Estoria threw his hand away with a slap of her own hand. "When did I give you the permission to touch me?" She glared at him with vicious crimson eyes.
Wayne seemed like a picture, unmoving, just smiling brightly yet eerily creepy as he kept the eye contact with Estoria.
"Are you wishing for death?" Estoria eyed the arm still around her waist.
"I'm a bit young to die yet; I haven't even brought a wife back home. How can I die right now?" Wayne whined with his downward crescent eye smile.
Estoria was a bit dazzled by his smile, but Aluxio's fake smile was still a hundred times better.
Just when she'd had enough and was about to throw the whole man away, he took his arm back himself and tugged it away behind his back.
"We'll be meeting again, my lady. For now, please remember my name so when I send you the proposal, you can recognize me," Wayne said before leaving with his brown-haired lackey.
"What? A PROPOSAL?!" Estoria was flabbergasted by him. How would he even find me when he doesn't even know my name? He must have recognized me then...
She stretched her hat over her eyes again and continued to walk as she stumbled upon a familiar sight.
There, in a boutique named R.L. through the glass windows the size of a person, she saw a lady dressed extravagantly in purple, adorned with golden jewels that matched her long hair like the first sunshine of the day. It was none other than the female protagonist, Isabella Théodred.
Estoria had to admit no one came even close to her beauty. She was the main character, alright. Estoria was a rather dark sight compared to her. It was like that song lyric, "she was sunshine and I was midnight rain."
Unknowingly, Estoria had entered the store before coming back to her senses, and she stood so close to Isabella, her heart was beating ten miles per minute or something.
"A celebrity," Estoria mumbled. She had never in her previous life met a celebrity in real life, but now she knew what it felt like to meet one. The person whom she had watched on her screen grow up was standing in front of her.
Isabella was the first one to notice her, even before the owner lady had gone to greet her.
Surprisingly enough, she recognized her with just a split second glance and came over to her in between placing her custom orders.
Estoria saw Isabella coming closer to her, and she started panicking in her mind. Although her face was plastered just the same, her hands were sweating, and her mind went blank.
"Estoria Stallion?" Isabella said, standing one foot away from her. It was no doubt the daughter of Ria Stallion, but why is she so unlike her mother and just standing there awkwardly?
Estoria overcame herself to answer this majestic being blinding her.
She took off her hat and placed it close to her heart before getting on one knee. She reached for her hand, and after Isabella allowed her hand to fall in her palms, she kissed it gently and said, "Estoria Stallion, your highness."
The only time she willingly addressed someone with such respect would have to be at least this pretty.
Isabella was amused and overjoyed with Estoria's greeting. She blinked a few times at her before pulling her up by the hand.
"Your behavior is rather unlike a prominent lady. Why would you get on your knee?" she said, with a pink blush on her ears.
"Anything for my favorite lady," Estoria grinned.
"Why do I-" Isabella, for the first time ever, found words difficult. So she instead shut up before she embarrassed herself and took Estoria's hand to sit with her on the nearby sofa.
Estoria was over the moon. Fireworks were blasting in her mind. Imagine being dragged by the hand by your favorite character. It wasn't like Isabella was her only favorite character, but she was the latest one to the collection. The affection for Isabella was still fresh in her heart.
After taking a seat and calming down, they spoke again.
"Were you looking to buy some new dresses too?" Isabella spoke first.
"Huh? Oh yeah," Estoria, startled by Isabella speaking first, forgot the formalities and answered casually like they were besties of ten years.
Isabella narrowed her eyes at her. "What happened to the person who was kneeling before me just now, addressing me as your highness with the softest voice?"
"Did you find my voice soft?" Estoria failed to pick up the point, only allowing her mind to hear what she wanted.
"Are you, by chance, unwell? Is it an illness affecting the mind?"
Now that was enough for Estoria to start acting more like a normal person before she lay any lower in Isabella's eyes.
"No, it's nothing like that. I was just messing with you, your highness," Estoria replied with a little laugh.
Isabella was thrown away by that answer, unable to say anything else.
Estoria knew her words could come off as rude, like she was making fun of Isabella, but she was really just being herself, speaking the truth instead of her honey words reserved for special situations. Besides, her family held the most power in this kingdom. Who would dare become her enemy just because of some words?
The owner lady, finally free of her tasks, came to greet Estoria and placed Isabella's fifty custom orders.
"For you, Lady Estoria?" The owner asked Estoria expectantly, her eyes almost coming out of her sockets.
This was Estoria's first time coming out to shop in this world. While she didn't dislike it, she rather didn't know what would be the best dress for her. But since she's rich enough to buy the whole store, might as well just do it.
"I want your every design in black delivered to my house," Estoria said without batting an eye.
"The whole collection?!" The owner seemed taken aback for a second before composing her professional self.
"I would like to take your measurements now so I can alter them accordingly if that's alright with you, Lady Estoria."
And so, she went to another room for measurements while Isabella waited as she drank her tea, when the door of the boutique opened with a bell ringing.
It was a boy with white hair dressed in a brown strap suit with a white dress shirt. He looked a bit unreal with his perfect features, but that was expected because those red eyes obviously belonged to the Stallions.
Isabella quickly observed the boy who was hesitant to enter but still did it and stood in the far corner of the store like he was waiting for someone, and that someone had to be Estoria. Of course, she wasn't alone.
Isabella came with a dozen guards herself, who were standing outside the store, but Estoria seemed to be alone without any guards but just a little boy. At least she had company, unlike herself.
She wanted to call out the boy to come closer and sit on the sofa while waiting but didn't know how to address him as she didn't have any experience with kids.
Just then, Estoria returned, immediately meeting eyes with Asher, who stood there stiffly. It was almost hilarious.
"Asher come over here," Estoria called out to him as she stood near Isabella.
Asher complied instantly like a robot, running his command, and stood close to her side, clutching her dress in a worried grip as he watched Isabella with suspicious eyes.
Estoria wasn't sure why he had his guard up against a petite, pretty lady, but he was acting like a child afraid of strangers, hiding behind his mother, which was an awe-inspiring sight for her.
"Is he the rumored grandchild? Who's the father?" Isabella asked, her expression running with curiosity.
"I guess that would have to be Aluxio," Estoria muttered, which everyone in the shop picked up with their sharp, gossip-thirsty ears.
Estoria realized what she had just said after the damage was done. Aluxio had been bothering her so much that her mind had unconsciously picked him first and foremost as who would be Asher's father. Well, in the end, it was Aluxio's fault, so he would have to deal with it now.
"Aluxio," Isabella thought for a moment before gasping dramatically. "His royal highness? The Aluxio Enrique? Darius's brother?" She exclaimed excitedly and loudly, which everyone in the shop picked up without even trying this time.
Asher gave Estoria meaningful side glares as if he wanted her to dissolve this conversation and leave.
Estoria wanted to deny it too, but that would seem even more convincing right now, so she at least wanted to take Aluxio out of it. "What? I didn't mean his highness. I meant to say Alixo." Yes, Estoria made up a new name on the spot, hoping no poor Alixo actually existed here or he would be dragged into this without lifting a finger.
"Alixo? That does sound similar... So where is he? I want to see whose good looks Asher got, although it looks like he has your red eyes; his features are a bit different," Isabella examined Asher's looks as if her life depended on it.
I really wonder what went wrong with this story. Not only was she trespassing into this world, but it would seem like the characters had suffered some damage too. What was wrong with the main female lead of this story? Was she doing this on purpose as payback? Estoria didn't know anything anymore.
"It seems like you have heard it wrong. Asher is indefinitely my son, but he was adopted. Unfortunately, I am not the one who gave birth to him," Estoria explained patiently.
Isabella seemed surprised, with a million questions to ask.
"Estoria, I want you to invite me to your house right now," Isabella declared steadily.