea for the day.
"How so, Lady Eris?" Matilda asked, a cute, confused look on her face, as if she could never imagine lounging around doing nothing as the best thing that could ever happen to anyone.
"I can't imagine how anyone could stay tucked away in her room without going mad from boredom," Solidad, or Soli, as she insists Eris call her, said with an incredulous look. She has blue wavy long hair and her eyes are hidden well behind her bangs. Eris often wonder if it ever pokes her eyes.
"How about you go out today, My Lady? Be adventurous, be free!" the youngest, Amira, chirped with excitement written all over her youthful face. She's the youngest daughter of the gardener. Her eyes are light blue with a bit of brown in the irises, while her hair, which reaches her ankles, has a mix of pink and red. Eris thought she'd often trip over her hair, but she's surprisingly graceful.
Matilda looked a bit troubled for a moment. My lady has always been a shut-in. Even the maids who've worked here for many years said Lady Eris never goes out unless needed. But ever since that day, she's been more vocal. She talks and jokes around. Maybe if we convince her to go out, she'll accept it. Staying inside her bedroom all the time won't do her any good anyway.
On the other hand, Eris thought, I would never go out. What if I meet the main characters while strolling on the streets? I might trigger a death flag and die early. No way, no way. Never.
"Nope! Reading some books is enough. I can already experience the adventure you're talking about here," Eris replied as she waves the book in her hand. Although it gets boring and she's tempted to see the world outside, survival comes first.
"Aww, My Lady," the three girls looked at her with those puppy eyes.
"Stop it. Looking at me with those puppy eyes won't work," Eris said. She stood up and stretched her whole body as if preparing for a marathon. The three servants looked at her as if she had a few screws loose when she started bending her hips forward and backward.
"Aww, My Lady," the three girls looked at her with those puppy eyes.
"Stop it. Looking at me with those puppy eyes won't work," Eris said. She stood up and stretched her whole body as if preparing for a marathon. The three servants looked at her as if she had a few screws loose when she started bending her hips forward and backward.
"Is she okay?" Amira whispered, concerned that her ladyship is probably not okay in the head.
"Shh, just let her. At least she looks more cheerful nowadays," Soli whispered back, sounding mature as she looks at Eris with a both concern and fondness. The three sighed in unison as their ladyship continued her stretching.
She's a bit odd, but at least she's happy. What's more, she's kind to them and gives them food. She's simply the best!
-Matilda-
The young lady had once again declined their proposal to go outside. She thought they could convince her, since she seemed to listen to them more these past few days. However, they were wrong. Her ladyship seemed to love being alone more than socializing. Although she would talk to them and invite them to eat with her, making sure her maidservants were well-fed, she was often quiet, with many things on her mind.
Even so, she was so different from the rumors.
The rumors said she was cold. For the first two weeks, yes, she did give them the cold shoulder. But maybe she just wasn't in the mood to talk. Matilda understands, since there are some points in her life when she just wants to be left alone. Maybe those people simply misunderstood her.
They also said she never smiled or laughed, as if she were carrying the burden of the world on those delicate shoulders. But they were wrong. Her smiles are the loveliest Matilda had ever seen. Whenever she smiled, her emerald eyes twinkled with warmth. She didn't fake it either. She was frank and said things most people would try to hide. It might be true that she has problems, but that's normal. Everyone has their own problems. Matilda understands.
Most of all, she wasn't stupid. The rumors claimed she was a lady who only looked pretty on the outside but was shallow on the inside. They were wrong. She spoke with a clarity that others often failed to grasp.
Matilda had thought her stay in the House Virelli would be hell, given all the negative rumors surrounding the family members, but she didn't think so anymore. Her ladyship was fun to be around, even though she did nothing other than lounge in her room, drink tea, and read books.
Her mere presence was calming.
Though Matilda was older than Lady Eris, it felt as if she had found an older sister. She smiled at the thought. It might be silly, but Lady Eris is someone she respects a lot. Maybe that's why she feels that way towards her. She would always insist that she eat more and relax. At first, she thought Lady Eris was just testing her.
But no.
She's being genuine.
She's being kind.
In her world, it's rare to receive such kindness, especially from a noble. Her friends often complain about how they were being mistreated by the ones they are serving, so she thought she'd suffer the same fate.
She's just glad that her situation is fine in House Virelli.
And it's all thanks to her Lady Eris.
Although their status is two worlds apart, she's being treated like a person and not just some disposable item.
However, there's one person that makes her feel uncomfortable, the butler with menacing yellow eyes. He hasn't come around for a week now. Thank the heavens, because it seems he's busy with something.
Matilda hopes that this peace will last for a really long time.
But it seems she jinxed it, because not long after, Gideon is already by the door wearing a crazy smile, as if he's excited about something.
'He's really scaring the shit out of me,' Matilda thought. Gideon's smile grew wider as they locked eyes, as if he read her thoughts.
'Creepy old man,' she thought, as she averted her eyes from his crazy ones.
-Eris-
It was fun while it lasted. She was just having the time of her life until Gideon Crowe, the butler, appeared and ruined everything.
"Do I seriously have to come?" she said with a tired voice. The three girls had just finished putting on her makeup, and now they were taking care of her hair. She told them she could handle it herself, but they insisted on doing it since it's their job.
Their words, not hers.
She often forgets the difference in their statuses. To be honest, it's not really important to her whether these girls are commoners, and it's not like she's used to being treated with so much care, since she grew up being the one taking care of others. However, in this world, hierarchy seems to be engraved in people's minds. She can't just insist they treat her like a friend. They'd just end up feeling awkward around her. Eris doesn't want that.
"Yes, you do. After all, it's the crown prince we're talking about," Gideon Crowe said casually, with the audacity to smile innocently after dropping a bomb on Eris's face.
"What the f— Why didn't you tell me?!" Eris said, panicking because she thought she was just meeting a friend.
The crown prince is definitely not a friend.
He's, after all, the male lead, the most obsessive among all the male leads, and that's saying something, considering that all those male leads are crazy in the head.
Though the original Eris Virelli was killed by Theodor Blackthorn, she'd rather meet him than the crown prince. He's the reddest among all those red flags, basically.
Ah, no. Actually, she'd rather not meet any of them.
"Oh," Gideon replied with a slight shrug, acting like this had nothing to do with him.
"Oh?! Oh?! Seriously," she said, furious that her plan of avoiding the main characters in the novel was slowly crumbling in front of her. But it seems Gideon wasn't done dropping bombs. "And the King and Queen are with him as well." With that, Eris was no longer herself. It felt like her soul had left her body.
"Don't worry, My Lady. The Duke and Duchess will be with you," Gideon said happily, as he watched all the color in Eris's face disappear.
"I think I'm sick," she said, feeling defeated. Because what in the actual hell?! Are they having a reunion or something?!
"Like I said, you'll be fine. All you have to do is show your face. Don't sweat it," Gideon said, as if trying to calm Eris, but it wasn't working.
"Gideon?"
"Yes, My Lady?"
"Shut up," she said, being so done with the conversation.
A nightmare. This must be a nightmare.
-to be continued-