Bab 35: Chapter 35: Wouldn't That Hurt Me As Well?
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She tried staying away from hat window, went on with her life as normal as she usually does.
She wouldn't even glance at it and had placed a big curtain just so she wouldn't notice that light coming from it.
But as time went one, her normal life didn't return to how it used to be, because she would find herself thinking about the place she had seen the other girl had been.
The colorful place and the brightness of that place.
She would shake it off once she realize but her mind would wonder back to it.
She knew she couldn't go on like this, her peaceful life was disrupted and is no longer the same as before.
A sigh left her lips before she looked at the window covered by a curtain.
Her feelings are in struggle as to what she should really do or what she wants to do.
She knew from the get go that she would surely change her life by opening it but she was too attracted to the light that she ended up opening it.
But now she didn't whether to regret opening it and seeing or not.
With another sigh she returned to her room, what she usually does around the house was no longer as entertaining as before.
Everything had changed.
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Early morning on Slate's next off, Eduard came to visit them.
"A representative again?" Slate had a frown as he said this.
"Yes, you do know that is part of the contract, in person or a trusted representative should go to the conventions that author's would attend," Eduard said to him.
February was usually the first month of when the conventions of authors would usually start and from the get go, because Scarlet chose to be mysterious, it has always been a representative who would go there.
No one knows who he was and no one truly asked because they all understood that some wouldn't want attention while others just loves befriending a lot.
If one approaches and another entertains then that is fine but they also need to read the mood of whether someone wants to talk or not.
The contract still has five years before it ends but right now the contract will end once Scarlet dies.
Eduard would usually just call about it but he has another purpose today in coming over.
"You... what is your real purpose?" Scarlet asked.
Eduard laughed, "You do know me after all."
He looked seriously at Scarlet, "I have understood what you meant back then about that book."
Slate glanced at Amethyst, who was also present, Amethyst noticed this and glanced back at him.
"That book Her Hidden Self, I have read it again for two times and realized the difference. The first half was written by someone else and the second half was written by another," he seriously said.
"And? Why are you bringing this up?" Scarlet asked again.
"You know, why am I bringing this up here and with you," he replied.
It was a serious offense to have a ghost writer or to take someone else's work in the world of authors.
The reason he came here was because Scarlet seemed to knew instantly what was going on but she was new here, she was based in America back then.
For her to know it means she had a chance encounter.
Scarlet didn't react to this, it was not her place to do so.
Amethyst was present, she will have to speak first before Scarlet could do so.
"Scarlet this is an important matter," Eduard spoke up again when Scarlet chose not to say anything.
Seeing as the relations hip between the three of them was good and the trust was there, Amethyst took a deep breath.
It was indeed Scarlet who said something that made Eduard know she knows something.
But the truth can never be hidden forever, it surely come to light no matter when or how.
"Scarlet..." Eduard called.
"It is fine thought," Amethyst spoke up leading the other three to look at her.
"That was the last book that will have to different writers, it was the only one as well," she continued making Eduard frown.
Scarlet looked back at him and soon Eduard looked back at her as well.
Was what he was thinking right? Was this person connected to what was going on?
"I want you to once again meet, miss Amethyst Evans."
She had emphasized Amethyst's last name.
Eduard's eyes slowly grew wide at the realization.
"You are Astral?"
He didn't went around in asking but asked directly looking at Amethyst, no longer at Scarlet.
Amethyst smiled, "I actually was never her."
He frowned not understanding what she was suddenly saying.
"I was the creator of the stories, the creator of the pen name but I never got the chance to her."
Admitting this to their people made her feel like tearing up.
She had admitted it to Scarlet that she was Astral but there was still a little heaviness in her heart after that.
And as she contemplates more and more she found her answer.
Scarlet and Slate looked at her as well.
She smiled again but her eyes turned teary, "Astral was a pen name I had loved to use but never got the chance to. I actually thought that I should have not chose the path of being mysterious and just went out as me. Then maybe I wouldn't have suffered from this identity being taken away."
She sniffed, "But there was no point thinking about it now. No point in trying to think about the past. So I learned to let go and I hope you will too. It is indeed a mistake letting her go on and taking credits for my stories but I know sooner or later, everyone would find out."
She looked at Eduard seriously as a tear dropped from her eyes, "I just don't want to be blamed to her downfall. Because I was already the one robbed by it, if I were to be blamed that she ended up falling hard, then wouldn't that hurt me as well?"
As she said this, she couldn't help but to cry, she was tired of being neglected and being blamed for ending up having her other identity being taken away. She just want to rest it already and have a new start, to once again be blamed for another person's downfall, would just leave her in another turmoil of pain.
Slate handed her his handkerchief.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cry. But the years that passed was just too much for me that I barely even had the chance to stand up now," she said as she wiped her tears.
Eduard was too shock at the sudden turn of events, he didn't expect that Astral was never the right person. Didn't expect the heaviness of Astral's name could affect a few people around him.
"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to open wounds of the past. I never expected of such background of teh question I asked," Eduard apologetically looked at her.
She shook her head, "I am fine but seeing the relationship between the three of you, I just felt that you can know about it."
Eduard breathed out, "I see, so she actually was never the person whom people think of her. Okay, I won't open this up to anyone. Just as you said, you no longer want to be part of the one being blamed. I will keep it to myself. But just like myself, others have noticed this and I think the truth will come out sooner or later."
Amethyst and Scarlet looked at one another before nodding their heads.
Eduard then thought of something, "Why don't you join Slate in the convention?"
"What?"
"You can join him as his company during the convention in three days time. You don't have to introduce yourselves just show the invitations. You can see her there, you know. I heard a lot of editors and other authors talking about the change in her story."
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