“I want to become the princess’s lady-in-waiting.”

The clatter of forks hitting the floor sounded way louder than it should.

Is this a perk of being in a novel? Making every little thing dramatic?

“W-what are you saying?” Mother covered her mouth like I’d confessed to a murder. “I knew it! You’ve been acting too quiet these days! I knew you were up to something foul!”

“Alina Shaw.” Father’s voice sliced across the dining room. My shoulders shrank before I could think of it. “I don’t know what scheme you’re weaving, but I will not allow you to tarnish the family name.”

Is this family at war with the royal family?

My eyes landed on the only person who could help me right now.

Alan.

C’mon, Extra No 2! Spill the lore like an NPC!

Alan made a face at me that said, I know what you’re thinking, and I won’t rescue you.

“Seriously, Lina, what’s gotten into you?” he said, his chuckle dancing in the air.

Don’t laugh! Tell me all the lore I’m missing! My gaze drilled holes in his face.

“Don’t give me that look. You’re looking at me as if you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“I-I’m not looking at you like anything??”

Damn. Is this one of those twin-telepathy things movies talk about? I avoided his gaze and stabbed at my plate with my fork, pouting like a child.

“Pfft. I’m not reading your mind, you fool. You’re just transparent. But let’s be honest, Lina—you speak ill of Her Highness whenever you have the chance. You even cooperated in that tasteless prank with the other noble ladies at the spring banquet.”

“I-I did, didn’t I?”

I. Did. What? I could feel my body growing hot. You nameless extra! How dare you bully my princess?? Wait until I kill you myse—no, never mind.

If Alan was telling the truth, then I wasn’t just a background extra. I was a disliked one! Getting close to Isolde had just become infinitely harder.

“But I—”

“Don’t fake ignorance, Alina. I won’t allow you near Her Highness, and that’s final.”

My father’s words landed like a death sentence.

“You must stop this childish jealousy, Ally. It won’t do you any good, dear,” Mother said, her voice honed with pity and disapproval.

“No! Please! I-I promise you it’s not like that!”

I shrieked, my brain scrambling for bargains and apologies.

I have to go to Isolde!

“I have reflected on my improper behavior, a-and I want to atone for my wrongdoings! Father, please!”

Tears pricked my eyes. My knuckles whitened around the fork until it bit into my palm.

“I really want to apologize…” My voice was a thin, desperate thread.

For the love of—was Alina really that kind of bully? You useless extra.

Silence stretched. Honestly, if I’d confessed I was someone from another world inside their daughter’s body, it might have sounded more believable.

“I want to apologize and serve Her Highness, truly! Besides, Alan is entering the palace, too, right? I don’t want to be left behind!”

I could hear Mother gasp, her eyes glassy under long eyelashes. It was a dirty trick, tugging at the twin bond, but desperation makes saints of no one.

The truth was, the original Alina had been sickly as a child—so sick she left the academy and clung to Alan like a lifeline. She couldn’t stand him being away for too long.

Such a frail body still echoed in their memories of me.

“Darling…” Mother held Father’s hand, and they both exchanged glances too heavy for me to understand.

His sigh rattled my bones, but when his gaze met mine, it had softened.

“Alright. I’ll give you a chance. I’ll send your request to Her Highness. If she allows it, you may enter the palace.”

Joy coursed through my body. I nearly toppled the chair as I jumped up, flinging my arms around him and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you!”

“But remember, Alina—this is your last chance.”

“I won’t disappoint you!” I kissed him again before sprinting off, heart pounding with victory.

I had many things to plan and just one name burning at the center of them all.

Please wait for me. I’m coming for you!

━━━━━ ✦❘༻༺❘✦ ━━━━━

The quill hovered over the parchment, leaving a constellation of tiny ink dots. My head felt heavy and hollow all at once.

I… bullied my favorite character.

Not me exactly, but it was I who’d have to kneel and ask for her forgiveness.

It hurt my pride as a fan.

And what hurt the most was that I couldn’t punch myself in the face.

How do you manage your anger when the person you hate is you, but not you?

“Aaaagh!!!”

The parchment crumpled in my hands. I threw the mess onto a growing pile and breathed until my heart became a soft thrum again.

“Alright, let’s not lose hope. Isolde is known for being just and kind. She’ll forgive me. She’ll understand, and I will atone for this body’s sins for the rest of my life.”

I clasped my hands and prayed to whatever nonexistent god might be eavesdropping.

“If you wanted to do me a favor, you should’ve put me in someone who wasn’t a piece of sh—”

Knock. Knock.

I jumped. I’d sent the maid away hours ago.

No one should be at my door.

“It’s me. Open up.”

Ah.

“Yeah… Come in.”

The door creaked open, and a tall figure slipped inside. He had the same chestnut hair as Alina, and his eyes were as gray as his father’s.

Alan Shaw wasn’t a man you’d call handsome—he was the depiction of poisonous beauty. With a body that wasn’t brawny, but still well-defined, Alan was a skilled knight who was appointed as an apprentice to the royal knighthood at his young age of twenty.

He looked like the perfect yandere.

Ugh. He’s exactly the kind of sub-male lead all the fangirls would cry for and ask the author to make the heroine end up with…

“What are you up to?”

Alan’s voice was icy; I’d heard him stern before, but this cut deeper, a cold that settled in my chest.

“W-what? Why are you angry?”

“I know you, Alina Shaw. And right now, I know two things: you’re plotting with the princess, and you haven’t been yourself these past weeks.”

My flabber is gasted. Is this the power of twinship? I haven’t been that obvious, have I?

Silence pooled in the room as he folded into the chair opposite me. He leaned forward, piercing me with his eyes before sighing.

“Do you really think you’re that subtle? You woke up one day and threatened Remi with a poker, then you shouted, ‘I don’t want to experience hell for those who leave bad reviews!’ and jumped out of the window.”

Alan poured tea for both of us; his gaze was dark and heavy, but there was a softness in his tone as he continued.

“Then you suddenly started obsessing over the princess, asking Remi and Ernest to collect all the newspapers about Her Highness and the current state of the royal family.”

He pushed a teacup toward me, letting the faint scent of honey and chamomile brush my nose. My fingers fiddled nervously with the rim. I couldn’t meet his eyes.

Agh! You shouldn’t be saying all that! I have an image(?) to protect with my readers!

“I… don’t know what you’re talking about…” My voice trembled.

Silence stretched. His gaze followed every twitch, every breath. I felt him leaning just enough to catch a hint of hesitation, a flicker of doubt beneath the sternness.

After what felt like an eternity, Alan rose. Tea untouched.

“Fine. Don’t tell me, but know this, Alina…” His footsteps drummed like a heartbeat toward the door. “…Whatever you plan on doing with the princess, I will stop it.”

The words hit harder than any glare.

I stared at the door thudding shut, at the cold, untouched tea, at the empty doorway, and felt the mess of everything pressing in.

Everything was tangled, everything was twisted, and I couldn’t blame anyone.

No, this is Alina’s fault.

If she hadn’t been a stupid, spiteful little extra, I wouldn’t be kneeling to my favorite. I wouldn’t have Alan glaring at me, or feel her parents’ disappointment like stones in my chest.

Stupid, useless extra who doesn’t know her place…

I picked up my quill, the ink feeling heavier than ever.

If this body’s owner wouldn’t help, if everyone else would just obstruct … then let them watch.

I’d carve my own path, no matter the mess, for I was given this chance only for her.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Thank you so much for waiting for an update and for wanting to read more of Alina’s story! If you want to know any news or updates, join our Discord server!

Also, I present you~ Author’s Corner a.k.a “Alina bullies me” Corner.

Author’s Corner:

Alina: See? I told you, you should’ve updated earlier. My readers want more of me!

Me: I had to rewrite the chapter several times because you kept breaking the fourth wall and asking to change the character you possessed. And they’re not your readers.

Alina: Whatever. You better not interfere between Isolde and me. Also, how can you describe Alan as extremely beautiful and not say a word about me?? I demand you talk about my beauty next chapter!