The palace buzzed with morning elegance. Servants rushed through the marble halls, musicians played a soft melody, and a garden banquet was being prepared outside.
Gerah followed Anya—her “maid”—down a hallway filled with gold accents and painted murals. Her gown swished with every step, and her glass slippers clicked against the floor. It felt like a scene straight out of a historical fantasy drama.
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Because it was.
This was the actual world from her book.
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“How long… have I been here?” she muttered.
“Just overnight, Princess,” Anya smiled. “You fainted during your embroidery session yesterday. But don’t worry! Everyone's just glad you're feeling better.”
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Anya’s cheerful face was real. Her hands, her eyes, her words. All real.
But Gerah still couldn’t breathe properly.
This shouldn’t be happening.
She was supposed to be watching these characters from a distance—not walking among them.
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She reached the garden terrace and stopped in her tracks.
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There he was.
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Prince Xavier.
Seated under a white arbor, sipping tea in silence. Tall, composed, with sharp eyes and that unreadable expression. A few noble girls watched him from afar, swooning.
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Just as Gerah wrote him.
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But next to him…
Dahlia.
Pouring tea with gentle hands, smiling softly.
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Her main character.
Her original heroine.
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Gerah’s heart twisted.
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She should be happy—this was the love story she created. The poor but pure-hearted girl, winning the heart of the cold prince. It was classic. Romantic. Clean.
But as she stepped forward, something strange happened.
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Xavier’s eyes drifted toward her.
Not Dahlia.
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Not the other noble girls.
Her.
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His stare was calm, but it held a flicker of curiosity—like he didn’t remember seeing her before, but somehow knew her already.
Gerah’s breath hitched.
“No… don’t look at me,” she thought. “I’m not part of the story. I’m just a side character.”
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Dahlia turned as well and gave Gerah a warm smile.
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“Good morning, Princess,” she said kindly.
Gerah nodded back, frozen.
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This wasn’t right.
She didn’t belong
here.
She wasn’t supposed to be seen.
But somehow… she already was.
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