Chapter 3. The Final Chapter, Part 2

'We won't let you get away with this, Yurielle.' One of the sisters said, folding her arms, her scrutinous gaze fixed on Yurielle the Villainess. Water glared in the sun by their feet. I watched the three girls from behind the pillar.

There was never a scene like this in the novel.

'It would have been nice to see Yurielle. She must have been busy, Lunaira supposed.' The final line which mentioned Yurielle at all.

After her tragic failure in the maze garden, towards the end of the novel, Yurielle had given up. She confined herself to the temple, avoiding Lucien and Lunaria for the rest of her days, despite Lunaria's attempts to reconcile their friendship. But she remained hidden away in her despair, to the bitter end. The novel's final chapter ends with the rest of the blessing ritual, Lunaira and Lucien reuniting under a golden sunset. 

Yurielle didn't show up. 

I narrowed my eyes, listening closely. It was a strange thing to do, but I couldn't shake the feeling of anxiety. If I interfered here, would something change? Or worse- if I didn't interfere? My heart beat sped up, ever so slightly.

No. The novel has been to the point for the entire time. This unknown scene changes nothing. It shouldn't. I reassured myself. I clenched my fists as I leaned behind the pillar, watching the hidden plot. 

Then, Yurielle's voice rang out. 

'I was only delivering a pitcher of water to Her Grace.'

... Oh?

She had been heading towards Lunaria. Yet she wouldn't. The novel doesn't end that way. Was this situation what prevented Yurielle from going in the first place?

'Hah! I'd wager you've poisoned it, the venomous snake you are!' I could hear the scorn dripping from the sister's voice. The other girl covered her giggling mouth. A hard feeling tightened my chest, my eyes dulling at the sight of them.

'I didn't poison it.' Yurielle's voice was surprisingly calm. It wasn't the first time she had been accused of poisoning. Falsely accused. 

'Maybe? I wouldn't be surprised if you did.'

'Don't go anywhere near Her Grace. You were always a thorn in her side, pining after her husband!' They continued to jeer. I glanced at Yurielle. Her eyes were kept low, her lips closed. One hand clasped over her other wrist. I felt a slight smirk tug my lips. She's mad. 

Though after the insults they threw at her, I understood why. 

'It doesn't matter how long you spend at the temple. You'll always be a wretch, through and through.' 

'Harsh words for sisters of the Temple. Is that what they teach you here?' The low sound of my voice surprised even me. The sisters both flinched- a familiar feeling. My boots dabbled in the spilled water, sending ripples across the marble floor as I walked towards them before I could stop myself. I got closer, stopping beside Yurielle. A quizzical flicker passed through her eyes. 

'Wh- Who are you?' The sister exclaimed. I pulled on my collar, releasing my neck from the summer's heat for a brief moment. The badge of the guard that fastened my cape clicked against my leather-strapped arm. 

'Sir Asher of the Benesse guard.' I bowed my head slightly, hand on my chest, towards Yurielle. The sisters stared at me, irked. I blinked slowly in their direction with a dark gaze. Did you think you were important enough to get the attention of a Benesse knight? They flinched, shooting their quivering eyes to the ground and breaking into a nervous sweat. 

'L- let's go, Mia...' So the girl behind had some sense at least. She tugged on her friend's sleeve with a perturbed expression. 

'We'll excuse ourselves!' The girl named Mia said, her voice coming out louder than I imagined she would have liked. 

'Without an apology?' My voice cut through the air. Did they forget that I had heard everything? Even if Yurielle was the villain who hurt Lunaria in more ways than one, her story was over already. Lunaria herself had forgiven her. The sisters cowered, clenching their fists. They glared at Yurielle, unable to help themselves. 

'Just get out of my sight.' Yurielle's lips moved minimally as she spoke. I whipped my head her way. Her face was still, her eyes unyielding and cold. The shock on the sisters' faces reflected what I kept hidden. But it didn't take them long to listen to her. They scrambled, turning around and scurrying away, but not without a final spiteful glance over their shoulders. 

Tsk. 

I turned to Yurielle, who gave the most silent sigh. Then she stared back at me blankly. A hesitant feeling held my breath, my voice still. Getting involved with the plot was well outside my comfort zone. But hearing the insults towards Yurielle was more discomfiting. 

'Why let them go, my Lady?' I asked, perhaps overstepping my bounds.

'Do not call me Lady.' Came her curt reply. My question was left unanswered. Her gaze dulled, so slightly that I almost hadn't noticed.

'I am no longer a noblewoman.'

I watched her quietly. When Yurielle had realised her mistakes in the past, she left her family. A stain that would remove itself. Although the viscount had refused to accept it. She truly considered herself disowned?

She started to reach for the emptied pitcher in the puddle beneath us. I bent down to pick it up, getting there before she had the chance. 

'A lady should not lower herself in front of a lowly knight such as myself.' The copper was warm on my hands, after bathing in the sun.

'Enough with that, Sir Knight.' Yurielle said, taking the pitcher from my offering hands. Her fingers grazed my skin briefly. I gave her my name, yet she called me Sir Knight. Had she forgotten already? This feeling sucks a little bit. 

'I will send someone to clean this up, so you may return to your post.' Yurielle said absently. I looked towards my feet, the water under my boots. It was then I noticed the shadowy stains on her dress. So it had splashed all over her, too? The thought of the sisters rushing Yurielle to the point the water had gone everywhere entered my mind. No, even a scenario where they threw the pitcher itself at her was possible. My eyes narrowed, darkening. 

Yurielle started to move, turning away from me. 

'Will you come to the blessing ritual?' I asked, making her halt. She answered without turning. 

'No, I will not.' So I knew from the novel. Nothing changed. I felt a twisted sense of relief. And yet, I continued speaking. 

'Her Grace...' I started, wondering if I was making a mistake. '... Was hoping to see you.' I spoke cautiously. It was not technically a lie. Lunaria had thought it in the novel, even if she hadn't said it out loud. A silent and warm breeze blew between us. For a moment, Yurielle said nothing. Then she faced me. 

'Even if that were to convince me, I can't go in this state.' She was smiling. I stared at her for a moment. Her unbelieving smile, furrowed brows as a shadow cast across her blue eyes. The hollow feeling entered my chest again. 

'I know.' I said. 'I just wanted to let you know.' She shot me a quizzical look. Her brief confusion was replaced with something like irritation. She held the pitcher by its rim at her side as she turned once more, walking away from me without another word. 

***

"You're back?" Rowan looked up as I returned. "What was the matter?"

"It was nothing. Has the blessing ritual begun?" I put my hands in my pockets, sitting on the steps off the corridor. 

"It has. Her Grace is in the centre of the temple now." 

"I see."

My boots had dried in the blasting sun. My head felt like it was on fire, my skin stinging in the heat. Lunaria's baby shower would go on until sunset. Until then, was I to simply sit and wait? How dull. I thought, before shaking off the idea. No. My anxiety shot through the roof with that incident just now. Dull is better. I sighed loudly, earning a glance from Rowan. Once again, he stayed silent about it. He must have thought I was truly an indolent man. Not that I had done much to help myself. It didn't matter anyway. It wouldn't be long before evening finally claimed the day. 

As blue merged to orange, shadowy scarlet clouds lined the horizon like a painter's strokes. Yellow sunlight illuminated through them, fading slowly. Lunaria looked up and thought of Lucien. The sky was like him. His blood-coloured hair, golden eyes like the waning moon above. 

He stood by the carriage, lips pulled in a smile as he beheld his wife. Under the golden sunset, he was like a flame, glowing with warmth. Lunaria was sure, even if she died at that moment, she would never feel cold again, not with Lucien by her side. He was her fire, forever warm. 

The End. 

It was a magnificent sight to behold. The red sunset gleaming in my eyes, doing more justice to the novel than I could have imagined. I watched as Lucien helped Lunaria into the ornate carriage waiting outside the temple. A humoured sigh left my lips silently. 

'So I didn't disappear.' 

My heart finally rested. The question had been in the back of my mind constantly. When the novel ends, what happens to this world? To me?

With no novel, could a character exist? Though, a single reassurance stuck with me. I had reincarnated before the novel began. This world existed outside the paperback bounds of the novel.

It was a relief. 

I made my way towards the carriage, taking a few steps forward. It was then that I fell. 

My world distorted, the crimson horizon tilting. 

Huh? Am I falling?

I hit the dusty ground with a crash, pain shooting through my left shoulder. My head grazed the earth roughly, my face stinging as I thrashed, hand clutching at my chest. My heart felt like it stopped, my body writhing in resistance.

'Asher!' A muffled voice echoed. Was it Javier's? The ringing in my ears was getting louder. My vision blurred. The pain burned through my chest, my heart, my lungs. As though someone had run me through with a flaming blade, twisting relentlessly. My breath lodged in my throat, making me cough until my throat was coarse. My fingers started to ache, nails digging into my palm, unable to get a hold of the pain. Black spots riddled my view, I couldn't make out the face of the person looking down at me. His hands grabbed at me. Liquid trickled from my mouth, griming my cheek and ear and neck with earth. Had I closed my eyes? When did I do that? It was dark. My eyes hurt with a dull ache. My eyes hurt? No. Everything hurt. 

I get it now. I thought in the midst of the darkness that claimed me. 

I'll die after all.