Anna.
An… na.
Man, I can't even remember the last time I said her name out loud.
Anna. She liked that nickname I gave her. I still remember her sitting across from me, skinny fingers resting on the table, flipping the pages of her book like she was afraid they might tear. I couldn't look away for even a second, Inspector. The way her hair slipped out from behind her ear. The sunlight hitting one side of her face. My dearest one. Anastasia.
"Anna."
She'd usually give me that sweet smile whenever I called her. But her eyes? They often told a different story.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Our last conversation is still crystal clear in my head. Lunch break. Scorching day. Anastasia rambling about Jeanne d'Arc and Marie Antoinette. The corners of her eyes wet. Her nose slightly red. And that… forced, fragile smile.
"Alice and her friends bullied you again?"
She didn't answer. Just buried her face behind her bangs. Her fingers pressed hard against the edge of the paper in front of her. That silence? Yeah, that was a yes. Same as yesterday. Same as the days before. They'd messed with her again. No doubt.
"They threw paper balls at you again, right?" It wasn't even a question. I already knew. I just wanted her to admit it. "Sooner or later, you've gotta report them. You know that."
"I… I can't, Prince."
Anastasia was scared, Inspector. I got it. The closer we got, the more I understood her. She wasn't just book-smart. She was scary good at hiding her feelings too. In front of me, she could smile like any normal teenage girl. But I knew. I knew she cried because of what her classmates did to her.
"She locks herself in the bathroom a lot." That's what Drizella once told me. Her sister. "And if you mess with her feelings, I swear I won't forgive you."
Drizella was way rougher than Anastasia. I'd heard the gossip. Said she argued a lot. Swore at people. Short temper. But honestly? I think they were more alike than people realized. Under that pressure, of course they didn't want to be labeled as snitches.
I understood. Neither Drizella nor Anastasia wanted to be "that kid" who ran to the teachers. I'd heard enough stories. A lot of bullying victims go to teachers or their parents, hoping someone will step in… and in the end, it doesn't change anything. If anything, it just makes it worse. They get iced out, avoided, treated like they're contagious. No one wants to be friends with the kid who "can't handle it."
Yeah. That kind of label sticks. And it sticks hard.
What was I supposed to do, Inspector?
As the so-called main character who cares about his love interest, what was I supposed to do for Anastasia?
I couldn't stand seeing the girl I liked walking around gloomy, crying every day. I wanted to protect her. Like Crown always protects Anna whenever some villain tries to hurt her. I had to do something. If I wanted to see that sweet smile again, I had to act.
I needed to meet Alice and Fairy. Drizella told me those were the two names that kept messing with Anastasia. The so-called antagonists blocking the happiness of the girl I cared about.
What did they look like? How did they talk? The cruel faces behind her tears. I wanted to see them.
On my way to their classroom, my brain went wild. I imagined monsters. Bloodthirsty creatures with crooked fangs. Old witches with wrinkled skin. Beasts lurking in some cursed forest. Alice. Fairy. I was ready to face the villains of my story.
But were they really the villains?
When I finally saw them, they looked… normal. Just regular girls in school uniforms. No fangs. No dark aura. Alice with her headband and thick long hair. Fairy, small and quiet-looking. Nothing like the monsters I'd pictured.
"This is Anastasia's fault!" Alice snapped. "She's the one who bullied Ella first at home."
I glanced at the girl standing behind Fairy. Ella. I'd heard that name before. Anastasia and Drizella's stepsister. Rumor said they weren't close, but… Anastasia bullied Ella? No way. I didn't buy it. Maybe just some sibling fight. That's normal, right?
Turns out, I was wrong, Inspector.
"Not just bullied," Alice continued. "Anastasia and her family were cruel to Ella. They treated her like a maid. It's horrible." She looked back at Ella. "Right?"
It took a while before Ella nodded. She looked hesitant. Her eyes kept darting around. Her lips trembling slightly.
She was scared.
But scared of what?
Was it true? Did Anastasia torture her at home?
That was the last thing I could believe. The gentle girl I knew had some hidden dark side?
What a freaking plot twist.
In every story, there's that moment. The moment everything flips. When the truth drops like a bomb and changes the tempo. The bridge to the climax.
Was this it?
Who was I supposed to believe? Anastasia… or Ella?
If the me from now could go back to that day, I'd choose Anastasia without hesitation. If only I'd known Alice was lying. Maybe I would've… dammit, Inspector.
Idiot. Why didn't I realize it back then? The lies were right there. So obvious. Why didn't I see it?
I don't know, Inspector.
I was confused. It was a dilemma that messed with my head. I wanted to believe Anastasia. She was the heroine of my life story. I knew her. Every side of her. But at the same time, as the "main character," I couldn't just ignore Ella. If Anastasia really was hurting her, then I had to stand up for Ella. A hero doesn't let injustice slide. Crown taught me that. Justice must win.
So which one was lying?
Who was I supposed to stand with?
Back then, I didn't know. It was too heavy. I couldn't decide, so I ran. Yeah. I just left. I needed space. Needed to be alone with my thoughts.
From that day on… I avoided everyone. Anastasia. Ella. Didn't matter. I just wanted distance until I could think straight.
Then one day, I heard the gossip.
"Ella got hurt. Her leg's bruised."
"They said it was her stepsisters."
"You mean Anastasia and Drizella?"
"Yeah. Them."
"That's messed up."
The second I heard that, I bolted to Ella's classroom. I had to see it myself. The bruise. The proof. Was it real?
Yeah. It was real.
Ella showed me. On her lower leg. Skin turning blue. Swollen. Not horrible, but enough. Enough that I couldn't ignore it. It was evidence. I couldn't deny it anymore.
In my stupid head, I made my decision.
The real antagonist in my life story was neither Alice nor Fairy.
It was Anastasia. She was the villain all along.
***