After Crown Prince Rahegar casually dropped the weakest excuse in history—"It's just a casual visit"—no one said a word. We just sat there, sipping tea. But I could feel Rahegar's eyes on me as i was sipping my tea. He wanted to talk to me; that much was obvious. Maybe in private, but guess who was blocking his royal highness's grand plans? Tristian, who is now behaving like an overprotective brother.
"What's wrong with this one?" I mumbled to myself.
Out of nowhere, Rahegar's eyes shifted to Blue Panther, who was lounging beside me, lazily. The Crown Prince smirked slightly, swirling his tea. "I must admit, Lady Cecilia, I never thought you'd be able to tame the Scared Beast."
"I never thought so too," I mumbled to myself again.
Then, Blue Panther's voice—deep and smug—echoed in my head. "She didn't tame me. I followed her here. By choice."
I blinked. Thank God, only I can hear him.
I plastered a sweet smile on my face, looking Rahegar dead in the eye. "Thank you, Your Highness. It was an...unexpected bond."
Crown Prince smiled and nodded. And then Tristian puffed out his chest like a proud peacock. "Of course, she tamed him! My sister is incredible!"
Sister? Whoa... look at him behaving like the best brother in the world. Two days ago, he was looking at me like I was gum stuck to his shoe. Did he take some wrong medicine or what? or... or just like me, his soul was swapped too. I mean, it can happen, right?
Anything can happen. People just don't change overnight.
The Crown Prince's gaze landed on me again, sharp but calm. "Actually, I came here to apologize."
I blinked. Apologize?
Tristian, of course, had no filter and blurted out, "Apologize? for what?"
His confusion was written all over his face as he looked back and forth between me and Rahegar. I didn't bother answering. My eyes stayed on Rahegar as he continued. "I'm very grateful that you saved my life in the jungle, Lady Cecilia."
I nodded, saying, "It was my pleasure, you're highness." At least this guy knows he was wrong. so, I can forgive him.
Tristian's jaw practically hit the floor. "Saved your life? Wait—what? Were you attacked, you're highness?"
Rahegar nodded, his tone as smooth as ever. "Yes. Someone struck me on the head and stabbed me with a knife. Their intention was clear—they wanted me dead."
A strange tension filled the room. Tristian's confusion turned to sharp focus as he leaned forward. "Did you find the person who attacked you?"
Rahegar shook his head. "Not yet. I'm still searching for them."
The room went quiet again, the weight of his words settling over us. Tristian's brows furrowed, his protective side kicking in hard. "This is serious. I'll launch an investigation immediately and—"
Rahegar raised a hand to stop him. "I appreciate your concern, but I will handle this matter myself. I have a suspicion about who it might be."
Tristian went silent at that, his eyes narrowing.
He sat back slowly, like the gears in his head were turning. He glanced at Rahegar with an expression that said he might have a clue who it was. But there is no proof.
After a beat, he nodded stiffly. "As you wish, Your Highness."
I glanced at the Crown Prince, narrowing my eyes. What's his role in this story? Is he just a side character like me, or is he secretly important?
Before I could spiral into overthinking, he stood up and said, "I'll take my leave. There's an urgent matter to attend to."
Tristian immediately got up too. "I'll follow you, you're highness."
The Crown Prince nodded, and I stood to bow slightly. "Goodbye, Your Highness."
He nodded back, but then—our eyes locked.
Again.
That strange pull I felt every time I looked at him hit me like a sucker punch. It was like something was yanking me into a foggy memory or something equally weird.
What is this? A K-drama moment?
My mind raced. Why does it feel like there's some invisible string connecting us? He literally choked me to death, and yet here I am, acting like I've forgiven him. If I were Korea, I would've choked him back harder than he did me. So why am I acting all soft?
A horrifying thought struck me, and I froze. Wait. Am I actually becoming Cecilia Von Arlen?
The Crown Prince started walking away, and I instinctively followed. Because, you know, seeing off guests is manners. But then this stupid, idiotic dress decided to sabotage me again. My foot snagged on the hem, and I stumbled forward like a drunk goat. My heart dropped to my stomach.
This is it. I'm going to fall flat on my face in front of everyone again.
But instead of the hard floor, I landed in something firm—strong arms. I opened my eyes and found myself staring up at the Crown Prince. His face was full of shock.
"Are you okay, Lady Cecilia?" he asked, his voice softer than I expected.
I quickly stood, balancing myself while still holding his hand. "Thank you, Your Highness. I am good," I mumbled, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.
And then—our eyes locked again.
Not again! But this time something weird happened again.
Suddenly, something flashed in my mind. A memory? A fragment of something I couldn't place. Maybe a part of a novel. My head spun.
It was the same party from the novel—the one before Cecilia… me… got thrown into the dungeon.
Everything about it screamed trouble. And there I was, in some shadowy corner like a third-rate villain, spiking a drink with a twisted smile on my face. Seriously, the full cliché—glint in my eyes, sneaky little laugh.
I swaggered over to Crown Prince Rahegar, all smug and confident, and handed him the glass. looked like an evil villain in some soap opera. As he took a sip, I couldn't help but grin.
A villainous grin.
If anyone saw me, they'd probably roll their eyes and yell, "Get a life, lady!"
But then, bam—chaos.
Out of nowhere, a lady stormed up, all dramatic, and swatted the glass out of his hand. her face was blurred. but she was definitely a lady. The wine shattered on the floor like the suspense plotline.
"She spiked the drink! She put poison in it, Rahegar!" she screamed, pointing a trembling finger at me like I was the villain of the century.
My head spun as reality punched me in the face. "Wha—?" I stammered, my mouth hanging open.
And that's when it hit me like a truck. I glanced at Crown Prince Rahegar, who was now looking at me with this worried expression. Worried! Not angry, not suspicious—just worried.
My heart sank. Wait a second… Don't tell me… Cecilia— I—tried to kill the Crown Prince?
"What the actual f—!" My brain short-circuited. I couldn't even finish the thought.
So, the reason why Cecilia Von Arlen—aka me—ended up in the dungeon is because I tried to kill the crown prince.
But why?!
Like, seriously, why would Cecilia do this?
Was she just... bored? Did she wake up one day and think, 'Today seems like a great day to commit treason!' Why Cecilia?
whyyyyyyyy????????
No, no, that doesn't make sense.
Cecilia was a total pushover in the novel. A complete airhead who never used her brain even if her life depended on it—which, now that I think about it, it kind of did.
So, she had to be someone's pawn in the game. Yeah, she can be.
Ugh, it's always the manipulative puppet master trope, isn't it?
But wait. Hold up. The attack on the Crown Prince in the jungle… could that somehow be connected to this? It's all so suspicious.
But that's not the weirdest part here. The main thing is, why... why the hell do I only start remembering these things when I'm holding his hand, falling into his arms, or locking eyes with him?
Is this some kind of romance novel eye-locking magic trick?!
"Ughhhhhhhhh," I groaned, clutching my head.
My brain was spinning faster than a laundromat dryer on overdrive. Stay calm. Deep breaths.
let's not panic.
I just need a solid plan. A big, solid plan to escape from this hell.
Avoid the Crown Prince.
Yeah, that's it.
Avoid him like he's a red flag in human form. No more hand-holding, no more dramatic eye-locking, and definitely no more tripping-into-his-arms moments. That should do it, right?
I can live my life peacefully. No poison plots, no dungeons, no drama. Just a quiet, chill life far away from royalty.
Focus.
Stick to the plan.
Stay dungeon-free.
And with that, I officially decided: Crown Prince Rahegar is now a big red carpet for me. he is a total red flag for me. So, the plan is simple and clear.
Stay away, keep my distance, and survive this crazy world.
Let's mind my own business here.