I knew I wasn't the type of person who would be allowed into heaven when I die. I just knew of it.

I was scum for the most part of my life. I was selfish and unreasonable, not to mention horny. That pretty much guaranteed me a ticket to hell.

So when I opened my eyes, the peace and quiet had me delusional that the gods must have pitied me and welcomed me into heaven upon my death.

"Finally awake, Isabelle?"

But then I saw my evil master, the villainess of the novel A World Without Light. So I realised this couldn't be heaven. She's even scummier than me.

The gods would throw her up and keep her alive as long as they could, just so they won't have to meet her. Geez, even hell would reject her.

"Are you the devil?" I grinned. "Am I dead?"

"Yes and no." Her brows furrowed. "Isabelle, this is no time to crack a joke. What on earth happened to you? I told you not to get caught."

I tried to get up from my bed, but my head felt like it was being hammered continuously. I could only shut my eyes and groan from the subsequent pain.

"What happened?" I asked absentmindedly.

"That's what I wish to know as well. You were lying unconscious in front of my chambers this morning." Lady Camellia clicked her tongue.

My face wrinkled in confusion.

"I wasn't sure if you managed to wreck the dress, so I just brought you in my room in case anyone suspects you and asks for an alibi. Let's tell them that you were in my room, attending me all night."

From her lengthy explanation, only one word got through my head. That damn dress of the heroine!

I sprung out of bed upon realisation.

"My lady!" I turned to her, horror-striken. "Ingrid has been possessed by the devil! She attacked me!"

She frowned. "What?"

"She caught me destroying her dress. Look at the bruises and the wound on my head. There was something amiss about her! She was unusually strong and there was some kind of black smoke-!"

The villainess raised her palm, as if telling me to stop rambling. She massaged her temples.

"I have no inkling what happened to you, but calm down for now. You seem confused." she remarked.

"I'm not confused." I insisted. "Even if you take a look at Ingrid, you'd see her full of bruises and scratches since I put up a fight with her, my lady!"

"Look, Isabelle." This time, she seemed pissed off by my outburst. "I saw her this morning and she was perfectly fine. No bruises or scratches as you claim. Aside from being a crying mess due to her dress turning into rags, she was as good as new."

My shoulders fell. "How could that be?"

I begrudgingly grabbed the mirror on the bedside. I was completely unharmed as well. No wounds, no scratches, no bruises. Nothing at all, as if last night was illusory and I'm just losing my mind.

"As much as I want to comfort you, the selection officially starts today." Lady Camellia caressed my back. "Cool your head and get some rest, Isabelle."

Shortly, the villainess left me alone in the room.

"A nightmare? To hell with that shit," I kicked the bedframe out of frustration. "I know what I felt!"

Lilith. She even said her name was Lilith, and that was taboo in this world! No one names their child Lilith because it's the name of the devil incarnate!

I can't let this go on. I don't know if it's part of the plot, but something's definitely wrong with the protagonist. She's supposed to be a damsel in distress, not a witch in disguise! That's not Ingrid!

---

That morning, I was literally quaking in my boots. The memory of Ingrid smashing my face on the ground like a bug was still vivid on my mind.

There is no way I would be able to settle down, so I decided to take a look on the ongoing selection.

When I arrived at the venue, the second part was already underway. Many nobles were invited to watch the selection process, some of them even rooting for their own daughters who participated.

"Oh," I blurted out when I bumped into a familiar face. Her silky black hair and slanted eyes are still impressionable as ever. Truly an eastern beauty.

"Long time no see," Rumi greeted rather coldly.

"Yeah," I looked away. "It's been a while."

When I got reassigned as a maid of the Sky Palace, we never crossed paths again. It somehow felt like both of us wanted nothing to do with each other, anyway. After all, we were both Leila's friends.

Her death was something we could never come to terms if we constantly reminded each other of it.

Out of courtesy, I didn't leave right away, but I also kept a certain distance from Rumi. I missed her.

"Are you here to support someone, Rumi?"

"Yeah," She eyed me. "Lady Marchetti."

Oh.

Her answer rendered me speechless. My friend seemed to have noticed this, but decided not to comment on it. Maybe I can fish out some info...

"What kind of person is Lady Marchetti? Does she treat you well, Rumi?" I queried with mild interest. "She looks so sweet and innocent."

"Of course," She said without much thought. "The lady is very kind. When she's parched at midnight, she's even considerate enough not to ring the bell on her servants and fetch water for herself."

Dude, that's way too suspicious! What kind of lady would wander like that in the middle of the night?

Who knows if it's the devil making rounds and corrupting unsuspecting people in the palace?!

"Haha," I let out an awkward laugh. "Is that so?"

"What about you?" Rumi inquired. "You have been serving Lady Camellia. How is she as a master?"

"She's rather vulgar," I thought for a moment then smiled. "But she's wise and generous towards her servants. It's rewarding to be her personal maid."

"I see," Rumi suddenly turned around and walked away. "I'm glad. You seem to be in good hands."

The fact that my friendship with Rumi isn't the same as before made me sad, but I think we're both relieved to see each other doing well.

Also, if she's a maid tending to Ingrid, then that's all the more reason for me to keep the heroine in check. She's suspicious. I refuse to believe she's innocent. I could feel the darkness within her.

"Come to think of it," I whispered curiously when I remembered something. "I met a fortuneteller in town back then, the one who warned me to stay away from flowers. Should I try asking her?"

From what I know, fortune-telling is also a form of black magic. It's different from clairvoyance that comes in the form of prophecies in the temple.

I'm aware that even the mere mention of black magic can send you to prison, but I can't battle things I don't know about. I need to learn about it.

I might be dealing with the devil, after all.

And so, I left the palace for a while and set out to meet with the fortuneteller. The capital was bustling as usual, especially at this time when the empire was about to name its crown princess.

Well, at this point, I could care less about the selection. If that devil disguised as Ingrid even wins, then this empire is totally done for.

"Is this the right place?" I muttered to myself.

I remember paying a visit to this bookstore located a few stores away from the weapon shop. Despite my chariness, I entered the place anyway.

The bookstore still looked as desolate as before.

Ashy, bleak, and somewhat neglected. You could even see the cobwebs on every corner, and the whole place was just covered in dust. The wooden floors would creak every time you'd step on them.

It's not exactly a nice place to visit on weekends, but I'm here because this lowly maid is desperate.

"Oh?" A soft and feminine voice mused. "You..."

When I turned to the right, I saw the same woman whom I encountered before. Once again, she wore a revealing dress, which displayed her voluptuous breasts. Her straight purple hair also added into her sex appeal. What an attractive person.

"Hi," I smiled hesitantly. "Do you remember me?"

The woman remained slouched on the counter, staring at me with a weird expression on her face.

"I do," She waved her hand dismissively. "But I don't wanna talk to 'ya. Go away, lass. I got no business with the dead."

I blinked twice. "Excuse me?"

"You might be alive now, but you're going to die soon." She clicked her tongue in disappointment.

My heart pounded. How can she casually tell me that I'm about to see the light? This wicked lady...

"I told you to stay away from flowers, but you didn't listen." The fortuneteller shook her head.

I don't get it. I survived the flowers, didn't I? I managed to avoid getting killed in the garden!

"I did stay away from flowers, that's why I'm still alive and kicking right now." I pointed out.

"Nah, you didn't." She drawled. The way she lazily spoke ticked me off. "I still see the shadow of death looming over you, to the point that it's devouring you. I can't even see your pretty face anymore."

Her words sent shivers down to my spine.

"Run for your life, missy." The fortuneteller gave me a sympathetic look. "A storm is brewing, and you're about to be at the very eye of it. Poor thing."

I took a deep breath. I admit it was disconcerting, but death no longer scares an extra like myself.

I was more afraid of leaving him behind.

"Enough. If it's my time to die, then so be it." I stated firmly. "I came here to ask about Lilith."

Her pallid face froze. She was dumbfounded at first, but then her shock slowly turned into terror.

"Careful there, lass." The fortuneteller smiled tensely. "That's not a name you can casually say anytime you want. We don't wanna awaken the devil and destroy the world now, do we?"

Before I could even mutter a reply, she kicked me out of the bookstore. Her face says she wants to get rid of me. She must fear the devil that much.

"Leave. I have nothing to tell you." Beads of sweat rolled on the side of her face. "For god's sake, stay away from flowers. They'd be the death of you."

The fortuneteller created a flower out of thin air then handed it to me with a serious expression.

"This is my final warning to you."

My face paled. This flower...

"Run while you still can, Callista."

It was a pink camellia.

---