The Crown Prince

After what happened this morning, the atmosphere at the mansion became cold and gloomy.

Then it was time for Ara to meet the Crown Prince.

'I was expecting a lot, but why the h*** is that guy taking so long?! If he's going to be late, he should've at least send someone to notify me, so I could leave and come back later. Royalties like him are high-maintenance. Aish.' Ara thought.

"His highness, the Crown Prince, has arrived."

'Finally!' Ara thought.

She stood up and bows at him.

"Greetings, your highness. I am grateful that you came to see me today. How do you do, your highness?" She asked.

She was surprised when she saw his face for the first time.

"I am fine, but I get busier at this time of the year because of the first royal banquet. Thank you for waiting." He said with that innocent smile of his.

'Is this a coincidence or what?' Ara thought.

"Are... you okay, Ara?" He asked.

'He... He looks exactly like him,' Ara thought.

"Oh, um, of course, your highness," she replied nervously.

'I know that they aren't the same person that I know, but after seeing him, I do want to cancel everything and stay away from him as soon and as far as possible,' Ara thought as she smiles at him.

"Ara, you keep on acting strange. Are you really okay?" The Crown Prince asked and checked her temperature through her forehead.

Ara saw the servants' reaction, but she feels disgusted.

"Your temperature is normal," he said.

"Um, your highness, I want to talk to you about something," she said.

"What is it?"

"May we talk in private?" she asked.

The Crown Prince noticed her seriousness, so he quickly told the servants to leave.

"The thing is... I want to cancel this engagement with you, your highness," Ara said.

When she went to look at his reaction, she wasn't that surprised to see his cold expression.

"What did you say? Cancel our engagement?" He asked.

"Yes, your highness," Ara quickly answered without stuttering.

"Ara, are you joking?"

"No, I'm not, your highness. I think I don't deserve to be a Crown Princess and stand by your side as your wife. I'm sure that there would be a lot of ladies from the most prestigious families that would like to replace me."

"B-But why? I thought we're okay. Did I do something wrong?" He asked.

'Yes, you did, bas****. You even cheated on your fiancee with her adopted sister.' Ara thought.

"I apologize, your highness. I thought about this all night and realized that I wasn't ready to get married-"

He suddenly grabs her wrist harshly.

"Ow!"

"You have another man behind my back, right? You slut! How dare you lie to me?!" He said.

"W-What are you saying, your highness?! LET GO OF ME!"

"YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BREAK UP WITH ME! YOU HEAR ME?!" He yelled.

'THIS GUY- HE'S CRAZY!' Ara thought as she started to get scared.

"Your highness, let go of me! I don't want to hurt you-"

Someone suddenly appeared behind me and grabbed the Crown Prince's hand so I could escape from his grip.

"Brother, you're hurting her!" He said.

"Max, this is a matter between lovers. Don't interrupt us!" The Crown Prince said, mad.

'Max? Maxwell Evans?! One of the male leads?!' Ara thought.

She decided to take a look at his face and was shocked to see another familiar face.

'KIM TAEHYUNG?! HE'S MAX?!' Ara thought.

"Your highness, you can't force a lady to get married to you. She has a right to decide on her own. Please calm yourself down." Max said in a straight face.

"I SAID LET GO!" The Crown Prince yelled.

"Not until you calm down," Max said.

'Right, the only person who could defy the Crown Prince other than the King and Queen was Maxwell, the second prince of Ilya.' Ara thought.

"Princess, please leave before you get hurt. I'll take care of him. Please take care of yourself." Max said.

"U-Understood, your highness. I apologize once again for what happened." Ara said, bowed, and left in a hurry.

*Outside the palace*

"Oh, you're done talking with the Crown Prince, your highness?" Joana asked.

"Yeah," Ara answered, still shocked.

"My lady, did something happened? Your wrist..." Robel, her knight or bodyguard, asked.

Ara quickly hid it.

"Oh, it's fine. Let's go home." Ara said and got inside the carriage.

Robel looks at the palace once again before leaving as he started to suspect that the Crown Prince harmed Ara.

When Ara got home, she went straight to her room and told Joana to leave, which is unusual for her (as Ara).

"Joana, how's my lady?" Robel asked as soon as Joana left her room.

"She looks surprised. I don't know if it was in a good or bad way. But knowing her, I think something bad happened during her meeting with his highness. And about her wrist, did she got that from the Crown Prince?!" Joana said, worried.

"I think the same," Robel said, also worried.

"If that were the case, then it must be the reason why the Princess wants to break things off with him. I thought he was a good man for her, but I was wrong. We should inform his grace about this." Joana said.

Robel agreed, and they both went to the Duke.

*Arabella's bedroom*

'The Crown Prince... he didn't just look exactly like him (her supposed to be ex-boyfriend). It feels like they're the same person.' Ara thought.

Before she came into Ara's body, Y/n wanted to break up with her boyfriend. Just like Ara, she thought that he was a kind-hearted handsome man, but as their relationship continues, he started to become aggressive and possessive to the point that it is hurting her.

When her family knew about her relationship with him, they wanted her to end things with him, to which she strongly agree. But it didn't end well, and she dies after falling off his apartment building.

"If Ara was in my place earlier, how would she react? Shocked? Scared?" Ara asked herself.

"Now that I am Ara, I should be able to at least escape from his grip, right? But it was weird. I got scared a bit and felt weak. Is it because I don't want to get accused of harming a royal? Or because I still couldn't move on about my past life?"

'I wish my family is here... I miss home.' She thought, and a tear escaped from her left eye.

Then she heard someone knocking on her door.

"Ara? May I come in?" The Duke asked.

She wipes her tear.

"Yes, father," she said, and the Duke came in.