Sairenne’s Point of View
Celestia being engaged to Xavier wouldn’t sound strange to most people—but to me, it felt wrong. I wasn’t Celestia. And now Celeste wanted me to do this?
“Mom… shouldn’t we ask Sivy for his opinion first?” I asked carefully. “What if he doesn’t want to be in a romantic relationship with me?”
Her wide smile vanished instantly, replaced by something threatening. She didn’t need to say anything—I already knew.
“If only Revecca’s background weren’t so pathetic, I would never force you to deal with that trash.”
There it was again. Another insult directed at Xavier—right in front of me. This woman was truly vile. No wonder Celestia turned out the way she did.
“Mom, you’re rushing things. Can you please give me some time to think?”
“There is no time!” she snapped. “Do you know why Revecca invited us to her party even though we’re enemies? Because she plans to announce your forced arranged relationship with her younger brother!”
And for that, she intended to use Xavier.
I took a deep breath and said nothing. I had chosen to stay in this body. I couldn’t oppose Celeste—the only person powerful enough to protect me.
Please forgive me, Xavier… for what I’m about to do.
---
I tossed my sling bag onto the bed the moment I got home from school. Celestia still hadn’t shown up. Who knew what she was doing with my body now?
But that wasn’t the problem.
The press conference would start later.
People would assume their relationship had improved. So where did that leave me? This was infuriating. I was trapped—nothing more than a puppet under Celeste’s control.
“Miss, the dress you’ll be wearing for the conference has arrived,” the maid said. She had been following me since I got home. “They said you should get ready in the dressing room at the venue.”
“Just leave it here. I’ll bring it myself,” I replied.
For the sake of my goals, I didn’t care what people thought of me. I would bring Revecca down. I would make Dad feel the same pain Mom and I endured.
They would pay.
“Yes, Miss.” She placed the dress on the bed and left.
When her footsteps faded, I sat down slowly, my eyes fixed on the floor.
After this, Celestia would probably come after me. But she should be happy—after all, it was her name I was carrying.
Everything about this was complicated. But I couldn’t just give up and tell Dad that everything was fine. Mom was still in the hospital. And until I did something meaningful, I couldn’t even see her.
No one could ever find out that we’d switched bodies.
I wouldn’t be able to bear it if Mom told me to stop. I still hadn’t returned the humiliation Revecca inflicted on me—the kneeling at that party, the infuriating letter from Dad.
I stood up, grabbed the dress, and walked toward the door. With my head held high, I went down the stairs and stepped outside.
As expected, someone was waiting.
A black car. And beside it, a man in a tuxedo.
He bowed slightly. “Good afternoon, Miss Celestia. I’ll be taking you to the venue.”
I nodded. He opened the backseat door, took the dress from me, and I got in.
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure, Miss.”
He closed the door, and I leaned back against the seat, staring out the window.
I looked at the grand doors of Celestia’s mansion. Despite its size and elegant colors, it felt… lifeless.
If only her parents had been kinder. If there had been even a little warmth—maybe I would’ve liked living as her. But her life was nothing but plastic.
The engine started, and the car pulled away.
Am I still doing the right thing?
Or am I already letting my anger consume me?
How are Mom and Ruxe doing right now?
I hope Celestia isn’t making things harder for them.
---
After several minutes, we finally arrived at the hotel where the press conference would be held. From inside the car, I spotted Xavier approaching, wearing a coat.
“Xavier,” I whispered as I stared into his lifeless eyes.
I didn’t know why, but he seemed colder toward me lately.
Celeste was the one who told him about this announcement. He must’ve been hurt when he found out. Even so… I still needed him. He was my bridge to Dad.
The door opened, and he offered his right hand.
“You’re a bit late. The makeup artists and assistants have been looking for you.”
“Sorry… but I’m here now,” I replied, taking his hand as I stepped out of the car.
I tried to meet his eyes—but he looked away.
“You shouldn’t keep people waiting. Their time is precious,” he said flatly. “Good thing they were patient enough to wait.”
I nodded, accepting defeat.
“Shall we go? They’ll wait even longer if we stay here talking.”
“Sure.”
He released my hand and turned away.
I didn’t know whether he realized I was left behind or not—he never looked back. Instead of waiting, I jogged to catch up and walked behind him.
“Renne,” he said suddenly, “you know what people will say after this. They’ve been waiting for a chance to use me against Celestia. You might not be able to handle the pressure the way she did.”
I quickened my pace until I was walking beside him and looked up at his face—still focused straight ahead.
What’s really going on?