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The royal court was never quiet.
Even in silenceā¦ it spoke.
Whispers curled through the grand hall like invisible threads, weaving together rumors, judgments, and carefully crafted lies.
And todayā
Every single one of them was about her.
Isle Blackwell.
Rosy walked through the towering doors, her expression calm, steps measured, her presence alone enough to shift the atmosphere.
The chatter didn't stop.
It never did.
"She's hereā¦"
"The Grand Dukeā¦"
"They say she's been acting strangeā¦"
"Wasn't she seen speaking to that man yesterday?"
Rosy heard everything.
Every word.
Every tone.
Every hidden accusation.
But her face remained unreadable.
Inside, howeverā
So this is how they startā¦
Not with swords.
Not with war.
But with whispers.
---
"Lady Isle!"
A soft, almost trembling voice called out.
Rosy didn't need to turn to know who it was.
The heroine.
She slowly faced her, purple eyes meeting the delicate figure approaching her with a fragile smile.
Soft pink lips. Gentle eyes. Perfect posture.
Too perfect.
"ā¦Lady Seraphine," Rosy greeted calmly.
Seraphine clasped her hands together, looking almost relieved.
"I'm so glad you came," she said sweetly. "I was worried you might still be upset afterā¦ everything."
Everything?
Rosy almost laughed.
What exactly had happened?
Ah right.
The setup.
The beginning of Isle's downfall.
"I don't recall anything worth being upset about," Rosy replied.
A pause.
Just a secondā
But it was enough.
Seraphine's smile faltered.
Only slightly.
But Rosy saw it.
Got you.
---
"Ohā¦ I see," Seraphine said softly, lowering her gaze as if hurt. "I just thoughtā¦ after what the court has been sayingā¦"
"What has the court been saying?"
Rosy's voice cut through gentlyā
Too gently.
The kind of calm that makes people uneasy.
Seraphine blinked.
"IāI didn't meanā"
"Then don't imply things you cannot finish," Rosy said, her tone still even.
The surrounding nobles fell silent.
Eyes widened.
Whispers paused.
Thisā
This wasn't how Isle usually behaved.
She wasn't supposed to confront things so directly.
She was supposed to remain silent.
Cold.
Isolated.
Easy to blame.
But thisā
This was different.
---
"Is there a problem here?"
The prince's voice entered like a blade.
Sharp. Authoritative.
Rosy turned, bowing slightly.
"Your Highness."
The prince's gaze moved between her and Seraphine, his expression already displeased.
"Lady Seraphine looked troubled," he said. "Care to explain?"
Rosy held his gaze.
Ah.
So it begins.
"She approached me," Rosy said calmly. "I simply responded."
Seraphine immediately shook her head.
"No, noāplease don't misunderstand," she said softly, stepping closer to the prince. "Lady Isle didn't do anything wrongā¦ I justā"
Her voice trembled.
Her fingers clenched lightly at her dress.
"I just feel like she's been distant latelyā¦ and I thought I had offended her somehowā¦"
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
Rosy almost wanted to applaud.
So this is how you play the game.
Turn concern into accusation.
Turn innocence into guilt.
Let others draw their own conclusions.
And just like thatā
The whispers returned.
"Did Isle ignore her?"
"How cruelā¦"
"She's always been like thatā¦"
The prince's expression darkened.
"You should be more mindful of your behavior," he said coldly to Rosy.
There it is.
Judgment.
Without proof.
Without thought.
Just like the story.
---
Rosy lowered her gaze slightly.
Just enough.
Not submission.
Just calculation.
"ā¦My apologies," she said.
The court stilled.
The prince blinked.
Even Seraphine looked surprised.
Apologize?
Isle?
That wasn't part of the script.
---
Rosy lifted her head slowly.
"But I find it curious," she continued.
Her voice remained calmā
But something underneath it had changed.
Something sharper.
"Lady Seraphine speaks as though we share a close relationship."
A pause.
"But I do not recall ever being that familiar with her."
The words landed softlyā
But the impact was heavy.
The hall went silent again.
Seraphine froze.
The prince frowned.
"What are you implying?" he demanded.
"Nothing," Rosy replied simply.
"That is precisely the point."
---
For a momentā
No one spoke.
Because what she saidā¦
Was true.
There was no recorded closeness between Isle and Seraphine.
No friendship.
No bond.
So why did Seraphine speak like there was?
Why did it sound like Isle had wronged her?
The narrativeā
Cracked.
Just a little.
---
Seraphine's eyes shimmered.
Tears.
Right on cue.
"IāI didn't mean to overstepā¦" she whispered.
And there it was.
The finishing move.
Victim.
Fragile.
Untouchable.
---
The prince stepped forward, his expression hard.
"Enough," he said sharply. "This is unnecessary."
His gaze turned cold as it landed on Rosy.
"You will accompany Lady Seraphine to the garden and apologize properly."
Ah.
Forced submission.
Public humiliation.
Just like the original story.
---
Rosy smiled.
Very faintly.
Very dangerously.
"ā¦As you wish, Your Highness."
---
The garden was quieter.
But no less tense.
Flowers bloomed beautifully, hiding the sharpness beneath.
Much like the people inside the palace.
Seraphine walked ahead, her steps light, her posture perfect.
The moment they were aloneā
She stopped.
The air changed.
Completely.
Her shoulders relaxed.
The trembling disappeared.
And when she turnedā
Her smile was different.
Colder.
Sharper.
"ā¦You've changed," she said.
No sweetness.
No innocence.
Just observation.
Rosy tilted her head slightly.
"So have you."
A pause.
Thenā
A small laugh escaped Seraphine.
"I was wondering when you'd stop pretending," she said.
Rosy's eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
"So it's not just me," she replied.
Seraphine stepped closer.
"Do you really think you can escape this?" she whispered.
"This story already belongs to me."
Ah.
There it is.
The truth behind the mask.
Rosy smiled.
"But stories can be rewritten."
Seraphine's gaze darkened.
"You're still the villain," she said quietly.
Rosy leaned slightly closer.
"And you're still pretending to be the heroine."
A beat.
Silence.
Thenā
Footsteps.
Someone approaching.
Seraphine immediately stepped back.
Her expression shifted again.
Soft.
Fragile.
Perfect.
"ā¦Lady Isle," she said gently, as if nothing had happened.
Rosy straightened.
Ah.
So this is how it will be.
A game of masks.
A war without weapons.
---
As she turned to leaveā
A presence brushed past her.
Familiar.
Dangerous.
"ā¦You handled that well."
That voice.
Low.
Amused.
Rosy didn't stop walking.
"ā¦You were watching."
"Of course," he replied smoothly.
A pause.
Thenā
"I always watch you."
Her steps slowed slightly.
But she didn't turn.
"Why?" she asked.
A soft chuckle.
"Because you're finally becoming interesting."
Rosy's lips curved faintly.
"Then keep watching."
She stopped.
Just for a second.
"And don't blink."
---
Behind herā
His smile deepened.
"Wouldn't dream of it."
---
Back in the hallā
The whispers had changed.
Not gone.
Justā¦
Different.
"She spoke backā¦"
"Did you see that?"
"Something feels offā¦"
Rosy walked through them, her presence steady, unshaken.
Insideā
Something shifted.
The story hadn't changed.
Not yet.
But the cracks were there.
And she had just made the first one.
---
If they wanted a villainā
Her purple eyes gleamed faintly.
Then she would give them one.
But not the kind that loses.
---
End of Chapter 3