Extra-Changing Fate

Chapter 28 ==Villainess' Birthday==

A hush fell over the opulent ballroom as the announcer's voice boomed, "Entering Lady Alyssa Glaze Silverton, Prince Marcus Dratican of The Western Empire!" All eyes immediately turned to us, though it was clear their gaze lingered more on my cousin, Prince Marcus.

He had been annoyingly insistent on staying by my side all evening, his hand a constant, unwelcome weight on my arm. I had no idea what thoughts churned behind his charming smile, but his incessant clinging made my skin crawl. I loathed it.

The moment we stepped onto the gleaming ballroom floor, a familiar scene unfolded. As always, a flurry of ladies descended upon Prince Marcus, their faces alight with eager smiles. This sudden attention was, thankfully, my liberation. I swiftly slipped my hand from his grasp, a sense of relief washing over me.

Though I had originally intended to prevent him from ever meeting the heroine – to keep him from being 'bewitched' by her charm – I found my resolve wavering. If he continued to annoy me, I might just reconsider my noble intentions.

There was a phenomenon I'd come to call the 'Heroine's Buff.' It was said that no matter how much you initially disliked the heroine, you would eventually come to admire or even love her. The only exceptions were the villainesses, who seemed destined by birth to harbor an inherent hatred and desire to torment her.

I began to weave through the throng of dancing couples and chattering guests, my eyes scanning the crowd. I was searching for a specific person: a lady with hair the color of bubblegum pink, and eyes as blue as a summer sky.

As I moved, I couldn't help but notice the gazes of the noblemen scattered around the room.

Their eyes followed me, and a faint blush crept up their cheeks. Perhaps it was because I looked so different tonight? To be honest, I was far more elaborately dressed than for any other ball or party I'd attended. My cherished white hair, usually styled up, now flowed freely down my back, adorned with delicate silver ornaments. Ellie, my maid, had outdone herself, dressing me in a sparkling, off-shoulder pink gown that shimmered down to my knees. It was perfectly complemented by four-inch, equally sparkling pink heels. Even I, who used to be so particular about appearances, found myself stunning tonight. If anyone in the room didn't find Lady Alyssa beautiful this evening, they were either blind or simply pretending not to notice.

My eyes continued to wander around the grand hall until they finally settled on her: the lady with bubblegum pink hair, shrinking timidly in a quiet corner.

I offered a gentle smile as I walked purposefully towards her. "Are you Lady Catherine Nizel?" I asked, my voice soft, drawing her attention. Slowly, she turned around, and I was truly taken aback by her beauty. It was no wonder she was the heroine.

"Ah, yes! You must be Lady Amelia? Wait, your appearance is nothing like hers. Who are you, miss?" she asked timidly.

My eyebrow twitched upwards. 'Miss'? She was being incredibly rude! A disconcerting feeling settled in my gut. Something felt wrong about our heroine. Perhaps I was overthinking it; Catherine had lived her life in the countryside, so maybe she hadn't learned proper etiquette yet.

"I'm Alyssa, Sister Amelia's little sister," I introduced myself, slowly raising my head to meet her gaze. But as I did, her expression darkened, a flash of something unpleasant crossing her features. Instinctively, I lowered my head again. What on earth did I just see?

When I cautiously lifted my eyes once more, she was smiling innocently. "Ah, forgive me, Miss Alyssa. My father told me that Lady Amelia would be the one to escort me," she explained.

I forced a fake smile in return. Was she implying I wasn't good enough to escort her? And she still kept calling me 'Miss'! Did this woman truly lack basic etiquette?

"Ah, yes," I replied, "but my sister asked me a favor to look after you, since she's going to be quite busy tonight, being the birthday girl and all." She merely nodded.

Catherine Nizel. Something was definitely off about her. First, her unexpectedly early appearance at the ball felt highly suspicious.

And her arrogant, almost entitled, demeanor was completely unlike the naive, kind original heroine from the story. Was this truly how she was meant to be? Ugh! I didn't know anymore.

Everything had been a mess ever since I realized the Marquis loved me, the King harbored affection for me, Killian was flirting with me, and my grandfather surprisingly favored me. None of this was supposed to happen, except for the Marquis's affections, of course. Maybe I should have just run away from it all.

"By the way, Lady Alyssa," she stated, her tone deceptively innocent, "I heard you're the last in the family rankings and shouldn't be favored. So why are you showered with jewelry and all these expensive things?"

I couldn't help but notice the thinly veiled resentment in her eyes. I offered her a cool, polite smile. "Oh! You didn't know? Well, I presume you wouldn't, living in the countryside. But I'll enlighten you: My grandfather likes me. And that, my dear, changes everything." As I delivered those words, she fell silent for a moment, her expression unreadable. Most nobles no longer dared to speak ill of me after discovering my grandfather's unexpected favoritism. It seemed Catherine was not privy to that crucial piece of information.

I studied her appearance carefully, taking her in from head to toe. The original story claimed most male leads fell for her because she was supposedly so similar to Alyssa. But from where I stood, we were nothing alike, not in the slightest. And given her arrogant demeanor, it strongly suggested she knew something about the future. I needed to be very careful around this woman. I realized I would likely need Kian's help again. I just hoped his payment this time wouldn't be anything too strange.

"Cousin Alyssa! There you are!" My thoughts were abruptly shattered as Prince Marcus suddenly appeared, grabbing my right arm and pulling me close. His eyes immediately fell on Catherine, who returned his gaze with a smile—not a genuinely happy one, but unmistakably seductive.

Ugh!

I recoiled internally. Our heroine was supposed to be innocent and naive, not a seductive brat! What on earth was happening to this world?

"Who are you?" Prince Marcus's voice was laced with an unexpected coldness, yet Catherine maintained her alluring smile.

"I'm Lady Catherine Nizel, Your Highness Prince Marcus," she introduced herself flawlessly. My suspicions deepened. She was clearly an expert in etiquette. So, had she deliberately called me 'Miss' earlier instead of 'Lady'? She must be absolutely insane.

"By the way, Lady Catherine," I interjected, my own smile just as fake, "how is life in the countryside?" I tried to keep my tone light, making sure not to be too obvious with my underlying intention.

"It's very beautiful, Miss Alyssa, the air and the scenery are lovely... but that doesn't mean the Capital is ugly," she replied, giving my cousin a look that I found utterly disgusting. Truly. To think I was actually starting to hate the heroine.

Just then, another voice echoed through the ballroom: "Entering Her Ladyship, Lady Amelia Claire Silverton!"