'(Y/n), just knock.' You were merely inches from Corrianne's door, with your hand prepared to knock. However, you can't bring yourself to do so. 'What if she needs time alone? What if she doesn't want to see you anymore? What if your visit makes her worse? What if the bre- Calm yourself, (Y/n). It'll be fine.'

Just as you were about to knock, the door opened, revealing the tear-stained face of the woman you longed to see for a long time. "(Y-(Y/n).. is that really you..?" she asked, her eyes tearing up again. Earning a nod from you, she immediately wrapped her arms around you, and put her whole weight on you. "(Y/n), I missed you so much! Where were you when I needed you! I sent you a plethora of letters!"

"I'm terribly sorry for my absence. As for the letters, I had no time to read them. It's been.. hard lately," you lied. You hugged her back tightly. "But I'm glad to be back. I missed you too."

She pulled back with a smile as tears cascaded her face. "Come in."

You went inside, only to be greeted with a tedious, dim-lighted bedroom. The bed sheets were still pretty messy, and the drawers, with all of its antique decorations, seemed to be tarnished and collecting some dusts. A few books laid down on the floor in front of the bookshelf. Vase shards can be seen in the corner of the room, one visibly with blood stains on it.

"Sorry, I haven't had the time to clean up," she said with a nervous smile," and I was too ashamed to have the maids do it."

'She's lying. She has to be.' You watched her push the viridescent curtains aside, letting the moonlight in. The room started to feel less depressing and more welcoming. "Corrianne?"

She hummed in response, slowly fixing the bed.

You walked your way up to her and arranged the pillows. "Did anything happen while I was gone?" you asked, hoping to get her to tell the truth.

The brunette suddenly looked uncertain. "I, uh.. well.. nothing too special. It's just another decade in the mansion with Xalvador and all the maids and butlers."

"Corri, tell me the truth, please," you said in a sweet, angelic voice, having an innocent smile plastered on your face.

"I— h-huh? Well, I..—"

-knock- -knock- You both turned to the door. "I'll get it," you said, walking over and pulling the golden knob.

Phoebe stood at the doorway, embarrassed. She bowed down. "I-I'm sorry for the disturbance! But Lord Olivier wishes to inform you that dinner is ready."

"Of course, tell him that we'll be over in a few minutes," you replied, seeing that Corrianne was far too lost in her thoughts to answer.

After Phoebe left, a scowl covered Corrianne's face. "You should go down," she muttered.

"You're not coming?"

She snickered. "Like bloody hell, I am! How dare he invite me to dinner after insulting me!" she complained, looking at her hand. "And besides, I'm sure he doesn't want to see my face after I slapped him like that."

In all honesty, you felt bad for her. It wasn't her fault Gabriel left her. "I know you didn't mean it, and I'm sure he does too, but maybe this is an opportunity to actually fix things with him."

"I doubt he'd have the time for me."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed and looked at the mirror. "Ever since he married that annoying brat he calls his 'wife,' he's been ignoring me."

"Oh, I'm sure she's not that bad."

Dinner went by awkwardly. None of you dared to speak, or even touched your food. Corrianne had a scowl on her face as she continued to avoid Xalvador. You, on the other hand, waited patiently for the older Olivier to pick up his spoon. It would be disrespectful to eat before the host. Eini kept her head down, with her hair covering her face. Xalvador was continuously tapping his fingers on the table in a fast 1-2-3-4 beat.

A knock was heard on the door, and all of you turned to it. Phoebe walked in and bowed down. "S-sir! Your wife, Lady Aurelia, has arrived."

Just then, a beautiful young woman came into the view. "Good day, everyone," she greeted in a thick Scottish accent, pushing Phoebe aside.

Phoebe fell down on the cold, hard, floor. Her eyes looked like she wanted to cry. She stood up and excused herself.

"My, my.. you look so frustrated, dear," she cooed at her husband as she sat down on his right side. "You look like you had a rough day." She gently caressed his cheek, with a pout.

Xalvador looked away. "Aurelia, not on the table, please."

"Fine then," she said with a glare. She turned to you and flashed a sadistic smile. "You must be (Y/n). Tell me, how does it feel to have a lowlife like you in this house? Do you not feel.. I don't know.. ashamed, perhaps? Or.. maybe you're just too full of yourself."

You looked at her, unmoved.

She looked at Eini and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see you've brought a friend. Do you not have any respect whatsoever? My husband's standards are quite high. He wouldn't let someone like you in this mansion. Are you a witch and decided to trick my husband into letting you in?"

"I believe we have every right to be in this house, madame. There is no need to make such false accusations," you replied politely. "Now, let's start off nicely, shall we? I'm (Y/n) (L/n). It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

She squinted her eyes at you, but nonetheless, spoke. "Aurelia Dyxsonne-Olivier," she smirked, "and of course it's a pleasure. I'm a noble!"

Finally, Corrianne lost control and glared at the lady. "How dare you talk to my friends like you're the bloody queen of England? You think you're so special? Well, I don't want to break it up to you, but you're not!"

"CORRIANNE!" Xalvador scolded his little sister.

"Oh, I'm the villain now? How bloody blind are you, Xal? Now, tell me, who's the one foolish in love. Is it me who trusted Gabriel and loved him with all my heart, or you who knows that you are being foolishly tricked but you still go on with the relationship just to protect your bloody reputation?" she shouted.

Xalvador glared at his sister. "Do not talk to me that way, Corrianne!"

"Well, let me just remind you that you don't control my life, Xal!" she retorted, and walked away, closing the door in a harsh manner.

"Please excuse me," the Olivier grunted before following after his sister.

-

You sighed, suddenly feeling the tension between the three of you.

Of course, Aurelia wasn't having any of that. "It's funny how Xal's little sister would go breaking her etiquette just for the two of you," she snickered, leaning onto the table. "It's pathetic if you ask me... or did you cast a spell on her too?"

Eini looked at Aurelia with narrow eyes. "What is with you and witches? Are you one? No, actually, scratch that. I think it would fit you more if we change that 'w' into a 'b.'"

"Scared to make a fool of ourselves are we? If you want to imply something, say it to my face."

Eini stood up and put her hands on the table. "Alright then! You wanted to! You're a [---]!" Eini shouted, shameless.

Aurelia gaped. "Such vulgarity!" she exclaimed, putting a hand on her face.

Eini followed her actions. "Such conceit!"

You wanted to snicker, or at least acknowledge Eini's sense of humor, but of course, that isn't what a proper lady would do. "Please excuse us, Aurelia, but we have more important matters to attend to," you said formally. You stood up from your seat and placed a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "Come along, Eini."

Aurelia stood up and met your gaze. "Don't think you'll get away after mocking me like that!"

You ignored her protests and continued to walk towards the door. Suddenly, you were pulled back by a sudden force. You saw the British woman's face glaring at you.

"I'm not done with you yet, you witch. You have no right to leave this room," she said tauntingly.

"Aurelia—"

"Who gave you permission to say my first name?"

You sighed. "Fine. Mrs. Olivier, I believe we have every right to leave this room since we politely excused ourselves before standing up to leave," you argued.

"We were married in Scotland, which means I am able to retain my precious surname that shows just how high my social status is," she answered, looking at you as if it were a crime not to know about that.

"That's the least of my concerns. What matters is that we are able to leave this room without any problem at all." With that, you left her with Eini trailing behind you.

Eini caught up with you with such excitement. "Woah, (Y/n)! How could you sass her like that while keeping things professional?" she asked, acting like a child. "You were like, 'I don't care. You're a waste of time,' but in a formal way. I can't believe it. How can you go through all of that without wanting to punch that narcissistic woman in the face?"

"I did want to punch her in the face, but I restrained myself from doing so. It would be so disrespectful, and Xal wouldn't like it if I did that," you explained as you opened the door to your room.

She walked in, and lied down on the bed. "True though," she commented while staring at the ceiling. "You know, I'm really worried about Caroline and Xander's relationship."

"Eini— You know what? Never mind." You walked faster to your room, leaving Eini at the hallways.

Xalvador's clenched his fists tightly while Corrianne threw an expensive, glass vase to the floor, letting it shatter hopelessly. It was as if the vase was her heart - broken, lost, incomplete.

"See that!" she cried out, pointing at the shards. "That vase represents my trust in you. It's completely broken! No one has the means to build it up again. I tell you, no one!"

"Will you please stop being so immature! I thought you were already capable of taking care of yourself, yet here you are, throwing another one of your stupid tantrums!"

Corrianne felt a needle prick her already broken heart. "Why is it that when I do something wrong, you're always screaming at me, but when I do something right, it's barely even noticeable!" she screamed, her voice cracking. She swiftly picked up a sharp glass shard and gripped it tightly, causing it to cut her skin. Small trickles of blood cascaded from her hand. "You know what? If everything I do is wrong, I might as well be dead—"

"This is your weakness," Xalvador said, looking down upon his sibling as if he was in charge. "You're too fragile and vulnerable. You are easily affected when someone throws hurtful words to you."

"How can I not get affected when the person who is throwing those hurtful words at me is you, Xalvador!"

The older Olivier sighed in an annoyed manner. He gripped his sister's shoulder, and looked directly at her eyes. "To survive in this world, you have to be a cold-hearted human being. You have to protect what's rightfully yours, and do whatever it takes to keep it growing, or else you'll bring dishonor to your family. Look at what I am sacrificing just to protect our family's name. Our positions keep getting higher and higher by the year, and everyone looks up at us."

The brunette shook her head. "Well, the last thing I want to do is to end up like you," she stated coldly. She took Xalvador's grip away from her shoulder and ran off into the corridors.

Corrianne reached her room. She went inside, and leaned against the door. 'I am going to prove him wrong. I have my rights. I do not need to be like those boastful, rich, people,' she thought in her head. She knew she wanted to different, but society will discriminate her before she even thinks about it. Rules will be cut loose, boundaries broken, fears conquered, and above all, a difference will be made. She knew this. She really did. She was just a lost girl in a world full of copies.

Aurelia sighed. She went outside, and started to walk down the street. A few citizens acknowledged her presence, immediately knowing who she is. Feeling a lot of self-admiration, she ignored them as her ego grew more and more. After a while, she reached the front of the palace. Topiary bedecked the trimmed grass field, and the stone pathway was evenly layered.

As she reached the front door, two guards greeted her with their swords. "Your Grace, may I ask what business you have here?"

"I've come to speak with His Majesty, the King," she replied, showing no emotion at all.

The guards looked at one another until one spoke up. "This way, madame," he said, opening the door, and leading her to the throne room. "Your Majesty, Her Grace, the Duchess of Scotland has come to speak with you."

"Thank you, Matthew, you may leave."

The knight bowed down before going his way, leaving the duchess alone with the king.

George stood up from the throne and made his way down the platform, his red cape following as it gracefully descended the marble stairs. "I assume that you have news for me, yes?"

"That is correct."

"What makes it so important that you won't write a letter to tell me?" the British king asked innocently, circling around the lady like a predator to its prey.

Aurelia looked at him with narrow eyes. "She's back."

"Oh? Now I'm intrigued," George said, having a playful smirk plastered on his face. "Tell me, how is she? I mean.. is she still the same woman I loved?"

The Scottish woman rolled her eyes, her foot tapping on the carpet impatiently. "More like the same woman you got obsessed with. Anyway, yes, she's still the same. It seemed like she hasn't even changed. One thing that I'm annoyed about though, I feel like my husband is giving more attention to that woman than me!"

"I wish you would refrain from being so self-important. It is very presumptuous," the man said, walking up the stairs back to the throne. "If that's all you have to say, you may leave."

The arrogant lady shook her head. "I'm not one of your citizens," she retorted, but nonetheless, turning back to leave.

"Oh, and Aurelia?" George called, catching the woman's attention. "I am kindly asking you to take your little duke away from my queen."

"Gladly."

====[Author's Note]====

Have a great day!