2 The Villainess Meets the Prince

Asha was pouting petulantly the entire travel from the manor to the royal palace. She's been making excuses for weeks, trying to put off her first meeting with the crown prince. Now, her father accepted no more of her foolish shenanigans.

Wearing a very pretty pink dress, her dark hair was shiny and straight--courtesy of her handmaiden, Nina. She huffed. They dressed her like a present, now let them watch her act like a nightmare. She just has to make the king and queen dislike her so that they won't go through with the engagement.

"What's wrong, dear? Aren't you excited to meet Prince Sereph? I heard he's a smart kid. You two will get along well." Her mother's gentle voice cooed as she petted her head. Asha resisted the urge to scoff at her mother's face. Of course, he's smart. He's also incredibly, painfully handsome and cool and perfect. He's every girl's dream.

And he's gay.

She probably wouldn't even hold a candle to his beloved Dain even if she stripped herself bare in front of him. She's talking about her adult body, of course.

Asha met her eyes unblinkingly without hiding her frown. "Mother, he likes boys." The duchess gasped, scandalized by her choice of words.

"Asha, do not talk like that!" She looked around as if there were people to hear their conversation inside the carriage. "What if people hear? Sullying the royal name is considered treason." She whispered through gritted teeth. Asha sighed in defeat.

"But I don't like him." She whined. Lady Sapphire patted a handkerchief on her forehead, stressed out by her daughter's sudden change in behavior. Just a few weeks ago, the girl was so eager to go to the palace to see the crown prince. What changed?

"Dear, you do not know what you are talking about. You haven't even met him." Asha resisted the urge to yell at her. That guy will have me killed in front of you! Instead, she gripped her dress, held back her tongue, and watch as the scenery passed by the traveling carriage. She thought she saw dark figures moving about in the darkness of the trees beside the road, but the thought was forgotten when she finally laid eyes on the Castle. She held her breath.

It was every bit as beautiful as the fairytale castles she's seen in her past life. It was a little farther away, and they still had to pass through the Capital to get to the castle gates. But still, it looked enormous from where Asha sat.

***

The interior of the castle was even more dizzying. Everything was overwhelmingly beautiful. She thought she has already gotten over the shock after seeing how elaborate their family manor was, but it didn't even come close to the magnificence of the royal palace.

Servants lined the aisle as her mother and herself were led towards the gardens. Their family was invited to a luncheon by queen Seraphine. Her mother didn't say anything about it, but she knew they were here to talk about her engagement with the prince. The prince and herself were only supposed to know of the agreement after this meeting.

The sight of the royal gardens took her breath away. Rare flowers and greenery were scattered around naturally; the wide canopy of trees provided the much-needed shade; butterflies were fluttering about, and she can hear the birds singing. There was even a sizable pond at the center of it all. The place looked like it was cut right out of an enchanted forest.

Of course, she has read about it in the book. But the words described couldn't compare to how the garden looked in person. On a clearing beside the pond, there was a long table full of all sorts of food. And sat at the head of the table, was queen Seraphine herself, looking ethereal in her flowy yellow gown.

The queen gazed in their direction and smiled brightly. "Saphie!" She called her mother by her nickname, known only by her dearest friends and closest family members. Asha looked at her mother and imitated her curtsy before the queen.

"You're early." The queen commented, her eyes shone with elation as she looked at her friend.

"Not at all, did we keep you waiting?" The duchess sat on the queen's left and Asha sat beside her.

"No, no. I came here a few hours ago to get away from work for a little while. I'm waiting for Sereph to finish his training with Lord Alejan and the knights."

Her father, Duke Alejan Altaris, was the captain of the Second Order of the knights, the one training the Crown prince. It makes sense since the captain of the first order has been put out of commission a few months ago by an incurable illness. He will fall into comma in a few years, prompting his son, Lord Dain to take his rightful place as the new captain of the First Order earlier than expected. His knighting ceremony will be the first time he will meet the prince.

For some reason, thinking about that pisses her off. They're all going towards their lovey-dovey happy ending, while she hurtles towards her crappy end--dead before she even had her first kiss.

The queen finally looked at her and grinned. "This must be Asha, what a pretty little girl. I'm sure my Sereph will like her." Oh, how wrong she was. Asha will be the embodiment of all of the prince's nightmares. Nevertheless, Asha gave the queen a timid smile.

"Marie, would you be so kind as to get the crown prince? I'm sure he's finished with business at this moment." The queen told the maid standing a few feet behind her, and Asha perked up. This is a good opportunity.

During the travel from the manor to here, Asha has been thinking. Maybe she could talk to the prince and convince him to disagree with the engagement before the queen declared anything. She knew the prince couldn't outright disagree with his mother, so perhaps she could do something to make him talk to her before she made anything official.

"Can I come with her?" She squeaked. Her mother looked at her strangely, not understanding her intentions. She was adamant about not seeing the prince earlier, and now she wanted to come and fetch him? She definitely was acting strange.

"Of course, sweetheart. Marie, take lady Asha with you and show her around the palace for a bit." She gripped her dress and stood from her chair.

"As you wish, your majesty." With a curtsy for the queen and the duchess, the maid walked away with her.

Marie pointed and named a few parts of the castle they passed by. She was nodding absentmindedly to whatever the maid was saying, her mind preoccupied with the things she would say to the prince. She didn't even notice that they stopped in front of a wooden double door.

The designs carved on the wood were intricate--swirls and figures, and at the center was the royal crest, the Ouroboros, a serpent eating its own tail signifying infinity and the kingdom's ability to sustain its own life and to prosper by its own strengths.

"The sentinels are not here, perhaps the prince is not yet in his chambers," Marie commented. Asha fiddled with her fingers. She was curious about what the prince's room looked like. It was described so beautifully in the book, and she couldn't help but want to see it in person. Besides, the Asha in the BL novel never had the chance to enter the prince's private room, so this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"Uhm, can I just wait here? My legs are tired." Asha looked at her with her best puppy eyes, her cute lips in a pout-- a trick she learned a few days after arriving in this world. It was as if no one could resist her when she looked at them that way.

"But, my lady, I'm not supposed to leave you unguarded," Marie hesitated.

"I'll be safe here. Besides, who would dare cause trouble inside the royal palace? In front of the prince's room, no less. I promise I'll behave. I won't move an inch." She amplified her powers, and Marie cracked when she saw the little lady's quivering pout and teary, sparkling eyes.

"Alright, I'll be back as fast as I can. Do not, and I mean do not leave this spot." She nodded eagerly.

"Now then, please excuse me." When she saw Marie turn a corner, she waited for a few seconds. Making sure there was no one else around, she squealed and hurriedly went to open the doors.

Her heart soared when she discovered that the doors were unlocked. But then again, the whole castle is tightly guarded, so perhaps there was no need to lock doors. Besides, who in their right mind would enter a royal's chambers without permission? Well, probably not her. She closed the door behind her and looked inside.

Her eyes feasted on the room's interior. The main colors were black and silver. A crystal chandelier hung on the high ceilings, the large bed was black and made with the fluffiest-looking comforter and pillows, and the carpet looked so expensive--standing on it looked like you were standing on the night sky. It was beautiful and intimidating.

Her attention was caught by something glittering on the desk at the corner of the room. She felt compelled to check so she walked towards it and inspected the sparkly thing. Asha hummed.

It was a pair of cufflinks sitting atop a velvet box. The accessories caught the light outside the window and scattered different colorful rays across the dark room.

It was... made of glass?

Her eyes widened in realization and she gasped. Picking up the cufflinks with her hands, she looked at it closer. This pair was the most precious thing the Prince possessed. Why was it lying here outside on his desk?

They were gifted to him by his late grandfather who he loved dearly. These cufflinks play a significant part in the story, and she never expected to see these in person, let alone touch the precious things.

Enthralled, she turned them around in her palm. The pair was the first gift he gave Dain when he first declared his love to him. It screamed the depth of his feelings, giving his most precious possession to his most beloved person.

Asha was preoccupied with her thoughts and she didn't hear the approaching footsteps. So when the door slammed open, she couldn't help how her heart jumped to her throat.

She flinched and accidentally slipped her hold on the glass cufflinks.

There was a sudden silence, and she heard them shatter to pieces on the floor.

"Who are you?" Hair as yellow as gold, and eyes as clear as the blue skies. She felt chills when he looked at her. Prince Sereph Samael Schneizel in the flesh. His gaze landed on the shattered pieces on the floor.

And by then, she knew she did something very, very, horribly wrong.