For the first time, I was afraid to wake up.

Things took an unpredictable turn, all in my favor, and it was too good to be true. I was afraid that all of this might be a dream, that this bliss wasn't real.

But when I woke up with Alistair Kirsten de Averill beside me, my heart was filled with happiness and his face brought me peace.

"Good morning." he greeted me affectionately.

Since I couldn't speak, I opted to bury my face on his chest. The grand duke smiled at my gesture and lovingly wrapped his arms around me.

"You have no idea how long I've dreamed of this." Alistair whispered to me then planted soft kisses on my bare neck. "Shall we do it one more time?"

"No."

We were both startled by the voice filled with dismay. When we turned to our right, we found Haniel standing on the bedside with his arms crossed and his face crumpled in annoyance.

"For heaven's sake, let her get some rest." Haniel clicked his tongue. "She needs to eat, Your Grace."

Grand Duke Averill stared at him. "What, you are still here, Astana?" he said with blatant irritation.

Instead of paying heed to the grand duke, Haniel focused on me. He placed my clothes on my side, newly-washed and neatly folded, then smiled.

"Get dressed." The black-haired mage remarked in a soothing voice. "I prepared breakfast for you."

"What about me?" Alistair interrupted.

Haniel hissed at him like a feline. "Unfortunately, I bear no romantic feelings for you so I do not care even if you starve, Your Grace." he said bluntly.

"What a shame." Alistair replied to him, smiling.

Anyway, I took my clothes and started dressing myself. While doing so, Haniel flinched then turned around immediately. He was flustered.

"I know that you two have just sorted out your feelings, but we have a lot of talking to do." He stated in a serious tone this time. "We have to discuss how to deal with the plot from now on."

"What is there to discuss?" Alistair asked as he began dressing himself as well. "Isabelle shall come with me to the north. End of the story."

I silently went to the table to have my breakfast, but Haniel noticed me and rushed to my side.

"That would be unwise, Your Grace." He argued while pulling out the chair for me. I sat down.

The grand duke frowned. "And why is that?"

"Grand Duchess Averill is in the north, isn't she?" Haniel reasoned while handing me the utensils. He's quite the multitasker. "She might hurt her."

"First, let me get this straight." Alistair pursed his lips. "Ruth does not love me. We tied the knot for convenience and our marriage is contractual."

So it's a marriage of convenience. I don't know about the part that she doesn't love him, though. The way I saw it, Ruth was quite attached on him.

"Our contract did not include a certain deadline, but we both agreed to divorce each other when one of us has a newfound love." Alistair added.

The black-haired mage, on the other hand, became increasingly confused. "But that isn't the point-!"

Haniel suddenly paused, like a realization dawned on him. He turned to me with a questioning look before folding his knees to level our gazes.

"You haven't told him about Lilith?" he whispered.

I shook my head with a contrite expression.

"Why?" Haniel asked in a small voice.

How am I supposed to tell Alistair that Ingrid, the crown princess, is the devil's host? He is close to the male lead of this novel and an avid supporter of Prince Dion. They grew up together, you know?

If I suddenly tell His Grace that the prince might be acting under the devil's influence, he might take it the wrong way. It might seem like I'm trying to create a rift between them, and he might turn suspicious of us instead. It's a tricky situation.

"The lady of the Marchetti county is possessed by the infamous devil named Lilith, Your Grace."

My jaw dropped when Haniel blurted out that phrase like it was nothing. You piece of shit!

"She's the contractor of your wife, Lady Camellia, and the two of them framed Princess Himari and Isabelle, which prompted their unjust execution."

I grabbed Haniel by the forearm in an attempt to stop him, but he held my hand firmly, as if telling me that everything will be okay. This is not good...

"Calm down," Haniel sighed. "You love him, don't you? If so, then you have to trust him as well."

I nervously lowered my gaze. It's not that simple!

Alistair frowned. "The devil, you say?"

"Yes. Crown Princess Ingrid is the devil incarnate."

"So you're both claiming that my wife and the future empress practice black magic?" His face darkened. "That's a serious accusation. Do you even have any evidence to support that claim?"

I clenched my fists. I knew it. I knew he wouldn't believe us so easily. It sounds absurd, after all.

To my horror, Haniel's fist landed on Alistair's face and the grand duke lost his balance. Blood trickled from his nose, and both of us were stupefied. Eh?

Did Haniel just punch Grand Duke Averill?

"Ah, my apologies." Haniel calmly remarked while cracking his hand. "I lost my temper for a second."

I shot him a horrified look. Are you crazy?!

"You cannot blame me, Your Grace." Haniel said through gritted teeth. "The more I talk to you, the more I get disappointed. You go as far as sleeping with her, yet you don't trust her. How infuriating."

Alistair stood up. This time, his eyes were ablaze towards the young mage. "I was simply asking for proof. I never said I don't believe the two of you!"

"Sure, and we have no proof! Would you still believe it then?" Haniel exclaimed in response.

"Fine, let's say that Ruth and Ingrid indeed practice black magic." Grand Duke Averill clenched his jaw. "Even so, Isabelle will be safeguarded in the north. I will protect her."

The black-haired mage snickered. "You?"

"You think I cannot protect her?" Alistair asked.

"Well, you failed twice, didn't you?" Haniel said in a rigid voice. "So no, I have no faith in you."

Silence ensued, but Haniel broke it shortly.

"I could care less whether you believe us or not." Haniel stared at him coldly. "But no matter what happens, I won't let you take Callista to the north. That's like bringing the lamb into the lion's den."

"Who are you to decide that?" Alistair taunted.

"I am someone who loves her." Haniel answered with sheer confidence. "Definitely more than you do, who's selfish and solely thinks of himself."

"Say that again, damn wizard." His Grace fumed.

"I said you are selfish and you only think of yourself." Haniel reiterated fearlessly.

His warm and bony fingers took hold of my hand.

"Your Grace, have you forgotten you are currently a married man? You plan to bring her to the north as your mistress? Are you out of your mind? Did you not think of what others will think of Callie?"

"I told you, our marriage is merely contractual!"

"But other people aren't aware of that!"

"Why should their opinions matter, Astana?"

Haniel squeezed my hand. He was really angry.

"Because those opinions would hurt her." The mage took a deep breath. "She's already hurt enough. I won't let you add more load on her."

The whole place was engulfed in tension. If only I could speak, I would have stopped them from arguing any further. This is so frustrating.

"If you insist on bringing her to the north, either you kill me now or settle your existing marriage first." Haniel tilted his head. "Though I doubt you can pull off the former, but you can try, I guess."

With that, Haniel pulled me out of the house. I was too shocked to move, so I just let myself be dragged. When we stepped out of the house, I noticed that Haniel's hand was still shaking.

I poked his shoulder to catch his attention.

We stopped. My companion looked at me.

"I'm sorry." He murmured apologetically.

His legs weakened and Haniel folded his knees in defeat. He held his eyes like he was embarrassed.

"I talked big earlier, but I did not consider what you actually want." He let out a depressing sigh.

His concerned disposition made me smile.

"What do you want to do, Callista? I shall respect whatever your decision is." Haniel kept his eyes shut. "If you want to come with him to the north, then I'll just have to go with you and protect you."

I gently patted his shoulder then shook my head.

I feel sorry for Alistair, but I agree with Haniel this time. I don't think it's safe for me to go to the north. Even if their marriage is contractual, Ruth wouldn't appreciate a mistress. People will either pity or insult her, and that will surely anger her.

More than that, the north is basically her domain.

She is the grand duchess of the Averill duchy. Even if Alistair does push for a divorce, that would take time to be settled. If I stay there while they're still married, my actions will be restricted and I will be constantly watched by the villainess in the north.

Who knows what she and devil are up to?

So no, I won't go with Alistair this time.

"On that note, if you stay with me, there's still the risk of getting entangled with my role." Haniel admitted. "Lilith is after my heart, after all."

It was true. Whether I decide to go with Alistair or Haniel, there are pros and cons. I have to give this some serious thought. The novel, the characters, everything... This is a matter of life and death.

---

Shortly after that argument, Haniel and I returned to my house. There, we found Grand Duke Averill sitting on the table, and he seemed to have calmed down a bit. And so, we joined him on that spot.

At first, we were basked in silence. I kept eyeing Haniel and urged him to apologize, but he was so stubborn. His face had a look like, why should I?

I felt like a mother forcing her kids to make up.

Finally, Haniel seemed fed up of the silence.

"I'm sorry for punching you in the face." The mage begrudgingly apologized. "But you deserve it, so..."

Dude, that's such a half-assed apology!

"It's fine," Alistair is surprisingly meek?! "I know you're only jealous because I'm the one she loves."

Veins popped on Haniel's neck. "Ha?!"

The grand duke smirked. "I forgive you, loser."

Before it could even escalate into another fight, I stopped the two of them. Thankfully, they both restrained themselves. Okay, we're ready to talk!

"I have given it some thought, and you were right. The north is out of question." Grand Duke Averill blew a sigh. "So if not in the north, where should Isabelle go? You haven't elaborated the plot yet."

Haniel and I exchanged meaningful glances.

My letter to His Grace only covers what happened in the first arc, and the nature of my existence in this world. I simply confessed that this is a novel, that all of us have certain roles, that I am an extra meant to die every time a story arc concludes.

I also told him that the villainess, Lady Camellia, betrayed me by framing me and Princess Himari.

Alistair doesn't know yet that the second arc takes place in the tower and that my role, supposedly, was Haniel's lover who betrays and kills him.

I eyed Haniel intently. Can we tell him?

If it were only me, I would've told Alistair without hesitation. However, this matter involves Haniel's safety as well, so telling him might pose some risk.

"I do not mind." Haniel shrugged, as if he read my inner thoughts. "After all, I am the one and only Haniel Calypso Astana, the strongest and the one favoured by the heavens. I won't be killed easily."

Alistair frowned. "What the hell is he on about?"

He's saying that even if someone knows about the devil's heart, they still cannot kill him that easily.

I gave Haniel an unimpressed look. That's rich coming from someone who died by his lover's hands in the original story. Strongest, my ass.

"T-This and that are different, okay?" Haniel said in shame. "That version of myself was foolish."

I let out quiet giggles. It's amazing how he can know what I'm thinking without me having to write it down. How can Haniel know me so well when we've only been together for a short time?

Anyway, we had a mental agreement to tell Alistair about the second arc. Thus, Haniel explained it all to His Grace, who listened attentively without interrupting the mage.

"I see," Alistair turned to Haniel. "Can't you just die, then? That would solve all our problems."

The purple-eyed mage glared at him. "How about I kill you instead? That will certainly solve all my problems. You're the pest in my life, Your Grace."

Grand Duke Averill smiled. "I was merely jesting."

For a moment, Alistair fell into cogitation.

"So Lilith needs the devil's heart in order to unseal her powers, and that thing is actually yours now." Alistair rubbed his chin. "Which means the story won't progress until you die and lose your heart."

His Grace shifted his gaze between me and Haniel.

"More importantly, Allari was supposed to betray you. But because she's your ally now, somebody else will do it and you still have no inkling who."

We both nodded to him. That's the gist of it.

"Your lives will be in peril if you continue to stay in the tower, then." Alistair concluded. "I advise you to go as far away from the tower as possible."

Haniel sighed. "I share the same thoughts."

I quickly wrote down on my sketchpad.

But, where can we possibly go?

"Not in the north, obviously, since Ruth is there." The grand duke answered. "Well, how about you two head to the south? I have a private land in Surinam. You can stay there for the meantime."

Haniel and I looked at each other.

"It's not a place that anyone can easily access, and it's pretty far from the tower. What do you think?"

"Are you sure about this?" Haniel tilted his head innocently. "I mean, should you be sending me and your lover alone in such a secluded place?"

Alistair stared at him sternly. "What of it?"

Haniel smiled. "I might steal her from you."

"Sure, if you can." Grand Duke Averill scoffed.

While they were busy bickering, I jotted down my thoughts and brought up one important thing.

We need to take Servan with us.

Both of them looked at me.

"Servan?" His Grace curiously inquired.

"Her brother." The mage answered on my behalf.

If we leave my brother, they might take him hostage and force me to betray you, Haniel.

"I get your point," Haniel crossed his arms. "But you also need to consider that Servan can betray me, too. What if he was passed the traitor's role?"

His words totally made sense. That's possible.

Wouldn't it be fine as long as he doesn't know that you have the devil's heart? Besides, if we're both safe together, then there's no reason for Servan to comply to the devil's demands. He won't betray you.

"Well, that's true." Haniel muttered in deep thought. "I suppose we just need to be extra careful. Besides, I am the strongest. Heh."

Both the grand duke and I stared at him blankly.

"For some reason, that look on your faces is kind of irksome." The mage hissed. "Well, the higher you fly, the more people want to take you down."

Dude, why are you making us sound like haters?

"Astana," Grand Duke Averill called the mage in an earnest tone. "I'm not in the position to protect her, so I leave Isabelle in your capable hands."

For a while, the two of them stared at each other.

"Hmm," Haniel smiled. "That goes without saying."

My heart pounded. The future is still bleak in my eyes, but strangely enough, I'm less afraid now.

After all, I'm not alone anymore. I have allies.

So I will survive this arc no matter what.

---

Another long update! I didn't have the motivation to write these past few days, but I'm glad that I still managed to complete this chapter. Heh, finally.

Thanks for all your votes and comments!

Yours Truly,
Aomine-san