"Thank you for making my best friend happy."

Whose voice is that?

Everything became dark, or I suppose it was the apple tree's shadow. My eyes witnessed how it walked on its own.

"Hi. I'm Apol." The tree branches extended towards me, so I shook them.

"Please, do not leave, my friend. I am already old and, I do not think I could stay longer."

I only nodded.

After the weird scene, the tree went back to its original position as if nothing happened.

"Why do you trust me? Also, why are you such a temptress when you sleep?"

This time, it was the Duke's voice. When I checked on him, no one's sleeping on my lap.

Impossible! I would definitely see him waking up unless...

I opened my eyes. Was this the reality, or was I still dreaming?

The distance between our faces was approximately 6 inches. And why were we lying on this blanket laid on the ground?

His eyes widened, then averted his gaze from me. I stood up, shook my skirt, removing the grass or bugs stuck onto it. The last step would straighten it.

"Check all of it... insects love to squeeze themselves in crevices."

He blabbered and chuckled as if the past seconds didn't exist. I wanted to ask him about our indecent position earlier. Should I mimic what he did to conserve my precious energy for fulfilling my duty?

The answer is definitely yes.

Soon Nora and James came panting. They informed the chauffeur already arrived. I bowed and bid farewell to the Duke.

"Take care. Refrain from doing idiotic things while I am away. Until next time. One last thing, may I borrow your hand?"

I turned to James for an answer; he scribbled the question mark symbol in the air.

To finish things quickly, I gave what the brat demanded. Regrets came after the hand kiss.

I almost believed he was the fake Duke because he was not himself today.

He was like a behaved child in their house, but once his parents were away, he would party all the way.

Was it because of the paperwork that he needed to finish before today?

If he did not procrastinate, chilling out, practicing swordsmanship, or even preparing for their journey, those were all finished.

"My Lady, the Duke was a romantic. I only saw a similar scene when my mother took me to watch a play."

"In short, the scene was unrealistic."

Nora read the atmosphere and prevented herself from blabbering rubbish words.

***
People gathered outside the palace to see them before they embark on a new venture. Unfortunately, I was part of the crowd.

"Why are we here? You told me about the closure."

"Feelings do not easily fade away, Beth."

"That was the reason I hate feelings."

Her lover stole her attention. Who am I to protest?

"Who were those lucky ladies giving them cheap charms?" I even sent better ones, but the palace gave it back!"

The girl who stomped her feet got my attention. Girl, there was a high probability that our charms came from the same source.

"My poor lady, your brain is as slow as a turtle. I did not know how did I become friends with you. Of course, those were from Lady Miuerella and Lady Bethany!"

"But Lady Miuerella being a Crown Princess, was like a dress I could not wear, unfit for the position."

Ladies, if it weren't for the task, I would not exert effort meeting a weird priest. One thing was for sure, it did not matter if she was a perfect match for the position; what matters most was she is a protagonist?

The cacophonic cheers died after they marched outside the borders. I put my hand on my chest.

What was this troubling storm damaging my heart and brain? Those two were talented. They could slaughter an entire village without a backup.

Task:
Help Miuerella become a famous novelist.

Novelist? I scanned Miuerella from head to toe. There was no hint of being a writer. Also, the novel did not contain any scenes about her being a famous author!

What was happening with the system? Hold on. Those papers scattered in her room were the clue about her talent? Was this one of the hidden quests? I had to check it.

"Beth, are you alright? You constantly shook your head."

The illusion of the narrow road swarmed by supporters disappeared when the people did their business as usual.

"Yes, I do. By the way, what were your plans for your novel? I read the promising premise." we stood at the sidewalk while waiting for our carriages to arrive.

She covered my hand using her scarf.

"Ssssh. Bethany, I've been glad you asked, but we will discuss it once in my room."

Once I read her draft, it transported me into a maze of convoluted words.

Her grip on Mingming tightened enough for our cat to run away from its owner.

"So, what do you think?"

"The only good thing I read was the premise."

She bowed down and tucked the manuscript inside the drawer of her bedside table.

"I already know about it. Thanks for giving me time to read my rubbish story."

Was that all? Did she fight for her plot? Why was it easy for her to abandon an unfinished project?

Somehow, like a Venn Diagram, there was a point where our emotions and ideas met.

If I am not exploring the world of complex algorithms and codes, my hands were busy creating sketches.

Sometimes I have compared my art with other people's art.

I cupped her face and asked, "Listen, is this your dream to become a novelist?"

She nodded.

"A draft was a draft for a reason. Composed of different versions and revisions, was that craft all about? Then, let us make your dreams come true!"
The meeting ended in a short period when we agreed on 3 things:
1. She would finish her novel no matter how distracted or lazy she was.
2. I am her editor, illustrator, and advertiser. Of course, my fee is not for free.
3. Her identity as a writer was the secret between us.

(2 years later...)

"So, when will you start on writing the third book of the trilogy? You know the empire placed bets about the plot twist."

She pulled her hair, turned his back on me, and rolled her body on the blanket.

"Fine, send me a letter whenever there is progress. Have a good day."

Her burrito action meant she faced a crisis called writer's block. Forcing an artist to do something they dislike resulted in a mess.

A year after the two left, Miuerella finished her novel. During the first few months, of course, we had no sales.

Princess Rishna, a bookworm, discovered her novel out of boredom. The next day Miuerella's novel sale's skyrocketed!

Wherever I go, her novel was the topic. There were outrageous nobles who wanted Zinnia/ Miuerella to sue my friend. Women set unattainable expectations on men caused by exposure to her story.

"You are leaving already? Ten minutes had passed since I saw you entered Ella's room."

He put down the documents he was reading.

"I wanted to hand her the thing I borrowed, Uncle. Besides, I had to be at home in the afternoon."

He nodded and accompanied me until I stepped into the carriage.

"My Lady! Please hear me out."

His voice... I could sense the urgency in him. Was there something wrong?