: Mad

"CSILLE!"

I anxiously turned around to see who had called my name and lo and behold, it's none other than Prince Fraser.

I greeted him with an awkward smile. "Hello, Prince Fraser?"

He shot me a glare and quickly approached me, lifting me up in his arms. "I specifically told you not to wander around, yet here you did not listen to me! You even promised you wouldn't, but clearly, that didn't stop you. And now, you're chatting with the doctor?"

    I nervously kicked my feet in the air. "I wasn't disobeying. I was just concerned about Farren. I wanted to check on him too."

His glare intensified. "Concerned? About him? Csille Lauretré, do you even know him?"

I glanced at the doctor and then at the unconscious Princess Paislee. "Prince Fraser, can we discuss this somewhere else? I don't want to disturb Farren or the doctor."

"Yeah, sure. You wouldn't want to disturb them," he replied sarcastically as he walked out of the room without even acknowledging the doctor.

I watched him carry me to my room, his brows furrowed and a scary expression on his face. Oh dear, I really made him mad. You're in trouble now, Csille.

He entered my room and closed the door with his foot, startling me with the loud sound. "Prince Fraser, can you calm down? I think you're giving me a heart attack."

He gently laid me down on the bed, then placed both of his hands on either side of me, effectively trapping me. He leaned in closer to me, his face nearing mine.

While I lay on the bed, he sat beside me, his hands still on my sides, and half of his body leaning over me, giving the impression that he was on top of me.

"Fr-Fraser?" I nervously mumbled. This is bad. This wasn't supposed to happen. I didn't sign up for this.

Prince Fraser, calm down. You're just fourteen years old. Too young. You're too young for this.

He sighs and stares straight at my eyes. I could see anger in his clear blue eyes. I also could see something in it that I couldn't name.

"Why don't you listen to me, Csille? What do I need to do for you to listen to me?"

I attempted to speak, but my thoughts are foggy at the moment. I'm not sure why, but I'm having trouble focusing. All I want to do is gaze at him indefinitely. His presence has a calming effect on me. It's as though he's become a sort of remedy that helps me relax, and now I'm becoming reliant on it.

"Csille!" He snapped, jolting me. "Are you just going to stare at me? Why don't you answer my question? What do you want me to do for you to listen to me?"

I want you to take your arms away from me and let me breathe. Jeez, you're taking my breath away. I wanted to say that to him, but my clouded mind couldn't process those words. It said something else.

"Fraser, why are you so handsome?"

Oh no, did I just say that? I look at Prince Fraser, and he seems dumbstruck. He just stares at me for a minute before standing up and turning his back to me.

Did he just blush? Cute.

No! No! Ysavel, you need to calm down too. That's illegal. It's illegal. I'm sure Lena would put handcuffs on me if she knew what I'm doing right now. For heaven's sake, he's a minor!

I cleared my throat, attempting to change the awkward atmosphere. "I-I," sheesh, I couldn't even form a proper sentence. Prince Fraser is really bad news for me. Yes! He's bad news. "I don't know why you got angry, but I just want to say I'm sorry."

After I mentioned the word "angry," he turned his head towards me. "You don't know? Really?" He sits back on the bed.

I moved an inch or two away from him. Distance. It's better to keep some distance, or else my mind will be clouded again with something I don't want.

He glared at me when he noticed that I moved away from him. "Do you really not know why I got angry, Csille Lauretré?" He raised his eyebrows at me.

That's a bad sign. He's mad. Oh, oh. "Are you mad because I went out of the room? It was just for a moment. I planned to return right after. It's not as if I wouldn't go back." I whispered the last part because his glare was getting more intense. Why does this feel like an interrogation room?

"I've told you, the doctor said you need to rest. To rest. Which part of that didn't you understand? Should I explain the meaning of the word 'rest' to you?"

I pout my lips at him. Duh. Do you think I will get confused over the word rest? I'm a writer. I write thousands of words every day. How could I not know what it means?

"Don't do that!"

I look at him, puzzled by his words. Don't do what? Checking if Farren is okay?

He pinches both of my cheeks. "I said, don't do that!"

I glared at him, frustrated by his words. Don't do what, your face? You didn't even say what it is. I tried to speak, but his pinching made it difficult to articulate. "W-wha y-youu menn?"

He let go of my cheeks. "What did you say?"

I pout at him and hold my aching cheeks. It hurts. "I said, what do you mean? Don't do what?"

He points his fingers at my face. My face? What did I do?

"Don't pout. It makes my anger melts away." He mumbled.

I was taken aback by his response. What did he mean? My pout melts his anger? But in the novel, I wrote that Prince Fraser dislikes Csille's pouting. Why is it different now?

I shake my head. It's best not to overthink it. Things might change later on. Don't dwell on his words, Ysavel! "I understand what you mean about resting. But I already slept the entire night. I couldn't fall asleep after you left. So, I wanted to check on Farren. He saved your life, Fraser. It's only right that we see how he's doing. I'll return after I've checked on him."

"You mentioned you're worried about him? But why? You hardly know him."

I exhale deeply. "As I mentioned, the Lauretré family feels indebted to him for saving you. Naturally, I'm concerned about his well-being. It wa-"

Before I could finish my sentence, he interrupted me. "Do you like him?"

I was taken aback by his question. Like who? Farren? You must be joking. "I don't! Where did you even get that idea from?"

   He seemed relieved by my response. He nodded and tousled my hair. "Good. Good. As long as you don't like him. Everything's good."

   I arched my eyebrows at him. "Everything's fine? How can you be so sure? And what's the wrong with Farren? I think he's fine. Anyone would likely develop a crush on him after hearing about his heroic deed."

"I'm fine as long as you're not one of them."

I was just about to reply when a maid knocked on the door. "Miss Lauretré and your highness, Prince Fraser, apologies for interrupting. The Count requests Prince Fraser's presence in the library for a discussion."

Prince Fraser nodded in acknowledgment and replied to the maid. He glanced at me before exiting my room.

What did he mean by his words? Ugh, Prince Fraser, you're confusing me once again.

_______________

 "It's beginning. Your novel is starting. Are you prepared to take on the role of the villainess?"

"You can only return after you complete the book."

   I opened my eyes and sighed. I hadn't realized I'd drifted off while pondering Prince Fraser's words.

    But dwelling on that isn't a priority at the moment. What does the silhouette man mean by saying my novel is starting? Am I prepared to take on the role of the villainess? Can I truly not avoid it? I'm not sure I can handle being the villainess. How could I act against Prince Fraser and Princess Paislee? They're both my friends.

   The idea that I can only return to the real world after completing the book leaves me puzzled. Does it refer to the initial version of the novel or the revised version of the novel that I've written on the notebook?

But this world seems to adhere to what I've written in the notebook the little girl gave me. So, how can I possibly finish it? I haven't even finished writing the revised version of story in the notebook.

The writer! Right! I need to find the writer of that book. I'm pretty sure he would know the answers to my questions. But how could I find him?

   Last time Rufus and I searched there, we couldn't find the writer. We checked every tree, but no luck. So, how could I find him? And I'm still stuck in the western region. How can I find him from here? I need to go home now.

   I heard knocking on the windows. Knocking? On the windows? I immediately sit up in bed. My room is on the second floor. How could someone be knocking on the window? Could there be mythical creatures here? But I didn't write anything like that.

   I approach the window cautiously, my hands and knees trembling with fear. With a quick motion, I pull aside the curtains. A sigh of relief escapes me when I see only a bird outside.

Silly me. The novel I wrote is set in a medieval setting and not a fantasy one. There shouldn't be any mythical creatures here.

I look at the bird outside the window. It looks like a messenger bird. But how come is it on my window? It's unlikely that the bird is delivering a letter to me. After all, who would send a letter to Csille Lauretré? I don't have many close friends here. Unless it's something urgent, but I don't recall writing about any urgent matters in Csille's life at this time.

I open the window, and the bird quickly flies to my study table. It makes a sound and lifts one claw, holding a small paper. The paper isn't very big, so the bird can easily hold it with one claw. It makes another sound and sets the paper down on the table, nudging it toward me with its beak.

I picked up the paper and read it. It turned out to be a letter from Rufus.

Dearest Csille,

I learned about what happened to you and the crown prince in the western region, and it got me really worried. That's why I quickly sent you this message. I'm unsure if you'll receive it while you're awake or still unconscious, but I hope it reaches you soon.

This is exactly the reason why I was against you joining the Count and the Countess. I had a feeling something bad might happen, and seeing you unconscious now confirms it. Take good care of yourself and rest up, alright? Once you read this, please let me know so I will can be assured you're okay.

Also, I messaged you because there's something important I want to discuss with you, but I'm not sure if you'll see this. I won't mention details here. We'll talk about it when you return to the Capital. Stay safe, always, Purplany.

Sincerely,

Rufus

P.S. Send my regards to the Crown Prince.

Something important? What could it be? I don't remember writing something like this in the novel. Following the incident, Prince Fraser, Princess Paislee, and the Lauretré family returned to the capital..

And since the summer break is only two months long, Prince Fraser and Csille return to the dormitory. However, I never wrote about anything significant happening between Csille and Rufus. So, what could it be?