Question: What would you do if you woke up one day from a coma and realized that you were the villainous supporting character in a book you read at some point in your past life?
Answer: Before I could wake up and gather my thoughts, I was dragged out to put on makeup for my fiancé’s arrival.
Titania Sol Kate Hamastion, the sole Princess of the Hamastion Empire, fell from the second-floor balcony of her palace three days ago and fell into a coma. She only regained consciousness today.
With full memories of her past life.
To put my feelings into words, here’s how I feel right now. I almost died, and when I woke up I felt like I was still only one step away from death.
‘Wow, this is crazy.’
I took a deep breath and looked in the mirror in front of me. It was even worse than I’d imagined. I looked like a sick woman who had just rolled out of her deathbed.
A gaunt, pale face with sunken cheeks. Bloodshot eyes. Splints on limbs as dry as firewood… A newborn fawn would look healthier than me.
I held up my left arm in a daze. It was uncomfortable to look at, splinted and bandaged on this hot summer day. I ran my free right hand across my forehead and immediately felt a stinging pain, quickly realizing that my forehead was probably in the same shape as my arm.
‘You’re telling me to put on makeup and meet my fiancé after seeing me like this, seriously?’
Yes, I knew that Titania’s significance in the imperial family was nothing more than ‘fiancée of House Castraine’. Every single one of the servants in the Rose Palace was a pawn sent by someone. I knew that no one cared about Titania.
But this was beyond ridiculous. Why would someone with a wounded face wear makeup?
“Don’t worry, Princess. You’re very pretty!”
Sara, the maid in charge of applying my makeup, blurted out without even batting an eye. I narrowed my eyes instead of answering.
One of the other maids, who had been glancing at the bandages and gauze wrapped around my body, spoke up. Her name was Mary, and she was the maid who usually did my hair.
“Shall I call for a priest?”
“Perhaps we could ask the Second Queen, so we don’t make an embarrassing appearance in front of Lord Castraine,” Sara interjected as if it were a good idea.
Well, well, well.
You couldn’t get a priest to come to me when I was rolling around in sweaty bandages in this sweltering summer heat, but now you’re going to summon one just because Lord Raymon is coming?
It was all too obvious. They had no intention of letting it be known to House Castraine that Princess Titania was being neglected. Not because her fiancé liked her, but because they didn’t want to give them any excuse to criticize the Imperial Family.
And not the First Queen, but the Second Queen? I gritted my teeth to keep from showing it.
You people were so cruel to Titania.
Queen Elaine had never taken Titania’s side. Everyone knew that. She’d say something to the effect that if she wanted a priest, she could have one, and that she couldn’t care less. And then young Titania would have been hurt again.
I glanced at Natalie. She was the head maid of the Rose Palace, and she had a calm attitude. So the former Titania had treated her like an adult to trust and follow, but…
“I’ll send someone as soon as you say the words,” Natalie, who spoke as if she didn’t have an opinion on the matter, was an underling of the First Queen.
When the Second Queen would, inevitably, refuse to send a priest, at least the First Queen was ‘merciful’, and if I asked her, I could show myself in front of Lord Raymon under my best light…
I’m sure she will recommend that.
Having been rejected by her mother, Titania would be swayed by Natalie’s assurance that the First Queen is the only one who cares about her well-being. But, in the first place, everyone hid the fact that the Princess was allowed to call a priest on her own, making a fool of her.
I just smiled like a sunny, empty-headed princess.
Everyone was waiting for my answer. I’d beg my mother, and she’d refuse, then I’d beg Queen Cleo to call a priest to restore this mangled body. There was not a hint of doubt in their eyes.
Haha, you think I’m going to do what you want?
“Raymon, you said that he goes out to the frontline every winter to fight demonic beasts, so he must have seen a lot of wounded and sick people?”
The maids replied stiffly.
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“But I doubt he would’ve ever seen anyone so beautiful despite being sick, would he?”
The maids’ eyes widened. Yes, I thought this was a load of bullshit too.
Princess Titania was beautiful, but even she wouldn’t be a striking beauty when she was unwashed, bruised here and there, and wrapped in bandages.
I shrugged in my flimsy, rumpled one-piece nightgown and said briskly.
“So I’m going like this!”
“Ah, Your Highness,” Mary’s voice wavered. Even the head maid Natalie’s eyes, which had remained expressionless, flickered faintly.
“Why?” I tilted my head in confusion. My hair, which would normally shine like sunlight through a crystal goblet, hung limp and lifeless.
“You said I’m pretty no matter what, so Raymon wouldn’t hate it.”
“…”
Get a taste of the karma of all the bullshit you’ve been feeding Titania.
Young Titania had truly been a lost child. She had no education, no adults to correct her, and the only thing she had going for her was the fact that almost everyone around her was lower ranked in status.
I smirked as I remembered that.
I was a young, inarticulate princess from now on. The only one who could stand over me was the First Prince himself!
Sara interrupted hastily.
“Yes, but, Your Highness, didn’t you say you would always display an appearance you are not ashamed of?”
“Ashamed of my appearance?” I asked, my eyes widening, and Sara’s mouth fell open.
They’d been telling her, at the very least, that she was ‘pretty’.
Be happy with the pretty face you have, don’t read more books. Reflect on your behavior and focus on what is important. Refrain from talking unbidden to the young master.
“Or, are you saying Raymon doesn’t like me?!” I yelled like I was on the verge of a meltdown.
At this point, Natalie gave up and glared at Mary. Mary, cursing under her breath with a barely maintained smile on her face, walked over to me and smoothed my hair.
In truth, time was running out. Chances were that the First Queen’s Palace already had a priest on standby. After making a show of sending someone to the Second Queen’s Palace, my mother would reject me and the benevolent First Queen would send a priest instead!
I was sure that was what she meant to do…
Well, whatever. As the Princess, I said that I didn’t need a priest. Sarah barely managed to control her voice when she spoke up.
“Ai, indeed, huh… Um, the Princess is a great lady. No, I’m sure Lord Castraine’d love to see you like this, I’m just saying you would be so much more beautiful with just a little touch-up.”
I’m sure she was just saying that because if I went from being an average-looking girl to being a good-looking one, I was sure to be noticed by Raymon. But that’s okay. I don’t need to be noticed by him anymore. In fact, I’d appreciate it if he didn’t.
I vowed to myself as I accepted the minimal grooming the maids grudgingly gave me.
‘Break up, and never get involved with him again!’
My goal was to break off my engagement.
The book’s Titania was a piece of work.
She tried to secretly feed him various love potions and elixirs, mixed with strands of her hair. She’d cry about killing so or so noblewoman at the mere rumor of him showing them interest.
She would write countless letters to him, and when she finally met him, she would angrily ask him why he was treating her so poorly. She followed him around, obsessed over him, and did all sorts of other things I couldn’t even begin to describe…
In short, she was the perfect stalker.
When I was reading the couple of lines about it in the book, I didn’t think anything of it, but now that it was referring to something I would do, I was embarrassed to death.
‘…If I was the one stalked like that, I’d have just called off the engagement, Imperial Family or not.’
With a sinking feeling as I relived my dark history, I threw on a shawl over my baggy pajamas, the only thing I could find to cover my nightshirt — I deliberately chose something that looked like a ragged blanket, not letting the maids snatch it off of me.
I strutted into the drawing room.
“Raymon Castraine greets your Royal Highness,” my fiancé said with a polite smile.
“Welcome, Lord Raymon.”
He walked over without a change of expression, as perfect as if he’d been carved out of marble…
“…”
…Then, my fiancée stopped in his tracks as if he’d seen something that couldn’t be.
