Auren was standing before . His eyes were sharp, colder than usual, not that calm, polished expression he always carried. There was a hint of anger there, or maybe worry. I couldn’t tell.
"I—I was just trying to go to the the park..." I said, pointing awkwardly over my shoulder.
But the words caught halfway through my throat.
I turned again and froze.
The place that had looked so beautiful before, glowing with soft lights and laughter, was gone.
In its place stood a thick forest. A dark, tangled, and suffocating still. The air was heavy, the colors muted, every sound swallowed by the shadows between the trees.
My breath hitched. "Wha—what happened to..."
Auren’s gaze didn’t soften. If anything, it grew heavier, the kind of look that made you feel seen and scolded at the sa ti.
"What the hell is the park? There is no such thing there," he said again, his voice quieter now but no less firm.
I turned back to him, my pulse racing. "No, I saw it! There were lights, people... Vivian... she was—"
"Whatever you saw," he cut in, tone low and grim, "wasn’t real. The forest here doesn’t show the truth. It shows what you wish was true."
I froze, the words sinking in slowly, painfully.
What I wished was true.
My throat tightened. The glow, the warmth, the laughter... Vivian’s smile... all of them replayed behind my eyes, vivid and beautiful and utterly fake.
My hands trembled slightly as I whispered, more to myself than to him, "All of it... was ?"
Auren’s expression softened just a fraction, his voice a quiet echo against the still air. "It was what your heart wanted most."
And sohow, that hurt more than if he’d shouted at .
"What are you doing here? You know this place is close to the public, right?"
The question wasn’t for .
Auren’s sharp gaze was fixed on Marek, who now stood a few steps behind, his head bowed low.
"I—I’m sorry, Lord Auren..." Marek said softly. He didn’t try to explain further.
It wasn’t his fault.
I was the one who told him to stop when I saw this place from afar.
Of course, in my eyes, it looked like a the park.
"I asked him to stop here," I said quietly, my voice almost lost to the wind.
Auren’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t reply right away.
The silence hung between us, heavy, until I finally sighed and turned to leave.
"Stop."
His hand reached out, catching my wrist, not tightly, but enough to make pause.
"We need to talk," he said.
I t his eyes, but mine felt dull, distant. "I don’t want to talk right now."
Auren didn’t let go. His eyes searched mine, not angry this ti, but looked more restless.
"Then answer one thing," he said quietly. "Who are you?"
The question hung there, colder than the air at that mont.
My breath caught. "What?"
His jaw tightened. "Back at the lake... there were two of you." His tone dropped, steady but edged with disbelief. "Two Celestes. One standing beside , one running away. So tell ..." his grip on my wrist tightened slightly, "which one are you?"
I froze, the words tangling in my throat. The sound of the forest around us faded until all I could hear was the uneven rhythm of my own breathing.
Then, slowly, I looked down and bit my lip. "What’s that got to do with you?"
Auren’s brows drew together, his expression darkening. "Everything," he said flatly. "Because if you’re not who I think you are, then I’ve been talking to a stranger all this ti."
I tried to pull my wrist free, but his grip held, not harshly, but enough to remind he wasn’t letting this go.
"I’m not lying to you," I said quietly, still not eting his eyes. "I just... can’t explain."
"Can’t," he repeated, his voice low. "Or won’t?"
I lifted my head then, eting his gaze with a glare that didn’t quite hide the tremor in mine. "Does it matter?"
"It is!" Auren’s voice rose suddenly, breaking the still air between us. "It is, because all this ti—" he stopped, his chest heaving slightly, eyes burning with sothing between anger and hurt. "All this ti, I thought there was sothing real between us. We talked, we understood each other, I thought..."
He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "And then one day you vanish. No word, no reason. The next thing I hear? You’re engaged and then married to Lucian!"
My throat tightened. I swallowed hard, words clawing up but refusing to leave my mouth.
The misunderstanding was already too deep.
That’s not ...
How do I even tell him that?
That the person he t... the one he connected with wasn’t at all, but the real Lady Celeste?
My fingers curled at my sides, my voice small when I finally managed to speak. "Auren..."
But what could I say?
That I was just a substitute?
That the girl he cared about was hidden away while I was the one replaced her?
He looked at then, waiting and in that mont, I couldn’t et his eyes.
"I really thought you were acting like you didn’t know when we t on your engagent day..." Auren’s voice dropped, softer now but still edged with disbelief. "So yeah... I introduced myself, played along. I thought maybe you were pretending for so reason. I waited for you to say sothing or anything but you didn’t."
"Auren..." I started, my voice shaking as I tried to find the right words. "Let explain—"
He cut in, his tone raw, almost bitter. "Explain what? That you forgot ? Or that I ant nothing from the start?"
"No, it’s not that!" I took a step closer, my chest tightening. "You don’t understand—"
"Then make understand," he said, his eyes searching mine, almost pleading now. "Because right now, all I see is soone who looks exactly like her... but doesn’t feel the sa."
"Yes! That’s it!" I burst out, pointing a finger at him like I’d just solved a mystery. "I look exactly like her but I’m not her. Do you understand now?"
Auren blinked, taken aback. "Wait—what?"
I frowned, frustration bubbling in my chest. "You heard . I’m not her. I’m not Lady Celeste. So maybe next ti you want to yell at soone for vanishing, make sure it’s the right woman."
He just stared at , clearly processing every word like his brain needed a mont to catch up.
"I never knew you were the impatient type," I muttered, crossing my arms. "So much for being called a green flag."
Auren’s expression flickered, caught sowhere between confusion, disbelief, and the faintest trace of offense.
"I—what does that even an?" Auren asked, still frowning, his voice caught between confusion and irritation.
"Exactly!" I huffed, throwing my hands up. "You wouldn’t know. It’s a complint where I co from."
He blinked, clearly lost, before his expression hardened again. "No... I an..." He took a small step closer, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What does that an... you’re not Celeste?"
The air between us shifted, the montary ease vanishing as quickly as it ca.
I let out a long sigh and turned to Marek. "Marek, can you cover your ears for a while?"
He blinked, confused, but being the loyal soul he was, he obeyed without question, pressing his palms flat over his ears like a scolded child.
Once he did, I looked back at Auren.
"Yes," I said quietly, steadying my breath. "I’m not Celeste."
His eyes widened slightly, the flicker of shock there quickly replaced by sothing heavier, sothing that looked a lot like disbelief.
"So..." I continued, forcing a small smile that didn’t reach my eyes, "don’t worry. Your Celeste is still your Celeste."
Auren didn’t move, didn’t even blink.
I pressed my lips thin, exhaling softly. "I really don’t get it... Why didn’t you ask her back then? You saw her. She was right there beside you at the lake."
He stayed silent, the lines of his expression tightening, like the answer to that question hurt more than he wanted to admit.
His voice finally ca low, rough. "Because... I wasn’t sure which one she was."
I blinked, his words tangling in my head. "What do you an? If you like soone, you should be able to tell the difference... right?"
Auren didn’t answer right away. His gaze lingered on , unreadable, calm and quiet, like he was searching for sothing he wasn’t sure he wanted to find.
Finally, he said softly, almost to himself, "I guess so..."
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