"Heyy! Purny, you''re early." Rufus smiled at me while going down from the back of his horse.


    I stomped my feet and red at him. "This Count''s daughter is taking this as a privilege to apany you, YOUR HIGHNESS Prince Rufus Astalieu," I emphasize the word your highness to show how mad I am already.


    Rufus and I had an agreement to meet today. And this guy got the nerve to make me wait for an hour on a winter day. It''s the start of winter here already, and since we were young, we had a tradition to go out every first day of winter. We usually just y outside or do random things.


    "Hey! Stop with that, your highness thing. You know how I hate, right?" Hees closer to me and touches my forehead.


    I pped his hand and red at him. "You don''t need to touch it. It''s cold, of course. You just made me wait on a winter day for an hour. AN HOUR! Imagine that?"


    Rufus takes off his coat and puts it on me. "I''m sorry. On my way here, I saw someone slipped on the snow, and of course, I brought her to the nearest hospital. I''m sorry, purny, okay? I''ll just treat you today. Come on, let''s get out of here."


    Before Rufus could ride his horse, a guy in a guard uniform pops out of nowhere. "Your majesty, the Duke said not to let you ride the horse in the winter. You can''t ride the horse with Lady Lauretré."


    I looked at Rufus and moved my eyebrows up and down. "Your highness, huh?" I grin at him.


    He just res at me and looks back at the guy. "I told you, stop calling me your highness." He then takes the reign of the horse and gives it to the guy. "Here, take it. However, if you will take it, how could I tour Lady Lauretré around?"


    I rolled my eyes at Rufus because of the Lady Lauretré. He really likes to gets back at me.


    A big carriage suddenly stops in front of us. At the top of the carriage, there''s a symbol you could see. It''s the symbol of the Astalieu family. Every noble family here has their own symbol, and one of the most famous symbols of all is the Astalieu symbol because it also represents the royal family of the Vrawyth Kingdom.


    The guy opens the door for us. "Your highness." Rufus just shakes his head and enters the carriage. He probably resigned himself because even if he denied it, he still had royal blood running through his veins. "Lady Lauretré." I just smiled at the guy before going in.


    And since both Rufus and I are minors. A few guards ordered by the Duke followed our carriage. Rufus keeps mumbling disagreement words because of this.


    "I don''t understand why he wouldn''t let us have fun alone." He grumbled. He keeps ring at the guards in the carriage next to us.


    "Yeah. Have you forgotten what you just did in your boarding school, huh?" I reminded him. The poor guy just pouts at me.


    Rufus Astalieu, the red haired guy. In the first version of the novel, Rufus doesn''t exist, but after revising it and writing it in the magical notebook, I added another character, and it''s him. I haven''t written a lot about him, but I already mentioned in one of my chapters that Csille and he have a good rtionship. However, I still haven''t described it in depth.


    And now I am experiencing how close they are. I am amazed. I didn''t know that the closeness of Csille and Rufus is extreme. I just felt sad for him, though. Because of the color of his eyes and hair, people avoided him even though he didn''t do any harm. It''s your fault, Ysavel! It''s your fault why this little guy in front of me is suffering.


    I think about my first version of the novel. If I didn''t revise it. Then Rufus would not exist. However, if I really didn''t do it, then he wouldn''t experience this thing. Sometimes I regretted changing the first version of the novel. Csille wouldn''t be mean if I stick in the first version.


    I remember all the conflicts I add in the second version. The traitor and all the futureplications. It could have been avoided.


    "Csille?" Rufus waves his hand in front of me. I p it and frown.


    "What? I am just thinking about something."


    Rufus stares at me for a minute before changing his seat. He sits beside me. "What are you thinking about?"


    I look outside the window. It''s snowing already. "I''m thinking about the Crown Prince."


    "Oh. What about him? I didn''t know you''re close with the Crown Prince."


    I look at Rufus and shake my head. "I''m not. I just apany him for a while. I am also just thinking if he''s doing okay right now. Have you heard about the news about his departure? It was supposed to be a secret, but someone spread it. And now the life of the Crown Prince is in danger because of it."


    Rufus just sighed. "I heard about it when I had a conversation with the Count. We''re not that close, but I am also hoping he''s okay there. Let''s just hope nothing happens to him. And it''s almost one month already. We just need to wait for five months more."


    I just nod at Rufus. Prince Fraser, I hope you''re okay. Please be safe.


    _________


    "Csille here, try this. It''s called Prinsesst?rta. I heard from some locals here that this is their best seller. You could only buy it in here." Rufus puts the te that has a piece of Prinsesst?rta in front of me.


    I look at the color green dome cake. Of course, I know it. It''s one of Csille''s favorite dessert cakes. I didn''t know Rufus is the one who introduces the cake to Csille. I never write about it.


    I took a bite of it, and a vorful taste wees my senses. I never know this is how Prinsesst?rta tastes like. When I was writing about the scene where Prince Fraser brought Prinsesst?rta for Csille''s birthday when they ate both in middle school. I didn''t really think much about it. I just search up medieval cakes until I found Prinsesst?rta. It''s a traditional Swedishyer cake or torte consisting of alternatingyers of airy sponge cake, pastry cream, and a thick-domedyer of whipped cream. The cake is covered by ayer of marzipan, giving it a smooth rounded top. It was named prinsesst?rta or "princess cake" because the princesses were said to have been especially fond of the cake.


    "How is it? Do you like it?"


    I looked at Rufus and nodded. I swallowed the cake in my mouth first. "It''s delicious. I''ve never tasted something like this before. You should also try it."


    I cut a piece of it and puts it on Rufus'' te. "Taste it. You''ll fall in love with the taste."


    Rufus took a bite and tasted it. I waited for his reaction, but his face remains calm, like the cake his tasting is tasteless. "It actually tastes good. I also like it."


    I frown at him. "Really? But why does your reaction doesn''t look like that?" I cross my arms and stare at him.


    Before Rufus could even talk, a voice cuts him off. "Oh, look, it''s the red hair curse child." I look around and saw many noble''s family children entering the pastry shop. They are probably aged ten to thirteen years old. A few servants and guards are behind them.


    I look at Rufus, but he didn''t give any reaction to their words. He just leisurely eats the prinsesst?rta like he''s enjoying his time eating it.


    The noble children get mad for being ignored by Rufus. They walked towards him and started making fun of him. I looked at Rufus and waited for him to do something, but he just smiles at me and continues eating his prinsesst?rta.


    "Csille, why aren''t you eating? I thought you like it?" Rufus still got the nerve to ask even though those noble children are making a ruckus beside him.


    I smack our table very loudly. The nobles who are talking non-stop suddenly stop and look at me. The other customer also contains at what they are doing and look at us.


    I look at the noble children and covers my mouth. "I''m so sorry. I didn''t mean to make it loud. I was just trying to drive away a fly thatnded on our table. You see, I don''t really like it when something interrupted me eating. I''m sorry. Go on." I signal my hand for them to continue. Rufusughs at me. I re at him. He stopsughing when he noticed my re.


    The noble children suddenly got silent. One of them whispers something to the person in front. "Hey, that Csille, the only heiress of the Lauretré family. We can''t offend someone like her. Come on, let''s just get out of here first. We will just get back on the cursed child some other day." The person in front looks at me. I just give him a fake smile and eats my prinsesst?rta like I didn''t hear anything.


    The noble children apologized to me at first before trying to leave the ce. However, before they could even step a foot, I stopped them. "I really appreciate your apologies, but I''m sorry. I am not the one who you should apologize to." I look at Rufus and point my hand at him. "Prince Rufus ASTALIEU invited me for a tea, but you interrupted my conversation with him. What will happen if the Princeins about me to the Duke? This COUNT''S daughter won''t dare to provoke HIS MAJESTY Duke Astalieu." I even emphasize some words to them.


    Among all the noble families, Lauretré is the highest. Aside from it, we also have a close rtionship with the royal family. It''s the reason why all the nobles family pays respect to us. The Duke doesn''t really involve himself with the monarch. It''s like he just has a title, but it really doesn''t have political power in it. The reason why these nobles like to taunt the Duke and Rufus like this.


    The leader of the group looks at Rufus and bows his head. The other children follow him. They said their sorry in unison. Afterward, they immediately left the ce.


    Rufus just shakes his head and ps his hands. "I''m really amazed how you handle them. I think you could be a future official of the monarch."


    I re only res at him. "Why do you let them do that?"


    Rufus stops eating his cake and gives me a sad smile. "What do you want me to do? Raise a hand on them? My reputation is already bad. I don''t want to ruin the name of the Duke." He then looks at the window beside us.


    I felt terrible for Rufus. He''s not his fault being born with red hair. It is as if being red hair is cursed. Although in the real world, red hair is not thatmon, but it''s normal. Well, I couldn''t me these people, though. In this world, no one has red hair before.


    I look at my hair. "Why do they only did that to you. I also have peculiar eyes and hair color."


    Rufus looks at my hair and my eyes. "You''re different, Csille. You''re from the Lauretré family, the highest noble family in Vrawyth. Who would dare to provoke you?"


    "But hey! You are royalty. You''re a Prince. You''re the only cousin of the Crown Prince. You''re also an Astalieu."


    Rufus shakes his head. "But I''m not a full-blooded Astalieu, Csille. My grandmother is just a maid consort."


    "Hey! That''s your mother we''re talking about. So, what if she is? The Queen came from a distant rtive of a noble family. You could also say she is amoner too."


    Rufus smiles at me and messes my hair. "Stop defending me. Also, be careful with your words. It''s the Queen you are talking about.


    I pout at him and fix my hair. "And what? I didn''t spout nonsense here. What I''m saying is true. You''re an Astalieu too. No matter what happened, the Astalieu blood still runs in your body."


    "Okay, okay. I wouldn''t argue anymore. When have I ever win in a conversation with you?" Rufus mumbled. He continues eating his prinsesst?rta.


    I look at Rufus. I''m sorry for making your life miserable, Rufus.


    __________


    I am fixing my hair when I noticed an envelope on my study table. I just finished refreshing myself after having fun all day with Rufus.


    "A letter?" I take it and look at the symbol in the wax stamp. I''m not sure where I saw it, but it seems familiar. One thing for sure, it did note from any noble family of Vrawyth. "Where did it came from?"


    I opened the letter. It''s a letter from the Kingdom of Aeerean. That''s the reason why it looks so familiar. I saw that symbol on King Thoumassin Saintizin at the banquet. But why did they sent me a letter? I tried recalling the scenes I''ve written in the notebook. But because I skipped this time, I didn''t remember anything about it. So howe they send me a letter?