She isn't able to get any sleep even if she wanted.

Looking now at the passed out man aside from her bed she guessed he appeared peaceful in his own pathetic kind of way. She assumed it had been some time since Alexandra had deemed to speak to him let alone invite him into bed.

Despite being drunk, the look of pure bliss his face made as he slept soundly told her that he was contempt, knowing he laid upon the same silks that graced his beloved princess when she slept.

Not even stirring when she reached over to pinch his cheek. She **** a benevolent smile onto her face and tried to remember that patience was a virtue. That was until the door busted open. ‘Doesn’t anyone knock anymore?’

She looked over to the opened door, which brought light from the hallway into the dark bedroom. “Your Highness! It is I.”

The familiar maid panting quickly as she struggled to form her words “There has been an emergency!”

“Get to the point.” As soon as she had said the words, the maid followed by a soldier who knelt and bowed his head.

“The prince of Vangandar…” The soldier paused as if he had made a mistake and he corrected himself. “The former prince of Vangandar and a palace servant were discovered trying to run away during the night!”

‘What now?’ She pressed a hand to her forehead.

---

A man and woman knelt before her.

“What made you try something like this?” She sat in front of him with one leg crossed over the other and shook her head like she found him pathetic. “Are you asking me to kill you?”

“You said with your own mouth that you would let us go…..”

“Yes, I did say that. But I never said you could go like this.”

She glanced at the woman. Who was staring straight at back with clear, crimson eyes. One thing was for sure, she wasn’t the tiniest bit afraid. She either wasn’t afraid of **** or didn't have any reason to be. This was Mina the novel's main heroine and lead protagonist.

A chill ran down her spine as she came face to face with the character she’d followed for most of her young adult life. Mina was word for word how she appeared from the novel, the picturesque innocent young woman. Not even twenty she was the polar opposite of her villainess counterpart. Where Alexandra was tall she was short, instead of locks of gold she had lavish cruels of black hair, instead of the piercing blue eyes of a paranoid future monarch she had the wide-eyed crimson of an uncorrupted palace maid.

A girl like this resembled the perfect image of the rags to riches character of Mina. Unable to keep eye contact with the girl, she remembered that her execution was one of the main triggers that lead to Richard’s very successful **** attempt on Alexandra, however since the novel ended on a cliffhanger she always had the suspicion that Mina wasn’t killed off but ferried away by another male lead. ‘There was no way that someone like this would’ve died. The fans would riot!’

Her train thought was broken by Dimitri shouting out in a voice laced with desperation. “I despise you. I despise you, princess!”

“I know.” It would be a lie to say those words didn’t sting. She sighed. “I’m not that stupid, you know? Stop repeating things everyone already knows, it’s getting dull.”

Dimitri was unable to think of a comeback to her candour.

“I asked you why.”

“….It was to get Mina away from you as fast as possible. I didn’t want to find out what things you had planned.”

“I said I wasn’t going to do anything.”

“If you were me, would you believe that?” He laughed before adding. “Kill me.” His expression hardened.

“Is your life only worth that much to you?”

“…….”

“If that’s not it, is that woman’s life that important to you?”

Dimitri’s face relaxed. “Yes.”

She looked back over to Mina who had no response to the devotion the man aside of her had just presented. The girl only continued to stare blankly at the princess. ‘Now she's starting to freak me out.’

Both their eyes met once but she finally noticed Mina biting her lip.

“It will be okay, Mina.” Dimitri squeezed her hand while keeping his head held high. Mina made her decision.

Mina pulled her hand from his. Dimitri didn’t seem surprised. His eyes still fixed on his jailor, he said. “Isn’t my life enough to take out your anger?”

“…….”

“You said it yourself. That everything word from your mouth is the truth or would soon become the truth. Then prove it. You said that you wouldn’t touch this woman if it’s what I wanted.”

“I said that I wouldn’t do anything to you.”

“Take those words back, Princess. It is as simple as that.”

“…..How stubborn you are, former prince of Vanagandr.” She stated.

Dimitri’s eyes signaled his surrender. The dark pupils and blood-red irises which had contained so much murderous intent, were trying to submit to her now.

Mina, who had been waiting for her chance, shouted out. “Your Highness! I was dragged into this! I swear it’s the truth!”

This surprised her as like the painting before this was brand new to her, never had she seen Mina react in such a manner. She wondered if this was the sight the princess was used to. If she had looked down like this and seen the ugliness of those who were willing to do anything to survive even if it meant stepping on others.

Though thinking back to the novel there were never any scenes where Mina and Alexandra interacted with one another aside from a number of glances. This might just have been Mina simply being terrified.

“Your Highness! I had no part -!”

“Stop.” She felt like throwing up.“You had no part in this?”

“Please spare me!” Mina crawled over to her on their knees and grabbed onto the princess’ ankle.

“That man and I...“

“‘Definitely know each other.’” She finished Mina’s sentence.

“Y-Your Highness! I – !”

“‘If he lives I live, if he dies I die…’. Say it, Mina.” She continued placing the words in the girl’s mouth to something that resembled a line of what Mina from the novel would have spoken before she added and softly touched the girl’s cheek. “Like that man is doing for you.”

“……”

“Now.”

“I, I’m……”

“You love him, right?”

‘Just say it even if you don’t mean it. That man over there is laying down his life for you. You made him like that. So take some responsibility.’

As if she was in a trance, Mina stared into the older woman's eyes and murmured. “I don’t want to die….”

‘So that’s how it is?’

She cut the girl off before they could’ve finished. “I see, if that’s how you feel then I guess there’s no helping it.”

“Your Highness!!”

“I’ll let you go. Both of you.”

“W-What are you…….”

“On one condition – that you leave and never return to this place.”

“……”

She brought her face close to Mina’s confused one and whispered. “Just do as I say. Don’t be greedier than this.”

‘Don’t get me killed.’ She thought to herself as it was the best situation to prevent Richard from having any reason to want her dead. To give Dimitri some moderate amount of happiness after what Alexandra had done to him and as long as he had Mina by his side, Dimitri would cleanly give up on any plans for ****.

“I’ll give you all the funds you need, enough so that you’ll be set for life.”

“You’re letting us go?” Dimitri asked. She didn’t respond. The important thing was what Mina would decide. Mina was silent.

“….Mina?”

Then it happened. From behind her, a form emerged from the darkness and slowly walked into the light. It was Vizima. ‘Managed to get out of my bed I see?’

It was an ambush.

Dimitri’s eyes immediately went to Vizima. He caught her staring and their eyes met. But then he quietly lowered his eyes again. It appeared that he’d realized that everything she had said was true about Mina’s affair with another one of the princess’s concubines.

“How could you do this to me?” Vizima all but confirmed it as staggered over to Mina and dropped down in front of her. “Tell me, Mina!”

As Vizima tried to grab Mina’s shoulders, Dimitri caught his arm.

Sparks flew between the two men as they locked gazes. It felt like they would start throwing punches at any moment.

“Let go of me.”

“………”

“I said, let go!”

‘Why am I stuck here in the middle of the night watching this frustrating soap opera of a love triangle?’ She wanted to yell at everyone to get out and finally get some sleep. She pressed a hand to her forehead before looking up again.

“You get on your knees too.”

“What?”

As she stared at him pointedly, Vizima shifted his body around and knelt next to Mina. She looked over them and let out a deep sigh.

‘Well that was easy, being in the princess’s body does have it’s perks besides the nice body but now I’ve got to play matchmaker.’

“I’ll just let you go too.”

“What?”

“I’m saying I’ll free you from your status as a concubine.”

Vizima looked at her with an incredulous expression.

“Go to the person you want.” She looked at Dimitri and said. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“I don’t...”

“So he says. Don’t you have any pride?” Vizima scoffed, looking at Dimitri. But Dimitri seemed like he didn’t think it was worth it to respond. Unable to take it anymore, Vizima shouted at Mina.

“Even if he is fine with it, I won’t accept this! You, tell the truth! What’s your real goal?” He was pretty amazing asking the main character of a reverse harem that kind of question.

“I’m…” Mina lowered her head. Though she tried to hide it, the princess saw the corners of her lips twitch up.

She was really too much.

Just like that, Mina bowed her head low and declared,

“I don’t want to leave! Your Highness, I came to this palace to serve you. I’m innocent! I don’t know this man! The idea that I have anything to do with him is ridiculous!”

‘I literally have read your story you crazy bitch! I know who you’re screwing!’

Vizima gaped at her.

“Please allow me to remain here! Please allow me to serve you, Your Highness!”

She couldn’t believe that she was trying to use this as an opportunity to become her personal maid.