« If Elena was the one who got reincarnated PART ONE »
i.
Death.
She had believed once upon a time that heaven or hell comes after death.
Her life wasn't exactly the most exciting, nor was it something remarkable and memorable. It wasn't something someone could turn into a best selling book, but in her life she was happy and content. She died at the ripe age of 78, in a warm hospital bed surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She had closed her eyes, grasping her daughters hand with a wistful smile on her face. Perhaps she would soon see her husband in heaven?
She did not.
When the first life ended, her second life began. The moment she closed her eyes, she opened them again- to reveal an unfamiliar room and an unfamiliar life. She stared at the unfamiliar face in the mirror, expecting to see greying hair, wrinkles and eyes aged with wisdom only to meet the cherub face of a young girl with bright brown eyes and a curly bush she called hair.
Like any self-preserving person, she screamed.
"KYAAAAAAAAAA !!!"
ii.
She was now Elena Nicola Margavine. Her surname sound like it's some kind of expensive margarine but she paid it no mind.
She is now Elena Nicola Margavine, the only daughter of Duke Edward Margavine and Duchess Elise Margavine (née Clement). She is also the older sister of young Mitchell Margavine, the heir to the Margavine Fortune.
In this life she had to make lots of adjustments. The cultures were so vastly different, and it appears to have taken a cross between Medieval and Modern Europe. It was crazy, everything she learned in her past life was tossed to garbage. This world itself had it's own sort of history, there was no Bubonic Plague or World War One and Two. It had Dark Ages, Light Revolution, Aposynthéto Flu and many more mind boggling, logic defying events one only sees in fantasy movies. And oh, did she mention she had magic?
The world itself has magic, it's in the air, in the ground, in the water, everywhere however only a select few creatures could harness the world's magic. Humans generally do not have magic. It would take no idiot to guess that magic in this world was so coveted that the human king Tycheros banished the "creatures of the dark". During his quest, the blessed human king managed to harness the world's magic and shared it to his allies.
In the modern world, the creatures of the dark were laying low and humans dominated the plains, the mountains and the fields. There are five families with magic- The Diatiro Family with their Light, The Skotadi Family with their Waters and Winds, the Rosemond with their Fire, the Margavine with their Electricity and finally the Oriels with their Nature Magic.
Elena belongs in the fourth family, the House of Topaz.In this life she made so much adjustments. Apparently her family is super rich, and Elena was being polished like a gem everyday to be the perfect little girl of mommy and daddy. She was forced to take etiquette lessons, with her mother always breathing down her neck telling her to "Do this Elena", "Don't slouch Elena" and "Chin up!- Fix your posture Elena"
The most energy draining of them all was when her mother tried to tame her hair. Elena does not get the logic of genetics in this world. Her parents looked like supermodels with pretty faces and pretty hair. Elena was their daughter so she looked pretty, or at least she should have been had her hair not been a bird's nest. Her mother always tried to tame the untamable, brushing and brushing and brushing the curls every morning but they would always protest, poofing and frizzing every chancd they get. Much worse her magic was electricity, and her hair was, for lack of better words, always static.
Maybe that's something she brought from her past life. Begrudgingly her trademark- her untamable bush of a hair.
When her hair wasn't choking her asleep, her hair was choking her when she's awake.
It was extremely suffocating to be living in a beautiful birdcage like that. In a few years she'd realized her mother was so very controlling, which was because her father was so very unfaithful. They pretended to be the perfect family on the outside, but inside the fabricated lies are crashing at the seams.
She eventually saw root to the problem, being the 78 year old granny she is deep down. Elena sighed, sitting down her parents and making them, well talk. They seem to have sorted out their differences. Turns out, her father never had an affair, and her mother was just overthinking. Long story short, problem was solved.
Mitchell Margavine was too young to understand that time.
Her parents however, were shocked to have a calm and rational daughter, too wise for her age. In contrast to Duke Skotadi's nightmare of a daughter, Elena was every bit of the word serenity.
The only nightmare about Elena is her hair.
iii.
At eight years old she met Crown Prince Avarys when her father went to Diamond City.
His face was carefully blank, before it broke into the brightest smile when he greeted them. However charming, Elena was not deceived. He had this look in his eyes that makes you wonder how many he would kill, and this smile which tells you he probably wouldn't bother counting. Elena decided she did not want to get involved to such a person.
He was trouble. And she didn't want trouble.
Although he had been a perfect gentleman during their encounter, Elena could not imagine herself being queen and standing by his side. Prince Avarys was like a bottomless black hole, and it would take and extremely amazing person to fill him. She wasn't that person and she wouldn't even delude herself that she could change him.
"You're not her," Avarys said, eyes dazed as he gazed at her. Elena could only shudder. It wasn't winter but his gaze was chilly, glacial cold.
"I did not say I was." She replied as she watched him sigh.
"You're a smart one," He said, with a slight quirk to his lips. "Then get out of the castle, while you still can."
"A threat?"
"No." He shook his head. "A warning. You don't belong here Margavine. Now go, shoo."
Back at the carriage, with the Diamond Towers being swallowed by the distance, Elena gave her father a firm stare. She neatly folded her hands on her lap.
"Father," Elena said calmly. "I do not wish to be engaged to Prince Avarys."
"I can see that," Her father hummed. "But don't you think it would all be worth it when you become queen?"
"It wouldn't," Elena looked away, staring at the rustic streets of Diamond city. "I don't want to waste my life being someone I do not want to be."
"Alright, I get your point sweetie," He ruffled her already tangled hair. "I'll take him out from the fiance options alright?"
She felt relief when the crown prince was out of her future fiances. Avarys Diatiro was intriguing and terrifying at the same time. Although being Queen can offer her all the status and riches in this material world, it cannot bring her happiness.
She felt a string of pity for the poor soul who would end up with the guy.
iv.
Nine years old and Elena realized how little girls could be so mean. Her so called "friends" left her when they realized she was engaged to some Adrien Rosemond who she has never met before.
Elena sighed, grasping the ends of her yellow dress and greeting each guest she meets politely. Every once in a while she would glance out the glass doors leading to the gardens. She saw the moon peek through the dark clouds and the yellow tulips reflect the moonlight. Elena would wonder how it must feel to just ditch greeting guests and just sit in the garden bench and listen to owls hoot. And feel the cold wind on her face.
This banquet was meant to be Mitchell's birthday banquet, but the boy of the hour had come up with a horrible case of turkey pox. Her parents threw this party still, for social connections. It appears that they had since smoothed out all the wrongs in their relationship and decided to start anew. Her parents were expecting another sibling come Spring.
Elena, from the background could observe all the guests. There were her parents and Duke Lidius Skotadi conversing by the staircase and the little peacock we call Clara Skotadi with her unholy quartet. Clara, Duke Lidius' only daughter, had been the definition of singular most spoiled kid in the entire universe. Elena watched as the blunette laughed at something her friend- Angel? Or was it Sofia?- said, before going off in a boasting tirade once again. The little girl had gotten engaged to Prince Avarys, from what Elena heard from the grapevine and would constantly be gloating about it every chance she gets.
Elena fears what would happen to this country in the future with a psychopathic king and an evil queen.
She shrugged, before finally taking a break from greeting guests and helping her fill in the desserts table.
v.
"Nico you don't want to play outside?" Adrien Rosemond, apparently her fiance, asked. He was an adorable boy with flaming red hair and burning eyes. He was like a little fireball, like his magic but he was too chirpy for her liking.
Adrien was the only son of Duke Aima Rosemond. He belonged to the second house of the Pillars of Power, the House of Ruby. His house was only a caste above her in power, and it's only expected that she would end up with him. For all the wrong things in this world, they still practice arrange marriages in powerful families. Elena had resigned herself to that fate when she realized this.
It was for the good of the family, they say.
"No." Elena replied firmly, turning a page from her book. Gardenia: A Magical History. She had to know lots about this world and it wouldn't be through playing outside.
"But Nicooooooooo~"
She narrowed her eyes at the beyond horrible nickname. It would've been alright if Adrien called her Nicola but Nico was a stretch. It was as if she was a boy. Nico was a boy's name!
"Please do call me Elena, like everyone else does."
"But Elena is too girly!" He whined.
"And Nico is too boyish," She countered, fighting back a sneer.
"But Nicola is too long!" He announched, puffing his cheeks. "You're Nico from now on."
She whimpered, before turning her attention back to her book. This little kid is acting like a prat.
"Hey Nico, you're ignoring me!" He suddenly appeared next to her, peering at her book with no pictures before looking back at her again.
"You know we could play hide and seek or tag indoors.." Adrien grinned playfully.
"Maybe if you finished reading this book, I'll consider playing with you." She offered lightly, not even pulling her eyes away from what she was reading. Elena could vaguely remember handing the young Rosemond a four hundred pages worth adventure book, and she could vaguely remember him grumbling in response.
"How am I supposed to read this? It has no pictures!"
She ignored him.
But then he shut up, sat down and began reading. His visits to Margavine Manor became a bit more tolerable since then.
vi.
"This is like a bird's nest," Adrien mentioned, grabing a lock of her hair. Elena turned around, mildly glaring at him. He was sitting on one of the yellow couches of Margavine Manor and she was sitting on the carpet floors. She shut her book in irritation.
"Why are you even here?" Does he even know that above all circumstances you do not just diss a girl's hair? This ginger is basically asking for an instant death wish.
"Father pesters me to spend time with you," He said plainly, recalling how he was kicked off the Rosemond Residence and sent off on a carriage straight to Margavine Manor. "And all you ever do is read books."
"Not really."
"Or ignore me. But then if you're not ignoring me, you're sewing, or crocheting or playing piano or embrodering-"
"Embroidering."
"Embroidering. Whatever. All you do is boring stuff."
"Hmm."
They were bathed with silence once again. Adrien was spinning a key ring in his index finger, before his voice cut through the silence like a knife.
"Hey, I'm actually quite curious," Adriend started, looking at the yellow ceiling. "Remember that book you lent me- Vladislav's Walk, is there ... do you have a sequel?"
Now when he finally mentioned books and not jousting or playing outside, Elena peered up at him with wide brown eyes. "And if I do?"
"I'm going to borrow it, if you wouldn't mind," It was surprising how he said all that with ease. "It's very intriguing, how the author tackled .... well, magical creatures, especially vampires. We don't have books like that in my house."
"Vampires?" Elena gave a slight smile, which for some unknown reason made Rosemond's cheeks as red as his hair. "But I heard your family is a family of vampires." She joked, but it was a loaded statement.
Adrien gave her the most baffled look, before throwing his head back and laughing. "Vampire- me?" He pointed at himself incredulously , looking at her as if she grew two heads. "Look, that's crazy. I would've been baking under the sun a long time ago."
"But pureblood vampires must've devised a way to not burn under the sun. Maybe King Tycheros helped them or something."
"Oh silly Elena," He rolled his eyes and held his arm before the window, bathing it with sunlight that filtered through the glass. "I should be turned to ashes by now if I'm a vampire, shouldn't I?"
"Alright, you're human," Elena giggled lightly, before grabbing his arm and dragging him down the hallways, to her personal library. She'd never brought anyone here, because the library is her heaven. It's what reminded her so dearly of her past life. Reading is a hobby she refused to let go of.
Adrien Rosemond gaped like a fish, drinking in the whole room.
There were bookshelves racing past the ceiling, step ladders and mountains of books and books. This was perhaps Elena Margavine's version of heaven.
She absently sat on one of the stools by the fireplace and waved her hand at him. "Go search for the sequel then. The title is Vladislav's Run."
"You must be kidding me." She could hear his disapproval from his voice. Elena couldn't help it, her joke was good!
"I kid, it's actually Montgomery's Demise. The second book switched focus to Vladislav's friend Montgomery, and it's now set after King Tycheros banished the creatures of the dark.
"So you actually do have a sense of humor Nico."
"Don't call me that!"
vii.
Elena grabbed a beautiful silver dress from the rack, only to feel it being pulled from the other side. She looked beyond the rack to see a beautiful girl with her bright blue hair in twin drills. Clara Skotadi's ocean orbs momentarily glared at her. They stared at each other for a good minute, none of them yeilding.
Clara pursed her lips, seemingly calculating her and Clara-I'lltellyoutomypapa-Skotadi shockingly letting go of the dress.
Now this wouldn't really be surprising but heavens must be blowing up if the most selfish person Elena knows decided to give way for others.
"Oh, you must be Elena Margavine," Clara mused out loud, blinking lightly. "I'm Clara Skotadi. I'm sure you already know me. I'm Avarys Diatiro's fiance- ha!" She had a triumphant look on her face. Clara even raised her nose up in the air.
Like everyone already knows that.
"And since I'm going to be the future queen," She paused, before smiling brightly. One thing Elena knows is that Clara does not smile with teeth. Ever. If there could be something even more plastic than plastic then it's Clara's smile. "You can have that dress Margavine, it doesn't look that good anyway."
Was Clara Skotadi being nice to her?
Clara was such an awful person that nice and her name in one sentence just doesn't fit.
The Skotadi heiress was such a weird person. It's hard to pinpoint if she was actually being nice or being mean. Elena doesn't know if she should feel blessed or insulted.
But she did feel relieved that the future Queen left Margaretts.
Elena did end up buying the dress.
viii.
"Mum!" Adrien called out as he dragged Elena through the throngs of people. He pushed past important and feeling important people with a bright smile on his face and a miffed Elena in tow.
A beautiful woman with bright brown eyes and turned around, gracefully facing them. Her hair was tied in a low but elegant pony tail, bundled on the left side and falling in waves on her left shoulder. She had a soft smile plastered on her face when she saw her son, who promptly let go of Elena to hug his mother.
"Oh dear," Francesca Rosemond hugged her son back, watching his goofy grin before gazing at Elena. Elena was fiddling her thumbs, wanting her future mother in law to at least like her. She had never met Francesca before since their engagement was basically small talk between Duke Aima and her father. "Are you Elena Margavine perhaps?"
"Uhm..." She blinked, when she saw Adrien motioning towards her. His mother was also watching her curiously. In that moment she realized she just blanked out.
"Yes. I'm Nicola Elena Marga- no no, Elena Nicola Margavine." She gave a sheepish grin at her stupid blunder.
Francesca snickered lightly.
"Do you like the christmas lights we put up? I picked them myself." The woman motioned for the colorful light around the venue. Though this world does not celebrate Christmas, they have decorations called christmas light.
Elena looked up at the walls and ceilings, to meet with glows of red, violet, green then white and blurring together.
"Elena?"
"Yes, I like the FLASH LIGHTS!" She screamed the last part, earning a soft giggle from Adrien's mother and a facepalm from Adrien.
A hot blush spread through her cheeks. Elena wasn't usually this careless.
"Uhmmm. I like the christmas lights." She added softly.
"You know, my son has been talking a lot about you these days."
"He talks about me?" Elena tilted her head to the side. She saw Adrien pouting, looking up to his mother as if she had just thrown his secret out in the open for all to see.
"A lot actually," The woman gave a sly grin. "I think he fancies you."
"Mooooooooooooom. Stop it." Adrien drawled out, looking very unamused.
"And do you know that Adrien reads now?"
Elena's eyebrows rose up almost to her hairline when she heard this. She never expected that Adrien was really reading the books she lent him. He just wasn't that type of person.
A few more embarrassing stuff were dropped, before Adrien decided that he wasn't going to let his mother embarrass him in front of his fiancee. So he dragged her away, again. Elena only looked back at Duchess Francesca Rosemond, who waved goodbye at her with promises of tea, cookies and lots of chitchats whenever she drops by the Rosemond Fief once in a while.
Adrien and Elena were helping themselves with sweets when people started dancing. Well, they don't really want to dance unless the adults force them to. The lights were turned of and only as select few torches were lit up to give an intimate setting.
Well, the two just enjoy eating sweets together in silence. One thing they have in common is that both of them have insane sweet tooths. They piled up different kinds of chocolate, cakes and ice cream in their table. If they had it their way, the chocolate fountain would've ended up in their table but hey, other children would've chased them with their forks, nobility hierarchy be damned.
Everyone loves chocolate fountains.
All is well until Avarys Diatiro decided that he will sit with them. No. Avarys Diatiro decided that he will sit BETWEEN them.
Elena could only look at the blond boy with surprise. "What are you doing here Diatiro?" She asked rather rudely because Avarys just took a very special and very delicious chocolate roll from her cake and thinks he can get away with it.
"Oh if it isn't Your Highness." Adrien drawled out, before taking one of the super delicious brownies from HER plate. Two seconds in and Elena was already glaring angrily at the two.
Like none just steals her food and gets away with it.
"Hide me." Avarys said. Elena was confused for a second before a group of lower ranked noble girls passed by their table.
Luckily, their table was in the secluded part of the hall. With the darkness and a few torches and decorative smoke, they were basically untraceable.
Should've taken the chocolate fountain when they had the chance....
"Did you find Prince Avarys?" One girl asked.
"He ran off!!! I wanted to dance with him!- I heard Queen Lilia said that he'll dance with whoever asks him."
"Such a rare chance- Who wouldn't want to dance with Prince Avarys?- isn't he just so dreamy?" One girl said and by then Elena was ready to puke.
Elena and Adrien looked at Avarys for explanations which he did not give. The boy just shrugged, and told them to watch further.
And that is when the final boss aka Clara Skotadi came in.
She marched up to the girls with a very horrible frown on her face. Her eyes were like knives slashing the girls' self esteems. She raised an eyebrow while crossing her arms over chest, as if to say "Who the hell do you think you are?". Oh. And it didn't help that Clara was pretty, filthy rich, the daughter of Duke Lidius and the fiancee of Avarys Diatiro himself.
Adrien looked as if he was enjoying the show and Avarys was just sighing exasperatedly.
Clara scowled. "I'm the only one who can dance with him. Geez, just try girls- I Will Destroy You." She said the last part dangerously slow, before the girls all ran off as far away from her as possible.
Clara sighed in relief. Amadeus caught up behind her, looking a bit out of breath.
"I think mom went too for with her joke." Amadeus said, his gaze sliding over to Avarys who was on their secluded table. However he didn't give an indication to Clara that he saw his brother.
"She shouldn't even be joking like that," Clara hissed. "Even if it's to tease me, having him accept any dance invite is just too cruel."
"Don't worry," Amadeus gulped lightly. "She's just testing you."
Clara was silent for a while, before Amadeus who looked oddly nervous spoke again.
"So, Clara.... Would you like to dan-"
"Andrew!" The bluenette screamed, while rushing up to her brother. Andrew Skotadi looked up to her in confusion, blinking lightly while innocently licking his fingers which were coated with chocolate. "Dammit, I told you not to drown yourself in the chocolate fountain." She reprimanded while wiping the chocolate which dripped down her brother's blue coat, muttering a select fee curses on the way.
"But the chocolate-"
"I don't care," She cut him off, before casting a short water magic and cleaning his shirt. A few spells and wind magic and Andrew's coat and shirt was as good as new. Clara Skotadi was also unfairly blessed in the magic department however, all she could think about is-
"I don't care about the chocolate fountain Andrew. Did you find Avarys?"
Andrew shook his head no. Amadeus was staring at Avarys who looked as if he was sinking deeper and deeper into the table. Adrien found this whole situation amusing and Elena, well she felt sorry for Amadeus.
"Clara uhmm-"Amadeus started again but hey, we all know Clara like cutting people off when they spoke.
"He must be here somewhere. I could smell him!" Clara raised her nose up in the air and it took everything in Avarys and Elena not to facepalm.
"Clara, would you like to dance with me?" Amadeus finally asked and Clara finally listened.
"But I'm still looking for Avarys." She said plainly.
"You could dance with him later, I'll look for him." Andrew surprisingly said, finally noticing that Avarys was just on the table behind Clara.
She looked hesitant, before accepting Amadeus' outstretched hand. She muttered a quiet "sure" and went off to the dance floor with him.
ix.
Today, Elena's family went to the Margavine Fief, and they took Mitchell with them. She's got the house all to herself- what better thing to do than catch up with embroidery?
She really wasn't expecting any visitors, so it's shocking to see Adrien Rosemond appear at her doorstep. He had this all black ensemble, which is a stark contrast to his usual all red attire. He was staring at her blankly, with a look of death in his cherry eyes.
"Adrien."
He blinked lightly, then tilted his head. He looked as if he was wondering how he got to her doorstep in the first place. Elena was wondering too.
"What are you doing here?" She sidestepped and let him in. She had not meant for that to be rude, but it had been a few months since he had last visited her.
They walked over to the drawing room, with Elena motioning for the maids to serve tea. Adrien plopped himself on one of the couches, still unresponsive. Good thing he didn't sit on her needles, she would've freaked out.
Elena sat on the piano stool, just staring at him. For a long moment, he stared at her too,before swallowing thickly, as if it had killed him to do so. He had changed so much in the span of eight months she had last seen him. At twelve he was this bright and hyper boy practically begging her to go out and play and at thirteen he looked like a boy so tired of the world. There were bags under his eyes and he looked so thin as if he wasn't eating and sleeping right.
For the past eight months Elena had not seen him, it was not for the lack of trying. The Rosemond Residence had completely shut down, not letting anyone in within the premises. She had been so worried but a valet assured her family that the Rosemonds were alright.
"My mother," He sniffed. "Died. A week ago."
Elena's eyebrows rose, her eyes opening wide. She kept quiet urging him to continue.
"She caught a particularly bad influenza, the one that's been going around for a while. The doctors said she caught the plague, or something like that," He looked down, mouth set in a straight line. "And the estate shut down for a while. I wanted to write to you, but.... father cut off all connections from the outside. Today's the funeral."
Not knowing what to say, Elena patted the seat right next to her. He plopped down, and she caught a whiff of cinnamon and pinewood.
"Do you want me to go with you?"
"It's over. I ditched. I-I can't face her Nico. Mum was the strongest person I know. I can't believe, I can't - hic - accept that she just- hic-" His head hang low, tears falling down his eyes like rain.
"What do you want me to do?" She asked softly, grasping his hand. She was starting to notice their differences now. Adrien was taller than her and he had bigger hands than her. Adrien was a boy.
"M-make the pain go away Nico." He begged, staring at her with tear stained cheeks.
Wordlessly, she settled her hands on the piano keys and began playing. She remembered this was a song her daughter used to sing before she died in the first life.
So I'll sing Hallelujah
You were an angel in the shape of my mum
When I fell down you'd be there holding me up
Spread your wings as you go
And when God takes you back we'll say Hallelujah
You're home
It made Adrien cry even more. She didn't get to finish the song as he latched on to her, crying desperately in her shoulder.
It was then they had an understanding that they always got each other's backs.
x.
Rosemond Residence was located on top of a mountain near a canyon a few kilometers from Carollina. When Elena reached the Rosemond Fief, she was awestruck. Carollina, the main city was perpetually in one season only- Autumn. What's funny is the trees weren't shedding leaves and the Tree of Life at the heart of the main city was glowing in vibrant shades of yellow, orange and red. It was as if out of a painting, and she realized why Adrien Rosemond liked playing outside so much.
The trek up the mountain was rather zig zagged and tricky Elena was ready to puke when they reached their destination. She strategically did not look down the canyon as they passed by an earthen bridge. Once they passed by the outer gates, she notcied trees like Dogwood, Red Maple, Crab Apple and Acer Palmatum lined the beautiful courtyard. There was a beautiful fountain in the middle as well, with a decorative marble siren with fishes around her, water coming out of their mouths.
Elena was promptly greeted and ushered inside by Duke Aima Rosemond. Duke Aima looked nothing like Adrien. The father had slicked back hair in the shade of dying embers while Adrien had messy bright flaming hair tossed in different angles of disorder. They had the same aura though, but different smiles.
As she walked down the halls, she realized that the Rosemond Residence looked as if it came from the Dark Ages. Everything looked so backwards she swore Diatiro castle looked more modern. Where Diatiro castle used glass windows coated with magic, Rosemond Residence used bars, metal bars for their windows! Where the Diatiros used magical light bulbs like everybody else uses, the Rosemonds used scented candles and torches to light up the hallways. It looked like a fortress crossed dungeon in the outside.
Inside, there were expensive rugs and antique paintings of ancestors hanged on the walls from who-knows-what decade. She could have sworn the pretty Rosemond Ancestors sneered at her as she walked past them.
She doesn't know why they disliked her but she was sure she fixed her hair this morning to look very presentable for this dinner.
When they entered the dining room, she noticed the beautifully crafted bronze chandelier on the ceiling before the unfamiliar blonde woman who looked akin to a horse Elena almost voiced it aloud.
"Oh my dearest!" The woman squeeled, before rushing up to her and hugging her. "You must be Elena Margavine, how very pretty!"
Elena never felt so uneasy and uncomfortable in her life. Doses of disgusting-smelling perfume infiltrated her nose she almost pushed the woman away. Her eyes locked with that of Adrien Rosemond, who was standing stiffly with a sneer on his face.
I feel you mate.
When the unfamiliar woman finally let go, Adrien grabbed her hand and they made a run for it. The ancestors she could have sworn were swearing up and down and turning on their graves when they noticed their interlocked hands. They were very expressive with their disapproval.
Despite that, she giggled- what was their problem anyway?
Adrien had opened a wooden door, shoved her inside, before placing the locks and chain in place. No door knobs, this was an antique estate after all. This was probably his room, the bed was unkempt and there were coats thrown all over the bed spread. There were scented candles around his room, toys and sports stuff. His sword and throwing daggers were littered across the carpets and his armor was draped over the couches near the fireplace Elena wonders if he even cleans his room in the first place. It feels as if a hurricane has swept over it.
In the midst of everything messy, the only neat thing were the books on his desk. The only three books in his room.Elena smiled wistfully as she saw Vladislav's Walk, Montgonery's Demise then finally the third book, Rommeo and Julia. Adrien wasn't a fan of books, but she'd like to think he keeps up with the series because of her.
"Nico, I'm sorry," Adrien apologized as he plopped down on the couch, patting the space next to him. She folded her fancy skirt lightly, noticing the contrast of yellow against pungent red. "My.... stepmother wanted to meet you." He spat the word step mother, a shadow crossing over his face.
"So it's true!" Elena gasped lightly.
"Hmm?"
"Duke Aima. He married that... that.."
"Horseshit," Adrien drawled out, rolling his eyes."It's true. In a small ceremony. He didn't invite anyone influential like your family or Duke Lidius because Lord knows they'll never let him live it down."
Her eyebrows scrunched. "But why would he marry-"
"Beats me," He shrugged. "But I'm betting she cursed him or something. So there's that. My life is shitty so far."
"Your room is so messy." Elena noted in a dull tone. "When was the last time you cleaned this?"
"I don't remember," Adrien looked as if he was contemplating seriously, before he shrugged. He kicked off a dirty shirt under the sofa. "It basically cleans itself now."
She gave a displeased frown. He smiled back sheepishly
She hadn't seen this carefree Adrien in a while. A few hours later after talking about Rommeo and Julia, they would be down in the dining room in an extremely uncomfortable dinner.
Adrien's stepmother- Loisa Rosemond would be grilling her with uncomfortable questions. It was as if the woman flipped, and she made sure she made Elena feel as if she wasn't welcome. Of course, as a Margavine, Elena made sure to always respond politely despite being utterly pissed off.
Maybe it did help that Adrien was grasping her hand.
"Do you even know how to cook-"
"She does. Nico's perfect. She could play piano, knit,sew, whatever girly stuff there is and stepmother," Adrien hissed through gritted teeth, cherry eyes blazing. If a pin would be dropped in the room it could be heard. No one dared to speak or breathe in the time that he paused. Adrien roughly stabbed his steak with his fork, the sound ringing throughout the room. "Please stop making my fiancee uncomfortable . You're ruining my dinner."
Nobody spoke after that. Even Duke Aima look a little bit miffed but he was torn between siding with his new wife or siding with his son. He remained carefully neutral.
Elena squeezed his hand, and muttered a quiet "thank you"
The look he gave her made her realize that they don't just have each other's backs-
they'll always stick together, for better or for worse.
Tbc.
🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻
Author's Note:
Eyoo Mika here
Long time no seee, err, read. I forgot how to do these authors notes wth. Let's just wing thisss.
How are you guyyys been doin?? Did the last chap slayed you guys with suspense? I know it would have killed me too if I'm a reader mwahahahah
Sooo to say sorry for that, I decided to publish this cute spin off. I had the idea of what it would be like if Elena was reincarnated and I wanted to show the few things that happened to Adrien Rosemond that I cut off in the Lovelorn's Arc one. I think this spinoff would have a few spoilers and show a bit of game-Clara and game-Avarys' relationship.
The only ones who would go through changes would be Elena and Adrien. The other characters would be very much like their game-selves, an example being Amadeus who is still inlove with Clara, Clara who was always chasing after Avarys and Avarys who well we don't know what that guy wants.
Anyways, I'm still deciding whether I should continue Arc Two, the school arc. Ohemgeee.
Schools been really hectic. I should really be sleeping but you guys have been so amazing and supportive and all that I decided to hey, let's publish this. This has been choppy and eww I promise I'll proofread this chapter when i get the chance.
Please bear with it for a whileeeeee and oh, there's part two for the elena spinoff and it's where all shit go down. The part two would most likely be game- school arc. Where yeah, clara dies. Lol.
And oh, before I forget a lil disclaimer, the song I placed was Ed Sheeran's Supermarket Flowers. I don't own that lol. It's just one of my fave songs and it fits with that scene mwheheheh.
Lots of love, Mika♡♡♡