Second Female Leads' Playbook

The illusion lasted around one day, during this day Kevin seemed to treat Rachelle more coldly. But as soon as the illusion was off, Kevin was back to being charming to Rachelle. While the potion I gave Doris lasted for three days. During those three days, Kevin never once visited Doris, contrary to how he treated Doris in the past.

"He just doesn't care about me. It's all that witch's fault! She lured my Kevin away," Doris cried hysterically. "I am going to kill her!"

"Are you going to kill every single beautiful girl that catches Kevin's attention in the future?"

Doris broke down at that moment. 

"Here's the same potion but much stronger. You'll no longer remember him for the rest of your life." I placed that potion near the door to her house and then walked away. 

"The god of darkness won't approve this," said the guy waiting at the end of the path. 

"I don't need his approval. She won't succeed in killing Rachelle. She will just injure others and herself in the process." I brushed my neck unconsciously as if in remembrance. I was not pitying her. I just didn't want to be stabbed again. And whether to take that potion or not was her choice. 

"Now I wonder if Rachelle's face was really charmed. Kevin was obviously less enthusiastic when he was under the illusion, but as soon as the illusion was off, he became mesmerized with her again." 

The high priest looked at me with his usual smile. He knew something but he was not telling me. That meant I should be quite close to the truth. 

"But if it's charmed why didn't anyone notice anything? Like Kevin he was a quite accomplished priest, that's why he realized and broke the illusion spell just after a day. Henri and Lord Hank were also accomplished sorcerers." 

"Do you think mortals know it when gods place a spell on them?" he asked mysteriously. 

I furrowed my brows. Just who was Rachelle? Was he suggesting that some gods placed a spell on Rachelle? A charming spell? 

A cold finger tapped on my forehead. "Sometimes it's better to stay out of things that's best not to be involved." 

"It's about time," he said. At that moment, the earth began to shake, just like that time with the temple of wind. 

I lost balance and nearly fell into his arms. Luckily I hugged onto the huge oak tree next to us in the last moment. After a few minutes, I could see Rachelle, Henri, Kevin and a man with silver hair running out of the temple. They took off with their horses and rode out of the town. 

That man with silver hair must be Lucian, that huge dog Rachelle found just before she set out. 

"Two down, three more to go," the high priest whispered. 

"Just what are those shards?"

"Didn't you hear what I told you just now?" 

It's something I shouldn't stick my nose in. 

"But you already involved me! You asked me to spy for you." 

"Hmm you have a point. That's really selfish on me," he grinned. "But you must know by now I am a selfish tyrant." 

He walked down the slope and then he turned around. He looked at me with his knowing blood red eyes, "You'll understand everything when the time comes." 

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

I was back at home preparing to attend the tea party celebrating Rachelle's mother birthday. It was also the tea party where I was stabbed to death in my previous life. No wonder I was caught so off guard, I had never attended this party before in all my first three lives, understandably so as I hated my stepmother back then. 

This time I was ordered by my Father to come back. In my first two lives, I was so vocal in showing my hatred to my stepsister and stepmother that Father was afraid I would ruin the party, so he asked priests to lock me in my room back in the temple and then put a spell on the door to prevent me from coming back and ruining the party. This time he ordered me to join to show others what a nice big family we were. I guess I just had to be more careful this time. 

I hoped Doris would't resort to stabbing people again. I sighed as I touched the protective charm I made just in case. It should protect me from one stab. 

"Lady Odette, it's nearly time," Sarah announced. 

I nodded. Before I went down to congratulate my stepmother I walked down the corridor and knocked on the door of my Father's study. 

"Odette," Father said. "What do you want?" 

"Father, I am breaking off my betrothal with Henri." 

"Odette," he sighed. "You know it's not up to you to decide. It's an arrangement between two families." He then waved his hand, trying to dismiss me like an unreasonable naive heiress he thought I was. 

"Henri falls in love with Rachelle, Father. Do you still want to continue with this betrothal? At the risk of scandals? Risking our family's reputation?" I asked while raising my eyebrow. 

"What?" he furrowed his brows. "Are you sure you're not mistaken? I know you might not like the idea of having a sister, but..."

"Do you think I made this up? It's my reputation too." 

After a pause, he said, "I'll talk to Henri about it."

"I also talked to Henri, Father. He said he must marry Rachelle. So I came up with a deal, to safeguard our family's reputation. We'll break the betrothal and he can marry Rachelle only after I am married. Then you can still unite both our families, while everyone is happy." 

The question was if I would even marry someone and whether Rachelle would really choose Henri now that she had so many suitors. But I kept my mouth shut. 

Father looked at me with questions in his eyes. He tapped his finger on his desk and then finally he said, "Henri is the fiance your mother chose for you." 

"Which was no longer mine once he falls in love with my stepsister." I smiled mockingly. 

He sighed. "I will talk to Henri's family about it." 

"That'd be great. Now at you order I will go down to celebrate the birthday of my dear stepmother." I curtsied and then walked out of the room.