'"Stay away from Marianne," I warn Naomi, my entire body trembling in an effort to control my temper.
She stares at me, her smile soft but her eyes glinting with steel.
Naomi Cunningham is not kind. She has never been, but she managed to fool everyone with her façade, even Marianne. Marianne whose sincerity can never reach Naomi's wretched soul. I have to protect Marianne from this evil.
"Or what, Rowen?" Naomi asks, voice sickeningly sweet.
I imagine this is what poison tastes like.'
- An Excerpt from Don't Blame a Daydreamer, Rowen's POV
Others would say it was karma, since the Original's true character was someone selfish, spoiled, and greedy, but then again, she hid all of it behind a kind and sweet façade. She never truly tried to hurt anyone, until Marianne came along and stole what she deemed as hers. Not only had she lost a friend, she also lost the love of her life.
The Original found herself alone all of the sudden, not knowing where things went wrong, when she thought she did all the right things to make herself be loved by everyone else. In her quest to make herself be loved by the person she loved the most, she lost everything—even herself.
For the Original, her love for Rowen was the thin line preventing her from crossing into uncharted territory. He was the one thing pulling her back from the edge of insanity. When Rowen disappeared and left her behind—coupled with the fact she had been assaulted and traumatized—the Original couldn't help but step into that territory and do those despicable things.
It was the only thing she could do. What else could she had done? Her cruelty, anger, greed, hatred, loneliness, fear—those were the only things she had left. In her attempts to gain that one thing she desperately wanted, she lost everything.
"Oh my gosh! How can you say that to her?!" Marianne suddenly exclaimed at Rowen the moment she spotted Naomi's devastation, fury marring the spot between her brows. Her enraged eyes blazed like a forest fire, her agitation visible with the rigidity of her back and clenched fists. "Do you have no conscience at all? I mean look at her! At the very least, if you don't like her, there's no need to put her down like that!"
Rowen's lips curled into a sneer, his eyes flashing with a steely glint of a deadly dagger, making it darker than a winter night. "You don't have any right to intervene into matters that are also none of your concerns. Who even are you? Stop being such a meddlesome bitch and stay the fuck out of this."
"No, no, it's not her fault, Rowen." Naomi immediately intervened, stepping forward in between the main leads to return the attention back to her.
As enjoyable as it was to find the female lead was defending her, the villainess, from the male lead, she knew it would only fuel Rowen's intrigue. She better did something before he became interested in Marianne.
"Please, don't shout at her. Shout... shout at me instead. After all, none of this is her fault. It's—It's mine. It's my fault."
Rowen's head jerked back as he focused his attention on Naomi, his expression warring between derision and confusion. His lips twitched into a brief flash of a scowl, before it settled down into a terse line over his face.
[ROWEN'S IMPRESSION: That's strange, why is she defending a girl against me? Shouldn't she be jealous of her? Naomi's obviously possessive over me. Why isn't she doing anything to that girl?]
Her throat moved, eyebrow furrowing, as if she was trapped in uncertainty. Deep inside, she scoffed at Rowen's thoughts. Now that she was 'acting' out of character and not showering him with love and devotion, he was finally taking notice of her. Perhaps, to him, she was a person who always played by his rules and who rarely strayed from his palm.
The Original was indeed possessive over Rowen. For her, no one was the best and no one was above Rowen. The pedestal she put Rowen on was so high, it could rival the most far away star in the sky. She might act kind and gentle, but she was also quite proud. She wasn't going to let any girl approach Rowen. Still, it did not erase the Original's saintly reputation because she always handled these girls in a discreet manner using her family's connections and power.
If the Original was the heroine of this novel, their relationship would've been branded as toxic by most of the readers, and their 'love' would've been seen as abuse instead. Fortunately for Naomi, the Original was the villainess.
"It's—It's my fault for not knowing that... you felt that way about our friendship," Naomi stammered, scrambling to find the right words to say. The weak lilt to her voice sounded as fragile as a figurine glass, her lashes flickering rapidly as if to stop the tears in her eyes from falling. Truthfully, she just wanted this scene to end. "I-I'm sorry. I'll... It seems I was overstepping my boundaries. I should've known my place. Thank you for reminding me of that. I'll leave you then."
She hurriedly turned on her heel and left, head lowered to her chest with her fists clenched to her sides, the gold ring in her pinky digging painfully into her palm. Her delicate figure trembled under the scrutiny of a dozen stares, but it didn't take long before she lifted her head and walked in confident strides, as if she battled and won against her urge to hide.
"You're such an asshole!" She could hear Louisa yell at Rowen behind her, before running after her, her quick strides loud against the tiled floor. Louisa slowed next to her. A few beats of silence, and she suddenly grabbed her arm and peered at her with worried eyes.
"Are you alright?"
Naomi could barely muster to give her a smile. "It's time I stop being an idiot, Louisa. Some dreams, I suppose, can't come true. I hope... I hope you will fare better than me in that regard."
"He's really not that worth it, Naomi," Louisa said, those soft-spoken words caressing her skin like satin. "Besides, dreams can change, right? You're going to be alright."
"You're right." Naomi could only agree, hardening her voice with resolve and determination. "I am going to be alright. I will be. I'll be okay," she added when she noticed Louisa's sideways glances tinged with worry. It was easy to make a weak smile to give to Louisa, considering she didn't feel like smiling at this moment. "It's just... I just have to get used to not loving him, I suppose."
Naomi understood Louisa's concerns, as excessive as she felt it was. Louisa figured it would be hard for Naomi to see someone she loved in the arms of another woman.
Truthfully, if Naomi loved Rowen the way the Original loved him and Rowen returned her feelings, she would've been confused and hurt if she'd seen that situation earlier. It wasn't about lack of trust or being insecure in her relationship; it was more about the irrationality of it all that would make one lose their heads.
It was about this inexplicable emotion that desired to possess the person close to her until they could not see, hear, nor think about anything else other than her. It was about knowing she had something good in her life, that others knew and saw it as well, and she was torn between pride and territorial over her partner.
It was about loving that person so much she was willing to admit to herself that, yes, she was still deathly afraid of them leaving her someday even though they loved her back as well.
Considering the memories of the Original, she would've lost her head if she was here. But she wasn't. All the Original had left her was a pile of broken dreams and a wounded heart pierced by unrequited love.
"Someday, I'll find someone who will love me back," Naomi whispered quietly to Louisa, tone whimsical as a faraway look clouded her eyes. "They'll love me as fiercely as I love them. Just because Rowen didn't return my love, doesn't mean no one else would."
Louisa studied her expression for a sign of falsehood or deception—probably worried that Naomi would be spewing lies to her just to make her feel better—before she finally conceded with a nod.
"Excuse me, Naomi!" A breathless feminine voice abruptly intruded into their conversation. A quick turn revealed it was none other than Marianne, panting slightly before a shy smile bloomed from the pink hue of her lips. It seemed that she left Rowen to chase after them.
"What do you want?" Louisa asked, tone curt, eyebrows knitted. As friendly and approachable as she was, she wasn't the type to easily trust people. Hence, she was less than friendly when seeing Marianne.
Marianne looked taken aback by Louisa's hostile visage, enough to lower her head and blink innocent eyes at them.
"I... I just wanted to ask if you were alright," she explained, shying away from their gaze. "That guy was mean to you for no reason at all."
[MARIANNE'S IMPRESSION: I was just trying to check up on her. Why do they have to treat me so meanly like this?]
"I'm alright. Thank you for checking up on me," Naomi responded, her ears straining for the System's voice to alert her in case the circle's consciousness happened to wake up during this time. However, considering that this didn't happen in the original novel, it might not trigger the consciousness. "You didn't have to, but I appreciate it."
Marianne brightened and her favorability meter rose by at least three points at Naomi's response, making it reach 43 over a hundred. "You're so kind! I have no idea why he doesn't like you if you're so pretty and kind, but I guess it's his loss for being so caught up in his own ego to see you right in front of him."
"I know, right?" Louisa agreed with a definite nod of her head. She seemed to no longer view Marianne in an unfavorable light, considering that the both of them had the same views regarding Rowen's character. "He's not even that good-looking. I swear I wouldn't be surprised if he marries a mirror someday, because the only thing he'll like is someone who's as ugly as him."
Marianne bobbed her head, as eager as an enthusiastic puppy. "Precisely, that's why"—she turned to Naomi—"you don't have anything to worry about him. Leave him to me. I'll make him regret ever hurting you."
"You don't have to," Naomi was quick to dissuade.
Naomi didn't want to give Marianne more reason to meet up with the male lead this early into the story. The more they met up, the more this circle's consciousness would wake up to push them together. They were the destined lovers after all. Even if Marianne hated him right now, it would undoubtedly change later on. Not if Naomi had anything to say about it.
"Like you said, he's not worth it," Naomi added, "so don't let him take too much of your time."
Hearing the clear rejection from Naomi's voice, Marianne puffed her cheeks, her pouty bottom lip jutting out a bit. It made her look like a chipmunk or a tiny child that had been said 'no' to by her parents for the first time. Nonetheless, she looked adorable enough to entice even the most iron hearted man.
She was so animated and sincere in her expressions, that even Louisa's hostility faded completely, if her softening eyes was anything to go by.
[MARIANNE'S IMPRESSION: What is wrong with her? Why can't she defend herself against that asshole? Does she really love him that much? If she loves him so much, then, maybe I can go help her get together with him! Yes! It's going to be so romantic! Plus, I'm going to be a matchmaker! I'm sure she'll thank me one day. No doubt!]
Marianne's thoughts nearly gave her a whiplash, but Naomi could only marvel quietly at her impaired judgment. She refused to see this as sanity, because no sane person would have this train of thoughts rotting their mind. Rowen and her? Not going to happen.
"Well, if that's what you want. I can't really butt into your business," Marianne said, shoulders dropping in an act of conceding defeat, unaware of Naomi's ability to see through her expressions and read what she was thinking. "Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Naomi. I mean, it's an unusual meeting, but I'm glad to meet you."
[MARIANNE'S IMPRESSION: We didn't meet in a very good way, but at least we've met! She even tried to protect me against that big brute earlier. Isn't she such an angel? Maybe we can become good friends! Imagine, me being friends with the prettiest girl in the school!]
Naomi simply nodded her head and watched silently as Marianne left, running delicately like a playful forest nymph. Her smile dropped as soon as she disappeared from her sight.
"She seems like a nice girl," Louisa commented beside her, her arms crossed over her chest. "It also looks like she has good judgment. I mean, any person who can see that Rowen's an asshole must be someone with good judgment, right?"
Naomi's brows twitched, before it quickly smoothened over, wiping any traces of unease or agitation. There was no need to panic about Louisa's good feelings for Marianne; she shouldn't worry unnecessarily about these things as of yet.
"She does seem to be a good person," she agreed before weaving her arm around Louisa's, just a simple and physical reminder of her place in her life. "She was kind enough to check on me, although she didn't have to. I just worry Rowen will put a target on her. I hope he doesn't do anything untoward with her. She was only defending me earlier."
Rowen was certainly the type to be petty and hold grudges; why else would he treat the Original maliciously for several years? Naomi was certain he blacklisted Marianne for yelling and humiliating him in public earlier. However, her assumptions didn't give her confidence that the main leads would stay away from each other because of what happened. The key was not to let them meet again, not until she had all her cards figured out.
As of now, she would befriend Marianne and get into her good graces. There was no need to make an enemy of her as of yet. She could become her confidant and trusted friend; she would make her trust and love her to the point it would be hard to betray her. It wouldn't be easy, with the way things were going and the circle's consciousness acting erratically for no reason.
However, if she could successfully sway Marianne to her side, all the better.
"I have to thank her sometime," she shared with Louisa as they headed towards their next class unhindered, aside from a few stray stares here and there. When Louisa casted a questioning look at her direction, Naomi elaborated, "If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have the courage to face Rowen today. I have to thank her for giving me the bravery to finally confront him."
[LOUISA'S IMPRESSION: Doesn't she realize it's all because of her strength, not someone else's, that made her face Rowen?]
"Whatever fits your boat, Naomi," Louisa said with a soft grin, a tender look masking her eyes in a whimsical light. "But just so you know, Marianne might've given you the courage to face your fears, but it was because of your strength that ultimately made you make that choice. So, don't forget to give credit to yourself, alright?"
Her heart warmed. She felt unburdened by what Louisa said, no matter how flawed her assumption was.
"Thank you for being here for me," she uttered tenderly, leaning the side of her head closer to hers to nudge her head, before moving away to look at her in the eyes. "It's hard to move on, but having friends like you helping me with my problems certainly make it less hard. I hope you know that if you have any problems in the future, you can rely on me as well."
[LOUISA'S FAVORABILITY: 95/100]
Louisa's eyes fluttered, her chest swelling as she held air in, her expression revealing the deep emotions Naomi evoked through her words alone. Her eyes reflected the sentiment of a genuine longtime friend, with a mixture of awe and vulnerability within. She looked touched by what she said, Naomi nearly wondered how the Original treated her before she came, even though she already knew how.
"Well..." Louisa hesitated for a moment, as she demurely shied her gaze away, a pinkish hue glowing over her cheeks. "I actually want to ask for a favor, but I don't want to bother you."
"What do you mean bother me?" Naomi asked with a curious tilt of her head. "You have never been a bother to me, Louisa. If you want to ask for something, you can ask for it. It's the least I can do for all the things you have done for me."
Louisa pursed her lips, still hesitating despite Naomi's keen assurances. Reading Louisa's thoughts, Naomi already garnered what she wanted to ask her about, but chose not to say anything. Instead, she stared at Louisa with an earnest gaze, encouraging nonverbally to speak her thoughts aloud.
Finally, seemingly unable to resist the allure of Naomi's offer, Louisa spoke, hesitance coiled around her words. "I followed your advice yesterday and I showed my designs to a fashion house. Just this morning, I was offered to present my designs in the next Clandestine fashion show next month."
"Really?" Naomi exclaimed with a gasp, stopping on her tracks in the middle of the hallway to face her friend. "Oh, Louisa, that's amazing. Congratulations!"
Clandestine was a well-known fashion brand in this circle. It was one of the most popular brands worldwide, where the targeted audience were women of all ages and sometimes men (if the occasion called for it). Most celebrities in the circle wore Clandestine outfits. Naomi also had clothes from the same brand, although most of her outfits were custom-made and designed by a personal designer and tailor.
To think such a famous brand offered Louisa an opportunity in a fashion show, despite her lack of experience or credentials, meant they must've found her designs intriguing and worthy.
Of course, Naomi didn't doubt Louisa also used her family's connections to grab the opportunity to present her designs. But, in her opinion, there was nothing wrong with being resourceful and exploiting your advantages when there was an opening.
Louisa blushed profusely, as if shy from hearing her praise, but hints of pride could be spotted from her figure as she pulled her shoulders back and lifted her chin slightly higher.
"Thank you. Anyway, I was wondering if you can be one of my models for the event? To be honest, I designed a gown with you in mind, and, you know, it'll be amazing if you wore it. It... it would be a nice distraction from Rowen, don't you think?"
[LOUISA'S IMPRESSION: Oh, god, what am I saying?! Why did I mention Rowen? Gosh, this is so embarrassing. I hope she doesn't think I'm being a creep. I just really want her to wear the clothes that I designed.]
Naomi blinked her eyes.
It was gradually dawning on her that Louisa saw her in a rather high regard, almost as if she had placed her in a pedestal. She already knew Louisa was someone with a friendly and approachable nature, but at the moment, she could see that Louisa adored her in the same way a fan would adore their idol. She exhibited the behavior where she'd often cater to Naomi's needs and desires in the hopes she would be acknowledged or appreciated.
No wonder it was easy for the Original to take advantage of Louisa, to the point that she took her for granted. Louisa never put up a fight in the beginning, not until Marianne came along and showed her the 'light'. She and the Original had an unequal dynamic in their friendship from the start, with Louisa blindly following the Original's whims, even if it meant trampling her own.
It was the Original's own selfish greed and entitlement that led to her being friendless in the end. She supposed the Original's end was nothing more than poetic tragedy meted from karmic justice. When she ignored everyone that cared for her, the one person she truly cared about sent her to her own death.
"Louisa, you don't need to explain to me," Naomi assured her, grasping her hands in a warm hold, her eyes curved like twin crescent moons as her lips bloomed into a spring-like smile. "Rowen aside, I'm happy you got this rare opportunity, and I am beyond honored I'm one of your inspirations in your creation. It would be my pleasure to wear the dress you made and become your model for the show."
Louisa's eyes widened in surprise, before it morphed into a blinding grin that washed away the remains of her anxiety. She clasped Naomi's hands in a tighter grip, unable to contain her excitement.
"You won't regret it," she squealed, then giggled in her youthful exuberance. "I promise!"
[LOUISA'S FASHION DREAMS QUEST: 4/5]
"I don't doubt that I won't," Naomi replied, before they gradually began their walk to their class, the atmosphere now lighter compared to when they first came into the school.
By the time they got to their homeroom, they spotted Mikhael standing beside the doorway. He was leaning his back against the wall, arms crossed over his taut chest, a few strands of dark hair falling to his forehead while the rest were slicked back. His green eyes were awash with the morning sun, making it appear darker, like the lush of trees in a wet forest.
Many girls seemed to find his pose attractive, since they paused and stared for a few moments when they saw him. Undoubtedly, Mikhael was a good-looking guy worthy of his role as the second male lead. She didn't find him attractive like the rest, but examining his figure with an objective lens revealed he was aesthetically pleasing to look at.
Mikhael's beauty was quite different from Rowen, although undoubtedly the two of them were very good-looking boys in their own right.
There was a blatant intensity to Rowen; something that intimidated others into submission and incited fear among common men. He was akin to a feral beast in the wild who's ruled by its predatory instincts, suppressing others to submit while also tempting them to tame him.
He simply burned in an all-consuming fashion, and somehow it made him appear authentic and raw. His hot temper and arrogance did not even put off his roguish appearance, but it contrasted nicely with his raw intensity.
On the other hand, Mikhael was an unattainable beauty whose cool, level-headed traits had become a protective shield to ward against others. A winter breeze seemed to radiate from his being, warning others to tread carefully around him; otherwise they'd be subjected to the cruel brunt of his sharp tongue.
However, while he might appear unapproachable and cold, he was truthfully a thoughtful man deep inside. He reminded her of her own father in this circle; they both similarly hid their vulnerability behind a well-crafted mask of ice.
"Kael? What are you doing here?" Naomi spoke as they came up to him, betraying her bewilderment with a quizzical tone of voice and a tilt of her head.
Mikhael was an ABM student while both Naomi and Louisa were in STEM. Their buildings were across from each other, so it was quite confusing to see him in their side of the campus.
Hearing her voice, Mikhael whipped his gaze to her and immediately straightened his posture. Naomi nearly recoiled back when he suddenly strode closer to her, only halting in front of her face before proceeding to examine her state. His gaze lingered over her face, taking note of her wan cheeks, bloodshot eyes, and downward twist of her lips with a firm frown.
[MIKHAEL'S IMPRESSION: She doesn't look well. That goddamn Rowen must've hurt her again. He does nothing but hurt her over and over. She hasn't even done anything but fall in love with him.]
Mikhael sighed heavily, as if burdened by his own plaguing thoughts. Glancing at Louisa standing beside her, his brows smoothened into an indifferent expression as he uttered, "Can you leave us both for a moment?"
Louisa frowned but after seeing Naomi's gesture to go ahead, she reluctantly gave her acquiescence. She gave Naomi's hand one last tug before she proceeded inside their homeroom, leaving Mikhael and Naomi behind in the hallway.
The weight of Mikhael's scrutiny bore down on Naomi, but for some reason, he never deigned to speak up. A few moments of silence later, and a nearly inaudible sigh from Naomi's lips broke the stillness.
"So, what did you want to speak to me about?" Naomi had no choice but to take the mantle to start the conversation, acting casual as she stroked back a few dark strands of hair behind the shell of her ear. "Are you... are you going to ask me about Rowen?"
"You look pathetic."
"What?" The word spilled from Naomi's lips in the midst of her bewilderment, taken aback by Mikhael's remark.
What did he just say? Did I hear him right?
He raised one eyebrow, judgment clear in his eyes. "I said what I said."
[MIKHAEL'S IMPRESSION: She needs to understand that confronting Rowen, when she said she was moving on from him, was plain idiocy. It was pathetic, and she needs to see it that way.]
He... wanted her to realize she was an idiot, by telling her that she was pathetic? Naomi knew he only wanted to help, but this was a new low, even for Mikhael. So, what brought this on?