Reincarnating into a Beautiful Woman

Chapter 49

"Hala, how would you respond if I asked you to run away with me?"

Celine began to undress herself as Hala filled the tub with warm water.

Hala was neither surprised or concerned as she answered immediately. "I would gladly follow lady Celine to the ends of the earth. Who would treat me better than my beautiful master?"

". . ."

Celine caught Hala's wrist, holding her in place.

"I'm serious."

"I'm serious too." Hala smiled sheepishly, and Celine blushed slightly from the honest praise. 

She lowered her voice then finally proposed a plan. "Then gather all of your belongings and return to my room. You will leave on Draco's back as soon as you return. He will take you to the outskirts of the capital, where a man will be waiting. I will soon join you in the morning after I say my farewell."

Hala's eyes widened in shock. "Now?"

"Yes. Do you have anything to pack?"

She shook her head quickly. "No no.. I don't even have a family here. I was just surprised by the timing. Why must we leave so quickly?"

"The Crown Prince annulled our engagement. He told me to leave tomorrow." Celine shrugged and stepped into the warm bath. 

". . . Poor master. . .  Although I believe you would be a wonderful Empress, I felt as if you were destined to change the world. Being an Empress would hold you back, and I feared that the political schemes would extinguish your flame." Hala smiled. However, Celine pretended to not notice her trembling hands. 

"Hala. . . If you like it here, you may stay."

"No, no!" Hala widened her eyes. "I'll go where you go. No one has treated me better than you. I think of you as family." She blushed from her own shamelessness.

Celine only chuckled and smiled warmly. "I also consider you to be my family. That is why you should leave now, Hala. I'm afraid that they will not allow you to accompany me, or send someone else. I'll cover for you in case anyone notices your absence tonight. I'll be too excited to sleep anyways."

"Yes, I'll go right now." Hala squealed and left in a hurry to retrieve her baggage. 

The two smiled at one another, adrenaline coursing through their veins as they imagined the adventure ahead of them. The past year had been eventful for Celine. She felt rushed and wholly unprepared. 

However, if she doesn't leave now, when would she ever leave?

She reminisced her life in the palace, and was reminded of Oren. She did not care about her biological parents here, yet she would deeply miss those round cheeks of her step-brother.

Celine frowned as she thought of Lady Yasna, the only female friend who had truly made her feel less lonely. She realized she would never meet Yasna's newborn. 

I'll frequently exchange letters with Yasna and Oren. Celine tried to remain optimistic, thinking of ways to stay in touch with her friends. She immediately felt reassured with her plans, believing that life would only get better from here on out.

"On to new beginnings." Celine murmured. 

Meanwhile, Zayden was in agony that same night. He stayed up late, racking his brain to find the perfect words to convey his feelings and properly confess. He was too distracted to notice the shadow of a slender figure slipping into his room.