"Wow, the bathhouse was amazing. The last time I went to one was a long — long time ago," I said as Akari and I walked down the hallway to our rooms.
"What are you saying? You were there last week… and the week before," Akari replied.
"Oh yeah… that's true," I said, realizing I'd forgotten I was living in someone else's body, living their life. Honestly, I usually don't like going out or being around people, but hanging out with Akari and Rei kind of makes me enjoy it. "And tomorrow… we'll have a lot of fun too, right?" I asked as we walked.
"Yeah… but Rin, don't you feel tired? Don't you want to go back to being the girl who spends time at the maidens club — you know, talking, laughing, joking with the other cousins, and just living your normal routine?" she said.
What does she mean by that? Is she telling me to stop following her around? Before I could say anything, Shion was already in the hallway, pacing back and forth. When she saw us walking toward the rooms, she stopped.
"Where have you girls been?" she asked.
Then Akari quickly grabbed my arm. "Dad sent us on an errand. We went to book Rin's engagement dress, you know the wedding" she said.
"You two took the whole day just for that?" Shion asked, giving us a suspicious look, like she was trying to figure out if we were hiding something.
"Well… we also stopped by the maidens club. You know how much I love spending time there with the girls. We were just having fun," I added, thinking it through. Thank goodness Akari mentioned that earlier — it saved me.
"Having fun doing what?" Shion pressed, still looking doubtful.
Seriously, why does she care so much where we were all day? In the book, she never cared about where her sister went or how she spent her time.
"Really… what's your problem? It's not like you really care, sister Shion. We were out, that's all. Since when do you care where I go?" Akari said sharply.
"I'm not looking after you," Shion replied. Then she looked at me and said, "I'm looking after Cousin Rin."
Oh. This is getting awkward.
"Oh," Akari said, sounding a little shy like she wasn't expecting that. "Fine then. I'm going to my room. It's been a long day and I need my beauty sleep," she said as she went into her room.
"Oh… me too," I said, yawning, and about to go into my room. But then Shion grabbed my hand.
"I need to talk to you," she said.
"About what?" I asked, noticing how awkwardly she was holding my hand.
She noticed it too, then quickly cleared her throat and tried to look serious.
"You stole my first kiss," she said. "And then you called it a mistake."
Are we still on this topic?
"It wasn't a mistake. It felt real. And I was going to talk to you about it again, but then… this morning, the ice queen happened," she said. She sighed like she was about to say something big.
"Rin… I really like you. A lot. Since the first day you were brought to this house… I've been struggling to confess. I thought I had time, but…" she gave a bitter smirk, "…someone else is after the one thing I want most. And I can't do anything about it."
Seriously… what exactly is so special about Rin? I don't even know if I belong here, and yet they all want me like I'm some prize to own. What is this…
Then she suddenly grabbed my shoulders and pushed me gently against the wall.
"I promise," she said, looking straight into my eyes, "I'll find a way to stop this wedding . You will not marry that cold ice queen. And I'll show you… that kiss we shared wasn't a mistake."
This… this has turned into a love triangle now. Why me? This is not what I wanted.
"Good night, Rin," she said and started to leave. Then she stopped and looked back at me.
"From now on… you're just Rin to me. No more 'Cousin Rin.'"
And then she left.
I went to my room and lay on the bed.
Wow… this is really getting out of hand. Isn't there any way for me to go back to my real world? The thing that dragged me in here… can't it just drag me out too? Ugh.
I sat up and shouted into the empty room.
"Yah! Author LeeDevil! If you're really watching, you better drag me out! You're changing the story, and that's not fair! Stop using me as your stupid pawn! I hate this webtoon, manga, anime, or whatever this world is!"
But no answer. Of course. Only silence.
Then something caught my eye — a glowing light outside my window.
"Eh? Did she hear me? Is that… the light from the room?" I muttered as I walked closer, my heart beating fast without knowing why.
I opened the window, and there it was — Selene's dragon.
"Umm… it's you. Ice dragon," I sighed as I slowly reached out and touched its icy skin, careful not to cut myself on the sharp edges that looked like knives.
At first, its big eyes glowed icy blue, but then it relaxed under my hand, letting out a soft, cold breath.
"You're so beautiful in person," I whispered, even though I hated the villainess herself. But the dragon… I couldn't help but admire it. It was just… stunning.
Then I noticed something tied to its body — a scroll.
"A message, huh?" I said as I carefully untied it. "Thank God it didn't come from your mouth this time."
I opened the scroll and read out loud:
"Tomorrow is our first date, Kisaragi. Wear something nice.
— Love, Your Queen."
I stared at the words for a long moment, my hands shaking just a little.
Wow… so I really am stuck inside this story.