Chapter 13

Immediately after Adrianna went upstairs, Paisley ran outside to meet Ronald.

She was surprised to see him sitting on the ground. Quickly she went to him in order to help him up.

"Ronald darling!" She held his hand gently. "What happened?"

"It was that Adrianna! She insulted me!" Ronald shouted and puffed with anger. His face was unusually red.

Paisley took it that he was in this state because of his anger, but then she began to notice the swelling of his cheeks.

"R-Ronald?" In the next moment, he held his stomach and hurled out the lunch all over her.

"P-Paisley" He spoke in between his gasps for breath. "Was their seafood in the lunch?"

"Y-yes"

The moment she said that Ronald looked as if he was about to explode in anger.

"I'm allergic to fish! Why don't you know that?"

"W-well…"

"It was a mistake coming for this lunch!"

"Darling" She held unto his hand but he shook her away. "Ronald!"

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.

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Ronald was taken back to the Belv mansion under the guidance of some of the servants of the Deor household. It was an act to keep up appearances.

Paisley and Ronald had an argument, which resulted to Paisley having another one of her crying sessions.

She hugged her pillow as she sat on the bed, alone in her room.

Paisley was a, twenty two year old grown woman, however her room was painted pink with teddy bears and dolls decorated in the room.

At first glance, it would seem cute and all, but at this very moment, the room had an eerie aura that could make you feel shivers. Maybe from the feeling of the dolls and teddy's looking at you with a piercing gaze.

Or maybe, it was the evil expression that Paisley wore at the moment. Far different from her usual bright smile.

She muttered to herself. "Why is he angry at me? He's not supposed to be angry at me. I'm the heroine! The protagonist!" At the last parts she squeezed the pillow tightly then threw it at the wall.

Paisley looked like a crazy person as she whispered to herself after chewing her locks of chestnut hair.

"The novel said that the heroine was able to capture the heart of anybody. That no man could ever get mad her. So why, why have people suddenly become cold?"

She was unable to understand. Why wasn't the 'power' of the heroine able to capture Ronald's heart?

Even Adrianna, who she thought had been wrapped round her finger, had suddenly began to behave cold.

Tear brimmed in her doe like eyes. She bit on her nails nervously, while pacing around her room.

"Why is the story changing?!"

She stopped walking around and looked into her mirror.

Soft chestnut hair cascading down her waist, light purple eyes doe-like eyes. A small round face and a little pink lip.

She looked like a little pretty doll. A doll that you would want to protect and keep, locked up in a cage were only you could admire it.

Once upon a time, she was just a woman in the modern world. Then everything changed after she read a book titled [I Shall Save My Knight]

Everything about her in her past life had been horrible. She had been ugly and single for a very long time.

Back when she was in high school and college she had repeatedly failed exams and had to eventually drop out.

Throughout her life she had been foolish and very clumsy. Always messing up whatever she involved herself in.

She was barely able to, but finally acquired a job as a cleaner in computer laboratory.

It was a windy night. She was cleaning up when she received a notification.

«We've taken care of the body»

She became surprised that 'they' had finally completed the job.

Quickly, she unlocked her phone and texted back.

«Good. I'll make sure to give you your remaining half of your pay»

After replying to 'them' she clutched her phone to her chest and sighed.

"I don't have enough money to complete their pay…."

As a habit, she bit her nails due to her nervousness and began to pace round the computer laboratory in which she was supposed to finish cleaning up.

This 'they' that she referred to, were a bunch of hoodlums she had hired to deal with a certain lady, who had been a classmate back in high school and college.

A month ago, she had decided to confess to the man that she admired. With her meager salary, she prepared a little gift for him and went to his work place when it was evening.

The office was about to close.

It was then that she saw him, talking to a the lady that had been her classmate.

He pressed the lady against his car and kissed her passionately.

She couldn't bare to watch the scene any longer. Dropping the gift, she ran away from the scene.

When she got home, she did research about the lady and found out it was her past classmate who she had very much envied.

Anger boiled inside her, and out of an impulse she hired some hoodlums to deal with the lady.

She handed them her salary for five months and a picture of the lady, a twisted smile on her face.

"R*pe her to death!" She had said.

That had happened a month ago, and today they texted her and later showed her a picture of the woman's body.

The broom that she held shook in her hand. The phone in her other hand.

"I-I k-killed her?" She muttered while staring at the picture of the lady with the hoodlums standing next to the corpse.

Twak.

The broom slipped out of her hand as realization dawned on her. She had killed somebody.

"N-no" She shook her head. "I didn't kill her. The hoodlums did. Yes. I only gave them money. I am innocent"

She had been bad in literature, maths and geography. Could not understand a word on lessons about ancient history. Was unable to realize when people were fooling her.

Even out of the intellectual and academic sector, she was an absolute dunce. She was bad at cooking, singing, dancing, acting, writing, drawing or sewing

But there was something that she was good at. Something that she had mastered from every phase of her life.

This excellent and most notable skill that she honed was her ability to perfectly deceive herself. Hypnotize herself into admitting lies to herself.

Whispering false stories into her heart. Convincing herself to believe the fiction she had created about herself.

She could not deceive others but was good at fooling herself.

Telling herself that she was right even when she was clearly wrong.

Saying that it didn't matter, when in truth, was very important.

Believing that nothing would happen if you did so, just do be a victim of some impending doom.

Self deceit.

Does any of it ring a bell?

Maybe, just maybe, if she had been able to admit her mistakes. If she had told herself the truth. If she had seen her mistakes and improved on them, then maybe, she would have gotten a better and brighter future.

The woman quickly cleaned up then went home.

In order to get her mind of what had happened,

But instead, this woman continued to deceive herself even after she died and found herself in the world of fiction.

In the novel that she had read.

After the hoodlums that she had hired, came back, demanding the other half of their pay, she was unable to pay.

Her bank account was empty and she had no money on her. Therefore, being unable to pay the hoodlums.

The group of hoodlums became angered, then took revenge by beating her to death.

It was the end of her miserable life and the start of her new life as Paisley Deor, the female lead and heroine of the novel [I Shall Save My Knight].

The novel had piqued her interest after she learnt that the female lead, had the same name as her.

The story was a romance fantasy novel which was focused on the relationship between the female lead and male lead.

On the day of the debut of the Crown Prince Nathaniel, who was the male lead, the two would lay eyes on each other and experience the so called feeling known as 'love at first sight'

From then onward Nathaniel and Paisley would face many trials together.

Paisley's favorite part of the novel was the time when Paisley freed Nathaniel from the 'midnight curse'.

It was such a heart wrenching arc of the novel. Nathaniel, had quickly become her fictional crush.

Another trial the two protagonists would have to face, would be the Paisley's half-sister, the villainess.

The villainess of the story was Adrianna Deor, who had bullied Paisley while growing up.

In the story, the villainess had finally met her end, at the hands of the male lead. During one particular attempt to kidnap Paisley.

"Ooh! I'm going to have a happy life from now on! I'll get married to the handsome male lead! Become Empress! And have everyone respect me!"

When she had been reborn, she was overjoyed.

Constantly, she would admire her pretty face which was a great promotion from her last ugly and plain appearance.

"My life will be perfect! Everyone will love me!"

Paisley then began to live the life of the heroine.

She was greatly surprised that unlike the original story, Adrianna, her half-sister and the villainess, treated her nicely!

"It must be a result of my charms. Everyone really is meant to love the heroine"

Her relationship with Adrianna had been very good. Paisley's new life had been rather peaceful.

When she turned sixteen she began to anticipate the start of the story.

The story would begin when the female lead and male lead would meet.

It was during Crown Prince Nathaniel's debut, which celebrated his turning into an eighteen years old.

As she should recall, Nathaniel was two years older than Paisley. So she concluded that the story would stay when she turned sixteen. But…

Weeks passed. There was no news about the Crown Prince having a debut.

Weeks turned to months. And still, no news about the Crown Prince; her dear male lead.

It was then that she found out.

"The Crown Prince is dead"