It didn't take too long for Duchess Savalle's men to grab me again. I was brought before the arrogant woman, fighting off a sad sense of deja vu as she stared down her nose at me.

"You ruined everything, you stupid girl." She snapped at me as soon as I arrived. "Why in the world would you wear the poisoned necklace instead of giving it that pretender?"

So that's how we're going to play it, huh?

I went into full spoiled brat mode.

"Are you kidding me?! It's all your fault for coming up with such a stupid plan! Why would she accept a cheap necklace from her maid?" I stomped my feet and produced a couple crocodile tears. "It's your fault she made me wear it! I threw up in front of the prince! He probably thinks I'm disgusting. Now I'll never be queen!"

My voice ended on a shrill scream which caused her to wince.

"Not to mention you didn't tell me you were sending assassins! What if they had killed me too instead of just that girl?! They didn't even do anything before the duke killed them off."

I crossed my arms, making a dissatisfied sound. "Then he had the gall to be mad just because I was hiding behind the couch. Like I'm going to risk my neck to protect that witch."

"..."

There was silence in the room as everyone seemed stunned at the ferocity of my rant.

"I... see." Duchess Savalle finally spoke, studying me closely. "Maybe you can still be useful. Does that woman suspect you at all?"

I snorted derisively "Not even a little."

"Very well. We will contact you soon."

They sent me back to my room, outwardly fuming but internally jumping for joy.

Hooray for getting back on track with the plot!

Hopefully now I would better be able to predict the future once again and work towards an even better ending than the original.

Things moved quickly after that. I faithfully reported Autumn's every move to the Duchess and played the good little minion. After much discussion, Autumn and I allowed a few of the less harmful plots to go off without issue. I spread a few rumors, made her late to meetings and parties, stained the back of her gown. These were silly little things meant to wear down her reputation with the nobility, but overall benign in the grand scheme of things. With this, I was hoping they would start trusting me more, helping me stay in the loop when they made their big move.

Months passed like this. Time seemed to be racing. We were getting closer and closer to the finale. Each day I nervously went over the plot in my head, trying to trace out all of the possibilities. Everything hinged on the night of the Prince's birthday.

In my book, the prince has an elegant party to celebrate his birthday. Autumn and Coron connect while dancing and grow closer. James, on the other hand, dances only once with her, and is cold and distant the entire time, trying desperately to hide his feelings for her. Katrina, as punishment for all her schemes and tricks is not allowed to attend the party at all, and is furious, of course. She pretends to repent and brews Autumn a cup of tea before bed. Autumn drinks it and is knocked out from the drug Katrina mixed in. Unconscious, Autumn is kidnapped and brought to an abandoned mansion where she'll meet William Savalle, the true villain behind the scenes. His mother being a simple figurehead, he reveals his terrifying true nature and his plan to take over the kingdom.

This was the plot, and the true reason behind me trying to keep the story on track all this time. If I could push them to the same plan as the book, I could prevent it. And I had to prevent Autumn being kidnapped at all costs. Because if James goes to rescue her... it was too terrifying of a possibility to consider.

I was not going to allow that kind of ending.

As the day of the party approached, I was intercepted by the Duchess's men and given the knockout drug. I was told only to serve it to Autumn after the party. I sighed, almost crying with relief as I held conclusive proof in my hands that I had successfully kept the story on the same route. Now I could break the ending with my own hands and save everyone. I made preparations with Autumn's family guards, set my own traps and rehearsed every step in my head with each free moment.

I was ready.

On the day itself, however, I was thrown a curveball, from an unexpected source.

"Katrina." Autumn held my hands, looking unusually serious. "I want you to promise me one favor."

"First tell me what it is." I looked at her suspiciously, but couldn't see any ill intent in her expression.

She pouted. "No. You owe me a favor."

"Since when?"

"Since you made me walked around with a dress with a huge stain on the back for a full day, so you could convince people you hated me!"

She had a point. I nodded. "Ok, I owe you a favor. What would you like me to do?" I was nervous; hopefully it was something I could do tomorrow. I really didn't want to be distracted tonight of all nights.

"Come to the party with me."

Huh?

I stared at her in confusion for a few moments. "The party? Tonight?" I thought it over. "I already arranged for you to have Lydia and Sercy as your servants for the party. I might have to clear it with the Prince's security to change things up." It wasn't impossible, but my head hurt just considering the logistics of it.

Autumn held up a hand. "No, no, you're misunderstanding me! I want you to come with me to the party... as my friend."

Again she shocked me into silence. I sorted out my thoughts. "But... I can't..."

"You can." She interrupted smoothly. "Even though you are my servant, you are technically the daughter of a Baron, which more then qualifies you to attend with an invitation. I spoke with the Prince and Duke Harrington, and they have arranged for you to be invited as an official guest." She reached out and grabbed my hands, squeezing them tightly.

"Please. It's all been arranged." I continued frowning, and seeing I was not convinced, she continued. "You've worked really hard to protect us, but you never do anything for yourself. Please come? You owe me and you agreed to do me a favor, you know!"

I had to laugh at her determined expression. "All right, all right already! I give up! I'll go to the silly party."

After considering it, I had already convinced Savalle's group to trust me to drug her. The Duchess shouldn't be at the party, as she and her son were waiting at the rendezvous point to greet Autumn after her kidnapping. So even if someone suspected that Autumn and I were on better terms, it shouldn't change their overall plan, right? I wasn't sure if it made sense, or if I was just trying to convince myself that it made sense, but in the end I felt confident in my decision.

"Hooray!" Autumn danced around, cheering, and I couldn't help but smile too. "Let's get ready, we don't have much time."

I paused, embarrassed. "Actually, this may not be a good idea."

"What? You promised!"

"It's not that... I don't really have anything appropriate to wear." I looked at Autumn slim figure. "And I definitely won't fit in anything you have."

She made a disgruntled face. "Stop bragging."

"I'm not!"

"Well fortunately, I came prepared." She ran to her closet and pulled out a midnight blue gown with silver trim. "Try this on!"

Her excitement was infectious. I quickly tried on the gown, surprised at how well it fit me. "How did you guess my size?"

Autumn looked pleased with herself. "I sent one of your old gowns with the order, they used those measurements." She hesitated. "Honestly I told them to tighten it up a little bit. Your normal gowns kind of hang on you."

I ignored that last comment and gave her a quick hug. "It's beautiful, thank you."

She grinned in response, "What are friends for?"

"But wasn't this expensive?" I thought it was a reasonable question, but for some reason Autumn looked very uncomfortable. She cleared her throat and avoided eye contact, her cheeks stained pink. "I can assure you it did not cost me very much at all."

She was acting too weird. "You bought this dress right? How much did it cost you?" Now I was being rude, but why the awkward look?

She glanced around frantically.

"Oh look at the time! I have to go get changed myself! See you soon!" With that, she raced back into her closet, as if avoiding the question.

Weird.

I wanted to pursue it, but, not wanting to seem ungrateful for the invitation and the gift, I decided to drop it.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror, and the girl in the beautiful dress smiled back at me. I was excited, I couldn't help it, even with worries about what would happen later tonight lurking in the back of my mind. I didn't feel too bad about it though. After all, how often does a girl get to go to a royal birthday party?

We entered the party together, taking the scenery in. It was being held in a grand ballroom, one that would have held two or three times the dimensions of my apartment from my world. Golden magical lights hung in the air, casting a warm glow over the entire party. Everywhere I looked there were people dressed up in their finest, chatting, laughing, flirting, a beautiful harmony of colors and sound. We made our way in further, and immediately Prince Coron made his way up to us.

"Autumn! Miss Katrina! Welcome!" His smile brightened up the air around him, making it impossible not to smile back. I could see why Autumn liked him so much. We curtsied politely and wished him a happy birthday. He was slightly embarrassed but seemed pleased. Seeing myself quickly heading in the direction of becoming a third wheel, I suggested that the Prince and Autumn dance together.

"Wouldn't that be rude to the guests you have greeted yet?" Autumn looked around, concerned. I was slightly glad she retained all the knowledge of etiquette that James and I had drilled into her head, but for now, I wanted her to have fun. I gave her a light push in Coron's direction.

"You two are engaged, no one would dare complain about a few dances. Take your time without worrying." I winked at Coron who gave me a thumbs up behind Autumn's back. Slightly dazed, she let herself be led onto the dance floor, and soon it was apparent that they were in their own little world. I took in their bright happy faces, glad for them, but slightly jealous.

Jealous...

That's right, I was so busy making sure those two had a good time, I completely forgot that a certain Duke would be sad at seeing the girl he liked dancing with someone else! I looked around the room, but didn't see him anywhere. Strange. Shrugging to myself, I made my way close to the wall out of the way of the other partygoers. I wasn't really hoping to spend my one and only royal bash as a wallflower, but given my current reputation among the nobility, I doubted anyone would be foolish enough to be my dance partner tonight. I forced myself to relax and enjoyed looking at the different groups of people. Fortunately, people watching was a good pastime for me. I soon fell deep into my own thoughts as I watched my surroundings, losing track of time.

Just as I was starting to get bored. I noticed a figure in black making its way determinedly towards me. I was the only one in this corner, so there was no doubt that they were headed towards me. My heart beat a little faster despite my earlier resolution to enjoy the wallflower existence. Maybe I would get a chance to dance after all. Just as the newcomer was about to reach me, however, someone large stepped in between us and offered a hand.

"May I have this dance?"

Startled, I looked up into a familiar pair of eyes.

It was James. He looked more solemn than usual, his gaze serious without that hint of warmth I had grown accustomed to, but despite his less than enthusiastic appearance, his hand offered towards me did not waver in the slightest. I knew I should probably stay away from him until I was sure the bad ending was behind us, but I realized if I had really wanted to not see him, I shouldn't have agreed to even come to this party. Deep down, I had known I would get a chance to meet him face to face if I came, and that was just one more reason I couldn't say no.

I took his hand firmly, my gaze politely pointed towards the floor. "I would be honored, Your Grace."

Several months ago he would have corrected me, insisted I call him "James." Now, he simply nodded, and led me out onto the dance floor.

It hurt. I knew it was because I asked him to keep his distance. I knew I had decided to do this so that I could save him. I knew it was only temporary. But still, my heart ached at the coldness in his eyes. It had only been a few months, but I was dismayed to find out just how much I missed him. Missed talking with him, cracking jokes, learning about magic and arguing about nothing. I worried that I might have gone too far, and even once this was all over he would never be so kind again.

It's for the best. He loves someone else. Better to give up while you still have some heart left to salvage.

We danced to the lovely music, our hands meeting with only the minimum amount of pressure to maintain the connection. We both were silent, lost in our own thoughts. I stared at the wall behind him. A glance at his face made it clear he wasn't looking at me either.

It felt stiff, unnatural uncomfortable even. We avoided one another even while dancing in each other's arms. It must have looked incredibly awkward to anyone watching from the sidelines.

Despite all this, a part of me wished the song would never end.

But all things end eventually, and as we made to part, a small glowing orb passed from his hand to mine, absorbing into my skin. A communication spell?

BE CAREFUL.

Two words, nothing more. I looked up into his eyes, startled. His expression was calm, but something burned behind the polite façade.

He was afraid.

"Excuse me, Miss Katrina?" The voice came from just behind me, interrupting my racing thoughts. The tone was oddly familiar, it lingered on my name in a way that made the hairs on my arm stand up. "May I have the next dance?"

Something felt off, I turned to reject the offer politely, but my voice trailed off as I stared up at an attractive face that was unfortunately all too recognizable.

William Savalle.

What was he doing here?! He was supposed to be at the abandoned mansion, waiting for Autumn to be kidnapped, right? I never wrote him at the party!

The plot had changed again.

Before I could think through the ramifications of this terrifying concept, William had taken my silence for consent and pulled me further into the crowd of dancing couples, away from James who stayed in place, quietly watching us leave.

"I'm happy you came to the party tonight." His voice was just above a whisper, almost too quiet to be heard over the noise of the party. His dark eyes watched me intensely, as if to capture every miniscule expression of my face. I felt trapped, like a mouse in front of a snake. I kept my expression neutral and polite, using all my willpower to not show my fear.

"Why is that, my lord?"

He grinned, but it wasn't a pleasant expression. It felt like he was baring his teeth. "We've been long overdue for a talk. You've been pulling the strings behind the scenes almost as much as I have." He leaned forward, close to my ear. "And when two people as powerful as us are playing the same game, don't you think it's only polite that we introduce ourselves before we get too far?"

I widened my eyes, trying to look confused and foolish. "What ever do you mean, my lord? Behind the scenes? Pulling strings?" I shook my head. "You must have confused me with someone else. I'm not powerful. I'm just a servant."

His laughter was a harsh sound, causing shivers down my spine.

"I love your mask."

I tried to pull away, but his hand tightened on mine in a cruel grip, his hand on my waist pulling me closer than polite society would consider proper. I couldn't move away, only closer. I stopped struggling, worried about what he would do next if I continued to fight him.

"I don't understand, I'm not wearing a mask." I tried to keep my tone light, but there was a harsh undercurrent of nervousness I couldn't entirely conceal.

"Oh that's quite the lie you've just told. You wear many masks, but only one truly interests me." His smile widened. "Not this polite mask you're currently using to hide your emotions. Or even your foolish noble girl mask that you use to fool the court and my mother."

What was he talking about? I studied him carefully, thinking over his character in the book and his actions in different scenes. He had always been clever, hiding in the shadows until the situation was in his favor to move. It was very odd for him to confront someone so openly.

What was going on with the plot?

My thoughts were interrupted as he increased the pressure of his grip on my waist, his fingers digging painfully into my skin through the fabric of my clothes. His face showed a satisfied expression as he continued talking.

"Ah that's the one I mean. That look that you are somehow separate from all of us, above us. That you know more than you are willing to share. You may have deceived that girl, as well as that fool of a prince and his pet duke, but I can see you clearly and can say one thing for certain:" He paused dramatically, seeming to be enjoying the nervous look in my eyes. "You are not Katrina."

Don't react! Don't react! He's looking for a reaction! I screamed internally, but my face stayed calm. A mild look of annoyance showed briefly on his face, but it quickly smoothed out to a normal sociable expression.

"I met Katrina before, you see, back when we were young. She was a fool, a coward and a selfish being at the core. You may have convinced everyone else, but no one can change that much. You're an entirely different person who simply looks like that foolish girl."

"..." I kept my mouth shut, there was nothing to say.

"Oh don't worry, I'm not going to give away your secrets. That would be too boring." He leaned forward once more "But I for one can't wait to see what will happen when your mask falls to pieces around you."

The song ended, he let go of my hand, but it quickly brushed against my cheek. His fingers were cold against my face. His eyes were almost glowing with an obsessive inner light as he studied my expression.

"What kind of face will you make then, I wonder, when I tear away all of your masks, and you have nothing left to hide behind." He pulled me even closer, whispering in my ear. "It is going to be so interesting. I hope you don't disappoint me."

I wrenched myself from his grasp. This time he let me go, a wide smile on his face. I couldn't risk being close enough for him to grab for the next song. I backed away quickly, before turning and running from the party. I knew it was impolite, that others were staring at my sprinting form, but it didn't change my direction or speed. I had to get away from him. Pure terror drove me forward. I made my way through the winding halls until I was locked safely in my room. I bent over to catch my breath, my mind spinning.

He knew the truth, or at least suspected.

I was lost, with no way to predict what would happen. All of my hard work for the past few months to prevent the ending, ruined in the space of a single dance. I remembered his burning gaze and satisfied smile and shuddered quietly.

What was I going to do now?