Garden Meeting
The garden was unusually peaceful – too peaceful for what Lady Eufelilya Cordelia was about to drop.
Moonlight pooled across the grass like spilled silver, and the warm scent of night-blooming flowers hung heavy in the air.
Somewhere, soft string music echoed faintly from the grand ballroom, but here it was just the three of them, under the stars.
"So what was it you wanted to say, Lily?" Hysteria asked.
Lily sat cross-legged beneath a blooming arbor, her tone deadly serious.
"Guys," she said, eyes sharp. "I remembered everything."
Cleori blinked.
"Bruh. Of course. Like, how we fell off that roof from a random wind and woke up here in fantasy-land. But everything like?"
Lily gave her an annoyed smile.
"Obviously, dumbass. I mean everything about this book we're in."
Hysteria froze, flower crown halfway finished. "You're joking."
"I wish I was." Lily leaned forward, voice low. "This whole world is from a dumb dark fantasy romance novel I read in my past life. We're inside it."
Cleori's brows shot up.
"You mean like… plot, characters, drama. All that crap?"
Lily nodded.
"All of it. The death flags, the tragic backstories, the brainless male leads who act like Seraphina poops glitter."
Cleori choked. "Poops glitter?!"
Lily in serious tone. "I was a reader. And we– we all died in the stupidest ways."
The night air suddenly felt colder.
"Wait what?" Ria asked, her voice small.
"Lemme break it down." Lily cracked her knuckles like she was about to unpack government secrets.
"Starting with you, Cleori."
She pointed.
"You got sentenced to death because you tried to prank your dad by sneaking explosives into your family's mine for a fake firework show."
Cleori gasped.
"I WHAT?!"
"It backfired... Literally. Seraphina was randomly visiting the mines and got injured. Aizer, our dear walking blade of justice, sentenced you to death for treason."
Cleori's jaw dropped.
"Aizer?! The guy who didn't even like her?"
Lily squinted.
"Huh? You're making up stories you don't even know yet, dumbass."
Cleori just grinned.
"You never know, dear. Maybe it was a prophecy."
"Apparently, she smiled at him once and he folded like laundry," Lily muttered.
Then she turned to Hysteria.
"You were practicing a new unstable water and ice spell by the lake. Seraphina walked in. You panicked. Spell flew. Hit her arm, sliced a bit of her cheek. Clarenz saw it. Went full unhinged and killed you on the spot."
Hysteria's face went blank.
"...Wait. My cousin killed me?"
Cleori and Lily gasped at the same time.
"Your own cousin?!"
Then Lily quickly mumbled under her breath, "Wait- why am I shocked too?"
Hysteria nodded slowly, still in shock.
"Yes, Eufelilya Cordelia. Your brother and my cousin… straight-up homi-cousin-cide."
Cleori blinked, then grinned, half-shocked and half-proud.
"Ah… you dimwit. Smooth joke~~"
She and Lily burst into quiet giggles.
"Come on, guys be serious. Seriously," Lily said, trying to keep her tone firm, but she was still half-laughing.
The Cleori and Hysteria gasped again.
"WAIT– WE HAVE POWERS TOO?! HOW COOL!!!"
"I KNOW RIGHT!!?" Lily screamed with them, face lighting up.
They had a quick second of excited chaos before remembering they died tragically.
Lily quickly shift with a grimace,
"Yup. And I just stood there watching, like a background extra with trauma. Then later I died too, when my maid slapped Seraphina. Still don't know how or why. The novel skipped eufelilya's POV."
The girls stared at her in stunned silence.
Then Ria muttered,
"We died like idiots."
Cleori said,
"Stupidly."
Hysteria added,
"That's not even poetic. That's just bad writing."
They all nodded like mourners at their own literary funeral.
Cleori blinked.
"Wait, what were our names again? I forgot mine after the explosion bit."
Lily rolled her eyes.
"I JUST SAID IT EARLIE– You idiot, do you not even remember how your family calls you?"
Cleori just shrugged.
"I'm Eufelilya Cordelia, the richest in the city... call me Lily," she said proudly.
"And you're Lady Cleori Ashford. Daughter of a powerful knight family."
Cleori grinned.
"Okay. Kinda cute."
Hysteria added,
"Yes. I am Lady Hysteria Soheila. Call me Ria."
Cleori burst out laughing.
"Oh right! I forgot!"
"Hysteria?!" Lily wheezed.
Cleori added,
"Who cursed you with that one?!"
Hysteria groaned.
"Why is this world so unserious…"
Cleori wiped a tear from her eye while laughing.
Hysteria turned slowly, giving her the most chilling smile and a deathly stare.
Lily and Cleori instantly froze, backs straightening.
Both of them wore serious faces, lips twitching as they tried so hard not to laugh.
There was a long, tense pause, only the distant music and rustling leaves filled the silence.
Then Cleori smirked.
"Anyway… how iconic was it when I pinned Seraphina earlier?"
Cleori's face darkened.
"She came up to me with that fake 'I'm your friend' voice and said, 'You should listen to me. I can make you popular.' While these creepy sparkle particles floated around her like a horror fairy."
Hysteria winced.
"Ew. Not the fake soft girl energy."
"She was trying to manipulate me! With that magic glitter and a smile! I just snapped," Cleori said angrily.
Lily grinned.
"Respect. You challenged the plot demon."
"I pinned her to a wall and told her, 'You want to fight me, huh?'" Cleori said proudly.
Then all three girls burst into laughter, rolling in the grass like the chaotic gremlins they truly were.
Ria stretched out, still giggling.
"So… what now? We avoid our death flags?"
Lily smirked.
"No. We break them. Rewrite the plot. Burn it if we have to."
Hysteria raised a fist.
"Operation: Rewrite This Garbage Romance."
Cleori said,
"With explosives?"
Lily replied,
"...Maybe not in the mines this time."
They laughed again louder this time, until
Hysteria suddenly paused mid-giggle, eyes widening. "Wait. The ball! It probably started by now!"
The laughter died instantly.
"...Oh no."
"...Crap."
And just like that, the girls scrambled to their feet in a tangle of dresses, flower crowns, and regret, bolting back toward the glittering lights of the ballroom.
As they neared the ballroom entrance, Lily suddenly stopped short and smacked her forehead.
"Oh yeah I forgot the most important part! Clarenz."
The other two turned to her.
Lily's voice grew softer.
"Don't worry about him, okay? I'm taking care of Clarenz now… so please, be nice to him too. Like a sister."
Cleori and Ria nodded seriously.
"Got it."
Inside the ballroom, they slipped in just in time.
The ballroom glittered with golden lights and murmuring excitement. The chandeliers shimmered overhead like constellations locked in a grand celestial waltz. Nobles in tailored silks filled the space with polite laughter and sharp whispers.
A sharp voice cut through the air, refined and rehearsed.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the royal attendant called out, "may I present Their Majesties His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Alaric Aldridge. Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Edith Aldridge. His Imperial Highness, Crown Prince Raynard Aldridge. And Her Highness, Princess Lyra Aldridge!"
The orchestra swelled. All eyes turned toward the grand staircase, where the imperial family descended in practiced elegance.
Emperor Alaric led the way, his imposing figure wrapped in crimson and gold.
Empress Edith followed with a regal smile carved onto her face, calm and icy as ever.
Behind them came the Crown Prince Raynard stoic, ever-serious and Princess Lyra, her dainty steps hiding the keen calculation in her gaze.
Eufelilya Cordelia stood off to the side, flanked by Cleori and Hysteria.
So far, it's all as it should be. Aizer isn't here, just like in the story. Everything's going according to the book…
She gripped her skirt lightly.
Everything's going according to the book… so why do I feel like something's already gone wrong?
Who was that I saw earlier?
She shook the thought away. No time to spiral. At least the major events were lining up. That was enough. For now.
"Hey," Cleori nudged her, brows lifting. "You're spacing out again. What's happening in that reincarnated brain of yours?"
Eufelilya blinked back into focus. "I thought I saw Aizer earlier today. But he's not here now, which makes sense. He's not supposed to be at this ball."
"Maybe you're just low on sugar," Hysteria said, linking her arm with Lily's. "The food table's right there... let's storm it after this royal parade."
The music quieted again.
"...and– presenting Her Highness, Princess Brielle Aldridge!"
The air changed.
Gasps swept through the hall like ripples on a still pond.
At the top of the staircase stood a girl with soft, cascading pink hair and a dress like spun moonlight. Each step she took made her look less like a person and more like a vision descending from the heavens. Her smile was gentle, serene, too perfect.
"She looks like an angel," Cleori breathed.
"She looks like the lead actress just crashed someone else's story," Hysteria muttered.
"Yeah... But she's not supposed to be here. Brielle… she died. She was sick. She wasn't part of the original royal family in the book." Lily whispered.
"What do you mean?" Cleori asked,
noticing the shift in Lily's expression.
"In the book, there were only three royal children. Raynard, Lyra, and Aizer. No Brielle. She's not supposed to be alive."
"Well," Hysteria said dryly, "someone clearly missed that plot point, because she just descended like the second coming."
Is she like us? A reincarnated soul? Or... is the story already being rewritten?
Empress Edith stepped forward, her steps fluid, expression is sweet... except for the almost imperceptible stiffness in her jaw.
"Oh, darling," she said, voice honeyed. "You didn't have to overexert yourself just for the ball. Don't push too hard."
"I'm feeling much better, Mother," Brielle replied sweetly. "I wanted to be here for you."
Alaric stepped up, gazing at her with unguarded pride. "You look just like your mother tonight. It's like she's with us again."
The room sighed. Some nobles dabbed at their eyes with embroidered handkerchiefs.
Brielle began to glide through the room with perfect poise, bowing and smiling at nobles. Then her eyes briefly met Lily's.
There was a flicker just a moment of something unreadable in her expression.
Cleori ducked slightly. "Okay but why did she look at us like she knows we've got secrets?"
"I'm scared to blink in case she turns into a glowing phoenix or something," Hysteria whispered.
She shouldn't exist. Something's wrong.
The trio drifted toward the food table, grabbing pastries with all the hunger of girls avoiding a crisis.
"Cleori!" a surprised voice called.
Her mother approached, eyes wide. "And you're with... friends?"
"Hysteria," came another voice. Her father looked equally stunned. "You didn't tell us you'd already made companions."
"Lily, darling," said Eufelilya's mother, relief softening her posture. "We were worried no one your age would talk to you."
The three girls stood straight and smiled like well-mannered little nobles. They may have looked elegant, but the crumbs in Cleori's hand and the frosting on Ria's cheek betrayed their snack spree.
"Mother, Father," Lily said with a polite dip of her head. "This is Cleori Ashford and Hysteria Soheila. My dear friends."
Cleori gave a graceful bow. "I'm Cleori Ashford, daughter of House Ashford. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"And I'm Hysteria Soheila," Ria added with a cheeky grin. "Of the Soheila family of high magic."
Their parents blinked at each other, momentarily stunned.
"I thought they'd all be shy and strange," Cleori's father muttered.
"Look at them," said Hysteria's mother proudly. "Confident, bright... it must be fate. Or maybe a blessing from the gods."
Eufelilya's father chuckled. "House Cordelia brings the wealth. The Soheilas, the strongest in magic. The Ashfords, the finest knights and merchants. Who would've thought our children would already be forming alliances?"
While the nobles continued to talk excitedly about potential futures, political advantages, and fated meetings, the three girls returned to their corner with more desserts.
Clarenz appeared shortly after, his steps unsure but purposeful.
He turned to Lily with a soft smile. "Hey... would it be alright if I stayed here with you?"
She looked at him, a little surprised, but nodded. "Of course. These are my friends."
Cleori brightened. "Oh! It's the quiet prince. We accept him."
"Only if he brings snacks next time," Hysteria added, deadpan.
Clarenz looked at Lily again. "I like being with you. You and your friends feel... normal. Real."
She smiled gently.
But deep down, her mind was still reeling.
If Brielle wasn't supposed to exist… what else is about to change?