Extra-Changing Fate

Chapter 8 ==3 uninvited Guests==

"Wait... all of this is for me?"

I asked, my jaw practically hitting the floor as I took in the sheer volume of gifts. Specifically, gifts from the Marquis.

"Yes, my lady. The Marquis sent these for your enjoyment," the maid, who I recognized as being from the Marquis' household, informed me. I stared at her in utter disbelief, then back at the impressive array of presents.

It was unbelievable.

My gaze swept around the room, noticing other maids whispering amongst themselves about the Marquis' extravagant offerings.

I let out a long sigh. "Look," I said to the Marquis' maid, "please tell him that I won't be accepting his gifts, and I have no intention of becoming acquainted with him." The maid responded with a heavy sigh of her own.

"Then you must personally inform him, my lady. I am only here to deliver his gifts under his direct orders and have no further obligations," she stated firmly. My jaw dropped further. "Now, if you'll excuse me," she added, and promptly made her way out of my room, leaving the unwanted gifts behind.

It had only been four days since Grandfather's unexpected lunch invitation, and I could still feel the weight of my father's and sister's curious and slightly envious stares.

I had navigated that awkward situation, but now I was faced with another perplexing problem.

What in the world had the Marquis eaten to suddenly start pursuing me?

I was going crazy.

I mean, I wasn't even the main character of this story! The heroine was supposed to be Catherine, not me!

For goodness sake!

When would she finally arrive? All I wanted was a peaceful and quiet life, but these strange occurrences kept happening to me, as if I were some kind of protagonist.

And any minute now, I had a sinking feeling that the Princess' messenger would also arrive.
Princess Arabella was known to be possessive of the Marquis and would ruthlessly eliminate anyone who caught his attention.

If she dealt with girls who merely liked the Marquis, what would she do to someone he actually seemed to favor?

This could turn into a complete disaster.
I mean... what had Alyssa done to capture the Marquis' heart? First the Prince, and now the Marquis?

I highly doubted he actually liked me, because we had never had a single interaction since I arrived here.

So, I had come to the theory that he was interested in the original Alyssa... the Alyssa who was kindhearted and had a strong sense of responsibility, despite unfortunately neglecting her talents and skills in her obsessive research about her unusual golden eyes.

"My Lady, a maid from the Imperial Palace has arrived and is asking to see you," another maid announced, cutting through my frantic thoughts. I sighed heavily.

And speak of the devil... the Princess' maid had indeed arrived.

"Good day, Lady Alyssa. The princess invites you to have tea with her at her castle this afternoon," the maid stated, her tone formal. I stared at her in disbelief as she presented a letter, clearly dictated rather than personally written by the Princess.

Reading the contents made me feel slightly nauseous. The letter was written as if the Princess and I were the closest of friends, even mentioning the Marquis' supposed gifts.

I mean, who writes to someone they barely know and acts as if they're best friends?

'The Dazzling woman of the moon, Alyssa...'