ă€ŠLet the Villainess Play the Death Gameă€‹


 Chapter 1: Streams and Gaming

    "Hi! Thanks for joining me on this brief stream. I wanted to reach out to you all to get an idea of the next games you all want me to play!" I say in a falsely cheerful voice. I make sure that I am sitting in a way to that the tank top I was wearing was down a bit, the straps on my bra were showing, and you can see the slightest bit of cleavage.

    I don''t like behaving in this manner, but this is where life has led me, and I am bound and determined to make the best of it. So, I will flaunt myself as best I can with the looks I have.

    "Oh! I am seeing that a few of you are wanting me to play a horror game! Are you just wanting to see what I look like when I am scared?"

    "Haha, oh well I am glad that you are honest. Let''s see. Oh, a farming simulator? Dating sims? Okay those are some great suggestions. I''ll put up a poll on my site real quick."

    I lean over a bit more to type. Really, I already have the poll ready to post as I know the people that watch my channel.

    "Haha okay! You all know the next game. You have 10 minutes to vote and ask me all of the questions you want." I say and flash them a flirtatious smile. Just like I knew the poll I know the kinds of questions I will get. Things such as what brand of make-up do you use, how do you choose the next character to cosplay, what is your favorite color, how old am I, what did I eat for breakfast and what color underwear am I wearing. I have an answer prepared for everything.

    At first I had struggled with how to answer some questions. I somehow used to think that modesty was sexy, and that being a competent professional could be hot. But... After a scandal I had to throw all of that out the window. To an extent. Although I had a few requests, I haven''t felt desperate enough to create an Only Admirers account. Not that everyone who did was desperate. Some people just seemed to like attention. Good for them, they can go live their best lives.

    "And that''s time!" I say and lift my hands up and give them a bright smile. "Oh, so we are going with a horror game then. My goodness you all really do want to see me scared don''t you? Well, some people say that fear mimics the feelings of love. You all want me to love you even more than I do? So greedy." Well timed chuckle. "I mean, how can I love you any more than I already do? Bunny!" I say and do little bunny paws. They love it when I do little bunny paws. It''s become a habit now.

    "Do I at least get to pick out the horror game? No? Okay then what should I play then? Uh huh. Uh huh. Oh okay. That is a new one in third person view? Aww, you are so sweet, remembering that I have motion sickness." Yup, I am a streamer with motion sickness. No FPS for me. "Okay I''ll purchase that game. Don''t forget, on my patreon there is a new poll for what I should wear next. Let''s have some fun! Bye bye!" I give a cute little wave and close the laptop.

    I flop on my bed and stare at the ceiling, pulling my blanket up and over me. I am getting used to it, but I still didn''t love the feeling of people''s eyes roaming all over my body. It makes my skin feel almost itchy. You know what? I could use a bubble bath.

    I walk the few steps to my bathroom and begin to fill it up with sudsy bubbles. My apartment is so small that the smell of the bubble bath permeates the air. I check my gaming consul and make sure that my handheld is charged. I have a new game that I am completely obsessed with. I choose not to play it on my channel because I want some part of my life that is just mine. Where I can be just me, just Elia and not "Sugar Bunny."

    I look across the room to the reason that I am being called Sugar Bunny. I have a cute snowy white rabbit in a large cage that takes up half of the living room. I have my bedroom so I did my best to construct a large cage for her, complete with little toys, tunnels to crawl through, treats, food and water. She also had a rabbit ball for when I wanted to get her out of the cage and run around the room.

    Some people have bunnies that poop everywhere and chewed up chords. Not me though. Snowy is the best bunny that ever did hop. She is gentle and sweet. She loves to be held and cuddling is just about her favorite things ever. I often have her in my lap while streaming. I pet her soft white fur when I get anxious. I have also held her up to "wave at the camera". People go crazy for her soft cuteness.

    The bath is now full, so I grab my gaming device, strip down and slide in. Okay. I am still trying to find the hidden route. This game seems to be a bit different from other otome games, as there is more freedom and more movement. There is also a large cast of characters. It was easy to find the four main leads, but after beating their routes there was no indication that the game was over.

    It was clear that I haven''t found the true ending and the real male lead. But there is also no indication on the box as to who he is supposed to be. There is just a shadow. I can''t even tell if it is an attractive shadow. I know nothing about this guy!

    In most dating sims the true male lead cannot be unlocked until you play all of the other routes. It seems to be the case in this game so that is normal. However, the true male lead is usually supposed to have a strong relationship with all of the other males somehow (or at least in many of the ones that I have played) and that makes it obvious whose the true route is. Not this game though, nope.

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    Okay, so who are the possible characters that I can romance. There is the butler, the adopted younger brother, the tutor, the knight captain, the librarian and the pastry chef. How are there so many that are possible and no obvious way to know which is the right one? Okay okay. Let''s break down what I know.

    The game is called "My Lady Fair, I Love Thee Tenderly" and is set in a world called Alteous. It is a land where most people possess magic of varying elements. The elements are fire, earth, wind, water, light, dark, time, space and unkown. Unknown seems to be able to use all of the elements to an extent with one of them being the standout eventually. There is also the rare spirit magic, but many people don''t believe it exists. That is why it is unknown what that person''s true element is. There are also magic beasts in the world, and the world is broken up into continents similar to our own.

    On the different continents there are different countries that hold political power in the world. Somehow this game is not set during war, but there was always a lingering feeling that a war could erupt at any time, and it would be a surprise about who would be in it. Human vs human? Demon vs human? Beast vs human? Beast vs demon? None of this ever takes place, but there was still that feeling, and some characters would make passing comments about wondering if there is war in the wind.

    I played the routes in this order: Irick Glassel who is the crown prince, Jeofry Finius Dusckson who is the only known Time Wizard, Heinrick Smithers who is the knight then Jason Elgrove who is the childhood friend.

    Irick seems to be the typical crown prince. He is worried about whether or not he was right for the kingdom. He has a younger half-brother that also possess great talent, making him wonder if maybe it is his brother destined to rule the country as the next great monarch. The FL, Iris Ebony, helps him to realize all of the things that he is great at. He protects her from the evil villainess who he believes is sending shadow beasts after Iris. Strangely though, we never actually see the villainess sending the shadow beasts, Iris just gets a note signed by the Villainess (Aria Brightburn) telling her to watch her step, there are shadow beasts all around her. They end up piecing together clues to know when this was going to come about. Through Irick''s courage it helps prove that he will be a fit ruler.

    Jeofry seems to always end up showing up around Iris at her most embarrassing moments. When she slips and falls into a puddle, when she gets thrown off a horse and lands in a pile of hay, when she ends up eating something spicy and dumping water all over herself in her rush to drink some. He teaches her to laugh at her silly mistakes. Eventually he lets her know that he is the only Time Wizard and that it always made him lonely. In his loneliness he learned to laugh at himself. He also learned to freeze perfect moments, and rewind mistakes. He tells her that sometimes mistakes lead to the best things. In his climax he accidentally freezes time when beasts from the dark continent come to attack them from nowhere. Iris comments about how Aria must have been the one to send them. Somehow. They devise a plan while being frozen in time and even kill a few of the beasts. They work together to go all through the town and palace killing all of the monsters before their time is able to begin again.

    Heinrick doesn''t seem to care much for Iris at first, ignoring her greetings as she passes by him practicing his swordcraft. Eventually he pushes her out of the way of a loose wild horse that the villainess sends after her. After saving her the two slowly start to have more encounters and their feelings blossom. He begins to teach her how to use a sword after she tells him that she used to have dreams about being a knight. His route comes to it''s climax when assassins are sent after Iris and they both fight them off together, giving Iris a taste of what her life would have been like is she had become a knight. She likes the feeling and experience and ends up being knighted and they live happily together.

    In Jason''s route, we see more of Iris''s backstory and how Jason, Iris and Aria had all been close when they were younger. They talked and dreamed about who they would want to become when they were older. They vowed to always be friends no matter what. However, the friendship soured when Aria noticed that Iris was being noticed more by Jason, whom she had developed a crush on. We then see instances of her being bullied and her running to Jason. His route is more gentle and is the one where they both end up confronting Aria who has been driven mad and is being controlled by her dark magic. They both try to save her but, in the end, Aria ends up dying from a strong lance made of light created by Iris.

    As I go over these routes I try to think of who was in all of them, does anyone have a part in all of the routes? Was the hidden route the villainess? The power of friendship? She was secretly forced to cross-dress all this time and was bullying Iris out of lust? In each route the couple had bought a pastry, been caught sharing secret moments by the butler, lectured by the brother, the couple visited the library to research methods to stop whatever the danger was, was somehow protected by the knight captain and the tutor came and checked up on her progress. Those are the people that I noted in each route that you are able to interact with.

    There are free periods in the game where you can run around and talk to whomever you want before the next chapter begins. I have gotten some free goodies this way, which end up being very useful. And the people that you can interact with in all of these free periods are the ones that I have listed as being the potential hidden romance!

    ''Okay'' I think to myself as I drum my fingers on the edge of the tub. ''What are the other clich¨¦s that I haven''t thought of. This going a Yuri route? No, because that would have been listed on the box. A capricious god? Possible but I haven''t found one to date. Haram? Iris stands alone not needing a man? I always wonder what would happen if they went psycho killer. It would be interesting if the FL was actually evil and went on a murder spree. That would change the genre though... Oh dear, maybe I do need counseling''.

    I let out a sigh and sink fully under the water for a moment. I need to clear my head. I have to go into this game with my notes, but also with an open mind. Maybe this time I will be able to find something that I hadn''t yet, some little secret. I yawn. Oh dear, tired is not the best thing to be while in the bath. Ah well, I have the game to keep me awake.

    I pick up the game and turn it on. That intro music always gets me prepared to have a fun time. I go to the home page and click new game. I get the screen where I choose my gender. Okay female, as I want to discover the hidden route on the female route first. Oh, what if I have to do the whole female and male routes to unlock the true hidden route.

    I play for a little while before I feel the weight of my eyelids and am unable to keep my eyes open.

    "Hi there!" I hear a chipper voice say to me, but I know there is no one in the bathroom with me. Where am I?

    "I see that you have been playing my game a lot. Have you been liking it?"

    "Your game?" I ask the voice, my words full of curiosity.

    "Of course! I made My Lady Fair, How I Love Thee. You have been enjoying it right?"

    "Yes, a lot. I am stuck on the hidden route though. I am uncertain how to unlock it. However, I am determined to find it!"

    "Ohhh, so you are actively trying to find and clear the hidden route. You''re perfect!"

    "I''m perfect?" I ask, confused.

    "Of course, I have some rules for you. Keep your identity a mystery. There will be a penalty if anyone were to find out who you are. There are save points, determined by yours truly. You must find and clear the hidden route! Are these rules clear?"

    "Are you giving me clues on how to solve the route? I don''t understand, I don''t get to change my identity. Everyone already knows who I am!"

    I wait for a reply, but never end up getting one. Oh well, it was just an interesting dream. I better wake up now, it is bad to fall asleep in the bath. At least I know I feel asleep without dropping my game in the bath. That would be a catastrophe!

 Chapter 2 - Suspicion Bar

    My Fair Lady, How I Love Thee is that all the characters are young adults and not teenagers. It is a rather refreshing change if I do say so myself. And Iam not the only one saying this. Many people are praising that aspect online.

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 Torn Tapestries

    "That was fast." I hear someone saying to me. How was someone talking to me. I''m dead, aren''t I?

    "What was fast?" I inquire of the voice.

    "Someone finding out who you are. Her favorite breakfast is jasmine tea with honey and lemon slices, stuffed French toast, and a side of sausage to feed to her cat, Sir Blizzard. Blizzie for short."

    "How was I supposed to know that."

    "Hmm, I guess you being able to access her memories is random. Also, I wasn''t even sure that you would be able to. As the god of this world I should have somehow checked beforehand. Well, I am still learning all of this as I go and making up arbitrary rules." he says and gives a loud laugh. "Who knew your first death would come so soon." he says, laughing so hard tears form in his eyes. It is at this moment that I realize I am able to see him.

    He is tall and finely built. Very handsome. Long blond hair and bright eyes that seem to reflect a multitude of colors. They are gorgeous to look at. He has a genuine smile playing over his lips and he reaches out to me.

    "Want a hug to make you feel better?" he asks me.

    "I don''t hug strangers."

    "I have a feeling that you and I aren''t going to be strangers for very long." he tells me warmly, although I somehow feel that those words are rather ominous. "My name is Alias and I am the god of this world."

    "You are the god of this world. You mean this game.?"

    "Did that feel like a game to you?" he asks me. I touch my fingers to my neck.

    "No. It didn''t." I tell him honestly.

    "That''s because this isn''t a game. Or it wasn''t originally. I would tell you more but it is time for you to wake up. Remember your favorite meal and what you did yesterday."

    Everything goes dark and I once more feel the plush softness of the bed I had woken up in only a few hours before. Or had it even been that long?

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 Chapter 4: Baths and Bunnies

    It appears that the longer I wait before getting into a bath the more her suspicion bar increases. I walk by a few baths, dipping my toes in each. Certainly, that can''t be that strange of behavior. What if the temperature is off one day? You never know when your body will crave a certain temperature. I look back at Poppy and see that she does not share my ideas and perspective on this.

    "Seriously, what are you waiting for. And what are you doing dipping your toes in? Get. In. The. Bath!" she shouts and shoves me into one of the baths. As I am scrambling, trying to get my feet beneath me she doesn''t give me a chance. She gets into the bath on top of me and shoves on my head with one of her feet, her other foot is standing on my back. I am effectively trapped. To make matters worse, the bath temperature is uncomfortably hot. If I am to drown, can''t I at least drown in a bath of a comfortable temperature?

    Obviously, I am not thinking clearly as the air bubbles out of my lips. I didn''t even have time to take a deep breath before I was shoved down in the bath. While down here I wonder to myself why Poppy is acting like this. This can''t be normal. If she had this bad of anger issues, there wouldn''t be an Aria in this story as she would have died already.

    I try to scratch at Poppy''s legs, and I see that I do scratch her deeply as there is a little cloud of blood surrounding her legs. This causes her to slam down on my head multiple times. I try to block my head, but my vision is blurry, and I can''t move my body very well anymore. I feel so sleepy. I decide that I should stop fighting. Either I will go back to my world, or re-spawn at the checkpoint. I shouldn''t be afraid.

    Who isn''t afraid to die though, even if they have died before? It isn''t like you can really get used to the experience. Or can you? I hope that I don''t find out the answer to that particular question, as I don''t believe I will like it very much. I open my mouth and breathe. It isn''t completely my choice at this point. My body demands oxygen so much that no matter how I fight it, thinking in the back of my mind there might be a way to fight against Poppy, I know I have lost.

    My world goes black, and I see what looks like a screen pop up. Death by Drowning is written across it. Thanks screen, I know that I died by drowning. I know this because I had to experience it! And it was unpleasant! I can''t decide if it was more or less unpleasant than being stabbed to death. The fact that those two things have happened so closely together for me that I can compare them disturbs me.

    "Alias, are you around? I died again. I think we should talk." I say.

    "You died again already? That makes me wish that I could set up a tutorial day for you. Have you practice being Aria."

    "You are the god of this world, why can''t you do that?"

    "Because I don''t control all the people living in this world. They are all corrupted and beyond my control. I am hoping that by having you in this world those you interact with will become people again, and not just creatures prone to snapping and murdering you."

    "Why are they so comfortable with, and willing to kill me? That doesn''t make sense. And what do you mean by corrupted?"

    "Their personalities were corrupted. The god before me got tired of this world and decided to do his best to destroy it. When it didn''t fully work, he handed the world off to me."

    "So you didn''t create this world."

    "I did not." he replies.

    "It''s creator abandoned this world." I state, confirming his words.

    "He did." he confirms.

    "And you brought me here to help fix this world by bringing people back to themselves?" I ask.

    "Seems you got the gist of it. I guess you didn''t really need a tutorial at all!"

    "No. This is garbage! Why me? I am not special! I am not blessed, or particularly smart!" I shout.

    "You are special because you care about this world and its people. If you didn''t then you wouldn''t be trying so hard to find the hidden route. And take back you not being particularly smart. Now that I have brought you into my world, I know all about you. And what happened, it wasn''t your fault."

    "We are not talking about that right now." I tell him, my voice going cold. I wasn''t in that world anymore, not in that life. And if he could bring Snowy here, then I wouldn''t even care if I never went back to it at all. Even though I was constantly dying here.

    He stares at me quietly for a moment. "Okay. I won''t bring it up right now. After a number of deaths, you may change your mind and need a longer break. And I shall give it to you. Maybe. Depends on if I can or not. I honestly don''t know the limits of my own power. Oh well!"

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    His oh well was a little too chipper for this situation.

    "How am I supposed to bring back people''s original personalities?" I ask. This really seems like something that I need to know.

    "Raise their affection meters." he says as though that should be the most obvious thing in the world. It is not the most obvious thing in the world, though I was wondering what the affection bar was for.

    "Well, back to it!" he says.

    "Wait! Which bath do I choose? If I don''t know then I will end up right back here!"

    "Hmm. I suppose you are right about that. Can''t have you die again immediately after all. Very well. Aria likes the bath in the back left corner. She says that it makes her feel safe because it is out of the way and the perfect temperature. The servants make sure that out of all the baths in the room, that one if kept at that exact temperature."

    "Why have the other baths at all then?"

    "The different maids and servants also use those baths and like them at different temperatures. Aria threw a fit one day about making sure that they always have the ability to have an enjoyable bath." he tells me.

    It is beginning to sounds as though Aria does care for some people. If she has a heart than why does everyone hate her so much? Why does she bully others when she seems to genuinely care for others? Something isn''t adding up.

    "Try to stay alive for more than an hour!" I hear Alias say to me as he gently touches my back.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Well Aria, what are you waiting for? Aren''t you going to get in the bath?" Poppy asks. I reply before her suspicion bar is able to increase.

    "Of course I am getting in. I just wanted to pause for a moment to breathe in the smell of the baths. The flowers floating on top of some of them smell extra lovely today for some reason." After saying that, I walk over to the bath that Alias had pointed out to me and slip into it.

    It seems that Aria and I have the same taste in baths as it is the perfect temperature. I feel all of my muscles relaxing and it feels as though my stress is slowly melting away. Poppy gets into a bath in the middle of the room. I was a bit grateful that she didn''t get into the bath next to me. I haven''t had a moment to myself to sort through everything that has been happening.

    I think back to the conversation that I just had with Alias and how he did not tell me that I was special. I guess it is nice that he didn''t lie to me. What he did say was the way that I care about the people of this world is special. How does he get me caring about the people from my determination to want to find the hidden route? Maybe he grabbed me by accident and needed a reason to justify why? I don''t know, this is all too far beyond me.

    I sink down into the water and let me hair splay around me. I glance over at Poppy to see if the suspicion bar had increased. Luckily it hadn''t. I don''t want to be killed because I am bathing wrong. How annoying would that be.

    "Oops, in our hurry to get over here I forgot the scrubs for our hair and skin. How silly of me!" she shouts, then races out of the baths. How odd. Is there a reason she forgot them, or did she actually just forget them. Is there some handsome guy she works with whose eye she is wanting to catch? Honestly, I don''t quite understand Poppy.

    I close my eyes and feel myself slip into a memory.

    "Why do you always bathe in the same order each time?" Poppy asks me.

    "Because I like to. I like to wash my hair first because then I can bundle it up and not get any of the body scrubs in it. They are great on my body but not in my hair. And you know how I am about my hair."

    "That I do. And you have such lovely hair that I don''t blame you for such behaviors." Poppy says. I don''t need Poppy to agree with the order in which I do things, but Poppy seems to like to comment on everything.

    "Then I shave and wash my body. This is the order that makes the most sense. Then I go over to the small bath that no one uses and wash my face. I like feeling that my face is glowing before we leave."

    I feel grateful for the memory. I wonder if Alias somehow was able to send it to me so that I wouldn''t die again. Drowning was not a good experience and I would very much like to not have to experience it again. Ever.

    While Poppy is still away, I let my mind continue to wander. Back to my old life. Was I ever going to return there? Was time paused? Did someone stalk me and feed Sugar? She really is the sweetest bunny. I remember the day that I first got her.

    It was a cold day out and I was taking a walk. I had been crying a lot and the tears were freezing to my face. I had gotten too cold and stopped into the nearest open store. It just happened to be an animal store. I walked around and used the sights of all of the sweet animals to soothe the hurt that was burning inside of me. The betrayal and violation I felt.

    You know what won''t violate you? Animals. They will be kind and sweet natured if you raise them with kindness and love. There was nothing in my lease that said I couldn''t have a pet. Maybe it would be a good idea to get one? I didn''t have anything set up for an animal though.

    This pet store didn''t have any dogs or cats, but I was okay with that. If they weren''t there, then I wasn''t meant to get one. Obviously. I enjoy letting fate dictate things in my life. Maybe this would be one of those things to let it decide?

    I walk up and down the aisles and look over at all the various critters contained within the cages. Hamsters, chinchillas, ferrets. None of them felt right. Then I saw her. Sitting alone in a large cage. A small, white bunny. She looked so tiny in the enclosure that I am sure was meant to contain a littler of bunnies. Why was she left behind?

    As I stared at her an employee came over to me and asked if I wanted to hold her. Of course I did!

    "Yes please." I told them and they took her out of the cage and put her into my arms. They guided me on the correct way to hold her. Holding that sweet little bunny in my arms made all of my problems melt away. I knew that I would be bringing her home with me.

    I call a Smoober and had them pick me up. While they were on their way over I had the store employee help me get together everything I would need.

    I wonder if Alias will send her to this world if I bring everyone back to themselves, or will he send me home? Either way Snowy is the only thing I miss about that life. There are so many things that I had to give up, things that were out of my control. My career, my school, my aspirations. Sugar was one of the few things in my life that I got to choose.

    Poppy comes back into the room and brings my bottles over to me. I close my eyes for just a brief moment to remember what color bottle was what.

    "Thank you Poppy. Did you remember to bring my hair towel?"

    "Of course I did. I haven''t forgotten it in weeks!" she sets it down alongside of the bottles.

    ''Yes. You do take rather good care of me don''t you." I tell her, and add to myself ''when you aren''t killing me''. I see her affection bar rise. It seems that she likes to be praised. I will have to remember this, although I feel praising her too often would be in bad taste and make her suspicious of me.

    "Would you like me to wash your hair?" she asks me.

    "No thank you. But you can style it if you wish." I tell her.

    "Oh! You are going to let me style it? You said that you are going to go walk around town today. Is there anyone in particular that has caught your eye? Anyone you are planning to make and use a love potion on?"

    "Of course I haven''t fallen for anyone. You know that I would tell you first. I just want you to do my hair as I like the way you style it. You are ever so skilled at it." Again I see her affection bar rise. Why does it have to raise so slowly?

    "Now then." I tell her. "I would like to wash myself."

    "Of course. I should go do the same."

    And with that we both stick to our individual baths and scrub and wash and rinse. The smells from the scrubs are rather wonderful. Mine smell like jasmine and roses. I look in the bottle and see that there are crushed up flowers in it. How interesting. No wonder they smells so good.

 Chapter 5: Vanity

    I wrap a towel around myself and make my way over to the small unused bath to wash my face. I saw Aria do this in her memory, although it seemed strange the way she knelt down like that. This position, right? It feels uncomfortable, but the towel isn''t on the ground, and neither are my knees.

    "Haha, you always look so ridiculous like that." Poppy says as she laughs at me. "I don''t know why you are so picky about the way you wash your face."

    I look over at Poppy. She had a few bumps on her face, otherwise it was relatively clear. However, my face was perfectly clear, no make-up needed, although being the villainess I must wear make-up. And it must be dramatic too.

    I scoop the water into my hands and dip my face into it. I felt like I should splash my face with it, but that isn''t how Aria does it. So, I take my time. Scoop, dip, scoop and dip. I then rub the face scrub into my face. It wasn''t a bottle that she had passed me along with the rest. She hands it to me as I wash my face.

    "Are you almost done?" Poppy asks me. "I want to do your hair. It is just so pretty, and I just love to play with it!" she says, gushing over my hair. Did Aria like that? Did she enjoy being told how attractive she is and all of her best features? It actually makes me a little bit uncomfortable, but I suppose that I need to pretend to enjoy it.

    "Yes Poppy, I am almost done." I tell her and finish rinsing off my face. I don''t want the sticky feeling of any residue being left behind.

    "Oh good!" she says and practically bounces from foot to foot. How is someone so murderous able to pretend to be cute? Doesn''t she have a deep-rooted hatred of Aria to be able to murder her so violently? I unconsciously touch my neck. I take my hand away quickly so as not to seem suspicious. I don''t know what manner Poppy would kill me in this time, but I do not want to find out.

    We walk into the changing room, and I make sure that I dry off thoroughly.

    "Why are you scrubbing so hard with the towel today? Did you have bad dreams that you are trying to rub away?" she asks.

    "I suppose I did." I tell her and follow Poppy deeper into the changing room. In a small section of the changing room there are a set of wooden benches and what looks like a switch? I sit down on the bench and Poppy flips the switch. I feel a burst of hot air surrounding us. Oh, was this timed magics? I was never really able to figure out how the magic system worked in the game, and I felt that the author had just thrown in magic whenever they wanted to add an interesting scene or feature.

    I shake my head and decide to think on it later, or possibly not at all. Alias made it sound like this is a glitchy and broken world right now. Maybe once the corruption is gone, he can put in place rules that make sense. A hard magic system tends to be more well thought out and make more sense than a soft one. I shake my head slightly and feel the heat lift my hair a bit before it gently drifts back down to my shoulders. What an interesting feeling.

    "You are being quieter than usually lately. Is this because of your nightmare, or is it because your birthday is this week, which of course means interacting with your family and the eligible men of the kingdom?"

    I feel my stomach dropping to my feet. What did Poppy just say? I have to be introduced to all of the OG male leads as well as other eligible young men? Or wait, Poppy did not say young men did she. She said eligible men. Does my stepfather, the king, wish to sell me off to better relations?

    "Both." I say simply and stare at the wall. I need to look through that diary and see if I can figure out what Aria''s birthday is. It is helpful to know that it is this week, but that doesn''t help me know what day I am supposed to act more like a spoiled young lady than usual. Although I am also beginning to question how spoiled Aria actually is.

    I want to ask Poppy what day it is, and what day my birthday event will be held on, but that will make her suspicion leap up immediately, or so I assume. That doesn''t sound like something Aria would ever need to ask. Not something that I would be asking. I had started thinking of myself as Aria, but not completely. I am still doing too many things that Elia would do, the me outside of this world.

    "Well let''s make you look extra pretty today then. You are turning 24 this week, over marriageable age by far." Poppy says.

    Poppy isn''t too far off. It is normal for girls from non-affluent families to be married off when they are between the ages of 18-20. People in "higher society" usually wait until they have more education before they settle down and get married. Potential partners want a better understanding of what their match can bring to the table, and what kind of life they want to build together. Also, it was mentioned in passing that people in this world live longer than back on earth. No idea why though. Just one more thing that doesn''t make sense.

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    "I do believe that I would like that Poppy, thank you." I say. I decide that I had basked in the warmth long enough. I was already fully dried and wanted to go get dressed. "Shall we go do so now?"

    Poppy pops to her feet. "Yes!" she says brightly, making me question my sanity. How is someone so bright and bubby so evil. I also have a sneaking suspicion that Poppy might be the truly bad one between her and Aria. Is that why I have lies written into my diary? Something that might be something to ponder when I have time alone. Whenever that happens.

    "Let''s do your hair in your room." Poppy says once we have our gowns on. I easily agree with her, and we make our way to our rooms. We pass a few servants on our way back. Poppy greets them and I give them all smiles. I don''t know how openly affectionate I am yet. It will take a bit to feel things out.

    It doesn''t take long before we get back to my room, passing by the torn tapestries that had caused Aria''s memory to flood my mind. In the game it seemed that part of the reason that Irick hates Aria is because of the affection that the king lavishes on her. Aside from the dresses I am not seeing much evidence of his favor.

    "Alright, sit here and face forward." Poppy says, seating me at my vanity. It is a comfortable seat, and I am facing a mirror so I can watch what she is doing, which I appreciate. I know a lot of people don''t let people watch when they are styling hair so that it will be a surprise. I actually prefer being able to watch the process.

    Poppy begins by brushing my long hair out with her fingers, the silver glistening in the light. My hair is truly lovely, as if someone took moonbeams and turned them into hair. I know that is a vain thing to say, but it is also an accurate way to say it. After she loosens any knots that have gotten into my hair, she runs a comb through it. Poppy must be skilled at this as it doesn''t hurt at any point.

    "I don''t understand why you aren''t vainer. I think that you are the most beautiful woman in the kingdom." Poppy tells me.

    "Simple. I am constantly compared to Iris. People seem to like blond, dainty little porcelain dolls like her."

    "Do you have something against blond hair?" Poppy asks, pausing in her combing.

    "Of course, I don''t Poppy. You have the most beautiful blond hair. It is as though someone took the gold of wheat and the shine of the sun and made them into hair and gifted that hair to you."

    "As poetic as always, aren''t we?" she asks. I want to see if her affection rating raised at all, but it seems that I won''t be able to find out until she is done.

    As we are talking, Poppy''s hands don''t pause again. She takes a small section from each side of my hair and braids it, then twists them together in the back of my head. Making sure that they are secure, Poppy then takes my hair and loops it through the braids and carefully lays it over my right shoulder. Next, she takes a blue and white crescent blue moon clip and clips it in my hair, also on the right side. The clip has delicate chains attached to it and at the bottom of the silver chains are small sapphires.

    "There, something to make your hair shine even more." Poppy says, satisfied.

    "You know Poppy, when I am married off, if you no longer wish to serve me, I shall set you up with your own hair styling business." I tell her as I admire my hair.

    "Hmm, I might hold you to that." she smiles at me, and I catch the affection bar.

    It had filled up a bit more. I would say it is a little less than a sixth full. That is better than nothing. Hmm, I wonder if people are less likely to murder me if I have built up some of their affection bar. It seems only reasonable.

    "I know you said that I could do your hair, but can I do your makeup as well? I know between us, doing hair also means doing makeup but I wanted to check." Poppy asks.

    After killing me twice it seems that Poppy has decided to throw me a bone and help me out a bit. I saw a bit in the games how Aria wore her hair, and I saw her make-up a bit as well. That being said, seeing it in a game is different than seeing it in person. I also need to make sure to carefully watch how she does my makeup so I can mimic it.

    "Of course, you can do my makeup Poppy. That nightmare has me a bit shook up still. And I desire to be even more beautiful today than usual. It is my birthday week after all. I wish to make an early good impression on those that I will have to play nice with."

    Poppy laughs before replying. "I like the way you put that. Play nice. Emphasis on the play. I on the other hand will be keeping a tally of all of those that wrong you. After the celebrating is over, we can pay them back in kind. Of course, by then they may also have to pay a bit extra."

    I laugh with her, but also feel unnerved. Will I have to be cruel to be able to survive? Is there a route I can do where I improve people''s feelings on Aria? I suppose I will die a few times finding it. It will make this life easier to live in the future. However, Poppy will stand in my way of doing this I assume. Murdering me any time I start to become too nice. Or that''s my current running theory at least.

    Is a possible way around that to continue to increase her affection for me? I mean, how many people really want to murder people that they feel affection for? Or, well, I guess more people than I want to know in some cases. People can be mean and cruel over the smallest things.

    "Okay I am going to start in on your makeup now." she says as she crouches in front of me. She rubs some primer over my face. It felt a little nice to be pampered like this, especially if I forget that the person pampering me can turn on a dime and murder me.

    After the primer was on, she works on my eyes. I love the way the cat eye really brings out the almond shape of my eyes. My eyes are large and almond shaped, making the cat eye look perfect on me. She did the eye liner in black. She then tops it with blue and silver eye shadow and mascara. She finishes with my face and dusts blush across my cheeks. I have to say, I am gorgeous.

    As I stare at myself in the mirror I think back to my old body and my old looks. Back home I had long light brown hair that I kept long intentionally. Long hair makes for some fun styles when cosplaying. I had bright blue eyes that people loved but I also wore colored contacts often to completely change my looks. It was a joke on my stream that people could never truly know what I looked like. And I like that just fine.

    However, even with all the changes I could make to my appearance I have never looked this good. I suppose it is a trope for people who transmigrate to end up in very attractive bodies. Also, this is an otome world, so I suppose it was a given.

    "Thank you, Poppy. You did a great job. I feel drop dead gorgeous." The pun was intended although I am thinking that only to myself. I suppose only Alias can appreciate my humor here.

    "Well, it was a given that I would make you look good. You are just naturally pretty. Which is so unfair. I suppose it does mean that you should find a husband rather easily. Unless you scare them all away with your personality."

    "At least I know how to get away from someone if I can''t stand the thought of being married to them. Just open my mouth and talk." I say then let out a laugh. Such a musical laugh.

    "I suppose I will be headed out now and shall see you later Poppy. I do not know what time I will be returning though." I inform her.

    "That''s okay. I will assume that you will be back for dinner. And if not, I will just take some time to myself. While I love your company, I don''t mind having some time to read trashy novels and plot our misdeeds."

    "Sounds like you also have a fun day planned. I shall see you then Poppy." I tell her and head to the door.

    I see a screen pop up in front me again that say "Checkpoint".

 Chapter 6 - What are you Baking?

    Checkpoint? The last time I got a checkpoint I was murdered. I glance over my shoulder at Poppy and see her humming a little tune while cleaning up. Yeah, I don''t think that she is going to kill me. Just in case though, I should pick up my pace and get out of her sight.

    As I walk I try to remember the way to get around. Luckily in the game you were able to have your character walk around and do a bit of exploring. That''s one of the ways that I went searching for the secret route. I also did this so many times the I have the map nearly burned into my mind.

    Okay, I must project confidence and I guess a slight air of superiority? Is that right? Does she always have an air of superiority? I don''t want to always seem like an arrogant stuck up annoyance. I suppose I have to for at least a while, until I have some affection built up between me and the other characters. Okay, I suppose I shouldn''t think of them as characters anymore.

    Okay so my next move should be to feel out the people that I thought might be the hidden route. Who were they again? Okay they were the pastry chef, the castle''s butler, Iris''s adopted brother, the librarian, the knight captain and the Iris''s tutor. Oh dear, many of these are not going to be easy to talk with and feel out. I get a sense of dread in my stomach at the prospect of some of these people. I can start with the baker I guess. I will also stop by other stores and see if I might have missed something.

    Seeing if I missed something has nothing to do with the fact that I have the sinking feeling that I will be murdered by these men. Okay, maybe not all of them will murder me? Is that a possibility?

    I will start my search with the shopping strip. The bakery, jewelry store, tailor, alchemist, smithy and artifacts and magical do-dads. Okay I will tackle these stores in that order. Hopefully I don''t have bad will built up with all of them.

    As I make my way to the bakery a thought decides to lodge in my mind. What if I end up falling for someone who is not supposed to be a route at all? Will that doom this world? I don''t want to do something that will doom this world. Especially since I was brought here to help save it. Me. Save it. I don''t want to think about that.

    It takes a bit longer than I was thinking to reach the bakery. I suppose I should have expected that though. It wouldn''t be fun to make the player spend a long-time walking between destinations. However, in reality it wouldn''t make sense for everything to be so close together. Here, it is an actual kingdom after all. Again, I need to remind myself that this is real, this isn''t a game. I am Aria Brightburn and not Elia Liddel.

    I tip my head up high instead of looking at my feet like I would have done previously. I am a sexy villainess, not a failed med school dropout. And this villainess is talented and smart as well. I can make a life in this world.

    Before I get too far, I hear a pitter-patter behind me. I turn and Blizzie leaps into my arms and nuzzles beneath my chin. Did I ever see Aria with her cat in any of the GCs she was in? Any of the scenes? However, I know how much she loves her cat.

    "Hi Blizzie. Are you coming with me today little one?" I ask him and set him on my shoulder. He purrs loudly in response, and I feel my heart melt a bit. I reach up and pet his little head and scratch underneath his chin. If possible, he purrs even louder.

    Looking sexy and with my kitten equipped I walk into the bakery.

    "Hello, welcome to Crepes, Custard and Creamery Cafe!"

    Huh, did it have a name in the game? Maybe I just didn''t notice.

    "Hello." I say in response and look at the board.

    "Are you here for your regular Aria?" the man behind the counter asks me.

    My first impression of the baker is that he is cute. I can tell he is the same person because of his name tag "Bobbie". He has short, curly and slightly fluffy brown hair, brown eyes and freckles. He seems to be a short king, If I had to guess I would say he is 5''7".

    "Sorry Bobbie, I was hoping to look around a bit before I decide on what I want. Or maybe, are you willing to give me a recommendation?" I ask in the most seductive voice that I am able to.

    Is this going to work? Can I flirt with him and get some information to see if he is possibly the hidden route? If he is will something special happen with his affection bar.

    "Something I would recommend? Well, I was just about to go on break. I have been test cooking some things in the back. If you have time, would you like to come back and taste some?" he asks.

    Well, that was easy. Was it too easy? Why do I have a bad feeling about this. Who gets bad feelings about baked goods!

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    "If you are offering, I would love to!" I say and flash him a bright smile. Oh, that couldn''t be right, I doubt Aria gives bright smiles. Should I try to make all of my actions slightly sinister? If I do though, that won''t be doing anything to change people''s perspectives on me.

    I look at the bars above his head and see that both his suspicion and his affection bars increased a bit. What could that mean? Although I am confused, I don''t let it show on my face or in my actions.

    "Thanks for being willing to do this for me Aria. You always give me such good advice and feedback. I know that part of it is because of your potion store. You know how to mix things together to make something better than the sum of its parts, which is similar to baking.

    "For this new creation I am trying some unique ingredients. Do you mind helping me take it out of the oven? I''m worried it might have turned into a pudding or something equally unique."

    I get a strange feeling, but again I ignore it. His words do sound a bit cryptic though. Is that intentional? Is this just part of his personality? Maybe he is Aria''s friend in a strange way, and they share some off beat personality traits?

    "Sure, I don''t mind helping you. Can you show me which oven?" I ask him, as there are ovens of differing sizes. Even one big enough for a person to fit in. I wonder what he bakes in there. Large cakes for weddings or special events?

    "It''s in the large oven. I will take the other sweets for you to try out of the other ovens if you want to pull that one out for me." he requests.

    "Sure Bobbie. I''ll go do that now." I tell him and walk over to the oven. I see oven mitts hanging from the front of the stove and slip them on. I then carefully open the oven. I am expecting a blast of hot air to hit me when I open it, but it doesn''t. How strange. I look into the oven and wonder what he could have made in here.

    While I am looking into the oven, I feel hands on my back shoving me. I topple forward and find myself inside the stove. Was this a practical joke that he was playing on me? If it is I don''t appreciate it. It isn''t a funny joke. I actually find it mean spirited.

    "What the heck are you doing?" I ask him, trying to get out of the oven. He fights back against me and slams the oven door shut and latches it in place. "Just how far are you going to take this joke?" I shout to him.

    "A joke? Are you kidding. Poppy''s little stunt ruined business for me for a few days! Do you have any idea how much work I had to do to clean the taffy bomb? I didn''t even know there was such a thing as a taffy bomb? And who else could have made it aside from you?!" he screams at me. I wish I had any idea what he is talking about. What is this world?!

    "Now you can''t make anything like that again. Nothing that stains clothes and skin, nothing that sprays glitter and goo everywhere. No more potions that manipulate feelings. No more teasing me and the others. I''m sick of it. I am doing this as a favor not just for myself, but for everyone who has ever been wronged by the things that you created. And you know what Aria? I wouldn''t be this mad had you just apologized!"

    And with that he turns on the oven.

    "Bobbie, what is this Hansol and Grettle BS? Let me out!" I say and start banging my fists against the door of the oven. I keep banging my fists even after the metal gets so hot that my skin blisters. The skin then burns off of my hands and I keep banging. I hate the feeling of this heat, of burns forming all over my body. My dress catches on fire and I feel all of the air in my lungs burning away. I start to asphyxiate as well as burn. This is the worst death by far. I keep slamming against the door until I physically can''t anymore. I close my eyes and feel my eyelids melt shut. So much for the pretty makeup.

    The worst part of it? I can hear Blizzie crying from outside the oven. His meows are deafening. I could hear the pain in them. That poor cat. Lost his original owner and is now seeing the person who inhabits her body burning to death in front of him. At some point I expect him to leave my side, but he doesn''t. I hear him the entire time, his meows sounding like screams, like he is screaming and crying while I am screaming and crying. My heart breaks alongside of my body. I will have to do better. For me, for Blizzie.

    This better not be the secret route.

    That stupid death screen pops up. Death - Cooked Alive.

    I know I was cooked alive! Why can''t get the screen only instead of having to have this experience. Who goes through this and comes out the other side all sunshine and rainbows, still wanting to continue?! Me apparently. Though I am not including sunshine. Or rainbows.

    "I knew I set that checkpoint up at the right place." I hear Alias say to me. I open my eyes and notice that I am laying on the floor and staring up at him. That''s new.

    "Alias, why am I on the floor?" I ask him as he reaches down to help me up.

    "I don''t always know how or where you are going to spawn, so who knows."

    "I don''t like how many things there are that are just not explained or doesn''t make any sense. When we fix this world, you need to sit down and make a hard magic system. Not knowing what magic is supposed to do or how it is supposed to work is driving me crazy." I say, my voice raising into an almost manic state.

    "My dear, what you are describing is science and not magic. Magic is magical. It doesn''t need a reason to work, it just works!"

    ''No. Just no." I say and face palm.

    "Yes. Just yes." Alias said. "And I get to make this decision. So there!"

    "You don''t know how to come up with a system do you?" I ask him, crossing my arms.

    "It''s magic. Magic is magic. I''m letting it stay magical."

    I roll my eyes. "Whatever you say Alias."

    "Exactly." he says and gives me a very bright smile. Oh, he is pretty. Is it possible that he is the hidden route? Can I make him the hidden route?

    "Why are you looking at me like that?"

    "Just wondering if you are putting me through all of this torture when you were the hidden route all along. That would just be too cruel. You wouldn''t do that to me would you? I mean, part of me wouldn''t mind, but this is torture if you are, so...." I tell him.

    "As far as I know, I''m not the hidden route. This route appears to be hidden to me at the moment as well. I''m sure as soon as you find it, we will both know."

    "Oh, thank goodness it isn''t that self-righteous baker. I mean, what even is a taffy bomb?" I ask, genuinely curious.

    "Truthfully? It''s something that Poppy made. She has seen you craft things before, so she broke into your crafting room while you were sleeping and made it. Bobbie wouldn''t date her, so she wanted to get even with him. It''s gelatin, glitter, sugar, some oils, and who knows what else. Magical ingredient thing. I think that''s even what it is labeled as. You make a wish on it while mixing and hope it does what you want."

    "If I didn''t know that she made it, then why does Bobbie blame me?"

    "Because you didn''t stop her, apologize, or help him clean it up. Thus, you are culpable in his eyes. Try apologizing when you go in and offer him one of your charms or potions on the house. That will make him happy. There is a lady that he likes, his apprentice. However, he is worried she will say no to him. It''s a whole big stupid thing."

    "So, he really is a jerk then?" I ask.

    "He wants to drug a girl into loving him."

    "Do my potions work like that?" I ask, horrified.

    "Naw, they can only build upon feelings that are already there, even if they are only a grain of sands worth of feelings."

    "Still. That feels gross. I have to keep making and selling them, don''t I?" I ask.

    "It is how you get your money. You are getting a lot of correct thoughts and feelings about Aria. Keep exploring those."

    "Where is she? How am I in her body?" I inquire.

    "She gave up. She gave up her body. She died and didn''t want to come back. She was tired of everything. I might be able to get her soul to come back, but not to her life or body. Just think of her as gone, and you are helping her by doing this. She wanted you to have her life or something. I don''t know. I''ll tell you know if I figure it out. Again, I didn''t make this world."

    "Just, keep me in the loop? You are all I have to talk to."

    "I promise. Time to go back now." he says, kisses my forehead and I am back at the checkpoint.

 Chapter 7: Custard and Charms

    I blink my eyes a few times to get re-oriented. It does leave me feeling displaced when I go from talking to Alias back to the checkpoints. I just take a moment and glance over my shoulder at Poppy. Poppy is still cleaning up and humming, and I feel no threat from her. Well, that''s fair, she isn''t the last one who killed me.

    "Blizzie!" I call and hear him racing to me. I open my arms for him, and he leaps into them. What a sweet baby! I stroke his fur and we walk out the door.

    Should I go to my store before going to the bakery? No, then that would be limiting what he can have as recompense. That would seem less sincere. And getting people to change their opinions of me should begin with a bit of empathy as well as sincerity..

    Part of me doesn''t want to go back to the bakery, but I know that I can''t avoid it. I need to go and apologize to Bobbie. Ugh, but I really don''t want to. What happened to his store wasn''t my fault, and he just cooked me alive!

    As I walk, I pet Blizzie''s fur and get to hear him purring contentedly, which is always really nice. With renewed vigor I make my way to the bakery. I open the door and hear that same greeting.

    "Hello, welcome to Crepes, Custard and Creamery Cafe!"

    "Hi Bobbie." I say, making eye contact with him instead of glancing around at the multitude of colorful and heavenly smelling confections.

    "Would you like your usual today?" he asks.

    "Perhaps in a bit. However, that isn''t what I am here for. Or, well, not the main reason that I am here at least." I tell him honestly. I used to have a bad habit of nervously babbling in an uncomfortable situation.

    "Oh?" he asks, sounding genuinely puzzled.

    "I am actually here to offer an apology. What happened with the taffy bomb was extremely regrettable and I am sure that it must have hurt your business. And for that, I am genuinely sorry." I tell him.

    "It isn''t like you to apologize. What''s the angle?" I hear him ask and see his suspicion bar rise.

    "Believe it or not, there is no angle. I am here because I genuinely would like to apologize to you."

    "If you are sorry, then why did you let it happen?" he asks, and I can hear some frustration entering into his voice. It seems he doesn''t like it when he feels he is being duped. I can''t blame him for that. No one likes that feeling. I hate that feeling to be honest.

    "I doubt that you are going to believe me, but I didn''t know what the taffy bomb was." I tell him honestly.

    "You expect me to believe that?" he asks me, then glances around the room and sees that we are getting the attention of the customers sitting inside and enjoying their sugary indulgences.

    "I don''t want to disturb anyone." he says to me quietly. Will you come to the back to talk?" he asks.

    "I''m sorry, but I don''t feel comfortable with that. How about we talk outside?" I ask as a counter-offer.

    He looks confused as to why I wouldn''t want to talk to him in the back but leads me out of the store anyways.

    One we are outside he continues talking.

    "You really expect me to believe that you had no idea what the taffy bomb was? Who else would have made it?" he hisses at me. Maybe he is hissing so that he doesn''t yell? Odd choice, but an understandable one as we are outside of his business.

    "I don''t expect you to believe it, but it is the truth. If I knew what was in it, I wouldn''t have let her explode it! Well, at least not inside your place of work. It wasn''t me that you slighted. And while I care for Poppy, I wouldn''t make such a flashy thing for her. I would have made it and used it in a much grander manner, don''t you think?" I ask him. I need him to believe me, which means I have to be haughty.

    "Well, when you put it like that I kind of believe you. Still though, why would you let her do that, especially not knowing what it does. That''s seriously messed up Aria. I know that everyone just sees you as this prissy little troublemaker, but I think that there could be more to you." he says and I see that he means it as his affection meter raises, though only the smallest amount.

    "You may be the only one to believe that." I tell him honestly. I haven''t really met anyone else, but for all I know that is close to the truth.

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    "Your younger brother believes it. He believes in you." he says.

    "I am not only giving you words as my apology." I tell him. I felt the mood shifting, but I have decided that he cannot be the secret route. Alias would have known when I "visited" him after all. Although, I don''t know if I can fully rule him out either? I will feel him out a bit longer, but I am pretty sure that my instincts are right about this.

    "Oh?" he asks, seemingly surprised. This must be a day of surprises for him.

    "If you would like, you can follow me to my shop and choose out one of the things that I sell, and I will give it to you free of charge." I tell him and watch his expressions. It went from surprised, to confused and settled on curious.

    "I appreciate that. Do you mind waiting with me for a short while until Sadie comes in?" he asks.

    "I don''t mind. I can enjoy something sweet while I wait, which is always enjoyable." I tell him.

    "Did you want your regular?" he asks.

    Taking a risk I respond with "I''m not sure. I might want to try something new. I am in a bit of an adventurous mood."

    "I''ll bring you over a menu then." he says.

    With that settled we go inside and I take a seat in the corner. Not long after I sit down Bobbie comes over with a menu. I look it over and have to swallow my saliva a few times to keep from drooling. Everything sounded incredible.

    Orange creamsicle drinks, salted caramel mousse, custard tarts, bittersweet chocolate cookies, and crepes of all flavors. There are also an assortment of muffins, cakes, and drinks. I don''t know how I could possibly pick from all of this.

    I eventually settle on a spiced plumb tea and a strawberry custard crepe. I don''t know how the flavors are going to mix together, but I am intrigued.

    When I place my order Bobbie gives me a strange look. "That is very adventurous for you. I hope you like it all the same. Would you also like me to box up Poppy''s usual order?" he asks me.

    "Yes please." I tell him and he leaves to go bring me my order. While I wait, I pet Blizzie''s head and let my mind wander back to my old life.

    Back in my old life I didn''t allow myself such indulgences. My livelihood depended on my looks. I would have a piece of dark chocolate on the rare occasion, but aside from that it was mostly soups and salads. I would cook myself up some healthy dishes as well on occasion for variety. I had to make sure that they were on the cheap side and low fat/low calorie. It wasn''t the most enjoyable all the time. Although, it was better than living off of ramen and tap water, which I had been doing not too long ago.

    "Here you are!" Bobby says as he sets a plate and mug in front of me.

    "Thank you. This smells divine!" I tell him. Some of the other people in the shop look over at what I am having. I wonder if they were curious or if they were taking note of it. While Poppy and I have a bad reputation, we are also trend setters if I remember correctly.

    "I hope it tastes as good as it smells. By the time you are done Sadie should be here and we can go over to your shop."

    "Alright." I tell him, then take a bite of the food. The flavors did somehow work together and danced on my tongue. I almost made a happy cute noise that I cultivated for my streams, but luckily was able to avoid it. So many poor habits to break. Once I swallow the bite I blow on the tea and take a sip. I close my eyes and simply savor the flavor. The tang, the spice, the aroma. How lovely.

    I open my eyes and see Bobby smile at me.

    "Glad to see that you are enjoying yourself." he says.

    "Quite." I tell him and see him leave the table. I wonder why he stayed. Was it just to watch me take a bite. That is more than a little creepy.

    As I finish my last bite, I hear the door open and see a pretty young girl come in. She has her dark brown hair in braided twin tails and her green eyes are shining. She has a bright smile dancing on her lips as she goes over and greets Bobby. When I see her go behind the counter, I realize that she is Sadie.

    I look around to see what I was supposed to do with my plate and mug and see that people are bringing theirs to the counter when they go to pay. That is a strange system, but I will go along with it. When in a fantasy world, follow along with what others are doing or find yourself dead in a manner of horrible ways.

    I clean my table and bring the cup and mug up to the front counter.

    "How much?" I ask him. He gives me an amount and I panic as I realize that I don''t know what any of the money in this world is worth. I open the coin purse and luckily I seem to tap into Aria''s knowledge. I pull out the amount, plus extra and hand it over. Bobby looks at the amount and, saying nothing, puts it away.

    "Sadie, I have to head out for a bit. Are you going to be okay on your own?" he asks Sadie.

    "I will be just fine. See you when you get back!" she says brightly. I can feel her eyes on us as we exit the shop. It feels as though they are burning a hole in my back. Seems that she is jealous, which is good news for Bobby I suppose. Unfortunate news for me as it means my potion is going to be all the more effective.

    I feel fortunate that I know the way to my shop, and that it doesn''t take more than ten minutes to get there. Bobby and I make meaningless conversation. He does most of the talking, telling me about new recipes that he wants to try and asking my opinions on them.

    When we get to my shop, I realize that I don''t have the key for it. I feel my stomach sink. However, before I realize what I am doing, I am whispering words to the door, so softly that Bobby can''t hear. They are words in a language separate from the one I have been speaking. When I am done with whatever I am saying, the door pops open. Magic. Again. Okay then.

    "Come on in and take a look around." I tell him, ushering him into the store. It is dark in the shop, not much natural light coming in. I guess that is to create a specific sort of ambiance.

    He walks in and I follow closely behind him and close the door. I then walk over and turn on the light. With the shop illuminated I am able to take a good look around. It was a rather cute shop, with a bit of a gothic feel to it. There are a large number of candles around the room, and places clearly meant for burning incense.

    On one wall there are a great many charms. Some of them are made of paper, while others are crafted from gems, metals and glass. They are pretty to look at and glittered in the light. On the other wall are shelves of potions, with what they do on tags hanging off of them. I hope that the knowledge of how to make all of these are in a book somewhere, or I will be able to easily tap into Aria''s memories.

    In the middle of the shop are different table set ups. Some of them have flowers and plants, while others have cute stuffed animals and dolls. I hope that they aren''t curse dolls, but looking around the room I wouldn''t be surprised in the slightest if that is exactly what they are.

    "Is there any reason that you closed the door behind us?" Bobby asks, looking uncomfortable.

    "The shop isn''t open today, and if I left the door open it may encourage others to come in to purchase my goods." I tell him calmly.

    "I suppose that makes sense." he says and takes a look around. I see curiosity in his eyes. I wonder if he has ever been in this shop before. I wouldn''t be surprised if he hasn''t.

    "Anything catching your eye?" I ask him.

    "There is a lot to look at." he tells me. Is that a surprise to him?

    "Of course, there is." I tell him. "I am a woman of many talents."

    "And you made all of this?" he asks.

    I am quiet for a moment. The knowledge that I did make it all comes into my mind. "Of course, I did. However, I did not make the plants. I just grew them." I tell him. "I do not have creation magic. I cannot conjure plants out of nothing."

    "Very funny." he says and goes back to looking around. While he looks around, I do my best to as well, without giving away that this is the first time that I am seeing any of this. I look over at the potion bottles and see if I can read any of the tags from where I am standing. I can''t.

    I take a seat behind the counter and watch him look around instead. As he picks up things, I look over them as well. He picks up some of the charms. He puts the paper ones down immediately but seems to hold onto the others longer.

    "What does this charm do?" he asks me.

    ""That one is for health. You hang it in your bedroom window and tell it what ails you before you sleep."

    "Is everything in here that ridiculous?" he asks me, and I can''t help but feel a bit offended.

    "Everything in here works." I tell him and know full well that those words are true.

 Chapter 8: Making a Love Potion Part 1

    "Everything in here works?" Bobby asks me, clearly skeptical.

    "That''s what I just said isn''t it." I tell him, calmly.

    "Hmm." he says in reply, although it was more of a sound than a reply.

    "Is there anything in particular that you are interested in?" I ask him, hoping to at least be able to point him in the right direction. Surprisingly I am a bit uncomfortable around people who have murdered me recently. Recently because I don''t have any idea how I am going to feel about people after it has been a while since they murdered me.

    "I already told you that there is a lot of things to look at around here." he says, sounding a bit exasperated. I suppose I had already asked him.

    I suppose I asked him if there was anything I could help him with a second time because I already have an idea of what he wants. A love potion. Something I really don''t like the idea of, not at all. I sigh inwardly, not letting the sigh actually pass through my lips. I don''t need any reason to set him off.

    "I apologize." I tell him simply in response.

    "That''s okay. There are just so many things here that I have never seen before, or even heard of!"

    "What can I say, I am the creative sort." I say.

    Apparently in this life as well as in the last life. Don''t let anyone tell you that people who make videos and let''s plays for a living aren''t creative. We have to be, with a dramatic flair added in. I wonder if Aria likes to have a flair for the dramatic. Don''t most villainesses?

    "Anything that you are curious about? Not what are you interested in buying necessarily. You said that you haven''t seen many of these things before, let alone heard of them. Which makes me curious if there is anything in here that you would like to learn more about?"

    Please don''t walk over to the dolls, please do not ask me what they are for. I don''t want to make something up to be wrong later. As I think this a thought pops in my head. There IS a journal in which she wrote down all of her recipes and what everything does, and she keeps it under the counter. I reach beneath the counter and pull it up, setting it in front of me.

    "What is that?" he asks.

    "My cheat sheet. I make ever so many things that I happen to forget what everything is and what it does." I tell him and shrug.

    "Okay then..." he says, voice trailing off as he walks over to the dolls.

    He picks up a stuffed bunny and asks me, "What is this one for? What''s it do?" he gives it a small squeeze and shakes it very gently while putting it close to his ear.

    "I''ll tell you. But first, please tell me what it is that you are doing?" I ask him, immensely curious.

    "I was testing to see if I could hear any unhappy souls that you may have shoved into this. It''s cute but everything in here is a bit unnerving."

    I flip open the book and look through it, looking for a description or a drawing of it. Aria has a lot of drawings in here, maybe to help her locate what she is looking for more easily. Or she likes to draw. I like to draw, so that''s good. Although, I don''t think that I will really be coming up with more ideas. Oh, but maybe I will since I have Aria''s knowledge, as soon as I can tap into all of it.

    "That rabbit has two uses. The first is to help you grow closer to your pets, and the second is to help you become less timid. You just whisper your worries into its ear."

    Bobby looks at me incredulous, as if waiting for me to tell him that I am joking. I''m not. I guess my face informs him of this fact without me needing to utter any words.

    "Okay then." he says as he sets it back on the display table. "This one?" he asks, picking up a creepy looking wool doll with crossed out eyes.

    "Easy." I say and flip to the image. "That''s a curse doll. You take an image of the person that you wish to curse, place it upon the doll''s chest, and hammer a nail into it while whispering the person''s name five times. Then you say louder the curse you wish placed upon them." I say, casually.

    Bobby quickly puts the curse doll down and stares at me. "There is something seriously wrong with you." he tells me.

    "I am missing enough love in my life." I tell him.

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    Bobby glances at the rest of the dolls and stuffed animals on the table and takes a step away from them. "Clearly" he mutters. I am once again glad that Bobby isn''t the hidden route. Unhappiness dodged there.

    "Is there anything in your shop that is, I don''t know, normal?" he asks.

    "I don''t know what you mean by normal. Don''t you know what my shop is?" I ask him. "I have charms, potions, cute things and plants. And cursed things too. Those are normal for a shop such as this."

    After I mention potions, Bobby makes his way over to them. As he picks them up, I look at them alongside of him. Luckily it seems that Bobby is the type that likes to read things out loud.

    "Luck potion, sleeping drought, speed potion, mana rejuvenation, potion for increased fire magic, potion for increased water magic..." he glances at the rest to boost specific magic.

    "Nullification of magic?" Bobby asks, confused.

    "You drink it and for a few hours magic doesn''t work on you. There are more fun things there too, such as potions to color your hair, color your eyes, change the way that you smell and such."

    "Why would I need to change the way that I smell?" he asks me.

    "Some people have strong body odor and halitosis." I tell him calmly. "I also make love potions." I tell him, almost flippantly. Is he going to take the bait?

    "For that, do I need any of her hair, or spit or blood?" he asks.

    What nonsense. Does he need any of her bodily fluid. Does he need any of her bodily fluid? I flip through the book.

    "No. You don''t need anything of hers. You will need things of yours." I tell him, placing emphasis on yours. "And what you give me can make the potion stronger. If you want to that is. I have average love potions, where the receiver develops stronger feelings for the person that gives it to her. Or... Or you can add a personal touch and make one just for her."

    I personally hope that he chooses the first one. It fades much quicker. If the giver and receiver don''t create memories and grow the fond feelings, they fade. Poof, all gone.

    "It makes it stronger if I work with you to help create the potion?" he asks. I see the slightest bit of hesitation in his eyes before it gets quickly snuffed out.

    "It amplifies all of the feelings that she has for you, but mostly latches on to the feelings of affection and love and makes them grow and bloom. However, if she has no feelings for you at all, it will grab on to whatever her strongest feelings for you are. Will you take the risk?" I ask him, partly hoping this all blows up in his face.

    "If it grows the feelings that she already has for me, it can''t be that bad then, can it?" he asks. "What do I need to do?"

    I look through the contents of the potion in the journal and all of the additives that can make it stronger, as well as its base components.

    "This is not going to be a fast process. We can finish it today, but it might take all day. Either that or a few hours. The potion itself decides how long it takes." I clap my hands.

    "Now then, there are things that you must go get and pick out with your own hands. You must get your favorite flower, a piece of your favorite food that you chew the number of times as the number of letters in her first and last name. Bonus points if you add the numbers for her middle name as well, but that isn''t needed. You need a splash of your favorite drink, something that reminds you of her, extra potent if it is something from the first place you met, something that represents an activity the two of you do together, some of your nails, hair, blood and sweat or tears. You don''t have to give me everything from your body, but it is more powerful if you do. Also, you need to go and buy the needle used to prick your skin and the clippers for your nails." I tell him.

    "What will you be doing while I get all of this stuff?" he asks me.

    "I will be gathering the base ingredients, as well as some vanilla for smell and some cinnamon and cloves for taste. Or peppermint?"

    "She likes the combined flavors of oranges, cinnamon and chocolate." he tells me. "If that matters."

    "It does." I tell him.

    "I''ll be going then." he says and heads out of my shop.

    "Hey Bobby, knock 3 times, pause, 4 times, pause, then 3 again so I know that it is you at the door without needing to check. I will be busy and only want to be interrupted to let you back in."

    "Okay." he says and leaves.

    Now then, what do I need to do? I take the journal and head into the backroom.

    I am amazed upon entering the backroom. It had vials, pills, powders, flowers, books, cloth, needles with thread, mortar and pestles. There are plants growing and dried plants and herbs hanging from the wall. There are oils and candies as well. Oh, and are these baking ingredients? There is a tiny oven and pots and caldrons of different sizes. If there was any doubt in my mind that this is a world of magic, that doubt has been crushed.

    I see a small closet which I open. A burst of sweet fragrances hit my nose and I see bundles of dried flowers, which are labeled luckily. I read through the types and it seems some might be unique to this world. Either that or I really just don''t know much about flowers. Which is entirely possible. I have a green thumb but there wasn''t much room in my apartment to grow too many types of flowers. Also, there was no one in my life who would give me flowers. It seems that it is the same for Aria.

    "Alright!" I say out loud and Blizzie comes over to me. "Oh, are you going to be my little helper?" I ask him, and rub beneath his soft chin with my knuckle. He purrs loudly, filling the space with his love and sweetness.

    "Let''s see, first I need to get water mixed with oil of sweet dreams." I look around and see gallons of purified water. Nice. I glance at the journal to see if there was a precise amount of anything. There was for a few ingredients, but not for most. I pour some water into a cauldron and set it down. I then look around at all of the vials for the vile of sweet dreams. I find it easily, as though I am using muscle memory. Okay it says put in four drops. I pull out the stopper and drop in four drops.

    With each drop the water in the cauldron shimmers a different color. It is red, then green, next it is blue and then it settles with a beautiful violet color. Seems good so far. Okay now I need some potion base x. Do I even want to know what this stuff is? It looks like I need fifteen drops. Okay. I count them out slowly and methodically to make sure that I mess nothing up. My life is on the line after all. I watch as the water and oil of sweet dreams glitters and shimmers with each drop. This is actually kind of fun!

    Next it looks like I need to crush up flower petals. I decide to pluck them all at once instead of going back and forth. I bring a large mortar and pestle with me. Okay.

    "Alright Blizzie. Looks like we need three red tulip petals, three pink rose petals." I say as I pluck them and set them into the mortar and pestle. "Five hyacinth petals, six peony petals, four lilac petals and seven sweet pea petals. Why so many petals, and why the different numbers?" I ask out loud.

    After I gather those, I sit on a stool and check the notebook. Okay looks like I need to crush these up into a mostly fine powder. What does mostly fine mean?" I ask as I begin to crush them up.

    The air begins to have a sweeter and more floral smell to it. It lifts my spirits, and I am able to forget what I am doing. Is this how Aria felt when she was making these? How did she even know how to create all of these different recipes. Maybe she is brilliant, and no one gave her any credit or recognition. What a lonely life.

    I hum to myself as I continue to crush up the dried flower petals. I don''t know what song I am humming; I am just humming. Is it even a song I know or a song that Aria knew? Does it matter anymore? I feel like my thoughts and hers are blending together, like the ingredients of this potion. I suppose that will make living her life easier. Once the dried petals are ground into a mostly fine powder, I reference the journal.

    "Set the potion base over a small fire and as it warms add pinches of the ground up flowers slowly over time. The last bit should be added once the base is boiling. Easy enough." I say. I look around and see the area meant to start the fire and hang the cauldron over it. The ground and been dug out and there are runes carved in and around it. Looks like all of these are meant to meant to make starting a fire safe so that my store doesn''t go up in flames.

    I gather up some of the fragrant dried logs and add them to the area. Next, I see flint and tinder. It takes me a couple tries to get the fire started but once I do I hang the cauldron over it.

    "I am starting to feel like quite the little witch." I tell Blizzie and laugh softly to myself.

 Chapter 9: Making a Love Potion Part 2

    I find a large wooden spoon for stirring the potion and pull the stool up beside the cauldron. I sit and add the flower powder little pinches at a time while stirring.

    "Why does it feel like I am making a perfume, and not a love potion?" I ask Blizzie. In response he meows and rubs against my legs, circling and rubbing against them like a little kitty shark. Hmm, I wonder what a cat-shark would look like? Cute or horrifying?

    I continue to let my mind wander while I mix in the flowers ever so slowly. I needed to add the last pinch once the potion base was boiling, but I needed to keep adding pinches the entire time. Is that why I had to pluck and add so many petals? Hmm, something to ponder.

    As the potion has been doing thus far, it continues to change colors. It is currently changing into different shades of pinks and purples, which is logical as those are the colors of the flowers I am adding, aside from the red tulips. Red tulips, pink roses, hyacinths, peonies, lilacs and sweet peas. What do all of these flowers have in common. I know a little too much about the language of flowers, so it doesn''t take me long to realize the commonality. They all represent new love.

    "I suppose that makes sense. Adding in flowers that represent new love into a love potion. I wonder if Aria is a romantic."

    As I add the last pinch of the flower powder to a boiling potion base, I hear a knock at my door. Three knocks, a pause, four knocks, a pause, then three more knocks. Bobby is back. I make my way over to the door with Blizzie close at my heels, but enough away so the I don''t trip over him, which I appreciate.

    I open the door and see Bobby holding a large sack in his arms.

    "Why such a large sack Bobby?" I ask him, curious.

    "You had me gathering multiple things. I also thought that we might get hungry, so I got us each a sandwich and something sweet to eat."

    "Thanks. That is really thoughtful!" I say and give him a very warm smile. It is sweet that he is thinking about me, even though I am doing this to make amends for something that Poppy did to him. Maybe he is realizing that I don''t control Poppy? Or he doesn''t want me to get too hungry to keep making his potion.

    "You''re welcome." he says, then sniffs the air. "What is that smell. It smells more like you are making perfume then you are making a potion." he tells me and looks at me curiously. I''m glad that there isn''t any doubt in that look. Also, his suspicion bar hasn''t raised.

    "I can understand why you feel that way. However, it smells that way because I large amount of the potion base it flowers that mean new love in the language of flowers."

    "Oh. I guess that makes sense. Perhaps you don''t need to add any other of the smells to it?" he asks and laughs.

    "I still may want to, as I am taking some of your pre-chewed food." I remind him.

    "I am trying not to think too deeply about that." he admits to me. At least he recognizes that some of this is really weird. And by some of this I mean drugging someone with a love potion.

    "Well then, please follow me into the back." I tell him and lead the way.

    His reaction is much the same that mine was, looking around at everything wide eyed. He doesn''t take too much time looking around though as his focus falls on the potion. He makes his way over to it and looks down into the boiling liquid.

    "So, this is the start of the love potion?" he asks me.

    "Not to rude, but obviously. Do you see anything else in here that could be a love potion in the making?" I ask him, kindly pointing out how stupid his question is.

    "Haha, I guess you are right." he says, beginning to sound a bit nervous. "What do you need me to do?"

    "Nothing yet, there are a few more things that I need to add to complete the base. It will be a working love potion once these last few ingredients are added, so be mindful of that." I caution him. I''m not sure what he would do that would make me feel like cautioning him is needed. Who knows though, he might decide that he wants to sample it like he would a new food or drink recipe.

    "Good to know." he says and looks around. Finding a second stool he sits down on it and watches me.

    I flip open the journal and look for the next ingredients. And here is where it goes from perfume to potion I suppose. I look around at my powders. I will be needing a few of these I suppose. I need a few scoops of powdered butterfly wings, powdered dove hearts from doves that died of natural causes, and powdered newt brains. After that I will need oil of warm thoughts and oil of amorous intent. What the heck is with these ingredients? Witchy, I have become very witchy. Also, how did I get my hands on these? Who sells stuff like this? A dove that died of natural causes? How do they find a dove that just drops dead? Do they go boo! and cause it to have a heart attack?

    "What are you adding?" he asks, clearly curious.

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    "A few small scoops of powdered butterfly wings." I say and open the powder jar. There is a very tiny scooper in there. I fill it and sprinkle the scoops into the potion. "One small scoop of powdered dove heart." I say and added it. Bobby looks at me, horrified. "It died of natural causes. Next is two small scoops of powdered newt brains." I sprinkle that in and stir the potion a few times. "Lastly is two drops of oil of warm thoughts and four drops of oil of amorous intent." I drop those in and sit to stir it.

    "Is this my part now?" He asks me.

    "Yes, and it is a little more involved than I told you." I inform him. "First I need you to add your favorite flower and talk about how it makes you think of her. And you must say her name when you add it in."

    "I just drop it in whole?" he asks me.

    "Nope." I tell him and point to the mortar and pestle. "Crush it up in that while you tell me what about this flower makes you think of her."

    "That one is easy." Bobby says tears the flower into enough pieces to fit into the mortar and begins crushing it with the pestle. My favorite flower is baby''s breath, and she takes my breath away. The white color reminds me of her white apron and my thoughts can get carried away and I think her in a white dress." he has a gentle smile on his face as he is describing this all to me.

    "What are the things about her that take your breath away?" I ask him.

    "The way that she smiles, the way that she puts her all into everything that she does, how she does this cute little happy wiggle when she makes something correctly for the first time. The way that her hair blows in the wind when it is out of her braids, the way that she whispers in my ear when a customer is in a store, and she feels she has to tell me something important."

    His hands keep moving the entire time that he is talking, and I am watching his progress while constantly stirring the potion. I''m not sure if it is needed for me to keep stirring it, but I need him to do all of these next parts himself. When he finished talking about how she whispers in his ear I see that the flower is ground up decently for one that wasn''t dried.

    "Good. Now bring that over here. It was a fresh flower so there should be juice at the bottom. Strain that into the potion and throw out the rest. While pouring the liquid in make sure to say her name" I tell him. He complies with my directions, cheeks a little pink from the way that he was just talking.

    "Sadie Marie Casterson." he says. Once he finished pouring in the liquid, he throws out the rest of the flower. "What''s next?"

    "Next you need to chew up a bit of your favorite food the amount of times as the number of letters in her name. Then spit the food into that bowl over there. After that strain the juices out of it and only put the juices into the potion. Do you happen to have a fork or knife to strain it? Also, please wash that bowl and bring it back to me next time."

    "Okay." he says. He pulls out his wrapped sandwich. It has turkey, lettuce, onion, some kind of sauce, maybe some other meat, and tomatoes. I don''t ask, just look and see if I can figure it out on my own.

    "The sandwich is your favorite food? That''s convenient. And somehow I would have thought that it would be a baked good."

    "It might have been if I wasn''t around them all day, every day, taste testing so many recipes." he says and laughs.

    "Before you take your bite I recommend counting out the letters in her name and saying it out loud. Helps keep it in your mind." I recommend to him.

    He counts out the letters and they total nineteen, with her middle name included. Seems he actually knows a lot about this girl. The infatuation is strong with this one. I hope that he found this information out in a consensual way.

    He pops a bit of food into his mouth, and I decide to count it out for him as he chews. He seems appreciative about this. At nineteen I shout "stop!" to startle him to make sure that he doesn''t continue. He stops and spits where I directed him to. He pours in the juices and tosses the rest of the chewed-up food.

    "Good job." I tell him and glance at the journal to know what is next. "Next please add a splash of your favorite drink." I tell him and indicate for him to do that now.

    "Got my favorite lemonade. Freshly made." he says, sounding a bit proud of himself. Did he go home and fresh make some lemonade? He really wants this to be potent, doesn''t he? I''m beginning to hope that maybe talking through everything will remind him of his genuine feelings and maybe see that he doesn''t have to go this far to win the heart of his lady love.

    He looks at me to see if there was anything that he had to say before adding it.

    "Do you have any memories of drinking this lemonade together?" I ask him.

    "Actually, she is the one who first introduced me to this drink." he tells me. "She was running really late one day, and she runs in, being careful not to splash the drinks all over herself. It was really cute. It might actually just be some of my fond feelings that make this drinking my favorite."

    "That''s actually really sweet." I tell him. "Go ahead and add a splash of it." He follows my directions and pours in some of the lemonade.

    "Okay, next is the item that reminds you of her." I tell him.

    Bobby pulls out a multicolored cupcake from his bag.

    "How does this remind you of her? And did you get this from the first place you met?" I ask him.

    "This reminds me of Sadie because this is the first recipe that she created on her own. It was partly an accident because she read one of the recipes wrong. She added in a ton of colored sprinkles, instead of sprinkling in a few chocolate chips. I have no idea how she misread it, but I think that makes her cute." he says with a sweet smile on his face.

    "And the first place I met her is at the bakery when she stumbled clumsily inside and demanded to be my apprentice, I guess a friend of hers had shared some of the baked goods I made with her, and she got hooked on them. She liked them so much that she decided that she had to learn to make them herself."

    "That sounds like an interesting meet cute." I tell him while trying to picture Sadie stumbling into his shop and demanding anything of him. It brings a smile to my face. I hope she tries to boss him around sometimes.

    "Go ahead and crumble just a little bit of it into the potion." I tell him and wait for him to do so.

    "Does this also represent an activity that the two of you do together?" I ask him. I suppose it would be convenient to have an item representing multiple things.

    "I didn''t know if that would count so I brought this." he tells me and pulls a small square of dark chocolate out of his sack.

    "Why dark chocolate?" I ask him curiously.

    "We are trying to create a line of sweets that feature dark chocolate. Lately we have had some people coming in and asking for something that isn''t too sweet. This dark chocolate is also only semi-sweet. We have had a success so far in creating a dark chocolate cake, though it is a still a bit richer than we were hoping for. We are still actively working on designing more recipes together so this is a good representation."

    "Okay, I suppose that is a good representation." I tell him, nodding and gesturing for him to put a little bit into the potion.

    At this point, the potion had a bit of a unique smell. It was still mostly flowers but the sandwich juices and lemonade gave it an unusual smell as well. The uniqueness became enhanced when the chocolate was added.

    "You have done a good job of adding memories into the potion alongside of those items. I don''t think that you need to put in any of your hair and nails. It takes a while to break them down as well." I honestly have no idea how to break them down. Maybe an acid of some sort? "Let''s instead add your tears and blood."

    Bobby flinches a bit but nods. I wonder if he had been second guessing this part.

    "You know what, forget the tears. Unless you can cry on command or you prick your finger in a way that hurts enough to get you to cry." I tell him.

    "Will the potion be strong enough without them?"

    "Oh I believe this is going to be plenty strong as it is. Now prick your finger with the needle you brought. We then must let it simmer until it turns a light pink color." I tell him.

    Bobby pricks his finger and squeezes some drops of blood into the potion. It causes a ripple in the potion and the color settles into a dark pink color.

    "How about you go look around the store a bit while I let this simmer?" I offer.

    "Are you sure you don''t need me to do anything else?" he asks.

    "You have done plenty." I assure him. I stir the potion consistently while watching the color. I thought that it might take hours to turn the correct color, but it doesn''t. It turns light pink very quickly. Good, I did have some other things that I wanted to do before returning for the night.

    "Bobby, the potion is done." I tell him.

    He comes back into the backroom and helps me pour the potion into a medium sized potion bottle. I cap it, grab a tag and label it as Love Potion Number 8.

    "Are you sure that it is complete? Even without the hair, nails and tears?"

    "I am sure." I tell him and hustle him out of my shop.

    As I clean up the potion making area and sit to eat the sandwich and mini cupcake that Bobby had brought me, I see a now familiar screen pop up. It seems my progress has been saved.

 Chapter 10: Kabobs

    How am I supposed to know when there is going to be a new checkpoint? It seems as though they are happening rather frequently. Is it after a difficult section? Before a time that I will likely die? If they are save points what does that mean? Some games you can create multiple saves, but there are some games where you can only have one save, and only one person can play at a time. I wonder what this one is like?

    I shrug off the thought. It isn''t important right now. How much time did I spend with Bobby, talking and making his potion? I stretch and look around. Okay, it looks like I cleaned up pretty well. Satisfied I leave my shop and look up at the sky. It looks like I have a few more hours before I have to be home. Okay. What is the next place that I will be going. Oh I think that it is the jewelers. Okay let''s go see what is in store for me now.

    When I walk out of my shop I hear a little mew. Oh no, did I feed Blizzie? I bet that he is hungry. Is there a place that I can quickly stop in and get him some food? I wish that I could ask him what he would like to eat and where I can get it. I suppose I should look around a little bit before I continue on this strip mall. Is it a mall? Hmm, it''s close enough that I can think about it that way.

    Do I know where there is a pet shop, or a fish monger, or butcher? Just anywhere they would be selling food that a cat can eat? I walk out of my shop and look around. There were some shops near this strip, but not part of it. Oh! They usually have street stalls up. What is up does depend on the time of day, but let''s hope that there is something up that will suit my needs.

    I sniff the air, trying not to be obvious about it. I see Blizzie doing the same things. He seems to smell something. He gives an excited mew and hops off of my shoulder. He begins walking to the left, and keeps checking over his shoulder to make sure that I was following after him. I am of course. I stay close to him, which seems to please him. I don''t know how I know this, but it is just something that I seem to be able to know.

    We don''t walk too far before we come to the stall that he was wanting to go to. They are selling various meats on sticks. If I am able to feed him sausage without him getting sick thus some of these should be fine.

    I look over what they are selling and try to see if I can find out what they are.

    "We have lamb kabobs, fried squid on a stick, and takoyaki. Do you know what you would like?" the woman selling the food asks me.

    I think about it and decide on the lamb kabobs. Iconsider the takoyaki because it has different fish in it, but it also has things such as green onions, which I have a feeling are bad for cats. I have a lot of love and affections towards this little ball of soft cuteness. While I am thinking about him he makes a cute little mewing sound.

    "Any chance that I can get a lamb kabob, but off of the stick and in one of the containers that you use for the takoyaki?" I ask the woman.

    "Sure, coming right up." she says.

    Blizzie and I wait patiently for her to be finished with our order. I hope that Blizzie will like it as much as he seems to be enjoying the smell. What an adorable little bean.

    "Here you are!" she says and I take it from her. I give her the amount of coins that she asks for.

    I get a little afraid that she will kill me if she sees me feeding most of the meat to Blizzie. I blow on a piece and pop it into my mouth. I am not hungry because I just ate, but I am still able to enjoy the taste of the oils and the juiciness of the meat. It was tender and well spiced. Hopefully none of the spices will hurt Blizzie.

    "It''s delicious, thanks." I tell her.

    "Glad you like it she says."

    With the exchange over I go over and sit on a bench that wasn''t too far away. I set the meat down in front of Blizzie and pet his soft fur gently as he eats. I see the affection bar go up. It seems as though it is nearly completely filled. One more feeding or loving action might finish filling it up all the way, as long as I don''t do something that he doesn''t like.

    "Was that good Blizzie?" I ask him as I take the empty container away from him. He gives a very happy meow and hops up onto my shoulder.

    Alright, now that he is fed it seems like it is time to continue onto the strip mall.

    I hear Alias''s voice in my head. "I''ll give you a check point here. Just for Sir Blizzard and his happy and full tummy. Also because you navigated a conversation without immediately dying."

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    I... I am not sure how to react to that. Is Alias the one that sets the checkpoints? Is he setting so many because he is nice or because he is learning more skills and the things that he can do with this world he didn''t create. I mean, I guess he is my ally in all of this. I should learn if I can lean on him a bit. Only a bit.

    With a new check point set I make my way to the jewelers. I am actually a little more excited to look at all the things in his shop than I am to check out the shop owner. I wonder if that is a good or bad way to think about things before going in. Will it keep me alive, or will it lead me to another horrific death? I guess I will find out.

    Thinking about my deaths I wonder if there is anything on my body that signalizes the past two deaths. I have a cut on my neck. What could symbolize drowning and burning? Hopefully nothing noticeable. Maybe I can only notice it if it is something that won''t get me killed by having suspicious things on my body.

    I will think about and deal with that later. Let''s go look at some jewelry,

    "Ready to go look at some pretty shiny things?" I ask Blizzie. He nuzzles against my face. It almost tickles, but his fur is so soft. He is so comforting. He reminds me a little of my sweet bunny, but he is clearly his own being.

    We walk the little way to the shop and push the door open. A little tinkling of a bell sounds our entry. I smile. I like that sound although I don''t know why. I wonder if the original Aria liked this sound. I wonder if our likes are blending together. That might actually be a good thing. It would help me make less mistakes if our personalities blend a little. Although, I don''t really want to start thinking like a villainess.

    "Well if it isn''t my favorite customer!" I hear a cheerful voice say as he sees me enter.

    Jasper is also rather attractive. Actually, there is not a single bad looking person in this world so I should try to get used to thinking of everyone as attractive.

    is tall, maybe 6''2 with long green hair tied back with a white ribbon. His eyes are emerald green and twinkle in the light of his shop. He has a cute smile dancing over his lips. Does someone actually like Aria? That would be news to me. Well, aside from my little brother whom I haven''t had a chance to meet yet.

    "Well hello to you too." I say, my voice low and sounding close to a purr. I didn''t know my voice could do that. Maybe it will be possible to flirt after all.

    "You know you don''t have to flirt with me to get a discount." he says laughing while I make my way fully into his shop. Gems of every color imaginable glisten in their cases. Actually, not all colors. I don''t see any green. I wonder why that is.

    "I swear Aria if one more person asks me for gems that match my eyes I will stab them in their eyes!" Jasper says.. He is smiling, but his smile looks a little menacing to be honest.

    "You can''t help being so sexy that people want to wear things that remind them of you." I say.

    "Did you just say I am sexy." he says with a coy smile, almost trapping me against the wall. I spin some of his hair around my finger.

    "Don''t act like you don''t know that you are sexy. I mean honestly, you could have suitors lined up around the block if you were to line them all up.

    "Maybe I am waiting for a special someone to notice me."

    "Notice me senpai." I say in a breathy get girlish voice.

    Jasper laughs and lets me get away from the wall. Pity. He really is gorgeous up close. Wonder what it would be like to kiss him. Probably awkward with him being one of my only friends. And probably only that because of all the money I spend in his shop.

    It feels as though that memory comes out of nowhere, but it is also rather helpful to tell me how to banter with him. Did I have to have a memory of Aria thinking about kissing him? I feel slightly embarrassed but don''t let it show.

    When others notice me walk in they huff and walk out of the shop.

    "Good riddance to them." Jasper says to me. "You spend enough money in here to make up for it. Or I guess your daddy does to pretend that he is a good father and to make everyone believe that he loves you." he says to me, grinning.

    "You are indeed correct." I tell him.

    "Hmm, you could tell me that it is because you think I am sexy." he tells me, walking closer.

    "Who says it cant be both." I say, reaching up and twirling his hair the way I saw Aria do in the memory.

    He laughs and grabs my hand. "Be careful how you flirt this week. You are supposed to be looking for a husband. Unless you are going to consider me?" he asks and kisses the hand that he grabbed.

    "Perhaps I am already considering you." I say to him and smile in a manner I hope is seductive. It''s similar to the way that I smiled on occasion on my webcam, except played a little more naturally.

    He laughs in a low voice and gently drops my hand. "Shall we look at some jewelry?" he asks.

    "Lets." I tell him.

    "First let''s look at jewelry for your birthday. The king already sent over funds for you to spend. I suppose he knew you would be coming by again this week." he says.

    "He does seem to know a few things about me I suppose." I say and let out a small sigh.

    "Well let''s make you look so pretty he takes an interest in getting to know his lovely little daughter a little better shall we?"

    "Step-daughter." I remind him. "What would you recommend?" I ask him.

    "Well you look stunning in that blue dress so shall we look at some blue gems?" he asks me.

    "Is that your favorite color on me?" I ask, flirting a touch more. I do want to know if he is a possibility. Aria liked him a bit so it would be convenient.

    "Honestly I like you in any color. I even wonder what you would look like wearing gems the color of my eyes." he says softly then clears his throat. "However as I said I am enjoying you in blue. So we shall look at that first. Blue and silver are such a lovely combination. Oh! But purple would look pretty, it would match your eyes. Do you know what color dress you will be wearing yet?" he asks me.

    "I haven''t decided yet." I tell him honestly.

    "Shame, it would make it easier to pick out jewelry for you. I guess this is an opportunity to buy multiple sets in case you change your mind last minute as women are wont to do on occasion."

    "Haha, I suppose you are right about that." I tell him.

    He leads me over to some blue gems and begins picking them up, looking them over, shaking his head and putting them back down.

    "Not pretty enough for you. You should only wear the very best." he says, looking me up and down. I don''t know if he is checking me out of assessing something about me.

    "Blue topaz?" he questions, as he pulls out a necklace and puts it up to my neck. "Pretty but no." he says and puts it back.

    "What about sapphire?" he asks and moves down the isle a bit and pulls out a sapphire necklace and brings it over to me and holds it up to me neck. "Perhaps." he says and lays it out on the counter over where it belongs.

    "Do you like it?" he asks.

    "I do. I would love to keep looking around more though." I tell him.

    "Obviously. I just like to hear that you like the things that I pick out for you." he tells me and I can hear sincerity in his voice. I wonder if he might actually like Aria a little. It would be unfortunate if we honestly like each other and he isn''t the secret route. I''ll cross that bridge if it comes to it.

    "You know I actually have some gems that I want to see you wear. They are both blue and purple and some of the most beautiful gems I have seen now that I am thinking about it. It''s called tanzanite. I can''t believe I am only remembering it now. I guess your beauty makes me forget about any other beautiful things."

    "You are such a charmer." I tell him. "Let me see this set."

    He leads me to the back. "I haven''t even put it out yet. I guess I was saving it for you." he says. He guesses or he did? He looks so cute. I hope he doesn''t kill me back here. That would be most unfortunate.

 Chapter 11: Horses and a Child

    I follow him to the back, wondering how he could kill me. What items would a jeweler have that could kill someone. Honestly, this might be the safest backroom that I could go into. I don''t let my mind wander to the backrooms spooky stories. I am starting to be able to create my own just fine thanks.

    "And how are you doing today Sir Blizzard." he says Blizzie as we reach the backroom.

    Jasper reaches his and out to him. Blizzie nuzzles against his hand and purrs. He is such a friendly cat, which goes slightly against what I would think a villainess''s cat would be like. Either that or he just likes Jasper for some reason.

    "I''m glad to see that you are doing well. I have some treats for you." he tells Blizzie as he pets his soft ears. "I like to give your owner nice things so I feel I should give you nice things... As..." Jasper stops talking, his eyes lighting up. "I have the best idea!" he shouts, startling both me and Blizzie.

    "Please do tell!" I say, giving some excitement back to him. I am sure that if he is excited about something, there is a good reason for the excitement.

    "It has become a fad to have pets wearing expensive jeweled collars. Now I know that you and Blizzie don''t really follow this fad, but what if he is matching you for your birthday bash?" he asks me, continuing to be excited about the idea.

    I look over to Blizzie, wondering what he would think, and how adorable he would look. Blizzie has his nose up, sniffing the air. I guess he is looking for the aforementioned treats.

    Jasper, watching Blizzie sniffing around walks over to a jar and pulls out a few tiny bite sized bits.

    "What are in those?" I ask him.

    "Died fish and bird flakes cooked together." he says, shrugging. "A patron of mine brought them in for me as they know I get a lot of people coming in who love their pets. After I saw the good reception to them I learned how to make them myself. What do you think Sir Blizzard?" he asks Blizzie.

    "Meeooowww!" Blizzie says, dancing and prancing around in a circle in delight. Guess he really likes them. So cute!

    "So what do you think of my idea?" Jasper asks.

    "I think that it is a wonderful idea. Do you have a tanzanite collar? I like your idea of wearing purple to match my eyes," I tell him.

    "I don''t. But I will make one! Sir Blizzard will look as handsome as you look beautiful. Which will be quite the challenge indeed. Now then, let me show you this jewelry." he says, and I realize that I had decided my dress color before even seeing this tanzanite.

    He leads me further into the back and to his work table. There are a lot of tools that I have never seen before, as well as various magnifying glasses. Interesting. I wonder if that is to see the quality and clarity of the gems and something something about cuts and stuff. I really don''t know much about gems. I was never able to get into jewelry as Elia. I never had money, a lover, or a reason to look pretty.

    "Give me a moment." he says as he goes through different sections and boxes on his work table. It is rather large so there are boxes or different sizes and shapes. Some boxes are also different colors such as black, blue and white.

    Jasper mutters to himself as he is opening and sorting the boxes. "Not this one, pretty but not this, not this one either, ahhhhh why did they send me something green! I told them no green..."

    "Are you okay? You seem to be muttering over there."

    "They sent me green gems! I tell them not to! Oh well, I guess you can have these, If people see me selling them they will get the wrong idea and keep sending me more. Ugh. It must have been a mistake because different versions of these stones are different colors. Here. Necklace and earing set of zoisite and this hair circlet of chrome diopside. Just say a suitor gave them to you for your birthday." he says and shoves them at me.

    I graciously receive them, looking them over. "Thank you. They are gorgeous. I will think of you every time I wear them." I tell him. I see a small blush come into his cheeks before he brushes it off.

    "Think nothing of it. Now then. Getting back to what I was looking for," he says and pulls out a large box that contains a few different boxes of different shapes within. He slowly open the boxes and sets the jewelry boxes onto the table and opens each of them. It is clearly a set. There is a necklace, earrings, a ring that attaches to a bracelet, a hair chain and a waist chain. They are so beautiful that I loose my breath. They are a deep color that sparkles in both blue and purple. The gems are multifaceted so they are able to shine in multiple colors.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    "Jasper, these are stunning. I now am going to match a dress to these and not the other way around." I tell him.

    "I am glad that you like them. I thought of you as soon as I saw them and knew that they had to belong to you. Do you want to look around for any other jewelry or is this enough for now?" I hear him ask me.

    "Well I want to spend all of the money that my father allotted over here for my jewelry. How much is left?'' I ask him.

    "Enough for a few colors for this handsome fella here. Some tanzanite, maybe a ruby collar as well, and a sapphire. Any color can make the white sheen of his fur all the more handsome." he says, indicating that he is talking about about Blizzie.

    "That''s right, we did say that we are going to make him a matching collar, especially now that I know what color I will be wearing." I tell him.

    "Perfect. Let''s look through these jewels together than." he says and indicates for me to come closer to him and his work desk.

    Without hesitation I come closer to him. I glance up and see that his affection bar has gone up quite a bit since coming in here. I really don''t think that he is going to kill me. I am beginning to hope that he might actually be the hidden route. Was I able to fully pursue him in the game?

    ''You look so beautiful and you smell amazing." he says as I get closer. He twirls my hair around his finger and moves closer to me. "I hope that you meant it when you said that you would consider me."

    "I did." I tell him.

    "Good." he says and pulls away from me a bit and begins to pull out some gems.

    I watch him as he pulls them out and sets them in front of me for me to inspect. I don''t tell him that I know nothing about gems and their quality. I would believe and trust in his judgment. One thing I could do however is point out the ones that have the color I like the most. I point to a few of them and he nods.

    "These could make a good collar for him." he says. "I will use the strongest ones to make into a collar." he tells me. "Is there anything else for you today?" he asks. It seems he thinks that I may have other places to go today. He isn''t wrong, I do have more places to go today, though I find myself not wanting to go as I am fully enjoying his company.

    "No I think that will be all for today. Thank you Jasper. I feel that with your help me and Sir Blizzard will look stunning for my party."

    "Well then my sweet Aria I will send you the collar and see you in six days for your party." he says leaning forward and giving me a kiss softly on my cheek. A small part of me wishes that it had been on my lips but I shall have to be careful. I need to find the hidden route. Maybe part of me wants to kiss him because he didn''t kill me.

    "I will see you there." I tell him and look forward to seeing him. As I open the door I once again hear that my progress has been saved.

    Oh no, what is coming? Well, possibly nothing. Nothing happened after the last two saves. Maybe it saved because I just got through an event. An event happens when you have a special moment with one of the potential love interests where you grow closer with them. Does this mean that Jasper really is a potential love interest? I like that thought.

    As I am getting lost in my thoughts I see something that brings me back to myself and causes my body to respond without thought. There is a child in the road and there is a carriage moving at him at full speed. How does this stupid child not see what is coming?

    I set my jewelry boxes down right outside the door. With my jewelry secure I throw myself at the child shoving him out of the way. The force of my shove causes him to be thrown out of the road. I see him look over at me with an angry expression in his eyes. Can he really not understand the reason that I am pushing him, or does he have a death wish?

    I watch his face as he sees the horses barreling towards me. Oh. I try to get up off of the ground to get to safety. I feel my dress catching beneath my feet and trips me up, keeping me from getting up onto my feet. I am not going to be able to get out of the way. I meet the boy''s eyes again and see him start to smile. What is wrong with this child?! Does he want to see me get trampled? I see the suspicion bar above his head and it is very high. I look around at the others in the area and the suspicion bars above their heads are also high. What the heck? Even the stage coaches bar is high. Oh no, even his bar is high!

    I close my eyes as I feel the hooves. They hurt a lot. They trample every part of me they can, aside from my head. Leaving the best for last? I feel the bones in my hands break, I feel my ribs break and pierce through my skin. I feel blood pooling in my dress and then seeping through it and onto the ground. I look over at the child and see him laughing with glee. The ungrateful brat. Should I have just let him die? Is that what I was supposed to do? I can''t do that.

    As the pain overwhelms me I feel the carriage and horses hooves moving backwards now. I feel them slamming into my head and my spine. This trampling is excruciating in a different way from the other deaths. I taste the blood pooling in my mouth as well as around my body. I start feeling cold all over. It starts in the tips of my finger and begins to move through the rest of my body.

    As I am bleeding out and being trampled I hear shouting and a cat screaming. I don''t want to hear him scream again. Why do I keep dying in front of Blizzie. He is such a sweet baby and he shouldn''t have to keep seeing me die. Who else is screaming? It sounds like Jasper''s voice. I hear him as he screams and runs forward. I then hear flesh hitting flesh and more screaming. Is Jasper beating the daylights out of the carriage driver?

    ''Thank you Jasper.'' I think to myself as everything fades to black.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "If I was giving you achievements I would give you one for selfless death for that one." I hear Alias telling me as I open my eyes.

    "What was I supposed to do? Let a child die in front of me? Is that really what Aria would have done? From what I have been learning about her I don''t think that she would have just let a child die? What would she have done, how would she have handled this situation? Why was everyone suspicious?" I ask him, verging on hysterical. "Did you know that the child would be in the road? Is that why you gave me a save point?" I ask him, realizing that I was crying. Why am I crying about this one?

    "No I gave you a save point because you finished an event." he tells me. "I think part of you still thinks of this as a game, which I don''t think is completely bad. It might help you with all the dying."

    "I don''t think of it so much as a game anymore partially because of the dying..." I tell him, trailing off.

    "Well just think of the save points as before a dangerous section and after events. I am not sure if that is exactly how they work but I''ll just say it is how it works. Speaking of save points now that you have multiple of them there is something that you should know about them." he tells me.

    "Oh?" I ask, wiping the tears from my eyes.

    I guess I am emotional because of how much someone wanted to kill me for saving a child. Even the idiot child I saved wanted me dead. And there was someone who wanted to protect me. Could he be a contender? I hope he is a contender. However, I know that there are multiple more men to meet. I hope the rest of them are as nice and protective as Jasper.

    "You can choose what save point you want to go back to from here on out. However, please keep in mind that if you go to an earlier save you cannot go to any save points that you created after that point. Does that make sense?" Alias asks me.

    "I suppose that makes enough sense." I tell him as I think about it. Why would I want to go to an earlier save point though. Wouldn''t that be losing all of the progress that I had made up to that point? Why would I want to do that?

    "Where do you want to go back to?" Alias asks me.

    "The most recent save please." I ask.

    "Okay." he says. He snaps his fingers loudly and I find myself standing in the doorway of Jasper''s shop.

 Chapter 12: Idiot child and Taylor the Tailor

    I take a breath and open the door and walk out of Jasper''s jewelry store. I see that stupid kid in the road again. I still haven''t figured out how to save the child and not die. Okay, last time I pushed him out of the way and fell in the road. Not this time.

    "Jasper please hold these and don''t let Blizzie outside!" I tell him and shove the boxes into his hands. I race into the road and throw myself at the child. I wrap him up in my arms and send the both of us tumbling out of the road. Good, this time I got out of the road, so I won''t be killed by the carriage and the horses. I let go of the child and he runs away from me.

    "Momma Momma, that dirty witch touched me. Will I ever be clean again?" the boy says as he cries and tugs on the hem of a woman''s dress.

    "Of course you will be. We will take you to the priest to be blessed. As for the one who touched you. She is filthy and will never be clean."

    The more she speaks the more everyone''s suspicion bars leap up. I try to jump up and get out of the way but someone is standing on my dress. I try to pull it away but everyone crowds in. Before I know it someone is standing on my neck. They begin stomping on it and more people join in, stomping on me anywhere they can get their feet in. I keep trying to get up but someone is standing on my hair near my scalp.

    I hear feet all around me so it is difficult to hear the feet racing towards me.

    "What are you doing? Get off her!" I hear Jasper shouting as he tries to pull people off of me. I also hear an angry cat hissing and spitting.

    "Meeooowwww!" he screams and I see fur launching at someone.

    "Stupid cat. Get off of me!" the man that Blizzie had been attacking screams. I see my precious cat throw on the ground beside me.

    "Get them both. Kill the witch and her familiar. Kill them! Kill them!" I hear people chanting around us.

    "No! Leave them be!" I hear Jasper shouting. His voice barely reaches me. I reach out for Blizzie and am able to touch him.

    I pull myself away from the feet enough to reach him. His ribs are hardly rising up and down. He is crying softly and his beautiful white fur turning is red with blood. I somehow manage to pull him to me. I do my best to protect him as my neck starts to crack and it becomes the target of the angry mob. I cry alongside of Blizzie as we are stomped to death together. As he takes his last breath, I take my last one beside him. The last thing I see is his affection bar maxing out. He must know that I tried to save him.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Goodness Aria, don''t you think those two deaths were too close together? I mean, are you trying to keep dying?" Alias asks me.

    "Of course not! I especially didn''t want Blizzie to die. I never want him to die again." I respond.

    "I know. I saw you trying to protect him to your last breath. He knew it too,"

    "I saw his bar max out. I figured that must have been the reason. I hope that I can max it out again without him dying." I tell Alias. More tears are streaming down my face. This feels like an impossible situation. How do I save the kid and myself as well."

    "I am working on a training program for you, but the program will not help you with this one. I can''t pull on any of her memories or past experiences to help you out here. This one you have to figure you out alone. I''m sorry Aria." he tells me.

    "I''ll take that hug now." I tell him.

    Alias kneels down and pulls me into his arms. I break down and sob. I can''t help it. It hurts. Why does everyone hate her so much? Hate me so much? Saving a child means dying. Why?

    "Why? Why? Why?!" I cry, almost screaming the words. However, I respect the fact that I am in Alias''s arms, and I don''t want to scream in his ear.

    Alias strokes my hair and I cry. He holds me tight at the same time as he strokes my hair.

    "You chose the wrong person Alias. I can''t be the right person. Can''t you find someone else. I can''t do this. You know I can''t. You see how much I have been dying. Find someone else."

    "No. You are the exact right person. I know you are. I am so sorry that you can''t see that right now. Hang in there. I am on your side. I will always be beside you even you can''t feel me or see me there. If I could be beside you physically, I would be."

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    "Why? Why are you so sure that I am the right person? Are you sure that you aren''t saying that just because you can''t find someone else?" I say still crying, holding on to him tight.

    "Of course not. I don''t know if I can grab anyone else, but you haven''t been trying long enough to give up yet. Don''t give up yet, okay?" he tells me, pulling back and wiping the tears off of my face.

    I take a deep breath. I''m not sure what to do but I will not allow them to kill me again.

    "Are you ready to go back now?" he asks me.

    "I am. Do you have any advice?" I ask him.

    "Aria has a temper sometimes. I don''t know if that helps." he says. He gives me another tight embrace and I find myself walking out the door of Jasper''s shop again.

    "Hey, you idiot kid, get out of the road!" I shout at him and look around myself, seeing if there is anything to get his attention and the attention of the driver.

    I see some pebbles and scoop them up into my hand that isn''t holding the jewelry boxes. I really need to find a bag to carry these in. Honestly how did I not think of this when I was leaving the house today. How foolish am I. I must be thinking about earth where you get bags to carry out your belongings. I mean, maybe they give them out. Am I supposed to ask for one?

    I take those pebbles and throw a few small ones at the kid. He looks over at me and glares. Looking over at me also made him a little more aware or where he is. His eyes go wide, and I see him run out of the road.

    Was it really this easy to save that idiot child? I died twice when there was this option the entire time? I look around at those around me and see that nobody''s suspicion bars raised. Well, that''s good at least. Jeeze.

    I step back into the store and take a couple deep breaths.

    "Are you okay?" Jasper asks me.

    "Just some idiot kid in the road. I threw some rocks at him to get his attention so that he gets out of the road. I almost jumped into the road to push him out of the way. I then thought about how bad it would hurt if the carriage didn''t stop and trampled me for saving an idiot child." I tell him. "Also, do you have a bag that I could put these jewelry boxes in. I don''t plan on going straight home yet." I tell him.

    "Of course. I actually got some purses in to sell alongside the jewelry for people that buy a lot of things and don''t have a bag for them. Would you like one?" he asks me.

    "Yes please." I tell him.

    "Here is a silver one to match your hair. Does that work for you?" he asks.

    It is a lovely and large purse. It is silver with roses embossed on it. It is truly lovely. And it just so happens that the embossing was in purple. I smile at that. Matching not only my hair but my eyes as well.

    "That works for me very well." I tell him and smile at him. I take the purse from him and open it. I put the jewelry boxes in it carefully to make sure they don''t somehow open and spill. I don''t know how that would happen, but my luck hasn''t exactly been very good to be fair. I am beginning to feel that if there is anything that could go wrong it will.

    "It''s perfect for you." he says, and I see him smiling at me. "Also, it is just big enough for you little Sir Blizzard to fit in it as well." he says smiling.

    "Well Blizzie. What do you think?" I ask him.

    "Mroww." he says and puts his front paws in the air, as though he is asking to be picked up. I scoop him up and place him in the bag alongside the jewelry boxes.

    "Now Blizzie you have to be careful not to claw those boxes, okay?" I tell him.

    "Meoow!" he says and then purrs a bit. Well, I will take that as assent. I reach down and pet his little head. For a moment I picture him covered in blood. I close my eyes for a moment to clear the image away. Never again. Never.

    "Thanks again Jasper. I am excited to see what you do for his collar, and I look forward to seeing you at my birthday. And just so you know, I am considering you." I tell him. I give him a small and sweet smile and leave the shop.

    Okay, where was I going to go next. I didn''t spend even an hour in the shop with Jasper, so I still have plenty of time before I need to be home. I am not sure what time I should be home, but I did tell Poppy that I would be out late. Aside from Poppy I don''t think anyone else will even notice when I get home to be honest.

    I don''t even bother to think about what the next shop is. I will just walk next door and see what is there. It ends up being the tailor. It looks like they don''t just fit dresses but sell them as well. How convenient having a dress shop right next to the jewelry store. I am sure that was done intentionally.

    "Good afternoon!" I hear a voice say. They sound distracted.

    "Good afternoon." I say in response. I walk fully into the shop and begin to look around.

    There are a multitude of gowns in all different colors and styles. I somehow got a bunch of gown information in my head all at once. Evening gowns, ball gowns, mermaid style, a-line, modified a-line, sheath, bouffant skirt gown, trumpet gowns, circular skirt gown, full skirt gown, cami-gown, asymmetrical and princess silhouette gowns. So many styles. I wonder what kind Aria would usually wear. Well, I hope our tastes are the same. I am in this life now and I want to wear what I like. I know it is important to fit the role, but I also want to be comfortable. As comfortable as I can be without being allowed pants.

    Save point reached!

    ''Umm, should I be worried?''

    "Well good afternoon, Aria are you here to choose your birthday gown? There are a couple that I have been working on that I think might fit you well. Care to see? They might be a bit bolder than you usually wear but I know that you are looking to sparkle." a voice says coming up to me.

    I knew who his person was. Short dirty blond hair with hazel eyes. They also have a name that is easy to remember. Taylor the tailor, one of the people that I suspected may be the hidden route. Also someone with a very nasty temper at times. He is very particular with his designs and needs people to appreciate his work. If he feels that they are not appreciating his work, he will not sell to them.

    I feel nervous to reply as this man could be a tickling time bomb at times. "I am yes. I would love to see what you have as I simply adore all of the gowns that you have designed for me in the past." I tell him.

    "Very good. I know that you appreciate them which is why I have no qualms about showing you all the latest. Now then, these are some that I have been working on with you in mind. However if you don''t like them I will sell them for others to wear at your party. I will not allow such works to go unappreciated."

    "Of course. I do understand." I tell him.

    He leads me into a side room which is clearly a workshop. There are multiple dresses upon mannequins. They are lovely but also puffier than I like. I don''t feel that I would be able to walk or dance in them, which would put a bit of a downer on the evening, and increase people''s suspicions I am sure.

    "Well?" he asks.

    I make an appreciative noise as I walk up to examine each gown. The first one I look at is a yellow bouffant skirt dress with a bustle in the back. The top of the dress is a darker yellow with the bottom being more of a lemon m¨¦ringue color at the bottom. There is also some black lace design pattern on the arms. This one was not for me. I look over at him and give a small shake of my head before moving on to the next dress.

    The second dress I look at is a pink and blue dress. It is a sapphire blue on the top leading down into baby-doll pink on the bottom. The bottom is layered like a cake or multiple stacked tutus. Definitely not for me. I give a small headshake on this one as well.

    Taylor makes a small noise and I am not sure if I had said something wrong or not. I am not dead on the floor yet so I assume I am fine thus far.

    The third is a deep red trumpet gown. I like the color but it is not the color that I have decided to wear. I look it over anyway. It has a plunging neckline and off the shoulder sleeves. Clearly these dresses weren''t set in any sort of time period. Maybe the designer of the world simply enjoys different styles? Or they didn''t care to have any sort of consistency, which doesn''t bother me when it comes to clothing.

    The last dress sitting on a mannequin is royal purple in color in the princess ball gown silhouette style with flared sleeves. It is lovely but there is a very good chance that I would trip on all of the fabric and fall flat on my face. This wasn''t a good fit either.

    "Who are you?" Taylor asks me in a cold voice.

 Chapter 13: Thoughts of a Painless Death

    "Excuse me but what do you mean who am I? How long have we known each other now Taylor? Honestly!" I say, sounding exasperated, but feeling scared on the inside.

    "Exactly. I have known Aria for a while." he says, walking into the room and picking something up. It is a large pair of shears, that look excessively sharp. What could he possibly need those for?

    "See? You have known me, Aria, for a while! Why would you be asking who I am?"

    "Because Aria would have glanced into this room, told me no immediately and then we would have sat over there." he points to a table with the shears, "and designed a dress together." Taylor shakes his head. "But you actually looked these over. While they are nice dresses." he takes a step closer to me, "they are by no means right for you."

    "I still like to admire your..." he cuts me off in the middle of what I am saying by opening the cutting shears wide and swinging them at me. "What are you doing!" I scream at him.

    "Killing an imposter!" he snarls and swings at me again.

    I run and try to hide behind the dressed. He swings the shears around wildly, not caring that he is shredding the dresses, pieces of them blowing around the floor surrounding us. I do my best to avoid slipping on them as he draws closer to me. My heartbeat is pounding in my ears. I don''t even notice that I am cut until I see that there is blood mixing in with the scraps of dresses around us.

    The floor is getting more treacherous to run on. I see that Blizzie has climbed up the curtains framing a window I hadn''t even noticed. I am so glad that he is out of the way of this mad shears wielding psychopath. If I had to see him die again, I would take those shears and ended my life myself. Most people wouldn''t be able to do it, but I have died before, and I know that it would be a reset and not a lasting death. I know I would be able to end my own life if it ever comes to that. However, that time hasn''t come yet.

    I look to see if the window is open and am saddened to see that it isn''t. However, with enough momentum... I grab a mannequin with my adrenaline-fueled strength and run at the window. I slam first the mannequin into the window, drop it, and slam my body into where I had hit the window. My hits must have been strong as the window breaks, and I tumble through it. I slice myself up pretty bad in my attempt to get away and am trapped by the glass shards. I know that my escape has failed and let my body go limp.

    "Goodbye imposter." Taylor says and somehow manages to cut off my head with the shears.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Back already?" I hear and open my eyes and see Alias looking down at me.

    "Clearly." I say and reach my hand up for him to help me up off of the ground. He reaches down and helps pull me up.

    "I am not done with the training just yet. Hang in there a bit longer. I do understand that means you will likely die a few more times before it is finished. At least this time you know what to say not to die."

    "Possibly. He said that we would sit down and design a dress together. Which means that I have to not mess up on telling him what I want."

    "I think you already have the answers in your head for that one at least." he says, and I realize that he is right.

    "I think you will look beautiful by the way. As long as you and I are on the same page. Please don''t wear a poufy monstrosity." he says and touches his hand to his head, as though the thought is too much to bear. I do happen to agree with him though. I wouldn''t wear a dress like that. No. Just no.

    "Trust me, you don''t have to worry about that." I tell him. I see relief in his face. Did any part of his mind think that I would wear something like that? Jeeze.

    "Back to the last checkpoint then?" he confirms.

    "Yes. See you next time." I tell him. He laughs lightly and pokes me in the forehead.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "None of these." I tell him immediately when we enter the room. I then walk over to the table that he had indicated earlier.

    "Haha, I knew you would say that. I see a glint in your eye. Do you already have a design in mind?" Taylor asks me.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    "Yes, I do." I tell him and hope that I am able to get my idea across.

    "Tell me." he says.

    We sit down together, and I tell him my idea. He sketches it out as I speak to make sure that it is indeed what I want. I am grateful that he is doing this for me. In my last life I knew nothing about gowns of any sort. At least I have access and knowledge of gowns in this body.

    "I am thinking a long dress with a slight slit in the side to make it easier to move and dance. Also, to show off my legs. I have sexy long legs and I wish to flaunt them. I want it high collar and backless to the center of my back. As for the style I am thinking somewhere between a sheath and cami gown. What do you think?" I ask him. I see a small smile playing across his lips.

    "And what color?" he asks.

    "I was thinking a purple to match my eyes."

    "I will make you look divine, like a goddess descended to walk amongst us." he tells me.

    I know that he is supposed to be a possible suitor, but I am not getting that feeling from him at all, which is a little confusing to me. Is it just my personal preference playing a role here?

    "Are you planning on taking anyone as a date?" I ask him, hoping that I am not triggering a death flag by asking.

    "I am thinking about asking Gregor. Is that okay with you? I just think he is such a hunk. I am thinking about getting a love potion from you, but with my remarkable charm and charisma I don''t think that I am going to need it." he says, and I hear confidence oozing off of him.

    Are we really going with the clich¨¦ of the tailor being gay? Not that I have any problem with that. I support him and whoever he chooses to woo. It happens to help me out that I am not the target of his affection.

    "Very good. I will have it done. You can pick it up in the next few days."

    "How do you manage to complete dresses so quickly?" I ask him, marveling at his talent.

    "Magic. Now run along. I have to get to work on this immediately!" he says and hustles me out. I notice that he doesn''t have me choosing any of my own fabric, but figure that is for the best. I don''t know how detailed the gown information in my head is and I don''t want to be stabbed or beheaded again.

    As I walk out of the store, I pet Blizzie''s sweet little head. "You are such a good boy Blizzie." I coo to him. He nuzzles my hand affectionately and I feel a bubble of happiness within. Even though there is a lot of pain in my past and in my future, I can still get happiness from little things, such as petting my sweet little cat.

    "Mrow!" He says in reply. He is such a chatty little thing and can obviously tell when people are speaking to him.

    "Alright, what''s next?" I ask. I took next to no time in at the tailors, so I was still doing good on time.

    The next shop is the alchemists. I don''t have anything to buy in here so I don''t know what my excuse will be. Oh wait! Maybe they sell alchemical ingredients. That would be a good excuse.

    I take in a deep breath, not knowing what to expect. I walk in and see so many marvelous things, things whose purpose I can''t even guess at. I walk around, picking things up to examine them more closely, only to put them down after getting a chilling feeling from them.

    I see dolls similar to the ones that I make and wonder if I was actually the one that made them. Hmm. It would be strange to sell my items in a shop similar to mine. That wouldn''t make very much sense to me if I am being honest. Maybe we are competitors and as such we sell similar things? I wouldn''t be surprised if that happens to be the case. I look to see if there is a sign that says what the dolls'' purpose is. Wait, a love doll? That makes no sense. I shrug and set it back down.

    I continue to look around. There seem to be some kinds of books in here. I pick one up. The title is: The Purpose of Using Crystals to Clear Ones Aura. I roll my eyes and put the book back down. I guess crystals are popular in this world as well. I wonder how they work here, or if they even work at all.

    I continue to walk around shop, picking up things here and there. A clock that records the time until your next nightmare? A goblet that makes anything you drink taste delicious and cover the taste of any of the ingredients. I guess that would be good to help cover the taste of medicine. However, I don''t think that is that is what most people use this for. This seems better for a prank. A mean prank though.

    "Aria! I am so glad that you are here! Are you looking for something new to play with, or are you looking to steal my ideas?" says a voice that slowly gets closer to me. I set down the item in my hand, a horse whistle.

    "Of course I don''t need to steal your ideas. I have plenty of my own." I tell him, tossing my hair lightly and looking him in the eyes.

    "That''s good to hear. Care to share your ideas with me? Something that I wouldn''t sell here of course." he tells me.

    "A potion to make your hair more luminous. It would be interesting to have hair that glows in the dark." I tell him, it being the first thing that pops into my head.

    "Hmm." he says, clearly unimpressed by my answer.

    The man in front of my has long black hair. He only has the back of his hair pulled up, and the rest falls down on his shoulders. His eyes are ice blue and look at my sharply. I really like that hair style and am often weak for men who wear their hair like that. They are usually mysterious and it takes the longest time to be able to discover their back story.

    "I believe you. I will try it when you are done with it. Speaking of trying out one another''s newest creations I have one that I would love for you to try. It is a potion that is supposed to let you read the mind of those in the area around you. Do you mind testing it out for me? I''ll try to think only the most interesting thoughts." he says and laughs gently.

    "Sure, I''ll try it." I tell him.

    "Great, come on to the back with me. I just finished preparing it."

    "Oh okay sure." I tell him.

    Why am I following another handsome man into another backroom. I have a feeling that I am making a bad decision, but I will probably be murdered from behind if I don''t follow along after him. I''d rather watch him kill me. I think I prefer to see it coming? Is that really better? Maybe it would hurt less if I don''t know what''s coming. Actually a painless death would be a nice change.

    "I see that you brought Sir Blizzard along with you today. He looks very cute in that bag of yours. Who is a good kitty." he croons to Blizzie. Glad to see that these men at least like my cat. Maybe he won''t die if this one kills me. I''m going to start thinking that the men who don''t kill me make the best candidates and lean into getting to know them better before the others.

    "Give me just a moment to get it for you." he says. "You can just sit here for a moment. Do you want some crackers or something while you wait?" he asks me.

    "No thank you. I ate pretty recently." I tell him.

    "Okay. I won''t be long." he says and walks off into a curtained area of his backroom. Is there a reason that his backroom is partitioned off like that? Does he often bring people back here to test out his newest creations? I guess that makes sense? It''s also pretty weird at the same time. Or is it? I am still learning more about how this strange world works.

    I consider letting Blizzie out of by bag while we are back here, but I don''t trust anyone with him. Even though... Ah yes, Andrew the alchemist. Even though Andrew was being really sweet with Blizzie I still don''t trust him. I would rather I die and the world resets rather than him dying before a reset occurs.

    "Sorry that took so long." I hear Andrew say when he comes back into the room.

    It looks like he put it into one of the goblets that he is selling out in his store. I guess this potion tastes pretty bad. That''s unfortunate, but I guess it is a good way to sell more of his shop items.

    "Thanks. Down the hatch again. Don''t forget, you said that you would think of nice things while this is in effect." I tell him, giving him a smile.

    The potion hits fast. I look at him, see his suspicion bar extremely high. I do happen to hear his voice in my head for a moment before everything goes black."

    "I don''t know who you are or how you look like Aria. But I do think that you happen to make a pretty corpse. I''ll take good care of your cat until I find the real Aria." says Andrew''s voice in my head. Dang. Poison. It doesn''t hurt at all though. I close my eyes and embrace the darkness.

 Chapter 14: Spurned Advances

    "Good morning sleepy head." I hear Alias saying to me.

    I feel comfortable and don''t want to get up. I am laying on something soft and warm. Actually, maybe I am a little uncomfortable, like I am laying on something bony. I open my eyes and realize that I am looking into Alias''s eyes. I happen to be laying on him somehow.

    "How do I end up in all of these positions. Do I fall from somewhere when I die and enter whatever this space is?'' I ask Alias.

    "Honestly I don''t know. You just show up. This time you just happened to land on top of me. Do you mind getting off of me now?" he asks.

    I feel my cheeks go warm as I get up off of him. I realize that I have never actually looked around this space. There is a soft and plush looking bed over in a corner. The blankets look really fuzzy and are a mess. Does Alias sleep? How does that work. Do gods need sleep in this world? Or does he just like the idea of sleep. Beneath the bed is a large circular rug that looks extremely soft. I walk over to it and run my fingers over the rug. It is just as soft as it looks.

    Also in the room is a large fireplace. Does it get cold in here or does he just like the way that it looks? The only other thing in this room is a large TV.

    "What''s with this set up?" I ask him, curious.

    "I watch you on the TV. I can also fall asleep on the bed and watch you that way. It is easier to talk with you when I am watching the TV though somehow. I really don''t know how any of this works. I have been slowly expanding out my space. At first there was basically nothing here. I have slowly created a space that I like. Makes me wonder what the last god was doing here."

    "That''s interesting. What else do you have here?" I ask.

    "Well, I am developing an entire large space for your training on how to be Aria. However, it is taking a while to get the space developed. Please keep being patient. Sorry for however many deaths you go through before I have the training space available." he tells me.

    "Don''t even worry about it." I tell him. "I know that you care about me and that you are working on it. That is all I need right now. I will keep doing my best to learn what I can alone. I don''t know how well it is going, but I am still trying." I tell him, then let out a sigh.

    "What''s with the sigh?" he asks me.

    "I''m not sure how to get to know Andrew. I don''t have a good reason for going into his shop." I tell him.

    "Then go into it later this week after you have time to decide what new items you want to make in your shop. You are going to eventually want to buy some of his alchemical ingredients. He also buys some from you. It seems you are competitive with him, but you both also have different suppliers, so you share what you get. You both believe that it is more fun to have someone to compete against and that it keeps you both sharp and on your game."

    "That actually makes a lot of sense." I tell him. I wonder if this one would be more enemies to lovers if he is indeed the hidden route. But is a rival really an enemy? It doesn''t seem like it is only angry feelings towards one another. He even was able to know that I wasn''t Aria, and he wanted to find Aria. I find this interesting.

    A thought comes into my head, and I can''t help but ask it.

    "Alias, have you found out any more information about what happened to the original Aria? I feel bad if I somehow kicked her out of her body. Did she somehow not have a soul and I took over the role?"

    "I actually have been curious about that myself. I am close to finding out, but since I haven''t, I won''t be telling you anything. Once I know for sure, I will tell you."

    "Thanks, I appreciate it. Would it be possible to curl up on your bed and take a nap? Just for a little while?" I ask him. He laughs gently.

    "I will make sure that you have a bed equally as comfortable as that for your training. For now, though, you need to go back and keep learning what you can."

    With that Alias walks over to me and boops me on the nose.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Okay Blizzie, we aren''t going to the alchemy store today. We don''t have anything that we need just yet, do we?" I ask him and stroke him fur. It is so blissfully soft. I want to pick him up a bury my face in his fur, but I don''t want to be murdered just for being weird.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Who is next then if I am skipping Andrew? The next shop in line is the smithy. I have no reason to be going in here, but I can lie and say that I have been thinking about learning swordsmanship. Hopefully that lie isn''t too off-putting or obvious. Aria is an adopted royal, so this might be seen as being beneath her. Well, it never permanently hurts to try!

    I quietly take a deep breath and breathe out through pursed lips, a good calming technique that I had learned in my previous life. I had a lot of stress in my life and a need for learning how to calm myself down and get a clear mind for entering into a stressful situation.

    I walk into the smithy and see that there is no one else currently in the shop. Is that normal? I wouldn''t know.

    "Hello, give me a moment!" I hear a voice shouting from somewhere deeper in the shop. A few moments later I see someone run out carrying large chunks of ore.

    "Hello." I tell him, and flash him a small smile. Samuel the smithy. I remember him from my playthroughs. He is very cute with puppy dog energy. I am drawn to those types of people as friends as their energy is often positive and infectious. When I am around people with puppy dog energy I feel the world is a little brighter, and a bit better of a place to live in.

    "A... Aria what are you doing here?" Samuel asks, stuttering a bit.

    "I wanted to come in and take a look around. I am thinking about taking up swordsmanship if I can find a tutor."

    "Oh... Oh I see." he says. Was that a bad answer? What was he hoping I was going to say? Was my lie already found out? Is he trailing off as he is thinking up some way to kill me. I flick my eyes above his head and see that the suspicion bar raised, but only a little.

    "I thought that you already knew how to use the sword." he tells me. Memories flood my head at that prompting. It seems that they are getting easier to access the more that I am in this body. Maybe my mind is finding it easier to melt with past Aria''s.

    "I do. But that doesn''t mean that I can slack off. My teaching was never official. I just used to hang around the knights before I was an adopted royal and they took time to teach me some things. I also learned by watching. I was just wondering if being officially trained would be any different, or if I could improve my technique."

    "I see..." he says, once again trailing off. I wonder why he does that. Is it just part of his natural cadence? His suspicion bar seems to raise a little bit more and seems to gradually increase as I look around.

    "I have a question for you." he says, so quiet that I almost missed it.

    I look over to Samuel. He is rather large, standing at 6''6" with a broad build. His hair is a mixture of red and orange and his eyes are a bright blue. He seems to be fire colored. Seems to match his profession, but maybe not his personality. Where is the puppy dog energy that I had seen from him in the game? Maybe I just make him uncomfortable. Is he suspicious because I hadn''t really spent time with him before? That would make someone uncomfortable and suspicious if someone that isn''t usually around just pops up all friendly.

    "Of course. What is your question?" I ask, meeting his eyes and twirling my hair around my finger. I know that can come off as seductive or flirty, but that isn''t my intent. This is a bad habit I developed as something to do when I am nervous. I had been avoiding it somehow, but I guess habits are habits.

    "Why did you spurn all of my advances. And why didn''t you have the common decency to do it to my face. Why go through Iris? Is it because I had her help me with my advances?" he asks. I see him biting his lip and I am unsure whether that is in frustration or nervousness. I''m sure that this is taking him a lot of courage. However, I have no idea what he is talking about and there are no memories about this for me to be able to tap into.

    "I''m sorry to say this, but I really don''t know what you are talking about. If you had made advances on me I am sure that I would have noticed. Also, I am not one to spurn someone off hand and for no reason. I would have given you a chance. Are you sure that Iris knew that you wanted to make advances on me?" I ask him.

    "I gave her flowers to give to you."

    "Is it possible that she somehow lost the flowers, or had them taken from her and she was too embarrassed to tell you so she lied?" I ask him. Iris in the games seems so sweet so I don''t know why she would lie like that, except to keep him away from someone that she sees as a villain. It is part of Iris''s personality to protect the people that she cares about. Is Samuel someone that she cares about?

    "Okay, what about the chocolates and the poem?" he asks me.

    "It could have been a similar problem. Iris has many suitors who may have believed that they were for them. Iris would be too shy to tell them otherwise. She may have once again been embarrassed and lied." I say.

    "Why would she keep losing things that I ask her to give you and lying about it. Are you sure that you are not setting her up to look bad so that you don''t have to admit to being mean?" he asks me, sounding frustrated and a bit defensive. Is it possible that he simply doesn''t want to go against his already created perceptions and narrative? Often when people have a specific world view they are uncomfortable going against it.

    "Honestly, Iris hates me. She might have wanted to protect you from someone as villainous as myself. You should know how bad of a reputation I have, and I won''t try to convince you otherwise. I am a woman of many sides, and not all of them are as soft, kind and pretty as Iris. Thus, she sees me as beneath her and wanted to protect you, even if it meant hurting you." I tell him.

    "That would make sense aside from the fact that Iris doesn''t hate anyone. She even told me that she wanted to help me, that you and I would make a cute couple. That we would be like fire and ice, except in the best way! How can you say that a person like that would want to lie to me."

    He leaves me speechless. Why would Aria say all of these things? Is it just that I haven''t unlocked these memories because it would cast me in such a negative light? No! That cannot be the reason. I don''t think that my brain would lie to me. I will stand firm that she wanted to protect him, even in a cruel way such as this.

    "I don''t know what to say. Just know that I would have at least come to speak with you in person. I have always had a positive opinion of you."

    "Then why didn''t you ever stop in here just to talk? If you did maybe I would have had the courage to give you the flowers and chocolates myself." he asks me.

    "I don''t know. I am not sure of the reasons that I have done things in the past. However, my birthday is coming up and find that I wish to be a better and more intentional woman. Believe me or don''t, that''s your choice. Let my actions speak for themselves. And on that note I will be leaving."

    "Didn''t you want to look at swords?" he asks me.

    "Yes I do. That gives me another reason to come back."

    "Another?"

    "Of course. You basically said that you have an interest in me right? I''d like to get to know you a little better." I flash him a smile and turn around.

    As I am walking away, I hear him say, "I will be at your party. Make sure that you spend plenty of time with me." he calls after me.

    "Of course, I will. Plenty of time. I''ll even save you a few dances if you ask. Bye for now!" I say, getting close to the door.

    Feeling satisfied with how the conversation went I reach out to open the door. As my hand touched the cool metal I feel a blade skewer me. It goes directly into my heart very quickly. I collapse to the ground and watch the blood pool out around me.

    "You lie. I hate liars." he says coolly as he stabs the sword back through me and walks away from my rapidly dying body. What had I done so wrong? I thought I handled the conversation well.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    I open my eyes quickly, curious to see where I was waking up this time. I am lying on the bed with Alias looking down at me.

    "Another death?" he asks me.

    "I know right?!" I say, indignant. "I don''t even know what I did wrong on that one."

    "You had done very well until the last bit. Telling him you would give him plenty of time and multiple dances? That is where you lost all credibility. Go back, have the same conversation but end it flippantly."

    "So something like ''I guess I will see you there then. I won''t promise you anything about how much time you will get as there will be plenty of people there''?"

    "Sounds perfect. Looks like you already know what to say. Good luck!" he says, grabbing a pillow and bopping me with it.

 Chapter 15: An Assortment of Magical Bits and Bobs

    Knowing how to go back and fix my prior conversation gave me a little more confidence that I was learning. I was learning and growing. I am hoping that in the future it will help keep me alive for longer. I am not ignorant enough to think that I will just stop dying. That would be too convenient.

    I take a deep breath as I enter back into the smithy. I went through the entire conversation again, doing my best to keep it as close to word for word as possible. I don''t need a new variable to change things and possibly lead to another death.

    "I don''t know. I am not sure of the reasons that I have done things in the past. However, my birthday is coming up and I find that I wish to be a better a more intentional woman. Believe me or don''t, that''s your choice. Let my actions speak for themselves. And on that note, I will be leaving."

    "Didn''t you want to look at swords?" he asks me.

    "Yes, I do. That gives me another reason to come back."

    "Another reason?"

    "I plan to get to know you a little. My upcoming party is also to find a suitor you know. Good to know my options. Come to my party if you want to be considered as well. Bye!" I say and make my way out of the shop.

    "Okay. Make sure to set some time aside for me if I do show up!" he shouts. I give a hum as a response and don''t turn around.

    I sigh in relief once the door closes behind me. I had been more confident through the conversation after having gone over it with Alias, but it was still unnerving.

    Okay, if I remember correctly there is only one more shop on this strip. I stroke Blizzie''s fur and make my way into the next shop. An Assortment of Magical Bits and Bobs is the shop''s name. How did I not remember such a strange name. That''s it, I am convinced that there weren''t names to these shops before.

    I push the door and hear a bell chime above my head. I then hear a rustling and footsteps coming over to me. Why does it sound like all of these shop keepers are coming from the back of their stores? It makes no sense to me. Unless they are in the process of making new items? Do I go into the back of my store while it is open to craft new ideas? I''ll have to ponder this later. If I have time. Between all of the investigating and dying. More the dying. I die a lot.

    "Hi!" Comes a voice coming from the person running to the front of the shop.

    "Hello, I hope I''m not interrupting anything? It sounds like you were somewhere in the back." I say, watching to gauge his expression. I want to see if I can tell when a person is about to murder me. I am tired of being taken by surprise.

    "No no, of course you didn''t. I just haven''t had that many customers since opening my shop. I guess people around here don''t need magical items as much as I thought they might. Seems that I might want to consider finding a different profession." he says as he ruffles his fingers through his hair.

    He is as tall as all of the other men I have met, standing at about 6''3". He has deep sea green eyes, and medium length hair of blues and greens. I wonder if it is natural. It would be rude to ask, however. A lot of people seem to have unnatural hair colors. I guess they wouldn''t be unnatural here?

    "My name is Alexander Ludus. No I do not play the lute. My father doesn''t play the lute. However, my grandfather does." he says and shakes his head a little. Do people often ask him if he plays the lute? "Pleasure to meet you." he says and holds his hand out to me. Is it possible that we haven''t met before?

    "My name is Aria Brightburn. The pleasure is mine. I assume though that my reputation proceeds me?" I ask him. I want to know how far my name travels. Am I vilified, even by those who don''t know me? I am expecting that to be the case.

    "I haven''t heard of you. Am I supposed to have?" he asks me, clearly curious.

    A smile spreads over my lips and I can feel a brightness in spirit come over me. He doesn''t know me, he hasn''t heard of me. Does this mean it will be harder for him to become suspicious of me? How nice would it be to have someone I can be around without having to worry as much about raising his suspicion bar.

    "No. No you shouldn''t have heard about me. I don''t know why I even said that. Maybe I just always wanted to try that line. I read a lot of books and people make a strong impression if they say ridiculous things like that." I twirl my hair around my finger and laugh nervously. I flick my eyes to above his head. Nothing in the suspicion bar, but it seems that his affection bar increased. Maybe by only a few grains of sand, but it still did.

    "Oh good!" he says and sighs in relief, slumping onto the counter that he had been standing by dramatically. He seems interesting. "I wondered if I had just commit a faux pas. I only moved here a few weeks ago and am trying to get my feet under me still." he tells me.

    "Where are you from? What brought you here toAltarious</mark>?" I ask him. I am pleased with myself that I remembered this kingdom. The countries here aren''t really broken up into towns, or at least, not that I know of. We are in the capital however and we just go by the name of the kingdom.

    "I came here from <mark>Selvilan. I guess I just wondered what it would be like to live somewhere else, somewhere new. Sorry that it isn''t anything special or some great and grand reason." he says, looking down at his feet and blushing a little.</mark>

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    <mark>"I think that is a wonderful reason." I tell him. "Forget things that feel like great and grand destinies. Living ones life the best one is able is noble. You wanted a change and you went after it! That takes courage and the heart of an adventurer! Even if you don''t fight monsters. And now I am rambling. I''m sorry. Ignore me." I say, partially hoping that I could disappear. Finally I have the chance to make a good first impression on someone and I am babbling about courage.</mark>

    <mark>"You really think that I''m brave?" he asks me, glancing at me through hair that had fallen into his eyes.</mark>

    <mark>"Yes. I do." I tell him.</mark>

    <mark>This conversation brings me back to memories of my old life. I was having a conversation with a friend of mine as I was packing up to leave for grad school.</mark>

    <mark>***********************************************************************************************************************</mark>

    <mark>"Are you sure you are ready to go? I know a lot of people in our class decided to take a year off before going to grad school. Figure out what they want to do with their degrees before taking on more debt. And even the ones that are going are staying local. However, you are going clear across the country to go to med school of all places! Are you sure about this?" my friend Lacy asks me.</mark>

    <mark>"I''m sure, and as much as I love you, you can''t talk me out of doing this. I have been wanting to go into pediatrics since I was twelve years old. Also, it is highly recommended that you go to a different graduate school than your undergrad. To get different experiences and different perspectives on life!"</mark>

    <mark>"I know that." Lacy says and huffs. "Do you have to be so brave though? Going from a small-town state university to a big city university? If you end up going through a hard time you won''t have anyone you know around you!"</mark>

    <mark>"I''m tough. I can handle anything that life throws at me. How can I not be brave when I grew up having you as a best friend?" I ask her.</mark>

    <mark>We wrap each other up in a huge hug before going back to packing up my clothes. </mark>

    <mark>***********************************************************************************************************************</mark>

    <mark>"I''ve never had anyone say that to me before." he says, then meets my eyes and smiles brightly. "I have some plush and comfy chairs further inside. I offer tea to the people that come in to visit my store. I think it enhances the shopping experience." he tells me. "Would you like a cup?"</mark>

    <mark>"I''m not thirsty at the moment. I''ll take some next time." I tell him. "However, if you have the time I would love to test out those chairs!" I add when I see his head starting to droop again.</mark>

    <mark>"Are you sure? You don''t have anywhere you need to be?" he asks me.</mark>

    <mark>"I still have a bit of time before I am expected back home." I tell him. There was still an hour or three before Poppy would get worried about me not being back.</mark>

    <mark>"Then follow me right this way!" he says and leads me further into the store, almost skipping. I really have no idea what to make of this guy. He wasn''t featured a lot in the games, so I have no preconceived notions of his likes, dislikes, or even his personality. I hope that ends up being a good thing.</mark>

    <mark>"Meeooowr!" I hear Blizzie say from my bag. I see Alexander whip his head around. Did he think that I was making that sound?</mark>

    <mark>"It seems my sweet little familiar is upset that he hasn''t gotten an introduction yet." I tell him. "This is the great and noble Sir Blizzard. Blizzie for short." I say and reach into the bag and stroke his head a few times. He butts his head against my hand, nuzzling it aggressively. He is so cute!</mark>

    <mark>Alexander walks over and takes a knee in front of Blizzie and extends his hand out in front of Blizzie''s paw. Blizzie, seeming to know what he is doing, and sets his paw in Alexander''s hand. </mark>

    <mark>"It is a pleasure to meet you Sir Blizzard. It is my honor to have one so regal and noble as you grace my humble shop." he says.</mark>

    <mark>"Meeeooowwr." Blizzie says in response. He really is quite the little conversationalist.</mark>

    <mark>"He says that it is nice to meet you too." I say, translating. Well, pretending to translate. I don''t know exactly what he is saying, but I think I can sense the meaning behind his meows. I wonder if I will gain a new skill. Aria learns cat speak, do do do doooo!</mark>

    <mark>Alexander stands back up and continues making his way to the chairs.</mark>

    <mark>"Ones familiar says a lot about a person." Alexander says conversationally. "Or, that''s what I have heard at least. It seems to be a common enough saying. If that is true I think you must be an interesting person. Sir Blizzard is so friendly." he says, deciding not to use Blizzie''s more familiar name. I wonder why? Personal preference? Alexander seems like he might be a rather odd fellow. I am intrigued.</mark>

    <mark>He finishes leading us to these very plush and comfortable chairs and we continue conversing. </mark>

    <mark>"I used to help my parents with a shop like this back home. It was really popular and we had our regular customers. People were very open about magic and were curious about their affinities. We had a very special, very rare magical item that was able to tell people."</mark>

    <mark>"Aren''t there orbs that show the color of ones affinity?" I ask him, wondering why this was so special. I might even be able to make such an item if I do enough research and have all of the needed ingredients.</mark>

    <mark>"Yes, there are orbs that do that. This item was special, unique. Within the glass it did change color, yes, but it also showed a symbol."</mark>

    <mark>"A symbol?" I ask, immensely curious.</mark>

    <mark>"Yes. Everyone has an affinity for an element, even people that are not able to use magic. That is common knowledge, at least where I am from." </mark>

    <mark>I nod to him to show that I am listening and that it is common knowledge. As far as I am aware it is. It is taught in the magic schools at the very least. In the game you play as Iris, starting into her new magic school. It was an odd game, as you actually got the choice whether you listen to a full lecture! I wondered how they were able to program in so much content that most games don''t offer. I guess it makes sense now that I know it was a game based off a world.</mark>

    <mark>"Well, the item we had showed more than that. Say you have an affinity for the wind element, it would also show something you would be skilled at within that element. An example for wind would be the ability to communicate with and raise birds. Another example would be earth magic, and the sorts of things you would be best suited to grow. Or, someone can specialize in creating golems. I met someone that got the golem symbol within the item. It was pretty cool." he tells me.</mark>

    <mark>"That is really cool!" I tell him, excited by this idea. "It''s sad that you had to leave it back home." I tell him.</mark>

    <mark>"Well, I had to leave it behind, but I was given instructions on how to make one. It seems that I am not very good at crafting magical items." he tells me. "But I am rather good at selling them!"</mark>

    <mark>"Shouldn''t you be at least a little skilled in it, to create the items you want to sell?" I ask him.</mark>

    <mark>"You would think so. Instead, I plan on creating good relationship with traveling merchants, so that they allow me to buy then sell the magical items they come across."</mark>

    <mark>"I see." I tell him.</mark>

    <mark>"That was a common practice back home. But I would love to be able to craft that item."</mark>

    <mark>"Maybe we can work on creating it together." I tell him. "I own my own shop, one that mostly sells charms and potions, but I sometimes feel inspired and create magical items." </mark>

    <mark>"Are you sure you would be willing to make this with me? Wouldn''t that be taking away from the time that you have creating things in your own store?" he asks me. </mark>

    <mark>"I can just cut my hours in half for a little while." I tell him. "I don''t think people will mind that much." I tell him. I didn''t even have an hour of operation on a sign at the door of my shop. I am going to take that as an indication that I am more flippant with when I have my shop open.</mark>

    <mark>"If you don''t mind then I would enjoy that!" he says, smiling brightly. "You may very well be my first real friend here. Oh, some people from the neighboring shops come in to say hi and look around a little, but this is the longest conversation that I have had with anyone since moving here." he tells me, opening up to me even more.</mark>

    <mark>"I could use a good friend too. I grew apart from the ones that I had." I tell him. "And it''s harder to make friends as an adult."</mark>

    <mark>"I look forward to working with you Aria Brightburn." he tells me, offering his hand.</mark>

    <mark>"And I look forward to working with you Alexander Ludus."</mark>

    <mark>"You can call me Alex."</mark>

 Chapter 16: Cute Kitty and a Chat with Poppy

    "Thank you. I will do that then. I think I should actually be heading out Alex. Should we meet up here tomorrow morning to start looking at the blueprints?" I ask him.

    "I think that sounds like a good idea. I live on the second floor of the shop so it should be pretty easy to get my attention."

    "Okay I will hold you too that. I think it would look a little silly if I have to resort to throwing rocks at your upstairs window to get your attention." I tell him and give him a warm smile.

    "Have you ever done that before? The throwing rocks at someone''s window to get them to sneak around outside with you at some late hour?" he asks.

    "Haha, can''t say that I ever have. I don''t lament that though as I probably would have ended up breaking the window with my luck." I tell him and laugh at myself good naturedly.

    "Did you want me to walk you home?" he asks me. I think about the way that we would react if I had him drop me off at the castle.

    "Thanks, but I''m okay."

    "I''ll walk you to the door then." he says. We both get up off of the plush and comfortable chairs and he walks me to the door.

    "Goodbye Aria, goodbye Sir Blizzard. I shall see you on the morrow." he gives a tiny little bow. Without thinking about it I give him one back, causing the both of us to start laughing.

    On the way back home, I can''t help but think about what a nice change of pace it was speaking with Alex. No preconceived notions from either of us, no expectations. I didn''t raise his suspicion bar the entire time I was with him and managed to raise his affection bar a little higher.

    "Did you have a good day Blizzie?" I ask him as we get closer to home.

    "Mrow!" he says emphatically. I guess it was a good day if you cut out the dying parts. I try to look at the day from his perspective. He got food, met some people that seemed to really like him, and got a new bag for me to carry him around in. All in all, not a bad day to be a cat.

    I open the door to the back of the castle and make my way inside. I don''t pass by anyone as I make my way to my room. I hope that Poppy hasn''t eaten yet as I didn''t end up eating dinner while I was out. I think I want to try to turn Poppy into an ally so it would be nice to eat together.

    I walk into my room and see Poppy sitting on a chair in the corner of the room engrossed in a book. She looks up from it when I walk into the room and set my bag down on my nightstand.

    "Have you eaten yet Poppy?" I ask her.

    "No. I was actually just about to go make something after I finished this chapter. Seems like you have good timing!" Poppy says cheerfully, setting her book down the chair.

    Checkpoint!

    Oh no, I got a checkpoint. Does that mean that I am about to die again? I would like to get through a checkpoint without dying.

    "I do have good timing, don''t I." I say and flash a bright smile at her.

    "Did something good happen today?" she asks, studying my face.

    "I met someone. I will tell you all about it while we eat. What are you planning to make?" I ask her.

    "Some pasta with fresh vegetables in a red wine sauce." she says.

    "That sounds good. Can you bring in something for Blizzie as well?" I ask her.

    "Well obviously silly. You know how much I adore Sir Blizzard. He is just the bestest, most cutest, most adorable little kitty in the entire world. Aren''t yooouuu." she says, bending over and cooing at Blizzie.

    "Mreeeoow!" he says and begins to purr. Oh, he knows what a loveable little guy he is, doesn''t he.

    "Yes, yes he is the bestest boy." I say and stroke Blizzie''s head. He crawls out of the bag, hops off of the nightstand and curls up on the bed, exposing his belly.

    "Ah the forbidden fruit." Poppy says and lightly brushed the back of her hand over his belly. She pulls it away before he could catch her hand with his claws. "Well, I am off. I will be back with food."

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "If you find me napping, please feel free to wake me. I do so enjoy food." I tell Poppy.

    "Okie dokie!" she says and skips out of my room. I wonder if she is just excited by the thought of new gossip. Okay, Poppy likes gossip and compliments. Noted and memorized.

    Once Poppy is out of the room, I go to the closet instead of my bed and pull out the diary. I flip it open to a random page and begin to read.

    Today started out as a good day. Poppy and I went shopping and I got a few new gowns, really stunning ones. I bought one for Poppy as well, to thank her for all the hard work that she has been doing, as well as for her continued loyalty. I hate feeling like I have to lie about being mean, but if that is the way that I have to keep someone loyal, then that is what I will do.

    While we were walking back from shopping, I saw something out of the corner of my eye then someone falls down in front of us. Just collapsed into the middle of the road. I consider helping him up but realized I shouldn''t bother. No one accepts my help anyways. I have learned to try to be okay with this, as that''s just how it is.

    "How dare you trip me!" he shouts as he gets up onto his feet. He keeps moving towards me, shouting about how I tripped him.

    "Think what you want. And don''t take another step towards me or I will do a lot worse than trip you." I told him to make him leave us alone.

    Once he is out of earshot Poppy leans towards me and asks how I did it. How I did it? Couldn''t she tell that I didn''t trip him? I''ve never used my magic to trip anyone! Is he clumsy, or did someone frame me? No, I bet he fell down all on his own and decided to blame me instead of letting people think of him as clumsy.

    Oh well.

    Oh well? It seems like this hatred has been going on for a while. I wonder when and how it all started. I flip to the most recent page.

    Having my birthday bash on my actual birthday? April 17th, the day my stepfather is trying to sell me off. What does he think he is going to get out of marrying me off? Money? The relief that I will be out of the castle and out of his life?

    When I was younger, he used to spend time with me. He would take me on what he called Daddy-Daughter dates. I thought it was fun and I felt like the most special girl in the whole world. He was genuinely interested in the things I liked, the things I didn''t like so much, and everything in between. He never made me feel bad or ashamed of my interests, or the life I had been living before we moved into the castle. He told me that any man I marry in the future should treat me just as well.

    I wonder when all of that changed, when I started to be a problem in his eyes, and not something that brings him joy. I wonder if he ever loved me or if he stopped somewhere along the way. I know I am not the best daughter and that I keep finding myself in trouble, but he used to believe me when I told him that it wasn''t my fault. I guess all of the coincidences became too much for him and he just couldn''t keep believing or trusting me at some point. I miss the relationship we used to have.

    I put the journal back into its hiding place and go lay on the bed. As I stare up at the ceiling, I wonder about the words I had just read. I used to have a good relationship with the king? It reads like he is a good man, one that tried to do right by his daughter until he couldn''t trust her anymore. How many nights did she cry alone because of this? Or maybe she didn''t and I am just projecting my own feelings onto her. I wonder what happened to my mother? There is no one here that I can ask. I guess the next time I die I will have to speak with Alias about it. I can''t think of another way to find out. I wish I didn''t have to die to be able to speak with him.

    Without meaning to I do end up falling asleep while waiting for Poppy. I guess the day left me feeling tired. It feels like no time passes before I am woken up by the smell of food and a light touch on my arm.

    "Wake up sleepyhead!" she calls to me. I glance at the bars above her head and am relieved to find that the affection bar had risen, and the suspicion bar has gone down. I wonder when that had happened.

    "Thanks for waking me up, Poppy."

    "Of course! It''s nice to know some things will never change, like your before dinner naps!"

    "What can I say. They make the food taste better!" I tell her and flash her a bright smile.

    "Oh Aria, you are so silly. Now come sit down and eat with me." Poppy says and beckons me over to the table.

    "Looks like Blizzie didn''t want to wait up on us slow humans." I say to Poppy and we both look at Blizzie, face shoved into his food bowl as the table, doing a happy little butt wiggle as he eats.

    "He sure does like his food. Ever since he was a kitten." we smile as we watch Blizzie eat for a moment before sitting down to eat our own dinners.

    "I believe you said that met someone?" Poppy asks me in between bites of food.

    "I did. He is the owner of a magical items store. I guess he just moved here a few weeks ago. His name is Alexander Ludus."

    "Oh what a fun name! Does he play the lute?" Poppy asks me, leaning forward, just barely not sticking her elbow in her plate of food.

    "You know, he told me that he didn''t while giving me his introduction. I wonder if he gets asked that a lot." I tell her and laugh a little before twirling the noodles and popping another bite of pasta into my mouth.

    "He sounds fun! Tell me more tell me more!" Poppy says in a singsong voice.

    I eat another bite of pasta before I continue telling her about my meeting with him.

    "He has these large comfortable chairs and serves tea. His eyes are deep like the ocean, and his hair is blue and green to match." I tell her, picturing him in my mind. "He has a quirky personality and is so animated that you can''t help but become entranced when he is talking." I tell her.

    "Sounds like you have a little cruuuush." Poppy sing speaks again.

    "I don''t know, I just met him. But I will have a lot of time to get to know him better. We are going to make a rare sort of magical item together."

    "I take it you won''t be home much these next few days then?" she asks me.

    "Seems that way. I know it is my birthday week but I was also going to go to my shop and do a little bit of crafting there as well. I feel inspired to be creative." I tell her.

    "Seems like tradition! You always get really creative during your birthday week, like you can''t sit still or something. I mean, I guess there is a lot of pressure being put on your birthday. Being the king''s stepdaughter has always meant large parties, but this one is going to beat out all of the others by far!" Poppy says, throwing her hands up into the air to accentuate her words.

    "You are right. I guess I want to be as uninvolved in the planning as possible, leave some things as a surprise." I tell her, trying to come up with a believable excuse.

    "I understand. Make sense." Poppy says, nodding her head a few times. "That doesn''t take up all of the time you were out. What else were you doing?" she asks.

    "Well I ended up making a love potion for our friend the baker." I tell her.

    "Oh who is he in love with?" she asks, deeply curious.

    "I don''t want to tell you because I want to see if you can figure it out on your own. I need to know how well my potion worked. And your keen sense of observation is perfect for such a task. Can you do this?" I ask her, looking her right in the eyes.

    I think that it is important to make a person feel important when you are asking them for something. This something just happens to be one meant to keep her away from noticing any of my odd behaviors.

    "Anything else happen today?" she asks after we let a lull in the conversation happen so that we could eat some of our food.

    "I went into the smithy." I tell her casually.

    "What in the world were you doing in there?" she asks, sounding a bit confused.

    "I did say that I was going to go talk to the men that might be coming to my party. Scoping them out early." I tell her.

    "Oh! That''s such as a good idea! I mean, keeping them aware of your presence. Making them feel special. Also, I have to admit, Samuel is quite the looker. If you don''t want him, I wouldn''t mind snatching him up." she says a bit eagerly.

    "Well let''s wait until after my party is over. You will have your pick of pretty men. Hopefully I''ll get my choice of one as well and not be sold off."

    "To us choosing!" she says and I lift a glass to her.

    Once we finish Poppy helps me change my clothes for bed. When she is finished gathering up the dinner dishes and we say our goodnights I plop down onto the bed. I pat for Blizzie to join me and we fall asleep together. I quickly fall into a dream.

 Chapter 17: Lila the Washerwoman

    "Good morning, or should I say goodnight?" I hear a voice asking me. Hadn''t I slipped into a dream?

    "Aren''t I dreaming?" I ask.

    "Yes, of course you are! You didn''t happen to die in your sleep, don''t worry." Alias tells me, appearing in front of me.

    "Then how are we speaking?" I ask him.

    "I decided to go to sleep too on that big comfy bed you were admiring." he tells me, shrugging his shoulders. "It seems that when we sleep at the same time, we are able to share a dreamscape."

    "That''s fascinating." I tell him.

    I decide to look around for a moment before continuing the conversation. We are both sitting on beds that look exactly like our real world beds. I guess things are mimicked in the dream from real life. Does that mean I won''t be able to fly?

    In the center of the room is the rug that was in Alias''s bedroom, and next to my bed is my nightstand. Something interesting that I notice is a fuzzy little kitten baby on the bed next to me. He is staring up at me with his bright eyes shining.

    "Blizzie is here?" I ask Alias.

    "Seems he has decided to become a full familiar to you. You should be honored." Alias responds.

    "Yes. Honored!" I hear a little voice repeating Alias''s last word.

    "Blizzie can talk?!" I ask, startled.

    "Yes! Blizzie talk. Blizzie happy to talk to Aria now! Aria happy Blizzie can talk?" he asks, walking over to me and putting his soft paws on my chest.

    "Very happy Blizzie!" I say and pet his head. He bops it against my hand multiple times affectionately.

    "Yay!" he responds, then comes closer to me, nuzzles against me, and curls up in my lap.

    "How is this all happening. This doesn''t feel anything like a normal dream."

    "That''s because it isn''t." Alias tells me. "You had been thinking that you wanted to speak with me before you fell asleep, right?"

    "Yes. I was thinking that it would be nice to be able to speak to you without having to die." I tell him honestly. "Seems like you found a way to make that happen. Did you know you were able to do this?" I ask him, curious.

    "There are a great many things that I am learning alongside of you. I didn''t expect to inherit this world. It is my first world after all." he informs me.

    "I am honored to be learning it beside you." I tell him and flash him a smile.

    "Do you like to smile? It seems that a smile is really comfortable for you." he tells me. I didn''t know that it looked that way.

    "Smiling used to be natural. I had a bright outlook on life, hopes and dreams. Friends even at one point in time. I lost all of that and learned how to fake a smile with the best of them. Today I started laughing and smiling again honestly. Do you think I will be able to again, once everything is over?" I ask.

    "Everything doesn''t have to be over to have genuine moments with someone. Even if everything seems like an unrepentant hellscape, there can be some moments of genuine joy and happiness. I am hoping you find that with the hidden route." he tells me, offering a smile of his own.

    "I want to talk to you about the hidden route, but I have something that I want to ask before that, if that is okay?" I ask him.

    "I will answer if I can." he tells me, and leans forward, listening intently.

    "What happened to my mother and what was Aria''s childhood like?"

    "By your mother, you mean Aria''s mother?" he asks me.

    "Yes. I don''t know how to learn of her, or of Aria''s backstory. Do you happen to know it?" I ask him.

    "Because I brought you into this body, it seemed I gained its backstory. Are you sure that you want to know?" he asks.

    "I am living my life as Aria and trying to be the savior of this world. I need as much background and information as I can get. Tell me all that you can."

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    "Okay. It may not be as in depth as you are wanting, but I hope it help." he says. I settle back to listen.

    "Aria''s story begins in the slums. She was born to a young unwed mother. Her mother wasn''t even certain as to who the father was, or even when it was that she had gotten pregnant. As far as Aria was concerned she didn''t have a father.

    "Once Aria''s mother gave birth, she was no longer able to live in her family home and had to make her own way in the world. Aria''s mother, here after known as Lila, tried a couple different jobs to see what she could make a living doing. A window washer was too dangerous with a newborn, as was working in a bakery or the kitchens. Eventually she met a kind hearted group of women who gave her a place to live, as well as a job.

    "Lila became a washerwoman. She was taught all the tricks and was happy doing the work. She loved the feel of the different temperatures of water, the different methods to scrub and rinse for the different fabrics. Eventually she began to experiment and created her own soaps. With her renowned beauty people thought that she was too good for the work, but Lila never agreed. She enjoyed her job, and the women that she worked with enjoyed both her and Aria.

    "As Aria grew she wanted to help with the washing. Lila would send her on some small fetch missions at first. Go get stones of a certain size, pick certain flowers, gather up sand. Aria did all of these without hesitation and was happy for a job well done.

    "Eventually, Aria made some friends with other street children. The two you need to know the names of were her best friends, Iris Ebony and Jason Elgrove."

    I knew that Aria had been friends with them at one point in time, but becoming a princess changed her personality and she ended up turning her nose up at everyone she used to be friends with, not wanting to be reminded of her time on the streets. However, it is seeming that might not be how this story actually goes.

    "Lila was very happy that Aria had made friends and gave her less responsibility so that she was able to be a kid. She knew that it was important to Aria''s social growth and wellbeing and would send her off with a hug and a kiss and a promise to be home for mealtimes. And Aria never broke that promise with her mother. Their relationship was strong and good, and so Aria grew up with a strong and good heart.

    "When not helping Lila, Aria would play games like kick the can and tag. She refused to play more dangerous games and would not give in to the peer pressure of learning to become a pickpocket. She said that she had a lot of pride in the work that her mother did and wanted to live an honest life.

    "As she got a little older Aria would go with Jason and Iris to watch the knights train. Iris just watched and cheered, but Jason and Aria would pick up sticks and branches to try to mimic the knights. The knights thought it was hilarious at first, these young kids playing at being knights. However, the more the three would return, the less of a game it seemed to the knights. Although there were hardly any women in the history of the knighthood, they decided to mentor both Jason and Aria. They would take time out of their training to help improve the children''s form, footwork, and the strength of their swings. One year for the festival of lights Jason and Aria were given training swords. Iris was given a wreath of flowers and a very well-made basket. All three children were happy. They thought that they would be best friends forever, and that nothing would ever change between them.

    "During this time Lila kept improving with her skills. She became the best washerwoman in the alley, the street, and eventually the kingdom. People would travel a good distance to have their clothes cleaned. They said the way that she washed them, utilizing all the tools available, including magic, breathed new life into their clothes.

    "Eventually word got around even to the castle. The queen has started becoming ill at this time and was having troubles with soiling her clothing. She was embarrassed by this and wanted a woman of integrity to help cover this. When she heard of Lila she disguised herself, took some soiled clothing, and made her way to were Lila was washing clothing. She patiently waited in line until she was able to speak with Lila. Lila greeted her brightly as did Aria, who happened to be there at the time. Aria had taken time away from playing to help her mother make some new jasmine and lotus soap. Don''t ask me what made that soap special, I have no idea." Alias told me, seeing the questioning look on my face.

    "The queen was immediately taken in by the smell of the soap and Lila''s bright smile. Lila had no problem talking with the queen while she washed her clothing, and she didn''t ask the queen about the stains on her clothing. Other washerwomen would ask where the stains had come from, claiming that it was to make sure they were using the best soap and tools for the job. The queen marveled at the fact that Lila didn''t need to do this at all. She knew stains, and she knew soap and didn''t need to know anything else.

    "The next day the queen took more clothes, this time of varying different types of fabric. She watched Lila get the stains out, and the way that Aria was more than willing to help with anything that her mother needed. When Lila had seen the queen''s clothing, she knew that care needed to be taken. She asked Aria not to go play and to help her. Aria smiled brightly and asked if she needed a special soap to be mixed up. This was the start of Aria''s love of crafting and potions. She saw mixing soap as mixing potions, and even at a young age was better at it than her mother.

    "Every few days the queen came, and every few days Aria and Lila would work on her clothing. This started an easy friendship between the women. After months had passed like this, Lila and Aria were invited to come live in the castle and work as the queen''s personal washerwoman. Her laundress. Lila was thrilled, but nervous about such responsibility. It was then that the queen revealed herself. The queen had worried all this time that she would be rejected if Lila knew who she was.

    "Lila accepted the queen''s offer and the two moved into the castle, in the queen''s wing. They stayed only a few rooms away from the queen herself. The queen claimed it was for them to be close at hand if their skills were needed. While that was partly true, it wasn''t entirely true. Lila and the queen''s relationship had deepened into something more. Aria knew about it and was just happy that her mom was still so loved.

    "Aria thought that living in the castle would make it harder to see her friends. While it did prove to be a bit more difficult, Aria didn''t mind. She would still find time to go out and play with Iris and Jason. She would still go and train with the knights. Lila encouraged this behavior and would tell Aria ahead of time the days that she would not be able to leave, as her mother needed her assistance.

    "People in the castle were suspect about bringing in some street woman to care for the queen''s clothing needs. However, they soon realized that they were wrong. Both Lila and Aria brought life and color to the castle. It didn''t take long for the king to come make his way to meet Lila. He had decided to hold back his judgement until he had met her himself.

    "The king loved her immediately. It wasn''t the in love with her love from the beginning, but a deep affection. The queen knew about it and wasn''t bothered, as she loved Lila as well. Also, the queen knew that she was dying and didn''t want the king to be alone. The three had a deep and abiding love for one another. So deep that Lila was pregnant even before the queen''s passing. The three all loved the baby, said it was their child.

    "The queen didn''t live much longer after Bennett was born. Before dying the queen blessed Lila as the new queen and celebrated the king''s official union with her. Before then Lila was known to be not only the queen''s laundress, but also the king''s concubine. The castle was joyous when she became the new queen after the queen''s passing.

    "It was at this time that things really started to change for Aria."

    Alias took a pause and summoned up a glass of water. He drank it down as I awaited the next part of the story.

    "Aria''s life had been going through slow but steady changes from the moment that she had been brought into the castle. Lila needed her more often, so she didn''t go out and play as often. Many of her friends turned their back on her during this time, saying that she was no longer a street mouse, and so she couldn''t fit in with them anymore. It hurt Aria, but she didn''t argue with them. She knew that there was no point.

    "Iris and Jason would still play with her though. They would walk around together, talk about their lives and go see the knights. The knights would ask about the days that Aria was away and she would explain that she had to stay home to help her mom. The knights would praise her, telling her that it is a noble trait to love and honor one''s mother. This made Aria very happy to hear.

    "The biggest change happened when Lila became queen. Aria was no longer helping with washing clothing, was no longer making new soaps. Instead, she was being dressed up like a porcelain doll. Instead of making soaps she was told that she could try to make perfumes instead. She did, but it simply wasn''t as fun to her.

    "She suddenly needed to get an education, learn royal manners, learn to dance. She had to learn so many new things that it made her head spin. At first the servants would look away when she went out of the castle to go play with Iris and Jason, but eventually she was told it had to stop. She had a lot of learning that she needed to catch up on. Playing with her friends and the knights had to stop until she was caught up on learning everything."

 Chapter 18: Young Aria

    "Learn everything? Sounds like lots!" Blizzie says enthusiastically. Sounds like he was also listening to the story. I wonder how intently he is listening and how much he can understand.

    "Yes Blizzie. Lots." Alias says and boops him on the nose.

    "Shall I continue?" Alias asks me, waiting for my permission.

    "Please do."

    "Very well." he says, clearing his throat.

    "Many of the subjects Aria had to learn were not to her liking. She liked learning to ride horses but did not like knitting. She liked science class but hated math. She loved reading but didn''t like her grammar class. It was possible that she might have just not liked the teacher on that one. He was a bit of a jerk."

    I chuckle at that. I have had my fair share of teachers that people would call jerks. They would call them that because they were. They were jerks.

    "Another thing that made Aria''s life difficult was her new stepbrother. He hated Aria, thinking that it was her and her mother''s fault that his mom died because his dad was paying more attention to Lila than to his own mother. He felt that his father was too distracted to get the best physicians. He didn''t want to hear it when he was told that she had gotten the best physicians but the disease that she had was incurable. Don''t ask me what the disease was, I don''t remember."

    I nod to him. There were a lot of details in this story that he did remember, I am not going to fault him for one thing that he doesn''t remember. Also, what the disease was isn''t the important thing.

    "Irick would bully young Aria, teaching her the wrong things so that she would make a fool of herself. He would step on the back of her dresses so that she would fall and rip them. He would spook her and cause her to dump food on her lap. He would set up traps in her room and create noises that kept her up at night. Everything that he could do to make her life more difficult, he would.

    "Aria needed an escape from everything so in her free moments she started reading everything that she could about potions. Alchemical ingredients, the easiest potions to make, the potions that took the fewest ingredients, dangerous combinations. Anything and everything she could learn she did. For her next birthday she asked for an alchemy set and was gifted one. The king thought that this was a more appropriate use of her time than swordsmanship because it involved a lot of mathematics, science and reading comprehension. Needing these skills caused her to pay more attention in her classes. She started excelling at all of her classes and everything that the king wanted her to learn. Him and her mother were very pleased with her.

    "They were so pleased with her that he let her go back to visiting the knights. Aria was so excited to see them and her old friends again that she wasted no time in going. The knights were happy to see her, but there was now tension between her, Iris and Jason. They tried to pretend there wasn''t and have fun still, but Aria knew. Aria knew that they didn''t expect her to come back, and after seeing the way Jason was looking at Iris Aria believed they didn''t want her to come back. Aria''s heart was broken.

    After this Aria began having more accidents, and the people around her also began having more accidents. At first people thought that it was a strange coincidence, but after it kept happening, they did not think it was anymore and began to blame Aria. Aria had no idea why she was being blamed. It made no sense to her. They told her to stop using her magic in such a manner, but Aria wasn''t even sure what her magic was. She knew that she wasn''t the one doing it, but she didn''t know who to blame.

    "Aria''s visits to the knights became less frequent until they stopped altogether. Her mother confronted her on why this was. Tearfully Aria confided in her mother, who just held her as she cried. Lila was sad that Aria was going through this, but she did not regret becoming the queen. She was able to help make new laws that improved the quality of the lower classes. She felt bad for her daughter but thought that a few tears now would be worth it in the end."

    "Poor Aria." I say, feeling my heart break for what she went through. I have a feeling that none of this ever stopped. That would further explain the reactions of the townsfolk.

    "Poor old Aria. Sad." says Blizzie.

    "What do you mean old Aria?" I ask him, startled.

    "You no smell the same. Different soul. Cats know these things." he says as though he was stating the obvious. Perhaps to him he is.

    "Besides potion making, was there anything else that brought her joy?" I ask, hoping that she had a few good things in her life.

    "There was. Her baby brother Bennett brought her the most joy. She loved holding him, taking him on walks, talking to him about the things that were happening in her life. She would spend most of her free time in the nursery playing with him. This wasn''t a one-way affection either. It was clear to everyone that Aria was his favorite person. As he got older, he would sneak into Aria''s room when he would have a bad dream and she would cuddle him to sleep. When Aria was having her classes, he would bring in paper and a pencil and pretend to take notes alongside of her.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    "Whenever anyone would talk poorly about Aria in his presence, he would walk up to them and hit them in the knee with his little fists. People learned to keep their mouths shut around him. Little or not, he was a prince of the kingdom.

    "These little joys in life kept Aria happy. Even though there was a lot of bad things in her life, she still saw all of the good things and focused on to those. She knew that she had a privileged life and would and that she would continue to be given opportunities that others weren''t. She kept on being a happy and joyful little girl until the accident."

    "The accident?" I ask, wondering what he was referring to.

    "Lila''s death. You see, Lila was called away to a women''s conference. She asked Aria if she wanted to go, but Aria turned her mother down. Bennett was sick, and Aria wanted to be there for him. Lila understood. Aria always accompanied her mother; this is the first time that Lila was traveling without Aria. It made the both of them a little sad, but Lila was proud of how well Aria was caring for Bennett. Lila told Aria that she was proud of her, kissed the foreheads of her children and left.

    "On the way back from the conference there was trouble. It was a clear night, so she expected to be able to make good time on her way home. Instead, her carriage was attacked by a group of bandits. It seems that they didn''t mean to kill her, but things got out of hand, or so they said. They seemed to not even know that she was the queen.

    "Aria was devastated when she found out. The castle staff was afraid that she would blame Bennett, like other young teens would, but she didn''t. This actually brought Aria and Bennett closer together. They would have nights where they would just be up all-night crying. No one wanted to tell them to stop as they were afraid of an accident befalling them.

    "The king tried to comfort Aria and Bennett the best he could, but he was finding it harder to be around Aria. He thought that she looked too much like her mother by the day, and he was also upset about the accidents. The king stopped the Daddy-Daughter dates and instead started to just buy Aria things. Pretty dresses, pretty jewelry, swords and alchemical ingredients. He tried to keep in mind what Aria liked, but distance made him forget little by little.

    "Iris and Jason also stopped by every now and then to see her. They wanted to pretend to be friends, at least a little. This was how they met Irick. Eventually they visited Irick more and more and forgot that they were supposed to be visiting Aria. This created more tension between Aria and Irick. Aria always tried to be understanding, but that really hurt her.

    "Poppy, who had entered into the picture at some point, decided that she knew how to cheer up Aria. She began taking her to salons and tea parties. They would spend a lot of their time having fun. At first it was harmless, but eventually Poppy started to talk trash about the people that they were around. This made Aria uncomfortable, but she went along with it as she didn''t want to lose her only friend.

    "Aria made the best of her life. She would go to parties, salons, balls and whatever else she was invited to. She even opened her own shop to establish a life for herself. She helped Bennett learn to wield the sword and took in a kitten."

    "That''s me!" Blizzie shouts excitedly.

    "She wasn''t thrilled with the way her life had turned out, but she still did her best. It wore on her though. Her breaking point came when the old god of this world corrupted everyone''s personalities. She couldn''t take it anymore. That led to her death, and you taking her place.

    "Sorry that it might not cover everything that you want to know but I hope that gives you a better understanding of the life that you have taken over."

    "It does. Thank you, Alias. That helps a lot." I tell him. And it does. I now have a better understanding about some of the connections and who Aria is as a person. She really isn''t a villainess. So, what is going on? What caused all of the accidents that caused everyone to turn against her? What is Aria''s magic? Is it possible that it was her magic going out of control? Wouldn''t the king have given her a magic tutor then?

    "What is Aria''s magic?" I start to ask but am unable to get an answer to that question as I find the surroundings in my dream changing. Not long after the change I woke up. Questions answered, and more questions that need to be answered.

    "Good morning!" I hear a chipper voice says as Poppy walks into my room. "Do you know what you are wanting for breakfast this morning?" Poppy asks me.

    "I was actually thinking maybe I could have a lighter breakfast this morning? I want to make sure that I make it over to Alex''s nice and early. I was hoping to take a look at the blueprint and have some time after to go to the library. Even though I am a genius I might not know all of the ingredients on the list." I tell her.

    "Light breakfast it is! How about you get dressed while I whip up some eggs, toast with jam and diced fruits?" she asks me.

    "That sounds like a wonderful idea Poppy!" I tell her and give her a bright smile. She nods her head and happily skips out of the room.

    I walk over to my wardrobe and pull it open. I wanted a dress that was comfortable and easy to move around in. I paw through them and pick out a nice sky blue one with a white flower print along the bottom. I pull it on and sit down to brush my hair out.

    My hair is fine and brushed ever so smoothly. I don''t think I want to do anything fancy with my hair as we might be starting in on our work today. I braid the right side of my hair and twist in around the rest in a cute updo. I put in some pins to make it look pretty and pull out a lock of my bangs to frame my face. Pretty!

    As I am finishing my hair Poppy walks into the room and sets our plates down on the table. She also has a nice full plate for Blizzie.

    "A familiar has to have a nice full tummy in order to help out with any spell craft. Eat up Blizzie!" Poppy says and pets him gently on his head.

    "Food!" Blizzie says then stuffs his face into his plate, gobbling up the mixed meats and grilled fish. Is there anything happier than an eating cat? I can argue that there isn''t.

    "A nice simple look today? Don''t you want to turn his head?" she asks, and I see the suspicion bar raise the smallest bit.

    "I don''t need fancy clothes to do that. Also, I will be doing crafting work today and want to make sure that I have an outfit that is easy to move around in. I''ll probably be dressing similar for the next few days as well. It will make the impression of me in my gown at my birthday all the most impactful." I tell her. I see the suspicion bar lower, and affection bar rise a little bit.

    "That is one way to leave a lasting impression." she says and laughs. It is a true laugh, and it makes me smile. I can''t help but think that Poppy can''t be all bad. No one can be all bad after all.

    Poppy and I make light conversation as we eat. Poppy makes a lot of wild guesses about who Bobby was using his love potion on. I of course refuse to tell her, which makes her guesses even more spectacular. I think that she might actually know and is just having fun with it. She is even beginning to guess popular familiars. She keeps us laughing the entire meal.

    Once we are done eating, I wash my face and put on my makeup. It isn''t quite the same as how Poppy did it, but I like the way that it came out. I did accentuate my eyes the way she did, however. My eye shadow patterns is what is different. I make it a smoky eye, except I use light colors. Instead of smoke it looks more like a dusting of snow.

    "Pretty." Poppy says when I finish. "I like the way the glitter under the eyes makes the eye liner look bolder." she says.

    "Why thank you." I tell her.

    I had watched a few beauty-tubers and picked up some tips and tricks from them. It wouldn''t be my normal thing to watch, but I needed to stand out on my platform. There are some other girls that streamed games and I needed to differentiate myself. I used killer makeup to help. Also, I was just the better gamer. Glad those beauty tips are helping me here too though.

    "Alright Poppy, I am heading out.

    "Have fun! Don''t blow anything up today!" she says. Do I have a habit of blowing things up?

 Chapter 19: A Long List of Ingredients

    I grab my bag before I head out the door and pat for Blizzie to hop in. He does without hesitation.

    "Blizzie like bag!" he exclaims before loudly purring to emphasize his words. I love being able to hear him talk. I wonder if anyone else can. I need to look into books in the library about familiars. I feel like I need to start writing down all of the books that I need to look into.

    As I walk down the street heading to Alex''s shop I see people going to the other side of the street to avoid me. It''s almost as if they feel they can get secondhand evil if they accidentally touch me. It almost makes me want to spook someone to see if they would jump, but I am trying to avoid another pointless death. I want to feel as though all of my deaths are pointless, but I am learning something new about Aria and the people that kill me each time I die.

    I breathe in the fresh air as I make my way to the shop. Was the air back on Earth ever this fresh? I am sure that it was, but all of the people around took away from it. And pollution. Well, and everything else that clouds the air. Okay maybe it was just the areas I lived in that didn''t have this freshness. It is also possible that the air is literally different. There is magic here after all, and a magical world should have different characteristics than a non-magical one.

    Eventually I find myself standing in front of An Assortment of Magical Bits and Bobs and look up at the second story window where I can see a light on. Alex must be up there. I look around the ground for a tiny pebble but think better of it. I really don''t want to accidentally break his window.

    I take a breath and knock on the door. I am feeling a bit nervous. I really want this relationship to go well, and I really feel that Alex might be the hidden route. What would happen if I found him that fast. Would going through his route somehow fix everything that is wrong with this world? How have I never thought of that before. Finding the hidden route can''t possibly fix all of the problems here, can it?

    As soon as I knock I can hear movement from within the shop. Possibly some shouting about "Hold on" and "One moment" but I could just be trying to make sense of a jumbled mess of sounds. The mind likes to try to organize things to make sense. Which makes sense.

    "Hi!" I hear Alex say as he pushes the door open. I make sure that I am standing back far enough away to not be hit by the swinging door.

    "Good morning!" I tell him brightly.

    "Morning!" Blizzie says cheerfully. I watch Alex''s face to see if there is any surprise there from Blizzie talking.

    "Yes. Meow to you too Sir Blizzard." Alex says, giving him a little bow.

    "Why do you bow to him like that?" I ask him.

    "Back home we greeted people with a higher status than ourself with a bow. Not everyone did it, but my family did. And a sir is of a high status. Also, look at that cute little face. Doesn''t he have the cutest little face!" Alex coos at him.

    "I believe that if I were to tell you Blizzie''s status I would have to say that he is my fuzzy little knight. I would give him a sword, but he doesn''t need one. He has claws after all." I tell him, hoping that my words made as much sense out loud as they do in my head.

    "Ah. I suppose it isn''t normal to bow to a knight." he said. "Shame. Such a cute widdle face deserves respect!"

    "Blizzie, if I let you out of the bag will you stay out of trouble?" I ask him.

    "Yes! Blizzie no trouble!" he says. He makes sure to sound serious so that I will believe him.

    "Are you okay if I let him down?" I ask Alex. Some people do not like to have animals loose in their shops.

    "By all means! I don''t think little Sir Blizzard is going to harm anything." Alex says. Once he gives me the go ahead I take Blizzie out of my bag and set him down on the ground.

    "Blizzie explore!" Blizzie says. I give him a meaningful look. "Blizzie explore carefully!" he says and begins to scamper around, carefully sniffing things and staring at them.

    "Sir Blizzard seems like a very smart cat. He isn''t just your beloved pet, is he?" Alex asks me, looking me in the eyes. Someone has practiced having good eye contact. And that person is not me. It takes a lot of effort for me to not look away.

    "No he isn''t." I tell him. "He is my familiar." I say honestly.

    "Neat! I still haven''t found a familiar that fits me yet. It is one of the most important relationships anyone has in their life. A familiar lives as long as their partner after all." he tells me. I had no idea. What a heavy responsibility to put on such tiny shoulders. What is it like to know that he will outlive others of his species by many, many years.

    "I hope that you find a good one. Although there is none as good as my Blizzie." I say affectionately.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    "I can see that." he says.

    "Shall we get started?" I ask him. "The first thing to do should be to look over our ingredient list and begin to acquire everything that we need." I tell him.

    "Sounds like a reasonable place to start. Follow me." he says, leading me back to the chairs that we had been sitting in yesterday. I see that he already has the recipe laid out on a table in between the chairs.

    "Looks like you already got things ready for us to begin." I tell him.

    "I like to be prepared." he tells me. "Would you like a cup of tea while we go over everything?" he asks me.

    "I''d love one thank you." I tell him. If we are going to be working so closely together I suppose at some point I have to trust that he is not going to poison me. "Although I am not sure how much work we can do today as we will need to go about gathering items and ingredients."

    "What a bummer. I was hoping to be able to spend more time with you today." he tells me. "Go ahead and look around while I make the tea." he says, indicating around his shop. "I''ll be back shortly. Oh! Do you have a preference on what kind of tea?" he asks.

    "I''m not picky, I''ll have whatever you are having."

    "Do you like sugar, honey or cream in your tea?"

    "Sugar for spiced teas, cream for black tea and lemon and honey for fruit and floral teas." I tell him. That is my preference and my memories seem to agree with it.

    "Perfect. I am thinking a nice black tea as it is early in the morning." he says, flashing me a grin that would make most girls, and some guys, go weak in the knees. Lucky for me I have strong knees.

    As he walks away I decide to follow my familiar, looking at the things that he is finding interesting.

    "Statue smells strange." Blizzie says, pointing at a statue with his right front paw. "Stick look weird." he says, pointing at something that looks like a cross between a wand the rain stick instrument. I used to love rain sticks when I was a little girl. Best part of music class. That and the xylophone.

    "Find anything else interesting?" I ask him.

    "Pretty sparklies!" he says and leads me over to some jewelry. I wonder why Alex is selling jewelry at his shop. Does it have special properties such as enhancing magic, or helping one tap into a specific element?

    "Those are pretty, aren''t they Blizzie." I tell him in response.

    "Blizzie like pretty sparklies. Blizzie likes person who has who room of sparklies!" he says.

    "Do you mean Jasper?" I ask him.

    "Yes! Jasper nice, give you pretty things, give me treats!" he says, ears and tail happily twitching.

    "Have you found anything else you like?" I ask Blizzie.

    "Don''t know. Look together?" he asks me.

    "I''d like that." I tell him.

    "Up?" he asks. I offer my arms to him, and he jumps into them. I pet him as we continue to look around together.

    Alex has a lot of interesting things up for sales. Concentration rocks, the jewelry, wands, mirrors, books, even art pieces. This really is quite the assortment.

    I jump when I hear Alex say, "Tea is ready!". I was looking intently at the book titles and was startled to hear his voice. It felt like he came back rather fast.

    "Thank you." I say, taking my seat. Blizzie decides to curl up in a third unoccupied chair.

    "Blizzie join in!" he says and stares fixedly at the paper on the table. I don''t think he can read, but I am learning to not assume anything. Maybe he is a talking, reading cat. I look forward to learning all of his skills and talents.

    "Are you reading along with us Blizzie?" I ask him.

    "Yes! Blizzie look at squiggly lines too. Yes, yes. Very important squiggles!" he says. Ah, it doesn''t seem like he can read after all.

    "Alright. Let''s look over the list." I say and join Blizzie in looking over the words.

    Red Sand

    White Sand

    Telekinetic Sand

    Sand of Ruins

    Sands of Destiny

    Essence of Fire

    Essence of Earth

    Essence of Wind

    Essence of Water

    Essence to Light

    Essence of Dark

    Essence of Time

    Essence of Space

    Essence of Spirit

    Totem of Fire

    Totem of Earth

    Totem of Wind

    Totem of Water

    Totem to Light

    Totem of Dark

    Totem of Time

    Totem of Space

    Totem of Spirit

    *All totems must be the same type

    Pearls of Wisdom

    Waters of Truth

    Seeds of Knowledge

    Sapphire Gem Dust

    Ruby Gem Dust

    Emerald Gem Dust

    Liquid Silver

    Earth Core

    Water Crystal

    Lightning Struck Sand

    Orb of Darkness

    Orb of Light

    Wind Stone

    Fairy Dust

    I can''t help but stare at the list in front of me. That was an impressively long list of ingredients. I don''t even want to look any further at the recipe yet. I feel that it would just give me a headache trying to learn what everything is and seeing what we have to do with it.

    "Are all recipes to make magical artifacts this long?" I ask him after a moment of intense staring.

    "No. As I told you yesterday this is an incredibly rare artifact. If you don''t think you can do it, I will understand." he tells me, looking a little saddened by even the idea of me not helping him.

    "Of course, I will help you. I guess I have just never really worked off of a recipe before. I just have a feeling about the things I want to make, then I sit down and make them." I tell him.

    "That is amazing! I haven''t met anyone who does that. Everyone I know methodically works off of recipes." he tells me.

    "If everyone works off of pre-existing recipes then who comes up with new ideas?" I ask him.

    "No one wants new ideas. People only want things that they have heard of before. Things that they have seen work. No one in my hometown wants to try anything new."

    "Sounds a bit old fashion." I tell him, hoping that I hadn''t put him off of working with me because of my unorthodox methods. "Not that old fashion is bad, it''s just different." I tell him.

    "It''s one of the reasons that I moved. If everyone is selling all of the same things, I didn''t know how I could stand out. I didn''t know how I could make a living in a place like that. I also like new things. New people, new experiences, new items. That being said, I think things could go catastrophically bad if we do not follow the recipe exactly." he tells me.

    "Okay. I understand. We will follow it to the letter."

    "Very good. Although, there is one thing that we can get creative with." he tells me.

    "What are we able to be creative with?" I ask him.

    "What creative? Creative fun!" Blizzie chimes in.

    "What a good boy you are." Alex says, reaching over and petting Blizzie''s head.

    "Good boy I am!" Blizzie says, nuzzling against Alex''s hand. Seems Blizzie approves. Or he just likes praise. Who can blame him for that. What a good boy he is!

    "Well, we can be creative with the totems. They have to be something that the creator of the artifact makes themself. Something that they see representing the different elements. I thought I would let you be the one to make them." he tells me.

    "Are you sure that you are okay trusting me with something this important?" I ask him.

    "Yes. It is clear you like to be creative. Totems need a creative touch. I will also be busy with another important piece of this." he tells me. "Once we have the sands that we need."

    "What piece is that?" I ask him.

    "I am really good at glass blowing." he tells me. "Especially if it is with magical sands and dyes."

    "I thought you said you weren''t that good at making magical items?" I ask him.

    "Not the kind that others think of." he tells me. "That is another reason that I left. I wanted to find a place that would be more open minded about the kinds of magical items and artifacts that are sold." he tells me honestly.

    "I think that is a wonderful idea." I tell him. I don''t know how glass blown things are helpful, but I still have everything to learn about everything.

    "Thanks. Now then, what are you thinking about doing with the totems?" he asks me. I ponder for a moment then think about different things that were considered totems back in my past life. Totem poles and carved animal totems are what come to mind.

    "What about if I make animal dolls or figurines?" I ask him. "How big is the artifact going to be?" I ask him. He shows me with his hands. It was much larger than I was thinking it was going to be, about twice the size of crystal balls shown in shows and movies. That gives me a lot of room to work.

    "I think that is a great idea. Are you good at carving?" he asks me.

    "I am good with my hands." I tell him and shrug my shoulders. "If not carvings I know that I am good at making dolls. I could make a doll or carving of animals that commonly represent each of the elements." I tell him.

    "Sounds like a perfect plan to me."

 Chapter 20: The recipe

    "That''s great. I''ll get started to work on those tonight or tomorrow. For now, let''s look over the ingredient list and see what we already have." I tell him.

    "Okay." he replies.

    "I have a lot of essences at my shop. I am not sure if I have all of these, but I can at least bring over what I have." I tell him.

    "How about you go over to your shop and bring what you have, and I will go through my stock and see what I have. We can then meet back here and see what we are still missing." he tells me. "But first let me give you this." he says.

    Alex runs over to a side table and then back over to me. He is holding a sheet of paper in his hand. "I made you a copy of the ingredients list to take with you."

    "Thanks! You really have thought ahead haven''t you. This will be a great help!" I tell him, gently placing it into my bag.

    "Haha yeah, I tried to." Alex says then smiles sheepishly at me. "You should get going now. The sooner you leave the sooner you will be back."

    "Okay. Come on Blizzie, to our shop!" I tell him and pat my bag.

    "Coming!" Blizzie says and climbs into my bag.

    Once he is secure, I make my way out of the shop. I glance over my shoulder as I open the door. "Be back soon!"

    The door closes behind me before he has a chance to respond. Which is good. I don''t like being one of those people that stands in the doorway having a long conversation while there are still things to do.

    "To shop!" Blizzie says, excitedly sticking his head out of the bag and watching people as we walk by. "Scared. People scared to be close to you."

    "Seems that way." I say flippantly, trying to play it off like it doesn''t bother me in the slightest.

    "Don''t feel sad. People not smart. Lots of people bad, you good." Blizzie says then nods his head, wanting to make sure that he is getting his point across.

    "Thanks, Blizzie. Your words help." And they do help. It is nice to know that I have two beings on my side, Alias and Blizzie. I would like to have others on my side, but it is too early to know who to trust fully. I may never be able to fully trust anyone. I accept this.

    It doesn''t take us long before we are standing outside the doors to my shop. I open it and we go in. I make sure that the door closes fully behind me. I don''t want anyone to think that my shop is open.

    I turn on the lights and walk over to the potions area to see if I sell any essence. I look through each of them carefully and it doesn''t look like I do. I sell things to strengthen and boost most elements, but no essence. I suppose that makes sense as I want to keep those to make potions with.

    I flip on the light and head into the workshop area of my shop. The essence bottles are all lined up together. I let my eyes zip across them and smile. It looks like I grouped the element essences together. Before I grab them, I look around my workshop for something safe to transport them in. While looking around knowledge of where and everything is kept flashes through my mind.

    I open the cabinet and look to the side of the dried flowers. There, stacked neatly, are some soft velvet pouches. There is also a small box. I open it up and see that there are slots to put vials into. I smile. Of course, I would have something like this. I am sure that there are times I need to go out and buy vials and would need a safe way to transport them.

    "Alright Blizzie lets grab some vials!" I tell him cheerfully. "Essence of fire." I say and put it away. It sometimes helps me to keep track. "Essence of earth, essence of wind, essence of water, essence of light, essence of dark." I say. These all make sense. I don''t know how you distill essence of something but these are the common elements so I suppose it would make sense in a fantasy land. The next three, however? I am amazed I even have them. Somehow. "Essense of time, essence of space, essence of spirit. Okay Blizzie. Those are all the essences. What else might I have in this magical shop of mine?"

    I look down at the sheet and read through it again before looking back at all of my vials. "No vials of sand. I am not sure why I would have sand though." I don''t think I can really use that in potions and charms.

    What about dust though? I scan over everything, and my eyes catch something green. "Okay Blizzie, seems that I have emerald gem dust, but none of the other gems." I say and pull the vial down and put it in the case with the others. I also grab a dropper for each vial and an empty vial. I didn''t want to leave my essences at Alex''s shop. I may want to make a potion tonight.

    I look through the rest of the vials. Nothing. I look around the shop and go to the other sections. Looking through them all only nets me fairy dust. Time to meet back up with Alex and see what he was able to get.

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    Feeling satisfied with my ability to contribute I make my way over to Alex''s shop. I tap on the door, and he is quickly there to open it.

    "Any luck?" he asks me.

    "Yes." I tell him. Blizzie hops out of my bag and lands with a tiny thud onto the floor. He goes over and sits on the chair he was in earlier and waits for us.

    We make our way over to the table and chairs and I set down the items I had brought from my shop. I open up the container to show him the vials.

    "Is there any way that we can get what we need from these today so that I can bring them back to my shop with me?" I ask him.

    "Probably!" he tells me brightly. "Tell me what you brought, and I will let you know if I can take what I need from them now or if we should just have you bring them back when we have the glass orb to put them in."

    "I brought an empty vial with me. I didn''t mix the ingredients in my shop in case we cannot mix them early." I tell him.

    "Well, let''s take a look at the recipe."

    Beneath the ingredient list it says:

    In A Large Pestle Combine:

    3 Handfuls of Red Sand

    3 Handfuls of White Sand

    2 Handfuls of Kinetic Sand

    1 Small Handful of Sands of Ruin

    1 Small Handful of Sands of Destiny

    Once Combined Pulverize into Fine Granules

    Add Sodium Carbonate and Magnesium Oxide and Lead Oxide

    Place in a Heat Resistant Crucible

    Melt Into Liquid

    Homogenize and Remove Bubbles From the Molten Glass

    Shape Into A Round Orb

    Cool

    Cut a Hole in the Top to Add the Ingredients

    In Separate Vial Combine:

    9 Drops of Essence of Fire

    9 Drops of Essence of Earth

    9 Drops of Essence of Wind

    9 Drops of Essence of Water

    9 Drops of Essence of Light

    9 Drops of Essence of Darkness

    9 Drops of Essence of Time

    9 Drops of Essence of Space

    9 Drops of Essence of Spirit

    The Crafter Must Create a Totem For:

    Fire

    Earth

    Wind

    Water

    Light

    Darkness

    Time

    Space

    Spirit

    These Must Be of the Same Style of Representation

    Add to The Inside of the Glass Orb:

    The Totems in a Circle Around the Orb

    9 Pearls of Wisdom

    9 Seeds of Knowledge

    9 Pinches of Sapphire Gem Dust

    9 Pinches of Ruby Gem Dust

    9 Pinches of Emerald Gem Dust

    1 Mug of Liquid Silver

    1 Earth Core

    1 Water Crystal

    1 Lightning Struck Sand Item

    1 Orb of Darkness

    1 Orb of Light

    1 Wind Stone

    9 Pinches of Fairy Dust

    The Mixed Essences

    9 Splashes of the Waters of Truth

    Meld Top Back On

    Let Rest 5 Days Before Using

    I stare at the recipe, my head beginning to hurt. At least most of the items don''t need special treatment. And what is with these measurements? The additives to the glass didn''t even have measurements. Is that because the glass maker should already know what the mixture should be?

    "Are you doing, okay?" Alex asks me.

    "Yes. I just got a momentary headache from the recipe." I tell him.

    "Lot of squiggles!" Blizzie says, wanting to be helpful. I want to reach over and pat his sweet little head, but he is too far away.

    "Are you sure you are okay doing this?" Alex asks me, sounding a little concerned.

    "I am perfectly alright! It even looks fun, it''s just also a little overwhelming. Although, your part seems the hardest. And actually, now that I look at it a second time." I say, eyes running over the sheet. "It mostly seems like a lot of adding things. I think the most difficult thing with be collecting the items." I tell him.

    "Oh right! Collecting! I have some of those items!" he says, smiling helpfully.

    "Oh?" I ask, feeling excited. I want to craft more. The headache faded quickly as I realized that it is mostly putting items in glass bowl. Like decorating a fishtank.

    I wasn''t able to do neat things like this back in my world. I instead had to study until my nose bled, lose sleep, and worry about becoming anemic by being too broke to afford a lot of good food.

    "I happen to have an earth core, red sand, white sand, and sands of ruin. Oh! Also, I have sand struck by lightning! We are still missing some, but I think this is a great start. Do you know where you can go to get the rest?" he asks me. This would be a good way to introduce him to the other shops.

    "That''s wonderful. Let me add my essences together and we can go to the other shops and see what we can find." I tell him. "Although, I would like to drop by my shop first so I can put everything back. I guess I am a little obsessive about keeping my items where they belong." I say, and laugh a little nervously, afraid he would judge me.

    "I can''t blame you for that. I am rather similar." he says, laughing good naturedly. His smile and laughter calmed my heart down a bit.

    While I take out my vial and droppers, I hear Alex playing with Blizzie.

    "Well, aren''t you a good boy. May I have permission to pet you Sir Blizzard? I may also have a random stick some place if you want to pounce on something." he says.

    "Pets allowed." Blizzie says and rubs his head against Alex''s hand and purring loudly. Seems Blizzie doesn''t want to play and instead just wants to be pet.

    I block out what is happening around me and concentrate on getting the amount of drops correct. It seems to be very specific. Nine drops for each. Is that to symbolize the nine elements? That would make sense to me.

    I finish my task, stoppering the mixed essences and putting all of my vials and droppers away. Once I am finished packing up, I say, "Are you two ready to go shopping?"

    "Shopping!" Blizzie shouts, sounding very excited. I wonder if he is thinking about getting treats from Jasper again. Which isn''t completely out of the picture as we are stopping by his shop.

    "Alright Blizzie, into the bag. We are heading to my shop first!"

    We make idle chatter about nothing in particular as we head to my shop. We are just getting to know each other so it really is idle. The weather is nice, cats are cute, magic is fun. Just obvious and passive things. Which is good as people are staring at us as we walk by. I don''t want to give anyone any more ammunition against me by talking about things that matter.

    When we get to my shop, I use my voice to open the door. Once it is open, I gesture my arm out and say "Welcome to my shop! Feel free to look around while I go and put these away."

    "Why thank you. Don''t mind if I do!" he says, cheerfully coming into my shop and beginning to look around.

    I leave him to it and step into the backroom to put everything away. My mind couldn''t help but race while I was putting everything away. Things had been going smoothly for a little while now and I haven''t gotten a checkpoint. I am cautiously optimistic that I was beginning to do things a little better. However, this optimism is putting me ill at ease. What if I get comfortable only for him to murder me when my guard is down. Do I sell anything in my shop that can be used for murder?

    Once I am done putting everything back in its place, I join Alex and Blizzie. Blizzie is sitting on the counter, looking as though he is ready to ring up any item that might catch Alex''s eye. Which I think is possibly the most adorable thing ever.

    "Find anything you like?" I ask him, walking over to where he was standing, holding the stuffed bunny.

    "Yes. I love this. This is so cute! Are you planning on making something like this for the totems?" he asks me.

    "With all the liquid in the orb I am wondering if that would be appropriate. I might end up doing carvings." I tell him. I wonder for a moment if I am capable of it and feel the knowledge of carving come into my mind.

    "What a shame." he says and puts the stuffed bunny back onto the table.

    "Did you not want the bunny?" I ask him.

    "How much does it cost?" he asks me.

    "You can have that for free. Think of it as a way to prove my skills." I tell him.

    "Is it just to look cute or does it do something special?" he asks. I really need to make informational cards to set out in front of all of these items, so I don''t have to explain them each time.

    "It keeps your secrets and helps to calm anxiety." I tell him, waiting to see if he is disappointed..

    "That''s amazing!" he says, picking the stuffed bunny back up. "This will help calm my nerves about being in a new place and meeting so many new people. While I am excited, I get too excited sometimes and it causes me to be excitedly anxious."

    "I am glad that you will find it useful then." I tell him smiling. I thought it was really cute so I am glad that it is going to someone who will like and value it.

    Alex holds the stuffed bunny so that he is looking it face to face. "I shall name you Bella. Bella the Bunny."

 Chapter 21 - Shopping

    "Bella the Bunny. What a cute name!" I say.

    It makes me happy that he named her. In my opinion, it says good things about his personality. Also, it is cute. He is cute. I need to hold back these kinds of thoughts though. I don''t know if he is the hidden route. Also, I don''t want too many warm feelings for someone I just met. Someone who still might murder me.

    "What do you think Blizzie? Should be go see Jasper first?" I ask him.

    "Yes! Keeper of shiny, giver of treats. Blizzie likes!" he says happily.

    "The way that he responds to you really makes me think that the two of you are having a conversation." Alex says.

    "That''s because we are." I state simply. "Now then. Shall we be off?" I ask.

    "Lead the way." he tells me.

    On the way to Jasper''s shop we talk about the stuffed animals that we have had in the past.

    "I had this stuffed penguin that I absolutely loved." I tell him. "His name was Tux and I wouldn''t be able to go to sleep at night without him. He was one of my first friends. When I was thinking hard about something I would talk to him out loud to try to get a clearer understanding in my head. He was a good listener. I guess that went into my idea of creating a stuffed animal that would keep all of your secrets." I admit.

    "That is adorable." he tells me. "I have this stuffed sugar glider named Cupcake. I got it when I was pretty little, before people would make fun of a boy for having stuffed animals. Although, to be fair if I want something cute, I am going to get myself that cute thing. I have no shame about this!" he tells me. I am glad that he feels that way, though I am sad that even in a magical world, boys are still expected to not like cute things. Which is just dumb.

    "Alright here we are!" I tell him when we are standing outside of Jasper''s shop. I push the door open and we go inside.

    "I wasn''t expecting to see you again so soon." Jasper says, coming over to me with a large smile on his face. He then sees that I didn''t come in alone and his smile falters for a moment. Only a moment though.

    "Hi! My name is Jasper and this is my jewelry store. I don''t believe that we have had the pleasure of meeting." Jasper says, extending his hand out to Alex. Alex gives his hand a good shake.

    "My name is Alexander Ludus and I am new here. I just moved in a few weeks ago and have a shop of my own."

    "Oh? What do you sell?"

    "Magical bits, bobs, artifacts and whatever else I come across and think, oh that would be a fun thing to sell!" Alex says cheerfully. How is he such a naturally happy person?

    "I might have to stop by there. Now then." Jasper says, clapping his hands together. "What brings you into my shop?" he asks us.

    "Oh! We are making a wonderfully rare and magical artifact to use in my store. It is going to be wonderfully magical and should help people in their endeavors to be great magical connoisseurs!" Alex says. What a phrase. Is he really okay announcing that to people?

    "Sounds like fun. What do you need from me?" Jasper asks, sounding intrigued yet slightly confused.

    "We are missing ingredients so we are going around to try to collect what we are missing." I tell him. "And I thought that you might have some of what we need."

    "What is it that you need?" he asks me.

    "I am needing sapphire gem dust and ruby gem dust." I tell him.

    "Dust huh?" he asks, pondering. "I do end up with some dust when I am shaping gems. How much do you need?" he asks me.

    "You are the best." I say. "We need 9 pinches of each."

    "Hmm. Wait here. I think I have that." he says and disappears into the back.

    Instead of standing there awkwardly I wander around the shop, looking at this and that.

    "Pretty!" Blizzie exclaims as we look at things. He reaches out to put his paw on the counter, but I take it and gently move his paw back into the bag.

    "We can look at the pretties but we cannot touch, okay?" I tell Blizzie.

    "Oh, okay!" Blizzie says and stares around intently. "Look. Don''t touch. Look more!"

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    I take that as my cue to keep walking around and not stay in one place for too long.

    "Here you go!" Jasper says, emerging from the back with two jars.

    "You are amazing! That you!" I say.

    "I''m glad that I kept it. I don''t like wasting things that you might want to use as ingredients." Jasper says, smiling at me.

    I smile back and ask, "How much do I owe you?"

    "Don''t worry about it. I''ll just add a touch more to your cost the next time you buy something from me. Is there anything else you think I may have?" he asks.

    I pull the recipe list out of my bag and hand it over to him.

    He looks it over.

    "I have a necklace that is made up of pearls of wisdom. I will be sad to see it taken apart, but I wasn''t able to sell it anyways. It seems people don''t really want to wear something that provides them with extra wisdom. I also have a pendent made from a wind stone, and another with a water crystal That seems to be all I can contribute." he tells me.

    "That is a lot to contribute. How much do I owe you for the jewelry?"

    Jasper gives me a price and I willingly pay it. He wraps up everything and passes it over to me. I set it in my bag, and we make our way to our next shop.

    Next, we head to the smithy.

    "Hi Aria. Did you decide to come back for a sword?" Samuel asks me when we enter his shop.

    "Sorry Samuel, but not today. I was actually coming in to see if you had something else."

    "Something else?" he asks, then notices Alex.

    "Hi!" Alex says brightly. "I''m Alexander Ludus. I am new in town. As I have a new shop Aria is being kind enough to help me make a really awesome rare artifact to help people better their magical talents and draw them in to buy magical items."

    "It''s nice to meet you Alexander. My name is Samuel. What are you two looking for?" he asks. "Also, what does this artifact do?"

    "Oh! Well it will tell you what element your magic is as well as your affinity. Isn''t it neat?" he asks. "Aria, hand him the list! Let''s see if he has anything that we are missing!"

    I do as Alex asks and hand him over our shopping list. I had been lightly crossing off items as we went so that we didn''t accidentally double up on some things while missing others.

    "Hmm." Samuel says and scratches his head while reviewing the item list. "I have the sands that you are missing. Also, I have the liquid silver and the materials for smelting glass. How much of it do you need."

    We tell him the amounts and he nods. Samuel then walks to the back and I hear some things being moved about. After a lot of noise Samuel comes back to us.

    "Here you go."

    "How much do we owe you?" I ask Samuel.

    "I want to say think of it as a welcome gift, but those items are pretty rare." Samuel says.

    We agree that the items are rare. After discussing and agreeing upon the cost we make our way out of the shop, a few items richer.

    After leaving the shop I review what we are still missing. I guess now I have a reason to go see Andrew the Alchemist.

    "Hello." Andrew says as we enter his shop. "Oh. Aria. What do you need today." he asks, sounding a mixture of interested and bored at the same time. Charming.

    "Hi! My name is Alexander Ludus. Aria and I are here looking for the missing ingredients for a wonderful, powerful, mystical magical artifact that we are making together." Alex says before Andrew even asks who he is.

    "Hmm. Alright." Andrew says and holds out his hand. On instinct I knew that he was wanting the shopping list. His eyes scan down the list, narrowing and widening as he goes through it. "I have some of what you need."

    "Thank you, Andrew. What do you have."

    "Hold on. I''ll give you your missing items for free and tell you where you can purchase the rest. In return I want to see your recipe and be the first to test the artifact." Andrew says.

    "Done deal!" Alex says before I am even able to say anything. He is my competition; this would be giving him some good and useful information. Actually, that sounds fun. I am glad that Alex agreed.

    "So quick to agree. Naive." Andrew says and walks into the back of his shop. It doesn''t take long before he comes back to us. "Here. Your orb of darkness and orb of light. Now get out. I want to see this item as fast as you can make it. And I look forward to seeing that recipe. Oh." Andrew says. "You can buy the rest at the library."

    "Thanks." I tell him. He chooses not to respond to us and we exit his shop. After that interaction I am actually a bit more curious about my competitor. He seems clever and knowledgeable. Also his cold nature is intriguing. What is he hiding under that cold demeanor.

    "I didn''t know that you could buy things other than books from a library. This place is great!" Alex says, still cheerful. Well, why wouldn''t he be. We are almost done getting all of the ingredients that we need. However... I haven''t gone to the library yet. I don''t know what to expect.

    "Have you bought anything from the library yet?" Alex asks me, clearly curious.

    "Not yet so this will be new for me as well. One of Andrew''s item sellers must have told him where to get more ingredients." I tell him.

    "Well why wouldn''t he have told you before now? Isn''t that important to know? Does he not like you?" Alex asks.

    "It''s nothing like that. We are competitors. We sell similar items so he wants to keep his edge. It helps make competing more fun if we don''t get our ingredients from the same places."

    "I guess that makes sense?" Alex asks. Oh right. He is from a place where everyone sells similar things. I guess this might be a new concept to him. "Well on that note, let''s go to the library!"

    Alex and I walk to the library. On the way we discuss some books that we have read. I try to keep mine vague as I doubt that they have any of the books that I have read in this world. It wouldn''t make any sense for there to be any books from my world here.

    "I like reading books about adventure." Alex tells me. "About pirates and spaceships. Knights and daring rescues. Things like that are so fascinating to me. I guess part of me has always wanted to go on some epic adventure. Though, I am not a knight so it might make adventuring more difficult." he tells me.

    "But wouldn''t that make it all the more exciting?" I ask him.

    "Oh! You''re right, it would, wouldn''t it. Maybe I would find a sensei who would teach me some mysterious skills that the world hasn''t seen before! I would be charming and heroic! Hahaha!" he says, tipping his head back and laughing loudly. He really doesn''t seem to care how other people perceive him.

    "I tend to like fantasy and romance. I like being swept up by good prose and charming characters. I like to feel as though they are my friends, and they are confiding in me. Telling me about their struggles, learning magic with them, meeting wonderous creature such as unicorns and dragons." I tell him.

    "Oh! I like those kinds of books as well." he says brightly.

    It feels as though no time passes when we get to the library. This time Alex decides to walk in first. He burst through the doors and gasps and gawks as he looks around. I have to push him gently on the shoulder to get him to further into the shop.

    As I step through the doors as well I see why he was stopped in wonder. There are rows of books on multiple floors. I don''t know how many stories tall the library is. This is a wonderful place, I can tell. I breathe in the smell of books as I walk further into the library.

    I shake my head to clear it and to refocus on the task at hand. "Focus Alex. We need to find where they sell our missing items." I remind him.

    "Oh yes. Right. Right. We can come back another time to look at books." he tells me. Little does he know I will either be coming back later today or tomorrow. I have a lot of things that I need to research. Magic, familiars, the history of this world and kingdom. I can''t be seen as lacking in knowledge.

    "Hello." I hear a voice say and footsteps walking towards us. "Are you finding everything alright?"

    The man that approaches us stands at approximately 6''1. He has long blue hair that is tied back with a black ribbon, and he has some bangs hanging down and framing his face. He stares at us with gray eyes, waiting for us to respond.

    "Actually, we aren''t. I was wondering if you could help us?" I ask him.

    "Of course I can. This is my library after all." he says.

    "Wonderful thanks." Alex says chiming in. "My name is Alex and that is Aria. We are creating a rare and wonderous artifact and we are indeed needing your assistance in acquiring rare and precious materials to finish crafting this object."

    "Ah. I see." he says blinking at us slowly, processing everything that just spilled out of Alex like a waterfall of words. "My name is Aiden. Can you tell me what you are looking for?" he asks us.

    "Aria, give him the list!" Alex loudly whispers to me.

    I pull out our shopping list and hand it over to him. "Seems like you have almost everything." he mutters, looking for the items that aren''t yet crossed off. "Waters of truth and seeds of knowledge? Interesting." he says, spinning his hair around his finger exactly like I do. "Yes. I do have those. 100 gold coins. Can you afford them."

    "Of course, I can." I tell Aiden. I see him smile as he walks away from us. "Follow me."

 Chapter 22: Why I Chose a Cat

    Feeling apprehensive as following men has been getting me killed lately, I follow Aiden . My eyes flick around me as we walk, taking in the sight of all of the books. Back in my previous world there would be computer terminals and technology for rent. I see none of that here. There are large mahogany bookshelves full of books. The smells alone makes me happy. The thought of all of the knowledge and all of those stories makes me even happier.

    I dig through my mind to see if Aria spent any time at the library, and if I would be killed for being here. I see no affection of suspicion in the bars above Aiden''s head. It takes me a while for Aria''s memories to come to the surface. Apparently both Aria and Poppy liked to read so they would come to the library sometimes, although they mostly bought books. We mostly bought books. I bought them. However, it doesn''t seem like it would be too weird for me to spend time here. I can always say I am doing research for a new recipe. That won''t be fully a lie either.

    We keep walking until we come to a small, yet cozy looking room. There is a plush chair with large red pillows, a bed with big fluffy white pillow and a patchwork quilt, a sink with some cups and a cupboard above the sink. It also looks like there are sliding bins beneath the bed. Aiden opened the door and beckoned us both inside.

    "Wow this place is really cozy. Do you spend a lot of time here? If I were you I would. Although, it seems insulated and like you really wouldn''t be able to hear anyone coming and going. Can you? Do you have other people that work here so that you can come back here and chill, nap or read?" Alex asks Aiden.

    "This is a large library. There are many people who work here. Though, only I live here. This is a shared space for any of my workers. We can pop in here and read. Also." he says, squatting down and pulling out one of the bins from beneath the bed, "This is where we keep rare materials to sell."

    He carefully picks up and puts down items from within the bin. "Not this, not that, not that either. Hope it wasn''t sold already. Where are you?" he mutters to himself. Neither Alex nor I interrupt him. He eventually stands back up, holding a few items in his hands. One of them is a vial holding a substance that keeps rotating between being a water and a mist and a bag with some seeds in it.

    I look at the items and wait for him to say something. He looks me up and down with a slight smile and looks at Alex. He didn''t seem impressed with him. No smile for Alex. Poor Alex.

    "Alright Princess, coins first then I will hand you over the items." Aiden says, blowing his bangs out of his face. It didn''t work at first so he tried a few more times before he manages to. A little. He seems resigned to his bangs still being a little in his face.

    "Alright." I say and reach into my coin purse, taking out what he asks for.

    "Her name isn''t Princess guy, it''s Aria. It''s rude to call people you don''t really know by pet names." Alex says to him.

    "Who says that I don''t know her well?" Aiden asks with one eyebrow raised.

    "Do you?" Alex asks, sounding a little confused. "She didn''t greet you by name."

    "No. I don''t know Princess here. I apologize for any offense Aria."

    "None taken, although I do prefer to be called Aria." I tell him, hoping that my meaning comes across.

    I don''t think he was calling me Princess as a pet name. However, I don''t want Alex to know that I am the princess yet. If he did, he would most likely treat me differently. I like being treated like a person. Not a witch and not the princess. Many people that I have met have treated me like a person, but they also killed me.

    "That is everything we need. Thank you, Aiden. Next time I come back it will be to look at some books." I tell him.

    "Very good. Come find me and I will help you find whatever you are looking for. If you need help that is." he says and smiles. Is that a dig at me being the Princess and people helping me a lot? Or is it because he saw us both gawking at all of the books. "I hope to see you both again soon. Good luck with the project." Aiden tells us and leads us back to the entrance.

    "Thanks. I am sure that we will be back a lot. Aria and I both like to read. Don''t we Aria. And we already agreed that we would be coming back to the library. And coming back once means coming back a lot of times, doesn''t it? Yes, it does! But now is not the time to spend forever talking, there is a mystical magical rare artifact to be crafted!"

    I think that if Alex had to give a one-word response he would die. Just cease existing. Which would be sad. He is amusing to be around.

    As we leave the library, we discuss what our next steps should be.

    "Did you want to come back to my shop, and we can divide our items?" I ask him. "I know that you are still working on your shop so if you would like me to hold onto all of the non-glass crafting items I can." I tell him.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    "That would be great! Thanks Aria. I know that I said earlier that I like to have everything in its place, but I haven''t determined a place for everything yet. Thus, I would be worried about all our hard gotten items disappearing into the great Somewhere, the place all lost and misplaced things go."

    "Let''s go then." I tell him and lead the way back to my shop.

    "Thanks for taking me along with you to get all of the items. It was a nice way for me to meet all of the shop owners." Alex says.

    "Of course. We are partners in this project. Also, this is where you live now so it is important that you know the people around you. You never know when you will need to buy something from them, or when they may buy something for you." I tell him.

    "And friends. It is nice to have friends."

    His comment pushes me into a memory.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Oh Elia, I am so glad that we are friends. I never would have been able to understand that problem on my own." says a tall man in class with me. His name is Zerrick. Odd name, I know. He says that it helps people remember who he is though. I wonder if his parents named him that or if he decided on it himself.

    "You''re welcome. I was stuck on this one for a while myself. Don''t worry though, I looked at other similar problems and their solutions and practiced until I understood it. Math and science are important for us to know after all. As is doing research." I tell him. Zerrick made me a bit uncomfortable at times, but everyone told me that he was a good guy. That I have nothing to worry about.

    "If you are ever in trouble or if you need help you can always come to me."

    "Thanks Zerrick. It is good to have friends here."

    "Especially one as well know, popular and liked as me?" he asks.

    I don''t know how to respond to that. Zerrick is well known. Unlike me, who is here on a scholarship, his family has money. Is money. They contribute a lot to the school every year. He is well known for throwing his money around and spoiling his friends. I don''t know what he is getting at with his question.

    "Yeah no. I don''t care who anyone is or how popular they are. What matters is how they treat other people, themselves and me."

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    I almost freeze in my tracks just thinking about Zerrick. My mouth goes dry and my palms get a little bit sweaty. However, I manage to answer in a way that I think Alex would want me too.

    "Of course. Having friends is great. It''s always nice to have someone to talk to. To share memories or even just a sandwich with." I tell him.

    "Food! Blizzie like food. Sandwich is food. Blizzie like sandwich?"

    Instead of verbally responding I reach into my bag and pet Blizzie.

    "That is not an answer. But Blizzie will accept this. Blizzie likes pets. Blizzie loves Aria. Aria is better than food." Blizzie says, sounding content and a bit sleepy. What a sweet sleepy baby.

    "Glad that you agree with me. Speaking of food, after we split up all of our materials would you like to get something to eat with me?" he asks, glancing over at me, cheeks a little pink.

    "I''d love to." I tell him. I wonder if there is a quiet place that we can go, one where people won''t treat us poorly. Won''t look down on him for showing up with me. "Would you be okay with street food? I know some people look down on it, but I love it." I tell him. This is true for both me and the original Aria.

    "Okay! That sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Did you want to eat it walking around?" he asks.

    "We could do that. Or we can go back to one of our shops and eat it there."

    "Oh! Can we go back to your shop? I really want to see and hear all about how you mix potions!" he asks me enthusiastically.

    "Sure." I say, surprised that he would want to come to my shop. I wonder if he is wondering why I don''t invite him to my place, but I am grateful he isn''t inquiring. I will tell him that I am the princess, but not yet. Not today. I hope he won''t be mad when I tell him.

    We stop into my shop and put all of our items in the back.

    "Let''s just divide them after we eat." I tell him.

    "Sounds good." he replies. "Where should we go?" he asks me.

    I pause for a moment and try to access Aria''s memories. It takes but a moment before I get a flood of information. Seems to be getting easier and easier to access.

    "There is a little place down the street from here. They have some great skewers, tacos and fried veggies." I tell him. I hope he doesn''t mind fried food. "They also have noodles." I add.

    "I am a big fan of noodles." he tells me, and I lead the way to the stand.

    "What can I get you?" the lady at the stand asks us.

    "Can I have noodles with stir fried vegetables. Lamb as the meat. Oh can I also get your least seasoned meat on the side?" I ask her.

    "What kind of pet is it for?" she asks me knowingly.

    "My cat." I tell her, almost but not quite bashful.

    "Haha, I have a cat too. I''ll give them some good chicken meat that I haven''t seasoned yet." she tells me. "And for you?" she asks Alex.

    "Can I get a steak kabob, and fried noodles with loaded veggies?" he asks her.

    "Coming right up. You can wait on the bench over there." she says, indicating a bench for us to sit on. We take our seats and chat comfortable with each other. Our chat ends up being about my favorite foods to feed Blizzie.

    "Meat obviously. I feed him sausages often. I gave him some lamb just the other day." I tell him. "He also loves cat treats, any and all kinds of cat treats." I tell him.

    "Why did you end up with a cat?" he asks. Why did I end up with a cat? Ah, an Aria memory.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    It''s winter and I can hear the snow crunching beneath my boots. I had decided to go for a walk after Irick had yelled at me. Again. For an hour. I tried to walk away from him but he grabbed my arm so badly that I had bruises. Deep blue and purple cruises, with the imprint of his fingers. He had been yelling about Iris. Again. Some slight that he thinks I did to her. Why does he always think that I am bullying Iris? I don''t bully Iris. Poppy might on occasion, but because of my past friendship with her I don''t. I even try to keep Poppy away.

    He doesn''t care about all of that. All he cares about is that his precious Iris. Why can''t he see that I don''t intentionally hurt people. Is he so blinded, so jaded. Did Iris say that I hurt her? That doesn''t sound like Iris at all. Was she around me when she fell again? Why can''t he see that she was always tripping over her own feet. If he had to blame anyone why couldn''t he blame her own shadow. I swear.

    I rub my arms and shiver a little bit. It gets cold in the kingdom. Steel your breath cold, make your nose stick cold. Not many people would be out walking in this cold by choice. It is a blizzard right now after all. As I am walking I see movement from what looks like a snow mound and I hear a weak little voice crying out. It was meows but it sounded like cries for help.

    Without hesitation I make my way over to the small creature. I see what he is inside is a small box with a blanket in it. I can''t tell if there had been more kittens at one point or not. I look around for little bodies, even digging into the snow all around the box, and see nothing. I do happen to see shoe and boot prints all around the box though, so that is a hopeful sign.

    "Why were you the one that got left behind little fella?" I ask him, drawing near. He doesn''t shy away from my touch but instead comes closer. It seems that he wasn''t mistreated before being left out here or he would have shied away.

    I can''t help but think of a story I heard when I was little. Some strange wizard had gone around placing animals in different spots, waiting for their destined partner to come along and bond with them. We called it placing familiars. I don''t know if that is what happened but I am taking this little one home with me.

    I scoop him up and hug him close inside of my coat, letting my body warm his up. On impulse I also scoop up the blanket and bring that with us. I want him to feel comfortable in his new home.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "I guess you can I chose a cat because we chose each other. I wouldn''t want anyone aside from my sweet Sir Blizzard." Named after the blizzard that he was found in. Of course, I don''t say that part out loud. It is mine and his little secret.

 Chapter 23: Dialog Options

    "Found each other, that is such a sweet way to say it. I love that! You found each other." Alex says. Does he really think it is that sweet? I didn''t even tell him the story, which is what makes it sweet. Maybe he is a bit of a romantic?

    "Aria found me. Was cold. Brr. Now warm. Fed. Happy." Blizzie says, crawling out of my bag and onto my lap. Aria''s life seems to have some parallels to mine. Is that one of the reasons that I was able to take her place? Curious. I wonder is Alias would tell me if I asked him. Maybe he would. If he even knows the answer.

    "Food is ready!" We hear the lady behind the stand call to us. Oh good. I am a bit hungry. Although isn''t it too early for lunch? Oh who cares, it''s never too early for food. "And that''s what I would say about my cat too." she tells us. "But that''s just how it goes. Especially with cats." she adds and we both laugh. It looks like Alex wants to join, but he also doesn''t fully seem to get it. Maybe it''s a cat owner thing.

    Alex and I grab our food and head back to my shop. I wonder if he really wants to know how potions are made or if he is just being nice.

    Checkpoint

    ''Ah does this mean that I am in for another death?''

    ''No." I hear Alias say, surprising me. ''I mean, maybe. But I just gave you that one because it has been a while. And you never know what could happen. Toodles!''

    Toodles huh? Well, that is reasonable. However this week I don''t plan to do anything aside from work on this project. Which I guess is a normal Aria move during her birthday week. And birthday week. I hardly celebrate the day, let alone a whole week. Being a princess is so different. Doing my own thing quietly. As long as Alex doesn''t turn on me things should be fine, right?

    We get back to my shop and I let him into my crafting area.

    "Wow, this is so cool!" he exclaims excitedly. "We didn''t have anyone back in my hometown who brewed potions. I almost thought that they were a fairy tale. And don''t you have to have some magic to be able to make potions."

    "Hmm, a bit. It''s my charms that I really put magic in to though." I tell him. Potions were mostly just chemistry. I feel that if anyone put the right ingredients together they can create a potion.

    "Oh that would make sense. I was wondering if I would be able to make a potion since I have some magic. My element is wind by the way. It helps me be able to shape the glass. It cools it and I can make the wind surround the glass and make some really cool patters. If you want, you can watch me blow glass at some point." he tells me. It sounds like he is hoping that I will say yes.

    "Of course I will watch you make something."

    We lapse into a comfortable silence, eating our food. Watching Blizzie eat his food brought me joy. I look over to Alex and see joy on his face as well. This man wouldn''t kill me, right? My eyes flick up to his bars. Still zero suspicion and his affection bar had gone up a little. It was about one forth full. I wonder if it is going to slowly keep increasing. That would be nice, right? As long as people don''t go psycho killer for love I should be okay even if his romance bar maxes out, right? I can''t help but wish that there was a third bar. Not just affection bar but a separate romance bar. Three bars may be a lot to look at, but it seems more convenient.

    ''Romance bar unlocked!'' I hear in my head. It didn''t really sound like Alias''s voice but more mechanical. Almost like a voice you would hear during a game. I can unlock new features?

    I look at the newly unlocked bar. His friendship bar was a third full and there was beginning to be some color in his romance bar as well. Neat! I wonder if there will be a feature to hide bars. I don''t know if I would choose to ever utilize that feature, but it might help me be a little less obsessive about it. Maybe at some point I will learn something that will make me feel safe hiding some, but not now.

    Thinking about the bars I look over at Blizzie. That is when I notice that Blizzie no longer has a bar! I will have to ask Alias about that the next time we speak. Whether that be when I die or when I am sleeping. I prefer sleeping. Who needs dreams when I can chat with my friendly deity.

    "I have an idea." I say when we are getting closer to finishing our food. I bet I can turn this moment into an event.

    "Oh? What is your idea?" Alex asks me. If he had a tail I believe it would be wagging right now. He is giving off some serious puppy dog energy.

    "How would you like to make a potion together with me?" I ask him. That shouldn''t be too hard. We can look for an easy one. He said he wondered if he would be able to make a potion, why not allow him to.

    ''I''m bored.'' I head Alias say in my head.

    ''Didn''t you just say toodles?'' I ask him.

    ''I did. But I want to play a game. Can we play a game?'' Alias asks me. I have been trusting him thus far, why upset him and make that change. Deities could be capricious. I don''t think Alias is, but who knows.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ''Sure Alias. Let''s play a game.''

    ''Yay! We will call this the event game.''

    ''The event game?'' I ask him.

    ''Yes. I get to help with it. I will give you some options. Like dialog options in a game. I am working on developing an advanced status screen window for you, that way you can see how many love, affection and suspicion points you get from each of your actions. Think of it as starting on the training I am making for you.'' he tells me.

    ''I have been liking the free will option!'' I tell him.

    ''I know. And you will get it for most of the time. Just try this out with me please. I need to test that status window I am creating. I might pop in like this on occasion to make sure that everything is working correctly. Now then, you already agreed. Think of it as a patch? Update? DLC?''

    THE EVENT GAME!

    I see this pop up just like the checkpoints pop up. Alias really is bored isn''t he?

    "Are you really okay with making a potion with me?" Alex asks me, clearly very excited.

    CHOSE YOUR DIALOG

    <ol>

    <li>

    Actually I thought better of it

    </li>

    <li>

    Of course. Let''s mix up some love and magic

    </li>

    <li>

    You said you wanted to try to make a potion and it sounds like fun

    </li>

    <li>

    No. I just like saying things to watch people react

    </li>

    <li>

    Meow, I''m a cat

    </li>

    <li>

    I would rather boil my eyes in acid then continue spending time with you

    </li>

    </ol>

    What the heck is with some of these options? Who would choose to say these things? Why? Just... Just why?

    "Well... You said that you wanted to try to make a point and I think it sounds like fun." I say, glad that Alias let me add in a few words to make it sounds more natural.

    "Yay! I''m almost done with my food. Let''s finish and you can teach me all about making potions. And don''t worry, I won''t start making potions and selling them in my store. I swear it!" he says.

    <ol>

    <li>

    You better swear. I don''t do this for just anyone. Repay me somehow too

    </li>

    <li>

    I know. I trust you. You don''t really seem like that kind of person

    </li>

    <li>

    I like rabbits. Do you like rabbits?

    </li>

    <li>

    Man this food it good

    </li>

    <li>

    If you break your promise I will hunt you down. And I will kill you

    </li>

    </ol>

    What kind of sociopathic nonsense is this? It''s not like this is kill of be killed. This is more of try to change other people''s perceptions of me so that I am able to live.

    "I know you won''t tell. I trust you. You really don''t seem like that kind of person." I tell him. This still feels so unnatural. I don''t want to think of this as a game. But if Alias is working on a new system I know that means that he is only trying to look out for me.

    "I''m glad that you can already trust me, at least a little bit. That means that we really are already becoming friends. It used to be a little hard for me to like friends. I like cute things and people say that I talk too much."

    <ol>

    <li>

    Yeah liking cute things is pretty lame

    </li>

    <li>

    They are right. Do you ever shut up?

    </li>

    <li>

    I really like cute things as well. Also, I don''t think you talk too much. It seems like you are just really enthusiastic.

    </li>

    <li>

    Meh. Who cares what others think. You do you boo.

    </li>

    </ol>

    How stupid some of these options are almost makes me want to laugh out load. Who talks like that. I can''t stand being mean to other people. Maybe some of these dialog options will help me be mean when I have to be though. That is actively less funny. However, that isn''t the situation I find myself in right now.

    "You know, I also really like cute things as well. Also, I don''t think you talk too much. It seems like you are just really enthusiastic. It is nice to meet such an optimistic person." I tell him. Yay, I like that I am not locked into saying the exact words. That last part had to be added.

    "Thanks." he says and I see him begin to blush. I am thankful that I am not in some sort of web cartoon and I don''t have to think color in his face means that he has a fever. Some tropes are fun to read, but would suck to have to play out. Reading and living are totally different things.

    We quickly finish eating and Alex turns to me expectantly. Let''s not let him down!

    "What kind of potion can we make?"

    POTION OPTIONS

    <ol>

    <li>

    A love potion. (Hope that he doesn''t drug you and turn you into a love sick zombie of a person)

    </li>

    <li>

    A minor luck potion (Great option. Just hope that he doesn''t think that it means that he is going to get lucky with you)

    </li>

    <li>

    A minor speed potion (He can use this when he realizes you are too weird for him. Flee, flee!)

    </li>

    <li>

    A minor potion of walking on water (Hope he doesn''t try to walk more than a few steps. This is more of a party trick after all)

    </li>

    </ol>

    "What do you think about making a minor luck potion?" I ask him. Maybe it would have been better to give him the option. "Many people come in to buy a love potion, but I''m not a fan of those. Also I was thinking that a luck potion could help bring more people into your store." I tell him, and wait for his response.

    "I think that''s a great idea! I''m actually pretty uncomfortable with the thought of love potions." he says, and his face falls a little bit. Oh no, he thinks poorly of me now doesn''t he?

    <ol>

    <li>

    It''s just a love potion. Don''t get your panties in a bunch

    </li>

    <li>

    I know. It makes me uncomfortable. However, mine can backfire. It builds on emotions that are already there

    </li>

    <li>

    You don''t need to use a love potion on me. Wink!

    </li>

    <li>

    Seriously? Everyone uses them though...

    </li>

    <li>

    Do you not like me now?

    </li>

    </ol>

    Five is actually almost tempting, but it also sounds a little too pouty for me. I''ll choose what I actually feel. "I know. It also makes me uncomfortable. However, mine can backfire. It builds on the emotions that are already there. The person who uses the potion has a small window to help those emotions stay real. If they can''t manage that, oops." I tell him, hoping the oops wasn''t an oops to say.

    "Oh. That isn''t as bad as I was thinking." he tells me, and I see him perking back up. "I''ll never ask you to make one or buy one from you. If people stop buying them then you can stop making them, right?" he asks.

    <ol>

    <li>

    You are too na?ve. That will never happen

    </li>

    <li>

    Pretty much, yeah

    </li>

    <li>

    That''s what I hope for. I am trying to build a life for myself. I guess I got so caught up in having fun making potions that I forgot about the consequences

    </li>

    <li>

    I can use one on you now to prove to you that they really aren''t that bad

    </li>

    </ol>

    No system, I am not going to drug this poor man. Honestly! What kind of a monster does this system expect me to be? Aria wouldn''t actually say some of these things, would she? Is this why people see her in such a negative light? Because she lets her mouth get the better of her?

    "That''s what I hope for. I am trying to build a life for myself, outside of the one that is expected of me. I guess that I got so caught up in the fun of making potions that I forgot about the consequences." I tell him. That sounds more like what I would say. I hope. It is how I feel. It''s how the original Aria felt as well. I can tell.

    "I get it. I am out here trying to make a life for myself too. Well, how about we move on from the topic of love potions. Let''s talk about luck potions! How you make them, and what exactly they do!"

    <ol>

    <li>

    Don''t you want to know what they do before you make one?

    </li>

    <li>

    Yes, make potions first and ask questions later. You really get me!

    </li>

    <li>

    Who says that I will even give you the correct instructions to make the right potion?

    </li>

    <li>

    I don''t even know how these things work or what they do. I just make them. That is all. No knowledge or foresight needed here.

    </li>

    </ol>

    Yeah I''m going with option number one please. I''m not the shoot first ask questions later type of person.

    "Don''t you want to know what the luck potion does before we make one? I really want you to be happy with the potion that we make together."

    "Yeah. That is what I meant. I get my words crisscrossed sometimes. What does the luck potion do?" he asks me.

    <ol>

    <li>

    It helps you get lucky with the ladies. Wink wink.

    </li>

    <li>

    Nothing. It just smells funny.

    </li>

    <li>

    It gives you the courage to try new things

    </li>

    <li>

    It boosts your luck. When you are trying at something it gives you a small boost towards succeeding in that task

    </li>

    </ol>

    I hope none of the option but four are truly correct.

    "It boosts your luck. When you are doing a task that has the possibility of failure the potion boosts your chance of success. It is only a minor potion so it can''t affect things in a really big way." I tell him.

    "While I want to use that to help people come into my shop I think it would be better served on us making this artifact."

    <ol>

    <li>

    I changed my mind

    </li>

    <li>

    That''s a stupid thing to use it for. We are awesome and need no assistance

    </li>

    <li>

    Sleep on it. Decide tomorrow. I''m not up for this. You tired me out

    </li>

    <li>

    Let''s get started

    </li>

    </ol>

    Again such an obvious choice.

    "Let''s get started."

 Chapter 24: Luck Potion

    ''Thank you for playing and providing that wonderful feedback. You can go back to having freewill. This will pop up again in the future. You won''t know when though. Hahaha. Enjoy your date.'' Alias says to me.

    ''I''ll try, thank you." I tell him. It was unnerving and disturbing but also a little fun. I am a sucker for a good game after all.

    "Sounds good. Let''s get started indeed. What is the first thing we do?" Alex asks me, clearly excited.

    "First we find the recipe I wrote. Wait here for a moment." I tell him.

    "Will do!" he responds.

    I leave him in my crafting room and go fetch my recipe book. I flip through the pages as I walk back to the room. When I enter the room I see him looking around at my different ingredients.

    "Pretty neat, right?" I ask him.

    "Very neat indeed. I haven''t even heard of some of these things. Essence of sweet dreams, distilled nightmares, powdered evernight flowers. How do you even distill some of these things?" he asks me.

    "That is a very good question, and one I don''t know the answer to. I purchase the ingredients, I don''t make them myself. Though it might be nice to have my own little ingredient garden someday." I tell him. I don''t know why I don''t have one right now. I am guessing that it has something to do with Irick and my bad reputation. I wish I didn''t care about my bad reputation.

    "Well here is hoping that you are eventually able to get the garden that you want. It might mean moving your store to an area with a lot of space around it though." he comments.

    "Maybe eventually." I tell him. I almost added that it might be possible after marrying, but it didn''t feel like the appropriate thing to say right now. "Shall we take a look at the recipe?" I ask him, laying the book down on a clear space at my potion brewing station.

    "Yes. Let''s." he says and moves to look over my shoulder.

    "Let''s go!" Blizzie says, hopping up onto the counter and looking down at the book as well. "This is a very good recipe. I can tell."

    "Okay we need:

    4 Dew Drops of Probability Distortion

    8 Dried and Ground up 4 Leaf Clovers

    4 drops of Hopes and dreams. (Aged, but probably still good)

    A dash of Skill and Talent (no more than that of it wouldn''t be luck now would it)

    1 Scoop of Powdered Fluff of Rabbit Born on a New Moon

    13 drops of Waters of Success

    2 scoops of fate (finely ground up to remove any pesky hold it has on you)

    7 Ground Petals of Peonies

    7 Ground petals of Hydrangea

    3 scoops of Powdered Spider''s Web from a Spider of Choices (all that is right for all that was left was removed)

    3 vials of Water of water to make it a liquid

    "What flavoring would you like to add to it? I like adding flavoring to my potions so that they don''t taste atrocious. They usually smell pleasant but they really don''t taste very good." I warn him.

    "Well since there a few different flowers how about we add lemon and honey flavoring like you would to a tea?" he asks.

    "Let me see if that would change anything." I tell him.

    I flip through the book to see if I had anything in here about flavoring potions.

    Flavors and Effects:

    Dark Chocolate - A touch of romance

    Orange - A touch of energy

    Lemon - A touch of focus

    Crystalized Honey - A touch of happiness

    Cherry - Medicinal Properties

    Grape - A touch of sleepiness

    **There will be notes at the bottom of the recipes to show if they change the potion into a different potion

    "Yes, we can add lemon and honey flavoring" I tell him. I don''t think either of those added effects will hurt. And they won''t change it from being a luck potion.

    "Sounds good. I am glad to hear that." he tells me. "What do we do first?"

    "Most people would say put in your powders first so that it doesn''t splash, but what is the fun in that. Go right down the list so that you don''t miss anything." I tell him.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    "That makes sense." he tells me.

    I pull out all of the ingredients and set them, in order, on my potion prepping station. I also get all of the different measuring tools that we will need. It seems I have scoopers and droppers for everything. Labeled. I set those out in front of each of the ingredients. Next I grab myself a clean mortar and pestle. I have an area to clean and sanitize everything as well. Convenient.

    "First take the dropper and get a single drop at a time for the Dew Drops of Probability Distortion." I tell him. "Let me show you how."

    I demonstrated for him how to make sure you only get one drop at a time. Lucky for me these droppers only let you let one drop at a time. I don''t tell him this as I want him to have a stronger feeling of accomplishment at the end.

    Next I show him how to measure a scoop appropriately. He adds the 4 Leaf Clovers and Drops of Hopes and Dreams.

    "I hope you don''t mind if I add in the dash of Skills and Talent. The dash isn''t measured, it is a perfected skill that takes time and practice. I want you to have a working potion in the end." I tell him.

    "Okay. That makes sense." he says, giving me a smile. "You adding something also helps it feel like a potion that we made together, and not just one you taught me to make." he says. He is really clever with his lines when he wants to be now isn''t he. What a charmer.

    I grab the Powdered Skill and Talent and give it a small tap into the cauldron. This feels a bit like baking. I feel that when you know what you are doing you can be a little less rigid, and a bit more creative with what you are doing.

    We go along with the recipe, me watching to make sure that he is putting in the exact numbers needed. I take his hand in mine and guide him in grinding the flower petals. There is an exact art to this. Also this is an event so I have to do something clich¨¦ like that. It is a must!

    "I am not sure if it is you or the flowers that smell so nice." he says as I am guiding him in grinding up the petals. I have never been in a situation like this before. I want to let go of his hand, jump back and shout that it''s the flowers. I don''t though. Somehow.

    "Why thank you. I hope it is both me and the flower." I let go of his hand and take a step back. "And those are good to be added now."

    Alex adds the flowers and the Powdered Spider''s Web from a Spider of Choices. Once he is done I ask, "Do you mind if I add in the flavoring?"

    "Not at all. Please go ahead." he says. We are both blushing now. I almost want to lie to myself and say that it is just warm in this room, but that is not totally it.

    I take the lemon flavoring and honey crystals and add them until you could just barely smell a hint of each. Somehow it didn''t take much.

    "Now that everything is added we put it over the fire and heat until it is a sparkling silver color." I tell him, glad that it isn''t gold. That would would feel too much like I am stealing from another story.

    "Sounds like it''s going to be pretty." Alex says.

    "It will be, yes." I tell him.

    I watch the potion as it simmers, enjoying the sight of it. I have a feeling of accomplishment myself. I can''t wait until I try making my own potion. However, that isn''t going to be tonight. Tonight will be doing research which is much less fun. Although it does mean seeing the cute librarian again.

    "What got you interested in making potions?" Alex asks me.

    "It''s something that I have always enjoyed. My mother at one time was a washerwoman. I would help her make soaps. I loved the different effects that my soaps made on the clothes. The way that they smelled fresh, seeing a hard stain removed, seeing dingy clothes look white again. It was something so simple, but also something that I could take pride in." I tell him. I hope that he doesn''t dig in too much.

    "That sounds like fun. But how did it move from soaps to potions?"

    "Our situation changed and I was introduced to the thought of crafting potions. I have a talent for math and science so someone suggested that I try my hand at making potions." I tell him. I guess tomorrow I can tell him more. I will tell him that I am the Princess. Tomorrow.

    "The potions make sense, but what about the other things that you make, like charms?" he asks.

    "I guess it just made sense to me. The two really seem to go together well. Once I became good and making potions I dug into books about how to make charms. I had a lot of fun making them, and decided to see how many different kinds of charms I could make. I also decided to make curse dolls. Again I didn''t really think about the consequences." I tell him. I hope he doesn''t think too poorly of me.

    "Do people actually buy those?" he asks, a mixture of horror and fascination.

    "No." I tell him, shrugging my shoulders. Even if they don''t buy them I can have them in my shop to scare customers into not bullying me while in my shop. Desperate times I suppose.

    "Well that''s good. Sorry for your sales though." he says.

    "Don''t worry too much about my sales. People really like charms and potions." I tell him. Even if they don''t like me.

    "Potions fun! Charms pretty!" Blizzie adds. I love that he likes to add to the conversation on occasion. My sweet little guy.

    "If you had a familiar, what kind of animal would you want it to be?" I ask him. It might seem like it is out of the blue, but I had been thinking about Blizzie, my familiar.

    "A bird." he tells me. He didn''t even have to think about it. "Birds and wind magic seem to go hand in hand. Also they seem so free."

    "Wouldn''t you be afraid that it would fly away before it bonds with you?" I ask him. He doesn''t seem like the type that would keep a bird caged.

    "That is a problem." he tells me and shrugs his shoulders. "I could just let it fly around the upstairs of my apartment. It isn''t as good as the sky, but it isn''t being trapped in a small metal cage either." he tells me. Seems like he has put a lot of thought into it.

    "That would give him some space, and you two would be able to get to know one another." I tell him. "Oh look at that! The potion has turned silver!" I tell him.

    "Wow you''re right. What a pretty color!" he says.

    "Let''s let it cool down a bit before we pour it into a vial for you to take with you." I recommend to him. I go over and put the fire out. A magic fire pit sure is useful. Easy to start a fire, and easy to put out that fire.

    "Do you think it would hurt anything if I cool it down with my wind magic?" he asks me.

    "I have never tried doing that, but I don''t think it will hurt. I don''t recommend touching the potion with your magic however. I don''t know the outcome of that, but I have a feeling that it would change something about the property of the potion." I warn him.

    Taking my warning to heart he carefully moves the air around the cauldron, cooling it down from the outside. He doesn''t talk as he concentrates on his task. I am glad that he is being so careful. I don''t want to give him a potion with untested properties.

    After a while I tell him, "It should be cool enough now."

    I take a small potion bottle and carefully scoop the liquid into it. The vials seem to be enchanted to suck the potion into them, making it easy for me to not miss a single drop. I stopper the bottle and hand it over to Alex.

    "Do you mind if I walk you home?" I ask him. "I have a feeling that you want to get started on working the glass. Also, my potions are the most potent right after I make them. The potency slowly goes down the longer they sit. They never become fully ineffectual though, so no worries about that!" I tell him. I don''t want him to think that my magic becomes worthless.

    "I would love it if you would walk me home." he tells me.

    We walk rather closely back to him shop, talking about what potions would be the most ridiculous. We toss back and forth ones such as: Potion of Hand Walking, Potion of Boosting Creepiness Factor, Potion of Enhanced Stalking Prowess, Potion of Oversleeping. Maybe not the most clever, but it makes us laugh. I don''t know why some of my contributions ended up being a bit dark, but I guess that is just a part of my personality.

    "I had a lot of fun today." I tell him when we are standing outside of his shop.

    "I did too." he says. For a moment it looks like he is about to lean in, but chooses not to at the last moment. Maybe he doesn''t want to make me uncomfortable. We hardly know each other after all.

    "Do you believe in love at first sight?" he asks me.

    I have to be honest with him. I don''t want a relationship build only on lies. "I don''t know. It might be possible." he asks me.

    "Hmm." he says and walks into his shop.

    I wonder if he was trying to not so subtly let me know that he is into me. Why did he phrase it that way though? Do I believe in love at first sight? Did he ask me that because this is basically a dating sim, or is that a part of his personality. Is that the world influencing him, or just a part of who he is? I wish there was a way for me to know for sure.

    I think about the effects this world has on people as I walk to the library. Alias said that everyone''s personality has been corrupted. I can''t tell with Alex though. He seems so joyful. Jasper also didn''t kill me. Does this world have different effects depending on the person? With my mind so caught up in my thoughts I am standing in front of the library before I know it.

 Chapter 25: Choosing my totems

    I walk into the library and look around for Aiden. He said that he would help me after all. Or would it just be better to wander up and down the book isle until he notices me and sees that I am looking lost?

    I wish that I knew how these books were organized, but I don''t. It can''t be alphabetical. Is it by author? Even if it was by author though wouldn''t it also be broken up into section? Blargh, is there a chart somewhere that tells me what the different sections are?

    As I am reading through a list of books displayed on a random shelf, I hear a voice behind me say, "Can I help you in finding what you are looking for?"

    I jump. I didn''t hear him walk up behind me. I spin around and see Aiden looking down at me. He is close up as he had asked me in a soft voice if I needed is help. Close, too close. I try to take a step back but there is the bookshelf there.

    Laughing Aiden takes a step back away from me. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to startle you." he says.

    "You didn''t startle me." I say, attempting to sound haughty but I am pretty sure that I just sound pathetic instead.

    "Haha well then. I guess I have nothing to apologize for. Now then, did you need help finding something?" he asks me again.

    "Actually, yes I do. Can you help me find books about the representation of elements?" I ask him.

    "Do you mean books on the history of magic, or what each element does? The usefulness of each element?" he asks me.

    "While I will want those books soon, that isn''t what I am looking for. You see, for the artifact that I am making I need to carve a totem to represent each of the elements. I know that it needs to be my representation, but that doesn''t mean that I can''t get a little help from some research, right?" I ask hoping that he will agree with me. I am also hoping that I don''t sounds like a crazy person.

    "Hmm." he says, twirling his hair around his finger. "Ah yes, I think I know a book that might help you. There are books out there about everything now." he adds. Yes, I suppose there is.

    "Thank you."

    "Follow me" he says, so I do. I follow him up to the third floor. He leads me up against the right wall, six bookshelves away from the stairs we had come up.

    Aiden leans down and flips through the books quickly before pulling one out. It is a bit of a thinner book titled: Magic and Animal Correlations Through the Ages.

    "This should help you with what you are looking for." he tells me, dumping the book into my hands. "Anything else you think you may need?" he asks.

    "A book about carving and one that also goes into how to permanently waterproof an item." I request of him.

    "Fine. Go sit at one of the tables in the back and I will bring them to you once I have found them." he tells me. "Also did you know that you smell like flowers? It''s nice." After saying that he walks away as if he had said nothing at all.

    I give his strangeness no thought as I make my way to one of the tables in the back. I find a small table with a comfortable chair at each end and sit down. I set the book onto the table and examine the table of contents. Skimming through it shows that this book really might have the information that I need.

    Wishing that I had something to write with I look around me and see that on every few tables there is paper and an ink quill. No inkwell with it. Curious I walk over and run the quill over the bottom left corner of the paper. To my surprise I find that the quill writes perfectly. How wonderful!

    I take the paper back over to where I am sitting and write out a different sections for each element. I want to make sure that I am writing my ideas down and that I don''t forget them.

    I begin with wind. I flip the book open and begin to read through the sections. The book is so well written and presents its information in such an interesting way that I almost get sucked in. I remind myself that I want to get this item created with Alex before my birthday party. I am not sure if that is going to be a turning point for me in some way or not.

    Animals and Magical Creatures that correlate with wind:

    Birds - Often represented by the wind element. They symbolize freedom and flight

    Wind Fairies - They control wind. Obviously

    Wind dragon - Creatures that embody wind

    As I read through I realize that all of the animals are basically birds. Creatures that exist mainly in the air, that make their living through flight. I was already going to go with a bird but I didn''t want to do that and realize that this world doesn''t agree with me.

    Animals and Magical Creatures that correlate with fire:

    Salamanders - These lizards live in places full of fire

    Fire Dragon - Creatures that embody fire

    Phoenix - A creature that bursts into flame and is reborn from the ashes

    I am just going to assume that there is a dragon for each element and not write them down in each section. Saves some space. Also, I was already thinking about going with a phoenix. It just feels so appropriate.

    Animals and Magical Creatures that correlate with water:

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Mermaid - A magical creature that spends its life within the water. Also controls water

    Kraken - A fearful creature that lives in the water and destroys ships

    Kelpi - Water horses that drag people into the water and drown them

    I was wanting to make a turtle. Turtles are cute. They aren''t evil creatures that murder people. However, if these are the creatures in this world that people see as representing water, who am I to argue. No one that is who. I let out a small sigh and continue my research.

    Animals and Magical Creatures that correlate with earth:

    Stag - Seen as noble. Some are mystical protectors of the forest

    Wolf - These can be either magical or non-magical. They are loyal and fierce

    Basilisk - A large snake with the power to turn its prey to stone

    The stag huh? I had actually been thinking about deer. Deer are seen to be protectors of the forest in shows and movies that I had watched back in my world. However, a magical creature that can turn its prey to stone? Would that be something more common for this world to relate to? I groan and drop my head into my hands.

    "Research not going well?" Aiden asks as he sets my other requested books on the table in front of me.

    "No, I am groaning because it is going perfectly." I say, sounding a bit catty and sarcastic. Oops, that isn''t going to help change the perception of those around me.

    I hear Aiden laugh and sit down across from me. "Care to show me what you have so far?" he asks. Without saying anything I slide the paper across the table to him.

    "Hmm. You are groaning and you have only gone through the common elements?" he asks, and chuckles softly to himself.

    "I know right?" I tell him, lifting my head slightly and glancing at him.

    "And to think, you haven''t even gotten to the rare elements. I can''t even begin to imagine how you are going to feel in researching the Spirit element. Most people argue that it doesn''t even exist. I am surprised that you are including it in your project." he tells me.

    The Spirit element is said to not even exist? Was that ever mentioned in the games? I don''t think that it was. They really only focused on the elements of the male characters. I''m not even sure that the game was totally clear on what Iris''s element is. Oh! Maybe the game just assigned her the same element as the boy whose path you choose. I really can''t recall.

    "Do you want my help?" he asks me. I really want to tell him yes, please help me.

    "No. Thank you for the offer, but I think this is a decision that I am supposed to make alone, as I will be the one crafting these."

    "Ah. That seems like a good reason. I hope at some point you will stop in and have enough time to converse with me." he says getting up out of his chair. He flashes me one more smile and walks away.

    I look into my bag so see why Blizzie isn''t commenting. He is curled up in a little ball in the bag, his little tail tucked between his paws as if he is snuggling with it. I suppose he can''t comment if he is sleeping. The silly sweet baby.

    I go back to looking at the book. Is it really going to get much harder from here? Thinking about it I don''t even have any idea what I want to do for the next elements. Light, Dark, Time, Space and Spirit. Nope. No clue. I''m hoping this book helps.

    Animals and Magical Creatures that correlate with light:

    Kirin - a maned creature with the torso of a deer, tail of an ox and horse hooves. They are judges of morality and the punishers of the wicked

    Unicorn - Known as being pure and kindhearted

    While it is very tempting to carve a Kirin, I think I am just going to go with a unicorn. It resonates with me as a being that represents the element of light. See, that one wasn''t too hard.

    Animals and Magical Creatures that correlate with dark:

    Dark Hound - Known as a servant of creatures of darkness

    Bat - Sometimes seen as servants of the underworld

    The Owl - Lives in the night and can be symbolic of it

    An owl huh? I suppose that makes as much sense as anything. I am truly glad that we have common animals between this world and my own. It seems the darkness element is mostly represented by shadow beings and ghosts that lead people astray. Also it seems that people with the darkness element control shadows. I wonder how that works. I also wonder what my element is. It was suspected to be darkness, but no one ever confirmed it.

    Animals and Magical Creatures that correlate with time:

    Immortal Jellyfish - Said to live forever unless killed, thus often used to symbolize defying time

    That''s it. It seems nothing else is used to represent the element of time. Time mages and wizards wear the symbol of the jellyfish as a patch on their clothing. They also wear symbols that represent a clock, but a clock is not an animal.

    Animals and Magical Creatures that correlate with space:

    Gwyllgri - Large black dogs that can teleport and disappear

    Another element that seems to have just one creature attached to it? There rarer elements don''t get much love do they? That is kind of sad actually. I think all of the elements are deserving of love and representation. Or maybe people with these magics just like to have one symbol to quickly be able to recognize one another? That''s what I am going with.

    Animals and Magical Creatures that correlate with spirit:

    Fae Fox - A creature that is only believed to exist. It is a spirit in the shape of a purple and silver colored fox. It is playful and affectionate if one can find and befriend it

    Great so even the animal representation of this element is said to only maybe exist? I am glad that I did my research before just making up something in my head that might possibly fit the elements if you don''t think too hard about it. I stare down at my list then go grab another piece of paper. I then create drawings for each of the creatures to use as a reference. Next to each picture I also include a description of the way that it is usually colored. That done my head drops to the desk and I just lay there. This reminds me of studying for exams.

    Okay no time to let my energy flag. I need to figure out how I am going to make these. I flip through the book, reading up on technique. As I read I feel the knowledge sinking in to me. It seems that Aria did her own carvings for enchanted pendants and for parts of her charms. Nice! Muscle memory and textbook knowledge for the win! A winning combination.

    Next I look at common materials used for carving and the different colors they come in. Skimming through them I decide on marble. Last thing. I grab the third book and flip through it. I only skim enough to get what I am looking for, common alchemy ingredients used to waterproof. I write down what they are, and stack up the books. As I am wondering what I am supposed to do for them Aiden approaches me.

    "I take it that you are done?" he asks.

    "Yes." I tell him.

    "Very good. You can leave the books at the corner of the table. Someone will come by to collect them and put them away. We want to make sure they go back to the correct places." he tells me. Makes sense. I didn''t even want to try to shelve them.

    "Sounds good." I reply.

    "I''m impressed. I didn''t expect a princess to be able to work so hard. Don''t you have people who do these sorts of things for you?" Aiden asks me, observing me closely as I respond.

    "I''m sure that some do. I''m not one of them. I take responsibility for my own work. I decided to help with this project and I am going to do my part. And I am going to do it well!" I tell him. I feel too tired to try to justify myself to him. He can believe me if he wants, but I don''t plan on convincing him.

    "I can''t wait to see how it turns out. I guess I will have to stop by Alexander''s shop." he tells me. I see that he is good at remembering names.

    "Yes, I suppose you will have to. His shop is called An Assortment of Magical Bits and Bobs. I''m sure he would like it if you stopped by." I tell him, carefully placing my papers into the bag. It seems that the ink dried instantly so I didn''t have to worry about it smearing.

    "I wonder if that is true." he says and gives a mysterious little smile. "Let me walk you to the door."

    On the way to the door I glimpse some movement out of the corner of my eye. Is that...white fur? Curious I pause and focus on the movement.

    Checkpoint

    "What are you looking at?" Aiden asks me.

    "I think I see white fur. Do you have an animal living here?" I ask him.

    "Oh is that my Princess Sophianna. She is my cat. Come here sugar!" he calls.

    I know that he is calling to his pet cat but my body reacts without me being able to stop it. "Bunny!'' I say cheerfully, putting my hands up in my streamer pose. I freeze, horrified.

    Aiden whips his head over to me so fast I wouldn''t be surprised if he gave himself whip-lash. That could not have been pleasant. However why would he react like that. How would he have heard of sugar bunny? It simply isn''t possible. He must just think that this was a very strange thing to say.

    "How do you?" I hear him begin to ask when a furry missal launches itself right at him, cutting off what he was about to say.

    "Well I should really be going." I say, stuttering.

    "Right. Let''s finish walking you to the door." I am too startled to argue and let him lead me to the door.

    "I hope to see you soon." he says, leaning toward me and saying that right in my ear. I begin to blush and he chuckles.

    I start walking away from the library when I feel hot all of the sudden and collapse to the ground, a sword stabbed through me, right in my heart killing me. I want to turn and see who killed me but am unable to.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Well that was strange." I say to Alias upon waking up.

    "I agree."

    "It seemed he knew who Sugar Bunny was, but that should be impossible."

    "Hmm." is the only things Alias says.

    "Can you sent me back to the last checkpoint?" I ask him.

    "Of course. Just, maybe don''t mention the cat this time?"

    ~~~~~~~~~~~

    I start from the checkpoint and don''t mention the cat. Aiden walks me to the door and again whispers, "I hope to see you soon." I blush again and he chuckles again. I make my way towards home.

 Chapter 26: Elia

    It is a quiet walk home with Blizzie asleep in my bag. He must be worn out as he is sleeping like a rock. Not having him commenting gives me time alone in my head, a thing that I have never enjoyed that much. I was always one of those people that had to have noise going.

    I eventually make it back home and have the strong desire to just collapse face first into my bed and not move again until morning. I do know, however that isn''t something Aria would do. Instead I walk into my room and see Poppy reading in a big soft and plush chair in the corner of my room. Has that always been there?

    "Hi! You are home a bit late today aren''t you?" she asks. I flick my eyes up to the bars above Poppy''s head and see no change in the suspicion bar. "I''m glad! It means that you are really trying to impress this boy. I suppose it also means that you trust me at least a little. You know, to help with planning the party? Being your lady''s maid means that I know you best, so they ask my opinion on things. It''s kind of nice!" Poppy says, beaming from ear to ear. "Poppy the Aria expert!" she shouts, throwing her hands up above her head, book flying out of them and landing with a thud upon the flood.

    "Haha, if anyone is an expert on me it truly is you." I say, and I can tell that she loves the compliment.

    "So, what were you and your new fella doing?"

    "He isn''t my new fella Poppy, he is just an attractive man that I am spending my time working on a project with. And he is only one of many possible suitors." I remind her.

    "You can tell me all about your progress while we eat. Let me go make us some dinner." she says and heads out of the room. I wonder what she is making? So far everything that I have had to eat in this world has been tasty so I am not worried. I''m sure dinner will taste as good as everything else.

    While Poppy is away, I decide to pull the diary back out and look through it a little bit. Maybe I can find last year''s birthday party entry? I flip through the pages until I find the entry I am looking for.

    I had my birthday today. It was another very large party full of people who hate me. They just show up as a display of status. Also, for the food. If there is one thing, I can complement it''s the food served at my parties.

    The theme of the year was "Glistening". How is that even a theme? Everything was decorated in silvers and gold. There were also crushed gems sprinkled over the decorations to make them shine. I also had to dress to match the theme. I wore a ruby red and back dress. The black part of the dress had gem dust rubbed into it. At least I looked stunning.

    Men pretended to flirt with me again this year. They brought me drinks, or a food item and made very casual small talk. They would smile at me or touch me on the shoulder when the king looked at us. As soon as the king looked away, they would walk away, rubbing the hand that they had touched me with on their pants as though it was contaminated. They just want to be considered for the responsibility of being my husband. They want the money and status and nothing else. I despise them all. Utterly loathe.

    I danced with multiple people including my old friend Jason. There were moments that he almost seemed happy to be spending time with me. Whenever there was almost a smile or warmth I see it crushed. Why does he hate me so much? Why can''t there be any joy between us? What happened? Does he honestly also believe that I bully Iris. Why? He used to know me so well.

    Irick also decided to dance with me. I guess he must have felt like it was his responsibility. I never asked him to do that though. He bruised my hands by squeezing them so hard. He refused to look at me the entire time. The only thing that he said the entire dance was "At least you are a good dancer".

    After Irick''s dance I was saved by Bennett. He stole the my next couple of dances and talked to me. We walked around together commenting on everyone''s clothing and the music. We eventually ended up on a balcony outside. He apologized to me about how everyone has been treating me. He promised that next year won''t be as bad. I love him but we both know that is not a promise that he can make.

    Poppy had a nice time though at least. She is a beautiful young woman and many men trip over their feet to get a dance with her. You could hear her laugh ringing out across the room. That makes me happy at least. I want Poppy to find a nice young man and settle down. She deserves to have her own life as well.

    I suppose that is all I will write for tonight. I really do hope that next year will be better. I can''t imagine how it could be any worse.

    Well at least now I kind of know what to be expecting from this party. At least there is good food. I really hope that I have the knowledge and muscle memory to be able to dance. If I am a good dancer that means that I need to be able to dance flawlessly. I have always enjoyed dancing though I never had much time to learn or practice.

    I stash the diary back into its hiding place and lay on the bed. I feel a weight come onto the bed with me. I feel Blizzie''s weight settle in next to me. "Aria okay?" he asks,

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "Yes, I am just a little tired." I tell him.

    "Me too." Blizzie says and yawns as if to punctuate his words.

    "Haven''t you already been sleeping?" I ask him.

    "Yes. Sleeping makes me sleepy." Blizzie tells me. Ah. Cat logic.

    I reach out to Blizzie and he walks over and lays on my chest. We lay this way together until Poppy comes back into the room.

    "Why hello there sleepyhead!" she says to me. "Got our dinner here." she tells me. "You must be pretty tired to be crashing like this lately."

    "I have been. But I must admit that being this busy feels nice. I like the feeling of accomplishment when I am making progress on a project."

    I glance at the bar above her head to see if that was something that was okay for me to say. I see her affection bar move up the smallest bit and her suspicion bar flickers for a moment before staying the same. Perhaps she isn''t sure if that is a very Aria thing to say or not.

    I catch Poppy up on my progress while we eat. She confirms to me that all of these are good representations of the elements.

    "You better make my element the cutest. It better be the most adorable bird that I have ever seen. If not, I shall have to think of some clever revenge. Oh, I know. I shall make your next soup so hot that you will be breathing fire!" Poppy tells me.

    "No worries, Poppy. It will be the most adorable bird you have ever seen." I tell her.

    "What material are you planning to make them out of?" Poppy asks me. The curiosity is clear on her face.

    "Well, I am actually planning to make two different versions of each totem. I plan on making tiny stuffed animals of them and also carvings. I will then let Alex decide what he prefers. This does mean that I need to create the correct water proofing potion." I tell her.

    "Oh, sounds like fun! You will have to tell me what your failed potions do." she says and lets out a small high-pitched laugh. It sounds like a mixture between the tinkling of bells and the cackling of a hyena.

    "I''ll let you know if anything fun happens." I assure her.

    We finish our meal and Poppy helps me get ready for bed.

    "I''ll wake you early for a bath and breakfast. I know how you get when you are working on a project." Poppy tells me.

    "Thanks Poppy." I tell her.

    She makes her way out of my room and turns off the light. I wonder what Alias and I will be speaking about tonight. Will he show up in my dreams every time I fall asleep? Do I want him to? Well at least for a while it will be nice to be able to speak with him. What better way do I have to learn about this world? With that last thought I fall asleep.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    I look around to see what my dreams will bring me. As I look around, I notice something that puts me slightly on edge. I feel the same that I do when I speak with Alias, but he is nowhere to be seen. Also I am not in our shared dreaming area. Instead I find myself standing in my old bedroom. Elia''s bedroom.

    I walk around the familiar setting and notice that things are not completely as I left them. Why is that? Is that because it is a dream? It doesn''t feel like a dream though. I look down as I feel something brush against my legs. I look down and see Blizzie.

    "Blizzie!" I hear a voice say. I turn my attention to the speaker and see my old body. Elia was calling for Blizzie.

    I make eye contact with my past self. This isn''t quite a dream so who is in my body.

    "How do you know Blizzie?" I ask her. I turn my back slightly on her as I walk over to go pet my little Snow Bunny.

    "He was my cat in my prior life. How do you know sweet Snowy?" she asks me.

    "She was my bunny in my past life. Before I got body swapped with you it seems." I say. I give Snowy one last pet and go to sit on the bed to talk. "Does that sounds right to you?" I ask her.

    "I don''t know what happened. The day turned into night and there was an oppressive feeling in the air. Life had already been a daily struggle up to that point. The way that I was treated, feeling like I wasn''t able to trust anyone. It was to the point that I was wishing that I had died with my mom." she says. She grabs my, or I guess now her, streaming chair and pulls it in front of me so that we are looking at each other eye to eye.

    "When the sky freaked out and I felt like a part of the world was ripped away I wished fervently that I was ripped away with it. It seems something out there heard the cry of my heart because the next thing I knew I was waking up here, in this unfamiliar bed and in an unfamiliar world."

    "That sounds like it must have been terrifying," I tell her. I then go about telling her how I found myself in her world and in her body, as well as my experiences up to this point.

    "I''m glad to hear that you are able to access my memories as well. I don''t know what I would have done had I not been able to access your memories." Elia tells me.

    "At least you aren''t dying every time you make a mistake." I tell her and groan. Me meet each other''s eyes and smile.

    "I''m sorry that I ripped you away from your world." Elia tells me.

    "I understand why you did it. And no worries. I resented my life and where I ended up. The only thing that I am sad about leaving behind is Snowy." I tell her.

    "I promise that I will take good care of her. I see that you have Blizzie showing up with you. I suppose that means that he has accepted being your new familiar?" she asks.

    "Blizzie love both Aria''s!" Blizzie says, walking between the two of us and nuzzling our legs.

    "I wonder why we were able to switch bodies. I know that Alias tried to give me an explanation, but it didn''t make the most sense. And I can''t help but feel that something important is being left out." I tell her.

    "I am wondering about that as well. The only thing that I can think of is us being twin souls. You know, we are the same person, the same soul essentially, but we have different lives in different worlds."

    "How does that work?" I ask her.

    "I don''t know. It was a subject that was touched on when I was reading up on magic in the library. Not everyone has one. It is actually extremely rare."

    "It would make more sense if everyone had a counterpart out there somewhere." I tell her.

    "Since when does magic make any sense?" she asks me.

    "Right. My new world works off of a soft magic system. Ugh." I tell her, flopping back onto the bed and staring up at the ceiling. Elia gets off of her chair and joins me, also laying down and staring up at the ceiling.

    "At least that world has magic. It feels strange to not have access to any magic. I suppose it is worth the trade to be out of my old life though. Do you think that we will ever have to switch back?" she asks me.

    "Do you want to switch back?" I ask her, afraid of what she would say.

    "No. I''ll miss the magic, but if we can visit like this and I can see Blizzie, then no. I do not want to go back to your world. I feel like I get to start over here. I actually like this streamer thing. And you have no one in your life aside from those that watch your streams. I have your memories and watched all of your past streams so I am doing all of your mannerisms correctly. I''ll get to make all new friends and build a life where there are no chains on me." she says.

    I never thought about my life by those terms. I only saw the pain, the way that my life was ruined. The way that I had to give up everything that I had worked so hard for. I did think it was fun to be a streamer sure, but I also had so much resentment for what I had lost that I couldn''t even enjoy it the way that I wanted to.

    "Do you want to come back?" she asks me.

    "I don''t know. And I won''t really know until all of the dying stops. I know that Alias is working on a training program for me, but nothing beats learning from the real thing. Teach me how to live your old life."

 Chapter 27: An Invitation

    "You have my memories though, aren''t those helping?" Elia asks me.

    "They can only help me so much! If I do the smallest things wrong, I am killed. Stabbed, drowned, burned alive, skewers, beheaded!" I tell her hoping that my point is coming across.

    "I don''t think that we have much time tonight. What is something that you feel you need to know right now?"

    "My birthday party is coming up. I have your knowledge of dancing in my head but without trying it I am afraid that I will make a mistake." I confess to her.

    "Oh. That''s easy. We don''t have a lot of room here but I will show you the basic steps."

    Elia guides me through the basic steps to all of the dances that I will be doing. Once she sees that I am able to do they all on the first try she has me do some advances maneuvers. I am also able to get those right as well.

    "See? Trust your memories."

    "What about the times that I can''t access them right away?" I ask her.

    "I don''t know. Hang in there until we meet again." she says. What does she mean next time? We are still talking, aren''t we?

    I guess not. I feel myself being shaken awake.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Checkpoint!

    "Good morning Aria." I hear Poppy says to me.

    I wasted my time asking about the dancing. It seems I didn''t really need any help with that one after all. I should have thought of something more important such as how she comes up with new recipes. Oh! It would also be nice to know for certain what element my magic is. Also, how do I even use magic. I have to hope my memories serve me well when I make new charms.

    "Good morning Poppy." I say, stifling a yawn.

    "I know that you like to pick out your outfits, but I chose one out for you today." she tells me. "Just so that you can get out there and spend more time with this Alex boy. And crafting." she tells me.

    "You are trying to keep as much of my party a secret as you can, aren''t you?" I ask Poppy.

    "Perhaps. Now get up and let''s get you ready." she tells me. I feel like we rush me through my morning routine, and I am out of my room and into my shop before I know it.

    "Did someone use a rush spell on me this morning? Time magic?" I shake my head, feeling like I am slowly coming out of a daze.

    "I don''t know!" Blizzie says, sounding so happy about not knowing. He is the most adorable cat that ever existed.

    "I did not check in with Alex on when we are next meeting up. Well, he knows where my shop is, and I have a lot of work that I need to get done." I tell Blizzie, settling in for a long day. Not a bad day, just a long day.

    "Well Blizzie, should I make the knitted stuffed animals first, or do the carvings first?" I ask him.

    "I don''t know what that means." Blizzie says, looking up at me and cocking his head to the left.

    "Should I make animals out of yarn or stone first?"

    "Yarn! And you should make an extra one for me!" Blizzie says, sounding very cheerful.

    "Alright. Let''s look around the shop to see if we have any before we go and purchase some." I tell him.

    We look all over the shop, but no knitting items are to be found.

    "Well Blizzie, let''s go shopping." I tell him and open my bag. Without hesitation Blizzie leaps into the bag and makes himself comfortable.

    I sit still for a moment and access Aria''s memories, pulling up where I need to go in order to purchase these items. It seems like neither of the shop owners know Aria well. That can either mean they won''t notice that I am being strange or they will kill me for entering as it is out of the norm.

    Since we decided that we shall be knitting first I begin my shopping at the craft store. There was a young woman behind the counter when I entered, casually reading a book. She looked over the book at me when I entered but then went back to reading. I supposed she isn''t worried about me stealing any items as I have money.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    I walk about the store and grab a large variety of colors and textures of yarn, as well and some tiny beads, knitting needles and a basket to keep everything in. I then walk up to the desk and set down my items.

    "Why are you shopping here?" she asks and I see the suspicion bar above her head raise.

    "I am crafting more dolls to enchant and sell in my shop." I tell her, keeping eye contact the entire time.

    "Oh." she says then gives me the cost of the items. I walk out of the store feeling a little bit nervous. Was she going to kill me or is that a good enough reason for her to not be suspicious? I am not going to question it.

    I go back to my shop and drop off all of the knitting items. Once they are securely stored in my store I go to The Stonecutter''s Shop. I have never been in a shop like this before, but from my memories Aria has. A few times.

    I walk around the store and gather up everything that I was needing including; different colors of marble, some crystals, and different chisels. Once I am satisfied with everything, I make my purchase and go back to my shop again and set down my purchases.

    "Okay now I need to decide from everything what animals I want representing each different element. Hmm." I look over at the notes that I had taken at the library yesterday. I find a pen (one of the neat feather ones) and write down my selections.

    Air - Bird

    Fire - Phoenix

    Water - Kelpi

    Earth - Stag

    Light - Unicorn

    Dark - Owl

    Time - Immortal Jellyfish

    Space - Gwyllgri

    Spirit - Fae Fox

    With that decided I get to work. I am actually surprisingly good at knitting. I found in my classes that I would focus better if I was doing something with my hands. After getting permission from my instructors, I would record the lectures and then knit during class. That would give me space to hear the lectures twice and have more engagement while I was in class.

    I feel a bit sad that there are no music players here and I sit down to knit. I decide to make the tiny stuffed animals in the order that I have them listed. I hope that they don''t take too long to make as there are only a few more days until my birthday party. I don''t know how to feel about that.

    Since I don''t have any music I decide to sing to myself. "Even when you feel like you are, you are never alone. You may find yourself a long way from home but just know, you are never alone."

    I sing as I knit and lose myself in the rhythm of it. The clacking needles, the sounds of the moving wool. There is such a calm and peacefulness to it. Also, there is something really nice about watching as something is actively being created. I am making them really small as well, so they come together even quicker.

    As I finish the first of the animals, the bird, I hear a knocking at my door. Wondering who would be knocking I make my way to the door.

    Pulling it open I say "Hello?"

    "Hello!" I say and see Alex standing in my doorway. He is holding a large and well-padded bag in one hand, and a smaller bag that smelled of food in the other hand.

    "I''m so sorry Alex, was I supposed to meet up with you at your shop this morning?" I ask him.

    "No you are a-okay!" he tells me. "We didn''t actually make any plans and I thought that if you didn''t stop by then there was a good chance that you would be here. I am happy to know that I was right."

    "You were. Come on in." I tell him and let him come into my shop. "Sometimes I get caught up in working and don''t realize what time it is." I admit to him.

    "I can understand that feeling. And it''s exciting to hear that you have been able to start working. Are you okay showing me what you have so far?" he asks.

    "Of course." I say and lead him into my workroom. "Go ahead and take a seat." I offer. There are two chairs in the room from when we last ate together. There is also a lot of space to set things down. You never know how large of ingredients you are going to be working with, so having a large space is always pretty nice.

    "Do you mind if I set my bags down?" he asks, gesturing to a large empty space.

    "Go ahead." I offer to him.

    Alex sets his bags down and opens them. The first thing that he removes is a large wad of soft fabrics. He slowly and carefully unravels them, creating a spun circle of fabric on my workstation. When he is done carefully unwrapping the fabrics I am greeted to the sight of a beautiful glass orb with a circle missing from the top. It is clear and you can easily see inside it, but when the light hits it at certain angles it shimmers with a rainbow of color.

    "It''s beautiful!" I exclaim as he tenderly sets it down on the table.

    "I''m glad you think so." he says bashfully. "I was hoping that you would think so."

    I can''t help but blush at his words. I have to admit that it feels really nice to have someone treating me so sweetly. That hasn''t always been my experience, especially with certain types of men. I am glad to see that Alex doesn''t fit into that grouping. For some reason I have begun to feel safe around Alex. It seems that Blizzie agrees as he decides to weave himself around Alex''s feet, rubbing against him and purring loudly.

    "I thought that we could add the ingredients that we have so far to the orb. Nothing in the recipe leads me to believe that it has to all be done at once." he tells me. I suppose that he has a point there.

    "I have started working on the totems." I tell him and offer my knitted bird to him for viewing. "I am hoping to finish a set of knitted creations, as well as some carved ones." I tell him.

    "I thought your concern was about the knitting being in fluid?" he asks.

    "Which is why I plan on making a water proofing potion. You can stick around and help me with that if you would like." I offer to him. "Oh! Speaking of potions, did you use the minor luck potion?"

    "I did before I blew the glass. I was beginning to have difficulty with it but then felt something flowing through me and it eased the difficulty." he tells me. It amazes me how he could feel such a difference. I didn''t know he would be able to feel a potion at work. That is pretty neat.

    "That''s great!" I tell him. "I am glad that it was really helpful in our project."

    "Me too. And I would love to stick around and help with the water proofing potion. Did you want to make that first or begin by adding all of the ingredients aside from the totems that you still working on?" he asks me.

    "Let''s put together what we have!" I say to him, a feeling of excitement coursing through me. Did I want to go back to my world? If this is what my life will be like once I know I won''t be murdered any more than I don''t want to return.

    "Okay, let me pull out everything I brought and we will combine it with everything else. Then the only thing that will be missing will be the totems. Do you know when you will be done with those?" he asks me.

    "I don''t. It will go as fast as it can with my knitting."

    Alex looks over the knit bird. "How long did this take?" he asks me.

    "Alex, I don''t even know what time it is." I tell him then laugh. "I lose track of time when I am creating things so I am not sure how long that took." I admit. "It will all be done before my birthday."

    At the mention of my birthday his eyes narrow then widen." The librarian called you Princess because you are the princess aren''t you!?" Alex exclaims loudly, startling Blizzie. I see the suspicion bar raise, but only by a few granules of sand. "Why didn''t you tell me?" he asks.

    "I am the princess. You were fast putting that together by me being called Princess and telling you my birthday is coming up. I was planning to tell you about me today and invite you to my party." I tell him. "I was just afraid that you will think differently about me." I admit.

    "It''s hard not to think differently about you." he admits. It looks like he is feeling a lot of emotions in rapid succession.

    "I wasn''t born the princess you know." I tell him. "My mother really was a washerwoman before the king married her."

    I tell him a little bit about what I had learned from Alias about me and my mother''s past. "Can you still think of me how you have been? In my eyes I am more a shop keeper than the Princess."

    "I will do my best!" he says cheerfully. "Are you sure you don''t mind me going to your party? I have been hearing rumors that it isn''t just your birthday but that the king is looking for your husband that night." he tells me.

    "That is one of the reasons I want you there." I tell him, cheeks feeling really warm. "But that is days away. Let''s keep having fun crafting this together."

    I see him begin furiously blushing at my insinuation that I might want him to be my husband. I am glad that he was able to connect the dots. I don''t know if he is the true route but it is still possible. And I am not telling him that he is the only person that I am considering. He isn''t. Not right now at least. My opinions may change over the next few days. Maybe I will get some sort of confirmation. If he is, we can work not only on small projects like this, but bigger projects as well. Such as saving the kingdom.

 Chapter 28: Demons Blood

    I cut Alex off before he is able to say anything. I don''t want to have the marriage conversation right now. I don''t even want to get married yet. I am hoping to put it off even after the king thinks he has chosen me a husband. I don''t know if it is common to get married quickly in this world, but I don''t want to go along with that trend. Maybe I shall set a new trend. A trend of saving the world before settling down.

    "Do you have the recipe?" I ask Alex. He seems startled for a moment, like he had been trying to find something to say but I cut off his thought process.

    "Oh yes! Yes, I do!" he says, grabbing the recipe and laying it down in front of me. It seems that he realizes that I don''t want to talk further about marriage or my birthday today.

    "Wonderful!" I say.

    I read over the recipe and mentally check off what Alex has done so far, combining the sands and crafting the orb.

    "It looks like we can start by first adding in the essences that I have already combined together." I tell him, taking the bottle that the essences were combined in and pouring it into the orb. I see colors smoke and float in the air before becoming a liquid again and settling to the bottom of the orb.

    "Oh! Can we go back and forth between who is adding the items?" Alex asks me in an energetic voice.

    I am glad that he isn''t letting the knowledge of me being the princess get him down. I am glad that he ended up putting together that I am the princess with me and not on his own. Or from other people. I think he would have killed me if he had found out from someone else that I am the princess.

    "That sounds like a great idea!" I tell him, flashing him a brilliant smile. At least I think it is a brilliant smile. I can''t see my own face.

    Alex puts in the pearls of wisdom, and I follow up by putting in the seeds of knowledge. Alex sprinkles in the sapphire gem dust, I sprinkle in the ruby gem dust. He follows up with the emerald gem dust. For some reason he pauses me before we add any more ingredients.

    "You know that I am not royalty or even a noble right?" he asks me.

    "Why does that matter?" I ask him, curious as to why he is bringing that up.

    "I just wanted to let you know." he says.

    I pour in the liquid silver then respond to him.

    "Thank you for letting me know. And it won''t only be nobles or royals at my party." I tell him. "There will be knights too, as well as shop keeps and tradesmen. Why are you worried about your status? I am not worried about it." I tell him.

    Alex adds in the earth crystal, and I add in the water crystal.

    "I don''t know how your kingdom works but ours is very classist. People won''t even make friends with those of a different social class as them. Courting is unheard of. If I remember correctly people have been put to death by trying to marry too far above their station. I don''t want to die Aria." he tells me.

    "You won''t be killed Alex. Even the king himself decided to make a common washerwoman his concubine and eventually she became his queen."

    "He is the king though. He can do things that others can''t."

    "And I am a princess. A step-princess. Not a born princess. Also, I am not next in line for the throne. I think I might be third in line or something. Also, the king wants all eligible men to be at my party. Not just royals or nobles. If he wanted to marry me to a royal, he would just give me to Irick." I say, repulsed by the notion. I know that we are not blood, but he is still my brother.

    "Oh." Alex says. We sit in silence for a moment neither of us even adding the next ingredient.

    I am surprised that Alex''s emotional state has changed so fast and by so much. He didn''t seem like the type to let anything get him down. It always hurts a bit more when a puppy dog personality person is sad. It''s nearly as sad as seeing a real puppy get sad. I don''t know what to do to cheer him up.

    "Well, I don''t like the thought of the king doing that to you." he says, and I see a smile slowly come onto his face again. "Thus, I will do my part to not let that happen. I suppose the best way to have that not happen is to win him over myself." he says. That declaration makes it seem like he is now willing to move on from this topic. I blush a little but don''t comment.

    "Isn''t this neat?" he asks lifting up a uniquely shaped item. Not item. A strangely shaped piece of glass. It looked like a mixture between a branch and a flower. It was really pretty.

    "It is. What is it?" I ask him.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "This is our sand struck by lightning. The sand gets super-heated and becomes glass." he says and examines the glass from all different angles. "I guess the recipe might be considering this as a special kind of fire crystal." he tell me. Oh, I had been wondering why that had been included in the recipe.

    "That makes sense. I think it is beautiful. Something unexpected and beautiful coming from something that people think of as ordinary. Or people that are in an area with sand would find it ordinary." I say, amending my words.

    "I like that analogy." Alex says before placing the lightning struck sand inside the orb. It feels like it takes up a large space and no space at the same time.

    I pick up the orb of darkness to add it in next when something strange happens. It is as though all of the light is sucked out of the room and is pulled into the orb. I can tell that all of the light is gone, but I am still able to see perfectly. It almost feels as though I am seeing everything more clearly.

    The little orb pulses in my hand and it feels like it is humming. The orb itself seems happy that I am holding it. I use a finger from the hand that is not holding the orb and stroke it. The orb hums louder and I feel a burst of energy go through me.

    "Dark. Too dark. Ahh!" I hear Blizzie say. "So dark Blizzie no see. Cats supposed to see in dark. Why so dark!"

    It sounds as though Blizzie is becoming concerned.

    "Aria, is your element darkness by any chance."

    "That is the theory, but it hasn''t been tested. Why do you ask?" I ask him.

    "Your potions are stronger than they should be, you are able to create new potion and charm recipes easily. You excel in creative pursuits. Are you able to see in this darkness?" he asks me.

    "Yes." I tell him.

    "And the darkness orb is reacting to you?" he asks.

    "I would say so." I tell him.

    "Burst of energy?"

    "Yes."

    "Ever been able to command or control any shadows?"

    "No idea, I never tried." I tell him.

    "Yeah, your element is darkness alright. That''s pretty neat. A darkness element is pretty rare. Having an affinity as strong as your seem to have is also incredibly rare. I am assuming that your family hails from the shadow lands. Do you know if you have demon blood in you?" he asks.

    I put the darkness orb into the relic orb alongside of the other added ingredients. All of the light comes back into the room.

    "Demon blood?"

    "Of course. Demons are a full race of people. There are good demons and bad demons just like there are good people and bad people. It''s nothing to be ashamed of. I''ve actually heard that some of the most amazing magic users have demon blood. They have made great strides in technology and medicine." he tells me.

    Thank you, Alex, for that info dump. The game doesn''t talk too much about the demon races aside from the fact that there are tensions between the different peoples and races. I have to admit that it is nice to know that they aren''t automatically evil. I bet they don''t even call themselves demons.

    "They don''t even call themselves demons. I think they call themselves Dark Elves. We called them demons during one of the first wars. It was so long ago that no one even knows what the fighting was over. It was devastating. The demons were named that to set them apart from us, make them other. Easier to kill something other."

    "I don''t know if my family has demon blood. I don''t know anyone from my family. I only knew my mom and now I have Bennett. It was never important for me to find them and get to know them. They turned my mother away because she was pregnant with me. They aren''t the kind of people I want to know, and not the kind of people that I will ever call family. Also, how do you know so much about the demon people?" I ask him.

    "Oh my first girlfriend was a demon. She told me all of that, but nothing else really. She told me that she wanted me to see her a person and not a demon. She told me that it didn''t matter where you came from or who your family is. What matters is the person that you choose to be."

    "She sounds wonderful." I tell him.

    "She was. We split up because of personality differences but her kindness has stayed with me. Oops, is it okay to be talking about an ex-lover?" he asks me.

    "You are okay to talk about anyone and everyone. I believe that the people that come into and out of our lives shape us. Good experiences and bad." As I say this I almost subconsciously touch my throat but manage not to. Aria wasn''t the one that had been strangled to unconsciousness after all.

    "That''s great! Thanks Aria. You really are an amazing person." he tells me.

    "Thanks. So are you Alex. You seem to have so much kindness and goodness in you. You are also smart and you have some very wise ways of seeing the world." I tell him. We spend a moment looking away from each other, both blushing.

    Alex clears his throat and picks up the light orb. "Shall we?" he asks.

    "Oh! Haha yes, I suppose we should, shouldn''t we? Especially if I want to try to finish making all of the totems by my birthday party."

    "Is there any special reason for that?" he asks me.

    "I like setting goals. Also, I will be saving you a dance or two which is going to draw people''s attention to you. It should be a great time to tell the people that approach you all about your shop. Draw them in with your wonderfulness and dancing and keep them drawn in with a special, unique and rare artifact." I tease him. Of course, it isn''t fully teasing. There is truth to it as well.

    "Well then, those are some great reasons to meet that goal. Let''s make this happen!" he tells me.

    Together we finish adding the wind stone, fairy dust and waters of truth.

    "What do you think? It''s look pretty mystical doesn''t it?" Alex asks me.

    I can''t help but agree as I look at the orb. I don''t add that I think it looks a little bit like a mystical fishbowl. Maybe some of the ingredients break down and become something else, but right now it looks a little chaotic and messy. But mystical too.

    "Now that we have everything, but the totems added would you like to help me make a waterproofing potion? I have to let you know I haven''t made one for this purpose before. I don''t know if it will be one of those things that comes together easily of if I am going to botch this a few times first. Just warning you." I let him know and give him a smile.

    New Skill Acquired!

    ''What new skill Alias?'' I ask him a mixture of curiosity, excitement and a little worry.

    ''You can now see what your different alchemical ingredients and charms do. You can also choose what enchantment to put on an item. There may also be a nifty new status screen you can use to help you craft new potion and charm recipes.''

    ''That actually does sound helpful. Let''s try not to make it feel too much like a mini game if possible?'' I request.

    ''Boo, you''re no fun Aria. I like mini games.''

    ''I can like them too. But sometimes they are more infuriating than fun.'' I warn him.

    ''Fine fine. Now go! Go make a potion!''

    I look around at all of my ingredients and don''t see a change immediately. When I think about wanting to see what they do BAM! I suddenly have almost too much information. I think to myself that I want to see ones that are useful in potions that affect water. That narrows down my scope.

    I look around at my possible ingredients. I assume I shouldn''t just mix them altogether and assume that will do anything.

    Lotus leaves

    Lotus petals

    Lotus roots

    Kelp

    Ground sea horses that died of natural causes

    ground dried up starfish

    Powdered Frugs Lungs

    Water pixie dust

    Arrowhead

    Begonia

    Aglaonemas

    Coleus

    Dieffenbachia

    Devil''s Ivy

    Fiddle Leaf Fig

    Jade Plant

    Rubber Plant

    Aloe Vera

    Spider Plant

    Peace Lily

    Powdered Fish Scales

    Wet Fish Scales

    Mermaid Scales

    Okay yeah let''s not just grind all of those up together and call it a day.

    "Are you okay? You seem to just be staring at your ingredients."

    "This is a part of the process. Trust in the process." I tell him.

    ''Let''s implement a mini game to speed things up. I won''t always do this but because you are aiming for something specific and not just having fun this should help. Also, we don''t want him to get suspicious of you now, would we?'' Alias asks me.

    ''No. I don''t want Alex to get suspicious of me. I had somehow been managing to keep his suspicion levels low. However, I learned today that he is not impervious.''

    ''Of course, he isn''t. Now then. Let me tell you how to play this game. You must choose six ingredients. It will tell you what potion you have created at the end.''

    ''How is that helpful?''

    ''I''m not finished.'' Alias tells me in admonishment. ''After you have finished a potion you will get a locked in ingredient if it is used to make the potion you are wanting. Sadly you will have to make enough potions until you unlock all six ingredients. Good luck!''

    "Alright I have some ideas. You ready to mix some potions?"

 Chapter 29: A Kiss and a Dagger

    ''Oh! Because I am bored and want to have fun, I want you to mix multiple potions. There are probably more than six ingredients that will work. Find those all of them and it will be extra strength. You want this spell to not wear off right? Also, since I am a wonderfully fantastic god, I will let you keep all of the potions you figure out, even after deaths and restarts. Now then. Go!''

    ''Really? You are now adding more instructions? But alright, that will help my shop and future.''

    ''Remember to have fun!'' Alias tells me.

    "Okay so there are 23 possible ingredients. Let''s test out a few potions using six ingredients for each." I tell him. "I''ll have you help me pick out a couple sets of numbers but let me write out and number the ingredients."

    <mark>1. Lotus leaves</mark>

    2. Lotus petals

    3. Lotus roots

    4. Kelp

    5. Ground sea horses that died of natural causes

    6. ground dried up starfish

    7. Powdered Frugs Lungs

    8. Water pixie dust

    9. Arrowhead

    10. Begonia

    11. Aglaonemas

    12. Coleus

    13. Dieffenbachia

    14. Devil''s Ivy

    15. Fiddle Leaf Fig

    16. Jade Plant

    17. Rubber Plant

    18. Aloe Vera

    19. Spider Plant

    20. Peace Lily

    21. Powdered Fish Scales

    22. Wet Fish Scales

    23. Mermaid Scales

    After writing and numbering the ingredients I shake my hand. A bit of a hand crap. Not the most fun thing. Can''t say that I am a fan.

    "Now then. Let''s come up with some number sets!" I say, trying to get Alex to be excited about it. It might seem tedious to others, but I like this kind of thing. Order and structure, but unpredictable results. I might have made a good scientist.

    Going back and forth throwing out numbers here is what our number lists look like.

    22, 11, 16, 15, 4, 8

    7, 19, 22, 4, 1, 8

    5, 10, 15, 17, 4, 9

    7, 12, 21, 17, 4, 3

    9, 12, 17, 19, 13, 20

    1, 2, 6, 14, 18, 23

    "I love getting an insight into some of your methods." Alex tells me, grinning widely.

    Yes. My methods. Definitely not me trying to figure things out the best way I know how to.

    "It''s nice to be able to share some of my insider secrets." I tell him. "Well, shall we get mixing?" I ask him.

    While mixing up some potions we talk and flirt. I feel like I am really connecting to Alex. It''s a great feeling. After we finish the first three potions, which end up being a potion to turn a solid to a liquid, a potion that gives someone gills for an hour, and a potion that gives a person resistance to the water element for 48 hours Alex asks me,

    "Are you getting hungry? I am getting a little hungry. I brought us some sandwiches. Don''t worry, I didn''t make them." he tells me, and we share a laugh. A small one.

    "You know, now that you mention it, I am a bit hungry." I confess.

    Alex pulls out two sandwiches, as well as some shredded meat which he gives to Blizzie.

    "Thank you!" Blizzie says to him, although I am sure that all he hears are happy cat meows.

    "Blizzie is happy that you brought food for him as well. Thank you for the food from the both of us!" I tell him.

    We sit in a companionable silence while we eat. I let my mind wander a little bit to how the orb is going to work. I also think about how I am enjoying making potions and making the cute, knitted creations. I can''t help but also wonder if I have stopped dying because Alex is the correct route. That is too simple though, right?

    Once we are done eating, we go back to mixing potions. Our next attempts gain us a poison of thirst, a poison that turns a person into a fish for 30 minutes (that is a very strange poison I must admit. What are you going to do, use it against an enemy before cooking and eating them?), and a potion that enhances water magic by 50% for 24 hours. At the end of all of this I have my potion recipe.

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    "Okay. After making these I know what we need to make our permanent water proofing potion."

    "Okay! What do we need?" he asks enthusiastically.

    "4 pinches of ground sea horses that died of natural causes

    8 Dieffenbachia petals

    7 pinches of ground spider plant

    3 ground up lotus roots

    1 scoop of powdered fish scales

    2 scoops of ground up rubber plant

    9 ground up peace lily petals

    6 pinches of water pixie dust

    Add 5 splashes of water

    Boil until blue and sparkly"

    I don''t know how I know the amount or the last bit, but it feels like the information is downloaded into my brain. I like getting knowledge this way though, it''s very convenient.

    "Look!" I exclaim when the potion is done. "We did it!" I tell him.

    "How can you tell?"

    "It''s one of the skills that I possess. I know what a potion that I helped create does, just by making it. This is the one that we need. Now I can make a set of knitted totems and they will be water, and other liquids, proofed forever!"

    We celebrate our achievement with cheers. Alex decides to keep me company the rest of the day while I knit. He tells me about his life and the things that he hopes to achieve. I walk him home at the end of the night.

    "I had another great day because of you." Alex tells me.

    "I feel the same." I tell Alex. He stares down at me for a second before stealing a kiss. He then grins at me and runs inside his shop.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    The next couple of days pass by in a blur. Alex keeps me company while I knit. Which is great aside from one small thing. Every day that he comes into the shop to keep me company his suspicion bar is increased. It was small at first but has continued to increase. The increase is so noticeable that my stomach is knotting itself into a mess.

    It is now two days before my party, and I have just finished dropping Alex off at his shop. It is earlier than it has been the past couple of days because Alex plans on taking me on a proper date tomorrow, all included. A walk, a picnic, maybe renting a boat and just floating out on the water. It is a bit of a carriage ride to a nearby lake, but that can be enjoyable as well.

    As good as I want tomorrow to be I have a lead feeling in my guts. This feeling leads me to standing outside of the smithy. I take deep breath and walk inside.

    "Well, hello again Aria." Samuel says to me. "Here to buy more materials?" he asks.

    "Not today. I was actually wondering if you would sell me a sword with a matching dagger?" I ask him.

    "Of course, I can! I am glad to see you are finally wanting a sword. I was beginning to wonder if you were lying to me about stopping in to buy one. But, if you don''t mind me asking, why the dagger?"

    "I guess you can say that I gave in to being an eccentric pet parent. I want Blizzie to match me. Also, you never know when you are going to need a dagger." I tell him, shrugging my shoulder.

    He lifts an eyebrow and looks between me and Blizzie. I see the suspicion bar above his head blinking, and it settles on not increasing. I suppose that is a believable enough thing for Aria to do. Good to know. It is freeing to know that I am able to use Blizzie as a believable excuse for things.

    "Do you know what kind you are wanting?" Samuel asks.

    "I was hoping that you would be willing to give me a recommendation?" I ask.

    "With pleasure!" he says, and I see his eye light up. He begins talking non-stop about the benefits of this sort of metal over that sort, the balance of blades and a lot of other things that go above my head. Eventually he says, "However, this is what I recommend for you."

    He picks up and unsheathes a sword to his right. I see that it is made of a metal that looks like a deep blue crystal. It isn''t a material I have ever seen or even heard of before. It looks like a unique material only found in fantasy games.

    "Samuel, it''s beautiful." I tell him truthfully.

    "I hoped you might think so. It is made from Ocean Heart Crystal. It is one of the strongest materials in the world, so it is nearly unbreakable. The blade also never rusts or dulls so you never have to worry about sharpening it. And I have a dagger of the same type and style. You have no idea how common it is for people to want a dagger to match their blade."

    "If it is common, then why did you ask me?" I ask him out of curiosity.

    "Because you never do things just because it is a common or popular thing to do."

    Wondering if that is really the reason, I let the topic drop. "Do you mind if I test it out?" I ask him. Samuel passes me the sword then steps out of the way. I let my body''s training take over, doing a few steps and test swings. The feeling, the balance the weight. It was all perfect.

    "It''s perfect. I will take it and the dagger. How much do I owe you?"

    "I''ll give you a discount, for your birthday." he says, then tells me the cost. "I''m throwing in the dagger for free."

    "That''s a very reasonable price." I tell him and pay him the quoted price. I strap my new blade onto my waist, and he straps the dagger onto Blizzie.

    "Pretty! I look handsome!" Blizzie says proudly.

    "Very handsome." I say. Both Samuel and Blizzie seem delighted by my words. I pat my bag and Blizzie jumps inside.

    I anticipate and dread what tomorrow will bring.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Good morning, Aria! Aren''t you going on a date today?" I hear Poppy say in her singsong voice.

    "Yes." I say, rubbing my eyes and sitting up in bed.

    "Let''s doll you up then! Are you getting breakfast, or should I feed you before you go?" she asks me.

    "We are supposed to be spending the entire day together, including all meals." I tell Poppy.

    "That is quite the long date!" Poppy exclaims.

    "He is quite the guy." I tell her in response.

    "Do you plan on announcing him as your suitor tomorrow night?" Poppy asks, eyes wide.

    "That is a possibility I am considering. I suppose it depends on how today goes." I admit to her, knowing that she loves gossip. I see the affection bar above her head raise then flash a gold color.

    Affection Locked!

    Even though I want to know what that means, I don''t think now is the time to pursue it. If I get distracted right now that would increase Poppy''s suspicion, which I would love to avoid. I have almost successfully made it an entire week without dying, and I would like to keep it that way. If that is possible, Is that possible?

    Even though we skip breakfast, I still feel like the morning is dragging on. It is also passing too quickly. When is the last time that I went on a date? High school? Early years of undergrad? I am hoping that there is a date. With the increase in his suspicion, his affection has been dropping, and I have been struggling to increase it. It''s disheartening. I don''t even know what is increasing his suspicion. I can''t ask without being even more suspicious.

    "Let''s have you wear purple today!" Poppy says excitedly. "To match your eyes. We will put you in a dress that moves and breathes too in case he wants to do any running around.

    "Well, we are going for a long walk. And maybe a boat ride as well." I tell her.

    "How fun! I want to hear all the details. All of them. I might just have to murder you in your sleep if you leave out even a single one!" Poppy tells me while smiling. I don''t doubt that she would.

    "Don''t worry Poppy. I won''t leave out a single detail."

    "Very good." she says, then finishes helping me get ready.

    The plan is for Alex to meet me at my shop. When I asked why he didn''t want to pick me up at home he said that it is too scary to pick me up at the castle. It was much more comfortable to pick me up from my shop. I can''t argue with him there. It makes sense.

    I make my way to my shop, enjoying the feeling of the sun on my face, how good I smell, and the sound of birdsongs. How have I not yet noticed the birds singing in the morning? I hope that this date brings up Alex''s affection for me and lowers his suspicion. Somehow.

    I decide to leave my sword at home, as it doesn''t go with the outfit, but Blizzie looks dapper wearing his dagger. It suits him. He is supposed to be a tiny little knight after all. The cutest little knight in the kingdom. Instead of riding in my bag he decides to walk by my side this morning, showing off his cat sized sword. The handsome little show off.

    When we get to my shop I decide to sit behind the counter. Blizzie jumps up onto the countertop and waits expectantly with me. I wonder if he is bringing breakfast or if we are going out to eat. I am sure that he must be getting bored with being inside our shops all of the time. He never questioned me about it, which I think is a little strange. To each their own though, we have been so focused on finishing the artifact that I don''t think it even crossed him mind to ask. Either that or he thinks that it is just a princess thing.

    I almost get up to pace around the shop while I wait for him but decide against it. I think that everything is going to be okay, but just in case, I feel that it would be harder to kill a person sitting down. I have even left the door slightly cracked so that he can push the door open himself to come in.

    "Hi Aria!" I hear Alex''s voice say outside the door. "Sorry I am late." Hearing Alex''s voice I feel that something is definitely wrong. I look up at his affection and suspicion bars.

 Update and Notice

    Hi all,

    Thank you for reading my story! I love these characters and want to give their story justice. On that note:

    - I have expanded on chapter 25. Please read as it has one of the most important information to date.

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    - Coming up I will be changing the second half of chapter 30 and adding a few chapters after chapter 30 before what I have for chapter 31. Please be looking out for these updates in the next few days-weeks. I want to make sure I am telling this story the best way that I can! I hope that you all enjoy these coming changes!

 Update!

    Hello,

    Thank you all for being so patient. To make things less confusing I did delete some chapters and am reloading them in the appropriate order. Please read the update before this one if you haven''t already. There are 4.5 new chapters before the old ones. They are important chapters, which is what had been taking so long.

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Chapter 30: An Ending, A Start

    His suspicion bar is nearly full, and his affection is rather low. Not completely empty, but very close to it. I wonder if I can reason with him since there is still some affection for me there.

    Alex steps inside of my shop and closes the door. He then meets me eye.

    "Aria, we need to talk." All of the warmth that had been in Alex''s eyes and voice are gone.

    "Okay Alex, we can talk. What''s going on?" I ask, concern strong in my voice.

    "I tried to ignore them all Aria, I really tried."

    "You tried to ignore who Alex? What are you talking about?"

    Alex looks uncertain for a moment but then steels his resolve. "Everyone Aria, just everyone. There is almost no one that has anything nice to say about you. From you cursing people to laughing at other people''s misfortune. I didn''t think that those people could be right. I mean, all of the time that I spent with you, you have been nothing but kind."

    "And that''s who I am. I thought you have been getting to know me pretty well this last week."

    "How can I believe you though! When everything and everyone tells me that I am wrong!"

    "Surely not everyone, you met some of the shop keepers with me, remember?"

    "Of course, they aren''t going to talk bad about you, they need your money! Even your friends are telling me to stay away from you! That you are a snake, that when I least expect it, you will bite me!"

    "I will bite you? Are you kidding me right now?" I ask, voice and hurt raising. "How can you trust them? Do you even know any of them?!"

    "That''s what I was telling myself too, that I should trust my own opinions. That I don''t know them, that you have been kind and welcoming. After having multiple people coming into my shop however, I decided to ask around about you."

    "Why didn''t you come talk to me about this at all?"

    "Because Aria, I can only assume that you would lie to me."

    "But Alex, I haven''t lied to you at all! Not in any of the time that I have known you!" I say, trying to get through to him.

    "No." he says shaking his head. "How can everyone be wrong Aria. Everyone. I cannot trust your word against everyone else. Also, what I heard yesterday won''t leave my head."

    "What did you hear yesterday?" I ask him worried about what he is going to say. It seems I am not turning this conversation to be in my favor at all.

    "YOU ALMOST LET A CHILD DIE ARIA!" he screams at me.

    "I have no idea what you are talking about Alex." I tell him, confused.

    "There was a child in the road and instead of helping him you threw rocks at both him and the driver. That could have spooked the horses and put the child in more danger!"

    "I was just trying to get the child and driver aware of what was about to happen. If I hadn''t thrown the rocks he would have been trampled. If I tried to run into the road I would have been trampled. It was the best solution I had."

    "So, you admit that you did that?"

    "Yes."

    "Then is it possible you did anything else anyone is accusing you of?"

    "I have no idea what they are accusing me of." I tell Alex, resignation in my voice.

    "Our relationship ends here." he tells me, and I see defeat on his face. "Do you mind if I go get the relic that we made together?" he asks me.

    "Of course, Alex. You know where it is."

    "I need one last hug. I have to say goodbye to move on."

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    "Okay." I say. It seems that he is just sad, not murderous so I allow him to get close. He then moves towards me swiftly.

    It seems that Blizzie sees something that I do not as he shouts, "No I will not let you hurt Aria!" and jumps in front of me. I see something flash and then Blizzie knocked off of the counter.

    I look down in horror and see Blizzie and a knife on the floor. Luckily Blizzie isn''t hurt.

    "My sword protected me! I did it! I protected you!" Blizzie says and I hear pride in his voice. "Take my sword Aria! Protect yourself!"

    "You just tried to kill Blizzie!" I scream at him.

    "If it helps, I was trying to kill you."

    Blizzie has a good point. I step on Alex''s lost knife and pull the dagger off of the belt around Blizzie. After I have my dagger, I move faster than I knew I could. It is like I am stepping through our shadows and popping up behind Alex. I press the cold blade of my dagger against Alex''s throat. I see the smallest drop of blood form. Good, now he knows I am serious.

    "Now it is your turn to listen. I will not hear anymore accusations or defamation against my character. The person that you saw in me during our time together is the real Aria. I have been framed since I was little, creating a negative perception towards me. Throwing those rocks was the only action that anyone would accept from me.

    "My so-called friends turned their backs on me. They decided I was automatically a different person when I was taken into the palace. I wasn''t, I was just made to get an education. Which is a good thing so they should have been happy for me. If they stayed friends with me, I would have asked if they could sit in on my lessons and everything! Instead, they befriended my stepbrother who was mean to me and left bruises on my skin.

    "The only person you can call my friend right now has me acting like a person I don''t want to be. Then you entered into my life. You didn''t know me; you had no preconceived notions. I finally had a human in my life that I could be myself with. That I thought wouldn''t judge me but would instead get to know me. I felt seen. I felt cared about!

    "What a fool I am. You are just like everyone else in this cursed world. However, for the affection that I had for you I will not allow you to kill me."

    I take my knife away from his throat and spin him around to face me. Before he can react, I plunge my dagger into myself.

    "Agh I hit my ribs." I say, wincing in pain. "This is harder than it looks." I tell him then slam the dagger into myself as many times as it takes before I hit my heart. There is blood splashing onto the ground around me. Alex is still close enough that some gets on him.

    Even being as close to me as he is, Alex doesn''t move to stop me. Instead, he looks frozen in place. I guess out of fight, flee or freeze he has the freeze response.

    "No!" I head Blizzie shout, and I collapse onto the ground, falling onto my knife, driving it deeper into my body. I cough up chunks of blood, and what is possibly lung tissue, and just lay there waiting for my last breath.

    "Don''t worry Blizzie. This isn''t the end. It''s just a setback." I say and try to pet him. I am barely able to lift my hand, so he wiggles his small body beneath it. In my last moments I glance up at Alex and see the shock and horror on his face. Above his head his affection bar has gone up. I guess he chose to believe me in the end. I close my eyes and let the last thing I sense to be Blizzie snuggling against my hand.

    Death By Suicide

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Aiden wakes up and looks at his journal. It was the first thing that he did every morning. He reads the last date that was written and then begins to read the journal entries. It is how he starts every day. It looks like the last day written was Arianus 16th. Aiden checks his calendar to see how it measures up to the day reflected on it. Arianus 11th. That was the farthest that he had ever gone.

    Ever since he woke up in this world he had been doing his best to learn things quickly. It seems that he and Aiden have very similar personalities and it is easy to tap into his memories. It''s rather convenient.

    "I guess we have a lot to read today, don''t we Sophianna?" he asks the small white cat laying on the bed with him.

    "Do we?" she asks, sitting up and beginning to groom herself.

    "It looks like we lost nearly an entire week this time." he says and lets out a breath. He wonders if he got any information to help guide him in how he is supposed to save this world.

    "Can you remind me what we are supposed to be doing?" Princess Sophianna asks him. Aiden supposes that it makes some sense the she cannot remember their goal. Also she is a cat, so it is possible that she chooses not to remember.

    "I was called to save this world. And as my familiar it is your job to help me."

    "Right. And why do you have to save this world? How do you know that you are supposed to be the one to save it."

    "Because I am not from this world. I was brought in to save it. Isekai 101." Aiden tells her. Reminding her of this makes him think of his life. The life that he had before this one.

    Aiden kept his days rather busy. Of course back in his old life his name was Elliot. He worked three twelves at the crisis line working the chats from home. He had started on the phones in the office, but it was too loud and distracting for him. He likes helping people but not the challenge of trying to do his job alongside the noise. And commentary.

    Crisis was a job that he kind of fell into. He was bulk applying for jobs to help him pay for college. He had been going to college for library science before he got pulled into this crazy world. It was a tough load. However, he had his escapes.

    Elliot loved to escape into books and video games, often flipping between the two. However when he got into games, he obsessed over them. To be fair, he actually obsessed over all of the things that he liked. Books, games, people. Before getting pulled into this new world his biggest obsessions were My Fair Lady, I Love Thee Tenderly, and Sugar Bunny.

    Elliot was obsessed with any good dating sim that he played and was able to beat them quickly, and easily. He even wrote playthroughs of them. He never recorded them though. That wasn''t for him. He admired the people that were willing and able to do that. However, My Fair Lady, I Love Thee Tenderly was different. He wasn''t able to unlock and beat the hidden route. He broke down and looked online to see if anyone else had. They hadn''t been able to. He wanted to unlock all of the secrets of this game and all of the CGs. He couldn''t do this until he found and beat the hidden route.

    As for his obsession with Sugar Bunny? That has been going on for a while now. Elliot found it fun to watch streamers sometimes. He found it fun to see the way that others approached games. He felt a feeling of camaraderie.

    One day while watching streamers there she was. A new streamer. Nervous but oh so cute. She showed up on his feed and from then on he watched all of her streams. He never missed one. He always left positive comments. It was obvious they meant a lot to her.

    Eventually it got to the point that she needed moderators. He threw his hat in the ring right away. She knew his name, knew that he had been with her all this time. She accepted him immediately. It lifted his spirits, made him feel cared about and special.

    It became even more clear that Sugar Bunny was something special when she called all of her mods together to ask them what days and times worked the best for them. She knew and understood that they all had lives and that she should come second to those lives. Together they decided on the days and times that she should stream (Mon, Tues and Wed for three hours). To help fill some of the rest of the time she would upload some not live videos.

    Elliot was a bit embarrassed about his obsession for Sugar Bunny. He stalked her socials, found out her real name and looked for everything he could about her. The more he found out about her, the more he fell head over heels for her. Too bad she wouldn''t acknowledge him as more than a trusted mod. Not a bad place to start though, as she put a lot of trust in her mods.

    One night after a particularly hard day he crawled into his bed and continued to search for the true route. He fell asleep playing. When he woke up it was to a dark room with someone speaking to him.

    "Welcome to your new life. Your goal is to help save the world from My Fair Lady, I Love Thee Tenderly. It is obvious that you care about this world, from all of the time you put into it. Your new life is the librarian, Aiden''s. To help you keep track of this world I will give you a journal that will record all of your days, even if they reset."

    "Why would they reset."

    "That is a great question." the voice said to him.

    "You aren''t going to answer it are you?" Elliot asks him.

    "No. Help undo the corruption. Good luck and try to have some fun!"

    And with that Elliot was pulled into this new world.

 Chapter 31: Diary Review 1

    Aiden shakes his head to reorient himself. He can''t allow himself to fall into the past. Well, actually he needed to fall into the past and what had been the future. Flipping open the journal he reads what it says.

    Arianus 11th

    My first day in this new world. I need to orient myself to everything.

    It seems that I live in a house right next to the library. How convenient. There is also a little room in the library where I can make tea and take a nap. Again, rather convenient. It seems that Aiden is rather organized.

    I''m glad that I work in the library. I can put my schooling to good use. Although I do need to learn how everything is organized. Aiden has journals himself about his organization method, as well as his notes on the different elements. This is rather useful. I spent a lot of my time today with my nose in a book, as well as learning to access the original Aiden''s memories.

    It seems that I have a cat. I have always loved having a cat. They are soft sweet babies. Her name is Princess Sophianna. She took to me immediately. I can also see why she is called a princess. She is very picky in the things she eats, as well as the places she likes to rest. She likes to be up high to look down upon the peasants that come and go.

    I know that I can''t spend all of my time in here so I took a walk around the town, seeing if everything is set up like it is in the game. I am pleased to see that this is the case.

    While walking about I listened for any gossip.

    "Did you hear? It seems that Princess Aria is dead. She was murdered in her room by her own handmaiden!"

    "Are you serious? How did that happen?"

    "She was stabbed! Can you believe it? I mean, I always knew that Poppy was vicious, but I didn''t know that it was to this extent!"

    Overhearing that conversation felt a bit odd. Wasn''t the princess the villainess in the story? I feel some pity for her, being betrayed like that.

    I continued my day, enjoying some food and reading.

    I have added to the notes that Aiden left, but I don''t think those stay. Here are some basic things:

    The months of the year are different. They are as follows

    <ul>

    <li>

    January = Jinary

    </li>

    <li>

    February = Felius

    </li>

    <li>

    March = Marlinis

    </li>

    <li>

    April = Arianus

    </li>

    <li>

    May = Melbian

    </li>

    <li>

    June = Jenian

    </li>

    <li>

    July = Juliary

    </li>

    <li>

    August = Ariary

    </li>

    <li>

    September = Selianarius

    </li>

    <li>

    October = Obrion

    </li>

    <li>

    November = Nevenius

    </li>

    <li>

    December = Decian

    </li>

    </ul>

    I already know the names of the main characters in the game so I can keep an eye on their movements. How will things change with the villainess dead? Will it be easier or harder to save the world? I''m not sure.

    I also already know the different magical elements, so including those feels pointless.

    I see that I have written in things to know about the setup of the library as well as notes on the different books that I had been reading, as well as their titles. Useful.

    Arianus 11th (loop 2)

    Is that what the voice meant about starting over? How disorienting. I don''t remember having lived this day before, but clearly I have if the journal entry is anything to go off of. To be boring I continued my reading through books I feel will be useful. I am a fast reader so I am quickly gaining useful knowledge (I have added in my notes throughout this entry. I like to update this journal throughout my day. Making sure that I am not writing everything at once helps me keep track of my days better than if I were to write it all at the end of the day.)

    I wonder if I perhaps should be keeping an eye on the main characters, but I don''t find that a good use of my time yet. Also, they are prominent figures and if there is anything that I should know about them, I will hear it. Apparently like I did last...yesterday...today? I shall call it last loop. That sounds like a good plan.

    I walked about the library to try to familiarize myself with it''s set up. It seems that it will take a bit to figure everything out. With this realization I spend a while studying Aiden''s notes about how everything is organized. I have made my own notes in this journal as well.

    When I get hungry I go outside to buy some food. That''s where I hear people talking.

    "Did you hear about Princess Aria?"

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    "No, do tell!"

    "I heard that she was murdered! Drowned in her own baths!"

    "Oh dear. I hear that drowning is an unfortunate way to die."

    "I am sure that her family might be sad. Good for the rest of us though. She is a menace."

    Princess Aria again? Didn''t she die in the last loop? I don''t remember that happening in the games. I wonder how this will affect things. Will this affect things? How do the games even affect this world? Does this help Iris marry the man she is destined for? Interesting I will have to wait and see.

    Arianus 11th (loop 3)

    I woke up and looked at the journal. I guess this is the third time that I am living this day. I would like to draw conclusions about what it is that is causing this but two days is not enough information yet. I will need to observe the entries in the journal to see how often this happens and what the common thread is.

    It seems that I am easily able to access Aiden''s memories, and I feel that I do not need to keep reading the same books and taking similar notes. However, I do not want to mindlessly wonder around the town making guesses about how I am supposed to save this world.

    Maybe I will find some answers in what I am supposed to be doing if I think back to Aiden''s character in the games. What do I know about him?

    I know that he is a librarian, but that is obvious and doesn''t tell me much aside from the fact that he is a librarian. Not useful. What did it matter that he was a librarian? Why that role? Well, he was always in the librarian in order to help the main characters find information that they find essential to the role. Am I supposed to help save the world by giving the right people the right information? Why would it matter that it was me then and not the original Aiden?

    Putting that on the backburner I decided to just comb through Aiden''s memories. Okay I sell rare ingredients, have books on basically everything, have the light element as my magic. Interesting, I wonder how that element really helps in my life. Something to ponder I suppose.

    Getting hungry I went out into the town to get something to eat. That is were I hear some gossip.

    "Do you hear about Princess Aria?"

    "No! Tell me! She is my favorite person to gossip about!"

    "I heard that Bobby pushed her into his large oven and cooked her alive!"

    She was murdered again? Is this a cannon event? Why is it that she keeps dying a different way each time though? Is that important? I guess I will keep an eye on that.

    Despite myself I can''t help but be getting interested in her. Maybe I will start doing some research on her.

    Arianus 11th (loop 4)

    It seems that I am still looping the same day. I am wondering if there is something that I am supposed to be doing something on the 11th to help progress the day? This time loop should have something to do with me as I am supposed to be saving the world.

    Okay, it seems that I have decided that I am supposed to be researching our cute little princess. When I was playing the games I couldn''t help but be drawn to her. That shimmering silver hair, those sharp purple cat eyes. Exactly my type in video games. I always wanted to know if I would be attracted to that type in person.

    I walk around the library, pulling books here and there and looking into the royal family. It seems that it was out of character for the king to take someone whos is not a royal or a noble as his bride. I guess our king must be a romantic? Fascinating. I wonder if this is part of the reason that Irick hates her. I wouldn''t be surprised at all if that was the reason.

    I parse through the pages of the books and don''t find a whole lot that was useful to my quest. There were writings about the rest of the royal family, but Aria isn''t included. Is that because she didn''t want to be included? Because the writer hates her? Or because her family is ashamed of her. That would be too cruel. Maybe I should go out into the town and see what the public thinks of her. Gossip is a good form of intel.

    I make my way outside and begin to walk around, just seeing what I can hear before I start talking with anyone.

    "Did you hear? Princess Aria was killed! She was trying to push a child out of the road and got trampled by a horse. They say the carriage driver had a look of glee on his face as her blood was splattered." Gossiper one says.

    "Serves her right. She was a wicked woman. Have you been in her shop?" Gossiper two replies.

    "No! Of course I haven''t." Gossiper one responds.

    "Well, at least she died finally being useful." Gossiper two says.

    What a judgment. Did they know Princess Aria personally? Did they know what she was like? No! They most likely don''t. How dare they talk trash about a person they don''t know. It''s possible that she is a perfectly lovely person. I don''t know how likely, but there is a chance.

    I go back to the library and go back to reading about the royal family and taking notes. Irick is one of the main characters and Bennet is a supporting character. I feel like it can only be a good idea to get more information about them.

    Arianus 11th (loop 5)

    It seems that it may be possible that I have been leaving the library too late in the day. She is always dead by the time I go out and about. No reason to be gathering information about a dead girl. That would be seen as a bit too strange.

    I go about my home, making breakfast and becoming more familiar with it. I haven''t felt that it was necessary to make notes about my living space. Aiden doesn''t really seem the type to spend a lot of time here. It seems to be decorated in a way to make it comfortable. For humans of course, but mainly for Princess Sophianna. There are cat things all throughout the home. I suppose Aiden sees that as only right.

    After breakfast I make my way through the town. I listen for gossip before bothering to ask anything. I also hope that maybe I can catch a glimpse of her going about. If I do should I go say hello to her? I search through Aiden''s memories. It seems as though that wouldn''t be appropriate as they don''t really have a relationship. I will be changing this if an opportunity presents itself.

    I see a group of people speaking and stand back to listen. It might be pertinent.

    "Have you tried the new baked goods at Bobbies? They seems rather tasty to be perfectly honest." says one woman.

    "I have tried them. I enjoy the new bitter chocolate. I am not always a fan of the sweet stuff, so it is a nice change that they have added to the menu." says a man. Perhaps a lover? A husband? I am not always the best at guessing.

    "You should purchase me one the next time that you go." the woman says with a bright smile.

    "Or you can always go with me." the man replies, smiling and giving a wink.

    I stop paying attention to their discussion. I am curious to try the dark chocolate baked goods, but I don''t believe I will learn any useful information if I continue to listen to their conversation.

    I continue to walk around but am not able to learn much. I did learn that Bobbie the baker seems to have affections for his assistant. Good for him I suppose. I wonder if the bitter chocolate is because of bitter emotions of rejection? No, I doubt that. He is a baker. He probably did that to expand his customer base.

    I end up finding myself outside of Aria''s shop. There are a couple of people outside her shop, looking disappointed that it isn''t open.

    "Hello." I say to them. "Perchance, do you know when this shop will be open?"

    "We were just talking about that." A young woman tells me. "And we have come to the conclusion that we don''t know. The Princess is rather unpredictable. She really only comes around to work when she feels like it."

    "And no one knows when that will be." says a man standing outside of her shop. "I was hoping that it would be open more this week."

    "Why is that?" I inquire of them.

    "Because she usually stays out of the castle during her birthday week." I am told by the young woman.

    "Curious. Thank you for your time." I tell them, and make my way to the bakery. I am curious as to how these new baked goods taste so I go in. I say a polite greeting to the woman working there and acquire the goods.

    I comfortably sit at one of the tables and eat my purchase. The rumors are true, this is pretty good. As I eat I look around the bakery and listen to the gossip.

    "It seems that Princess Aria dropped by here not long ago!" a woman says to her friend.

    "That''s true. Her and Bobby seemed rather friendly. It was a nice conversation I suppose. They must have business as they left here together." the female friend replies.

    "Has this happened before? Did you know that they were friendly?" the first woman asks.

    "No! This is news to me." the second replies.

    "Do you think it is still safe to eat here? It would be associating with someone who is kind to the Princess." the first says.

    "I think it is a great idea. If the Princess comes after us for some reason we can tell her that we are friends of Bobby." the second responds.

    "You are a genius! We shall do exactly that." the first says. I have heard enough. I finish my baked good and leave the bakery. It seems that people do not have fond feelings for Princess Aria, but I do not feel that I am any closer to finding out why.

 Chapter 32 - Diary Review 2

    Arianus 11th (loop 5) continued

    I continue my day walking about town. According to you, journal, I have been spending my days in the library. I suppose this would be a good change if I could remember it. Unfortunate that, but luckily I have you journal.

    Continuing on I made myself familiar with the different places that people like to gossip. There is the flower gardens, the town well, and the stables. Oh, the guards also like to gossip when they take breaks. I know this because I spent some time watching them, curious. I was rather lucky that I was there when they took a break as I learned a nugget of information. The conversation was thus:

    "This being Aria''s birthday week makes me think of her." says a brown haired knight.

    "Ah yes. I remember one of the days that she was training with us. She was so cute as she was talking to us about her birthday and all of the things that she wanted to do." says a blond knight.

    "Not the things that she wanted to get?" asks a young knight. Well, he is young enough to be a squire and not a full knight.

    "This was back before she was the princess. She spent a lot of time with us. We taught her how to spar, and she brought us soap that she made to help us keep our uniforms looking clean and nice." says the brown haired knight.

    "She was so adorable back then. Knowing how she was back then makes me doubt some of the rumors about her. It just seems that she couldn''t have changed so much." says an older knight with salt and pepper hair.

    "It doesn''t matter what you think. Thinking doesn''t change public opinion or the things that others say that she has done." says another young knight jumping in to the conversation.

    "Money changes people." says the blond knight with a sigh.

    "Well I hope that she goes back to the sweet lass that we knew. Maybe getting married and leaving the castle will help her regain herself."

    Seeing that the conversation about Aria is over I continue walking about. I end up making my way to the shopping strip. I see something that I wish I hadn''t. Aria grabs a child from the middle of the road and launches the two of them out of the way of a speeding carriage. I wait to see the people react positively, their opinions possibly changing.

    I am wrong. I am beyond wrong. They are angry that she has laid a hand on this child. They say that she is unclean and what she has done is wrong. Do they really believe that it is worse to let a child die than push him out of the way?

    The mob begins to mercilessly beat her. A little black cat comes to her side, seeming to want to protect her. They scream about him being her familiar. I try to rush in to save Aria and the cat but am held back. I want to shout to them, try to get her to stand up but an elbow in my stomach keeps me quiet. I watch her die. I wasn''t able to keep her from dying.

    Is that my purpose? Am I supposed to keep Princess Aria from dying? Should I provide her information to help keep her safe? Or should I disregard the library and follow her about discreetly, help keep her from death?

    I am not sure. I shall have to give this theory more thought.

    Arianus 11th (loop 6)

    Is it possible that it shall perpetually be the 11th? It is the 11th once again.

    I get out of bed and go through my morning rituals. Read, eat, feed Princess Sophianna.

    "What do you plan on doing today?" she asks me, curious.

    "I am considering stalking the Princess." I tell her. She fluffs her coat up, looking pleased.

    "I get your company all day today?" she asks. "I mean, I should. I am the best and most important thing in your life after all." she tells me.

    "Oh, umm... I was planning on stalking Princess Aria." I say to clarify. Princess Sophianna seems a bit taken aback.

    "Why would you do this?" she asks me, clearly startled.

    "Because I think I might be intended to save her." I tell her brightly.

    "Save her? Since when did you get a hero complex?" she asks me. I suppose that is a good question. This would probably be confusing to her.

    "Well my little Sugar, my sweet Princess, we are supposed to save this world."

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "Oh?" she asks, twitching her tail back and forth a bit.

    "Yes." I tell her. I inform her about the reason that I replaced her original Aiden and read to her my previous journal entries.

    "Well her death does appear to be a constant. However, it is possible that there is another constant that you haven''t found." she tells me.

    "Oh? Any idea what that would be?"

    "Not a clue." she says smugly. Why would she feel the need to be smug about that? It really doesn''t make sense to me. Is this just a cat thing?

    I did have a cat back in my old life. She was also a little white cat. I called her Sugar, after my favorite streamer. It is possible that is the reason that I call Princess Sophianna Sugar as a nickname. She doesn''t seem to mind, saying that it is only right she have such a cute nickname as she is such a sweet cat.

    "Shall we look about the town together and note the different things happening to see if we find any other patterns?" I ask her.

    "I suppose. I do not wish to walk on those filthy streets though. You shall have to carry me." she says as she jumps at me. I manage to catch her and settle her comfortably in my arms.

    We walk about the town, noting down the different things that seem interesting. A firebreather accidentally sets a small patch of grass on fire, a man getting flung off of his horse and into a pile of dung. Princess Sophianna also notices a gang of cats that people are yelling at for being too loud.

    It takes us a while to gain this information. We had already grabbed lunch a while back and now it is time for dinner. As I make my way to somewhere to eat I hear a rumor.

    "Did you hear?" asks a blond woman to the man beside her.

    "Hear what?" he asks her, curious.

    "The Princess was murdered! Her head was cut off by Taylor the Tailor!"

    "No! Why?" he asks her.

    "Apparently he was shouting, saying that wasn''t the real Princess, that she was a fake, a fraud and that he was doing everyone a favor." she says.

    "Wouldn''t it be a bigger favor for him to have let her doppelganger take over? Maybe she would have been a kind person, someone the exact opposite of the princess." he comments.

    "Funny, but maybe we shouldn''t be saying this kind of thing now that she is dead. We don''t know how the royal family is going to act." she says.

    "Oh! You make a rather good point." he says, as if conceding a point.

    I have heard enough. She died again. I don''t know how there can be any clearer pattern. I feel as though I should try to find out why she is dying. It seems that a different person is killing her each time. Aside from the first two deaths. Poppy killed her both times, but killed her in a different manner.

    "I wish that I was able to figure out who will kill her next." I tell my little Sugar, the sweet girl.

    "I suppose you will have to get better at stalking."

    Arianus 11th (loop 7)

    I will have to stalk her, figure out what she is doing every day. Should I start by waiting outside of the castle? Will that give me the best chance to follow her, or get me into trouble for being suspicious?

    I decide to start my day in the library, to see if anyone needed me. I am not expecting them to, since no one has ever needed me before. To be fair though, I haven''t asked. Maybe I should?

    I sigh and walk into the library. I walk about seeing if anyone needed anything. Maybe this will give her a chance to get ready for the day and leave the palace. After walking a bit on all of the floors I think about grabbing a book and reading some. Women love to take forever getting ready after all.

    As I am getting ready to leave the library someone stops me.

    "I''m sorry. But I need some help. I need to study up on magics." says a small blond girl.

    "I can help find you some books. Why do you need to study?" I ask her, crouching down to be closer to her height.

    "It seems that I might be developing some magic and need to learn about the different elements to help figure out what my element is. I hear that the earlier you know the better you can get at it."

    "You are a very smart lass." I tell her. I am not sure why I used the word lass, I suppose it sounded fun. "How strong of a reader are you?" I ask her.

    "I know my letters, but I can''t read too many hard books yet."

    "Okay." I tell her. "Go ahead and take a seat at this table and I will bring you some books on magic written for those your age, okay? It might take a little while because I want to get you the best books."

    "Okay!" she responds, her voice sounding chipper.

    I make my way to the rest area and pull out the book of notes, reviewing it. I look through it and get a good understanding of where the children''s books are.

    I make my way to them and look through the sections. I end up finding the books that I am looking for thankfully. I pull some out, glance through them to make sure they are indeed what she is looking for, and make my way back to her.

    "Thank you for waiting. These books should have the information you are looking for." I tell her.

    "Thanks mister!" she says. "Do mind staying here with me for a little while in case I need your help reading these?" she asks, and I can see the hope bloom across her face. I don''t mind, it seems like Aria has been dying in the afternoon. Sometime between lunch and dinner? I am not sure of the exact time though, even though I witnessed it. Why didn''t I bother writing down the time? Or, do we even keep time the same way in this world?

    I do my best not to think about that and continue to help this young girl. It is actually really late by the time she thanks me and leaves the library. Helping people study and learn is one of the reasons that I wanted to become a librarian, so I guess I just got sucked into the role a bit.

    When I am done I leave the library and see how late it has gotten. Did I miss my chance at saving her again? I hope not.

    As I am walking to the area that she died the last time I catch some voices and my heart sinks.

    "Did you hear?" asks a young girl to a young boy.

    "I hear a lot of things. What thing are you talking about?" he asks her smugly.

    "That Princess Aria died of course!" the girl tells him.

    "She did!" the boy exclaims. "How?"

    "Someone murdered her! She was poisoned!" the little girl tells him.

    "Who would poison a princess? I know that not a lot of people like her, but she is still our princess." the boy says, shocked by her death.

    "I think it was Andrew the Alchemist. They brought him to the dungeons to question him" I hear the girl say.

    I wonder. If I tried, would I be able to go into the dungeons? I could say that I am visiting someone. Oh! I have a good idea but I will have to ask Princess Sophianna if she is willing to do it. I suppose that I should talk with her tomorrow about it. He isn''t likely to die today. Also, I am not sure if they torture them the same day. It is possible they leave them alone for a day, afraid of what is to come. That is what I would do if torture was my job. I am glad it isn''t.

    I spend the rest of today cleaning the library and putting everything away.

    Arianus 11th (loop 8)

    I see that it is the 11th again, but I am no longer surprised. Aria died after all. I didn''t stop her from dying. I can only assume that her dying is the thing that is starting the day over.

    Knowing that I should help the little girl again I go right over to her table. I know her learning speed and the books that she needs from my notes, so it should go faster this time.

    My time with her does go faster this time as predicted, and I make my way into town, looking for Aria. I catch a glimpse of her going into the blacksmith''s shop. I wait outside, listening to their conversation. I figure that I will hear from their conversation if things go wrong.

    I listen to their conversation a bit and everything seems fine. They are arguing a bit but it doesn''t seem that she is going to be hurt. I stay where I am, out of eye sight. I set Princess Sophianna down and have her walking around. She already agreed to walk around a bit as though she is exploring. This gives me a reason to be here. I am keeping an eye on my cat.

    I hear her telling him goodbye and sigh a breath of relief. It seems that this will not be where she is killed. I stand out of the way when I glimpse something. Something that should not be. The Smith has pulled a sword on her and stabbed her through the back. Why would he stab her in the back like that?

    Having been prepared for the possibility of failure, Princess Sophianna and I have a plan. We are going to find our way into the dungeons. We will either hear what he is being asked, or we will ask questions ourselves. I may not have stopped her from dying this time, but I will try to find out the motive for her death.

 Chapter 33 - Diary Review 3

    Arianus 11th (loop 8) continued

    I wait silently as I see someone flag down the police. It seems that someone had walked into the store not long after she had been murdered. Samuel was sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth. He kept muttering to himself "I killed her, I can''t believe I killed her, why did I kill her."

    Why did you kill her Samuel? I plan to find out. Hopefully his confession brings out the truth, even if he doesn''t know what it is.

    As the guards drag Samuel away, Princess Sophianna and I follow after the guards, cautiously. They lead us to the dungeons. I set Princess Sophianna down and let her look around and see if she can find a different way in. A sneaky way.

    I watch her sniffing and looking about. She may act like a snooty princess at times, but she is still a curious little girl. She tries to hide being excited about this little foray, but I could see right through her.

    She lets out the tiniest of mews, letting me know that she found something. And indeed she had. It seems like part of the building collapsed. I feel that they will be getting around to fixing it eventually, but they haven''t. If you don''t look too closely, it looks as though the rubble is completely blocking the hole. However, that isn''t the case.

    I carefully move some of the rubble, revealing a slight gap in the wall. I am tall, but a bit on the slender side so I am able to slip inside with a bit of effort. I am a bit frightened, but I have a feeling that if I die I will be waking up at the start of the day again with no memories of my death. The no memories thing doesn''t really seem convenient, but not remembering your own death? Convenient.

    Hiding amongst the rubble I stay quiet, waiting to hear the sounds of talking. Luckily for me, the guards are not quiet, and neither is Samuel.

    "Why did you kill her?" a guard shouts. I am just able to see them from where I am hidden. The guard is right up in Samuel''s face, shouting at him.

    "I can''t believe I killed her. Why did I kill her?" he says in response.

    "Tell me why you killed her!" the guard shouts in his face again.

    "She wasn''t her. That couldn''t have been Aria. I don''t know who that was but it couldn''t have been Aria. And if it was, she deserved it. Ask anyone! She deserved it!" Samuel shouts, completely hysterical. And why wouldn''t he be, there is a good chance that he will be hung soon.

    "Have you lost your mind?" the guard asks, shaking his head.

    "My mind? I''ve lost my mind?" Samuel asks the guard.

    "I don''t think our king really murders people that have lost their mind. He says that they might not even recognize what they have done." the guard says to another guard that is standing at his side.

    "Well, that isn''t up for us to decide. However, I don''t think that we will be getting more out of him today. Let''s leave him here for now."

    "No! I want to go home. Where is Iris? She will tell you that couldn''t have been Aria! I had feelings for Aria! I wouldn''t have killed her." Samuel said and burst into tears.

    I feel bad about seeing this last part. Tears are usually something private, personal. However, his admission of feelings might be important. Did everyone that has killed her so far been romantically interested in her? No, I don''t think so.

    Before leaving I take a moment to glance around the cells. I have never been in the dungeon before and hope to never be back in them.

    The dark grey stone walls look wet somehow. The air was cold, and I feel as though it would smell musty and stale if not for the crack that I am standing in. The ground is made of smaller light grey stones. It doesn''t look the most comfortable, but with shoes on I am unclear on if the stones are jagged.

    Looking back and forth I see that the dungeon is full of cells, although not full of prisoners. Many people in this kingdom respect its rulers, so not too many commit crime. Also, the kingdom is economically prosperous. Though of course it is, this is the setting for a dating sim game after all.

    Within the cells are small cots, pots and not much else. Some of the cots look more comfortable than others with thicker pillows and quilts. Is that for long term prisoners that for some reason they do not feel okay about killing? I am uncertain.

    Having gotten what information I am able to get I slip out of the dungeon and make my way back to the library. I do my best to look about me. I don''t want to seem like a suspicious person, because I am not. I had nothing to do with her death, and wasn''t in the dungeon for any nefarious reason. I simply wasn''t able to save her. I''ll keep trying.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Arianus 11th (loop 9)

    Ah, the 11th again. It can only stand to reason that her death is what is causing the reset. I don''t know what else it could possibly be. I know that Princess Sophianna believes that there could be something else, but I am somehow not certain. I feel like it must be Princess Aria''s death.

    I do the same things that I have been doing the past couple of days. I am sure that if I remembered the days they would be boring, but all I have are the details of my days in you, journal and not the experience of it.

    After meeting with the little girl I make my way back to the shopping street. I get myself some treats and look in shop windows to seem less suspicious. Some people glance at me but no one seems suspicious. That is good. Luckily no one comes up to greet me either. Do I not have any friends? That... That is a little sad.

    I eventually find and stalk Princess Aria. It seems other people are interested in her actions in order to stay away from her, so me watching her wasn''t even the smallest bit strange, or even noticeable. Thank you Aria, for having a terrible reputation.

    I get nervous as I see her going into the blacksmith''s. However, as I listen to their conversation it seems that everything is fine. I still wait outside the door though, ready to run inside. I almost put my hand on the door and rush in when she turns around. However, I watch his body language and see that he is no threat. Instead of rushing in I walk back a bit and look like I am going to go into a different shop.

    I next follow after her and see her go into a shop I am not sure that I recognize from the game. An Assortment of Magical Bits and Bobs huh. How is that much different from Aria and Andrew''s shops? I suppose that I will have to go in and check it out myself. However, now is not the time.

    I hide out behind a bush and in the shadow''s and listen to her conversation. everything seems fine. And she is apparently meeting up with him again tomorrow. He doesn''t seem like he wants to hurt her. He doesn''t even know her. Does that make things better or worse?

    I make sure that she gets back to the palace okay and return to my home.

    Arianus 12th

    It seems that I have made it past the 11th. Interesting. This is just seeming to prove my theory that Aria has something to do with the reason things are resetting. Why would that be the case though? What makes her so special? Isn''t she the villain? I need to know more. I need to know so much more about her. How can I get her attention though? How can I get her to pay attention to me. If she is always with me then I never have to worry about her dying. And if she isn''t dying maybe I can figure out how to save this world.

    Yes, me wanting to be around her all the time is simply to understand why she is so important. That is all. There is no other reason. I don''t know her so there can be no other reason. Everyone hates her and kills her so she must be an awful person. But, I want to make that determination for myself. What if we are all missing something?

    I follow her around a bit, but it seems as though her and the shop owner of that new store are working on a new project. So she is either with him, or in her shop. I suppose I will do some work in the library. I do need to make sure that I am still here often. What if she needs my help with something here? I don''t want to be rushing in right before her, or at the same time. That will eventually become obvious.

    I am finishing putting some books away when someone comes into the library that I wasn''t expecting. I am able to meet the Princess and this Alexander Ludus. It seems that he doesn''t know that she is the Princess. Maybe this will help her be safer with him. I suppose I shouldn''t be around so much. That would be too obvious. Maybe I will only follow her around every other day?

    They only come in to buy things from our... Unique stock of items. Well, the item that they are creating does seem interesting. I wonder if it is going to work the way that it is intended. I suppose I am also simply curious about anything that the Princess makes.

    I go about my tasks as the head librarian when I get another surprise. The Princess has come in again. She is doing research for her totems. Interesting. You would think someone that was raised in this world would find things such as this obvious. And water proofing? It is also interesting that she doesn''t already know how to do that. Curious.

    I stop in and check on her on occasion, seeing how her progress is going. I have fun with her too. I flirt and tease, but in a way that I doubt she really notices. She is so breathtaking in person. I wondered if I would be disappointed meeting her face to face. It''s easy to idolize something in a game, and feel differently in real life. I don''t. I really don''t feel different. And she smells so nice. I want to smell her up close again. I hope that I just get interested in her and not completely obsessed. Unless it is already too late.

    When it is time for her to leave something happens that I cannot explain. It makes things make so much more sense, and so much less sense at the same time. When I am calling Princess Sophianna Sugar she responds with Bunny. She uses the same inflection, the same intonation and the same hand placement as Sugar Bunny. There can be no coincidence. Sugar Bunny has been pulled into this game as well.

    Does she have the same quest that I do? Is this the reason that I have to keep her from dying? That would make sense. I wonder what tools she is given to help her in this world. Is it the same? Is it also a magical journal? Somehow I don''t think it is. I don''t know why I have that feeling, aside from the fact that gods get bored. And doing the same thing with the both of us would be boring. And most likely not as useful for saving the world.

    I want to talk with her about it but she rushes outside. As soon as she is outside I see a dark shadow chase after her. Seeing it both froze my insides and made me immediately sick. I was horrified when it somehow produced a knife...sword thing and stabbed her clear through with it. She died almost instantly. I felt my world going dark. I somehow manage to make it to the nap room. I have just barely managed to write these words before... (smudges)

    Arianus 12th (loop 10)

    I am startled by reading this last entry. Sugar Bunny is in this world? That doesn''t seem right. But this is me writing these entries, and I trust myself. What was that at the end though. I find out who she is and shadows attack her? Is it safe to talk with her about our world? I don''t want to be the cause of her death. Maybe I can subtly drop hints about myself and see if she picks up the crumbs. Maybe she would remember me from the outside world. Would I want her to? I don''t want to be the cause of her death though. Maybe it is best if I just follow her around and don''t comment on anything. Simply try to keep her safe.

    I am excited to replay this day however if I get to be close to her again. It seems that I said she smells good? I want to repeat all of my actions, but not say Sugar. I think that up to that point everything sounds good.

    I have replayed everything the same way, but this time she didn''t mention Princess Sophianna. Does that mean that she is aware? Is she aware of her actions that are causing her deaths? Is that even possible?

    What a conclusion to jump to after just one interaction. However, this is something that I want to keep a close eye, and ear on.

    Arianus 13th

    It appears that Princess Aria has not died since leaving my library last night. That is good at least. I am glad that she made it safely home. I believed that she would have noticed if I had followed her last night. I am hoping that she is more aware of me now. It might be harder to stalk her, but I want her to see me as a man.

    Aria is seen as the villainess of this story, hating Iris for some reason that really wasn''t explained in the games. It seemed as though she was always interested in whatever guy Iris was going after. It was odd. Was she simply trying to stop Iris from becoming happy? That doesn''t feel right. I have never thought that felt right.

    If she was interested in all of the men, than she was interested in none of the men. If I can get her to fall for me, then no one will believe that she is trying to keep Iris from being happy. She won''t have to be chasing after someone, as she will have someone. In the games it seems she was hated because of her treatment of Iris. It is possible there were others, but that was who was highlighted. If she is with someone already, she should stop tormenting Iris. And people may see her differently and stop killing her.

    Ah, I hope I am able to read this and make sense of my thoughts. I can''t erase poor wording after all as this is written in ink.

    Aria was with Alexander Ludus and in her shop all day again. Not much else to comment on.

 Chapter 34 - Diary Review 4

    Arianus 14th

    Aria''s behaviors were much the same today as they were yesterday. I feel frustrated. I want to see her, I want to watch her, I want to be the one to keep her safe. Princess Sophianna understands my feelings, and would creep out throughout the day to look for cracks, crevices, or any way to get into the back room of her shop. Nothing. No way in. What am I going to do if she dies in her shop? How can I stop something like that.

    Luckily something came along to help keep my mind off of things I can do nothing about. The young girl came back into my shop. She said that because I helped her so much last time, she would really appreciate it if I could help her again. I tell her that I don''t mind, and to choose what she wants to focus on. She tell me that she wants to learn about fire and water. The way that it changes a person''s personality and what most people do with those magics.

    I am glad that she is interested in all of this. I am wondering if studying with her will help me in any way. Will learning about the magics help me stop those wanting to use magic against her? Help me to figure out their typical personalities so I know how to manipulate them. Play against their weaknesses.

    Also, helping her reminds me of my passions, of the reason that I wanted to become a librarian.

    ~~~~

    Growing up I lived in a bad household. Both of my parents were obsessive and cruel over different things. They were constantly yelling at each other over some perceived slight. If the other person wasn''t around they would take it out on me. Saying that I am the reason that Mom is cheating, that if I wasn''t such a bad kid then this wouldn''t be happening. Mom would do and say the same things.

    Mom was also obsessive about how clean the home is. She would tell me what to clean that day and would hit me if it wasn''t done well enough. Even if I had homework that I had to get done. Nothing mattered.

    Eventually I figured out that if I was out of sigh I was out of mind. I would go to the library whenever I could.

    Before things got bad at home my parents would take me to the library. They would leave me there for hours to listen to the people that read stories to the children. And I loved it. I loved every moment of it. I wanted to be that person when I grew up.

    When I was older and using the library to hide out the librarians were always kind to me. They would help me find the most secluded area to study, or sit with me and ask what books I was reading. The more that they learned about me, the more books they recommended. They ended up feeling more like a family to me than my own family.

    ```

    I don''t know this girl''s situation or why she is asking me to help her learn instead of her own family. And that doesn''t matter. I will teach her and teach her well.

    Today we discussed fire and water. I taught her about some common personality traits of each as well as some of the focuses that people have in those elements. Here are what those are:

    Fire:

    - Common Personality Traits: Energetic, competitive, throwing themselves into flings (passion burns bright, but flickers out quickly)

    - Focuses: Fire (fireballs, firebolts) on an offensive basis, Fox fires (helping guide lost adventurers), Purifying Flames (helping to purify metals, etc.)

    Water:

    - Common Personality Traits: Calm, even tempered, gentle, can become emotional, wants a long term romance, doesn''t rush into relationships

    - Focuses: Helping with crops (watering large amounts of land), Purification (helping to purify water), Medic (helping to wash off and out poisons, works closely with light mages).

    I offered to walk the young girl, Anise, home at the end of our study session and she accepted my offer. I let her lead the way as I have no idea where she lives. We walked past the nice areas, the lesser nice areas, and ended up in the poorer area, but not quite the slums. Her house was very small but it was obvious that her family does there best to maintain it.

    It seems that her parents saw her walking up as they came out of the house and thanked me. I find out that her parents make an honest living but they still struggle with money. They are putting a good chunk of their savings aside to send Anise to school. It is a great honor to have a budding mage in the family and they want to do everything that they can to support her growth. They never got an education themselves so they aren''t able to read the books with Anise. They thank me again as I walk away from the house, telling Anise I will see her tomorrow.

    I make sure to walk about town before bed. No rumors of deaths. Very good. I hope it remains this way.

    Arianus 15th

    It seems that Aria has set a pattern. Time with Alexander Ludus, and time spend in her shop. Nothing of concern that I noticed. It still bothers me though. I almost wonder if I should sneak into her room and hide behind her curtains and watch her sleep to make sure that no one stabs her during the night. I shake off that idea. It would make more sense to break into and hide in her shop.

    Although I have a strong desire to take those actions I know that they are wrong. I wonder why I feel so desperate to know her every move. I just need to know enough to keep her safe. Is the looping messing with my mind? I don''t want my obsessive nature to be something that makes her afraid of me. Having her fear me would make it so much more difficult to track her, to follow her movements and make sure that she is staying safe.

    To get my thought back to be reasonable to make myself a cup of tea and pull out some books to make sure that I am ready for Anise.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The first thing that she says to me when she enters is, "I''m sorry about my parents. They can be so embarrassing sometimes. You didn''t need to know all that about my family."

    I reply with, "I think your family is perfectly lovely. I think it is great the way they think about and care for you. Not all parents care about or support their children. No kid likes hearing this, but you seem pretty lucky."

    Seem. I have to use the word seem. There are a lot of families that look okay on the surface but end up holding some damaging views, or hurting their kids in ways that are hard to see.

    "Yeah, I suppose they are pretty great." she tells me. "What elements should we go over today?" she asks me.

    "I was thinking that we can learn about Earth and Wind today. What do you think?" I ask her.

    "That sounds like fun!" she says. "Always good to start out with learning about the basic elements. Most magic users have the basic elements anyways."

    "You are a very smart girl." I tell her.

    "I know I am." she chirps back happily.

    Again we talk about common personality traits and focuses:

    Earth:

    - Common Personality Traits: Strong, steady, focused, wants a long term relationship, looks down on flings

    - Focuses: Building (can help shape stones and stack them, can make cement), Woodsman (Can work in the woods, shape trees, build cabins, hunt), Furniture Maker/Craftsperson (Create furniture, wood carving, helps create art)

    Wind:

    - Common Personality Traits: Lively, Doesn''t like to stay in the same place for too long, desires adventure, doesn''t stay in relationships as they don''t want to be help down, often cheerful

    - Focuses: Explorer (Helps use wind to clear paths to find new places), Surgeon (helps use wind to make careful cuts), Bird Taming (helps raise messenger birds for communication)

    Anise and I have some great fun talking further about Earth and Wind.. She thinks about creating golems and what she would do with them. She is torn between utter destruction of her perceived enemies and creating new and fun things. She was also very surprised about Wind mages making good surgeons. She never thought of that as she only thinks of light mages as the ones that heal people. I can understand that thought, as I had the same thought. Are there things that light magic can''t heal?

    We end up reading and learning until later in the evening. I walk her back home again. Her parents invite me in for dinner, and I accept. From what I can glean from Aiden''s memories it is very impolite to not accept and invitation.

    The inside of their home is very clean, and obviously well cared for. The walls are a light yellow, and flowers are in vases here and there. It serves to create a bright atmosphere, but it also makes the air pleasantly floral.

    For dinner we have a noodle, fresh pasta dish and a salad.

    "The vegetables are so fresh because we grow them ourselves." Anise''s mother tells me.

    "We sell some of them to make extra money, but keep as much as we can to ourselves. A healthy body equals a healthy mind." her father chips in with.

    I find out that Anise has an older brother and sister. The brother casts suspicious glances at me, and the sister looks at me, cheeks aflush and giggling on occasion. I am polite to the both of them, which Anise seems to appreciate. She never mentioned her siblings before. Is she embarrassed by them as well?

    After dinner I make my way through the town again. I listen for any gossip and also spend a while just walking. I look for all of the cracks and crevices that someone can hide. Admittedly there aren''t that many. The kingdom seems well cared for. It seems that the poorer area is what is considered the slums, and even that area is well cared for and maintained. This will make it more difficult for someone to hide, then pop out and murder Aria. Very good.

    After spending a few hours walking around I make my way back to my house. I am going to finish writing in you journal, then fall asleep quickly.

    Arianus 16th

    I clean the library and reshelf books before Anise comes in for our study session. She appears to be in a good mood when I see her, a big smile on her face.

    "My family really likes you. They wish that you could be my permanent teacher until I am sent to the tower."

    "I don''t know if I am really qualified to be a teacher. But whenever you want some help researching or reading through any of the books I am more than happy to help." I tell her, flattered.

    "My sister also says that you are really cute. And want to know if you are single!"

    I can''t help but laugh at that. Anise is so young and bright. Very innocent. She has a big bright smile, and it''s obvious that she loves her sister.

    "I am, but there is someone that I have feelings for."

    "Oh! Can you tell me all about her?" she asks. How old is she to be interested in romance? I suppose in this world some girls are married off young, so perhaps this is normal.

    "I might tell you about her. But first, let''s look into some light magic."

    "Oh, okay!" she says. She still eyes me, seeming a bit disappointed that I am putting off her questions.

    "I''m excited about todays topic, as I am a Light magic user." I tell her. I see her eyes go wide and bright, her interest increased.

    As per our usual study sessions we go over common personality traits and focuses:

    Light:

    - Common Personality Traits: Highly focused (possibly to the point of obsession), kind, gentle, guarded, Fixations, Wants a strong commitment from a partner / wants a permanent bond

    - Focuses: healer (using healing magic to help heal and mend), Illusionist (using magic to create illusions), Priests (Helps connect people in marriage and bonding ceremonies)

    Darkness:

    - Common Personality Traits: Mysterious, Secretive, Gentle, Protective, Insightful

    - Focuses: Occult (Can help guide lost souls to the after life), Potion Master (skilled at coming up with new potions, often doesnˇŻt need a recipe), Charms Maker (Crafts strong charms that people use to keep them safe), Shadow Caster (uses bonds with shadows to help in fighting)

    I also show her some neat tricks with light magic. I created a glowing ball and a reflection of her. I also made a light image of a cat. I hoped this would keep her from asking more questions about my love life.

    "Okay, studying done. Now who is it that you like?" she asks, grinning at me.

    "Alright, but remember that you asked. I genuinely have feelings for Princess Aria. I think that she is smart, hardworking and beautiful. I know that she has worked on projects to help bring more educators to children that cannot afford it, as well as brining in people for them to speak with when they are having a hard time.

    "Even though she is the Princess she also holds a job. She creates her own potions and charms. Although people trash talk her, she still does her best to craft quality projects. I also feel that a lot of the gossip people spread about her are all lies."

    "Oh." she says quietly. She sits there for a moment before replying. "We like her too. She is the reason that I even thought about coming to the library to learn things. I also think that she is smart and pretty. I''m not able to tell anyone that though as they are mean and cruel if I do. I''m glad that you like her. Are you going to go to her party and try to marry her?" she asks.

    "Yes. Now then, shall we get you a treat before I walk you back home."

    "Yes please!"

    We go to a cart that is selling some sort of baked pastry with fruit and brown sugar and caramel filling. It smells good, so we each get one. It is hot, gooey, and clearly something a young girl would enjoy as I can hear Anise making some happy sounds.

    As I am walking her back to her home we hear some gossip that I was hoping we wouldn''t hear.

    "Did you hear?" a woman asked a man standing beside her.

    "No, what?" he asked in reply.

    "Princess Aria killed herself! Alexander Ludus ran out of the building to try to get help but it was too late. His story was utterly bizarre. He said that he didn''t try to stop her because he was frozen in shock. Apparently, she just kept stabbing herself over and over!"

    "What a horrible way to go. I mean, she seemed so mean to everyone, but to do that to herself? Maybe she was just misunderstood and couldn''t take it anymore." he said in response.

    I don''t want us to hear anymore. I didn''t want to hear it in the first place, but Anise held me in place. I didn''t fight her either. However, I don''t like that such a young girl heard about a suicide.

    "I''m sorry. And right after you told me you liked her too." she says, crying softly.

    When we reach her home I apologize as I tell her family what we heard. They accept my apology and invite me in for tea. It seems that it is obvious that the news upset me as well as Anise.

    Her family tells me the things that they appreciated about the Princess. It was nice to hear such positive things. I am angry for how she died though.

    On the way home I keep my rage at Alexander Ludus deep inside. Maybe I will try to kill him before he can hurt her. But for now, I will give sweet little Anise my attention. Possibly plan murder later. It has to be well planned. Can''t let Aria know that I would be willing to kill someone.

    Aiden finishes reading his journal entries and takes in all of the information that he had just learned, and there is a lot of it. Days worth. A lot to compile and put together. However, why did her death put them back to the 11th? Hadn''t it been resetting to the day of her death? It seemed that something he thought was obvious isn''t quite so obvious after all.

 Chapter 35 - Repurchasing a Sword and Dagger (Re-upload)

    I wake up curled up with Blizzie on Alias''s rug. It is rather soft I must say.

    "New record. I did not know that you would be able to make it so long. A week is a marvelously long time! Or close to a week. Does time really matter? You made it more than a day!" Alias says cheerfully. I don''t feel cheerful.

    "Where are we?" Blizzie asks.

    "I died." I tell Blizzie. "I guess you come with me now since you are my familiar."

    "Oh." Blizzie says and begins exploring the area that we are in. "Upset you died. I saved you." Blizzie says. I can hear that he is sulking.

    "I know Blizzie. You were very brave. I''m sorry that I did what I did. I don''t know if you will believe me but it is for the best."

    "If Aria says so." he huffs, then walks over to me. "Blizzie trusts Aria."

    I stay sitting on the rug and Blizzie crawls into my lap. I pet him and he begins to purr. I really am sorry that I did that in front of Blizzie. I just...

    "I''m sorry Aria." Alias says and joins me sitting on the rug.

    "You have a comfy bed and a comfy rug. Your room is nice. Do you maybe perhaps want a roommate?" I ask Alias.

    "I''m sorry but not right now. I''m perfectly happy watching you from afar. Though I have to admit I might have been a little lonely not being able to see you face to face."

    I am a little startled by his response but then I think about it. Alias said that he is the god of this world, not one of the gods. This makes him the only god overseeing this world. I can see how that would make things a little lonely.

    "I''m sorry Alias. Should I die more often to come visit you?"

    "It might be more helpful than hiding away in a shop working on a project." he tells me. I know that he is right. I suppose I just wanted to live quietly. Living quietly helps no one though.

    "Alias I have been thinking. How am I supposed to change the world through romance?" I ask him. "And yes, I know that you are right. I won''t lock myself away so much this time." I tell him.

    "Very good. And I have actually been thinking about that question a lot. I wonder if something that might help is changing others perception of you."

    "What do you mean?" I ask Alias.

    "What do you mean?" Blizzie echoes. I don''t know if he knows what we are talking about, but I love that he wants to be a part of the conversation.

    "What I mean is don''t look for love right now. Instead, I want you to go through the routes of the OG male leads."

    "Umm. why?" I ask him. How is that a good idea.

    "Because you can unlock them in a way. I have been working on your status screens and I found something out when looking over your relationships." Alias tells me.

    "Care to let me in on your findings?" I ask him.

    "Do you see how Blizzie no longer has any bars above his head?"

    "Isn''t that because he is my familiar?" I ask Alias.

    "Yes. But in order for him to be able to become your familiar you had to increase his friendship to the max."

    "That''s true, but I am not sure what you are getting at." I tell him.

    "Okay, think status screen in your head." he tells me. I follow his instructions and I see a large screen pop up.

    "Don''t worry. When you decide to look this over time will freeze." he tells me.

    "Isn''t that a good way to get out of dying? Just leave the screen up and leave the area?"

    "That would be nice if it worked. I do not recommend it. That will cause everyone to try to murder you."

    "Oh." I say quietly, then turn my attention on the screen in front of me.

    I see different areas:

    RELATIONSHIPS

    "Go ahead and click on relationships." I do so.

    RELATIONSHIPS

    Sir Blizzard

    Irick Glassel

    Jeofry Finius Duckson

    Heinrick Smithers

    Jason Elgrove

    Iris Ebony

    Aiden Grayling

    Bennett Glassel

    Poppy Pinery

    Bobby Brown

    Jasper Stone

    Taylor Morrison

    Andrew Elison

    Samuel Redding

    Alexander Ludus

    "Click on one of the names." he tells me. I obey.

    Irick Glassel

    Friendship: 0/100

    Suspicion: 10/100

    Romance: 5/100

    Relationship with Others

    Information Missing

    "Wow." I say. I don''t know how else to respond. I can pull these up any time and check in on how people see me. Also, relationships with others? Is that going to be important? I suppose it will help me in learning about how everyone is connected to one another.

    "He is my brother. Why is he romanceable?" I ask Alias.

    "Because. He doesn''t see you as his sister. At all. See look." Alias says and draws my attention to the romance.

    "I haven''t interacted with him yet. Why is there a number there?" I ask, confused.

    "Because. He hates Aria and is attracted to her, though just a little." Alias tells me. The thought hurts my stomach a little. Is this part of the reason that he hates Aria?

    "Why is he already suspicious of me?" I ask him. "This is starting me at a disadvantage."

    "He is always suspicious of Aria''s intentions. Sorry that this is being carried over to you. Unfair, I know. You can look at all of these other relationship screens later, when I send you back." Alias tells me. "Look at the other sections."

    Recipes

    Unlocked Characters

    "Obviously the recipes are what recipes you have learned. I told you that you would get to keep the ones you unlocked. See, I''m a pretty great god aren''t I!" he says cheerfully.

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    "You really are. I can tell that you worked hard on this." I say, complimenting him. "What are the unlocked characters?" I ask him, pressing on it.

    Unlocked Characters

    Sir Blizzard

    "This is what I learned by observing the benefits of maxing out Sir Blizzard'', aside from him becoming your familiar. Unlocked characters are characters that you have helped become uncorrupted. They will keep all of their memories from all resets, as well as all previous memories. They can become staunch allies to you.

    "Warning on the OG male leads. I know that none of them are the correct route. However, you need to uncorrupt them. While doing this do not let their romance bar go over 50 percent."

    "Why? What happens?" I ask.

    "It can''t possibly be just as bad, if not worse, than if you fill up the suspicion gauge."

    How is that even possible? Worse? What is worse than being murdered? I''m sure that this is a naive question, so I don''t ask it out loud.

    "How goes my Aria training?" I ask him.

    "Still working on it."

    "Did you set up for me to meet with the old Aria? Did you know that she is in my old body?"

    "I had my suspicions that this was the case." he tells me. "I did not set that meeting up. Did you learn anything from her?"

    "I think by talking to her I am more easily able to access her memories. Also, she went over the dances I will be doing at my birthday party." I tell him.

    "That''s tomorrow, isn''t it."

    "No." I tell him. "It isn''t. I do not want to go back to my last checkpoint. Not even close. "Put me back to before I met Alex." I tell him. "I don''t plan on pursuing him. If we meet again, it will be by chance alone."

    "Are you sure about that? You will lose a lot of progress."

    "I can''t salvage that relationship." I tell him, a few tears building in my eyes. "I have to go back to before I met him, or I will just go back to working on that project with him. It''s just not an option."

    "Oh Aria." Alias says and pulls me into a hug. I allow myself to cry a little before pulling away.

    "I don''t know him. Why is he hugging you!" Blizzie says, fur raising a little. It seems he is a little more protective of me now.

    "A friend. A good friend." I tell Blizzie.

    "Oh." Blizzie says, pausing for a moment. "You may pet me."

    Laughing Alias reaches over and pets Blizzie. "Thank you Blizzie. Your fur is magnificently soft."

    "I am best cat."

    "Aria, are you sure you want to go back that far? That puts you back to before your first conversation with Bobby."

    "I am sure." I tell Alias. "I want to repurchase my sword and dagger after all."

    "Goodluck." Alias tells us both before snapping his fingers and sending us back.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    I take a calming breath and try to remember everything that I had already done. I close my eyes a moment and do my best to recall. It seems my recollection is strong. Samuel''s was the last shop I went into before going into Alex''s shop.

    I walk up to the smithy and put my hand against the cold metal of the door. I let the cold calm my nerves before pushing the door open.

    "Hello, give me a moment!" I hear a voice shouting from somewhere deeper in the shop. What a familiar line.

    "Hello." I tell him, and flash him a small smile.

    "A... Aria what are you doing here?" Samuel asks, stuttering a bit.

    "I came here for two reasons today actually." I tell him.

    "Oh?" he says, seeming confused and curious.

    "First and foremost, I would like a matching sword and dagger. I have come to the realization that I miss spending time with a blade."

    "Oh! I''m honored that you came to my shop in order to buy one! What is the next reason?" he asks me.

    "I wanted to make sure that you are coming to my birthday." I tell him. I almost said birthday party but that sounds so childish. Birthday ball may be closer I suppose.

    "Why are you suddenly asking me this? Are you sure that you are okay with me coming?"

    "Why wouldn''t I be?"

    "Because you have spurned all of my advances. And why didn''t you have the common decency to do it to my face. You went through Iris instead. Is it because I went through her first?" Is this how the conversation went last time? It seems familiar, but I also feel like some of his wording has changed.

    "I hate to say it but I am utterly oblivious. If you were sending Iris to me to show me of your affections, I may not have understood." I tell him.

    "How could you not have understood them? At different times I had her bring you chocolate, flowers and a poem!"

    "Please don''t think too poorly of me for saying this, but I have people send me a lot of gifts. Oftentimes those gifts aren''t sent out of any form of goodwill. They don''t want me to see them as favorable, but instead they want my father to think that they are favoring me, so that he will favor them."

    "That sounds complicated." Samuel says, and it seems like he is seeing things from my point of view. "If that is your view on being given gifts, would it have changed if I had come in person?" he asks me.

    "Actually, yes. I am usually rather remarkably good at reading people and their intentions. By sending Iris it muddied what your intentions were. I couldn''t see the look in your eyes or hear your voice. I couldn''t see your sincerity."

    "Do you remember Iris bringing these to you? It was her idea for us to become a couple. I am sure that she would have said something convincing."

    "Samuel, it has been a while since Iris, and I have had a real conversation. We aren''t friends anymore; she is friends with Irick. I don''t trust Irick, so it''s possible that I wouldn''t have trusted Iris. I am really sorry Samuel ." I tell him.

    "It isn''t like you to apologize." he tells me, and I see his suspicion bar rise.

    "It isn''t every day, or even every year, that someone sends me a real gift." I retort and see his suspicion bar empty.

    "I knew you couldn''t be as bad as everyone says you are." Samuel says. I almost want to respond sarcastically, but I don''t.

    "I feel each person should determine on their own the way they view another person." I say and shrug my shoulders. "Now then, are you going to help me find a sword and dagger set?" I ask him.

    "Of course, I am!" he says. He goes on the same spiel he did the last time I bought a weapon from him, and he leads we to the same sword and dagger. I test the sword out the same way I did last time as well.

    "I''ll take them." I say. "And I plan on wearing them out." I add.

    "Are you sure? It doesn''t really go with your outfit."

    "And why does that matter?" I ask him casually.

    The answer is that it doesn''t. Everyone is afraid to call me out. And maybe people will be less likely to randomly murder me if I begin to wear a sword. I wish I could wear pants like other princesses in light novels, web novels, web cartoons and video games do. Why does that have to go against Aria''s known personality? Oh well, I''m going to change perceptions enough that it won''t be a big deal if I wear pants at times.

    "My sword!" Blizzie says happily.

    "Do you mind helping me strap the dagger onto Blizzie? He is Sir Blizzard, my fuzzy little knight after all." I tell Samuel.

    "Of course, he is!" Samuel exclaims. "Come here Sir Blizzard." Samuel says and Blizzie comes running up to him.

    "Make me handsome!" Blizzie says.

    "I love chatty cats." Samuel comments before strapping the dagger onto Blizzie. "There you are. Very handsome." he says. Blizzie struts a few steps.

    "Thanks Samuel I appreciate it. Now then, let''s discuss cost."

    After I pay Samuel I make my way out of his shop. I feel good having a sword, but I should really practice how to use one. Before I find a place to go practice though, I want to check on how my conversation went.

    I pull up my status screen and click on Samuel''s name.

    Samuel Redding

    Friendship: 10/100

    Suspicion: 0/100

    Romance: 20/100

    I suppose that this will go easier with people who already like me. I hope that I am correct about the people that like me. It will be devastating to think that someone likes me only to realize that I am wrong. Feeling no confidence, I close out the window and make my way back to the castle.

    If I had continued to see the knights often, I would have gone to their training area. When everyone began to dislike me however, the knights stopped letting me come around, although it seemed they were sad to do it. I don''t think that all of the knights hate me, I just think that they aren''t able to support me either.

    The only other place that I can think of training is the castle training grounds. There is an outdoor and an indoor training area. Irick mainly uses the outdoor one, unless it is too cold. It is a nice temperature today though, so it shouldn''t be a problem. I am just going to drop by my room and change first. I suppose that I should also tell Poppy what I will be doing.

    I enter the castle and then enter my room, not passing by another person. I do enter the castle through the doors that lead into my wing of the castle. A place they say that no one with even an ounce of sanity goes to.

    "Poppy!" I say as I enter the room. "I have made a decision." I tell her.

    "Oh?" she asks, dropping her book to the floor and starting at me intently.

    "Oh, it''s nothing that exciting."

    "I''ll be the judge of that thank you!" she says and stares at me more intently.

    "I am going to go back to practicing the sword, most likely at night. Oh, and I plan on helping with preparations for my birthday this year. I think it is about time I take some part in it, especially since my husband may well be chosen for me this year."

    "Well obviously on the first point. You always going back to practicing the sword at times of stress. And yay! You are finally listening to me on helping with the party preparations. Now if only you would listen to me and put in a good word about me to Irick."

    "I don''t talk to Irick. He hates me. I''ve told you this."

    "A girl can dream. And he is rather dreamy." she says with a soft sigh, picking her book up off the floor.

    "Sure, of course a girl can dream. Why you would choose to have those dreams be nightmares though is beyond me."

    "Were you needing me to accompany you?" Poppy asks me.

    "No. You can go ahead and keep reading. Just having my bathing items together, and pajamas laid out when I get back."

    "And for food?"

    "A soup or stew with bread sounds like just the right thing to eat after a workout." I tell her.

    "Is it any wonder that the king feel that he needs to find you a man? Honestly!" Poppy says, throwing her hands in the air, book flying out of them and back onto the floor. That poor book, what did it ever do to deserve such treatment?

    "I wish I could disagree with you." I tell Poppy.

    I move to my closet and pause.

    "You forgot where your handkerchiefs are again, didn''t you."

    "It seems that way." I tell her.

    "Front drawer of your wardrobe. Not your closet." Poppy says, sounding almost exasperated. I guess that Aria also forgot often where she keeps things.

    "Honestly Aria, what would you do without me?"

    "Sleep in, miss meals and become an unsocialized heathen." I tell her and flash her a grin. She bursts out laughing, hard, sounding more like a hyena and less like the tinkling of bells. I like it when people laugh like that.

    "Come on then, let''s find you some pants." she says, wiping tears away from her eyes.

    A few minutes later I am walking out of my room and making my way to the indoor training room. I quickly find myself standing outside of the room.

    Checkpoint

    I enter the room and look around. I am not alone. Sigh.

    Irick turns to me, narrowing his eyes. "What are you doing in here?" he asks. I wave my hand to indicate that I have a sword and that I am wearing pants.

    "I''m here to train." I tell him. Ignoring him I unsheathe my sword and walk over to a large empty area and begin some warmup swings.

    "Why are you here when I am in here?" he asks me, sounding rather aggressive.

    "It''s a big room Irick. Stay out of my way and I will stay out of yours. Unless you care to spar?" I ask, just throwing the idea out into the open.

    He stares at me for a moment. I look to see if his suspicion bar is going up. It isn''t. We must have had conversations like this before.

    "You have fifteen minutes to warm up. I am going to go grab Bennett to referee."

    I almost open my mouth to respond but decide against it. I have fifteen minutes to get a feel for how this body moves. I access my memories and am pleased to see that Aria never really stops practicing the sword, she just hides it most of the time, it keeps people less wary of her. I am hoping that I can use this to my advantage.

    It feels like the fifteen minutes flies by and that no time has passed when Irick and Bennett enter into the room.

    "Hey sis!" Bennett greets me cheerfully.

    "Benny! It''s nice to see you!." I shout over to him, sheathing my sword and making my way over. Bennett demands that a sister should be familiar with her brother, and that I must call him Benny.

    "Oh! Is that a new sword? Can I see it?" he asks excitedly.

    "Of course. You need to hold onto it while we spar, don''t you?" I ask him.

    "Well, I do, but that doesn''t automatically give me permission to unsheathe it." he tells me. I suppose that isn''t untrue.

    I hand my blade over to Benny. Blizzie follows after me and paws at Benny''s leg. It seems that Blizzie really likes Benny. And who can blame him? Me and Benny have always been close. I have memories of him crawling into bed with me when he has nightmares, wanting me to be there to celebrate all of his milestones. When he was still a baby Irick told me to stop acting like Benny''s mother. I punched him. In the face.

    "Irick I need your blade too." Benny says, reaching out his hand. Irick sighs melodramatically and drops the blade into Benny''s waiting hand.

    "Aria, since you challenged me, it means that I get to pick my weapon first." he says, walking over and picking up a strong looking wooden sword. It looks like it was purchased very recently.

    I choose my sword next. I look through them, picking them up and giving them test swings until I find one the is the correct length and weight for me. It looks well used. I look at the hilt and see my name carved onto it. I suppose I never replaced mine.

    "What parts of your body will be exposed in your party dress?" Irick asks me, taking his stance.

    "My back, my arms, the sides of my legs going way up. My face. Why do you ask?" I ask him.

    "So that I can do my brotherly best not to bruise those areas. Although, if I make a mistake, I will just give you a jar of my salve. Think of it as an early birthday present." he says.

    "If it''s a birthday gift, give it to me for the areas you bruise that won''t be displayed. I want to dance gracefully after all. Didn''t you say that at least I am a good dancer?" I ask him. I see anger burning in his eyes.

    "Are both fighters ready?" Bennett asks us.

    "Yes." we both say.

    "Then let the match begin!"

    We spend a few moments, circling one another, testing for weaknesses. I think that I see one but do not go after it, feeling that it must be a false opening. I see Irick smile when he sees I noticed and didn''t attack.

    "Too scared to attack me?"

    "Of course not. I''m not stupid though. I''m not going after the first opening that you give me."

    Irick rolls his eyes but keeps his mouth closed. Why do I have a feeling that he thought this match would be over by now.

    To tempt Irick I intentionally leave myself open at two points. I watch him, seeming like I was genuinely leaving myself open. He grins like a predator and rushes in to attack. I do a quick maneuver and knock his sword out of his hands. I could end the match now but choose not to. Instead, I smack him in the back of knee, causing him to stumble forward.

    "What are you waiting for? Pick up your sword."

 Chapter 36 - First Customer (Re-upload)

    "You are the best brother that anyone could ever ask for."

    "Best brother!" Blizzie says echoing my sentiment.

    "I''m glad you feel that way. I can tell how much you care about me by the simple fact that I am able to hear Sir Blizzard speaking. You have to really care about someone to have them be able to hear your familiar''s words." he tells me. He can hear Blizzie? That''s actually really wonderful.

    "Blizzie like Benny. Benny good person. Benny can pet Blizzie anytime. My fur so soft. So nice." Blizzie tells him. I think he is just the cutest ever!

    "I am honored by that Sir Blizzard." Benny tells Blizzie.

    "Can call me Blizzie!" Blizzie tells him.

    "Why thank you." Benny says.

    We all talk comfortably with one another as we make our way back to my room.

    "Do you think that Poppy is going to be in your room?" Benny asks me, looking a little bit nervous. Does Benny have a crush on Poppy? That is too cute. I don''t think she would give Benny a chance because of the age difference.

    "Probably." I tell him. "Did you want to talk to her for a bit while I take a bath? I give you permission to be in my room to speak with Poppy while I am not there." I tell him.

    "Thank you, but I''m not sure if I am going to do that." he tells me. I guess Benny is the type to be shy around his crush. I love that. Some people can become really pushy when they have a crush and make everyone around them feel uncomfortable.

    "If you ever change your mind just let me know." I tell Benny.

    We arrive at my room and I give Benny a hug. "Thank you for walking me to my room. I am glad that I have you in my life little bro. I feel like no matter what happens I can always rely on and trust you." I tell him. I really mean that as well. I hope that he doesn''t end up being like Alex. I can''t really see that happening though, not with the way our relationship has always been.

    "I''ll let you know." he tells me in response. "Here is that salve. Use it every night before you go to bed. It might sting a little but it will help you heal in just a few days. It is imbued with light magic so you know that it really does work."

    "I am so happy that you were able to convince him to give you a jar." I tell him.

    "I think that some small part of him feels bad that he made you bleed."

    "I think that he made me bleed on purpose. I can''t image what he would have done if you weren''t there Benny." I tell him.

    "I know it is hard to believe because of his past treatment of you, but I don''t think that he ever really means to hurt you."

    "I will keep that in mind. Goodnight Benny." I tell him.

    "Goodnight sis." he responds.

    After we say our goodnights I walk back into my room. As always Poppy is sitting in the corner chair reading.

    "I''m just here to grab my pajamas and bath stuff." I tell Poppy. I consider leaving the balm in the room with Poppy but decide against it. There might be some places that are harder to put balm on once I am dressed.

    Poppy sets her book on her lap so that she can meet my eyes while she responds to me.

    "Okay. I have your bathing things and pajamas all picked out." Poppy tells me. She then looks me over and her eyes widen slightly. "What happened to you?"

    "Irick ended up being in the indoor training room." I tell her. "When he told me to leave I threw out the idea of sparring. He actually took me up on the offer though and we ended up sparring together." I explain to her.

    "That would explain bruising, not bleeding." she says, chiding me. I can hear concern in her voice though as she speaks to me.

    "I think there might have been a defect in the training sword that he was using. I wouldn''t be able to get him to trade swords though. He wouldn''t change swords even if I asked. He gets so focused on the duel that he tunes everything out. Anything that would interrupt our sparring he would ignore." I tell Poppy as an explanation.

    "Yeah, I can see that being a part of his personality." Poppy says.

    "Well go head on to the baths and I will get started on making up some stew. I bet the kitchen staff will have some stew ingredients already prepped. They seem to just know what I will be needing. It is like they are psychic or something!"

    This is a fantasy world. It wouldn''t surprise me if the kitchen staff somehow do have the psychic ability to predict what food I will be wanting. That would be an interesting ability, though not useful for anything outside of cooking.

    I grab all of the things that Poppy had put together for me and make my way to the baths. I hear Poppy shout out the door before I am out of earshot "start with a cold bath! It will help some of the swelling go down!"

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    I don''t know if that is the case but I am willing to try it. I never needed to do something like that in my last life. There was an event that I could have used that advice after, but for the most part I didn''t really end up with bumps and bruises.

    When I get to the bathroom I set my pajamas in a clean bin and put the clothing that I am wearing in a dirty bin. The dirty clothes get collected at the break of dawn by the washerwomen that work in the castle. There are many of them and none specifically assigned to me. Maybe the king would be worried that I would befriend them and go back to making soap and washing clothing.

    I walk out into the baths and am relieved to see that it is empty. I don''t like being naked in front of others. I know that I have to be naked in front of Poppy so I am actively trying to not let that make me uncomfortable. I also have a relationship with Poppy. I don''t have a relationship with the others that would be using these baths.

    I walk around the room and dip my toes into the different baths. Too warm, too hot, lukewarm. Ah here we are, a cold one. Instead of slipping into it a little at a time to try to get used to the felling I just slide my entire body into the water in one swift motion.

    "Eek! It''s so cold!" I complain to Blizzie who is laying down next to the water. I wouldn''t have blamed his if he had staying in my room, but I am really glad that he is here with me. I am really glad that he seems to never leave my side. This world is so different from the one I lived in before.

    I let my mind wander while I try not to let the cold get to me. It jumps topics and doesn''t stay on any of them for any real amount of time. I end up thinking about the last birthday that I shared with friends. It was very uncomfortable but I know that my friends had good intentions. I guess birthdays are on my mind with me deciding to help put together my birthday bal.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    You work too hard. Don''t you think that you deserve a break?" Lucy asks me. She gets average grades but is still doing enough to pass. Even though we are in med school she believes that it is important to have fun as well as work hard.

    "What is the point of working so hard all the time. You will stress out your brain. A stressed out brain makes a lot of mistakes. You don''t want all of your studying to go to waste." she tells me.

    "Yeah. Come on girl. It''s your birthday. Let''s go dancing! Let''s hit on boys that buy us drinks!" Emily says.

    "I don''t know about that. We have finals coming up. And you know for my birthday I like to have a small group of friends over to eat a lot of junk food, play video games and watch movies." I tell her.

    "You can''t do the same thing every year. You have to get out there! Put yourself out there and see what happens. I know you love romance. Maybe you will find someone who will want to romance you, someone who will make you swoon."

    "While I love the thought of that I don''t have time to fall in love." I tell them.

    "What do you mean you don''t have time to fall in love? Is there ever a good time to fall in love?"

    "Umm... Yes?" I say unconvincingly.

    In the end my friends win out and I end up at a dance club. I am wearing a tight fitting short dress, something that I wasn''t altogether comfortable wearing.

    "Wow girl, you are smoking hot. Do you want to go get nasty on the dance floor with me?" a random guy asks me.

    "No thank you. I am here with my friends." I say. I am scared to reject people. I don''t know how they will react. I don''t have any real experience with romance or men hitting on me like this. The only things I know about romance are the things that I have learned in dating sims.

    After we get home from dancing we decide to sneak into the campus pool. Lucy invites some guy friends including Zerrick. He makes me really uncomfortable, trying to rub up against me and say that it was an accident.

    The water is freezing as it is still April and hasn''t warmed up completely yet. I am also just super uncomfortable. I tell my friends goodbye and leave. They barely notice.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "I have dealt with some uncomfortable birthdays before, this one can''t be that much worse, can it?" I say to Blizzie. The thoughts of the outdoor pool didn''t help me feel any less cold. If anything I was feeling even colder. I wanted to try talking to see if that helps any.

    "Not bad. Stay with Blizzie. Stay with Benny. Stay safe. Jasper okay too. Ignore others. Party will be fine." Blizzie says and it is clear to see that he is trying to comfort me. Somehow it is actually helping.

    "You''re right Blizzie. As long as I stay with people that care about me I should be fine." I say. "Okay I have been in this stupidly cold bath long enough. I''m going to go soak in my normal one now and actually get clean" I tell Blizzie.

    I slip into the bath and begin to wash myself. I take my time though, wanting to warm up.

    "Oh! Maybe we should look and see who actually likes me so we can know who to spend our time with."

    "People may like you more before then. We have time. Everyone should love Aria!" Blizzie says. That was a very clear sentence he just said. Look at my smart familiar. Blizzie is the best.

    "That''s true. Let''s see how we are doing right now though." I tell Blizzie.

    "Okay." he says. I wonder if he can see my status screen too. Well, even if he can see it that doesn''t mean that he can read it.

    Irick Glassel

    Friendship: 15/100

    Suspicion: 5/100

    Romance: 25/100

    "Why did his romance score go up? Is it because we had that clich¨¦ moment where I fell on top of him? Okay, noted. Do not have clich¨¦ scenes with the OG males leads. Or maybe Irick is just a creep. Who is to say." I say outload to Blizzie.

    Bennett Glassel

    Friendship: 79/100

    Suspicion: 0/100

    "I am so glad to see that Bennet likes me and that I haven''t raised his suspicion. I guess my personality matches the one that Aria shows to Benny. He does like her more than anyone and she is more honest with him that anyone else."

    "Benny good boy! Like Benny lots!" Blizzie says. I am glad that he likes Benny so much. Animals are a good judge or character. They seem to sense things that humans don''t.

    Jasper Stone

    Friendship: 55/100

    Suspicion: 0/100

    Romance: 37/100

    "Oh my! Look at that romance score. Alias said don''t let the OG male leads romance score get too high. He never said anything about the potential true route boys. I am guessing that if he didn''t warn me about them then I should be fine if it raises. I was almost expecting Jasper''s friendship score to be higher. Maybe we just don''t really spend time together outside of his shop?"

    Samuel Redding

    Friendship: 23/100

    Suspicion: 0/100

    Romance: 26/100

    "Oh! Samuel''s points increased. I wonder if the affection scores get higher if you buy things from shops. I would like people more if they bought things from my shop. Well, that may not be true. I wouldn''t like them more if they were a jerk while in my shop. At that thought I get another memory, an Aria memory.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Look at that Blizzie. We have our new shop set up! There isn''t a lot of variety in here yet but I think that the potions and charms we made are really good quality. I hope that they sell well. I want to make a living on my own and not rely on the king."

    "Our shop great! People should love!" Blizzie responds.

    "I agree with you, but people do not like me. Maybe that will affect the opinions of the people that come in to buy things."

    "Nope! Good potions! Pretty charms!" Blizzie says encouragingly.

    "You''re right Blizzie. I think we are ready. Let''s open our doors!"

    I open the door to my shop to let people know that we are open. I don''t have an open/closed sign yet so I feel that this is a good way for people to know that my shop is open.

    It takes a while for the first person to come in. It actually takes so long that I had begun to fear that nobody would come in at all today.

    "Hello! Thank you for stopping in to my shop. Is there anything in particular that you are looking for today?" I ask the customer.

    "No. I just wanted to see what crap the weirdo fake princess would be selling in her shop."

    I try not to let his words get to me. People don''t seem to know that their words hurt me. They see me as less than human.

    "Well then Feel free to look around. If you have any questions feel free to ask me!" I tell him. He huffs and begins to look around.

    "What is this garbage? Potion of water walking? Who would use that? Oh and potion of sweet dreams? You think you can really control that. You really are a stupid false princess."

    "If you don''t want to buy anything then you are welcome to leave." I tell him.

    "Are you really going to be rude to a customer? Your shop isn''t going to last." he says. He then takes one of my potions and throws it at me. Luckily I catch it. Because I am so focused on catching the potion I don''t notice the second one he throws. It narrowly misses me and shatters against the wall beside me.

    "Get. Out!" I tell him. It seems that there is something in my tone that causes him to leave. "And don''t come back. If I see you again I will curse you!"

    I am worried that because of the way I treated that customer no one else will come into my shop. I am wrong though. People slowly start trickling in and almost all of them ended up buying something. It gives me warm feelings towards the people that are nice when they buy my items.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Well then, when we go back to searching for the hidden route we have something new to try."

 Chapter 37 - Thoughts of a god

    Alias watching the progress of the two, the progress of both Aria and Aiden. How are their paths going to go continue now that they both knew that the other was from outside of this world.

    However, that was going to pose a problem, and one that he wasn''t sure how they were going to navigate around. Aria''s death. It seems like they had taken notice of her. She is disrupting the story too much with him knowing, with them knowing of the other.

    But... This could be a good thing. They both could use an ally, if they can trust one another. Oh, I am sure that Aiden won''t have a problem trusting Aria. He does have a bit of an obsessive personality.

    Alias shrugged his shoulders and walked around the room. The way that things need to be set up is for him to not interact with Aiden. He was given the notebook, that is his part to play. Alias wasn''t as involved with Aiden. He couldn''t be. That was what his role dictated.

    As for Aria? Well, it seems like he had chosen well with her. Elia wasn''t just filling her role, she had decided to dedicate herself to it. She embraced the role and decided to live it, to the point where she had accepted this as her new life. He was grateful for this. Not only did Elia get to start over, Aria did in her new life as well. The open memory channel was also helping. Alias was pleased that this was a feature of this world he had recently become the god of.

    Yes, recently. This hadn''t always been his world. Not by a long shot. He had no part in creating it, in creating the rules. He was beginning to be able to modify it, thus giving Aria some video game elements, as well as the training for her. He was still working on that, but was almost done. She would be able to go through the training the next time that she died. As she was on a new route, and interacting with more people he was certain that her impending death wouldn''t take too long.

    How had Alias become the god of this world? Interesting and short story that.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    The god that had ruled over this world had become resentful of his creations. He had been a god for a while, and was becoming jaded. Alias supposed that when you had been doing the same thing for so long one was bound to develop some hard feelings.

    The god before him also had a mean streak. He was a cruel god. Once he became jaded he had decided that he was going to destroy his world. He began to corrupt everyone, shifting personalities. People that had been noble fell from grace. Rulers that had been fair and wise became cruel and suspicious. Friendships that seemed as though they would last forever began to crumble. Lovers fought and cheated.

    The god before him had laughed. He knew that wars would start, and the corruption in people''s hearts would keep the wars raging until the world was nothing but ashes. The council of the gods realized that this was happening though. They would not tolerate such behavior. That was not the point of this world. This was an otome world, he was an otome god. Sure, wars could happen, but they would be stopped by love and friendship. By the beautiful things in life. Once wars were ended, understandings were supposed to grow between the different peoples and races.

    The council gave him one chance to fix the world, not telling him what the consequences would be. The old god was flippant, thinking that this was unimportant. He truly believed that if he continued to warp the world it would be taken away from him and he would be put in charge of a world that better suited his... tastes.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    This was not the case. The council came to Alias, told him of what was happening and brought him in to watch the old god fall. They brought Alias in for a few different reasons. The first was that he was a new god. He had never been in charge of a world before. He had been in charge of writing some scripts for the story of a world, but wasn''t given final say over those. This was something he hadn''t seen. Many didn''t know the punishments for such behavior as they happened so infrequently.

    The second reason they had brought him in was so that he could see what had happened to this world, so that he could see the damage. He had asked why they wanted him to know this. That is when they had told him that he would be in control of this world. His first world. He thought his first world would be his own brainchild. Instead he was stepping into a mess.

    Understanding the reasons he was brought in to see the punishment he steeled himself. He was brought into a viewing room. He couldn''t hear what was being said. He could see the old god, self assured and cocky as he spoke. Alias then saw his face fall. Arrogance turned to concern, turned to fear, turned to... Nothing. There was nothing left of the old god. He was dead. He was let go not only from his world but from life itself.

    Alias was afraid. After he saw the old god die the new gods came in. He was tasked with seeing this world set straight. Fix it. They didn''t care if it followed the same story. Provide a new story. A correct path. A true route.

    It took Alias a while to figure out how he could do that. Everyone was corrupted. How was he supposed to get corrupted people to fall in love with one another. That is when the idea came to him. The idea of how to fix this world. He needed to bring in people that weren''t corrupted. How would be insert them into this world though. The world itself had taken on some of the old gods evil. He would have to trick the world.

    He spent a little bit of time watching and researching. Not everyone had made it to the same level of corruption it seemed. Two hadn''t been corrupted at all. Aiden and Aria. They had to see everything fall apart. Their flaws were highlighted, and so were the challenges in their lives. They tried to rise above it. They fought, they struggled. They ended their own lives. He put the world on a freeze at that exact moment. He was able to do that, but only for brief periods of time. He couldn''t let the world know that he was doing this.

    He worked quickly, creating a video game that he sent into the world. Not his world. A world called Earth. Strange name, didn''t that mean soil? Dirt? What people walked upon? The person that named it must not have been creative. However, people in that world loved dating sim games. They were an entire genre that spanned many storylines. Often dark ones. He didn''t understand that completely. But if true love won out in the end, who was he to complain about it.

    He sent his game out and waited, and watched. Many played it, but thought that it was typical, a run of the mill storyline with clich¨¦ characters. Alias disagreed of course. They were unique to him. He had become worried until he noticed them. Two players. They somehow knew that there was a secret, a hidden true route. They combed the game, looking all over for it. They had their characters speak with everyone, played every route in every way they could. Nothing. But they became familiar with the world in a way that no other player had. They took notes on personalities, they compared responses through out the different routes. They fell in love with his characters, with his world.

    He knew they were the ones. He switched their souls. The two that had died with the two gamers. He then used his oh so mighty godly powers to open up the memory channel. The switch was made and his die were cast. Would this work out? Could having new eyes and new souls change this world?

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Alias let out a sigh. He didn''t know the way that the world would react to them. Aiden settled in easily. He had been trained up to be a librarian. Alias knew that he was only a few classes away from graduating. That seemed to give him a leg up. Also, Aiden wasn''t really close to anyone. No one could truly recognize that he had changed. He was a mystery to many people, one that no one seemed to care about. That did make it easier for Aiden to navigate the world.

    However, his new Aria was having troubles. She had her own concerns, her own personality, her own trauma. However, the more that he saw, the more he realized that Aria and Elia were seeing connections and reflections between their traumas. He hoped that would help his new Aria. She was bright and kind and sweet. He liked her immensely. It hurt him every time that she died.

    It seems that the world knew. The world itself was suspicious, creating suspicion in those that occupied the world. When she was found to have incorrect behaviors the world influenced those around her to kill her. By reducing suspicion and uncorrupting others, she will help uncorrupt the world.

    Aria could also find the hidden route, but Alias wasn''t fully certain that would uncorrupt everyone. He wasn''t fully certain about a couple of things. Making a status screen that worked like a video game would help them both though. He could watch what progress helped, and what harmed.

    He would keep rooting for his heroes. Together they would save this world. His world, their new world. Everyone would be freed from having to keep following the story. They could be free.