The Fallen Princess

The Third Fall

Listening to Carla's familiar voice was infuriating. Eve never imagined there would come a day when she would be mocked by the same girl who used to follow her around. Carla stood in front of her desk with two of her followers, wearing a smug expression she once never dared to show. The widening, cruel smiles on their faces made resentment anchor itself deeply within Eve. The humiliation stung; a single sentence was enough to crush the pride she had held for years.

With a reluctant breath, she acknowledged the truth.

She was now a fallen princess.

But beneath that admission, something hardened. 

I'll reclaim my standing. Watch carefully, Carla. When I return, you'll regret this. Mark my words.

Eve stayed silent. Starting a fight would achieve nothing, and revenge of her betrayal required patience. Carla seemed satisfied with Eve's restrained expression and gestured for her followers to follow her back to their seats. Instead of paying attention to the lesson, Carla whispered with her sidekicks, likely planning new methods of torment.

The bullying continued throughout the class: a lizard slipped into Eve's bag, an attempt to trip her, constant snickering behind her back. It felt like a cliché scene from a drama, except it was real, everything felt surreal for Eve.

"Hey, Eve." Kelly's voice pulled her from her thoughts. The girl quietly slipped a folded paper onto her desk. "If you ever need guidance, just call me."

Fortunately, Kelly shared the same second and last classes with her. By the time the day ended, Eve found herself with two new allies—Kelly, and Edmund.

"Thanks," Eve said. Despite her surprise at Kelly's bluntness earlier, she appreciated the sincerity. In the past, she had been too consumed with flirting and having fun to understand how severe the bullying culture at this school really was.

Now she had a new focus, and she was one step closer to her goal.

If I plan this carefully enough, I'll be right beside Edmund—as his girlfriend.

After school, Eve made her way to the bus stop for the first time in her life, holding the messy, nearly unreadable map her father had drawn for her. On the way to school, Gary had informed her he couldn't pick her up due to a meeting with the private investigator. He had slipped the map into her hand without further explanation.

Eve checked her watch repeatedly as she waited. She wasn't familiar with bus routes, and anxiety grew every minute the bus failed to appear.

Just as she wondered whether she would ever figure out the way home, a sleek car pulled up in front of her. The tinted rear window slid down.

Edmund.

Jackpot!

Eve felt a lift in her chest.

"Eve, do you need a ride?" he asked. His clear blue eyes were calm and sincere. The sight alone made her smile instinctively.

"Yes." 

As soon as Edmund shifted to the opposite side of the back seat, she entered and closed the door behind her. The distance between them vanished instantly, and the faint scent of her rosy soap filled the confined space—a soft, clean fragrance that lingered in the air around them. It was subtle but unexpectedly intimate in such close quarters, and Edmund stiffened immediately.

Eve slipped her hand around his arm, a familiar reflex of her usual flirtation.

"What are you doing?" Edmund asked, sounding uncomfortable. The closeness was already difficult for him to handle, and the gentle scent of rose only heightened his unease.

Eve frowned. Normally boys were thrilled when she touched them. They smiled, blushed, tried to impress her.

Edmund looked tense instead.

"Let go, will you?" he said.

Feeling offended but complying, she released his arm.

"I'm sorry... you must be disgusted," Eve murmured, disappointment weighing in her voice. Failing twice in one day was a bruising experience she wasn't used to.

Fine. Maybe he's just being polite. A girl like me, in this state... someone like him probably has perfect, wealthy girls lining up for him.

Her downcast tone and expression triggered another wave of guilt in Edmund, his posture changing immediately. Eve noticed and raised a brow faintly, confused by his shift.

"I didn't mean that," Edmund said quickly, almost too quickly. Without realizing the effect she had on him, she rested her hand on his arm again. Edmund instinctively tried to move away, but she whispered softly, "If you're not disgusted... then let me do this."

He froze.

Edmund, as the charming kind-hearted prince, had turned away countless admirers before, but something about Eve—the closeness, the warmth, the rose scent—made him hesitate in a way he couldn't explain. Against his better judgment, he allowed her to remain close.

If Eve were in his position, she would assume he disliked her but tolerated her because of kindness and reputation. In reality, his reaction was simply confusion— she affected him in ways he didn't understand.

Still, offering to be her chemistry partner and insisting on helping her had earned him a silent approval from Eve. In her mind, these were steps toward becoming closer.

Uncomfortable after a moment, Edmund cleared his throat and asked where her home was. Eve studied the map and said it was near the Yave-Supermarket by Tycan Park. He relayed the directions to his chauffeur, who drove accordingly.

As the journey is quite long, Eve asked to open a conversation, "Do you usually offer rides to fallen students?"

"Fallen?" Edmund blinked, his eyes full of confusion, "What's that?"

"You know... bankrupt students," she answered, twirling her hair lightly.

"I've never heard that term," Edmund replied. "And no — you're the first person I've ever offered to drive home, besides my childhood friends."

The moment the words left his mouth, Edmund felt a flicker of confusion.
Why had he offered?
He couldn't fully explain it to himself, and the realization unsettled him more than he expected.

His sincerity caught Eve's attention. For a brief second, she understood why her mother had immediately chosen him as the perfect candidate — smart, wealthy, kind, and honest. An ideal prince in every sense.

"We're here," the chauffeur announced. Before Edmund could offer to walk her closer, Eve quickly said, "I can walk from here."

"Are you sure? I can drop you in front—"

"No, the road is too narrow for your car. It's fine, thanks."
In reality, she simply didn't want him to see her new building— an old, rundown place so neglected it felt like a haunted house to her. Of course, that was mostly her own exaggeration; after living in a mansion her whole life, anything less than pristine looked unbearable.

As she stepped out of the car, an idea flickered through Eve's mind; quick, daring, impulsive. Before she could overthink it, she leaned back in and pressed a light kiss to Edmund's cheek. Soft enough to seem innocent, bold enough to make her point.

"Hey—!" Edmund jerked back, startled, his voice cracking slightly. But the door had already closed behind her.

His hand hovered near his cheek, eyes wide in disbelief.

The chauffeur glanced at him through the rearview mirror, trying, and failing— to hide a chuckle as Edmund's face slowly turned a deep shade of red. Mortified, Edmund straightened in his seat and cleared his throat.

"Let's go home," he said quickly, hoping it would force the chauffeur's attention back onto the road instead of his flaming cheeks.

Outside, Eve walked away with a small, triumphant smile. Her steps were light, almost floating. Her heart fluttered in a way she hadn't felt in ages — unfamiliar but strangely comforting.

At the very least, she thought as she glanced over her shoulder,
he definitely won't forget me after today.

***