Most Outstanding Lady?

‘Crystal Smith, when I saw you for the first time, I couldn't decipher what to do since you looked a lot like someone I had cherished in the past. The fact that your smiles and personalities are just too similar to ignore keeps my heart tranquil. I keep asking myself whether it is you who makes my heart beat louder and my dreams happier, or whether it's just a feeling of the past reigniting as I'm reminded of her.’

As Crystal read the note, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of bitterness in her heart. Only moments ago, she had been worried that she didn't have time for love, but now, the idea that someone could be attracted to her solely because she resembled their ex left a sour taste in her mouth.

"I think this guy is really foolish," she said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Crystal nodded in agreement. "You possess a radiance and grace that is all your own. Yet, he thinks he's drawn to you because of some other girl?" Marina scoffed, her tone stern.

Crystal felt a pang of self-consciousness at Marina's compliment. She had always felt like an outsider among the fae students, with her uniquely human qualities. Perhaps her friends were simply trying to ease her insecurities.

“Come on, you exaggerate a lot,” Crystal pretended to complain, but deep down, she knew she felt happy to hear such small compliments. Who didn't like getting compliments?

Marina shook her head. "Not even a little bit. You, my friend, embody beauty and kindness in their purest forms." she insisted, and Crystal rolled her eyes slyly as both of them ended up laughing at their conversation.

But as the moment passed, Marina's expression turned serious. "What will you do about it?" she asked. and Crystal looked at her with furrowed eyebrows.

Crystal furrowed her brow, unsure of what Marina meant. "Do about what?"

Marina's lips turned down in a frown. Was Crystal feigning ignorance or she was simply stupid? Or did she truly not understand the depth of her own allure?

“About these confession notes,” Marina said, pressing her words, and Crystal pursed her lips, looking at the notes in both her hands very intensely. She needed to discover a lot of hidden things about herself - how her powers were suppressed, how she had lost her memories, and what was hidden behind those closed curtains - she couldn't be bothered with maintaining a love relationship at such a crucial time.

But at the same time, she wondered if those two might be related to her in any way since the icons had told her that just like she had forgotten everything, others would have forgotten her as well. What if she could find her answers through them that she sought? Yet again, she had no answer to her question.

"I'm not really interested in finding a lover right now," Crystal said, breaking her reverie. "My priorities lie in enhancing my powers and learning new skills. I can't let these things distract me from my goals." Though Marina seemed disappointed, Crystal knew she had made the right choice.

“Crystal, I don't know if you have any bad experiences with love, but believe me or not, love is a power that makes you thrive for the best. Love encourages you, it makes you want to--” Marina was ready to give an hour worth of lecture to Crystal about how love was the greatest thing in the world, but Crystal was not having it.

“Marina, Marina, I get what you're trying to say, but you should respect my perspective as well,” Crystal raised her eyebrow, knowing perfectly that Marina would not protest any longer.

Marina sighed and rolled her eyes in resignation. "Understood," she said in a monotonous voice as Crystal chuckled at Marina's dramatics.

As Crystal crumpled the confession notes and dropped them to the ground, she couldn't help but wonder if she had made the right choice in rejecting love. But for now, her focus remained on unlocking the secrets of her past.

...

"May I have the pleasure of sharing the first dance with the most outstanding lady in this ballroom, my lady?" asked a courteous gentleman, approaching Crystal. He wore a crimson tailcoat with pristine white breeches and towering jackboots, and his face was concealed behind a gleaming masquerade mask.

As the night began to unfold, music flowed through the west garden, instruments seemingly floating in the air, carried by the headmistress's enchanting magic. The entire atmosphere was bathed in a romantic glow, taking on the aura of a grand ballroom. The melody's irresistible rhythm had cast its spell, and every student was drawn to find a partner for a waltz, lost in the moment to follow the rhythm of the enchanting melody.

Crystal might have shared the same sentiment iif not for the gentleman standing before her, feigning gentlemanly grace while exuding a sinister air. He was the demon who had taunted her on her first day, the same one she had chosen to ignore, heeding Marina's advice, but she was not someone who let go of grudges that soon. She had recognized him because of her ability to sense the aura, and she found the situation mildly amusing.

"The most outstanding lady?" Crystal scoffed at the choice of his words, and he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Mr. Demon whose name I don’t know. I'm Crystal Smith, a first-year faerie whom you tried to ridicule in front of a large crowd at the opening ceremony," Crystal mocked as she smirked, staring daggers at him.

That demon was surprised beyond words. Not only Crystal had recognized him even if he did not look anything like his usual self, he did not even look like a demon in the first place, but also the fact that he was attracted to her. He could not believe his eyes, the girl who looked nothing like a faerie, but a commonfolk, looked so majestic and charming dressed in a gown, almost like royalty.

"I--" His usual self would have mocked Crystal and walked away, but he could not bring himself to say another word. Now that he knew she was Crystal, he unexpectedly felt more attracted to her.

But that was only the case for him since Crystal felt the complete opposite. "And about your question. No! I will not have my first dance with you. I will not have any of the dances with you," she said, delivering a sharp shoulder bump as she walked away, and he stood there, smiling to himself; a creepy smile at that.