I thought that I would be meeting my governess first, but apparently, much to my umbrage, I would meet Prince Arion before a new governess was hired.

Didn’t that prince have princely duties to attend to?! Why did he arrive just two days after my father sent out a letter to His Majesty?!

ARGH.

“My Lady, please stop stomping your foot and snarling like a rabid dog. It is very unladylike,” a maid said calmly as she tried her best to decorate my hair like a flower vase.

I was sitting at my vanity table, facing the gilded mirror. Clara was humming as she fixed my hair, and I continued to stare at my reflection in the mirror. I pretty much looked bored and wicked.

“My Lady, you shouldn’t show such a face to the prince! Why, if I didn’t know you, I would think you’re plotting something evil!” Clara said brightly. She probably didn’t know me well at all then.

Clara was the youngest and chattiest among the maids that have attended to me thus far. Different maids attend to my daily needs, and in my past life, Clara was the one I favored and treated well. Hence, she was unabashedly outspoken towards me, as she had never heard me speak a word of rebuke towards her.

Even with my past personality, Clara remained the same: chatty, bubbly, and overly enthusiastic about my appearance. The old Elena often asked Clara to style her hair into various…shapes. A triangle, a circle, a star?! I mentally grieved as I recalled my horrible fashion sense. There was a point in time where I attended the ball with Prince Arion, and I looked like a huge wedding cake (only that I hardly looked appetizing at all).

I groaned loudly, immersed in the future that I was adamant to squash into oblivion.

“My Lady, please smile! Look at how beautiful you are!”

I looked in the mirror, but why did I want to cry instead?

The dress I was wearing was the least gaudy among the dresses I had in my closet (I made a mental note to go shopping in the future,) but it was still puffy and adorned with an abundance of pearls and gems (can I put all my valuables in a time capsule for me to find in the future? I want to open my treasure chest in the 22^nd century and gloat over my riches.) My head looked like a swarm of bees would find comfort in hovering, and my face…still looked evil. Why did I always have such a resting bitch face?! And I was still ten years old!

“Awww! My Lady, you’re crying because you love how you look so much, aren’t you!” Clara said, clasping her hands together as she saw me weep into my palms.

Granny, can I please throw this maid away?

“I’m sorry, but I think it’s overly done, Clara…” I trailed off, lifting my face from my hands. I wasn’t going to be mean about this, since I know how excited she was about dressing me up for today’s ‘date.’

“It is?” Clara’s eyes turned round, and she looked hurt. “But I’ve done it the same as what you’ve always wanted, my Lady.”

“Yeah…” I winced at my reflection. “But I’ve graduated from wanting to look like a flowerpot or a decorative cake. I just want something simple now.”

“Yes, my Lady.” Clara jutted her lower lip as she began taking out a few flowers from my hair.

While Clara was busy manipulating my head, I could hear clomping of horse hooves outside my slightly ajar window. I left the vanity table in a hurry, and went to the window, feeling my anxiety rise up my throat.

“My Lady, please wait—! I am not done with your hair!”

I opened the window and leaned over, my flowing purple hair tousled by the wind. I could see that a beautiful white carriage with the Royal Family’s crest, had stopped in front of the manor steps. A footman stood by the carriage, opening the door.

I inhaled sharply.

I knew that I no longer loved Prince Arion, but something about this moment made me want to cry in uneasiness. This was the man who I used to love—and who had me beheaded. This was the man who would fall in love with someone who was not me. I felt the heartache that the old Elena experienced well up inside me, and I couldn’t help the tears from falling from my eyes. I thought that living several lifetimes apart would inure me from this pain, but unfortunately, it didn’t. The pain, however just a sliver of what it used to be, was still there like a small thorn on the edge of my heart.

A boy about the same age as I stepped down the carriage. His yellow hair was golden under the sun, and I continued to stare at him, even as my tears fell. But suddenly, he turned his head in my direction, and I was so surprised that I thought I could feel my tears rescind back into my lacrimal ducts.

I didn’t expect him to notice me up here!

Okay, so maybe my flying purple hair might be a bit too conspicuous, but I didn’t think he would look up towards the second floor of our mansion!

An unexpected gust of cold wind rattled the windows, and my thick hair slapped me right in the face.

“Ack!” I clawed my mass of hair away from my eyes, only to see the prince laughing at me from below, his silver eyes in mirth.

“My Lady!!!” Clara exclaimed as she dragged me off the window, then closed it in haste.

“My Lady, look at you now!” Clara scolded, folding her wrists against her hips. “Your hair is all a mess!”

I stood in front of the vanity mirror and combed my thick unruly hair with my fingers. “Clara, it doesn’t look that bad! I look like I’ve got beach wave curls!”

“What beach!” Clara heaved a large sigh as she motioned me to sit down. “Please, my Lady. I know you’re excited to see the prince, but—”

“He’s already here, though.”

“—we must make you exceptional!” Through the mirror, I had the opportunity to see her expression change midway to that of shock. I found it very amusing. “What?! He’s here? How did you know?”

“I saw him outside the window,” I said innocently. “He just arrived.” I shrugged. “He could wait until I finish getting ready, right?”

Clara looked like she wanted to faint.

“My lady!!! We should not let a royal personage wait for so long!”

I didn’t think I would ever see hands move so fast. With a little twist on my hair, and a few braids, Clara managed to keep the baby hairs away from my head, choosing the right curls to leave hanging on my shoulders. As the final touch, she accented my head with a beaded headband, then ushered me out the door… until I almost collided with the butler.

“Ah, my Lady! Perfect timing! I was just about to inform you that His Highness has just arrived! He is waiting for you in the sitting room.” The butler Hendrik bowed before me with a smile. He looked a bit giddy, as if he had just seen a celebrity up close. I guess Prince Arion counted as one?

I frowned, still thinking of how I had embarrassingly popped my head out of my window not too long ago. I forced myself to stay calm. Prince Arion wasn’t the same Arion I knew in the past (I hoped.) I wasn’t the same person as in the past, either. Together, I hoped we could start from a blank slate with no resentment (from my part) whatsoever.

I clenched my fists as I followed Hendrik to the sitting room.