[Scene: Caelia and Cassian go outside the guest home and Caelia immediately gets berated with tomatoes thrown at her by the townsfolk, Cassian unscathed.]

[Tomatoes stained all over her body, Caelia stands there frozen in shock.]

VILLAGER 1 (prepping a tomato to throw at Caelia): 

“HOW DARE YOU PULL ONE OF YOUR WICKED SCHEMES ON US, HUH?”

VILLAGER 2:

“SETTING A HOUSE ON FIRE IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER? JUST HOW CRUEL CAN YOU BE?”

[A tomato was launched towards Caelia’s face, but it was blocked by Cassian’s body.]

CASSIAN (to Caelia):

“Come on, let’s go to the carriage and go back to the palace.”

[Cassian covers Caelia from the tomatoes as they both walk towards the royal carriage.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

[Caelia,  touched by Cassian’s protectiveness cannot help but to notice something.]

I have just realized something at this very moment… 

The only reason why Cassian is covered head to toe with tomatoes is because he is protecting me.

The villagers are only aiming at me.

Cassian was also involved in the building process, but why am I the only one getting punished for this?

Is it because I am a royal? Is it because I am in the body of Caelia Ardent?

Or is it because… I am a woman.

[Caelia swallows as she makes this realization.]

In every timeline. In every universe. It is always the same. 

[Flashbacks of Caelia’s previous life play in her head of her being kicked around at the engineering firm.]

Never give women the credit where credit is due.

Make women feel inferior in every way.

Take the work a woman does and take it as your own.

Once something goes wrong, blame the woman for everything, it’s easier that way.

[Cassian and Caelia make it to the carriage, both covered in tomato stains. Caelia is silent as she sits across from Cassian. Cassian calls for the carriage to move and they start to make their way to the palace.]

[As soon as they start moving, townsfolk are following the carriage and screaming derogatory things about Caelia. Caelia’s face darkens and she looks down. She starts crying with her fists clenching her dress. Cassian notices this and instinctively puts his hand on top of her fists to comfort her in silence.]

[Scene: Cassian and Caelia arrive at the palace, their clothing dried from the tomatoes. Caelia is visibly distraught with her eyes red and puffy. Annalise, looking down from the palace, sees them arrive and smiles at the sight of Caelia in despair.]

ANNALISE - INNER MONOLOGUE:

HA! Serves you right, Caelia Ardent. 

You are the talk of the town. Now, you should get what you deserve!

[Scene: Cassian and Caelia stand before King Oscar and Queen Valeria, bowing. Annalise eavesdropping outside of the office.]

KING OSCAR:

“Caelia Ardent, you know why I called you here, right?”

[Caelia nods.]

KING OSCAR:

“We received word that the house that you built has been burned down, is this correct?”

[Caelia nods.]

QUEEN VALERIA (looking at Caelia with stern eyes):

“Caelia Ardent, why did you purposefully burn that house down?”

[Caelia looks up to the King and Queen.]

CAELIA:

“I-”

QUEEN VALERIA (interrupts):

“- It’s because the crowning ceremony is happening soon, right?” 

CAELIA:

“I-”

QUEEN VALERIA (interrupts):

“-Is it because you wanted to look good for two seconds so that you would be empress?”

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

[Caelia looks down at the ground, gripping her dress out of frustration.]

She’s not letting me fucking talk.

I mean, even if she did, she wouldn’t listen to me anyways. 

CAELIA:

“I-”

QUEEN VALERIA (interrupts):

“-It’s so like you to put someone in danger just to get what you want.”

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

[Those words ticked off Norma, hitting her to the core to the point where she forgets that she was even reborn as Caelia Ardent.]

…

It’s so like me to do that?

What does she even know about me… 

My entire life, I have been putting myself down for the sake of others.

I have never once stood up for myself. 

[Norma’s anger blossomed for the first time in her life.]

QUEEN VALERIA (continues):

“You and your wicked schemes… You must be dismisse-”

CAELIA (interrupts):

“- I did not do anything.”

[Queen Valeria and King Oscar are taken aback.]

QUEEN VALERIA:

“H-How dare you interrupt m-”

CAELIA (looking up at the queen with resolve, tears in her eyes):

“I DID NOT BURN THE HOUSE DOWN. 

WHY WOULD I WORK SO HARD ON SOMETHING JUST TO BURN IT DOWN?

I build things because…

[Scenes flash of the smiles from the maids, the smiles of Aline, and the smile from Mrs. Poppy.]

BECAUSE IT MAKES PEOPLE HAPPY. 

NOT FOR ANY OTHER ULTERIOR MOTIVE.

Have you seen the people that live in Kingsley!? 

THEY’RE LIVING PAYCHECK BY PAYCHECK UNDER YOUR RULE.

I just... I wanted to make some of them happy, with my own power. 

And yet… Just because I am a woman who likes to build things, people like you come up with ridiculous reasons to explain why. YOU ARE ALL THE SAME.

“This is all a ploy to become empress” … Are you kidding me??

I DON’T CARE ABOUT BEING THE EMPRESS. 

SUPERFICIAL THINGS LIKE THAT ARE BEYOND ME.” 

[The King and Queen are shocked at Caelia defending herself in such a manner. The Queen in particular is visibly in shock. Annalise’s eyes widen, eavesdropping from outside the office.]

[Caelia runs out of the office crying, busting open the doors so fast that she doesn’t notice Annalise hiding.]

[After a moment of silence, King Oscar starts talking to Cassian.]

KING OSCAR:

“Cassian, good job on-”

CASSIAN (interrupts):

“Caelia didn’t do it.

I’ve been working closely with her for a month straight.

She really has a gift for being highly intelligent… She doesn’t ever look at things twice, she looks at her work three, four, five times to make sure everything lines up.

And most importantly…

Caelia… is too kind of a person to do any scheme like that.”

[King Oscar looks at Valeria.]

KING OSCAR (to Queen Valeria):

“Let’s try to look things over, hun. Let’s try to not blindly blame Caelia for everything.”

[Queen Valeria looks at the ground in defeat and confusion.]

[Caelia goes to her room at the palace and cries. Light from outside spilling into the room, causing it to be too bright. Caelia buries her head in the pillow.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

The original Caelia Ardent must’ve done a lot up until this point. 

But everyone is saying just about anything to put the blame onto me, that’s insane!

Why does everyone want to believe this narrative of me burning the house on purpose so badly? 

I haven’t schemed anything in about a month!

But… If I truly made a mistake in the plans…  

Then it is truly my fault and no one else’s. 

Who am I kidding?

Who was I to think I could actually make a difference for someone? 

I just fuck everything up.

[Caelia hears a knock on her door.]

CASSIAN:

“Caelia, can you come out here for a second?’

[Caelia, groggy gets up from her bed and opens the door.]

CAELIA: 

“What.”

CASSIAN (stern): 

“We are going to Kingsley. Something doesn’t feel right about this.”

CAELIA (scoff):

“You saw how the King and Queen talked to me! They think I schemed all of this and so does everyone in Kingsley! No one will belie-”

CASSIAN (interrupts):

“- I believe you. And I am not letting you go down in the mud for something you didn’t even do.

[Caelia looks up at Cassian’s eyes, his meeting hers. His height towering over her. His starry blue eyes are more sure than ever.]

I believe in the work you did. 

You constantly redrew plans and recalculated everything just to check.

Everyone in the kingdom knows you for your past without giving you credit for all the good you’ve done and now they’re blindly blaming you because it is the easiest reason that also gives them peace of mind.”

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

How can he be so confident that I didn’t make a mistake?

I definitely messed something up! None of it makes any sense otherwise! 

I am not as smart as anyone else. I was so incompetent and dormant in my past life. What made me think I can do something in this world!?

[Caelia, feeling mixed, conflicting emotions, starts crying even more.]

CAELIA (crying):

“H-How can you be so sure…!? 

How can you be so sure that I didn’t make a mistake?”

CASSIAN:

“Because I know you… The Caelia Ardent I know is too brilliant and kind.”

[Caelia feels that feeling again, a feeling that had been so dormant for so long. Her heart is beating out of her chest.]

[Cassian grabs Caelia’s hand and drags her over to where the stable is.]

CASSIAN:

“Let’s go to Kingsley and get to the bottom of this.”

[Caelia is silent, watching Cassian lead them to the stables. Her eyes then trickle down from his brown hair to his broad shoulders and then to his hand that is holding hers so gently. As they are walking briskly inside the palace, she holds his hand tighter.]

[End of Chapter 6 - Part 2]