Chapter 20: : Preposition

Csille regularly frequents the Crown Prince's stall daily to check on his well-being. She goes as far as paying someone to purchase all the fish the Crown Prince sells. This routine persists for a month, despite Prince Fraser's indirect attempts to discourage her. Csille continues to visit him under the pretext of helping the vendors.

The second training differs from the first one. In his initial training, Prince Fraser resided with a local family, where his responsibilities primarily revolved around farming, fishing, poultry care, and vending goods—tasks typical of the community members.

The second training is different. Prince Fraser will live here alone. He needs to find a shelter and a job where he can at least afford one meal a day. Basically, he needs to learn how to survive on his own without anyone helping him. He also needs to work hard to catch fish for selling. This includes getting up at midnight to go fishing and selling the catch throughout the day.

The King's order for the Lauretré family to remain in the western region serves a dual purpose: safeguarding Prince Fraser and providing guidance as necessary.

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Lately, I haven't encountered instances of losing control over my body, which is reasonable given that this period in my novel serves as a gap in the storyline. The next scene will depict Csille's encounter with the cross-dressing Crown Princess Paislee.

This is where the story truly begins—the encounter between the female lead and the villainess. Glancing at the calendar on the wall, I realize that we've been residing in the western region for nearly two months now. And in exactly two months' time, Csille Lauretré and Paislee Saintizin will finally meet.

Paislee has already assumed the guise of Farren Brichagnac, an orphan residing in the western region. Fleeing from an arranged marriage alliance, Paislee sought refuge in this remote area. After all, who would suspect that the Crown Princess of the Aeslaerean Kingdom would seek sanctuary in such a desolate place?

Upon her arrival, she encountered a couple traveling from the capital of Vrawyth to the western region. This couple had been exiled from the capital city due to a rumor suggesting they were cursed. Allegedly, tragedy struck on the day of their wedding when both sets of parents died in accidents. Moreover, every time the woman became pregnant, she suffered a miscarriage. Their misfortunes extended to their business, which plummeted, leading to the loss of all their possessions.

Rumor is deadly in the capital. When word of the couple's plight spread, fear gripped the populace, leading to harassment directed at the couple. The monarch was kept hidden from this kind of situation. Similar situations had occurred with other families, resulting in their banishment to the western region. This contributed to the widespread reluctance to even mention the name of the western region, as it was deemed cursed.

Paislee sneakily boards a ship, assuming it will take her to the capital of Vrawyth. However, she discovers it's bound for the western region, where she encounters the couple. They sympathize with her situation and agree to help her evade the fate of being thrown into the sea, a customary punishment for stowaways designed to deter others from attempting the same.

The couple disguised her as their deceased son, Farren Brichagnac. Paislee has been living in the western region for almost a year now. However, the couple, who acted as her parents, succumbed to a contagious disease two months after their arrival.

Paislee, or shall I call her Farren, now lives on her own. The couple owned a house in the area, so she doesn't need to worry about shelter. However, lacking knowledge about local work, she applied to become the blacksmith's apprentice.

Paislee Saintizin was raised to be a fighter, adept with a sword and skilled in horsemanship from a young age. In addition to her excellent swordsmanship, she has a passion for crafting swords, a skill she learned as the sole apprentice of the finest blacksmith in the Aeslaerean Kingdom.

Recognizing Farren's talent, the blacksmith in the western region decided to hire her. However, the sword shop in the area wasn't particularly profiting a lot, as most residents struggled to afford basic necessities, let alone luxury items like swords. Only a handful of individuals could afford to purchase a sword for personal protection.

Csille and Paislee will cross paths due to an unfortunate incident. Next week, while Csille is on her way to the market, she falls victim to a robbery by bandits from the Grimlemn forest. These bandits occasionally descend from the forest to plunder vendors and unsuspecting individuals in the market area.

Paislee, disguised as Farren, will rescue Csille from the clutches of the bandits. As a result, Csille will attempt to purchase Farren's services to safeguard the Crown Prince. However, this decision will lead to unforeseen complications, as the Crown Prince unexpectedly develops feelings for Farren. Csille unknowingly becomes the unwitting matchmaker of the two protagonists.

I look up at the sky and sigh. This stay in the western region will surely not be boring. I just hope Prince Fraser doesn't get hurt.

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Today's the day! The day I'll meet Crown Princess Paislee. And just like before, my body wakes up on its own. Having no control over my body once more.

Despite feeling uneasy about it, the thought of meeting Princess Paislee fills me with excitement. Even though I know I won't be able to say what I want to, simply seeing her in person is enough to satisfy me.

As I walk towards the market, I scan my surroundings, keeping a vigilant eye on my surroundings. In a moment five burly men suddenly block our path and proceed to rob us in broad daylight. I begin to count silently to three, anticipating their arrival. As soon as I reach three, the five men emerge seemingly out of thin air. One of them brandishes a massive axe, while two others wield bows and arrows, and the remaining pair have swords strapped to their waists. Despite expecting their arrival, I'm still taken aback by their imposing size; one of them appears large enough to crush me effortlessly.

The next scene unfolds exactly as I've written in my novel. Since I can't control my body, I simply allow that inner force to take over, watching as the events unfold before my eyes. It's as if I'm witnessing a live-action adaptation of my own novel, and it's incredibly surreal.

My body shivered on its own, and I found myself slumped on the floor, tears streaming down my face. As one of the men approached me, ready to harm me, something was suddenly thrown at him, causing him to fall backward to the ground.

My eyes look up to the person who did that. Who would throw a coconut at a person?

It's Paislee! Of course. As much as I want to run to her and hug her, I couldn't. My body remains slumped on the ground, looking at Paislee disguised as Farren.

Paislee grabs my arms and pulls me along as we sprint away. I find myself keeping pace with her as we rush into an abandoned-looking house, likely the house of the couple who help her. She leads me to a room and shuts the door behind us.

I could hear footsteps outside the house, but none of the bandits dared to enter. Despite their ruthlessness, they wouldn't risk robbing someone in their own home. After an hour, the bandits decided to leave us be, likely realizing they wouldn't gain anything from us.

We stayed hidden for a couple of minutes before Paislee dragged me out of the room. She sat me down on a chair in the kitchen.

I desperately wanted to hug her and tell her many things, but my body remained seated. Every attempt to move caused me pain once again.

"Count's daughter, are you okay?" a young man's voice reached my ears. I looked up and saw Paislee gazing at me with concern.

If I didn't know she was Paislee, I'm certain I would misunderstand her expression. "I'm okay. Thank you for saving me," my mouth responded.

"I'm Farren Brichagnac," she said, retrieving a loaf of bread from a cupboard. "Do you want some bread? I'm sorry, it's the only thing I could offer." She scratched her nape out of embarrassment, it seemed.

I found it cute. I really wanted to laugh at her gesture, but my face wouldn't let me do it. It just remained emotionless.

Oh, come on, Csille! How could you not notice Princess Paislee? She's your friend.

My hand waves involuntarily. "Don't bother. I'm fine. Anyway, thank you for saving me. I owe you one. You've got skills, I can see that. Do you know martial arts?"

My eyes fixated on a sword hanging on the wall. It's beautiful! My feet move towards it. There are inscriptions on the sword. I'm not sure where or when, but I think I've seen those inscriptions before. I just forgot where. "Where did you buy this?" My mouth asked.

Princess Paislee gazes at the sword. "I didn't buy this. I made it. I work as the apprentice of the only blacksmith in the western region. This is the first sword I crafted."

Liar! You didn't forge this here. All the swords you've made here are just cheap metals. However, this one is different. Just by looking at it, you can already tell that it's a top-grade sword. She probably made it in the Aeslaerean Kingdom.

"I have a proposition to make. Since you saved me, I can do something for you in return."

It's exactly as I wrote it! The dialogue matches word for word. I can anticipate Princess Paislee's hesitation in accepting the proposition I'm about to make.

"What is it?"

"I could help you become a royal guard in the capital."

Shock was evident on her face. She shakes her head then. "What's the catch?"

My mouth smiled. I don't know if I should be happy that you agree. If you agree, then everything I write will happen. Both the main lead and female lead will be happy and fall in love with each other. However, it also means that I could never get away from my destiny to be the villainess.

"Nothing. I just want you to guard someone here."

And it's confirmed. There's no escaping my role as the villainess. I'm quite certain the Crown Princess will accept. If Csille only knew the consequences of her actions, she probably wouldn't proceed with this.

Paislee frowned at me. "Guard someone? Who could that be? Also, the Count and the Countess already have guards around you. Why would you need an extra one?"

It's because the one you will be guarding is not from the Lauretré family but the Crown Prince of the Vrawyth Kingdom, Prince Fraser Astalieu. However, Csille is cautious. She wouldn't divulge the truth, knowing the consequences if she were to disclose anything about the Crown Prince's second training.

"It's because the person you're guarding is not a Lauretré."

My steps lead me to the window, and fear grips me. It's ironic how I still feel scared despite knowing what lies ahead. If only I could alter our destinies. Prince Fraser wouldn't have to face danger, Princess Paislee wouldn't need to hide her identity. And what about me? Could Csille end up with Prince Fraser? No, that's absurd. These are Csille's feelings, not mine..

"Not a Lauretré?"

My head looks back at her. "Yes, it's not a Lauretré. It's a friend of mine. I could help you become a royal guard and brings you to the capital if you do what I said."

"Who is this person?"

"I'll introduce him to you another day. He's just an ordinary resident here, so it shouldn't be too challenging to protect him."

Paislee arched her eyebrows. "Why would you need to protect an ordinary citizen here? What makes this person so special? As a Lauretré, why not utilize your family's guards?"

My head moves involuntarily. If the Count were aware, he would likely object. It's a good thing that Csille cared for Prince Fraser, or else Prince Fraser would lose his life in this desolate place. As much as I wish to avoid harm to both of them, I'm left with no choice. Either I can prevent Princess Paislee from risking her safety and endanger Prince Fraser's life, or I can prioritize saving Prince Fraser and put Princess Paislee in danger.

It's a harsh reality that regardless of my decision, someone will be put in danger. Despite my desire to change the course of events, I'm bound by the narrative I've written in the book. These events are set to unfold, and there's little I can do to alter their course.

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