Chapter Twenty Six: The Princess Tries to be a Villainess

“When I came to this country, I asked many people about The Prince and his princess. I heard many interesting stories about her. ‘The Princess who appeared at the ball that day was incredibly beautiful. Unlike the current princess,’ they said!”

Princess Priscilla’s large eyes stared at me as if she was avenging her parents that I’d killed. I could only dumbly open my mouth, as I was unable to keep up with the current situation.

“According to my magician, he observed a particularly strong magic power that day. Now, he can feel a faint magic power from The Princess. You understand it by now, right?”

Before I knew it, all was quiet around me. Princess Priscilla smiled so adorably that I almost fell in love with her. But, what came out of her mouth are words that condemned me.

“Princess Adelina is a witch who uses forbidden magic to charm and manipulate Prince Francis! Ladies and gentlemen, we can’t allow such an outrageous thing to happen!”

There was a misunderstanding that I was deceiving The Prince? After a moment in a daze, I was slowly beginning to understand Princess Priscilla’s words. What she said was partially correct.

That fateful day, Ella came to the ball wearing a dress and shoes that were as beautiful as she had ever seen. I don’t think she had such beautiful clothes hidden. If she did, my mother and sisters wouldn’t have missed them. If you think about it now, those beautiful dresses and glass shoes may have been magically created by the wizard who appeared in front of Ella. More than anything, I wasn’t the one The Prince fell in love with that night. Next to The Prince, who should have fallen in love with the most beautiful princess in the world, was me, who was sober and dull. It must have misled The Prince with a dubious technique. It was no wonder that there was a suspicion that I used black magic. Well, it’s unavoidable that Princess Priscilla misunderstands that.

However, that cannot be said. If I were, to tell the truth, it would hurt The Prince’s honor.

I couldn’t say anything, so I shut up.

“Why don’t you say something, Princess Adelina?”

Princess Priscilla smiled victoriously.

What should I do?

When I thought about it, an idea popped into my head. This could be our chance.

For the past few days, Prince Francis and Princess Priscilla had been getting along well. I was sure The Prince will soon have Princess Priscilla as her queen. At that time, the problem was my treatment as a provisional queen. Even if The Prince decides to divorce me, rumors of disgrace will follow. On the other hand, if I were the “wicked witch who misled The Prince with forbidden magic,” The Prince would be a one-sided victim. It’s my entire fault. Prince Francis and Princess Priscilla should be united in true love and should have a happy ending. Once I accepted Princess Priscilla’s accusations as true, everything will be fine though I had no idea if my head would stay connected to my body. If I became a villain, The Prince could finally be happy by uniting with the one he loves. A poor person who lost his first love would finally be happy and if he was happy, that’s fine.

The moment I was about to open my mouth to fully acknowledge Princess Priscilla’s story, I got interrupted.

“Is that all you want to say?”

I gulped at the sudden, frosty voice that came out of nowhere. I hadn’t even said anything yet.

But it seemed that the target of The Prince’s words was not me; it was unmistakably Princess Priscilla with her drawn face.

“So, so that witch–“

“Shut up. If you insult my wife any further, I will not forgive you, even if you are The Princess of an ally.”

It was a low voice that seemed to freeze, like a sharp ice blade. Even I, who was not the target, was horrified.

In the words of The Prince, Princess Priscilla hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand. The Prince laughed mockingly.

“You have enough brain to understand my words. You’ve saved your life. If you continued any further, I would have taken your head.”

No, no, no, let’s not sound like such an unlikable tyrant!

Princess Priscilla may have just misunderstood, so let’s just make me look bad and get it over with, okay?

I pulled at his sleeve lightly to say so, and The Prince glanced back at me.

---

“Don’t worry, Aroelina. I would never let anyone sully you with such muck.” he laughed softly.

My heart inadvertently fluttered with that gentle smile.

Hot things boiled from the back of my chest, as if the dammed water overflowed.

The Prince’s smile and words were so destructive that even the fact he still got my name wrong flew away.

If you were kind to me like this, you could say something that you cherished.

While gently stroking my head, The Prince looked around.

I apologize for this disturbance, everyone. Regarding the suspicions Princess Priscilla had, I will explain them to you.”

I hurriedly raised my face to the words I heard.

No, it’s no good. You have not done anything wrong; there was no need for you to get hurt at all. Let the truth sink to the bottom of the deep ocean. I can be a bad guy as much as I want, as long as you are happy!

I opened my mouth desperately to stop him, but my throat clung to me as if I had been deprived of my voice. The Prince had a gentle expression and slowly opened his mouth.

“That day, the one I danced with–“

“Was me.”

The bright and cheerful voice heard at this time brought all eyes of those present to the hall entrance. It was Ella, my sister, who wore the same dress as at the fateful ball. Next to her was the wizard in a black robe.

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