Curiosity tugged at me, so I hid behind the bushes and continued listening to them.

"Hah! She's nothing more than us. If only the queen mother hadn't been friends with that girl's mother, she would've been waiting for her charming prince just like we do now!" they continued, laughing quietly.

I felt awkward — even though they were talking about the woman whose body I was in, it still stung. Their words weren't just about her. They were about me.

I decided to leave. I wasn't here to listen to gossip; I only wanted to know why she—no, I—had tried to harm myself.

But then my ears caught something sharper.

"Really, I feel that she's nothing but a sl#t! Chasing after men... did you see how she was flirting with that man yesterday? Disgusting! She doesn't have any qualities to become our queen!"

A pile of insults came crashing straight at me. Now, I'd had enough.

I turned and walked toward them, each step echoing through the garden. They froze when they saw me. Now, we stood face-to-face — but they didn't even flinch. They stood there shamelessly, as if they didn't care that I'd heard every venomous word.

I glared at them, arms crossed. "Are you ladies talking about me? Because I heard the word 'queen' coming from your mouths."

"We? Yes, we were..." one of the maids stepped forward boldly, as if I should be afraid of her.

"Why? Did we scare you? Well, you should be." Another joined her, smirking.

Rage flickered inside me. My arms fell to my sides as they continued spewing their poison. I clenched my hands into fists.

"You're nothing but a bit#h!"

That was it!

*Slap!*

My hand met her cheek with a sharp crack. Pain stung through my palm, but I didn't care.

She fell to the ground, holding her cheek, her face flushed red from the impact. The other maid just stood there, eyes wide — her expression screamed, "Did she really just hit her?!"

I stepped toward her, and I could see her hands trembling. But still, she lunged forward, trying to hit me. Instead, she shoved me — hard.

I stumbled backward... but didn't fall.

Strong arms caught me from behind.

I looked up — and there he was. Alan.

In his formal attire.

My heart skipped a beat. I had never seen a man look this breathtaking before.

Before I could say anything, Alan gently grabbed my hand. My pulse raced, my mind begging my heart to calm down. He examined my palm — the one I'd struck with.

"Are they the ones who did this to you, my lady?" His voice was low, filled with concern.

"No... that was actually me," I said softly. "I struck the maid. She was being kind of rude to me, so... I taught her a lesson."

As soon as I spoke, his eyes hardened. He turned toward the maids. One was still helping the other to stand.

"Apologize to her. Now." His tone was calm but carried a weight that made the air tense.

Was he... worried about me? I thought.

The maids stammered, "N-No! We won't!"

I raised an eyebrow. How could they refuse to apologize in front of their own king?! I couldn't believe myself.

Before I could speak, Alan unsheathed his sword in one fluid motion and placed it against one of their shoulders.

"Are you really not going to apologize, even now?"

Their bodies trembled. Within seconds, they dropped to their knees before me.

"We... we're sorry, miss Rosendale!"

At last, peace. My lips curved into a faint smirk. Justice served.

Then, I remembered Alan was still standing there.

I turned — he was adjusting his sword back into its sheath. My heartbeat quickened again.

As I opened my mouth to speak, he raised one hand slightly.

"What is this for?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion.

"I think you might've lost your way to your room, my lady."

His words made my cheeks burn. Right — that was why I'd come this way. I'd gotten lost while looking for my room.

"Haha... I-I was going to my room only, and suddenly those maids picked up a fight with me..." I lied awkwardly, hoping he'd believe it.

"I know," he said gently, "but this is not the direction to your room."

"Sorry?!" I squeaked, cheeks flushing deeper.

"Yes. Your room is in the opposite direction. I went to look for you, but you weren't there, so I came searching for you, my lady."

Then he extended his hand. "Let us go now, shall we?"

"Are you going to... take me there yourself?" I asked, embarrassed.

"Of course," he replied with a faint smile. "It's a large palace. It's only natural you might get lost."

My heart skipped a beat at his kindness. He didn't see me as foolish — just lost.

---

"Ha... it's been almost half an hour, Alan. When are we going to reach there?" I sighed, exhaustion weighing down my voice.

The long, pink, fluffy gown clung to me, and my high heels dug into my feet painfully. The sun filtering through the tall windows burned against my skin. Tiny droplets of sweat formed along my neck, but I said nothing.

Suddenly, Alan stopped.

Before us stood a massive door.

"I think this is my room, Alan?" I asked hopefully, desperate for rest.

"No, my lady. Your room is still a few minutes away," he said.

"What?!" My head spun from the heat and dizziness. I stumbled — but before I could hit the floor, Alan caught me again.

"Your room is still far," he said gently, concern flickering in his eyes. "So I think it's better if you rest here for a while. It's the library."

At the word library, my fatigue melted away.

I pushed past him eagerly and opened the grand doors. Light spilled in, blinding me for a heartbeat — and then I gasped.

"Wow... so. Many. Books!"

Alan followed me inside. My pain was gone; joy filled my chest. I inhaled deeply — the scent of parchment and ink felt almost heavenly.

A soft chuckle came from behind me. Alan approached and guided me upstairs toward a tall bookshelf.

That's when I noticed — the shelves he led me to were filled with romance novels.

"I think you love reading romance genre novels, don't you, my lady?" he teased lightly.

Did the original owner of this body love romance too? The thought made me oddly self-conscious.

Still, I began picking out books — anything with a beautiful title or a promising first line. Before long, both my hands were stacked with novels. Sweat trickled down my neck, and my hair clung to my skin.

I tilted my head back, blowing air upward to move my loose strands away.

Then — a sudden cool touch grazed the back of my neck.

A shiver ran through me. My heart thumped wildly. I didn't turn; I didn't have to.

It was Alan.

He gathered my hair gently, twisted it into a bun, and secured it with a pencil.

"Thank you... Alan," I murmured, smiling softly as I stepped down the stairs.

"You're always welcome... my lady."

His voice was deep yet steady, brushing softly against my heart.

I couldn't help but smile. I was starting to like his gentleness — even if it hadn't been a day yet.

Then I shook my head. No. My goal was to make him fall for me... not the other way around.