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“Hey, um, do we… know each other? From somewhere?”
She stilled instantaneously, heart almost beating outside her ribs.
This can’t be happening. It can’t be happening. Not like this. Please, no.
Drift masked her horror with a placating smile. The same one she’d practiced a million times over. Perfected, even.
There could be no doubt in Ghostie’s mind.
“I don’t think so? At least, I haven’t met you before. I do have a couple doppelgängers, though. Maybe that’s why.” Drift grinned softly. Her eyes did not leave Ghostie’s. If Drift forwent eye contact, it would be suspicious. Even a crack in her voice, and she’d be suspicious.
She could not be suspicious.
“Oh! That’s surprising.” Ghostie laughed in response, cocking her head just a bit to look at Drift. “You just feel so familiar.”
Curse you. Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, fuck—
Don’t screw this up for me.
God, why did Drift have to run into her?
In the middle of the Main Hall, too, for everyone else to see? Not that there was anyone else— but there could be! AJ could come at basically any moment, and Drift did not want AJ here right now. Not when she was so close to being uncovered.
“I guess that’s just my charm.” Drift shrugged tightly, her smile now thinning. If this didn’t end soon, she might just jump at Ghostie.
Ghostie. AJ’s ex. Another noble.
Who seemed to know of her identity.
KEWLTOWN was so far off the map that Cam had never needed to meet Drift, so he couldn’t recognise her.
But Drift remembered meeting Ghostie. It took a moment. A night to remember. But she did.
It was a ball. Full of princesses, princes, and the children of nobles. There were so many people that night that Drift never formally met Lady Ghostie.
But they got close.
Danced with the same Prince.
It was barely even a glance at each other as Drift took over the dance with the Prince, honestly, but Drift remembered it.
The only question: would Ghostie?
With everything she had, every ounce of mana and skill in her body, Drift begged no.
“Ha! Possibly. I see why AJ likes you.” Ghostie blinked at her, her voice not entirely comfortable. Neither of them were comfortable in this situation.
At the mention of AJ, something opened up in Drift’s stomach. It was protective, maybe a bit jealous? Regardless, Drift zero-ed into Ghostie’s face.
She noticed the fear the Lady hid.
The same fear Drift hid when her father killed another innocent. When her mother and father fought. When her brother—
It was a special kind of scared, the one only nobles had. See, other people like AJ? They didn’t have much to lose. No title, no family lineage, no wealth.
They had freedom, instead.
Drift and Ghostie’s special brand of fear was of losing everything. They had everything to lose, didn’t they? The jewels, balls, future, which came with a title.
Although, it wasn’t just that. Normally, if you were scared, your mother would comfort you. Your father would protect you. If you were all alone, you’d cry and weep, beg others to take care of you. Your fear was worn like clothing, no shame in everyone knowing its presence.
But Princesses aren’t scared. Nobles aren’t fearful. Instead of showing fear, Ghostie and Drift? They were forced to hide it. To hide it in your eyes and not let it slip out in the slightest.
Drift managed to untangle herself from those fears, and from the insistence of hiding them, once she left home. Nothing to fear if you didn’t want everything. Nothing to hide, if you had nothing to fear.
Clearly, Ghostie wasn’t as far along yet.
The fear was still there.
And that’s how Drift knew.
Without AJ or anyone needing to tell her, that Ghostie loved her. She still loved AJ.
She still had something to lose.
“Oh.” Drift shifted uncomfortably, glancing around the Main Hall, hoping someone might come to save her. “She’s… talked about me? I mean, when—“
The black and white haired Mage laughed. It was awkward. “No. I mean. We didn’t— we haven’t… we haven’t really talked or anything. But she, yeah, she told me about you guys. I guess.”
“Oh. Right.” Now it was Drift’s turn to be awkward. In all the lessons she had as royalty, nothing could prepare her for meeting her fake girlfriend’s real ex-girlfriend. “I guess that’s good.”
“Yeah! Yeah, absolutely. It’s great. I’m happy she’s happy.” Ghostie gave Drift the tightest smile ever. “And… you seem great!”
“Hah, you too!” Was all the Earth Mage could reply, begging that the conversation would soon end. “She must have a type.”
They both froze.
Becaus it was true.
Ghostie titled her head again, and her eyes narrowed at Drift.
The fear inside Ghostie’s eyes left, replaced with realisation, as she frowned.
No. No, Ghostie, I swear to God, you better not recognise me. Don’t recognise me. Don’t fucking do it—
“Oh my God.” Ghostie whispered, face gone slack.
“Ghostie—”
“Oh my God—”
“Don’t you dare—”
“It’s you! Princess—”
“Shut up!” Drift hissed at her after a quick glance around the empty Main Hall. if Ghostie slipped out Drift’s real name, she might just attack her. But Ghostie’s mouth seemed to keep moving, and out of fear, Drift smacked a hand over her mouth.
She was shut up now.
Ghostie looked terrified. Her eyes were shaky and confused, angry, as well, for some reason? Her eyes didn’t leave Drift, running along each part of her face.
She looked… pretty?
Abnormally pretty.
Not AJ-pretty, but the pretty like Drift’s bedsheets back home. Pretty like the royal curtains and wallpapers that Drift found herself admiring when bored.
Snap out of it.
“Shut up. Ghostie, I swear to God, if you say anything about this to anyone, I will hurt you.” Drift whispered to the shorter girl. Ghostie’s back and white hair fell over her face, tickling Drift’s skin as she waited for Ghostie to nod in understanding.
She didn’t.
Drift groaned internally. “I’m not— I’m not lying to AJ, alright? She knows I’m wealthy and ran away, she just— I haven’t told her everything yet.”
It’s not like she isn’t keeping things from me, either.
It took a moment, but Ghostie nodded slowly, and Drift withdrew her hand from the Mage’s soft skin.
“If you’re even thinking about telling anyone, not just AJ, don’t forget this. I outrank you. You may be a Lady, but I am a direct descendant of the Royal family, second in line for the throne. And if I ever get the throne and find out you tattled? You’ll regret it.”
Ghostie nodded again, her eyes slightly glazed over as she kept staring at Drift.
“I knew you were familiar. But I didn’t recognise…” She whispered, mostly to herself.
“Yeah, well, we met. Kind of. Once. For, like, a second. Whatever! Look, you’re the only person who knows this, Ghostie.” Dirft confessed.
“The only one?”
“The only one here. And I want to keep it that way. Especially from AJ. So whatever plan you’re coming up with to try getting AJ back by tattling on me? Forget it.”
Ghostie’s mouth fell open, just a bit. “I— plan? To get AJ back?”
Drift frowned at her. “You’re not trying to get her back?”
The life returned to Ghostie’s eyes, and now, instead of her eyes looking like the pretty curtains in Drift’s old room, they looked like the manicured gardens that surrounded her summer castle.
“No! Well, not… not since I knew about you.” The Ender Mage looked down, slight embarrassed. “I’m not a meddler, Drift. I have no interest in getting between you and AJ.”
“No interest, huh?”
“No.”
“So you don’t still have feelings for my girlfriend?” Fake girlfriend, but who’s counting?
Ghostie looked away, to the entrance. “I have no interest in getting between you and AJ.”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t still want her.”
She sighed, and bit just the tip of her own lip. Ghostie’s teeth reminded Drift of the pearl jewelry she had, and her lips were the shade of dresses her mother wore. “You don’t just get over a girl like AJ, Drift.”
Ghostie looked, almost, embarrassed? She could barely even look at the girl she was speaking to.
“Right. Why— if you don’t mind me—”
“Why did we break up?” Ghostie finished.
Drift could only nod. Her body was still, frozen with the prospect of receiving an answer to the question she had since AJ first said she knew Ghostie.
Ghostie laughed in reply, but she seemed sad. “Clearly you’re not the only one keeping secrets from their girlfriend. If AJ hasn’t told you about me.”
“Well, no, she has, but..”
“But not in that much detail? Or in the vaguest way she possibly could? Typical AJ.” She scoffed, still laughing a bit. “She never could answer a question straight.”
That made Drift smile. “Exactly. Sometimes, I get lucky, but she’s always hiding something.”
“You are, too, though, aren’t you?” Ghostie stared so deep into Drift’s eyes that it scared her. Like she knew everything about her.
Drift straightened again, no longer smiling. “If you’re thinking about—”
“I won’t tell her. I… promise.”