Chapter Three: Rivalry with the Love Rival
846 Words
Vent your anger if you must, but now Lucy has to maintain her innocent and pure image, diligently increasing the queen's favorability, and hopefully seize an opportunity to ingratiate herself.
Sigh, playing the role of the malicious antagonist is such a failure! When will a "poison expert" or "special agent" conveniently drop a plot twist and turn things around?
The queen harbors doubts in her heart: although Lucy appears ignorant, she may be involved in something nefarious with Prince Charles. The queen suspects but hesitates to take action against her own flesh and blood.
Unable to investigate Prince Charles directly, the queen decides to test another prominent figure currently in the spotlight.
"Lucy, the world is debating who is more talented between you and Princess Diana. To settle this, I thought, why not invite Princess Diana to the spring banquet today and have a poetry competition to determine who is superior?"
The queen, with a mischievous smile, pulls Lucy's hand as if struck by a sudden interesting idea.
Lucy's heart tightens at the mention, but she remains composed. With a strong survival instinct, she humbly declines, "Your Majesty, since childhood, I have grown up in a humble family in the city of Luo. I am just a rustic village girl and certainly not worthy to compare myself to Princess Diana. The rumors of my talent are baseless, and I dare not compete with Her Highness Princess Diana, the country's premier talent."
Her concern is not about the competition itself but the inability to alter the fate of the original protagonist.
This request, initiated by the queen in the current situation, was originally proposed by Jianping, who confidently accepted the challenge in the novel, only to be humiliated by Princess Diana and become a national joke overnight.
Public execution is indeed deadly. The original protagonist, initially a talented girl, was unfortunate to have an attention-seeking father. In an attempt to boost her fame and climb the social ladder, he orchestrated a frenzy, hiring online trolls to post ads, bribing storytellers to shape Lucy's image, and even manipulating her into participating in various events for public attention.
At the banquet, Lucy, with her unyielding spirit, had provoked Jianping, causing her to utter false words in front of the queen and subsequently being expelled from the palace.
Lucy's actions were not only about asserting herself but also an attempt to test the feasibility of changing the main storyline. Is the fate of the original protagonist truly predetermined?
What she didn't anticipate was the queen, unable to resist Jianping's proposal, initiating the challenge herself. Lucy found it hard to refuse.
Could it be that nothing can be changed after all? The skills she diligently learned day by day since her transmigration, the escape plans she carefully devised over the years—all seemingly futile!
Lucy felt a strong sense of injustice.
Other girls who transmigrate either become the main character with beauty and status, or they at least get a chance to rise against adversity, possibly even snatching the male lead from the main character and living a carefree life.
Lucy, on the other hand, found herself in an inexplicably challenging situation. The original protagonist married into a prestigious family but found no happiness. Unable to contend with the main character and overshadowed by other concubines in the royal household, she faced great grievances.
Envious of the main character's position in her husband's heart, she schemed to separate the couple. Unfortunately, her plan backfired, leading to her own rejection by the main character. Barely surviving a life-threatening childbirth, she thought she could secure a future for herself and her son, only to be cast aside in favor of the main character.
Later, she was forcibly taken into the palace as a virtuous concubine, facing widespread criticism and ridicule. Ultimately, she was falsely accused by the main character, labeled as regicide, and sentenced to death along with her entire family.
A tragic tale indeed!
Clutching the teacup tightly, Lucy, if unable to change the main plot, felt resigned to her fate. She contemplated the option of ending it all and spared herself from further hardship.
This pessimistic mood did not last long. As Princess Diana entered the scene, Lucy's gloom evaporated. Adorned in an exquisite crimson and gold palace dress with elaborate phoenix and floral embroidery, Princess Diana captivated everyone with her radiant charm.
Lucy, struck by Princess Diana's beauty, couldn't help but succumb to infatuation. The phrase "heart-melting" from "Dream of the Red Chamber" accurately described her feelings, or perhaps, the three words "I am willing" would suffice!
However, Princess Diana, being the original female lead, was someone Lucy, as the cannon fodder character, could not afford to provoke.
The queen, observing Princess Diana's expression closely, noticed no anomalies. She summoned Lucy forward and asked Princess Diana for her opinion.
"Your Majesty, upon meeting Miss Lucy, I felt a sense of familiarity. This young lady looks gentle and refined, a perfect match for Prince Charles."
This response, considered a standard answer, earned full marks from both the queen and Lucy.
- Writer
