Chapter 12: Confronting the Prince Part 1

 As much as I despised the idea of going back to the party, I knew I had no choice. Truthfully, I’d probably known since the second or third loop, but I just didn’t want to admit it. Even before I knew the prince was trying to kill me, I’d still been dreading this party and was praying with every fiber of my being that I’d get sick so I could miss it.

I know. It was just some stupid party that I could have left after half an hour (assuming my fiancé didn’t try to kill me). Still, I’ve never been great with people, especially in large numbers. I didn’t go out much, even back on earth, because I was terrified of strangers and making a fool of myself, and now I was expected to give a speech and dance in front of a room full of nobles whom I had done my best to ignore for the last six years? That was ridiculous, but still, I respected my noble duty and went even though my mind had begged me to run screaming back to my room.

Turns out I should have trusted that gut instinct. Not only did my own fiancé and three childhood friends betray me in the worst way possible, but nobody had stood up for me. They all silently watched on as I was executed before them, and they didn’t care. With the exception of Sally, there was literally not a single person in this school who cared if I lived or died. I didn’t like learning that truth, and I didn’t want to face it again, so I’d tried again and again to run away from it, but I was only delaying the inevitable. I needed to go back.

A few hours later, I was standing at my door, ready to repeat the worst night of my life, though I had done what I could to ensure a better outcome. I’d ditched the haughty red dress for a simple blue one and straightened the drill curls from my hair. The results were shocking. I looked like a completely different person, so much so that I briefly humored the idea that I could hide in plain sight for the entirety of the party. Still, I wouldn’t let myself run away again. I needed to confront the prince and his wild accusations if I had any hope of ever escaping this loop, though that thought almost broke me.

This wouldn’t be my last party. I knew that. While I had ordered Sally to fetch the records of my comings and goings from the dormitory, I was certain they wouldn’t be enough. Even if they did prove my innocence beyond a shadow of a doubt, the prince was under no obligation to play by the rules. He was quite literally above the law and accountable to no one. Even with all the time in the world, my chances of victory were slim, but still, I had procrastinated long enough.

I entered the ballroom just as I had before this loop began, though as my name was read out upon my entry, I was met by a much different reaction. Gasps and whispers filled the room in response to my new look, and even the prince gave me a look of shock from his balcony, as if he didn’t truly believe it was me. In his arms, Holly looked even more surprised, though that look turned to terror when I flashed her a confident smile. I wasn’t feeling anything close to confidence, but after all she’d put me through, I felt she deserved to feel a little fear.

I kept that smile up as best I could as I approached my spot in this silly little game of his, directly beneath the balcony. Each step felt like a thousand-mile journey as I was faced with the endless stares of those around me, but I did my best to let my mind wander. Why exactly did this ballroom have a balcony looking out over it? Besides giving speeches, it didn’t really seem to serve any purpose other than condemning fiancés, and given what I knew about the kingdom, that might have actually been why it was built in the first place.

I laughed a little at that thought, and in the stunned silence of the ballroom, its sound carried further than I expected. While seeing another woman clinging to my fiancé and being seconds away from being condemned, I had smiled and laughed. By the gods, despite my change in appearance, I had somehow ended up looking like even more of a villainess. Some students instinctively took a step back, while Holly burst into tears, and the prince looked at me with unbridled fury. Atlas, of course, didn’t react at all, while Roman’s easygoing smile barely cracked. As for Aster, he looked surprisingly amused.