This time around as Nerezza grew up she didn’t strive for anyone’s affections, but she hadn’t planned to turn away from it. Adrurous, who she now affectionately referred to as Dru became her most trusted ally, her Mama showered her in as much love as she could manage.

  She built a reputation of being the mysterious one named Nerezza, quick witted, well studied and independent to a fault. She’d managed to gather the amount she’d promised her father even earlier then she’d planned and with the help of Dru she left her father’s home at fourteen.

  Most if spoke kindly thought she was eccentric, when they weren’t being kind the words glued together in steady rants that made her reputation infamous. Though her hands weren’t cover in as much blood as her mother’s had been. Though no one knew that she imitated her mother’s energy at times. Everyone was interested in her past life but beyond being open about the fact that she had two incarinations she remembered she didn’t share any details.

  Though rumors could write their own stories. She’d thought more then once to create a pen name and write the scenarios but she found that she was too critical of her own writing to ever think of publishing anything.

  Even her notes she only referenced every so often when she was reminded of something she could change. She hadn’t dedicated her everything to changing the world but she tried to make things a little better.

  Though her main focus was to change the events that took her life. After all she didn’t want someone else to take her place. She destroyed the man who her father would have sold her to reputation assured no woman would ever marry him. She also took it upon herself to clean up the Order of the Seven shadow’s messes which is usually where she found the things she needed her notes for.

  At seventeen she started holding mysterious and secretive tea parties and used them to pull different people out of situations. Including those who were not involved with the Blue Rose or the crime of releasing beasts. She’d invited all those who would have been slaughter in association to one of the parties. She’d arranged for a beast tamer to end up in the Kingdom that was stated in the story to receive the most damage and had resources find their way to the other two kingdoms. She didn’t have a name for everyone who was supposed to be taken out and replaced but those she did have information for she intercepted.

  She’d tried to contact the Guardian’s themselves but they were very cautious on who they spoke too so she contacted the order but she knew everything she sent to them was ignored.

  Nerezza always felt good about the changes she was making. The things she was averting and then she saw her Mama’s seat empty at the tea party.

  She’d known her father had gotten involved with the plans despite her constant warnings his greed was too strong. So she’d told her Mama, who’d looked at her with wide blue eyes. She’d cupped Nerezza’s face and swore that she believed her.

  ‘My little girl is so smart. How could I not believe you.’

  But the seat was empty. The announcement of the execution flittered through the party when dessert was served. No one knew Nerezza’s part but they knew that accepting her invitation instead of going with their family members had saved them from death.

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  No one knew how she fell apart after the party learning about her mother’s death.

  Then she felt numb and lost. She tried to shut everything out. Not that Dru would allow that but she had no motivation.

  Then she heard someone breathe.

  “Guardian Showl handle all the beasts in Portas.”

  The reminder of the family that felt like in her previous life a sort of savior reminded her of Belladonna. Maybe what she changed already saved them but… Her motivation was back.

  She pushed Dru to publicly start a study into the plant used to poison Showl. He published the side effects and she sent them to the Order’s records though she was sure they’d over look them.

  Then she met Belladonna not as a shy easily manipulated child but as someone that Belladonna in a moment respected and gravitated toward. Belladonna shared her relationship with Lord Pari surprisingly fast. Honestly a lot about Belladonna surprised Nerezza nothing more so then her own perception of Belladonna.

  Yes, Belladonna could come off flippant and vain. She often struggled to view things from another’s perspective, and she often thought that others were pitiful. But when Nerezza reacted to someone Belladonna initially saw as pitiful with respect it had Belladonna double take and reevaluate. Belladonna was truly talented, truly capable in her fields of study and often could maintain her views of being above everyone because she was brilliant, and funny and had depth that was never written in any story she appeared in.

  Nerezza could see exactly how Belladonna could be cold and mean enough to make the choices in the books and Nerezza hated that version of Belladonna. But she didn’t think Belladonna had to end up in that route.

  Nerezza truly had hope for Belladonna. She liked Belladonna.

  Lord Pari though? Lord Pari was to say kindly rather annoying. He was flashy and over the top, he preferred to be the center of attention but insisted that it was more fun to keep his relationship as tantalizing secrets. A secret she realized was not well kept. Not at all. Everyone assumed Belladonna and Lord Pari were together just no one cared enough to point it out.

  So changing the future was easy enough to just have someone point out everyone knew they were together. Taking the fun out of secrecy and falling into the newest game of planning the event of the millennia. Which was just how Belladonna phrased it while showing Nerezza different swatches of various fabrics and talking through with her.

  Nerezza hadn’t been surprised about being invited to the wedding but how involved Belladonna asked her to be. When Nerezza asked about Belladonna’s other friends, Belladonna hesitated.

  “I don’t trust anyone to be as honest with me as you are.” Belladonna informed her. Nerezza paused and had felt twisted.

  “I don’t tell you everything.” She admitted. Belladonna beamed.

  “Yes. And you’ve never claimed to and you’ve never claimed to know what is best for me you’ve just listened and reacted and told me the truth.” Belladonna had offered. “So do you think I should have red flowers or purple?” She asked.

  Nerezza wondered if she’d be so fond of her if she knew how much she’d influenced. Including the act of removing both Belladonna and Pari a bit from Belladonna’s father by assuring Pari’s recruitment under Dru’s hire and a similar offer for Belladonna to be offered a position in her field.

  Belladonna had lit up like the sun when she got the offer like she didn’t actually ever think she would be offered it. It baffled Nerezza with how prideful Belladonna that she hadn’t just assumed she’d get an offer.

  Nerezza had never expected to like Belladonna. Or to feel as if she knew Belladonna so well. Knew her well enough to be sure she would never set foot at the stories meeting spot. Not when Nerezza had spent nights helping her plan the romantic get away with her beloved with at least four dramatic spins she could pull out if they got bored.