For the next three months on set, everything went on smoothly. Relanie still continued to cause trouble, but most of it did not affect Elara in a serious way.

It continued like that without any major disruption until one day, after a group of journalists came to interview them about the progress of the shooting, Relanie crossed paths with Elara and Ziva in an empty corridor while they were walking toward the courtyard behind the building.

"Some people should focus on learning instead of standing beside real performers."

Elara and Ziva did not respond. They simply walked past her as if they had not heard a single word. But unknown to Elara, someone had already grown tired of it all.

Three days later, she and Relanie were filming a musical performance scene. As they held hands and spun according to the choreography, something suddenly glided through the air.

Elara’s mind went blank... It took a long amount of time before she came back to herself.

It was the blonde wig Relanie wore for her role.

It had flown cleanly off her head during the spin and... miraculously, landed perfectly on the director’s head.

The director was too stunned to speak. It was only when a few crew members began stifling their laughter that she slowly reached up and lifted the wig off her head.

Later, when it was examined, they discovered that the inner strap of the wig had been tampered with. No one knew who did it, but no one openly accused anyone.

Just two days later, Relanie had to film a sad scene with Carris. Everything was going exactly as planned, her performance flawless and controlled, until the moment the first tear fell. What should have been clear glistening tears were instead, a pale purple on her cheeks. Relanie, unaware, continued acting without missing a beat until the director suddenly raised her hand.

"Cut."

When they checked the bottle of the eye drop she had been given, they found that the clear liquid inside was not what it seemed. Though it was harmless and did not irritate the eyes, it reacted with air after a short time and turned a faint purple color.

The director called everyone together and gave a firm warning that whoever was targeting Miss Relanie should stop immediately, because such actions would not be tolerated on a professional set.

After that, as if the person responsible wanted things to settle down for a while, nothing unusual happened again. Weeks passed quietly until another minor incident happened.

It was during a small night party held to celebrate the filming which was finally nearing its end. Relanie had been asked to sing for the cast and crew in her filming attire.

After stepping onto the stage and delivering her performance, she received a warm, cheerful applause from everyone.

As the applause died down and she walked down from the stage to join the others, a strange sound broke the quiet.

Pop.

Relanie paused, her brows drawing together in confusion. Thinking that she might might have imagined it, she took another step forward.

Pop... pop...

The sound came again clearer than before. A few people glanced around, unsure of where it was coming from. Relanie took another step.

Pop.

This time, there was no mistaking it. Her steps slowed and her expression tightened as she realized what was happening. The sound was coming from her heels.

Another step.

Pop.

A suppressed wave of laughter moved through the crowd. Relanie’s jaw clenched. She stopped walking, turned around without saying a word, and headed toward the backstage area. Every step she took was followed by that same small, embarrassing squeak.

After she disappeared behind the curtains, the director remained seated for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then, slowly, she stood up and slammed her hand against the table hard.

"Whoever is doing all these things better—"

Her words were abruptly cut off by a blood curdling scream from backstage.

The director’s hand stayed pressed on the table. Her face went pale as the anger drained away and a cold, biting fear took its place.

Everyone rushed toward the dressing room immediately. When they arrived, the lights inside were off leaving everywhere in complete darkness. Someone quickly reached for the switch and turned the lights on.

Relanie lay unconscious on the floor in front of the mirror.

No one moved for the first few seconds. Then the silence broke into panic as they rushed forward to help her.

After that incident, Reine approached Elara and warned her directly, saying she believed Elara was the one behind everything.

Elara only let out a small scoff and muttered. "I’m a singer, not a prankster." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

But internally, she was confused. Relanie held a strong position among the actors and singers, and it was difficult to imagine who would dare to go this far with her.

She eventually found the answer one day after returning from the filming site. Ziva had gone into the bathroom to freshen up, leaving her alone in the room.

"Ziva be quick, I’m melting," she yelled, while Ziva gave a muffled groan in reply.

Elara walked up to the closet and opened it, taking a deep breath. Her hand rummaged through the clothes in search of what to wear when suddenly, something dropped onto her foot.

She glanced down and saw a small bottle. Her brows drew together in confusion as she bent and picked it up.

What’s a bottle of water doing in a wardrobe?

She turned it in her hand, staring at it for a long second. Then a faint light flashed through her eyes and her brow lifted a little. She opened it and brought it closer.

It didn’t smell like water at all.

"Why are you standing there like a mannequin?" Ziva’s voice suddenly came from behind her.

Elara turned slowly and lifted the bottle for her to see. "What the hell is this doing in a wardrobe?"

Ziva’s expression seem to stiffen for some seconds. But, just as quickly, she relaxed and shrugged casually. "Oh, that? Drop it. It’s nothing serious," she said, waving her hand. "I got it from this girl I saw outside while strolling yesterday. She grabbed my hand and said if I don’t buy it, something will follow me home. I wasn’t ready for that kind of responsibility, so I just bought it."

Ziva paused, then added with a straight face, "For protection against evil spirits, you know."