《Bound by Fate's Threads》 Chapter I: The Girl in the Attic My earliest memories of this world were being shoved into a closet. I can perfectly recall it. A strong beam of light from the outside blinding me for a moment before being replaced by total darkness like it was yesterday (maybe because it was? I''m not sure the days seem to blend in). At first, I thought it was some sort of cruel prank being played on me by my friends, but after pounding on the door and screaming their names with no reply, I realized no one would be coming back for me. I awoke the next morning to find the familiar flash of light bursting into my room, if you could call it that. I sprung up, running towards the beacon of light, my only chance at even escaping before it was shut in my face. I fell to the ground, lowering my head in defeat. I was stuck in this hell hole for a little while longer.. My days are pretty monotonous. The light comes, the bread arrives, the door is shut. The light comes, the bread arrives, the door is shut. The light comes, the bread arrives, the door is shut. I¡¯m assuming this has to have been over the course of a few days, though with my lack of consciousness, it could have easily been a week. How many days I''ve been here isn''t important anyhow, just that I''m stuck here until whoever is out there decides to kill me, which I can only hope is soon. With all the time in my hands, I¡¯ve explored. There is nothing inside the room but me and a family of rats. No mattress, no paper, no where to do my necessities. The floor feels to be made of some sort of stone. It is frigid and lacks the grain wood should have, so I assume it''s stone. I have no memory of how I got here, and my last memories themselves are pretty faint. Maybe I''m already dead and this is my personal hell. Who knows. The light flashes back into the room, the bread arrives, the door is slammed shut. I crawl to it, painstakingly slow. My legs dragged across the floor, the friction burning my knees. My hands reached for the bread, snatching it, and shoving it straight into my mouth. It was stale and hard, the flavor non existent. I stopped fearing that it was poisoned long ago, and instead yearned for it to be. I have prayed to every god for a quick death, yet it seems my prayers go unanswered because everyday I wake up again. I sit in my corner, head buried in between my thighs, rocking myself silently until I fall asleep. What did I do to deserve this? Was I such a terrible person? It hurts to even think, my head pounding with an atrocious migraine. My thoughts, or lack thereof, are interrupted by a clatter. It is the first time I hear voices, despite the intense quiet. I could make out the words if I tried. ¡°Your majesty!¡± There was a beat of silence, before the sounds of heavy footsteps echoed closer to my room. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°I really don¡¯t suggest you-¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± A different voice called back, rich and deep. ¡°I will fetch my coat myself,¡± the voice insisted. The steps got closer, practically hammering against the floor with a sense of urgency. ¡°Your majesty, please let a maid fetch it for you, this is not the-¡± Whoever spoke didn¡¯t get a chance to finish their sentence before the light breached the room. It filled every crevice of my eyes. I cowered back, eyes shutting as I shielded myself from it for a moment. ¡°What is this?¡± I finally lift my head cautiously, slowly opening my eyes. I¡¯m greeted by two men. One had white hair, as pure as paper. Wrinkles marked his forehead as his eyebrows were raised. He looked to be in his late 40s. Despite clearly being aged, his hair was not silver as one would expect, but as white as a decadent marshmallow. His skin was an olive tone, glistening with sweat. His eyes were as green as emeralds, now narrowed in my direction. He wore strange clothes, a green coat embellished with golden embroidery, with a pocket watch dangling to his side. He was tall, but not nearly as tall as the man to his side, staring down at me with a shocked expression. He was truly beautiful, nothing like I¡¯ve ever had laid my eyes on before. He had hair as golden as rye, perfectly styled as some of it fell in front of his eyes. His eyes were a matching gold color, shining as purely as gold. He wore a similar suit, yet it was clearly more grand than the man next to him. It was white, with some frilly shoulder pads that matched with his hair, which made his natural appearance stand out even more. The golden man turned to the other one, his brows furrowed. ¡°Who is this?¡± He seethed, grabbing the white-haired man by the collar. The guards flinched, not daring to raise their weapons. ¡°It is just a prisoner of mine, your majesty-¡± The white haired man spoke meekly, his eyes glued to the floor. ¡°And who allowed you to keep prisoners?¡± He barked, bringing him closer to his face. ¡°No one, your majesty. But-¡± The golden man brought a finger to the other man¡¯s lips, shushing him. ¡°I will remind you that no one but the crown is allowed to hold prisoners, unless given special permission otherwise. You are certainly not allowed to keep prisoners that the crown is unaware of. Let this be the only time I remind you this,¡± he said simply, dropping the man on the floor. ¡°Yes, your majesty,¡± the man nodded solemnly, his face drained of color as he continued to sweat profusely. ¡°Now, I will take this prisoner back to the castle where it belongs,¡± he huffed, his eyes then landed on me, eyeing me curiously. He stepped forward, into the room, before extending his gloved hand toward me. ¡°What is your name, prisoner?¡± He asked, his tone amused. ¡°Catalina,¡± I croaked, voice hoarse. Which is weird, because that is not my name. Chapter II: The Revelation I stare back up into the ceiling, admiring its intricate gold carvings, forming small suns. The spaces in between were painted, each with detailed portraits of kings and queens, knights and conquests, saints and holy work. I stared at it for a while, letting my eyes get lost in the details, before getting lost in my own head. After I left that room, everything became much clearer to me. Everything is much more familiar. My name is Angie Montes. I am 20 years old, and a student at Broadwood College. I was at a house party with my friends to celebrate the end of midterms. I had been drinking a lot that night, so my memories of the party itself are fuzzy. The last thing I remember is laying down on the couch, so this is probably some sort of weird fever dream as I fight the alcohol. It seems my dream of choice is based upon a novel I finished a week ago called Divine Heart. The main character is a powerful saintess, and the book is about her love story with the king of the land. In my dream, I have taken the form of the protagonist, Catalina Santos. She is said to be of pure heart, and the tamer of a dragon which ends the century old war between the kingdoms of Lumina and Tarik. By doing so, she earns the hand in marriage of Prince Arthur, and lives happily ever after. The man who saved me from the attic fits the description of Arthur perfectly. He was described to have golden hair and eyes, inherited from the royal family lineage. In the novel, all of those of royal blood had that gold hair and eyes, instantly setting them apart from any other character in the novel. It seems I have arrived before that happens, however, and I¡¯m living in the very early events of the novel. I remember there being some sort of passage in the novel about Catalina experiencing a cruel upbringing before being rescued by Arthur, however it was clearly not done justice. I can not imagine having the few days I experienced in the attic being Catalina¡¯s reality everyday. The darkness had made me lose every sense of who I was. It distorted my thoughts, altering my mind. I cannot stress enough how glad I am to be out of there, even if it hasn¡¯t been long. After being rescued from the attic, I was thrown into a carriage and taken to Camelot Castle. Even with dusk, its grandness wasn¡¯t overshadowed. The bricks were pure white, each meticulously stacked. It was adorned with grand marble columns, holding up large balconies and ridiculous detailed marble statues of dragons. It was full of arching windows, all decked in gold lining. The architecture was breathtaking, and it almost made me forget that Arthur had taken me in as a prisoner. When I stepped out of the carriage, I was surrounded by guards, who bound my hands to cuffs and escorted me inside. They took me through the large and winding halls of the castle, until we reached a throne room. It was a grand room, like everything else in the castle. Its walls had hand-painted wallpaper, detailing glorious kings. There were multiple marble columns, all leading your eyes to the center of the room. Above a set of marble steps was a large throne. It was completely made of gold, only accented by its ruby upholstering, which seemed to have a silky finish. On it sat a regal man. He had the same hair and eyes of Arthur, only his face was decorated with wrinkles. For a moment, the world stopped. Everyone knelt, and I was yanked down by a guard to do the same. ¡°Greetings to the sun of the empire,¡± all the knights chanted in unison, their voices echoing. ¡°Father, I bring you a prisoner from House Santos. It was kept secretly by Duke Ferdinand for an indefinite amount of time. I have brought it here to you, so you could decide what to do with it,¡± Arthur said, standing tall. He had not knelt like the rest of us, and instead faced the king head on. ¡°A secret prisoner you say?¡± The king pondered out loud, his gaze landing on me. He stared for a moment before speaking again. ¡°Do you know what crime it committed?¡± He asked, now looking at Arthur. ¡°No. I left House Santos before I could ask the Duke,¡± Arthur said with a shrug. The king shook his head, sighing in disappointment. He turned to look at me once more, his gaze softer than before. ¡°Well then, I have no reason to treat it as a prisoner. I will not punish them until I am given a cause. I will have to ask Duke Santos about it tomorrow. Until then, treat it as a guest of this house,¡± he said simply. He then raised himself from his throne, now regarding his knights. ¡°However, we do not know what this prisoner is capable of. Keep it under strict surveillance until I determine its final fate tomorrow morning.¡± And so, I was escorted by knights into my new room. I was handed over to Myrtle, a maid of the castle, who prepared me a bath (they had offered to help bathe me, and I very obviously declined their assistance). Then, I was changed into a silky nightdress with a ruffled collar and sleeves, and fed the greatest meal of my entire life; a porkchop and wine. I was taken to the room I am in, and the maids helped me up into my lush bed. I could just sink into it. The mattress was so soft it felt as though it was made of feathers. The bedding was a thick quilt, adorned with elaborate flower embroidery which looked like it took years to craft. I was not alone, of course. Guards were stationed at my door and near my bedside, commanded to neutralize me upon any unexpected movement. It didn¡¯t take long before I dozed off, having the best sleep I¡¯ve had in a while. I was awoken by a maid, gently shaking me. ¡°Wake up miss, your day of judgment has come,¡± she said simply. I rose up without an argument, my body sliding out of the bed unwillingly. What I wouldn¡¯t give to sleep in that bed again. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. I was taken to the bathroom again. It was completely made of marble, with a grand sink and a gorgeous tub in the middle of it, surrounded by large stained glass windows, illuminating the room with shards of color. A bath had been drawn for me, rose petals drifting on the surface. I stepped inside it, the water cold, simply leaving myself to my thoughts. Let¡¯s see If I remember this correctly. Once Catalina was taken to the throne room in the original story, Duke Santos had lied and said she was a maid being punished for stealing a piece of jewelry. Catalina tried to argue against it, insisting that she was innocent, but the king had made his ruling and sentenced her to life in the dungeon. ¡°Myrtle, I¡¯m done,¡± I called out, shivering as I stepped out of the water, instantly assaulted by the cold air. I was then dressed by Myrtle in another nightdress, despite being morning. It was similar to the one from the night before, but it was instead a baby blue, and it was missing the ruffles on the collar. I was escorted by the knights, their eyes never once leaving me. Their eyes were sharp, waiting until the moment I stepped out of line. That moment did not come however, and I was instead granted an audience with the king. Santos was in the room, leaning on one of the columns as he waited impatiently. I was once again forced to kneel in front of the king. ¡°Greetings to the sun of the empire,¡± they all chanted once again. A knight grabbed me by the arm, yanking me back up. The king looked down at me for a moment, before tilting his head to face Duke Santos. ¡°Now, Lord Santos. Tell me why you¡¯ve kept this girl prisoner,¡± he said, an eyebrow raised as he waited for the duke¡¯s response. He smirked, clearing his throat as he pushed himself off the column. ¡°Of course, your majesty,¡± he replied, turning to face him. ¡°You see, this¡­girl¡­if you can call it that,¡± he started his gaze narrowing as it landed on me for a moment. Oh, he¡¯s going to regret that. He turned back to the king, his gaze returning to the king. ¡°She was a maid of Carla¡¯s, my precious daughter.¡± ¡°Ah, Saintess Carla?¡± The king exclaimed, his eyebrows raised. ¡°Yes, our empire¡¯s dearest,¡± Duke Santos added, matching the king¡¯s tone. ¡°Anyhow, it appears she wasn¡¯t content simply serving such a wonderful person, and so she had to steal from her. She stole her favorite necklace, one blessed by the High Priest himself,¡± he said, his tone utterly appalled. ¡°How despicable!¡± The king agreed, nodding with the Duke. ¡°Yes, and so I couldn¡¯t bear to see her conniving face. I sent her up to the attic and had her there in isolation until I was able to file a report for you to review, your highness. You can understand now why I had to keep her prisoner,¡± he said, feigning innocence. The king stood still for a moment, before once again nodding in agreement. ¡°Very well. Has she returned the necklace?¡± He inquired, turning now to face me. ¡°Yes. We made sure of it,¡± Duke Santos confirmed, glaring at me. ¡°And if I were to go to House Santos and ask to validate the truthfulness of this tale, would there be others that agreed with you?¡± ¡°Yes, your majesty. Lying is a sin, after all.¡± The king nodded, now staring at me. Our eyes met for a moment, and he raised an eyebrow. ¡°Anything to say to defend yourself, Miss Catalina?¡± I looked at Duke Santos, eyes narrowed, before turning to the king. ¡°Everything he said is a lie,¡± I spoke up, my voice as clear as I could muster. The king stared a bit dumbfounded, before speaking up. ¡°Can you prove that?¡± He asked, tilting his head to the side slightly. ¡°No,¡± I replied back. It was true. Duke Santos was willing to pay every single worker of House Santos their weight in gold if it meant keeping his secret, unluckily for him, it would be revealed today. ¡°Well, then. My verdict has been made,¡± he replied softly, staring straight ahead. He cleared his throat before looking at me. ¡°Miss Catalina, from this day forth, I sentence you to life in the dungeon, for infringing Lumina code and taking something of great value that does not belong to you,¡± he called. He raised his hand, bending his fingers and extending them forwards, signaling to the guards to take me away. I was once again grabbed by the guards, my hands extended as they cuffed my hands in iron shackles, the weight heavy on my wrist. A guard pushed me forward, leading me towards the door, when they suddenly burst open. A stout old man ran inside, his white cloak dragging as he ran inside. His long hair flowed as he ran past, stopping dead center in the middle of the room. He knelt down in front of the king, giving him his greeting. ¡°Greetings to the Sun of the empire,¡± he greeted, before raising his head. ¡±Your majesty! Your majesty, I have news coming from the Church,¡± the old man called. His voice was high and shrill, it was particularly unpleasant to hear. The king looked down at the man, an eyebrow raised as he waited for the old man to elaborate. ¡°The saintess has been found!¡± The man exclaimed, raising himself to his feet giddily. The king looked at the man like he had two heads, before bursting into a hearty chuckle. It lasted for a few seconds, and echoed inside the quiet room. ¡°That is the best joke I¡¯ve heard in a while. The saintess has already been found,¡± he replied looking over at Duke Santos. Duke Santos was pale once more, beads of sweat began to fall from his forehead. He rose his hand to wipe it, before nodding along. ¡°Yes, your majesty. My dear Carla of course,¡± he said, his voice trembling. The old man frowned, before speaking up once more.¡°No, your majesty. The real saintess! And she¡¯s in the room right now,¡± he exclaimed, looking straight at me. Chapter III: The Holy Banquet It had only been a few hours after I had been sentenced to life in a dungeon. Now, I was declared a saintess. It was true, of course. According to Divine Heart, Catalina Santos was the true saintess of House Santos. It didn¡¯t take long for the king to insist on the investigation of the claims made by the strange old man (which I later learned was named Rufus). I was once again transported by carriage ride. It was daytime now, so I could see the details of the carriage perfectly. The carriage itself was as white as ivory, yet it was accented by some gold detailing on the rims of the wheels and the handles of the door. The gold detailing expanded to decorate the rims of the frames of both the windows and door. The inside had some plush seats, covered in a deep blue velvet, which was plush against my bottom. When we reached the Church, I could not help but stare in awe. It had large winding towers, all adorned with stained glass windows adorned with various scenes. It had a gothic feel, with a large stained-glass window at the center of it all. It displayed the image of a tall, regal lady, her hands clasped together in prayer. I was quickly ushered inside and granted an audience with the high priest. He was tall, as tall as Duke Santos, yet he had a much more welcoming presence. His hair was a dusty blond and his eyes were a pale blue. He wore a long, white cloak, with embroidered crosses on the sleeves. They seemed to be close in age and appearance; they shared similar facial features, and olive skin. He stared at me in awe for a moment, before clearing his throat. ¡°Yes, this is her. I can feel her soul- it is not like any other soul I¡¯ve felt before,¡± he said proudly, walking over to me and grabbing my hands in his. I stared at him, my eyes wide as I was at a loss for words. He let go my hands, turning to the king. ¡°This is the true saintess. Her soul is pure,¡± he confirmed, looking over his shoulder to spare me a glance. ¡°What about Carla? You told us she was the real saintess-¡± Duke Santos blurted, his eyes narrowed in my direction. His lips thinned for a moment. ¡°I must have been wrong, then. Carla may be pious, but she has yet to perform a holy act,¡± the high priest replied, turning to face the Duke. ¡°How can you be so sure that she will?¡± He seethed, eyes narrowed in my direction. Duke Santos turned the king, who seemed to be watching the event unfold with a pensive expression. ¡°We can perform a trial. If she really is the saintess, mustn''t she be able to cure the ill?¡± The king pondered aloud, turning to the high priest. He nodded. ¡°I suppose so. Rufus,¡± he called, turning to the old man. ¡°Please go bring in Mrs. Cooper,¡± with his request, Rufus burst out of the room, running past the double doors. It wasn¡¯t long before he was back, bringing in by the hands a cute old lady. She looked ancient, her face so wrinkly it started to droop. She was frail, leaning heavily on Rufus¡¯s arm, her cane sticking out as she tried to feel around. ¡°Mrs. Cooper, please step forward,¡± the high priest called, looking at the old lady. She slowly let go of Rufus¡¯s hand, picking up her cane, moving it around to feel her surroundings and taking a step forward. ¡°Mrs. Cooper, how long have you been blind for now?¡± He asked, turning to face the old woman. ¡°I¡¯ve been blind for 15 years now, High Priest,¡± she replied, her voice hoarse and weak, He nodded, turning to face the king and duke. ¡°Those words came out of her mouth. Let it be known that there has been no tampering in the events you will witness today,¡± he said confidently, now turning to me. He tilted his head towards the woman, giving me the go ahead to perform the miracle. I stepped forward, looking at the woman more intently. She had short silver hair, and light brown eyes shadowed by a gray fog. It was clear she had cataracts. The problem was, I did not know how to fix it. Catalina Santos possessed great divine power. The book said she was blessed by the gods themselves. I did not, however, know how to access it. I had to do something. This miracle depended on the fate of my whole story. If I fail, I will live in the dungeons forever. Although Catalina performed it with ease, I am not sure if I will be able to pull it off. I stared at the woman for a moment, before clasping my hands togethers and closing my eyes. Dear divine deity of this universe, whoever you are, I beg of you to help me. Please bless this kind old woman with vision again. I opened my eyes, and slowly looked up. The woman stared back at me blankly. My stomach dropped. ¡°I can see again!¡± she exclaimed, moving her head about wildly as she took in the scene. A sigh of relief escaped my lips, a small smile being formed. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°No, this can¡¯t be!¡± Duke Santos immediately exclaimed, he shook the old lady wildly. ¡°You are a liar!¡± He yelled at her, his spit landing all over her. The high priest quickly pulled him away, saving the poor old lady. She frowned as she stared at Duke Santos. ¡°It is a shame that one of the first things I see is your face,¡± she replied, her voice irritated. ¡°This is completely fabricated! It must be a set up! Your majesty, can¡¯t you see-¡± The king quickly put a finger up to the Duke¡¯s lips, effectively shushing him. He removed his finger, now turning to my side. ¡°Lumina has found its saintess!¡± He exclaimed, grabbing my hands and raising it. ¡°We will hold a grand banquet in your honor, let it be celebrated by the entire nation,¡± he continued, a wolfish grin on his face. Duke Santos was taken back to Camelot Castle to be judged. Almost immediately, he confessed that he was aware that Catalina was the true saintess all along. He had her out of wedlock to an unknown witch doctor in a southern province, and did not want to reveal her because it would bring to light his sin of adultery. He had rushed to conceive another child to cover it up, and claimed that Carla was the holy priestess instead. The king opted to strip him of his title and banned House Santos from attending the banquet. Once that was settled, preparations began. Tailors from all over the land came to visit me to make a dress worthy of the occasion. ¡°Do you have any suggestions on how you would like your dress, my lady?¡± One of the tailors asked, looking at me curiously. ¡°Whatever you think is best,¡± I replied, looking down at the various sketches sprawled upon the table. They held up various sheets of fabrics to my skin, conferring amongst themselves over which suited me best. This process had gone on for a couple of hours, before one of them finally showed me the final sketch. ¡°It¡¯s perfect,¡± I ceded with a small nod. Come dusk, the dress was ready for me. Myrtle helped me in it, and tightened its corset for me. The dress was white, the corset was decorated with embroidered roses and crosses. It had a sweetheart neckline, with poofy sleeves. It was long, and went all the way down to the length of the floor. The petticoat I wore underneath made the dress look nice and plump. ¡°You look gorgeous, my lady,¡± Myrtle said simply, holding up a mirror to my face. It was just now I had noticed my reflection. I had long, pink hair; as pink strawberry milk, eyes blue as the open skies. My skin was porcelain, and my frame was dangerously slim, likely due to malnourishment. Myrtle had powdered my cheeks a soft pink and my lips painted to match. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it was a porcelain doll staring back at me in the reflection. ¡°Thank you, Myrtle,¡± I said with a smile. She nodded, before turning to me. ¡°Are you ready?¡± She asked, her hand grasping the doorknob. ¡°Ready as I¡¯ll ever be.¡± She led me into the hallway, my heels clacking against the marble. I knew exactly what was going to happen tonight. I was going to meet her. As we continued to walk, loud ballroom music could be heard as the playing of piano and the strumming of a violin could be heard in the distance. We stopped in front of a set of grand double doors, Myrtle stepping aside as she let me walk towards them. I inhaled deeply before opening them. The doors hid a large ballroom, full of the marble columns sprinkled around the castle. It had a small balcony, overlooking the entire party, which was in full swing. Large amounts of people walked about, all wearing grand dresses and updos. Some danced, some ate, most gossiped, however, all of that came to a halt as the king cleared his throat. ¡°Let us introduce the most revered lady of Lumina, our Saintess Catalina,¡± The king called out, raising his glass of wine towards me. Everyone followed, raising their wines as I walked down the stairs. They were carpeted with red velvet, concealing the clack of my heel. With each step I took, all the eyes in the room followed. My breath caught in my throat, one wrong move, and it would all come tumbling down. I reached the bottom of the steps, taking place next to King George. Arthur was to his left, glancing at me curiously. ¡°To Catalina!¡± He exclaimed, bringing the glass to his lips. ¡°To Catalina!¡± The room echoed back. And with that, the party followed. I stuck in that spot next to the king, until he left me to go wander about the party. ¡°You can enjoy yourself, you know. The banquet is in your honor,¡± Arthur stated simply, turning to look at me. How can I enjoy this party knowing I¡¯m not the real Catalina? How did she? In the book, she was able to go about and meet all the attendants, happy to talk to people after being trapped in isolation all her life. I cannot do that. I am terrified. One wrong word, and they will figure out I do not belong. Sure, they might excuse it to me being raised in isolation and never experiencing the true world. But, what if I slip up and bring something up about Angie instead of Catalina? What if I say something too modern, or out of pocket and send me back to the dungeon? ¡°I do not know anyone here,¡± I answered honestly, staring at the crowd. ¡°You know me.¡± I know his name already, but he has yet to introduce himself to Catalina. ¡°I do?¡± He raised an eyebrow, almost as if stunned by the idea of someone not knowing his name. ¡°I am Prince Arthur Lancelot of Lumina, pleasure to meet you, Lady Catalina,¡± he introduced, grabbing my hand and bringing it up to his lips. ¡°It is nice to finally know your name, Prince Arthur,¡± I replied with a smile. ¡°Call me Arthur,¡± he said simply, nodding at me before leaving me stranded on the steps, walking into the crowd, leaving me alone on the steps. Just when I had started to like him. I looked about the floor, sighing as I realized my fate. I guess I¡¯ll be by myself tonight. Or so I thought. I suddenly feel myself move forward, feet going down the steps. I put all my energy into staying still, but my feet advance as if I am on a treadmill that I am unable to stop. No. How do I stop this? I can¡¯t go down there. Almost as if on cue, my feet come to a stop. I descended the carpeted steps and had reached the marble dance floor. I did not get to have my peace for long, as a chill ran down my spine, feeling as though I jumped into a pool during a bleak winter. I glance down, seeing the left side of my white dress is now tinted blood red. Someone had spilled wine on it. I raise my head to look for the culprit.She had dark black locks that hung down to her waist, and eyes red as rubies. She wore an elegant burgundy dress that was tailored to perfection. She stared at me with a devilish grin, letting me know it wasn¡¯t an accident. Ah. So I have met you, Alexandra Montfort.