My instincts screamed to run, but instead I smiled back.
" I wouldn't miss such an important night, my dear friend," I replied, my voice soft just like Irene would sound.
"I'm honored to be here, Lady Josephine," I added, recalling how much she liked people admiring, respecting, and most of all, devoting themselves to her, as if she were something to be worshipped.
Her smile widened, mostly pleased with my addition. Good. Let her think that she still controlled the situation.
She leaned closer, as the faint scent of something floral hit my nose. Her fingers wrapped around my wrist. Not forcefully tight, but had enough strength that I couldn't just pull my hand right away.
Josephine Valmont never forced anyone outright, but she guided them, right into her trap.
"Come, I have something very important to entrust you with tonight," she said gently, steering us away from the crowd.
There it was. The plot was unfolding.
Every cell in my body tensed. My mind screamed to stop and run away in the opposite direction, yet I walked obediently beside hers. This was the moment. The very scene I had written with precision, a tired mind making it work from 3 mugs of americano.
We stopped near a long table where crystal flutes were lined in perfect order, shimmering with pale gold liquid. Laughter echoed nearby. None of them paid any attention to us, but the couple who were getting compliments and blessings did.
Josephine reached for a glass. She paused just before lifting it. "Irene," she murmured. She didn't look at me, yet I could feel something heavy on my chest, making it harder to breathe.
"You trust me, don't you?" Her voice was delicate, but I could feel the poison behind it.\
I looked at her, almost stared at her. At the girl who would ruin lives while wearing devotion like a crown. At the villainess, whose downfall I had yet to write out.
"Yes, I entrust you with my own life," I said. The corner of her lips curved into a blissful smile, liking my answer.
Then, before she could continue, I took my chance. I did something Irene Solyne was never meant to do.
"I trust you so much that I believe you wouldn't ask me to do anything… unusual tonight. After all, you are no less than an angel who wants everyone to be happy and safe, isn't it?"
Her fingers froze around the stem of the glass.
The smile on her lips didn't falter, but something changed in her eyes. That sharp glint faded away as something dark took its place instead.
"Oh, that's very kind yet unlike for you to say," she said lightly.
I met her gaze. My heart hammered like anything, but I couldn't let her see it and smiled back, trying my best to make it steady this time.
"I'm just nervous. Big events make people reckless. I thought… You might appreciate my compliment." I continued, tilting my head slightly.
Silence stretched between us, thin as glass.
Then Josephine laughed softly, pulling her hand back. "You have grown thoughtful, Irene. Perhaps merchant blood truly does sharpen one's instincts."
She turned away, picking up another glass instead, the one farthest from Selene's table.
"Enjoy the party. I'll call for you later," she said, diverting my focus towards the crowd, but I could hear the dismissiveness in her words.
I just replied with a soft nod and went back towards the crowd. My legs nearly gave out, but at the same time, a strange thrill curled in my chest.
I had done it.
I didn't run, but face it.
For the first time since waking up in this world, I felt good about this whole transmigration thing.
And as I glanced toward Selene, who stood beside Marcus, laughing, unaware of just how close death had come. I made it.
This season would not end the way I wrote it.
Not for Selene. And definitely not for Irene Solyne.
Carrying another glass, I walked away from the crowd. Gazing at the mansion's intricate design and architecture while sipping the liquid. As the drink got finished, I realized that I had walked into a lobby.
It was all silent and deserted. Usually, peace was all I needed, but something felt unsettled in this silence. Ready to return to the party, I turned around but got hit with something hard.
The impact knocked the breath out of me. The glass slipped from my fingers and shattered at my feet, the sharp sound echoing brutally in the empty lobby.
"Ah!" A scream escaped from my mouth when a pair of large hands caught my arms before I could fall.
I froze, opening my eyes and realizing that I didn't hit the floor.
The man holding me swayed slightly, his grip unsteady yet firm enough to keep me upright. His hot and uneven breaths stroked against my cheek.
"I....I am sorry," I blurted out, instinctively bracing my hands against his chest. My eyes landed on the person who just saved me.
The lobby wasn't that well-lit, yet I could see his tall frame. Too tall. His dark hair, damp with sweat, clung to his forehead; his eyes seemed unfocused. His pupils were dilated, and there was something wrong about the way his body leaned into mine, as if standing itself was taking an ample amount of effort.
"You shouldn't be here. This wing isn't for...guests," he muttered roughly, and his words slurred at the end.
Restricted? My pulse spiked.
The alarms went off in my mind as I quickly tried to retreat back, "I was already leaving."
Instead, his arms tightened around my waist, as his head got lowered beside my head.
"Wait. Don't move." His jaw clenched as if fighting something invisible.
I frowned, as something felt off, "You do not seem well."
He let out a shaky breath, a humorless laugh escaping his lips. "That obvious, huh?"
I stiffened as my mind spiraled around other characters that I wrote around, but before I could ask him another thing, his face moved forward, closing the distance between our lips.
My mind blanked. It took me a whole damn minute to realize what just had happened.
A freaking kiss!