**Chapter 2 -**
**Romance is Ruined Too**
“Your Highness, please…!”
“I will escort you to the bedroom. Hurry…!”
The maids cried out, looking terrified.
But the woman called the Crown Princess, with tears in her eyes, shoved them aside and entered the room.
Sadly, the man didn’t even flinch.
If anything, he glared at her, as if scolding her for her actions.
“I clearly told you. Don’t disturb me when I’m with Liliana.”
“Yesterday was my birthday. You said you would come to the banquet and give me flowers…”
“Azelia Christina Perry. That’s enough. Don’t cross the line any further.”
“Carlos…!”
The woman with green eyes and brown hair, shaking, called out to the man.
I felt a pang in my chest and unconsciously frowned.
What a jerk. How could he be with another woman on his wife’s birthday?
That woman must have lived in anticipation for days, thinking about the flowers she would get from him.
Wait a minute.
Carlos and Azelia?
A handsome man with black hair and sharp features, a beautiful and sweet woman with brown hair, and “Liliana” with blonde hair and blue eyes.
Ah, damn it.
I think I know what’s going on.
I had fallen into a world from a novel I had read a long time ago.
The key words were “wounded woman” and “regretful man.” I vaguely remembered it like this:
The kind and pitiful Crown Princess, Azelia, gets hurt deeply between Crown Prince Carlos Milo Eden and his mistress, Liliana.
But Carlos, moved by Azelia’s pure heart, ends his wandering, regrets his actions, and expels the mistress, returning to Azelia.
And here I am… possessing the role of the mistress, who gets all the blame and is eventually cast aside.
This damn woman…
She said, “You’ve been through a lot, I feel sorry for you…”
She even mentioned that I could live the life I wanted, after getting through all the hardships.
Was this what she meant? Was this the life of a mistress? Is that what she was implying—telling me to just accept being a mistress and live proudly with all the hatred?
I said I was willing to roll in the mud, but I didn’t mean *this*!
I sighed, muttering curses at the tarot lady, wishing the ground would swallow me up.
But what could I do?
Now, I had to leave them alone to talk.
“Well, then, you two talk…”
Then, Carlos suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward him.
I turned around in surprise, and he frowned, shaking his head.
“It’s still early. Stay here. Once I’m done talking to Azelia, I’ll think about you more.”
“But, Your Highness, the Crown Princess is here. How can I—”
“Why? You don’t want to? That’s unlike you.”
“…!”
“Stay. It’s an order.”
I was sure I was going to say, “No, I can’t. You two should talk alone.”
But with Carlos’ cold and commanding gaze, I couldn’t say a word.
My mind went blank.
His gaze had completely changed.
It was no longer that of someone who cherished me, but someone annoyed by a toy that wasn’t listening to him.
A toy should play without saying yes or no, but I dared to say I wanted to leave.
Just then, Azelia suddenly clutched her chest and collapsed to the floor.
The maids screamed and rushed over, while the guards at the door started making a fuss, saying they would call for a doctor.
Carlos let go of my wrist and held his forehead, then bent over Azelia’s body to check on her.
Suddenly, a few small voices pierced through the heavy silence and rang in my ears.
* “That bitch. That fox.”
* “If she hadn’t been flirting with a married man, none of this would’ve happened.”
* “She’ll be punished. She’ll be cursed by the gods.”
“…!”
My heart sank.
These were the same words and looks that had killed me in my past life, that terrifying déjà vu, and I couldn’t breathe.
I forgot about Carlos’ oppressive gaze and staggered backward, pushing past the approaching attendants to run outside the palace.
—
—
“Gasp… gasp…”
I ran out of breath as I reached the massive iron gates.
The guards, looking very confused, still opened the gates for me.
Screech-
With a rusty sound, the gates opened.
An old man, who had been chatting next to the carriage, came over and tipped his hat.
“Miss, would you like to get in?”
“Yes! Please!”
I gasped and squeezed into the carriage. The old man seemed happy and hummed a tune as he started driving.
Inside the moving carriage, I was nearly unconscious.
The pain in my feet was so sharp that I could barely keep them on the floor.
I realized then that I had run out barefoot, wearing nothing but pajamas. Like a crazy wild child, running through the night.
Thinking about it, I felt grateful to the coachman for letting me into his carriage despite my disheveled appearance.
“Thank you, sir, for letting me in even in this state.”
“Well, you’re the daughter of a count, aren’t you? You’re a famous lady. It’s no trouble. I’ll get you home quickly.”
Ah, right. Liliana was the daughter of a count.
Liliana Le Clematis.
A woman who had everything—beauty, wealth, and popularity—but still wanted to drag down the Crown Princess and take the throne for herself.
I should’ve asked to live as an ordinary person instead of Liliana.
Wait.
I had asked to be a beautiful, slim, wealthy, and popular woman.
I had even said I’d roll in the mud if necessary.
Thinking back, I had wished for all the things I couldn’t achieve in my real life.
I guess now it was time to reflect and cleanse myself of all this greed.
I thought if I lived purely and honestly, maybe one day I would see some light. But who am I kidding?
“Ahhh! What… what’s going on?!”
I screamed, gripping the back of the seat.
The carriage had suddenly stopped, as if something had happened.
“Miss, are you alright? A man suddenly appeared and started driving the horses…!”
“What’s going on?! Sir, are you okay? Let me handle this!”
Even though I was already in a state of distress, this unexpected incident made me even more annoyed.
I grabbed the back of my neck, muttering, and tried to get out of the carriage. Though I had never driven a carriage before, I thought I could give it a try and fight back.
But as soon as my feet touched the ground, a sharp pain shot through my body.
The pain spread across my legs, and I lost my balance.
Just then, someone grabbed my left arm, steadying me.
I could stand, leaning on the strong grip, and I managed to keep my balance.
“Th-thank you! I almost fell!”
I exhaled, then looked up in surprise.
And then, it happened.
My heart sank.
My body froze, as if I had forgotten how to breathe.
He was beautiful.
The man who had caught me was unbelievably gorgeous—like a divine being or an angel.
His soft, golden or silver hair fluttered in the breeze, and his skin was pale, glowing almost like moonlight. His eyebrows were neat, and his eyes, though expressionless, were incredibly captivating.
His nose was sharp, lips firm, jawline strong, and his gaze intense.
But what stood out the most were his eyes—pale blue like delphiniums under the night sky.
Not only that, he was tall and well-built, making me tilt my head just to meet his gaze.
Of course, my poor mind forgot all about my sore neck as I was mesmerized by his appearance.
Then, he tilted his head and stared at my face as if searching for some memory.
What was this?
Did we know each other?
Was this one of those clichés from novels, where the incredibly handsome man had some past connection with the female lead?
If so… maybe I’m…!
“Ah, you. You’re the Crown Prince’s mistress.”
Ah! I ruined it again.
My past life was ruined, and now this life was ruined too. Not even the smallest romance was going to be salvaged.
