After dinner, I found myself in a smaller, more intimate room with Rachel. It was just the two of us now. She had invited me for tea, which in itself felt surreal. If someone had told me back in my old life that I'd be sitting here, drinking tea with Lady Rachel Everhart, I'd have laughed. But here I was, in the body of Irina Everhart, the notorious villain of the story, trying my best to survive.
Rachel was all smiles, like usual. She had this way about her that made you feel like she actually cared, but deep down, I knew her warmth wasn't really directed at me-it was all about Celine. Celine, the perfect heroine, the one who should've been sitting here having tea with Rachel, not me. But hey, life-if you can call this reincarnation life-is weird like that.
Just as I was thinking about all of this, Celine walked in with a tea tray. Oh no, this was the part in the novel where things usually went south. If I remembered correctly, original Irina would throw a fit about being served tea instead of coffee. She hated tea and always made sure everyone knew it. But honestly? I liked tea, and I wasn't in the mood for a fight. Still, Celine had no idea who I really was, and that meant she was probably expecting me to react just like Irina would have.
She set the tray down, carefully pouring the tea into two dainty cups, and then it happened-her face shifted, eyes widening as if she'd just realized something terrible. "Oh no, I-I brought tea instead of coffee," she stammered, her voice small and nervous. She looked terrified, like she was expecting me to explode any second.
"I'm so sorry, Lady Irina," she added quickly, her hands shaking slightly. "I'll go back and bring coffee right away!"
For a moment, I felt bad for her. Here she was, doing her best to avoid the wrath of the old Irina, not knowing I wasn't actually her. I could tell she was scared. Her eyes were wide, and she was already half-turning to leave the room.
Before she could bolt out the door, I held up my hand, stopping her. "It's fine," I said, trying my best to sound calm and kind, which, honestly, felt weird considering this whole 'villainess' reputation I had to live up to. "Tea is good, and this Rachel invite me for the tea after all."
Celine blinked, clearly confused. She knew Irina hated tea, and my reaction wasn't exactly what she expected. "But... you don't like tea..."
I waved it off, trying to think of the quickest excuse I could. "My hormones must've changed or something," I said casually, hoping that would be enough to stop her from making a fuss.
Her confusion deepened, but thankfully, she didn't press any further. Instead, she just nodded, probably too relieved that I wasn't going to throw a tantrum to ask any more questions. Rachel, on the other hand, smiled warmly at me, clearly impressed by my sudden change of attitude. "I've always treated Celine like my daughter, you know," she said, looking at me like she was trying to share a deep, personal truth.
Yeah, I know that, Rachel. I've read this chapter, I thought to myself, trying not to let my irritation show. It wasn't like I needed her to remind me that Celine was the apple of everyone's eye in this household.
"She's been with us since she was little, and I've always wished I had a daughter of my own," Rachel continued. Again, I knew that already. I'd read about how much she loved Celine, how she secretly wanted her to be part of the Everhart family. But I wasn't here to relive this storyline. I had to survive it.
Still, I smiled and nodded like a polite guest. "Of course," I said, my voice sweet even though inside I was thinking, Please, just stop talking.
Then, to everyone's surprise, I turned to Celine and said, "Why don't you join us?"
Celine blinked in shock. "Oh, no, Lady Irina. I'm just a maid, I couldn't possibly-"
I cut her off with a smile. "So? Does being a maid mean you can't drink tea with us?" My tone was light, but there was a bit of edge to it, like I was daring her to challenge me on this.
Celine looked at me like I'd just sprouted wings. "I... I don't know..."
Rachel, ever the gracious hostess, beamed and motioned for Celine to sit beside her. "Oh, come now, Celine. Don't be shy."
Celine, clearly unsure what to make of this whole situation, reluctantly sat down. Rachel continued to chatter on, this time about fashion. Honestly, I barely paid attention. Something about blending fabrics for the new season? Who cared? All I could think about was how weird this felt-sitting here, being nice to Celine, knowing full well that I was supposed to hate her guts in this story.
But that wasn't the most pressing thing on my mind. No, what really bothered me was the fact that in my past life, I never even had the chance to sit down and enjoy something simple like this. I'd been too busy dealing with drama, school, and life to have a quiet moment like this.
I sighed, taking a sip of my tea. I had to stop thinking about the past. I wasn't Seira Fallon anymore. I was Irina Everhart, and if I wanted to survive in this messed-up story, I needed to focus. Starting with keeping Celine on my good side.
After all, I thought as I looked over at her, if those two simps, Ezra and Noah, love her so much, maybe being her friend would save me from their wrath.