Darkness' Touch

Chapter 0: Perfect

She never imagined escaping her reality.

Why would she, anyway?

She has everything she wishes to have.

Wealth? Intelligence? Family? Talents?

Yes. She has them all.

Unlike those people in novels, she was born lucky without any ounce of misfortune. Therefore, she does not have any reason to leave those things when she has every reason to stay.

"Annie!!"

Annie lifted her head from being buried on her study table, revealing her tired and sleepy hazel brown eyes, while using her left hand to search for her glasses. When she finally found them, she lazily put them on, and the face of her loud and cheery best friend greeted her with a smile.

"Oh, it's just you," she said, running her fingers through her messy brown hair.

"How mean! I was gone for three months, you know?" her friend, Lucy, pouted like a child and sat on the chair adjacent to her. It had been three months since they last saw each other, but the brunette did not change a bit. She was still as messy as ever.

Annie looked at her watch and answered. "Look at the time. So early for you to sprout nonsense in my house." It was rude, but Lucy narrowed her eyes at her. They had known each other since they were six, and she could say that it was Annie's habit to speak that way. Of course. What do you expect from the daughter of two wealthy people?

"Anyways. Did you read the novel that I told you to read before I left last time?" Lucy asked, putting her chin on top of her palm while staring straight at Annie, who did not look like she wanted to listen because her eyes were focused on the laptop screen in front of her.

"I finished it two months ago. Now, I don't remember even the protagonist's name," she answered flatly.

"Then how was it? Did you like it?" Lucy's eyes shone in excitement, wanting to hear the comments about the novel. Because if it is Annie, her judgment will always be blunt and honest, and it will not be surprising if her reaction is a bit harsh.

"Crap."

And now she did not expect it to be so straight to the point.

"Why? I thought it'd be good; that's why I recommended it to you!" she whined and laid her face on the table hopelessly.

"The plot is not bad, actually--"

"Really?!" she said, raising her head again all of a sudden.

"The protagonist is too stupid and dense; she cries all the time. I hate her. The prince is dumb because he chose a commoner over a powerful Duke's daughter, who is also dumb because she was so obsessed with useless things like the male lead, who I also hate because he thinks of the protagonist as an angel when she only knows how to throw herself in danger. Why did you even bother to recommend a romance novel when you know that I never liked helpless girls like that one?" Annie said, finally taking her eyes off the screen.

"But Demi's magic is divine! Of course, her personality would be gentle! And the prince prioritized a good heart over the antagonist's wealth!" she protested, defending the characters with all her might. She just remembered that Annie is so zero romantic that she reached the age of nineteen without having a boyfriend or even crushing on someone. Which makes it also her fault because she was the one who recommended her first romance book, where the male lead is a trashy womanizer. The poor Annie was traumatized when she was only ten and swore not to trust good-looking boys ever again. That's why she doesn't know how romance works.

"I like how the Duke's daughter is an 'I can do anything I want' type of girl. Because that's basically true. If only she applied that to better things instead of chasing the male lead because she wanted to."