I walked into the dining room and stood by the corner, staring at Kael, who just stared back at me. I haven't decided what type of female lead I want to be yet; the dinner scene came too soon.
"Can you please take your seat?" Kael asked in a polite tone. I strolled to the table and took my seat, not forgetting to give the butler a small smile. "How have your treatments been?"
"Fine," I replied, but my mind wasn't on the conversation.
This story took a leap; it's too fast. I need to regroup and start again. What trope is this, anyway?
I don't like the progress. Why did the villains show up too soon? Hold on, this is it. The villains showed up so I should feel unsafe and decide to go to the one person that has answers. Then, on my way, I'd be attacked and meet the real male lead, who'd be unrealistically prettier than the extremely pretty Kael, even though that's impossible.
"Lilien," Kael called, forcing me out of my thoughts.
"Huh? Yes, huh?" I said, looking up.
"You're not eating," he said.
"Oh, yeah, right," I replied, picking up my cutlery.
"I'm doing an investigation to find out who caused the amnesia. It doesn't seem like a normal thing," Kael said.
This is looking good. He'd blame an innocent person to cover his tracks since he can do that. I'd believe him and start hating the innocent person who happens to be the one with the truth. I, for no reason, will go to see the person and end up hearing the truth. Because of his statement, I'd get my memories back and…
"Lilien," Kael called, and I looked up.
"Yes?"
"Finish eating before you start imagining things," he said. Is this a stalker story? There's no way; we are supposed to be married, so it can't be.
I ate a bit and stopped to look up. We made eye contact, and I felt too flustered to look away.
"So…" I cleared my throat. "Why did you ask me to come here?" I asked.
"For dinner," he replied. I know that.
"Why?"
"So I can see you," he replied. He sounds like a male lead and a villain all at the same time. This puzzle is becoming impossible to crack. I'll test him a bit.
"You do know that I'm not your wife, right?" No response. "I may look the same, but I'm Lilien from two years ago. I don't have any emotional connections to you or this place," I said, and something flickered in his eyes that I couldn't decipher.
I'm doing good—play the indifferent female lead, act like I don't care, but I do. I want my story to go well. I don't want a tragic ending, and I don't want a boring ending or a rushed ending. My request is simple. Every action I take will affect the story since I'm the female lead, and I want it to go well.
"You are still Lilien, whether you have your memories or not. I'll do everything I can to get your memories back, and if I can't, I'd do everything over again if I have to."
This is so emotional, poor Kael. This is what I want from this story: bring in the emotions, say random things like this that'd leave the readers conflicted. Is he the villain or male lead? That's what I want to ask myself, but I know he's the villain, which is too bad because he's really handsome.
There is only one possible comeback that will intensify this scene. "I want to see my sister. I want to go home," I said with the best serious tone I could muster. I want to be on my bed kicking my feet in the air as I read this scene.
"To your father's manor?" he asked. He's avoiding the real request, typical obsessive villain.
"To wherever my sister is," I replied. Kael smiled and relaxed in his seat. What? That's not the response I expected.
"When we got married, your stepmother kicked your sister, Lucy, out of the house." Is he trying to prove something? "Your father got suspicious of her lie and did some digging. He got information from Lucy's benefactor, her husband, Julian, and found out that his wife's son was not his, and soon believed what you've been telling him." Lucy had an interesting story; where was I?
"Lucy is currently in Garhian. She took over the manor a few months ago, and you went to see her and only returned a few weeks ago," he continued. I don't like where this is going. "The journey to Garhian will take months, and…"
"I want to see my sister, whether it takes a year or more," I cut in. Perfect! A fight scene.
"I don't know what happened that you suddenly lost your memories. If you're in danger, I want to know that you're safe here," he stated. I like where this story is going, but definitely not this conversation. That's my cue.
I stood up forcefully and glared at him. I almost laughed. "I woke up in an unfamiliar place filled with unfamiliar faces. I might be acting unaffected…" I am affected. I am happy to be in this situation. I am living the dream, but I need to regroup. "…but I am. I want to go home," I said and stormed out.
This is so funny. As the female lead, it's my duty to do everything perfectly. First, storm out. Next, act cold. Then, plan an escape if he still doesn't let me go.
"This is exhilarating," I said the moment I closed my room door behind me.
I feel unsafe. I feel like the longer I stay here, the more danger I am in, but it also feels fun. In a good novel, feeling unsafe is a norm, but in my case, I don't want to wait for the villains to take action. I need to see the only person I can believe, Lucy. Once I hear the truth from her, I can figure out my next course of action and what the next chapter will be.
My slow-paced story will have to move at a slower pace. Let it just be that that leap was a fluke. This female lead needs to get her role straight. Once that is done, I'll be able to put myself in as much danger as I feel like and expect my scary monster to save me, or I'll just run away—whichever one is best depending on the situation.