NOVEL WEB Chapter 13 – The Moment Before Confrontation
It was… Impossible. Elana’s motionless state continued. She refused to blink, fearing what she was seeing would vanish - turn into an intangible illusion, a trick of her mind.
She was here. The same eyes, the same face, the same confident smile. The same mannerism when she was entertaining someone foolish - something that had been aimed at Elana in the beginning.
It was impossible. Elana’s mind could not process what she was seeing. Her body finally moved, if only because her half-raised leg had to be planted on the ground, or else she would fall.
Elana felt her mouth dry up. She hadn’t put on any cosmetics. It had felt unnecessary. She was beautiful without any, but adding at least a bit of lipstick wouldn’t have hurt.
And the uniform… Elana had dresses. She could have worn those - even if it was against the Academy’s policies. And her hair…. She felt like some of the locks had fallen out of place, but it was too late to fix them.
Then again… Elana felt herself sweat. Pretty dressing and make-up wouldn’t make a difference. She… She wouldn’t care for it.
No.
What Elana needed was her usual confidence. Nothing else would work on the other woman. She had tried it all before.
All Elana needed was to take a step forward and speak. She could do that. Yes. Now. She would do it now. Just… For now, she had to blink. To make sure the other woman was truly here.
It felt like forever for Elana to close her eyes and open them again. Her body relaxed. She… She had not vanished.
Now… Now Elana could.
Do what?
Get revenge?
Confront the other woman?
Was she even ‘Her’ or just a lookalike?
No, but the way ‘She’ spoke. It was the same. The way ‘She’ presented her bountiful breasts to distract others. It was the same. The way ‘She’ looked scornfully at those beneath her, while hiding it behind a smile. It was the same.
Elana would not mistake ‘Her’ for anyone else. ‘She’ was here. They could speak again, fight again, and make plans against each other.
Was that what Elana wanted? Perhaps not. But that was all she knew. It had always been this way. Ever since the first time they had met.
Maybe the heroine was also here, but Elana did not care. Everyone else was insignificant when compared to ‘Her’.
‘She’ had not noticed Elana’s arrival yet, but she would soon.
How would ‘She’ react?
Another wave of nervousness washed over Elana. She looked different. Her body wasn’t quite the same as her old one. Would ‘She’ recognise Elana?
Many of the features Elana now had were similar to her old body. But the cheekbones were higher, her hair was different, and her eyes were now amber. She was beautiful in a cold, distant sense - like someone who was meant to be watched from afar.
Meanwhile, ‘She’ was glowing. Her beauty was different from Elana’s. She had blue eyes that were luminous and piercing, as if capable of seeing through one’s soul. Her body was willowy and made others feel uncontrollable lust for it. Her heart-shaped face left a regal impression. Coupled with the pale skin and slim limbs, ‘She’ was suited to sit on a throne.
Where Elana appeared detached, ‘She’ looked inviting. Cute, even. Although, Elana had never admitted that to ‘Her’ face. Perhaps she should? But it didn’t quite suit Elana to call something ‘cute’. But then again, ‘She’ WAS cute.
A thought for another day.
It was time to talk to ‘Her’. Elana puffed out her chest, made sure her movements were smooth and gracious, and then headed out for the battle.
At this point, Elana noticed something she should have done before. ‘She’ was talking to someone. It could only be an obstacle, and those had to be disposed of.
Elana deserved all of ‘Her’s’ attention. She finally glanced sideways, checking who dared to talk to the only woman who had ever compared to Elana’s own magnificence.
Once again, Elana’s body froze - albeit only momentarily this time. Her movements quickly regained their usual smoothness.
‘She’ was talking to the prince. Of course, she was. How didn’t Elana think of it sooner? Of course, ‘She’ was the heroine. It just made sense!
Elana’s mood soured. She felt her displeasure rise, aimed mostly at the prince but also at ‘Her’ for allowing such a lowlife to perv on ‘Her’ body.
Was the prince really this interesting? Why hadn’t ‘She’ noticed Elana? Had the love begun to blossom between them? No. Elana refused to believe it.
Even if the world moved to bring those two together, all Elana had to do was destroy the world. She felt the emotions inside her gather in strength.
The more Elana thought, the calmer she appeared. Coldness seeped out of her body, physically, as she tapped into her mana for the first time. That power had always been there, but now she knew how to access it.
Of course, flaunting the magic this way was bad manners and frowned upon by everyone. Elana knew the Academy had rules against it. But no one would mention it as long as she didn’t hurt anyone. Being a duke’s daughter had many perks.
Elana enjoyed the panicked look the Prince gave her. He had noticed her first, revealing a defiant expression a moment later. He wasn’t apologetic, if anything he dared Elana to interrupt his conversation with ‘Her’.
But ‘She’... ‘She’ had not noticed Elana just yet. But ‘She’ had seen the prince's reaction. And now, slowly, ‘She’ was turning her head.
The time began to slow down for Elana as ‘Her’ eyes moved to meet Elana’s. There was a spark - a moment of recognition between them. They both felt something reshape between their beings, twisting and pulling, making it impossible to look away.
‘She’ was… Smiling. It was slight, wondrous, asking Elana what she would do.
And Elana…
…Was seriously pissed. They got to meet in another world, and the first time they saw each other ‘She’ was talking to some asshole?
No, Elana could not accept that at all. She continued forward to have a word or two with ‘Her.’
… Or perhaps a fight. Yes. That sounded nice as well.
