And the Sunlight Clasps the Earth (Chaelisa)

xiv (M)

---

"Wait!" A familiar voice carried over to Alissa, and she ran even faster, desperately trying to put distance between them.

It was useless, however, because Remi was ridiculously agile and stronger than her, and it wasn't long before she heard steps right behind her and felt delicate fingers wrap around her wrist. They came to a halt, both panting from the exertion, but Alissa refused to turn around and look at the other woman.

"Alissa, please, let me explain." Remi's voice was pleading. "I'm not who you think I am."

That caused Alissa to turn around, eyes blazing. "Well, that much is abundantly clear! What, you're going to take me to King Leopold, so that he can have his way with me? So that he can use me as a bargaining chip with my father?"

"What?" Remi seemed genuinely baffled. "No, King Leopold is my father. I haven't seen him in two years, not since I ran away. That's why I have the dagger which obviously spooked you."

There was only sincerity in Remi's eyes, and, little by little, Alissa's anger dissipated. King Leopold was her father?

---

Seeing the utterly astonished looks on the faces of Jisoo and Minnie was absolutely worth the small bit of self-humiliation brought on by the story Lisa had just told them. They were sitting in Minnie's living room, sipping freshly made lemonade that was spiked with a little splash of rum, and Lisa had just divulged that, apparently, she had fallen in love with the author of her favorite book series.

"No way," Jisoo exclaimed finally, breaking the astounded silence. "You're having us on, aren't you? Things like that don't happen in real life."

"Believe me, I know." Lisa snorted, shaking her head. "Took me a while to get my head around it too."

"Well, I suppose, it's not that big of a leap from writing fact to writing fiction." Minnie shrugged. "But you befriending exactly her and nobody else? That's..." She raised her brow and let out a long, incredulous whistle.

"My life is like a goddamn sitcom." Lisa stared at the faint yellow liquid swirling in her glass.

"So, what did you do after reading the manuscript?" Jisoo inquired, finally getting at least partly over the utter incredulity of what Lisa had told them.

"What do you mean?"

"What did you tell Roseanne when you returned it?" Minnie elaborated.

"I, uh, haven't returned it yet." Lisa couldn't quite meet the stares of her friends.

"What?" they both uttered in unison.

"Whose side are you on exactly?" Lisa asked defensively. "I just found out the love of my life is secretly a bestselling author, and I've been stupid enough to gush over her books in front of her! She didn't have the decency to tell me even then, so I think I have the right to not go running to her just because she gave me a preview of the last book and showed a little bit of vulnerability."

Silence fell between them, and Lisa blinked a few times, going over what she'd just uttered.

"You just heard it yourself, right?" Jisoo asked, clearly amused.

"Fuck, I'm a disaster."

"By the sound of it, you both are." Jisoo downed the rest of her drink and placed the empty glass on the table.

"I don't know what to say to her, to be honest," Lisa mused.

"Just ask for the truth," Minnie stated matter-of-factly, immediately re-filling Jisoo's glass, her own cheeks flushed because of the rum. "Given her recent actions, I think she's ready to spill the beans."