In This Life, I Will Protect You

-Chapter 12-

Atalanta's Pov:

We walked in silence.
Yasmin led us through the palace until we got to the meeting room. She then respectfully bowed and turned to leave, her cheeks quite red.
I looked at Catherine, who made eye contact with me before grabbing one of the handles. I quickly grabbed the other one, and together, we pushed open the door to finally meet this mysterious guest.

A flash red hair was the first thing we saw before we were tightly enveloped in a hug.
The person was warm, and smelled like coffee.
I froze for a moment. How long had it been since I last properly hugged someone?
I couldn't remember. The thought made me sad, but the feeling quickly disappeared as confusion made its way into my brain.

Who was this random person hugging me? Why was this random person hugging me? Moreover, the body I was currently in, Atalanta, was a noble, and part of the imperial family at that. Who dared to hug me while ignoring all the polite mannerisms and etiquette?

I got even more confused, however, when Catherine, one of the prickliest people I had ever met, calmly accepted the hug.
We were squeezed in together, so I could plainly feel her tensing up, then relaxing.

I was still in confusion wondering whether I should say anything when the lady finally let go. A rush of cool air hit my sides. I kind of missed the warmth, but there were more important things to focus on.

"I should've realized it was you," Catherine sighed, brushing out a few slight wrinkles from her skirt.

"Don't be like that Catherine, being on edge doesn't suit you," she laughed, patting the top of Catherine's head lightly.

I was still puzzled on who this person was. She had a multitude of strange characteristics. For one, she was wearing a suit instead of a dress, and had no other accessories except for a watch.
However, the most noticeable one was  her bright red hair, which was cut to her collarbone. No offense to all the red haired people out there, it's just that her hair was too vibrant to pass as natural. Did dyed hair exist in this time period?

She noticed my blatant stare, and turned her gaze to me. "Atalanta!" she said happily, before suddenly placing her hands on my cheeks. "You've become so pretty, just like a doll!" 

"Th-thank you?" I said nervously. She removed her hands and placed them on her mouth in mock surprise. 

"It's true though, isn't it Catherine?" She beamed, finally turning away from me. "Yes," Catherine stated flatly. "Can we sit down now?"

"Oh! I'm sorry for making you stand there all this time," the lady said, moving to sit down on one of the couches.

Catherine sat down opposite the lady, and I hesitantly followed, sitting next to her. She looked at me and Catherine curiously.
"Are you really Atalanta?" She asked, all the mirth gone from her face.

"?!"

I was visibly confused and extremely panicked. Did this person figure it out? How was I supposed to explain this? Was I going to die on charge of identity theft?

Thankfully, Catherine came to my rescue. "Don't worry Olivia, Atalanta is still herself."

Olivia? I remembered that name from the novel. Wasn't she Catherine and Atalanta's elder sister? If she was, then everything made sense. The disregard for etiquette, the physical contact, the informal way of speaking, all of it.

Olivia in the novel wasn't a main character, but she was mentioned from time to time. Catherine looked up to her as a role model. In fact, all young noble ladies looked up to her.
According to the novel, Olivia had grown tired of the boring, pointless life of a princess. She wanted to achieve something in life instead of sitting around waiting to get married.

She appealed to the Crown Prince, Noah, to attend school. It wasn't hard to get an audience, with him being her brother and all. She was very mischievous and quite reckless in her childhood, so Noah though it would be a good way to distract her, and he agreed.

She took schooling in economics and business for 6 years. After graduation, she opened a shop in the downtown shopping area. Olivia was still a noble lady, and an imperial family member, so both the nobles and commoners flocked to her shop. Her revenue grew higher and higher until she could move out of the palace. She set many standards in fashion, and many young ladies, regardless of status, admire her.

Atalanta was one of those admirers, and in the book, Olivia was more closely associated with her instead of Catherine.

"Atalanta? Atalanta!"

The sound of someone snapping brought me back to attention.
"I'm sorry, I must've zoned out," I said apologetically. 

"Well, if you were listening, you'd know that I've been telling Olivia about your fall," Catherine said, a bit annoyed.

Olivia smiled at me good naturedly. "It's alright, Atalanta has probably gotten bored of the subject. I hope you get well soon though. I don't think I could live with my younger sister not remembering me," She said. I shuddered a little. 
For some reason, Catherine flinched at this. It reminded me of our interrupted conversation. I decided to keep an eye on her, to monitor what she did and didn't react to. 

I smiled lightly. "I remember you Olivia, although the memories are fuzzy," I told her. She beamed at me. "I'm glad," she replied, before turning to Catherine. I shuddered at her words. Her tone was friendly enough, but her eyes were full of suspicion. I'm sure Catherine noticed too, as she stiffened up a bit. "Yes?" she asked. 

"I almost forgot the main reason why I'm here! I know seeing my cute younger siblings is more than reason enough, but I still have something else," She grinned. "It's about your birthday present!" she clapped her hands. 

"But my birthday isn't for another 3 months," Catherine said. Olivia sighed. "Yes, I know, but unfortunately I have a business trip scheduled around that time. I'll have to leave in a week, and I'll be back a few days after your birthday," She said, sulking. "I'm really sorry, Catherine, but we've been pushing this back for a while, and it can no longer be avoided." 

Catherine put her hand up to stop her. "It's fine. I don't mind, just promise you'll be here after the trip is over," She said, in the softest voice I'd ever heard. Her features twisted up into a beautiful smile, her whole face lighting up. I'm pretty sure beams of light reflected on her teeth and blinded me. She looked like an angel gracing us peasants with her mere presence. 

Is this the power of the female lead???

Olivia seemed as taken aback as I was. She blinked a few times, and her eyes started tearing up. "Oh my, Catherine, you're so compassionate! I feel like I've been graced with the presence of an angel!" 

Glad to know I'm not the only one. 

She sobered up before suddenly turning serious. "Okay, so about the present. Well, actually, they're multiple presents," She laughed. I was ready to take notes for my own present. 

"So I've bought you a villa in the southeast," She said, counting on her fingers. 

Me and Catherine had the same reaction. Stunned silence. 

"Hmm, let's see. I've also bought you a yacht as the villa is next to the ocean." 

"???"

"Umm, and a few new dresses, the dressmakers should have it brought in by tomorrow," She said. 

"??????" 

"Oh, and also I've arranged for a picnic with a party of three at Gillian's Hill with all refreshments, food, and service paid for! I do hope you like it!" 

"???????????"