Chapter 59: Chapter 59

"Oh—oh!" I covered my mouth, barely stopping a squeal. My heart thumped so fast it almost hurt. I couldn’t believe it... I was actually seeing it. The scene. The one I’d only ever imagined while reading.

"So... if I remember correctly," I whispered to myself, eyes glued to the pair by the lake, "he would slowly approach her and introduce himself..."

I bounced a little on my toes, too giddy to stand still. My feet refused to behave, shifting in tiny, impatient steps like they had a mind of their own.

This was insane — no, unreal. The first meeting of Auren Lysander and Lady Celeste, right in front of me.

If I could just watch quietly... maybe I’d see the story unfold exactly like it did in the novel.

I bit my lip to stop myself from grinning too wide, clutching the edge of my coat. "Okay, calm down," I muttered. "Just observe. Be a professional... reader."

But the excitement bubbling in my chest was impossible to contain.

I crouched down quickly, one hand covering my mouth to muffle the sound of my breathing. My other hand pressed into the grass for balance as I leaned forward, peering around the trunk of a nearby tree.

My neck stretched just a little. Okay, maybe a lot... as I tried to get a clearer look at Auren.

He was still standing under the smaller willow, his posture straight and calm, eyes fixed on the woman by the water.

I narrowed my gaze, whispering under my breath, "Come on... this is the part where you move, remember? You’re supposed to approach her now."

He didn’t move. Not even a shift in his shoulders.

But then I noticed something hovering faintly above his head. A soft pink shimmer, like a floating bar of light.

My eyes widened. "No way..."

That was the floating monitor charm.

The one that showed affection levels.

The one that had no business showing up right now.

I blinked hard, leaned a little to the side, and whispered, "No, no, no... Why would that monitor appear?"

I quickly glanced around, scanning the mist and the trees. "Maya," I hissed under my breath. "Are you here? Show yourself..."

I gritted my teeth, lowering my voice even more, afraid Lady Celeste would somehow hear me across the lake.

Of course, she didn’t answer right away, she never did when I actually needed her.

The loud, echoing sound that always announced her arrival broke the silence like a slap.

"Shhh!" I flailed my hands in the air in panic. "You are loud! Do you want them to notice me?!"

The holographic shimmer flickered beside me, forming slowly until Maya’s calm, expressionless emoticon appeared, like a screensaver that refused to care about my anxiety.

"Matter of fact, Miss Vale..." Maya flickered faintly, her tone as calm as ever, "only you can hear me."

I blinked at her, still crouched in the grass. "Ah... right! Then I only need to cover my voice..."

I turned back toward the lake just in time to see him finally move.

Auren stepped away from the shade of the smaller willow, heading slowly, every motion calm but sure... exactly the way I remembered reading it.

"Oh—oh—oh!" I whispered, my heart doing this ridiculous flutter thing in my chest. My excitement refused to cooperate, so I quickly clamped both hands over my mouth, afraid I might actually squeal out loud.

There it was... the real, living version of that moment.

The quiet air, the still lake, the way his presence seemed to fill the entire space with something heavy and magnetic.

My chest tightened as I leaned forward a bit, eyes wide. "He’s doing it..." I whispered behind my hands. "He’s really doing it..."

He walked closer to Lady Celeste, who still stood near the water’s edge, her reflection rippling softly beneath her.

It was perfect. Exactly like the book.

Until he got closer, and I finally noticed the number on the floating monitor charm.

"Eighty... two percent?" I whispered, blinking hard just to make sure I wasn’t misreading it.

My mouth fell slightly open, then curved into a small pout of awe. "That’s... surprisingly high for someone who just met his mate."

I tilted my head, squinting at the pink glow again as if the numbers might change if I stared hard enough. "Is it... like love at first sight, too?" I murmured, half teasing, half genuinely confused.

The charm pulsed once, the light warming slightly, almost like it was agreeing with me.

I pressed my hands against my cheeks, whispering, "Oh, this is going faster than the book... way faster..."

My eyes stayed glued to the pair as Auren finally reached the lake’s edge. The sound of his steps broke the still air. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel·fiɾe·net

Lady Celeste turned at the sound, her head snapping slightly over her shoulder.

For a moment, I expected the soft, graceful smile, the shy lowering of her gaze, the kind of perfect reaction that always followed in the book.

But instead, her entire body stiffened.

Her expression changed, not into surprise or awe but fear, like she’s being discovered was like a crime.

She stepped back quickly, the edge of her dress brushing the water, ripples spilling outward as her hand clutched at her chest.

I blinked. "Wait... what is happening?"

That wasn’t in the book. Lady Celeste wasn’t supposed to look scared.

Auren stopped a few steps away from her. His tone came calm but with something unfamiliar in it.

"Why are you running away from me?" he said, his voice low but clear. "I promise you, the thing that happened at the skyport won’t happen here."

I frowned, my mind freezing mid-thought. "Skyport? What skyport?" I muttered under my breath, glancing toward where Maya had been... although, of course, she was already gone.

That line wasn’t in any version of the story I’d read.

"I’m sorry..." Lady Celeste’s voice broke softly through the still air. "Who are you?"

My eyebrows arched. That definitely wasn’t part of the dialogue either.

Auren’s brows knit together, his tone a mix of confusion and disbelief. "Are you... okay? What do you mean, who am I?"

"I mean..." Lady Celeste took a hesitant step back, her voice trembling slightly, "I don’t know who you are. That’s why I’m asking."

I tilted my head, blinking fast. "Yeah... she doesn’t know you... that’s kind of the logic," I muttered under my breath, unable to help myself. "Come on, Auren..."

The words slipped out louder than I meant, just enough to slice through the quiet morning air.

Auren’s head snapped toward my way. So did Lady Celeste’s.

My heart leapt into my throat as their eyes locked on me.

I froze, caught mid-crouch like a criminal.

And then the moment of realisation finally hit me the moment I saw Lady Celeste’s face.

"Wait..." I whispered, my voice barely there. "Her face..."