LIANA walked toward that room before heading to her own. She saw the chessboard, took a piece from the opposing team with a smile, and while moving hers, she said:
—"I have more allies, mistress. Very soon, the end of this cruel game will come… a game that's only just begun."
In the silence of that dark room, the mistress replied:
—"LIANA, do you remember the words I used to make you write as redemption for your mistakes?"
And LIANA answered:
—"Yes, I remember, mistress."
—"Then say them," said the woman with a smile. "Without a single mistake."
LIANA bowed her head and, with melancholy, recited:
—"A wise person who is not capable of listening to and understanding the world around them is not a good sage. And a sage who succumbs to evil and sinful things is not a good sage either. A sage who calls themselves wise is nothing more than a reckless fool in their own reasoning. Excellence is worthy of perfection, but intelligence is worthy of admiration. However, perfection and admiration are signs of misfortune and pain. For those who are perfect are empty and seek the world's approval. They follow the emptiness of this cruel society. And intelligence is praised by all, but rejected by many. Those who possess it know nothing but loneliness. It is not wrong to have them… What's wrong is how you use them… and how you grow with them."
The mistress smiled with pride.
—"Congratulations, LIANA… because tomorrow you graduate. But tell me, are you sure you have achieved everything those words speak of?"
LIANA raised her gaze with empty eyes. She stood up and replied:
—"I don't regret anything. And I don't remember. I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know what you're saying… Nor do I understand it."
She left that room and went into hers to pack whatever she could.
After that, LIANA took a shower. When she came out, her hair still wet and water delicately gliding over her soft body, she looked at herself in the mirror and thought:
—"It's enchanting… I look beautiful. My beauty is a blessing… and a curse. A blessing, because I love being beautiful. But a curse… because it's with it that I trap my prey. This mirror reminds me of that fairy tale… But I'm more beautiful than that evil witch. Although, come to think of it, that witch was beautiful… And still, she wanted to be the only beauty in the world. I must admit that maybe there are more beautiful women… But never like LIANA, the poisonous ivy."
She smiled at her reflection, thinking.
—"But I don't want to be the typical Cinderella… I want to dance like her, yes. I want to be as beautiful as Snow White… But I don't want to be the weak one. I want to be Belle, but I don't want to cry for the Beast. Even if that, they say, is a good ending. I want to be arrogant… but I don't want to be tested by a prince, as if my life depended on him."
—"That's why I decided to be the Queen. The Empress. Absolute power."
Said LIANA as her playful smile turned into a cruel one, and she sat on her bed. With melancholy, she looked at herself in the mirror, and the silence in the room sounded like a sad flute on a full moon night.
Seeing that silence, LIANA laughed out loud… and lay down as if nothing had happened.
Don't be surprised. She is LIANA. And her personality, her changes… are drastic.
As she lay down, she closed her eyes. And while doing so, tears slid down her soft face. They had no emotion. No melancholy. They were just that: tears.
The next day, LIANA was awakened by Lucas, who, as always, wore a smile on his lips…
Lucas knocked gently on the door.
—"Miss," he said.
LIANA, rubbing her eyes, woke up and stepped out of her room. Lucas observed her with an expressionless face and murmured:
—"Umm… You look as if, even asleep, you cared for your appearance. You woke up with your hair perfect, not a single pillow mark on your face."
LIANA smiled sincerely.
—"How honest… I love that."
Lucas flinched slightly and, in a lower voice, commented:
—"You don't seem like the same girl from yesterday… But it doesn't matter. I'll make your life easier."
There was a trace of admiration in his tone, though his face remained neutral. Before LIANA could respond, the doorbell rang.
—"Go open it," she ordered. "I know who it is."
Lucas obeyed. When he opened the door, Sebastián appeared, holding the dress and looking rushed.
—"Liana, have you showered already? It's time for makeup."
She replied seriously:
—"I haven't."
Sebastián frowned.
—"Then what are you waiting for?"
LIANA turned around and went to shower. Thirty minutes later, she came out, the steam still caressing her skin. She took the dress and laid it on the bed. She stared at it for a moment with a smile.
—"The day has come to raise my face… and for her to look at me with pride. Her work bore fruit. And mine… too."
The dress was pink, without pearls or patterns. Beautiful in its simplicity. LIANA usually preferred solid tones; she liked colors that enhanced her figure. She put it on carefully. The pink clung to her as if it had been woven by her very wishes, outlining her silhouette with precision. Then she slipped on a pair of high silver heels. Until that moment, her smile shone.
But upon seeing the earrings and necklace, her expression changed.
—"Sebastián!" she called, irritated.
He came immediately.
—"What is it?"
—"Why are they gold? You know I have nothing against gold… but I prefer silver."
Sebastián crossed his arms firmly.
—"This dress needs gold. I design the dress, and I decide how it should look on its owner. You imagine it… but I make you look beautiful."
LIANA pursed her lips.
—"As you say…"
She sat at the vanity. Sebastián put on the earrings and necklace while she watched him through the mirror's reflection, coldly.
—"From today on," said LIANA, "we won't live here."
—"I already know that," replied Sebastián, unsurprised.
The atmosphere was calm. The light in the room shone softly on LIANA, who admired herself in the mirror. Minutes later, ready, she stepped out. Lucas was waiting, immaculate.
—"I don't know if you'll invite me," he said without emotion, "but since you said I'd be with you 24/7… I got dressed up."
LIANA stopped, surprised. She looked him up and down.
I wasn't wrong. He's handsome… black hair, black eyes, pale skin… Tall. He's charming.
She smiled mischievously.
—"You did well. Let's go."
—"Don't make those weird smiles when you talk to me," replied Lucas, blunt.
LIANA looked at him with renewed interest, as if she had just discovered an unexpected jewel among her pieces.
—"Move it already!" Sebastián interrupted from the background.
LIANA kept walking. Minutes later, they got into the car. During the ride, LIANA complained:
—"My stomach hurts… I didn't eat breakfast."
Sebastián sighed.
—"I told you to eat, but you didn't. Luckily I made you a sandwich and brought fruit. Bread can be heavy… so better the fruits."
—"Thanks… you're thoughtful," said LIANA while eating.
Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the university. The auditorium was full. The ceremony began. Speeches, names, applause. It all went by in a breath.
Finally, they called LIANA.
Upon hearing her name, she stood. She felt many emotions mix inside, but she smiled with elegance. She walked confidently to the stage and received her diploma.
She gave a short speech. That paper, thin and fragile in appearance, weighed in her hands as if it carried all the pain she had endured, all the blood she didn't spill, all the nights she didn't sleep. It was a breaking point. A symbol. A new beginning.
When she stepped off the stage, she approached a woman in the audience. She handed her the diploma and said:
—"I did it. Now—"