Second Female Leads' Playbook

What happens next in the story?

If I remember correctly, Princess Cordelia usually first shows off her powerful strength, everyone will then listen to her out of awe or shock or fear. That has already happened. Cordelia will then start to 'persuade' people to listen to her and people will usually listen as she is the heroine. All those people will usually become her followers and deeply respect her. But I recall there is one exception, which is now, the case of the eloped couple. 

Maybe because the author of the novel wanted to create a sense of 'reality' and 'thrill', she planned out the scene such that Princess Cordelia faces some sort of 'failure' before she succeeds. And here Princess Cordelia faces her one and only failure. 

In this scene, the angry villagers refuse to listen to Cordelia's persuasion and decide to punish the eloped couple. Cordelia in the hope of saving the couple, beside showing her inhuman strength, even attempts magic. Her magic... fails as she is a princess who is not good at magic. As a result, the angry villagers who are already suspecting her are totally convinced that Cordelia is a witch. They tie her up, together with her innocent maid, and plan to burn the two witches the next day. Of course Princess Cordelia escaped in the end. But the eloped couple, on the other hand, faces quite a tragic ending. Cordelia is so angry that she retaliates to avenge them. 

If my memory is correct, Cordelia plans to use a distraction spell. So when the angry villagers are distracted, Cordelia will help the elope couple escapes. 

What if I help Cordelia instead? I can do a distraction spell. Can I change the plot? Can I change the fate of the couple?

They're still in a heated debate. Cordelia is looking more and more annoyed. Her fingers are twitching impatiently. It seems like she is considering doing magic.

I have to stop her from doing magic. I project my thoughts to her mind. "Princess, let me do a distraction spell. When the villagers are distracted, we'll escape with the couple."

Princess Cordelia's voice appears in my mind immediately. "Exactly what I thought. You do that."

I continue projecting thoughts in her mind. "Give me some time to prepare."

I take out the distraction spell from my bag. The bag is the one Lord Valentine gave me. Luckily, I have spells written in advance. I start chanting. Power and magic is drawn from me. The boisterous inn suddenly becomes silent, every single angry villagers are gazing at thin air with dazed eyes. 

"Prin...Lady, it won't last long. There are too many people. At most 15 minutes!" 

"It's enough." Princess Cordelia nods confidently. "Come on, Anita and Edward."

"Where are we going?" Anita asks uncertainly while holding onto her lover.

"The stables! Isn't horse the fastest way of transport you human get? You can ride, right?" Cordelia rises her eyebrows. 

"I can," Edward says.

"Good. Time is waiting for no one." She walks swiftly to the stable. I follow her. 

Cordelia quickly chooses three horses. 

"Princess," I whisper. "I don't know how to ride." 

Cordelia has a really good plan, but I don't know how to ride! As a normal university girl living in a city, I didn't have chances to learn riding. As a nymph living under the sea, I was too busy studying magic to give riding pegasus a thought. 

"What?" Cordelia exclaims. "I don't care, we are getting out of here riding these horses. You think of a way to get yourself onto the horse and keep up with me." .

What? Let me think. Have I ever learned a spell that made me able to ride on horses? No of course not! 

"Anyway, cast a spell that masks our track. What? Don't look at me like that! It's not my fault you don't know how to ride a horse! It's easy. Just get on it, hold the rein and don't fall down." 

I think I am starting to develop a headache. 

"Princess, I will give you the written spell, I think you can activate the spell on your own. I will... take care of the rest."

"You do that." She holds out her hand to wait for my written spell. 

I sigh. I hope I have enough energy to hold the spells and keep myself on the horse. Maybe I should consider gluing myself onto the saddle. 

"Ready?" Princess Cordelia asks while getting onto the horse. Without waiting for a reply, she shoots out of the stable like a lightning bolt. 

The couple quickly follows, apparently knowing this is their only way out. That just leaves me. The villagers will wake up in five minutes. I need to get going or I will lose Cordelia. Taking a deep breath, I mimic what Cordelia did just now and the horse takes off. 

I am hanging onto the horse as if my life depends on it. Maybe it does. 

At least it seems like I am able to change the plot. I hope I did. 

---------------

I am still having muscle soreness all over my body from the horse riding, I should be grateful I did not fall off the horse and break my neck. 

It seems I can change the plot. At least for now, this world does not forcefully put us back right on the 'supposed' track. I can think and act freely. 

"Ianthe, we'll go to the capital next! I want to take a look at those festivals they told us about," Cordelia says while stretching her arms above her head.

Do I have a say in that? Of course not... I am the ladies' maid. I am responsible for looking for lodgings, restaurants and even taking care of the princess' clothes. Luckily, I am very good at washing spells due to Lord Valentine and have been used to taking care of all that due to him.

Thinking of Lord Valentine, a wave of loneliness washes over me. I have to get used to it. I have to move on. I have betrayed his trust, he has always denied Cordelia's request during the past five years, but I betrayed his trust by helping Cordelia. He should forget his failure of pupil. 

"I'm tired now, we'll set off tomorrow." With a wave, Cordelia vanishes into her room in the inn. 

I return to my own to find Dolphin swimming towards me, tail waving. 

"You must be lonely, Dolphin, like me." I hug Dolphin as tightly as I can to relive the sense of comfort I received when I first hugged Dolphin five years ago. 

I debated whether I should bring Dolphin with me or not when I was packing things for my journey, but in the end I could not bear leaving Dolphin, Dolphin is like my safety blanket in this world. A safety blanket that was bestowed to me by Lord Valentine.

But the truth is I can't remember a lot. If I could do that, I would have written everything down five years ago when I first entered this world. That novel has a generic and typical plot. Nothing special. It is just not memorable! I should applaud myself for having a spur of a moment luck that I remembered what would happen next when we encountered danger yesterday. 

I sighed and flopped down onto my bed while hugging Dolphin. 

"What should I do, Dolphin?" 

Dolphin wiggles its tiny tail in response. Dolphin then proceeds to do tricks with the tiny ball I gave it. Dolphin plays with the ball adorably to cheer me up. 

Slowly, bit by bit I began to relax. During the first few days of our runaway, I did not dare to sleep. Not because I was afraid someone would catch us, because I knew we would not be caught. Cordelia's father, the King, believed that it was Cordelia's own effort and power to be able to run away from the Kingdom, so he approved of her wish. Another reason is that the King simply dotes on his only daughter. 

No, it's because of my fear for the mysterious dream. That mysterious voice that told me to leave. I was so frightened that one day I might dream about the death of my parents. But luckily, since that day that mysterious woman no longer appeared in my dream. 

But I have already developed an aversion to sleep. I tend to exhaust myself so that I will lose consciousness as soon as I climb onto my bed. I even made protective charms and shield. I know I am simply deceiving myself, if that woman in high heels wish to find me, I doubt I can escape that. 

But just who is that woman? Who was she referring to? Will she be satisfied with how I am doing now?

She said 'Let him go'. But who is the 'he' she was referring to? The only male I knew who I have also interacted with in this world can be counted with just one hand. Lord Valentine and the King. She was not referring to Lord Valentine, was she?

But that's the only possible explanation as whenever I interacted with the King, I am under the disguise as Lord Valentine. 

If it's really about Lord Valentine, then maybe the one who is behind the weird dream is Lady Olivia, his future fiancee? Lady Olivia misunderstood and wished to drive me away by trying to manipulate my deepest fear?

This explanation seems plausible, yet something isn't right. First, the setting of the dream was the modern world, Lady Olivia has no way knowing I am from another world. Second, her maid has no idea who I was. 

What a mystery.. Dolphin continues doing tricks and slowly bits by bits I fall asleep.