Answers and the open book

Novel entitled 'Light of Dragonaria' or 'LoD' for short. Two protagonists. One antagonist. Some side characters that showed up frequently.

And some of those characters who appeared once, like Jaden Brimstone, were never seen again. That was what the story he wrote was basically made up of.

His eyebrows frowned while he glanced at the long hallway with a huge door at the end. Dimly lit candles illuminated the path that would lead to the dining hall.

Jaden spent approximately fifty minutes in his room after waking up. As soon as he heard the name of the guest visiting him, he changed his clothes and made a haste to the dining hall.

'First those water words, then this jacket...'

When he was trying to take the jacket off, it wasn't getting away from his body. That's why he had no choice but to pull a blazer over it.

He could feel his heart beating from nervousness, seeing the door grow larger with every step. Behind that door were two people he was going to be wary of.

"Are you feeling any better now...?"

Rudia whispered to Jaden, who was following her closely. She was the only one who was aware that Jaden had no memory of the past.

Reporting it to Julianne Brimstone was definitely the proper response to the situation, but she decided not to do so. The reason was simple: Jaden might get into trouble if others were to find out.

"A little."

Given the situation he was in, speaking too much might prove to be harmful. So, Jaden chose to reply to everything with fewer words.

He tried to gather his thoughts once again after seeing Rudia nod her head lightly. On the other hand, Rudia calmly glanced behind him.

It was none of her concern since what she needed was for Jaden to act normally in front of others. She won't be able to avoid punishment if they discover the truth.

"That's good enough for now, I suppose."

Rudia replied to him, and what graced the two was silence after that. They didn't speak a word as they approached the dining hall. Jaden was in deep thought.

-Condemnation: The end.

That was the final chapter of his work. During that part, the antagonist of the novel was executed by the protagonists for her rash actions.

'And that antagonist is none other than...'

Aliana Rosenstein. A highly talented individual who was killed off to rush the story's ending. It was abrupt, yet none of the readers managed to see through it since it made some sense.

Currently, the same person was visiting Jaden Brimstone, the insignificant side character. That issue was surprising for him, who just happened to wake up in an unfamiliar place. It was the world he himself had written about, though.

"Young Master Jaden is entering!"

Along with the announcement, the light of the candles on the chandelier that illuminated the room flooded his vision.

His eyes got accustomed to the brightness, making the table decorated with food and the six chairs around it visible to him. The two chairs were already occupied by two women.

His gaze swiftly moved to notice the long black hair along with a soft blue tint at their ends. The features were oddly similar to his. He knew who that person was.

'So she is...'

Julianne Brimstone. The one and only sister of Jaden Brimstone. The last family member he had left. That's who she was.

Small, dark blue pair of eyes. Along with red cheeks, a beautiful smile. The white full-length dress, embroidered with a golden pattern, embossed her unique aura.

Despite all of that, there was a huge problem. That person. No, that character was supposed to have been abducted by the demon general by that point in time. Why so, one asks?

It was because the epilogue, the condemnation event, was going to take place the very next day. This person was supposed to have disappeared along with Jaden long before that.

Hah

Jaden let out a soft sigh before thinking about where he should sit. He walked closer, nervously, while listening to two women's conversations. Julianne's voice became even more clear to him.

"My, my, this is the first time you've visited us since 'that' incident."

"As good neighbours, it's only natural to check on each other every once in a while."

His eyes squinted at the sight of the woman who replied to Julianne. Leaving aside the servants in the room, Jaden knew these two women just from their appearances.

The violet hair that glistened as if some liquified gemstone, and the pink eyes almost resembling rubies. An innocent-looking face. Yet a cunningly pleasant smile. Aliana Rosenstein.

'For a villainess, she is beautiful.'

Julianne was also beautiful, but Aliana had something unique about her. Something that catches the attention of everyone nearby.

Jaden, on the other hand, was unsure how he should be acting in front of them. That was the reason for him to stand in one place until Julianne spoke.

"Why are you just standing over there? Come and join us, Jaden."

Her calm and polite voice left him panicking for a moment. He didn't think much and just took his seat beside her. That was his mistake.

"Jaden, are you fine? This isn't like you to-"

As clueless as he was, Jaden had no idea that his seat was the single chair meant for the family head, which looked different than the rest.

"Lady, he must be tired and exhausted due to the injury. Why not let him sit beside you for now?"

"Oh my. It seems I wasn't being thoughtful enough. You can sit here, Jaden."

Glancing at Aliana, Jaden picked up a fork and a knife in his hands to try cutting the steak on the plate. He was fortunate enough to have learned a thing or two while writing his novel.

The piece of well-cooked meat that he put in his mouth was swallowed without chewing properly. All because of Aliana's words.

"Eat well, Jaden. It's your favourite dish, after all."

"My, how did you know about that? I had no idea at all."

Julianne wouldn't know this, of course. The person who actually liked the steak wasn't the same person she knew, but someone else.

Staring at Jaden's pale face, Aliana smiled brightly. Her words made Jaden's body shiver lightly.

"Lady Julianne, may I have some time alone with Young Lord Jaden after this?"

Her eyes adjusted themselves to match her smile. Julianne calmly ate her meal while listening to Aliana.

"We think we need to have a talk. A long one, at that."

--------------

Clink

The sound of the huge door opening fell on their ears. Sitting at their spots, the two were able to take a last glimpse at the back of the woman who had just left the dining hall along with the servants.

Clank

Jaden got up from his seat and approached the chair just opposite Aliana. As he sat upon it, the only thing that graced them was the heavy silence in the air.

The person sitting in front of him was someone who seemed to have some idea about a lot of stuff. He gulped down his own nervous saliva while trying to figure out her intentions.

'How did she know about 'my' tastes? Or maybe 'Jaden' had the same preference?'

The silence would've continued as he was busy drowning in his own thoughts had Aliana not spoken up.

"Bell pepper..."

"What?"

"I hate bell pepper too."

Back in his original world, Jaden hated bell peppers. Not because they were spicy, but because he just couldn't bring himself to like the texture of this vegetable while chewing.

This wasn't about 'Jaden Brimstone', but the person who wrote the novel, and hence no one would've been possibly aware of it.

Even though he hadn't asked her a thing, one thing had become certain to Jaden. That person, the villainess of his own novel, knew who he was.

The smile she had on her face made his face pale from anxiety. Maybe the conclusion he reached was too hasty and incorrect. Then, how did she know about his tastes?

"... 'How do I know that?' Is the question you have in mind?"

At those words, he flinched while his eyebrows frowned. A cold sweat formed on his forehead as he observed Aliana's unwavering eyes.

The fork in her hand dug into the piece of steak she cut with the knife. She picked it up to spin it in a small circle before eating it.

The nervousness he was feeling made his lips petrify. The words that followed made the uneasiness within his heart grow.

"What if I said I've known you for a long time?"

His eyes trembled at her words, and his pupils dilated at the confusing thing she just said. Her lips curled up to form a smile, but he could tell that it wasn't a happy one.

"You won't believe me, of course."

She laughed lightly, as if giggling, yet it was laced with a hint of sadness. Most likely, she was talking about the original Jaden. The one in front of her was someone who happened to possess that body.

There weren't any other possibilities he could think of to conclude it. But then again, how could Aliana tell what 'he' liked and disliked?

She kept the cutlery in her hands before wiping her mouth with a white handkerchief. After that, she put it aside to interlock the fingers of her own hands.

Placing them in front of her own mouth, covering the lower half of her face, she looked straight at Jaden with a mysterious look in her eyes. As if she were seeing through him very easily.

"Don't go on misunderstanding. I'm talking about 'you' and not whom you are thinking about."

If someone said something like that to a person who was in an odd situation like Jaden, it was only natural that he would be scared.

Sigh

Glancing at Jaden's pale, nervous face, she let out a light sigh. She had already realised what he was feeling at the moment.

"... No need to be so scared. I mean no harm."

The tone in which she spoke sounded sincere. But there was no way a normal person would be able to trust anyone in such a situation.

Jaden clenched his fists tightly while trying to hide his nervousness. Aliana had already noticed it, though.

"I will take you up on those words, Lady Rosenstein."

"Alia..."

"What?"

"Call me 'Alia', I said."

As dumbfounded as he was by her sudden suggestion, did he even have any better choice than to follow her words?

Surely he was frustrated, but despite that, he smiled as innocently as he could. Playing along with her seemed like the most appropriate thing to do for him.

"Sure. Alia."

He swallowed his bitter feelings when following the flow of events. Though he looked calm, in reality, he was holding himself back from displaying his frustration.

He had no clue that Aliana had been reading him like an open book since the beginning. Surely, she wasn't reading his mind. That was a whole other story at the point where Aliana spoke.

"Since I made you feel uneasy, I will give you a chance to ask me two questions."

That was the perfect chance for Jaden since he already had tonnes of questions for her on his mind. Was there any reason for him to let it go just like that?

No. It would've been too foolish of him to do that. Better than playing around, he preferred being straight-forward with her.

"Just how much do you know?"

This question was solely based on his intuition. Aliana was acting as if she were familiar with him. That's why he didn't hesitate to ask that question.

Jaden curled up his fingers together and made a tight fist. If he had the slightest clue about his absurd situation, he wouldn't have been feeling that way.

"Honestly speaking... if it's about 'you', then everything... And if about what you are thinking, then 'almost' everything."

That was the answer to his first question. He couldn't feel even an ounce of lying in what she said. Well, could he trust her even after that? Obviously, that was tough.

There were a lot of questions he had on his mind, but there was something he couldn't bat an eye about. This was the last question he was supposed to ask her.

"Then... did you save Julianne?"

"Yes. I did."

When she said that, Aliana had a blank face, but her expressions soon changed. The unexpected actions she was witnessing from Jaden left her baffled.

"You... Why are you bowing your head?"

His black hair became more visible as he bowed his head at her. She couldn't seem to grasp what he was trying to do.

"Thank you very much. For saving Julianne."

"I know you aren't the real Jaden. Stop with the act alread-"

"No. This isn't an act."

Aliana's laughter came to a stop, seeing Jaden's serious eyes. His voice laced with appreciation, unlike what she expected, he spoke.

"I'm truly thankful."

Sigh

Aliana couldn't totally understand why he was acting that way, but she didn't question his actions. She had a slight clue why he was behaving like that—that's a story for another time.

With that, all of his questions were answered. Not all, but the two out of those that he had, Aliana said that she would answer.

"I think we are done with the questions here."

He instinctively nodded his head in agreement with her words. After the few minutes of talk they just had, Jaden was feeling a lot less nervous.

"Now then. Let us get down to the real business."

"Eh? Real business?"

At his confused reaction, Aliana smiled brightly. Jaden could feel even more nervous just by listening to the words that followed.

"Yes. Get into a contract with me."