"Though I was not there, I have heard a lot about you two. The way you two fell in love at first sight," she said, leaning in a bit closer, her eyes sparkling with a sudden, mischievous energy.
"And I also heard that you two spent a passionate night on my engagement night. It's quite intense, even for me, who is quite open-minded. He's usually so detached, like he's bored by everything and everyone, but when he saw you? He seems almost... protective, or at least, very, very focused."
I felt the heat climb up my neck instantly. My heart did a weird little flip that I tried to ignore. "Oh, no. Selene, it's not like that at all. We were just, it's... He's helping me with my family's situation, and in exchange, I am... well, I'm helping him with something else. It's purely practical."
My hesitation must have looked like I was holding back a secret crush, because Selene's grin only grew. She reached out and lightly touched my arm, clearly enjoying my discomfort.
"Oh, you don't have to be shy with me, Irene. Xander has always been a bit of a mystery, but seeing him with someone as striking as you? It actually makes perfect sense. You both have that same sharp, guarded energy. You look like you are constantly sharing a secret that no one else is allowed to know," she teased, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial hum.
"We are not sharing secrets, but on the contrary, we are... debating," I managed to say, but my face was probably the color of a ripe tomato by now.
"Call it what you want, but I can already see the gossip columnists losing their minds if you two walked into a ballroom together.
'The Cold Prince and the Solyne's Rose.' It has a certain ring to it, don't you think? Honestly, you would look lovely together at the Winter Gala. The way your hair would catch the light next to his dark coat... it would be the talk of the season for years." Selene giggled.
As much as she was enjoying it, I almost wanted to run away to calm down my fast-beating heart, "Selene, please, he literally just tried to..." I stopped myself before I could say threatened to silence me.
That wouldn't exactly scream romance. I tried again, my voice a bit squeaky, "He's just very serious about his work. There's no... anything lovely happening in this case."
"You're blushing, Irene. You are absolutely bright red. It's actually quite sweet. I always thought you were so formidable, but look at you getting flustered over a man," she pointed out, her laughter light and genuine.
I hid my face behind my teacup, wishing the marble floor would just open up and swallow me. I had come here to talk about high-stakes politics, family ruin, and the beast that was threatening me. I had come to stop rumors of me being a murderer. Instead, I was being teased about my non-existent love life by the very person I was supposed to have killed.
"It's really just... complicated," I whispered into my tea.
"Love always is, but it's a good kind of complicated, isn't it? Better than the lonely kind." Selene replied, her expression turning a bit more wistful, though the playful glint stayed in her eyes.
I looked at her and realized that in this moment, the gap between us had vanished. We were not the Saint and the Villainess. We were not the victim or the attacker either. We were just two girls sitting in a garden, hiding from a world that wanted us to be enemies.
"I suppose, but if you mention this to him, I will actually die of shame. He already thinks I am a nuisance." I said, finally letting a small smile break through my embarrassment.
"A nuisance he can't seem to take his eyes off, but don't worry. Your secret and your negotiations are safe with me." Selene countered, winking at me.
As the sun finally dipped below the horizon, casting long, purple shadows across the pavilion, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. I hadn't just secured an ally, but actually, had found a person.
And for the first time since I woke up in this body, the future didn't just look like a series of problems to solve. It looked like a story I actually wanted to be a part of.
"So, tell me more about these tea parties. If I am going to be a friend, then I should probably know who else I have to deal with." I said, clearing my throat and trying to reclaim some of my dignity.
Selene laughed, a bright, happy sound that filled the small space. "Oh, Irene. You have no idea what you have just signed up for. Those girls are a handful.
Lady Clara collects secrets the way others collect jewels, and the Marchioness of Thorne… she has a habit of appearing exactly where she shouldn't be," Selene said, her voice dropping into a playful conspiratorial whisper.
I took a mental note, my brain immediately filing these names under Potential Assets and Potential Threats, as I replied back, "So, it's basically a battlefield disguised with lace and lemon tarts?"
Selene laughed, leaning back. My hope and happiness grew as she got relaxed, and stated like a fact, "Exactly, but you will fit right in. You have that sharp tongue when you want to use it, and frankly, I could use someone who doesn't just nod and agree with everything I say. It gets lonely being a saint."
We sat there for a while longer, the conversation flowing much easier than I ever thought possible. We talked about trivial things like the quality of the silk imported from the southern isles, the ridiculousness of the current corset trends, and how the mansion gardens were far too symmetrical to be relaxing.
For a few minutes, I completely forgot that I was not a part of this world. I wasn't Kayla, the girl who died in a world of technology, and I wasn't just Irene, the doomed villainess. I was just a friend.
But as the last bit of light vanished, replaced by the cool, silver glow of the moon, the atmosphere shifted. Selene's smile didn't disappear, but it changed. It became tighter, more formal.
She set her teacup down with a quiet clink that sounded like a gunshot in the silence, and she took in a deep breath. As if she were preparing herself to say something.
"If you are to be my regular guest and a good friend, we should probably discuss the elephant in the room, or rather, the person who started all of this. Josephine."