Forget the plot, let's become a Runaway Witch!

There is something to be said about how humans can continue living even after experiencing the most crazy of situations.

That was what happened at home after the festival. After the Crown Prince made the final speech and the fireworks were launched, everything went back to normal. Father had to use Mother for support as the Crown Prince had apparently shaked his hand before going away, but other than that, there were no more surprises.

Lanto's meowing was not mentioned by dad, and mom had the decency to not pry and only yell. Fair enough, our plan had gone terribly wrong, but it seems that when Dorian said his farewells he told mom I left a good impression, so she saw no further problems.

That did leave me with conflicted feelings, but seeing as the adults—real adults—of the house were prepared to move on, so did I. Lanto could not forget so fast, however. I couldn't blame him—that was a life-threatening experience.

Worse of all, he could never tell anyone of his great achievement; tricking the Crown Prince into believing he was a cat. Thankfully Lanto was easily distracted by things like swords and promises to train with him.

Mother and Father had not said a thing about Lanto picking up the sword openly this time. It seems they thought that as long as Lanto was distracted, he would forget about the ordeal.

As for me, well.

Rumors are a nasty, powerful thing. Especially when they are based on the truth. So everyone in town knew the Crown Prince had personally visited.

'He spent several minutes talking with Nimue!'

'Even if there were others there, to enter a woman's room and spend so much time talking...'

'Do you think he fell for her? She certainly has the looks to pull it off.'

'If it's the rose of our village we are talking about, then I'm sure he was dazzled by her beauty!'

'Have you seen the Crown Prince? How can he even look at a commoner and find them pretty? Good goodness, I swear there was a halo above his head, he was so pretty...'

Things like that.

I could agree on one thing, the man had an otherwordly beauty. And although the Crown Princess had not shown her face this time, she was described as a woman even more beautiful than her soon-to-be husband. There was no way a commoner would compare.

Yet that was the setting of the novel, and Nimue was made to be as pretty as Feyja. So it concerned me.

Why would you make the important characters so beautiful and let the background characters rot? It was mean. Living in this village all my life, I learnt to appreciate the details that made the so-called background characters unique. Crooked noses, uneven eyes, big proportions...

It was real. Maybe it sounded harsh, but looking at myself in the mirror made me angry. Lanto and I were different. As if the whole setting was made to make us special, at the same time we are made to make the real main characters shine.

I felt fictional.

"Why do you spend so much in the bathroom!?" Lanto shouted from the other side of the door. "I need to go!"

"Coming!" I growl. The moment I open the door Lanto pushes me and claims his rightful territory with a door slam. "Have manners, or are you an animal!"

No response. Mom chuckles from the kitchen. She's writing something while Dad stirs a pot in the oven.

Dad was helpless with numbers, so Mom made most of the business ledgers, as she came from a family of businessmen too. Grandpa used to joke about Dad scoring a great accountant for the apothecary by stealing his daughter from the blacksmith shop.