Living as a Low-Class is the Princess's Dream!

Chapter 20: Childhood

W-What..? What happened? Where am I?

I opened my eyes and a grey ceiling with a fluorescent light greeted me. I looked around and I saw my computer with a lot of sticky notes on it still on top of my desk. The books on my medium-sized shelf full of messy bookmarks were arranged alphabetically. I saw my garbage bin full of crumpled paper and wrappers of chips.

I felt my legs being numb so I slowly walked towards my human-sized soft-edged mirror. I gasped seeing my reflection and I even pinched my forearm to confirm that it's real.

Is this really me? Oh yeah, this was me. This was from my past life, as Choi Hae-In. Ah, I could still feel the painful sensation of the leather belt against my delicate skin. How my mom grabbed my hair forcefully and pushed my face against the pillow.

My dad died when I was five so mom couldn't bear to lose me too. So she controlled my life; who I should associate myself with, how my day goes, everything.

She was the dark blanket that covered the small light, the small hope I had to live. She trampled on it again and again, making me lose my sanity as the days went by. Until one day, I was already devoid of any emotions. I only felt boredom and dullness.

I was bored of everything because I always excel at everything, at least that's what my mom pushes me to be. I was like a robot being controlled; I lost all my hope to live just because of my only parent that is paranoid of me losing to others.

My dad left us a great fortune that we were able to afford everything we need. So mom bought all the instruments she could and told me to learn playing all of them perfectly within half a year. I barely passed her test and she devised another one. She asked me to solve a thousand-paged book filled with only complex mathematical equations that even mathematicians struggled to solve.

She said that I can only finish it within a month or I'll be cut off from my inheritance. I, desperate to survive till the end, spent all of my time solving it and even came up with shortcuts to answer all of them. When I finished it, my mom gave it to the authorities and they gave my mom five million won.

Then she tested me again, learning at least ten languages in four months. All the scientists deemed it impossible but I still tried and I succeeded. I was dubbed the 'Tentalinguistical Prodigy' and I received the Nobel Prize. My name was known throughout the world and many tried to surpass me but they all failed.

Another test came, it was about learning fencing and archery. Mom gave me a month to prepare and invited renowned fencers and archers from all over the world. Thankfully, I defeated them without losing.

She stopped from giving me tests and told me to study in a public school to have normal life. But it was opposite from what I had imagined, they all mocked me for being too arrogant just because I had those 'useless' awards.

But then a girl defended me, she even had a fistfight with the guy who was about to hit me. Everyone present was sent to the headmaster's office. All the students blamed me as the perpetrator but I just stayed still to watch what the headmaster will do.

The girl who defended me tried to reason her way out of the mess and she failed. The headmaster punished us to clean the school grounds and kicked all of us out of his office. The girl and I headed to the storage room to get some brooms, dust pans, sacks and leaf-pickers.

"Hello, it's an honor to meet you! I'm Ji-Eun, Sung Ji-Eun. I'm your biggest fan since you started!" Her hair was tied into a ponytail and her bangs was covering her eyes. She has some freckles on her face and has a headphone hung on her neck.

"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Hae-In, Choi Hae-In. Thanks for being my fan but I didn't do it because I want to or because it's my calling." I blankly replied and picked up some squeezed soda cans and empty water bottles.

"You know, you looked a lot prettier when you first appeared on a talk show. You should smile more, that'll bring out your beauty!" She remarked but I just tilted my head in confusion.

I'm pretty? Impossible, she must be joking.

"Thanks, you too!" I showed her a faint smile and continued cleaning.

When it was done, we walked together until we reached the school gate.

"Ji-Hyun, I'm sorry for what's about to happen. I know mom already knows that I've befriended you and she will do whatever it takes to keep us apart. She could either bribe you or physically hurt you, I'm sorry for repaying you like this!" I lowered my head.

"It's fine, at least I got to meet my idol. I almost forgot, you should read 'Princes' Unsatisfied Hedonism for the Saintly Princess'. It's really popular lately and almost all copies are sold out, I'm sure you'll be able to get one considering your connections. Okay, bye!"

I hurriedly opened my phone and ordered a copy online. My mom arrived with a black limousine to fetch me. When we got home, I went straight to my room and moments later, a drone came in through the window with a box in its claws.

I read the summary.

'I was just busy living an ordinary life when some knights arrived at the door. My mom showed her true colors by trying to kill me but I was saved by anonymous guys a little older than me and we set out to the Imperial capital.

There I learned that I was actually the lost princess and I went missing for ten years. I was just struggling to my new life as a member of the Imperial family when a prince declared me as his fiancée. I was dumbstruck and annoyed, how dare he!

I tried shaking him off but instead, other princes from neighboring empires keep following me around. Why do they keep doing this? They'd even fight for no reason and my brother kept explaining why they do, are they hiding something?

Will I be able to live a normal life? Or will I tie the knot with one of the princes? Will I take part in the intense battle to ascend to the throne or will I be the ruler of another empire?'

Maybe the plot is interesting, one of its genres is drama after all.

Wait, isn't this story familiar somehow? It's like...