Chapter 2:

A Headache-Inducing Scandal

Caught in the Spotlight of the Problematic Second Prince

Sera had just finished showering. Even though she had slept again in her dorm after returning from the motel that morning, her whole body still felt like it had been flattened by a royal carriage. Every joint protested, her back felt as if the god of chaos had stomped on it, and her head felt as heavy as a sacred royal tombstone.

“Ugh… I’m dying…” she groaned, sitting down slowly. “I overslept! I was supposed to visit the hospital today—it’s Sunday! I need to be with Mom!”

Before she could properly mourn her tragic life, the door to her room burst open. Standing there was her dormmate—her best friend, even though they were from different majors.

Mikaila Zidth, a.k.a. Mika.

Mika squinted sharply… then stared straight at the man’s jacket hanging on Sera’s chair.

“Sera…” Mika’s voice dropped to the tone of a royal judge right before announcing a death sentence. “I was planning to scold you for not coming home last night and not sending any message, but now—this. This is much more important.”

Sera blinked. “?”

“Why,” Mika said slowly, “is there a man’s jacket in your room?”

Sera panicked instantly. “M-Mika, I’m just a victim of my environment!”

Mika raised a brow. “What kind of environment flings a man’s jacket onto my best friend’s body?!”

“Th-the royal environment,” Sera whispered.

Mika fell silent for five whole seconds as her brain tried to process that absurd combination of words.
Royal? Environment? What kind of answer was THAT?

Sera rushed to grab the jacket. “Anyway! It’s not what you think! There was no man! No scandal! No romantic scene! There was only… vomit!”

Mika stared at her. Long. Very long.

“…Sera. Did you drink?”

“NO! HE drank!”

“He? Who is he?”

“The Pr—never mind that, Mika. Let’s pretend this whole conversation never happened. If I say his name, his bad luck will transfer to you!”

“Hah? What are you even talking about? You’re not making any sense!”

“The point is: he got drunk and vomited on my clothes. End of story. I’m hungry!”

“I already made breakfast an hour ago! You wouldn’t wake up no matter what I did!”

Sera bolted out of the room before Mika could interrogate her further. She grabbed a plate of rice and turned on her phone.

And instantly regretted it.

Her screen exploded with notifications.

[NEWS BREAKING] Second Prince spotted drunk, escorted by mysterious woman!
[TRENDING #1] #WhoIsTheGirl
[TRENDING #2] ‘The Prince and the Barmaid?’

Sera froze.

“…………..WHAT?!”

She scrolled further down.

There it was: a blurry—very blurry—photo.
But still recognizable.

A tall, staggering man (Isac)…
being carried and half-dragged by a small woman (Sera).

Sera let out a dying-goat noise.

“AAAH—I’M DEAD! I’M SO DEAD!!”

The whole kingdom was in chaos.
Viral. Trending everywhere.

And all she wanted to do that morning was sleep after cleaning up the prince’s vomit.

She covered her face with both hands.
“Why is my life like this… Why… why…”

Mika entered the kitchen carrying Sera’s dirty clothes.

“Sera, I saw the news this morning. There was a picture of someone carrying—well, dragging—the Second Prince. The silhouette… kinda looks like you…? Skinny, long legs, same posture.”

Sera snapped upright like a zombie caught pretending to be dead.

“HAH? HA-HA-HA.”
Her laugh was painfully suspicious.
“That’s impossible! There are millions of girls in this world—am I the only one with skinny legs and long limbs?!”

Mika nodded slowly. “Your reaction is really strange. But of course that girl isn’t you. That would be ridiculous.”

“Yes! Ridiculous! Utter nonsense! Ha ha ha…”

“It’s so unrealistic that if it were you, I would roll across the football field seven times!”

“…”

Sera could only grimace.

“The prince is always causing chaos. The public’s used to it by now.”

In her heart, Sera curled into a ball in misery.

If they ever find out that it really was me… I’m finished.

Wait… does that mean she’d also witness Mika rolling around the football field seven times?

---

Meanwhile, at the small motel…

Prince Isac opened his eyes… and immediately closed them again.

His head felt like someone had smashed it with a hammer.
No—two hammers.
No—an entire warehouse of hammers.

Okay, maybe that was dramatic.

But it hurt. A lot.

“Ugh…”

He slowly tried to sit up.

His shirt had been cleaned.
He was in a motel room.
A blanket covered him.

And… a small note sat on the table.

Isac stared at it.
Read it.

His cold face gradually flushed in irritation.

“‘That poor… bar server…’? Seriously?”

He wanted to throw a pillow at the wall.

He massaged his temples, trying to recall the night before.

There were vague fragments…
the face of a small girl… long black hair… a soft voice…

But everything was blurry.

“Hana…?” he murmured.

He wasn’t sure.

But one thing he was sure of:
the bar server must have been the one who dragged him here.
The note proved it.

Before he could think further, someone knocked.
A royal staff member entered.

Of course.
The palace always found him quickly.

“Your Highness, apologies for disturbing you, but… you need to see this.”

He handed over a tablet.

A giant headline flashed across it:

SECOND PRINCE DRUNK & RUNNING AWAY WITH MYSTERY WOMAN!? FUTURE OF THE CROWN IN DANGER!

Isac froze.

…then a smile slowly formed.

But not a nice smile.

A smile that said:
someone is going to die today.

“A ‘mystery woman’, hmm?”

The staff swallowed nervously.
“Y-yes… And the article says she… carried you.”

“She carried me?”

“Y-yes, Your Highness.”

Isac covered his face.

He wanted to faint again.
He had been carried by a tiny woman?

What kind of humiliation was this?

Then he saw the picture.
Blurry, but unmistakably him.

And the girl.

And…

His jacket.

The jacket where he kept something precious—
the necklace that once belonged to his late mother.

His chest tightened.

He looked around the room.

The necklace… was not here.

Either it was still inside the jacket—
or…

…that bar server took it.

His jaw clenched.

“She said she wasn’t a thief,” he muttered darkly. “But my mother’s necklace is missing.”

The staff spoke carefully, “We’re currently looking for—”

“No need,” Isac cut him off, his voice cold.
“I will find her myself.”

His eyes sharpened like a blade.

Barmaid, commoner, peasant, or enemy—
it didn’t matter.

She held his jacket.
And inside that jacket… was the last thing he had of his mother.

“Whoever she is,” Isac whispered, voice chilling, “I’ll find her.”

---

Sera spent the afternoon at the hospital. She arrived late, apologizing to her mother, who immediately forgave her since she knew Sera worked late-night shifts.

As usual, the hospital was busy, but Sera never complained. She stayed because her mother was the only family she had left.

Ever since her mother’s illness worsened, requiring full hospitalization, Sera had chosen a dorm near both the hospital and her campus. Every day she traveled between school, the bar, and her mother’s room.

It was exhausting—but Sera never let herself complain.
For her mother, she’d do anything.

By evening—though it was Sunday—she had to work again. Overtime meant double pay. She desperately needed it.

“Finally done! And the best part: no annoying customers today—especially not the problematic Second Prince! Yayyyy!”

But before her joy could take shape, three men in black suits approached her.

“Miss Seraphina Angela Smith?”

Sera froze. “Uh… yes? What’s wrong?”

The three men bowed politely.

“His Highness the Second Prince requests your presence. Immediately.”

Sera’s soul left her body.

“WHAT?! Why would a prince want to see me?!”

One man replied flatly:

“To prevent a larger scandal, Miss.”