Chapter 3: I Died, Again

After a quick breakfast, Sally helped me get dressed (noble outfits are a serious pain to put on by yourself), and I left for the prince’s room to request a meeting. Sally, of course, gave me a somewhat confused look for multiple reasons. While it absolutely didn’t excuse him trying to kill me, I had never been particularly proactive in our relationship. Rather than going out of my way to request or plan dates, I had instead always waited for him to set those things up. His attendant would deliver a letter asking if I was free sometime the following week to enjoy some tea and reading in the garden. It wasn’t exactly what I’d call a passionate romance, but it had been comfortable, though it had been quite some time since he had last made such a request.

Also, while it might seem cold that the prince had sent his attendant to deliver his letter, I was actually the one breaching etiquette by going to see the prince directly. While there was nothing barring students, even those of different genders, from visiting one another’s rooms, common courtesy dictated that you sent a letter requesting a meeting first. Unless the matter was particularly urgent, courtesy also dictated that the recipient provide a time they were available that was at least three days away. Thus, going to see the prince so suddenly was beyond rude, but I did not have time to follow the proper channels, as I’d be long dead by the time a scheduled meeting could occur. Besides, I was his fiancée and the next queen of the country. I was sure he’d overlook such a trivial matter as this.

That had been my hope, but the look of shock on his attendant’s face suggested that my actions had been a bit more outrageous than expected. However, before I could apologize, I saw the actual reason for his surprise. Behind him, in full view of the open door, sat the prince, enjoying a truly delectable-looking breakfast, with none other than Holly.

They had both stopped chewing mid-bite when they spotted me, and for a few excruciating moments, we all just stared at one another in silence. Thankfully, Holly eventually broke the silence by screaming and attempting to hide behind the prince, and for a split second, I was actually grateful that she had ended that awkward silence. Then the prince charged at me, while ranting that I had interfered with his date with his true love.

In retrospect, this was a wild accusation to lob at me, his fiancée. However, in that moment, my mind was focused entirely on running away, though I did not get very far. His magic must have struck my leg first because I fell flat on my face moments before the rest of me turned to ash. Thankfully, as with last time, I did not feel a thing.

“Good morning, Milady! Are you excited for the party tonight?”

So, yeah. As it turns out, I was stuck in a time loop, though I suppose you might be wondering why I keep getting killed. I don’t blame you. At this point in the story, so was I. Don’t get me wrong. This kingdom is seriously weird. Its obsession with love meant that interfering with true love was actually recognized as a crime, as utterly ridiculous as that sounds. I honestly thought it was a joke when my tutor first mentioned it to me, but there are a few caveats to this law that make it a bit less absurd.

For one thing, the law stipulates that the punishment must match the crime. Thus, someone who sabotages a date, like I just did, should only receive a slap on the wrist. Executions are generally reserved for those who attempt to or succeed in permanently destroying a relationship. Now, if you wildly stretch the limits of the law, my supposed attempts to bully Holly to keep her away from the prince could be classified as attempting to end their relationship. However, that argument is seriously hindered by the fact that the prince and I are still engaged, and I had no way of knowing Holly was his true love.

Given all that, my punishment, if I was, in fact, guilty, should have been little more than a fine and a few months of house arrest. Some corporeal punishment, such as being whipped, might have been applied if my behavior was particularly malicious, but that was mostly a symbolic gesture when it came to those skilled in magic or who could afford to hire someone who was. Dark magic could erase one’s sense of pain, while healing magic could ensure that not even a scratch remained afterwards.

Oh, does that seem unfair? Well, no duh. This world is not a fair place, and commoners know that better than anyone, though I had also received a recent lesson on that truth. While commoners were the lowest rung on the totem pole, even nobles were essentially powerless when it came to the nearly absolute authority of royalty. When it came to justice, the royal family had the final say, meaning that even a minor crime could still result in the death penalty if it had offended them.

If there was any limit to their power, it was that their rule required the continued support of the four dukes and two churches. Each served an essential role, and without them, the country would collapse. I’d like to say my death would be enough to turn those groups against the royal family, but sadly, that was pretty unlikely.

Representatives from both churches had stood by the prince’s side, giving their implicit consent. Meanwhile, the other dukes likely thought they could benefit from my condemnation, so they wouldn’t complain if the prince offered up a decent justification. Though my own father would likely be enraged at this disrespect and my own death, power was divided between the dukes in such a way that he could do little on his own. That is not to say he wouldn’t cause the king a significant amount of trouble as payback, but the other three dukes would keep him from stepping too far out of line.

Thus, my only option was to try to convince the prince not to kill me. However, as my previous attempt had shown, that was easier said than done. The direct route had failed terribly. Perhaps I would have better luck if I returned at a time when Holly wasn’t there, but at the moment, it didn’t seem like he was particularly interested in listening to me. So, instead, I decided to try to win his allies over to my side in hopes that they could change his mind. They were my friends, too, after all. Surely they’d listen if I told them the truth.