Chapter 5: The Heroine Has Arrived
1141 Words
POV: Amara
The music inside the ballroom felt louder the moment I stepped back in.
For a few seconds, I simply stood near the entrance, trying to steady my breathing.
That conversation with Prince Alejandro had not gone the way I expected.
At all.
Why did he come to the balcony?
In the original story, the villainess was the one chasing him everywhere. She followed him, tried to speak to him repeatedly, and even embarrassed herself just to gain his attention.
But tonight…
I did the opposite.
I avoided him.
And somehow that made him curious.
Great job, Amara, I thought dryly. You tried to avoid the male lead and now he’s interested.
I walked slowly toward one side of the ballroom where the nobles were gathered in small groups.
Crystal glasses clinked together while laughter filled the air. Servants continued to move between the guests, offering drinks and small plates of food.
Everything looked elegant.
Peaceful.
But I knew better.
Because beneath all the polite smiles, the royal court was nothing more than a battlefield.
Every noble here had an agenda.
Power.
Influence.
Marriage alliances.
And sometimes…
Revenge.
I picked up a glass of juice from a passing servant and leaned lightly against one of the marble pillars.
For now, the best thing I could do was observe.
If I remember the story correctly…
My gaze slowly moved across the ballroom.
The heroine should appear soon.
Right on cue, a small commotion started near the entrance.
Several nobles turned their heads in the same direction.
Whispers began spreading through the room.
“Who is that?”
“I’ve never seen her before.”
“Is she a new noble lady?”
Curious, I followed their gaze.
And the moment I saw her…
My stomach dropped.
There she is.
A young woman stood near the grand doors, looking slightly overwhelmed by the attention.
Her dress was simple compared to the extravagant gowns worn by the other noble ladies. Soft blue fabric flowed gently around her as she held the edges of her skirt nervously.
Her long dark hair rested neatly over her shoulders.
But what truly caught everyone’s attention was her face.
She was beautiful.
Not the sharp, intimidating kind of beauty that noblewomen usually had.
But something softer.
Gentler.
The kind of beauty that made people feel comfortable around her.
The kind that made people want to protect her.
The heroine, I thought quietly.
In my original novel, she was the exact opposite of the villainess.
Kind.
Innocent.
Loved by everyone.
Her name appeared in my mind instantly.
Serena Alvarado.
The true female lead of the story.
The woman who would eventually capture the heart of Prince Alejandro.
And the person whose presence would slowly destroy the villainess.
So the story really has started.
Serena looked around the ballroom nervously as whispers continued spreading among the nobles.
It made sense.
Unlike most people here, she wasn’t born into a powerful noble family.
Her background was far more complicated.
In the story, Serena was the distant daughter of a fallen noble house. After years of living away from the royal court, she had recently been invited back to the capital.
Tonight was her first appearance at a royal banquet.
Which meant…
This was the night the male lead would first notice her.
My grip tightened slightly around the glass in my hand.
And that means Alejandro will walk over to her any moment now.
Just like I wrote.
Just like the story intended.
For a brief moment, I considered leaving the ballroom entirely.
If I wasn’t present during the moment they met, it would make things much easier for me.
But before I could move, the crowd suddenly parted.
And someone began walking toward the entrance.
I didn’t even need to look to know who it was.
The quiet whispers around the room confirmed it.
“His Highness…”
“The prince is approaching her…”
Of course he was.
Slowly, I turned my head.
Prince Alejandro walked through the crowd with his usual calm expression.
Tall.
Composed.
Impossible to ignore.
The nobles instinctively stepped aside as he passed.
His gaze rested briefly on Serena, who looked completely unaware of the attention she was receiving.
For a moment, I felt something strange.
A small twist in my chest.
This is the moment.
The beginning of the main romance in the story.
The moment the prince notices the heroine for the first time.
The moment everything begins to change.
Serena looked up just as the prince stopped in front of her.
She blinked in surprise.
Clearly not expecting the crown prince himself to approach her.
The entire ballroom seemed to hold its breath.
Even I found myself watching more closely than I intended.
Alejandro studied her quietly for a moment.
Then he spoke.
“You seem unfamiliar with the court.”
His voice was calm, but it carried easily across the silent room.
Serena lowered her gaze respectfully.
“Yes, Your Highness. This is my first time attending a royal banquet.”
Her voice was soft.
Almost shy.
I could already imagine how the readers of my old novel reacted to this scene.
The cold prince.
The gentle heroine.
It was the perfect romantic setup.
But something unexpected happened next.
Alejandro nodded politely.
Then he simply walked past her.
Just like that.
The silence inside the ballroom became almost suffocating.
Serena looked confused.
The nobles looked shocked.
And I—
I nearly dropped my glass.
Wait.
That’s not what’s supposed to happen.
In the original story, this was where the prince would start a conversation with her.
He would ask her name.
Then he would escort her into the ballroom.
That was the first spark of their relationship.
But now…
He had just walked away.
As if she were any other guest.
My mind raced.
Why did the story change?
The answer came to me almost immediately.
Because earlier tonight…
He had spoken to me instead.
The realization made my stomach sink.
By interfering with the story—even unintentionally—I had already changed something important.
And if the story had already started changing…
Then the future I remembered might not happen the same way anymore.
Which meant one terrifying possibility.
The ending could change too.
I slowly looked toward the other side of the ballroom.
Prince Alejandro stood among several nobles again, speaking calmly as if nothing unusual had happened.
But for a brief moment…
His gaze shifted.
And landed directly on me.
Our eyes met across the crowded ballroom.
His expression remained calm.
But there was something new in his eyes.
Something sharp.
Curious.
As if he was observing something interesting.
Or someone interesting.
My heart sank.
This is bad.
Because in the original story…
The prince was never supposed to look at the villainess like that.
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