Chapter 9: The Transmigrator and Aileen (9)
1370 Words
"Your Highness," Ye Ai bowed respectfully when she faced the caller.
"Will you stop that, Aileen? Why are you doing this to me?" he asked in furrowed brows, full of grievance.
"You're the Crown Prince, your Highness. Proper deference should be observed," she answered in half nonchalance and straightforwardness.
"But we're friends before you found out of my position."
"You're the Crown Prince before you met me."
"I—" he has no words against her argument. Of course, it's true, he was the prince even before meeting her but why, observing his beloved now felt that she has greatly changed? Did something happen to her? And why was she even here in the first place? Did that vile woman did something again?
There were some proofs found connecting Althea from the previous nasty rumors against the Crown Prince but it was not very conclusive thus Prince Rhomeo cannot charge this woman yet, especially when the power given by his father to this household in exchange for the cancellation of their engagement had greatly affected their ability to retaliate in case of any uprising. Fortunately, the Grand Duke never had the thought of seizing power, he thought.
"I've been looking for you but no one's in your house," he told her gently.
"Caron was sent for intensive medication in the neighboring city."
"In Denobos? We have our physicians here, why won't you accept my help, Aileen?"
"I am your subject so I cannot simply accept such favor, your Highness."
"Aileen! I told you we're friends and friends help each other," he declared but his confidence seemed to deflate while watching the expressionless girl in front of him. "What are you doing here anyway?" he asked again.
"This lowly servant—"
"Stop that, Aileen. Please, can you at least talk to me like normal?" he held the familiar hands and silently squeezed them. He touched that cute birthmark between her index and middle finger's knuckles with familiarity.
"I work here."
"...Hmm?" he hummed unconsciously.
"I'm working here."
"Huh? Why??" he asked as he went stiff in realization of her response.
"They're hiring."
"...That's not what I'm asking about."
"What then?"
"I mean why, of all places, here?"
"Why not?"
"Why—why not?"
"Yeah."
"Aileen, don't you remember her? She's the one who threatened you before!"
"Who are you talking about?"
"Althea! Althea Vaine! Didn't she threaten you to stay away from me?"
"When did she do that?"
There was a pause as Prince Rhomeo looked at her closely. "... Did you hit you head?"
"No."
"Then why can't you remember?"
"I really don't know what you're talking about, Prince."
"She means," suddenly a cold voice sounded from the direction of the mansion. "That I wasn't the one who confronted her before or threaten her from seeing you, Prince Rhomeo."
The two looked up at the beautiful and elegant girl standing by the side door before the garden. Althea rushed outside when the servant told her that the Prince had come. She knew that Aileen usually ran to the garden when she shouted at her out and the Crown Prince almost always stayed in the garden when he visited. He seemed to hate the inside of their beautiful and grand mansion. Many times in this half a year, she had made sure not to let these two meet but today, it seemed the plot has once again played to help the protagonist, she irritably thought.
"Stop lying, Miss Vaine. Who else would do that?" he retorted while emphasizing that she's nowhere close to him to call her first name. He hated this woman who's playing elegant in front of him. He knew her; she was very stubborn and unpleasant most of the time. She even planned to hurt Aileen before! He tried and tried to protect his beloved only to find out that he had been too late! It was this malicious woman who made his beloved like this! For months and months, he's been looking for her. Aileen used to be a sweet girl and very lively, but look at her now, she's like a puppet with strings pulled about!
"Why don't you ask her?" Althea asked indifferently. She saw the hate in the Prince's eyes towards her. This just made her hold firm in her decision. She will change this world to remove this kind of incompetent leader.
"What?" Aileen asked in feigned puzzlement.
"Aileen, who told you about me being the Crown Prince?"
"Mother," she answered straight away.
"..." the two was floored. They both thought she'll point out Althea but it turned out the one culprit was the mother who had actually seen the Prince inside the castle! Rhomeo was left speechless.
On the other side, lip's twitching, Althea first thought that since the Crown Prince was now here, the protagonist will start to fight back, that she'll finally show her claws against her since she now has her support. Who wouldn't when your knight in shining armor, in this case the Prince Charming, was already beside you? And yet... it seemed this girl was really an i***t.
Althea felt unusually tired suddenly. She felt she lost some of her confidence for reasons she didn't know. "...Hear that, your Highness? I've done nothing with her. Now stop harassing me," she stepped back to return inside the mansion but not before the Crown Prince declared another accusation.
"I know you're the origin of those malicious rumors!"
"Rumors?" asked Ye Ai while her eyes were jumping between the two.
"Yes, the rumors about us, about you," Rhomeo suddenly looked at Aileen very carefully. He wondered how the girl took those evil rumors. Was she hurt? Did she cry?
"That you're chasing a witch?" she asked excitedly, in contrary to everyone's expectations.
"What?" Prince Rhomeo asked, incredulous.
Tapping her head, Ye Ai corrected. "Actually, it was said that you're chasing a beautiful commoner girl and that girl was a slut."
"...Yeah, that one," he confirmed halfheartedly.
"But they also said that she's serving another official in bed and also has many boy-toys," she added.
"..." the other two were just listening at her recount and had no idea why she's talking as if it wasn't her.
"Not only those but she's also quite popular in the red light district," she was counting with her fingers.
"..." still the other two.
"I wonder who's that girl," she muttered unintentionally.
Althea almost hit her foot on the door. How can anyone be this stupid?! Had she no idea the rumor was all about her? Wasn't she enraged with all those? Didn't she get hurt after those hurtful rumors? She seemed to have no idea it was all about her! No, nothing at all! Then was it all for nothing? Was everything she did for nothing...?
Why did she suddenly just want to rest until her confidence returned?
"Aileen..." Prince Rhomeo called her after pulling himself together.
"Yes, your Highness?"
"It was you."
"Me? What?"
"The girl in the rumor. It was you."
"...When did I keep boy-toys?" she asked, her eyes widening.
'That's not the point!' the prince grumbled in his heart. "I mean you're the girl I'm chasing."
"But I'm not a slut. You probably mistook me for another girl," she creased her brows. Even if she's just playing around here it still kind of ticked her with these accusations.
"Do you really think I'm chasing another girl aside from you?"
"Were you?"
"Of course not!"
"Then did you properly declare your intentions to me?"
"I—" suddenly Prince Rhomeo stopped talking. "I don't think so."
Of course, he didn't. He was busy playing the commoner boy helping the commoner friend he met in the market once. He kept of badgering and yet helping her at times. But he never mentioned anything more than friendship. He thought he was courting her better this way since Aileen wasn't a girl similar to those he usually met as the Crown Prince.
"But my actions spoke of my intentions!"
"They did?"
"...I think so."
Two idiots! Althea can't help shouting grievances against stupid couples and dense pairs! Why was she actually here listening to these excruciatingly foolish exchanges of affection?! She didn't need dog blood dramas!
- Writer
