Second Female Leads' Playbook

"Odette, I heard lately you have been hiding in your room reading," Father stated disapprovingly. 

In the past he had always asked me to study more, now I was hiding in my room all day reading, he disapproved. All I wanted to do was to roll my eyes. To be frank, my personality had changed quite drastically after four lives and he didn't even suspect anything. I wanted to applaud my Father for being so insensitive. 

But now it's the time to set my plan to motion. 

"I..."

"Odette, when you return to the temple next week, Rachelle will follow you," Father announced. 

"We can be together, Odette! I am so happy!" Rachelle, who was sitting next to me, grabbed my arm excitedly. 

"Really?" I pretended to be shocked. 

"Do you know Rachelle has been busy studying to prepare herself! And what are you doing? Reading trashy romance novels all day! Have you even practiced during the break?" 

So Rachelle reading a book was studying while if it's me then it's reading trashy romance novels? It's true that once someone had a fixed perception of a person, it never changed. I did not know why I still felt a hint of disappointment. It's been four lives! Wake up, Odette!

"I will start studying with Rachelle, Father." 

"Hera," Father said to my new stepmother lovingly, "your daughter is really a good influence. You raised a good daughter. While the one I have..." he glanced at me disapprovingly. 

Once Father and Hera left the room, Rachelle started to cling her arm around mine. "Don't be sad, Odette. Father just did not understand your dėsɨrė to relax a bit." She gave me a smile that was meant to soothe me. "Let's study together! I can't wait for us to study in the temple together! It's going to be so fun." She grinned joyously. 

I nodded. Even though I did not want to stay in the same room with Rachelle for one more second, it's necessary for my future plans. 

"Odette, can you show me how to do this Grade I wind spell?" Rachelle asked hesitantly while blushing. 

"Let me think about it. Hmmm..." I took a look at the spell book in her hand and then cradled my head in my hands to pretend I was thinking hard. "Let me try."

"Opps." I pretended to be embarrassed. "I am sorry Rachelle, I am such a bad study partner. That's the what sixth spell I have failed?" I covered my face with my hands. 

"It's alright, Odette. These are hard spells." 

They're not. They might look hard to Rachelle at the moment, that's because she had just finished basic sorcery with an average teacher from the country side she was from. Once she started learning the more advanced tricks, she'd soak them all up and overtake me in no time. That's what happened in every life I had experienced. 

She was a genius. Not just with wind magic, but all kinds of magic. Of course it was said that the treasure she discovered in the wind temple later on helped her, but she was definitely a genius to begin with. 

"Rachelle, I know who we can ask for help! I am such a bad study partner, but I know someone that suits the job!" I clapped my hands. "Just you wait! I will find you a great study partner tomorrow!" 

I then ran out of the room. It's best not to spend too much time with Rachelle. It's suffocating. When I returned to the room, I dug out a note I had written a few days ago from the drawer and handed it to Sarah.

"Send this to Lord Henri." 

"Lady Odette, you're finally contacting Lord Henri!" Sarah brightened. "I was so worry. I thought you two had an argument! You haven't asked me to send notes to him for a few weeks! Since the wedding of the Duke!"

Of course, that's the time point I was reborn. Who wanted to play exchange love letters with Henri? When I was young, I thought exchanging love letters was such a romantic thing. I wrote letters after letters to Henri, all I got in return was 'Really!', 'That sounds interesting!'. I still thought that's because Henri was not good with words. That illusion shattered when I came across a love letter he wrote to Rachelle. There's never someone who's not good with words, just someone you didn't want to talk to. How naive I was.

I shivered at the flashbacks of my naive and airhead self. I flopped onto my bed with my leather-bound book and continued reading it. "Just send the note." I waved my hand to send Sarah away. 

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

"Rachelle, I have found you a great study partner!" I peeked into the library we used for study. 

"Odette! Here you are!" Rachelle cried. She looked as pretty as always. The morning sunlight shone on her lavender eyes, making them sparkled like amethysts. Perfect. 

"Rachelle, this is Henri." I led Henri into the library. "He is a fellow pupil studying in the temple of god of wind." I could see Henri visibly stiffened as he laid eyes on Rachelle. Perfect. "Henri, this is my sister Rachelle. She is going to be a pupil in the temple as well." 

I dragged out a chair from across Rachelle and ushered Henri to sit. "Well we have several questions regarding spells. I am sure you'll be so glad as to teach us." I tried to imitate the sweet bubbly tone I had when I faced Henri when I was young. 

"Oh! How silly of me, what are we missing? Snacks! I'll be back in a moment! Or not." I chuckled as I sneaked out of the library as quickly as I could. 

When I was closing the door, I could hear Henri telling Rachelle in slight embarrassment, "Odette might not return."

"Why?" I could imagine Rachelle widening her deer like eyes with just this reply. 

"It's her common trick. She hated studying," Henri sighed. "She won't be back. You said you had some spells you want to ask about?"

"Oh, yes!"

I sneaked back into my room and laid back onto my fluffy four poster bed.. I took the leather bound notebook from below my pillow and muttered as I was twirling the crow feather I kept between the pages, "Who said I hated studying. Look at what I am doing now! Reading a historical textbook!"