I was possessed by the villain’s daughter.

EPISODE 12

Altheo Ulysses was sixteen years old, and he was known for being a very talented young man and a favorite of the Emperor.

It was a testament to his exceptional abilities that many believe he will be the next in line for the throne, despite his family’s power and lack of support.

He leaned closer to me, his shoes clicking together.

“I may be the fair prince, but I have my eye on only one person tonight. Will you dance with me, young lady?”

I heard gasps all around me. I hesitated.

I had told the young ladies that Eddie would be my first dance. But it was also hard to publicly reject the prince’s request.

“Oh, do you think….”

He withdrew his hand as I hesitated.

“Do you have a pre-arranged date?”

“…I’m afraid not. I’ve arranged for my first dance to be with my brother Edwin. Forgive my rudeness.”

How was he going to get out of this?

I looked up into his face. I thought he might be a little offended, but he nodded nonchalantly.

“Of course, I don’t mind that it’s not my first dance. I’m sure you’re thrilled to have your first dance with your brother, but how about a second dance?”

“I would be honored. My prince.”

I bowed, bending my knees lightly. He escorted me to Eddie’s side. As I glanced over, Lupe’s face looked as if her world had fallen apart.

‘She likes the First Emperor.’

Despite her mean-spiritedness, I felt a little sorry for Lupe. The prince hadn’t paid her any attention.

Eddie looked a little puzzled when he saw me being escorted by the Emperor, but he quickly accepted my hand.

Eddie and I lightly stepped to the center of the ballroom, and, like butterflies in flight, we stepped to a lively tune, and the first dance was over before we knew it.

When it was over, Eddie and I walked back to the prince, who stood leaning against the wall with his arms folded, having not yet danced his first dance with anyone. Seeing me, Alteo held out his hand to me.

The second song was upbeat and fast.

Even though I claimed to have mastered ballroom dancing, I couldn’t help but feel nervous about dancing in front of such a difficult piece and a nervous audience. I realized only afterward that the prince was talking to me.

“…What? Sin, I’m sorry.”

“He said he hadn’t seen you in a while. Lila Youngae.”

“Oh, yeah.”

I replied hastily.

I wondered if he and I had ever been close.

My father had asked me, “Are you happy?” when he broke the news of the prince’s arrival.

I wondered if he and I were on some level close, but I was confused because I couldn’t read Alteo’s mind.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a crush on him.

He was close to my age, handsome, a first crown prince, and ambitious and capable enough. And he waited for me to ask me to our first dance, even though I had turned down his request.

But…,

“Why?

I felt strangely uneasy making eye contact with him. It was nothing like the peacefulness I felt when I was with my family.

I had a strange feeling that something bad would happen if I was with him. Maybe it was an instinctive feeling that warned me of danger.

In any case, I wanted to avoid him.

That attitude must have manifested itself in the dance. I was subconsciously dancing to avoid confronting him.

When the dance was over and I was about to bow out of politeness and go on my way, he whispered in a low voice.

“Can we talk on the balcony for a moment?”

Suspicious.

I looked up at him.

Was it the right thing to follow him?

I hesitated.

“But I need to get information.

I’d been studying him, poring over books every day, trying to figure out what he knew about the rebellion and how it would happen, and here he was, right in front of me.

I had no reason to refuse.

“Okay.”

I took his hand and we headed out to the balcony.

The white balcony on Roshahil Street was furnished with slender wooden chairs and a white, round table.

But he didn’t sit there, he leaned against the railing.

Since he didn’t say anything, I became a little uncomfortable.

Since it was fall, the sun was setting faster than in summer. I could see the dusk in the sky turning his golden eyes scarlet. What was he thinking about?

As I pondered, I decided to take the fast track, which is to say, I decided to confront him.

“Why did you invite me here?”

I blurted out, and he responded nonchalantly.

“Is it weird for me to be talking to you alone?”

“No, it’s not, but….”

I shut my mouth. The conversation fizzled out.

Unsure of what to say, I slowly brushed the railing of the balcony. The dust-free balcony was decorated with pink and white flowers. After staring at them meaninglessly, I said.

“If you don’t have anything to say, I’m going to go inside….”

“Wait.”

His eyes looked up. His golden gaze seemed to pierce me. He was a straightforward, confident man, and it would never suit him to hide or deflect.

He spoke.

“Laila.”

Laila.

His words stuck in my head.

“…Yes.”

“Why won’t you send me a letter now?”

“Letters?

I wondered what that meant.

I opened my eyes wide.

“A letter…from Hashem.”

What does that mean?

I racked my brain desperately. Did he mean that the First Emperor and ‘Laila’ had been exchanging letters all this time? I swear I’d never heard that before.

“The last letter was…, about three months ago.”

But the timing coincided with my arrival here. It was clear he wasn’t just thinking of me. Besides, he wouldn’t know that I’d lost my memory.

He looked at me with a slightly reminiscent look on his face.

“I think about your letters a lot,” he said. I think a lot during the months when you don’t write to me. Do you know if….”

I stared at the prince’s mouth in disbelief.

“I wonder if you’ve stopped loving me.”

“…!!!”

My eyes widened in surprise.

“What…did he just say?

I stared at the prince. But he was looking at me nonchalantly as if he had said the obvious.

There was no hesitation in his voice.

“You say I love Alteo?

It couldn’t be.

No one had told me about her relationship with the First Prince.

Even in the original story, Laila’s love for the First Prince was never mentioned…

“…!!!”

A sentence flashed through my mind.

Why didn’t I realize it until now?

No, it was just a single sentence, so it might be a miracle that I realized it now.

In “The Story of Elia,” Elia overcomes her Korean heritage to become the first prince. But Lila is jealous of her and tries all sorts of tricks to torment her, and Duke Roshahil betroths her to the First Prince.

My father, the Duke of Roshahil, would never do anything against my will. Besides, my father, who had a love marriage, always told me and my brothers to marry who we love.

All of which leads to only one conclusion.

Laila has been in love with Alteo.

Does that mean that all of her bullying of Serne and the others, all of her traveling with Lupe, all of her timidness… it wasn’t just because she was timid… it was because she loved Alteo?

For a moment, her vision seemed to spin.

Lupe’s reaction finally made sense.

“You’re not interested in the First Prince?

Such a shocked face,

“I told you that the First Prince is coming to this banquet. Aren’t you happy?

My father’s response.

“Happy birthday. Happy birthday, Roshahil.

The First Prince came to my birthday banquet.

So that’s what it was all about.

As I stood there reeling from my new realization, Altheo spoke.

“Are you all right?”

He asked, genuinely concerned for me. But I didn’t have the presence of mind to answer.

My age is 14 today, and I’m engaged to him at 17, so at least ‘I’ have had a crush on him for over three years. I don’t know if it’s true love or not.

I looked up at the First Prince with trembling eyes.

I had goosebumps.

I knew that Princess Roshahil was called a wicked woman.

But life here was nothing like what I’d read in the novels, so I figured the rumors must have been exaggerated.

But what if Laila was blinded by love and did what she did? What if she was leading the way and bullying others?

Laila bullies Elia, and then gets her ass kicked.

I was terrified that maybe this was my reality, my future.

“She’s very white.”

The first prince stared at me intently. The room had grown dark around us.

“…It’s okay.”

No, let’s not fret. That future was not going to happen now that I was here.

When I interrupted, the prince merely shrugged.

“Okay, I won’t ask again. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“….”

“Perhaps I’ve been prying too much, and I don’t feel good about it.”

The prince walked over to me and patted me on the shoulder. It was an intimate touch.

“…….”

I clamped my mouth shut. What did the prince think of me? Was this an act of consideration for a girl who loves him? Or was it mere social courtesy?

The prince left me alone, saying he would give me time to think.

I chewed my lip.

It was clear that Lila loved him. My mind raced, and I leaned against the railing for a moment, unable to control my dizziness.

“…I wonder what I should do next.”

I let out a sigh into the air. The lights of the garden flickered in the distance.

“…?”

But something was wrong.

A light green glow that looked like it came from a glow-in-the-dark ball was coming toward me.

“Fireflies?

But the light was forming a perfect circle.

It came closer to me and hovered around me.

I spun around in a panic, and magically, I spotted someone.

“Thea?”