Alara wakes up in an unfamiliar world, having reincarnated into the life of a character from a novel she once read. Her new identity belongs to a young woman destined to suffer for the sake of the story's protagonists. Haunted by memories of her pas...
After reading the letter, I asked Sarena, "Sarena, can I reject this?"
Sarena replied, "No, my lady. It's a letter from a prince. You can't."
"Oh right, he is a prince. So, I have to go," I said.
"Yes, my lady," Sarena confirmed.
"Right. When will I have time to open my café? And the biggest problem is money. I have enough for the interior and decoration after selling almost every single item of Alara's, but what about the property and land, the main things?"
*KNOCK KNOCK*
"Sarena, my lady, Prince Zewiar sent some gifts."
"Gifts?" I asked.
"Yes, my lady. Should I open them for you?"
"Yes," I said.
As Sarena opened the gifts, she revealed a beautiful white off-shoulder dress, simple yet elegant, a white pearl necklace, matching earrings that were not too long, a hairpiece, and white heels. If I were the real Alara, I would have been thrilled, but it was the empress who had asked him to do this.
"Oh, there's a letter too. It's from Zewiar," It said as I read it. "I hope to see you in this dress."
It wasn’t that I wasn’t happy. I was actually pleased because it cost a fortune. *Money, money,* I thought with a laugh.
Sarena misunderstood my reaction. "Lady, you seem so happy after receiving a gift from your fiancé."
After days of preparation, when everyone had worked hard to make me look beautiful, it was finally the day. When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t recognize myself. Alara was beautiful, I knew, but after this makeover, she looked like a model.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
"Lady Alara, Prince Zewiar has arrived and is waiting for you in the main living room."
"Please, everyone, stop. I look stunning, so let’s not keep the prince waiting. Let's go."
We entered the main living room, and I saw Zewiar. He looked stunning in a black suit. Now I understood why Alara in the novel fell in love; he was striking. But wait—black suit there are a tradition for the imperial family to match their partners’ outfits. "You damn… prince," I thought. "I will kill you… No, take a deep breath… Aaaa... Phouuu..."
Zewiar said, "You look nice, Lady Alara."
"Thank you. You also look good, Prince," I replied.
Suddenly, I felt a shake in my emotions—a mix of happiness and sorrow that I realized were Alara's feelings. It's easy for people to say "move on," but the feelings buried inside someone’s heart can suddenly resurface, even after trying so hard to move on.
As we sat in the carriage, I said to Zewiar, "Prince, I need to talk about something."
"I’m listening, my lady," he said.
"Do you like me?" I asked.
**Zewiar**"It’s a sudden question."
**Alara**"No, it's okay. You don’t need to answer that. Let me get straight to the point: LET’S BREAK THIS ENGAGEMENT."
**Zewiar**"Okay, but can I ask why you want to break the engagement?"
**Alara**"Because you don’t love me."
**Zewiar**"But you do."
**Alara**"I am tired of giving now."
**Zewiar**"Tired of giving what?" he asked.
**Alara**"Of giving my time, my energy, my strength, my love..."
**Zewiar**"Okay. If that’s what you want, I agree to break things off. I agreed to marry you because that’s what you wanted, and I am ending this because that’s what you want. My sole purpose in this marriage was to make you and everyone else happy, but if it’s making you miserable, then let me set you free."
**Alara**"Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, and I’m sorry for being selfish. (There’s a difference between the Zewiar I know from the book and the Zewiar I’m seeing right now. The only thing I can do for the real Alara is to set her free from a one-sided love where a person starts giving too much without even realizing that there’s nothing left for them, and by the time they realize, it’s too late.")
Zewiar asked, "Can I ask why you’re wearing my gift then?"
I responded, "Can I ask why you’re going against the empire law?"
**Zewiar**"No. The reason I’m wearing this color is that my dressmaker made a mistake with our dress color. I was running late, so I had to wear this. Can I have my answer?"
**Alara**"I can’t disobey the prince’s order."
"Very well. We have arrived. What a great timing. Let’s go, Lady Alara."
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Main female lead
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Male lead
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