章 48: 48

HE/HEROINE AND MY VILLAINESS

(SO CLOSE YET SO FAR)

-MARQUIS RESIDENCE-

*DINING ROOM*

"Vendia?" Mother calls, and I look straight at her confused,

"Yes, mother?" I reply,

"Is everything all right? You haven't touched your food. You only keep staring at it. Are you not feeling well? Does the food not your liking?" She asks,

"Uh-no, mother, is fine, I'm fine, and the food is great. I am only tired, that's all," I answer in pace with a forced smile.

"Are you sure?" Father inserted with a concerned expression written on his face, and I nod, continuing my forced smile at them.

I am feeling blue today because of the Duke's daughter Cathlen, the heroine of this storybook. The other day, we bumped into each other at the festival.

Sir Aloit and Mary were having fun on the game catch the fish at the bubble net at the funfair. I demand them to catch the fish that I want, and while they're at it, I also take permission from them to buy us some snacks.

Sir Aloit and Mary were against it, but I didn't hear them out anymore and went to buy us some snacks. They can't catch up to me because they're still playing the game that I demand them to win.

I stride through the festival street looking around excited upon seeing so many kinds of snacks and delicious food, without knowing someone bumps hard on me, and I fall to the ground with that someone also falls on top of me.

It's painful, my butt hurt, and so does my back. The impact of me falling causes loss of strength in my body for a minute. But after I felt that the pain already reduces, I then open my eyes and saw the unexpected person.

"Vendia?" She utters, surprised, as she looked straight at me.

'Cathlen?' I also got surprised, and without warning, Cathlen's right arm loses a sudden strength, and her body got drawn more close to me.

"Ah, I'm SOR-" She stops talking upon seeing my face so close to her. Our lips are so near to each other. Then I hear her heartbeat got fast, I got worried. She looks at me with a wondering gaze as we lock eyes.

"You," She spoke, continue looking at me with a familiar gaze as small tears skip to her eyes. I worried more.

"A-are you okay?" I ask, concern, as I use my right hand to caress her face to wipe the tears away.

"This..." Cathlen spoke as she looks at me like she remembered something. Then she grips into my right hand without warning. I flinch at her sudden touch, but I got distracted as I saw her painful expression engraved on her face while tears continue flowing through her cheeks.

"Yo-you," She pants and looks at me with a familiar gaze as she grips into my right hand tight using her left hand. I want to talk, but someone beat me to it.

"Cathlen!" The prince shouts as he went to where we are with an anxious expression.

"Vendia?" He looks at me surprised as he helps Cathlen up and carries her bridal style. I also stand up and fix myself.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" He asks, raising his voice at me, angry while Cathlen, still having a hard time breathing.

"I-" I couldn't reply because two tall people, who wear a black cloak, pop out of nowhere and stand in front of me, blocking me from the prince's view.

"Sir Ben, Sir Roy," Prince Adam mention,

'Huh? Who? I don't remember this people's name inside the book,' I wonder lost,

"Your highness, we can explain what happened," Sir Ben respond,

"Yes, we saw everything before you arrive," Sir Roy inserted,

"Okay, but let us go back to the Duke residence first. Lady Cathlen i-" Cathlen cut Prince Adam's words by calling my name.

"Ve-vendia… do-don't go… ho-hold my hands…" She demands through her pants. I felt my heartache all of a sudden as I look at her miserable state. I reach out my right hand for her and almost went to her to do what she wants, but the prince forbids me.

"Don't go near her!" His strong demand as he looks at me with a piercing gaze on his eyes, and I shivered from fear but my heartfelt heavy without me knowing the reason. I bit my lower lip as I grip into my shivered hands, staying at my usual place.

"Let us go to the Duke residence now!" Prince Adam demand, then they walk away as I look at them and saw Cathlen hand reaching out for me.

"Yer-" She mumbled, then she loses consciousness into Prince Adam's arms. And I feel a verge that I want to run to her and help her, but I couldn't do so because the prince will become furious if I do.

"Haaa… I felt like I lose something, but I can't seem to find what it is," I mumble to myself as tears flood into my eyes, and I cry without knowing a reason. My heart feels even heavier as I felt like someone has stabbed me into something sharp.

The pain I felt inside my heart turned intense that I can't seem to stop crying. I bend down and cry non-stop without caring about all the people passing by me as they look at me with concern, worried and weirdness.

"Miss?"

"Vendia!" I hear Sir Aloit and Mary's worried voices, but I can't look up and reply to them, for I can't control my emotions flooding inside me like a storm without giving me a signal.

My body shivered from annoyance and anger because I can't understand what is happening to me at that moment. My heartfelt heavyweight and my body felt like it wants something, but I can't understand and can't figure out what is it. I felt pain, yearning, and lonely.

"Vendia!" Sir Aloit arrived beside me, then help me up.

"Miss! What happened?" Mary looks at me, anxious as I cry even harder upon seeing what she has been holding. A goldfish inside the plastic bag,

"Vendia, what's wrong, hm?" Sir Aloit hold my face as he looks at me full of concern.

"I miss her. I miss her so much, Sir Aloit," I reply within my sobs as I hug him tight. Without thinking of what I am saying in front of them.

"Shh… is fine, you'll be all right," Sir Aloit mentions as he caresses my back to comfort me while I grip his cloth so tight.

"It hurt…" I spoke, crying even more.

"Miss…" Mary talks with a sad tone of her voice. And because of what happened to the festival. Many questions then pop out into my mind.

Why do I breakdown all of a sudden? Why do I feel like I have known Cathlen for so long? Why is my heartache seeing her in pain? That's the question I have been thinking about the entire day, and I ended up with a theory.

Maybe Vendia and Cathlen have a close relationship before? But that is not possible because they're an enemy inside the book. Will they know each other because of Prince Adam, but they're not that close, so why? That is what I thought, but my questions remain unanswered.

'Maybe because I remember Alda all of a sudden because of her? Ahh, this is bothering me so much,' I thought, deep sighing.

"Sweetheart?" I hear mother's anxious voice calling out for me, and I look at her smiling.

"Uh-mother, father. I'm already full. I go to my room first," I mention, smiling, then I stand up to my chair, and I hurry went out to the dining room without receiving their reply.

"I must get back to my usual self once again," I said, striding to the hallway.

'If I continue being like this. It worries people around me, and it made me feel like a burden,'

"And the only way to do it is to forget what happened," I mention, continue striding to the hallway.

To be continued.